Marcus Johnson's City Council race was over before it started.

“It just seemed like it was going to be a big open race, which would have been fun,” said the normally ebullient 24-year old. “I don’t think a race against an eight-year incumbent is gonna be fun.”  read more »

Among the funding requests cut by the Council from its budget was one for the Bronx African American Chamber of Commerce, which was slated to get $10,000 at the request of City Councilman Larry Seabrook. The organization earned some attention when it came out that they never accounted for the ultimate destination of $994,488 they received last year.

After voting in favor of the budget, Seabrook told me, “I didn’t put it in -- that was a mistake on their end,” referring to the Council staff.

A spokesman for the City Council explained the mistake, saying that Seabrook had initially asked for the money but later recsinded the request.  read more »

In her clearest remarks to date about the slush fund scandal at the City Council, Christine Quinn told reporters today, “I am not a target of the investigation.”

The remark came during a Q&A with reporters following her announcement that legislation would be passed later today in order to rezone Harlem and create a permanent office of long-term sustainability.  read more »

Congestion pricing just passed the City Council Committee on State and Federal Legislation, 6-4. Members who voted in favor included Maria Baez, Melissa Viverito, Larry Seabrook, Joel Rivera, Mike McMahon and Hiram Monserrate. Those opposed included Lew Fidler, Joe Addabbo and Erik Dilan.

It goes to the full council tonight.

On March 8, The New York Times published a survey of where some of the City Council's 51 members stood on congestion pricing. At the time, 20 were against, 12 were for, and 19 were either undecided or did not respond to the survey.  read more »

Christine Quinn and two City Council members just issued a statement applauding a ruling that they say will prevent undercounting the audience for minority radio stations.

Quinn--whose likely mayoral bid would probably pit her against Bill Thompson--was joined by Larry Seabrook and Inez Dickens last September to express concern over the proposed methods for media monitoring by Arbitron.  read more »

So, how is Christine Quinn—a major supporter of the mayor's congestion pricing—going to get the (so far nonexistent) bill for the plan through the City Council, which has at least 20 members who have signaled they’re only lukewarm to it?  read more »

I saw City Councilman Larry Seabrook running into City Hall just now, and asked him his predictions on tonight’s primary vote in New Hampshire.

“Predictions? That’s over man. That’s Obama!" said Seabrook, who hasn't endorsed a presidential candidate yet.

A few minutes later Dan Doctoroff strolled in (without a tie!). His predictions?

“I don’t know any more than I read in the newspapers,” he said.

After I posted Larry Seabrook's "lazy asses" comments earlier, a reader brought to my attention the following fact about the desk Seabrook purchased with his campaign funds:

It was bought from Tri County Office Furniture in Mt. Vernon, costing more than $1,200. (There are two invoices from Tri County -- one for $1,108, and the other for $150.)

I just called Tri County's Mt. Vernon office and asked if they had desks in the $1,100-$1,200 price range. "We have furniture in all price ranges," I was told.

Could I get, say, a custom-made desk for that price?

"Custom-made and laminated," the guy said.

I spotted Larry Seabrook on his way into a meeting in Christine Quinn’s office with Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott and some education officals just now.

Before he went in, I asked him about that fine he received from the Campaign Finance Board for allegedly buying furniture the day before the election with matching funds from the city.

Here’s what he told me:

“We didn’t buy campaign furniture the day before the election. That didn’t happen. That’s not true. That was done before that.”

He added:

"It wasn’t furniture. It was a computer desk to put the computer on. It wasn’t chairs and couches, it wasn’t that. It was a computer table. See, they gave you the impression that I was buying couches and that I was buying easy chairs. It was a computer table to put the computer on that we were doing the robo calls. See nobody--if they got off their fat asses and went there, they would have saw that it was a computer table to put a computer on. And it wasn’t furniture. It wasn’t a couch. It wasn’t an easy chair. It wasn’t a LZ Boy like them lazy asses. But that’s what happened."

UPDATE: A spokesman for the CFB, Eric Friedman, responded by saying, “The Board takes both the timing and enduring value--as well as the purpose--of each spending item into account when deciding whether it is an allowable campaign expense.”
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