John Liu Keeps Tainted Norman Hsu Money

Norman Hsu is a criminal in the literal sense. He was convicted of stealing $20 million from investors in a Madoff scheme. A true Renaissance man, he also violated fundraising laws by giving money under fake names to get around contribution limits. Norman must have used many fake names, because he donated a lot of money. After his conviction, politicians rushed to return his hard-stolen money. There are some notable exceptions.

Such as John Liu. Our friendly city councilman took in $22,950 from those affiliated with Norman Hsu. However, he only returned the $4,950 he received directly from Mr. Hsu. That seems kind of incomplete, especially since Hsu was convicted of funneling money through others to sidestep legal requirements.

Ask John Liu where he got his three million dollar war chest from. After all, he should know. He wants to be in charge of our city's finances. Shouldn't he know where his money came from?

Notorious Developer Tommy Huang: John Liu's Cousin

Meet Tommy Huang. He is a developer who somewhat notorious for building houses that do not conform to building codes. The RKO Keith's theater on Main Street was an eyesore partly because of his involvement, during which he was charged with committing environmental crimes. Civic associations fear his illegally-built houses, which feature such luxuries as garages illegally converted into living rooms. Sometimes, Tommy merely evicts day care centers who had been paying their rent.

Meet John C. Liu. He's a man who wants to manage this city's money. John has a $3 million war chest. John's sister Alice is married to Tommy.

We know that John Liu received money from beneficiaries of his City Council slush fund. We know that John loves developers such as Tommy. Where did John's money come from?

John Liu's Money Trail Does Not Add Up

John Liu was a City Councilman for two terms. In that capacity, he had the authority to dole out money from a City Council slush fund. For some reason, recipients of such largesse were inclined to donate money to Liu's comptroller campaign. To prevent any appearance of a quid pro quo, Liu's campaign claimed that they had returned all such donations.

The Daily News exposed that claim as a lie. For instance, Fred Hung is a bank executive who donated the maximum $4,950 to Liu's comptroller campaign. Hung was a board member of an organization that received $50,000 from Liu's share of the City Counsel slush fund. It turns out that many members of the city council receive donations from recipients of slush funds. However, Liu claimed falsely that he had returned all money.

John Liu can't seem to tell the truth about anything: his childhood, his dad's job, or his campaign financing. One wonders where his $3 million war chest in the comptroller race came from. Developers? The people of New York City deserves someone who can tell the truth. Don't trust our city's future to a man who seems to lies about everything.

John Liu Favors Seizing Private Property For Developers

There is nothing more sacred to our system of capitalism than the property rights of individuals. John C. Liu does not respect private property rights. As a member of the City Council, he voted to seize privately-owned land so that the city can turn it over to wealthy developers who coincidentally spent a fortune in lobbying fees.

First, some background. Willets Point is the area of Queens around Citi Field and Arthur Ashe Stadium. It is a unique regional destination for car parts and repairs. New York City has not provided adequate service to the area for decades. In fact, owners filed suit on April 9, 2008 begging the city to repair the derelict streets and sewage system. But the city had other plans. After letting Willets Point fall into disrepair by neglecting the infrastructure for forty years, the city wanted to seize the property so that private developers could build nice skyscrapers and malls in the area.

The NYC Economic Development Corp. (EDC) leads the forced redevelopment of Willets Point. It's not allowed to lobby politicians, but that hasn't stopped it from funding those that do. The Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corporation (FWPCLDC) receives half of its money from the EDC. The FWPCLDC retained the Parkside Group, a powerful lobbying firm, to get convince the New York City Counsel to see things their way. Unfortunately, the FWPCLDC forgot to register as a lobbying firm and was fined a record $59,090 by the city. Once in a while, someone stands up for the little man.

Sadly, John C. Liu did not. He voted last year to authorize the use of eminent domain against the hardworking, blue-collar guys who own the small businesses in Willets Point. This sets up the city's attempt to seize the land so that it can be paved over and handed over to developers.

Liu and his fellow politicians must have been hard to convince. The city's records show that the FWPCLDC spent $129,999.99 in 2007, $259,999.92 in 2008, and $67,166.98 so far in 2009 to lobby the city and her politicians. If you have any question what lobbyists do, you have good company. John C. Liu has not explained what effect lobbyists have had on his decision to help Goliath beat up on David.

Apparently, John Liu believes that private developers shouldn't have to pay you to take over your property, but rather, that they should pay politicians to seize your property. He should explain why he voted to seize private property to give to the rich. But he would probably just make up a story.

It's a pity that this man seeks to take care of the city's cash as comptroller. This reverse Robin Hood who takes from the poor to give to the rich should not be allowed to handle our money as Comptroller.

Go tell him so at the polls this fall!

Will The Real John Liu Please Stand Up?

John Liu is running for Comptroller of New York. In that role, he would be responsible for taking care of our money. But Mr. Liu can't even tell us who he is.

In a heart-tugging campaign ad, Mr. Liu claimed to have worked in a sweatshop when he was seven. It turns out, however, that's less than true. John Liu has been caught embellishing about his childhood. His own parents turned him in. As the New York Daily News exposes:

It turns out, Liu's mother says she didn't work in a sweatshop. She just about always brought work home from the factory, and it's there that the young Liu sometimes helped her. Another witness seconded that version. Liu's father says his son was paid to help his mother - at home, as his allowance.

John Liu's father admits that his son was paid an allowance to help his mother. John claims that his father was a low-level banking employee. However, it turns out that this is not true, either. The first job John Liu's father had in the United States was as an international officer of Hokkaido Takushoku Bank, and was in charge of most departments in that bank until 1983. John Liu's father later worked as an employee of Great Eastern Bank. In 2001, he was convicted of bank fraud with three other employees of Great Eastern Bank.

John Liu wants to be in charge of our money. But why should we trust our finances to a man who can't even tell the truth about himself?