Hochul’s back to signing poorly vetted deals using ‘emergency’ powersBy NY Post Editorial Board
July 30, 2023
Here we go again?
No sooner did the COVID “emergency” fade than Gov. Kathy Hochul, in May, declared yet another one — this time for the flood of migrants swamping New York.
And now she’s once again using the powers that come with such a declaration, issuing contracts without the state comptroller’s advance OK.
The amounts in two contracts are stunning, totaling $1.6 billion for migrant housing services, to be provided over five years by two Texas firms.
It’s a dangerous practice, to say the least.
The state requires the comptroller to review contracts in advance for a good reason: to ensure New Yorkers get good services for their money and aren’t on the hook for more than necessary.
Recall what happened the last time Hochul used her “emergency” powers, during COVID, to sidestep advance review? Taxpayers wound up paying nearly double for COVID test kits, thanks to $637 million in no-bid state contracts.
Those contracts, by the way, went to Hochul campaign donor, Charles Tebele, raising questions of whether any play-for-play schemes were in the works.
* * *
Source:
https://nypost.com/2023/07/30/hochuls-back-to-signing-poorly-vetted-deals-using-emergency-powers/