There is a new war brewing and its contenders are Robert Morgenthau and the NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg. What is this conflict concerning? This battle is about money. The mayor is concerned about seizing control of resources because he is facing numerous budget gaps. Mr. Morgenthau's concern is that all the money other than personnel services has been spent before in the seventies.
Mr. Morgenthau vowed this will never happen again, and he is seeking additional resources of revenue and is personally involved with the budget. Mr. Morgenthau has experienced considerable success within the last thirty-four years in bringing down the rates of violent crime. He has also expanded his role in dealing with economic and white collar crime. His office alone has personally hidden away millions of dollars in undisclosed bank accounts. Mayor Bloomberg feels these millions of dollars should fall under the city's power and not the District Attorney's office.
Mayor Bloomberg has praised Mr. Morgenthau for his successful years of service but he turned around in the same breath and stated that he is wrong for his actions in hiding away money for the District Attorney's office when it should be overseen by the city of New York. Mayor Bloomberg's argument is that the money belongs to the public and not the District Attorney. Mayor Bloomberg has stated that this is analogous to white collar crime that Mr. Morgenthau has prosecuted against.
The District Attorney states that the salary accounts have been known to the administration, and he has written checks from the account several times. He also states that back in the past, there was not enough money to pay his employees and the District Attorney remembers when his office could not pay any of its bills.
The District Attorney has stated that with the emergence of more white collar crime to fight, he needs the money which has been hidden away and he refuses to give it over to the city of New York. This position is due to the discretionary measures of the past of the mayor's office.
The city of New York provides approximately eighty-two percent of the budget for the District Attorney's office. The city wants the monies from all fines and from successful prosecutions. Mayor Bloomberg particular feels that the city should receive all the money from settlements in cases of indictments.
Mr. Morgenthau states that he understands that the state deserves a share of the pot however, the city back in 1985 when he needed money to go after white collar crimes such as tax evaders, his job was scoffed and his office did not have the resources to fight those certain white collar crimes.
Who will you side with on this issue? Mayor Bloomberg who feels the money from the District Attorney's office belongs to the city of New York or the District Attorney who claims the money is needed to undertake regular and white collar crime? I do not believe we have seen the last of this battle between Mayor Bloomberg and the District Attorney Mr. Morgenthau.
