Photo Credit: Shannon Blake’s Facebook page
Assemblywoman Mathylde Frontus (D-Brooklyn) tried to receive $100,000 in funding from the NY State Assembly for a Think Tank that would operate under the auspices of the Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island, the NY Post reported Thursday. She said the group would “retrieve community input regarding key social problems,” and the $100,000 would cover a full-time coordinator, equipment and supplies.
But Frontus never registered her think tank with state or federal authorities, which, according to the Post, suggests she was simply planning to keep the money. The Post cited one Brooklyn assembly member who asked, “How do you ask for $100,000 in funding for a group that doesn’t exist and think it’s OK? This request reeks of corruption and raises many legal and ethical questions.”
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Kings County Politics suggested that “either Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) is tighter than Ebeneezer Scrooge on the night before Christmas or Assemblywoman Mathylde Frontus (D-Coney Island, Bay Ridge, Brighton Beach, Gravesend) is the worst political pork hunter to ever hit Albany.”
Back in March, KCP reported that Frontus was going to “convene the first meeting of the Southern Brooklyn Community Think Tank (SBCTT) today (March 21 – DI).” She even named the members of the 8-person group, which was co-chaired by Bay Ridge residents Rachel Posner and Erik Shell. But, reportedly, none of it was real.
Her predecessor, Pamela Harris, pleaded guilty in June 2018 in federal court to two counts of wire fraud, one count of making false statements to the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and one count of witness tampering. She stole $25,000 in federal funds by falsely claiming that damage from Superstorm Sandy forced her from her Coney Island home.
The Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island (JCCGCI) has a well functioning website that says the group “reaches thousands of needy families and individuals every day. Our programs provide individuals and families with the support and resources they need to remain safe and achieve fulfillment. We’ve come a long way since our founding in 1973, but we have, and always will, remain faithful to our core mission of transforming the quality of life of those in need, one individual at a time.”
No, we also looked. No mention of a think tank.
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