In a shocking news flash, it turns out not a single one of State Assemblyman and Brooklyn Dem Boss Vito Lopez‘s family members can swing it in the private sector. His girlfriend Angela Battaglia runs non-profit Ridgewood-Bushwick Senior Citizens Council (RBSCC) and is on the City Planning Commission; Battaglia’s brother Jack — thanks to Lopez — is a Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice who may soon get a promotion, again thanks to his patron; Lopez’s daughter Gina Marie is a general counsel for the State; and his son-in-law Keith Summa works for the MTA as an engineer. With a salary of $106,000, Summa is doing pretty well, but Papa Vito maybe thinks the husband of Gina Marie — herself paid quite handsomely — should have access to more taxpayer- and straphanger-contributed income.
MTA CEO Elliot Sander charges Lopez with demanding an undeserved raise for Summa. According to Sander, when he refused to grant the promotion, Lopez “flew into a rage.” For his part, Lopez denies the allegations and says they’re the result of Sander’s bitterness in being asked to resign from the MTA. Considering the transit agency head’s (literally) bang-up job running our third-world subways, it’s not at all clear whom to believe and if the allegations are true, if Lopez’s request was even out of the ordinary.
The only thing that’s clear is that we’re up to our eyeballs in political corruption on all sides. And we have the privilege of paying for it all.
Dresden May 11th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
I don’t know much about Vito Lopez, but the more I hear about him the more corrupt he sounds. Those who defend him seem to benefit from the relationship – of course. Is this our only option? It’s gross.
bushwick's son May 12th, 2009 at 1:13 am
those who defend him have been breaking their freaking backs turning bushwick around. those who defend him are of course benefiting from him-everyday i walk down the streets of bushwick, I benefit from the great work this man has done. What have you contributed? What has this blog contributed? Besides writing nonsensical crap. Lets right about the good about Bushwick, the good that Vito, and hundreds like him, have done for this community. I’m getting so sick of the negative reporting about Bushwick.
Professional Alternative May 12th, 2009 at 6:48 am
The fact that you see this as negative reporting about Bushwick and not simply negative reporting about VITO LOPEZ says a lot. I’m sorry to inform you the two are different things. One is our neighborhood. The other is your patron.
bushwick's son May 12th, 2009 at 10:02 am
obviously, mr. lopez is a member of the bushwick community who has greatly contributed to the bushwick community. and so if someone is helpng out this underserved community why wouldn’t i defend them. anyone who contributes deserves credit and anyone who tries to take out this valuable resource will be criticized by me. if you don’t like it too bad.
We need to see that there are thousands of families in bushwick who have benefited from vito’s leadership. there is no clientelism going on here; i have no patrons, so watch your disrespectful allegations.
all in all, the future of bushwick lies in the great work that vito has done and continues to do and the future of bushwick lies in the hands of thousands of people living in bushwick that have benefited from vito-whether from housing services, park services, passing essential bills in the assembly, and ensuring that bushwick has a voice in our city and our state. so until this blog reports about something positive that vito (and representatives in this neighborhood in general) has done, it will serve as patrons of specific people with a specific agenda. (psh, gmme a break!)
Dresden May 12th, 2009 at 10:20 am
While Vito Lopez might have done a lot to help Bushwick, the alegations against him are rather insidious, and very real. Pressuring the Governor to have your GF’s brother become a Judge? Pushing to have a relative advance in the MTA’s payroll structure? These aren’t just mild, trite, unfortunate phone calls – and the reporting on them isn’t just inconvenient –
It shows a character and a general operating procedure of greed and nepotism – the tip of the iceberg which most probably includes construction contracts, santitation contracts, and the directing of public funds…
Which is gross. And as far as shushing us with “all the great things he’s done” – not gonna happen.
bushwick's son May 12th, 2009 at 10:27 am
as long as you know they are simply allegations. as nepotistic that you think vito is, is as nepotistic that i believe the media is. but that’s just my allegation. not to be taken seriously. best of luck in spending your valuable time tryiing to find something that isn’t there.
Rod May 12th, 2009 at 10:51 am
So now Mr. Lopez is responsible for all the positive changes in Bushwick/. LOL, LOL, LOL!!!!
Landlords avoiding section 8th and all these programs that bring losers to the neighborhood is what has helped Bushwick. If it was for Vito every single resident in Bushwick will be on Welfare. I personally believe that Mr. Lopez is not responsible for the good things that are happening in the neighborhood, the same thing goes for the people that defend him.
Professional Alternative May 12th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Of course Lopez has helped many thousands of people… helped them not have to work for a living, helped them get cheap and free apartments for their relatives, helped cement in a culture of dependence and borderline poverty and do-nothingism and above all, entitlement. And helped them at the expense of others who are not on the bandwagon. In return, they keep him and his cronies in power with giant salaries. It all works fabulously well — for them. And the rest of us? We’re left to work like chumps, and pay our own bills like losers, and pay THEIR bills like slaves.
On top of all of it, RBSCC buildings are hideous. Like someone spitting in your face after shooting and stabbing you and taking your wallet.
Anyway, as Lopez’s “help” to thousands doesn’t include me and is in fact at my expense, how can I then be expected to like the guy? Come on, get a clue.
bushwick's son May 12th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
you guys and your conservative lingo sound like rush limbaugh. i am so glad that i was educated in bushwick my entire life and that now have the honor and privalege to be going to school at a prominent university. and if it werent because of some government subsidized programs my mother wouldn’t be able to afford for me to go to college even though she tirelessly works and has been since she was 15.
so don’t tell me that “these losers” moving in are making bushwick better. this isn’t a cultural battle and it isn’t a race battle for me. this is a battle of history and setting the record straight.
therefore, stop the negative tones and the ridiculous conclusions.
bushwick's son May 12th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
furthermore, if it takes more government subsidized programs to get more bushwick students into college and more of the young men and women off of our streets i’d say subsidized more (of course smartly).
and don’t give me that you pay taxes crap, i pay taxes and so does my mother. furthermore, i don’t know one person that i’ve encountered in bushwick that is part of this “do-nothingism” culture. i would love for one you guys to say that bushwick people are nothing but lazy people. haha
bushwick's son May 12th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
P.S. I love the conspiracies
Jay May 12th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Haha… you guys are too funny. Maybe if all those who are bad mouthing him get a life of there own, and stop the negativity you all will realize that he has done alot more than most. Remember no ones perfect and before you throw the first stone watch out for your own broken glass house. Vito is the F@#$ing man excuse my french. Its time for change and hes doing a hell of a job LOVE YOU VITO…..
careful May 12th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
bushwick’s son, what prominent university did you have the privalege of attending? def wanna cross it off the list for my kids
Matt May 13th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Start with:
“you guys and your conservative lingo sound like rush limbaugh.”
End with:
“therefore, stop the negative tones and the ridiculous conclusions.”
AWESOME!
Dresden May 13th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
I can’t believe this is even a discussion – Vito Lopez is a fucking scumbag! Duh!!! How could anyone possibly question that he misuses public funds to help friends and relatives????? Make real arguments, you douchebags! All I hear is, the life of Bushwick is better now, but Lopez has NOTHING to do with that – we evil gentrifiers are to blame for that one – we improved the hood because we aren’t fucking lifers on the dole. I can’t argue with retards. It’s enough to make a man a fascist. Fuck all of you welfare assholes. You have cars and bling and I have a metrocard and an honest position in society. You use the system with tools like Lopez. Fuck you Vito Lopez. Fuck you.
learntospell May 13th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
Whoa Dresden!!! I agree with you, but maintain some decorum.
bushwick's son May 13th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
btw “careful” i might be from the hood, but i’m not stupid enough to tell you what school i go to. but since i did have the PRIVILEGE (I’ll correct myself, since we are two-year olds now, and we can’t argue with each other without pointing out random crap) of being accepted into harvard, yale, cornell, duke, georgetown, colombia, nyu, suny bing., suny buffalo, suny albany, tulane, UC-berkley, (and two others i cant remember) it seems like you won’t have much of a choice to send your kids to.
but again, im just a measly “welfare-child” that has been suffering so badly in bushwick. but thank the lord up above that these “losers” are bringing up property values and saving my life… maybe now i can go to oxford because my community will cost more.. give me a break.