CITY COUNCIL MEMBER SLAMMED FOR TAKING POETIC LICENSE

Earlier this year, City Councilmember Michael McMahon of Staten Island suffered quite a bit of public humiliation and embarrassment when he was formally reprimanded by the New York City Conflict of Interest Board (COIB) for directing his assistant -- a City Council employee -- to type a poem for his daughter, while the child was visiting the Councilmember's office.

He also reportedly directed his assistant to make a number of telephone calls to the parents of his daughter's soccer team.

According to McMahon, "Many of those calls were to inform the parents that I was running late due to my participation in City Council-related matters or that practice or a game had been cancelled due to inclement weather."

While these acts would seem pretty innocuous, they violated law.

McMahon had used a City employee, on City time, and City resources (phone and computer) in violation, among other things, of City Charter section 2604(b)(2) which prohibits the use of "City letterhead, personnel, equipment, resources, or supplies for any non-City purpose."

Despite his admission of guilt, the COIB did not seek the imposition of a fine or other penalty for the indiscretions nor recommended that the Council take action.*

Is that what they mean by poetic justice?

To download a copy of the McMahon documents, please use this link: Stipulation and Disposition

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*Ironically, McMahon is Chairman of the New York City Council's Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management. (We'll break the routine and pass on an obvious pun.)