[click image to enlarge and read]. This, same NYT item, p.2
And they do not look like this.
In Mr. Helmsley's neighborhood, they all look little different from Mr. Helmsley
Nice suit.
About Mr. Helmsley's neighborhood, expect no DA speaking of "corruption on steroids." The DA might live there. Just the wrong neighborhood. Different example making around there.
Does anybody have any questions?
___________UPDATE____________
Terry Hendriksen emailed a question, basically, "What's the point?"
A fair question, perhaps there are multiple points intertwined - municipal corruption, dynamics of scale, and directed attention of authorities vs. exempted "good" and "sound" neighborhoods having discretely diverted attention, or private vs publicized attention, if any attention at all. (Aside from Tiger Woods news, his gated private neighborhood has enjoyed a low profile.) Possible intent to show: Private sector capability to exploit juxtaposed with public sector; standards for local government - many things at play.
For more on Bell, CA, this Google.
Perhaps a Buddhist view might be one of a post having a glimpse into one or a few of a multitude of dimensions of the human condition, with the concept of "purpose" being inappropriate and "story" being all that is proposed. Another way to say that, perhaps the post is pointless. You decide. Was reading the post and/or this update worth your time?
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Having the Google tab open, there is the Bell, CA, city website with its aims and values, e.g., here and here, the latter being the City Clerk's separate website where the newswortiness and pride in reducing taxes for residents is proudly featured.
Can a city both reduce taxes and be "corruption on steroids" in our US of A? It is troublesome as a thought, but it appears possible.
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Getting further from Mr. Helmsley's neighborhood, to my own, Ramsey, Anoka County, where I live, it would be a public service if the city website were to prominently post data on department head and senior administrative salary trending, say from 2005 onward through the housing collapse and the Bush depression's start (in late to mid-2008 or so), including benefit package increases, if any; as well as compensation of mayor and council trends over that same period. I am aware that the council gave themselves more money for their HRA meetings. My criticism of HRA meetings is non-transparency, lack of broadcasting, etc. Regarding compensation, I continue to regard the mayor and council compensation as out of line with the job demands - the time taken in meetings and plowing through those lengthy full agendas, hearing those many, many minor and bothersome things, etc. I know burnout was a factor in a few decisions to cease running for the office, and the imbalance between the time commitment and the meager compensation is a disincentive for many good people to seek office. Add to that the costs of running, a hurdle to those only wanting to serve vs. a cost of doing business for those wanting a better seat to promote family land dealings, and there are disincentives for having the best government citizens deserve, vs the best money can buy, as the cliche goes. With such impediments to getting all the best and brightest interested in public service, the potential for abuse multiplies. Also worthwhile, would be the city prominently posting on its website the 2005 to present trending in consulting contract expenditures, especially including but not limited to the expenditures to resuscitate the Ramsey Town Center (aka the CORpse). I expect those latter numbers, prominently displayed, would be a sobering revelation to Ramsey residents, (who do not get such helpful information, in the Ramsey Resident).
In California there is "damage control" awareness of reprecussions from the Bell disclosures, as Wikipedia notes here [see text around the fn.42 location, see also here for more general Wikipedia coverage], and the news outlet reporting linked to, here. As the story percolates nationwide, during these financially troubled times, there will be more attention paid to local public servant pay, and Ramsey has the opportunity to be ahead of the curve rather than trailing edge.
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Full and total Vegas junketing costs, for both times, together with breakout numbers, also would be an interesting addition to the city's website main pages. Illuminating information, sunshine on it, would be a public benefit - something citizens should want to read, and should read, if posted. In cost-benefit balancing terms, benefits, if any, from the junketing should also be prominently featured - with the costs so that the balance is presented Ramsey voters.
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"Calculated greed" is what the LA DA reportedly says while charging Bell CA officials. Calculated greed by public office holders always is a threat, and always should be accorded severe disapprobation even if it falls short of criminal conduct. Curbing and criminalizing some extreme forms of public official calculated greed is the reason underlying Minnesota having a gross misdemeanor conflict of interest statute, and felony bribery laws. Opponents charge political motive, a past blind eye to Bell and crony connections, then timing for near-election publicity, as reported, here. Nonetheless, politics aside, it is a public service to ferret out wrongful officeholder conduct - of the calculated greed kind - and while timing can be debated, outcome - criminal complaints - most likely is beyond reproach.
Not living in that town I am more remote from facts than I am in my town, where I try to stay more informed than most [it is what the public data laws are intended to allow, citizen inquiry and meaningful responses - and where I feel I have to say that City of Ramsey responses to me have been diligent and reasonably prompt, given a host of other time demands such as city clerk responsibility for election matters overlapping some recent requests I have made].