Somebody was on to this a long time now!

Raping New York City Taxpayers
Date: August 1, 2008

Rarely does the Apathetic Voter receive communications from our “dedicated” public servants. I’m sure that fear of retribution silences most employees while they watch their co-workers and superiors gorge themselves at the public trough.

We have all heard or been informed by our friends and associates and the occasional media outlet “news bites” of the callous attitude government employees have about spending taxpayer money, but the Apathetic Voter passes on those infrequent letters from government employees for your consumption.

The following is a letter the Apathetic Voter received from an employee of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. Although this individual’s documentation of waste may seem miniscule in comparison to the massive waste and corruption we have documented over the years, multiplying these typical abuses that are witnessed on a daily basis times the thousands of government organizations quickly adds up to a waste of billions upon billions of dollars of your hard earned money each year, with little service to the people in return.

Let us remember that these abuses would never be permitted in the liberal-maligned private sector because the private sector’s objective is to run an efficient operation and turn a profit and not to pocket taxpayer money for their own personal gain.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MISMANAGEMENT @ NYC DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION'S HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESPONSE UNIT



I work in the same office as Moustafa Fawzy and must say the major portion (>60%) of overtime incurred by Mr. Fawzy is by being on-call at home. Most City Agencies have directors/supervisors who are available after-hours to dispatch emergency personnel to jobs. These directors/supervisors are in a managerial position so they are not paid any overtime.



Mr. Fawzy is Director of the Hazardous Materials Response Unit, but he is not in a managerial title as most Directors are at DEP. Mr. Fawzy alternates the monthly on-call schedule with his Deputy Director, Innocenzo Catanzaro (if you look closely, Mr. Catanzaro’s overtime amount is close to that of Mr. Fawzy). How the on-call schedule works is that from 6:00 PM – 8:00 AM weekdays if no emergencies come in the on-call supervisor gets paid one hour overtime for every two hours not called; therefore, it amounts to 7 hours of paid overtime if there are no emergencies. If an emergency does occur, the supervisor gets 4 hours of paid overtime and dispatches one of his inspectors to respond. On weekends, the supervisor is on-call 24 hours/day. Note: if there are no emergencies on a weekend, the supervisor earns 24 hours of overtime pay. That means for the month of June the supervisor would have made 255 hours of paid overtime if NO EMERGENCIES were called in.



Additionally, Moustafa Fawzy has not been seen at work for quite some time, he calls in from time-time to see how things are going. The functions of DEP’s Hazardous Materials Response Unit are to support those of the First Responders in NYPD’s Hazmat Unit & FDNY’s elite Hazardous Materials Unit. Someone should seriously investigate DEP’s Hazardous Materials Response Unit to combat this abuse of fraudulent overtime, especially now that they have received Homeland Security monies. One can guarantee that the overtime will increase dramatically for both Director Fawzy & Deputy Director Catanzaro.



One can eliminate all this needless overtime waste by making Mr. Fawzy & Mr. Catanzaro managers, and implement shift-work for the rest of the staff (8-4, 4-12, 12-8, 7 days/week). If shift schedules were implemented, the overtime abuse which is a recurring expense (and partially offset with Homeland Security money) could be reduced significantly.

Mr. Fawzy & Mr. Catanzaro also refuse to use the city’s CITYTIME system and instead input their own times for the payroll department, thus making them accountable to no-one.



Most City Agency employees (except NYPD & FDNY) have a 20% overtime cap, but DEP’s Haz Mat Unit has a 50% cap for the responders, but an UNLIMITED cap for Mr. Fawzy & Mr. Catanzaro. Last year each of these two individuals earned over six figures. This not the first time that Moustafa Fawzy was listed in the Top Ten City Overtime earners. Mr. Fawzy has also had raises totaling over 50% since 1997.



Members of DEP’s Haz Mat Unit are NOT First Responders, ONLY NYPD & FDNY are. Meanwhile, DEP’ Haz Mat employees (including support personnel & recently hired college graduates) are all driving brand new unmarked vehicles to and from home which are equipped with emergency lights & sirens. Nobody knows why their vehicles should be unmarked.



DEP’s Haz Mat Unit also sets up its own around-the-clock Command Center for the US Tennis Open. Last year at the US Tennis Open, they spent the day eating and drinking on City time. The US Tennis Open is just a few minutes away from their Lefrak City offices, so it was not necessary to have a Command Center setup in the first place. Meanwhile, DEP’s Upstate Hazardous Materials Response Unit in charge of safeguarding the reservoirs and water supply are short staffed and their overtime has been reduced to <10%, even though the Water Supply is known to be a top terrorist target.



Someone should derail the “gravy train” that Mr. Fawzy and his staff have been riding for years; costing the City tens of thousands of dollars over the years. This unit functions with little to no oversight thus creating a blank check for overtime/stand-by. Mr. Fawzy reports directly to Assistant Commissioner Bob Avaltroni who does nothing more than sits in his office all day allowing this blatant abuse to continue. At the same time, the Agency’s gross mismanagement by focusing its efforts on this one Haz Mat Unit has placed its other systems in jeopardy.

Check out the video on this one. Its truly a Masterpiece!

SOUNDS FAMILIAR?

Shakeup at DEP's Hazmat
Unit
Last Edited: Monday, 16 Feb 2009, 10:33 PM EST
Created On: Monday, 16 Feb 2009, 10:32 PM EST

MYFOXNY.COM - After a report from Fox 5, a New York City agency that is partly in charge of your safety is seeing a big shakeup. A special unit within the Department of Environmental Protection that is trained to deal with weapons of mass destruction might be doing some "self destructing" of its own and making big bucks along the way. John Deutzman uncovered the problems. He reports that change is on its way.

>CONTACT JOHN

This is truly Unbelievable! This sounds extremeley familiar!

Check out the video on this story! Masterpiece!

www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/investigative/090216_Shakeup_at_DEPs_Hazmat_Unit

You did know about it, now you are being protected. Unbelievable!! Soon it will all be public,you can count on it!!

Testimony
Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H.
Commissioner
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
regarding
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
Before the
The Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs'
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
United States Senate
May 21, 2003

'The best protection against the threat of a new disease is a strong public
health infrastructure working in close partnership with the medical community. It
is more imperative than ever that our nation’s public health infrastructure be
financially supported and strengthened. In New York City, my department has
8
identified immediate needs requiring at least $104 million. These needs include
the cost of upgrading our laboratory, retrofitting our facilities for emergency use,
planning and establishing points of distribution (POD) sites for preventive mass
treatment, and equipment and computer software to enhance our capacity to
respond to chemical, biological and radiological events. In addition, our public
hospitals alone need more than $35 million to address their immediate needs to
prepare for public health emergencies. And this does not even begin to address
the financial needs of other first responders, such as fire, police, the EMS
system, and our emergency preparedness coordinators. To ensure speed and
effectiveness in the grant process, it is of critical importance that federal funding
continues to come directly to the City. The threats of terrorism and of new or reemerging
infectious diseases will remain a concern for the foreseeable future.
Only a concerted, sustained federal investment in public health will ensure our
capability to respond and protect our communities.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify on this important matter. I will be
happy to try to answer any questions you may have.'
###

Commissioner of Conflicts of Interest Rule Breaking

Articles courtesy of NY Daily News

Mayor Bloomberg's aides staff his foundation without city ethics check
Sunday, December 23rd 2007, 4:00 AM

Mayor Bloomberg's closest aide, Deputy Mayor Patti Harris, has been working for his charitable foundation without first getting clearance from city ethics watchdogs.

Harris, who earns $227,219 a year on the city payroll, took on an advisory role for the Bloomberg Family Foundation, which the mayor set up last year to give away his billions.

And she's not the only city employee doing side work with the foundation.

Her assistant, Allison Jaffin, has also spent time working on behalf of the charity without prior approval from the city Conflicts of Interest Board.

Their work is unpaid, and Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser called it a "minimal amount."

The city charter generally bans bosses and subordinates from entering into business relationships with each other or doing private work on city time unless the Conflicts of Interest Board agrees it is in New York's best interest.

As the mayor tries to figure out what his third career is going to be - politics, philanthropy, something else - the line between his public and private lives seems to be growing increasingly muddy.

He insisted this summer he had no involvement in his media company and then had to backtrack a few days later, admitting he talks to top execs frequently.

The close relationship was underscored when Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff recently announced he is stepping down to become second in command at Bloomberg LP.

The Bloomberg Family Foundation, which IRS filings show the mayor seeded with $500 million in September 2006, appears to be turning into another power destination for loyal Bloomberg aides.

The News has learned that Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden also has been volunteering with the foundation, including traveling to China in August to look at anti-smoking efforts there.

Unlike in Harris' case, Frieden's work was approved by the Conflicts of Interest Board. Bloomberg seemed to be aware of a potential clash with city rules in January, when he wrote to the board to ask for approval for Frieden's work.

The board agreed in March, as long as Frieden worked on his own time.

The Bloomberg letter said other commissioners and "high-level" employees were interested in volunteering for the foundation - not surprising considering the potential for a future job at a much better salary and without the constant public scrutiny.

Harris has been Bloomberg's trusted adviser, especially on philanthropy, for years. But she was not named in the letter, and the board granted a waiver only for Frieden.

After The News questioned mayoral staffers' involvement in the foundation, Loeser said the office assumed the Frieden decision covered other employees but would now ask the board for an opinion about Harris and Jaffin.

As for why City Hall is hunting for permission now - nine months after the Frieden waiver was granted - Loeser said it was because the foundation's work is "ramping up."

A year after it was announced, the foundation has a handful of employees, including its original hires, former Human Resources Commissioner Verna Eggleston and one-time Bloomberg LP executive Susan Calzone.

Frieden's ex-deputy at the Health Department, Dr. Kelly Henning, has been brought aboard to head up the anti-smoking programs.

The foundation has not yet given away any money, a spokesman said. A $125 million anti-tobacco effort announced by the mayor last year will come partly from the foundation and partly from the mayor's wallet.

Which begs the question: Is the foundation ramping up, or just waiting for its staff members to finish their time at City Hall?

kdanis@nydailynews.com

Frieden's Bloomberg Foundation Work
February 6, 2009
Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden, who is reportedly up for a job with the Obama administration, met with Mayor Bloomberg’s top pollster and another political consultant last year, according to records obtained by the DN's Kate Lucadamo.

The Health Department says both lunch meetings were part of Frieden's private work for the Bloomberg Family Foundation.

The commissioner's shedule reveals he had a morning sit-down with Stephan Rabimov of Global Political Risk Consulting in January 2008 and met pollster Doug Schoen for lunch in October.

An agency spokeswoman said Frieden interviewed Rabimov in his office for a job with the World Lung Foundation - a partner in the Global Tobacco Control Project, which Bloomberg’s foundation backs. Rabimov got the gig.

The Schoen powwow was “to discuss the global tobacco control effort,” Frieden’s spokeswoman said.

As the News reported last year, Frieden (unlike other members of the administration) sought and received a waiver from the Conflict of Interests Board to volunteer his time for the Bloomberg Family Foundation.

The Health commissioner and others on Team Bloomberg were planning to work for the private foundation when the mayor's term ended, but his successful push to change term limits and subsequent campaign for a third term may put the kibosh on that idea.

Now Frieden’s name is being circulated for the new head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention where he once worked - much to the chagrin of AIDS activists, who disagree with his efforts to make HIV testing more routine. (Fixed).

That position appears to be in limbo since Sen. Tom Daschle withdrew his nomination for U.S. Health Secretary this week because of tax trouble.

Tags:
City Hall , Mayor Bloomberg
By Elizabeth Benjamin on February 6, 2009 2:32 PM

Remember this, Mr. Commish, You said it, "I have 8 million patients. If any one of them dies prematurely in New York City, it's my fault!"

Thomas Frieden- DOHMH Commissioner

Who
Thomas Frieden is New York City's Commissioner of Health. He's part of the reason why you can't light up in a bar and why cigarettes cost $7.50 a pack. He's also the guy to thank for the city's free condoms program.

Backstory
The baby-faced Brooklynite earned his medical degree from Columbia and specialized in infectious diseases at Yale before starting a career in the city's Department of Health in 1990. Two years later, he became head of the city's Bureau of Tuberculosis Control, where he was charged with reducing the incidence of TB in the city. He later left the city's employ and in 1997 moved to India, under the auspices of the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, to work with the Indian government to help stop the spread of TB. He returned to New York in 2002 after Mayor Bloomberg gave him the city's top health post.

Of note
When Bloomberg offered Friedan the job, he agreed on the condition that he'd have the mayor's backing to make people "angry." True to his word, Frieden has infuriated plenty of citizens, most prominently by proposing an increase in cigarette taxes, and pushing for the citywide indoor smoking ban that went into effect in 2003 (which has been so successful it's become a model for similar bans in countries as smoker-friendly as France, Ireland and Italy). Friedan has also frequently butted heads with the city's restaurateurs, stumping for a ban on trans fats, putting restaurant inspection scores online, and stepping up the frequency and rigorousness of restaurant inspections in the wake of an embarrassing news report in 2007 that showed rats run amok in a KFC/Taco Bell in Greenwich Village. His push to expand the city's free condoms program, including a much-hyped redesign of the packages using the same fonts as the subway system, met with inevitable resistance from the city's Catholic leaders.

Keeping score
He made $181,719 from the city in 2007.

In person
Frieden's calling card is his in-your-face style, and although some say he lacks grace and charm, the basket of free condoms in his office with which he tempts visitors at least shows a sense of humor.

Soundbite
"I have 8 million patients. If any one of them dies prematurely in New York City, it's my fault!"

Personal
Frieden is married to Barbara Chang, whom he met at Oberlin. They live in Brooklyn Heights where the doc owns a collection of plastic sputum collectors, used to take samples from TB patients. He's the first to admit that it's weird.