The Eyes Have it as the Reporter Launches Dyster Watch 2016
We’re looking, we’re listening, we’re paying attention. The Reporter is watching the moves of Mayor Dyster as his re-election fades in the rear view mirror and the post-election city hall gears get greased with quid pro deals that were made pre-election.
The mayor cobbled together a clumsy but ultimately effective political campaign as his witches brew of support gave him a third term with a mere 47% of the vote. That John Accardo would be getting sworn in as the new mayor next month, had Glenn Choolokian not engaged in a doomed from the start write-in campaign, is beyond doubt.
To vacuum up that paltry 47% Dyster had to wheedle and cajole and turn campaign carnival barker as he pledged, promised, and pleaded his way to a third term win. We know of some of the pre election promises and commitments he made. People have told us. We’re already seeing preferred, influential, city employees benefitting from the mayor’s win. Fortunately for them they had pre-election trinkets to trade with the mayor, such as the endorsement by unions and management employee groups. Woe unto those employees who had only their commitment to the city and the sweat of their brow to offer His Honor.
The Reporter will be paying careful attention as to how the pork in what should be a pork free city budget is divvied up. We’ll be watching the Third Street loans and grants, the consulting contracts, the legal fees, the raises, stipends, promotions, special overtime arrangements, the use of the dwindling casino cash, the business of the train station, nonstop ice pavilion renovation, Sal Maglie Stadium, convenient purchasing agreements, and the musical chairs of Dyster’s “cabinet level positions.”
That 47% – as weak as it was – didn’t happen by accident. It was built by the Dyster Machine one campaign promise at a time to unions, key department heads, not for profits, and friendly businesses with all of it coming at tremendous eventual cost to the taxpayers.
As Robert DeNiro said to his future son in law, played by Ben Stiller, in the hit comedy Meet the Flockers, “I’m keeping an eye on you.”
