WHAT DID THE CITY SAVE

We continue with Carignan fun week.

Today, we'll simply cut to the chase. We can go over the fun details later.

If you recall, Harry said that all this great savings came through 'repackaging.' Apparently, N&M can't secure the actual policy but they're a real whiz at 'repackaging.'

Remember, that's what Harry said. The savings came through 'repackaging'. The Comptroller and Corporation Counsel know the details. Not our words, Harry's words.

Lets see what Ms. Witkowski had to say about the savings.

Q. Do you know in your role as comptroller
whether Nicoll & MacChesney saved the City
any money as a result of the repackaging of
insurance proposals performed between late
December and January 1st when these
policies -- when the insurance policies
went into effect?

A. Yes, they definitely did, yes.

Q. And do you know how much?

A. Because as a matter of fact, there was an
invoice that came in to me from Nicoll &
MacChesney which was a budgeted number, and
when I had Mike Dinova call them, they sent
in less than that. Off the top of my head,
I don't know what it is -- what it was or
what the amount was.

Q. Was it approximately $100,000?

A. No. No. It was a lot less than --

Q. Was it approximately $50,000?

A. No.

Q. Was it approximately $10,000?

A. It was probably less than $10,000.

Q. Was it approximately $1,000?

A. It was less than $10,000. I don't know off
the top of my head.

Q. But it certainly wasn't close to --

A. But the invoice was --

Q. Is it fair to say it certainly wasn't close
to $60,000?

A. No. Not -- no. No.

There you have it. A savings of less than $10,000 (by picking an option already suggested by Carignan).

Harry said Witkowski knew the details and Witkowski testified to the details. It wasn't even close to the $65,000 Harry stated in his press release.

In all fairness, we do not believe Harry knew what he was talking about. He did say that he was out of the loop. He merely repeated what his handlers told him to say. We think Witkowski was telling the truth to the best of her knowledge. So, who led Harry astray?

You don't have to like Carignan, you don't have to dislike Harry and the administration. This is a simple issue. The administration took someone's work and gave it to someone else. They can do that, but the commission is earned when the quote is secured. Carignan secured the quote and deserves the commission. To top it all off, the administration couldn't keep it's mouth shut, tried to make Carignan the bad guy and show how much they had saved by switching brokers. It was all bullshit.

Switch brokers. Who cares? Just don't steal. We didn't like what Conroy did with HUD. It smelled bad and was ill-advised. We don't like this. We wouldn't like it if Pattison did it and we don't like it now. Sometimes partisanship should end where ethics and fair dealing begin. That goes for everyone, on both sides.

And a word about lawsuits. How many times have we heard Republicans talk about "suing the city only hurts the tax payers." or some variation on that these. That's not the issue. What hurts the taxpayers is when officials give someone a valid cause to go to court to right a wrong. That's the issue. Some people are not doormates for political thugs.