NEW YORK—Intent on rooting out fraud and keeping the management of billions in Superstorm Sandy recovery money transparent, the mayor’s office and City Council are both working to establish online tracker systems.
Legislation introduced by City Council members Donovan Richards and Brad Lander on April 25 is expected to be approved by the end of the year—and according to Lander—be up and running within 90 days after it is approved.
At the same time, the mayor’s office, the first stop for New York City Sandy aid money, has been working on its own online tracker independent of the council. A representative for the mayor’s office confirmed the administration is working on a tracker and expects it to be ready soon.
At a Nov. 15 council hearing, however, the mayor’s office stated its online tracker would be ready in about two weeks’ time. New York City expects to see almost $20 billion in Sandy-related aid money over the next several years. According to the city comptroller’s office, which also does not have an online public tracking system, $2 billion in federal and state money has already been spent by city agencies.
A representative for Richards’s office said they were surprised by the announcement the mayor’s tracking system would be in place by the end of the month. The mayor’s office has been supportive of council’s tracker legislation, which has almost three dozen co-sponsors, added the representative.
More than a year after the storm, the Office of the New York State Comptroller runs the only existing online database of any kind at the city or state level that makes information about Sandy spending publicly available.
The comptroller’s office confirmed Monday that it has a simple website page where it lists storm-related emergency contracts and purchases. The information includes the vendor, contracting agency, amount of money, and a description of the work.
Behind New Jersey
In contrast, New Jersey’s state comptroller launched its Sandy aid and recovery tracker on March 7, with its site up and running less than one month after an executive order from the governor directing its formation.
The order directed state agencies to work closely with the comptroller’s office and instituted “accountability officers” within state agencies “to oversee the responsible disbursement and utilization of federal reconstruction resources allocated by or through that department or agency.”
New Jersey’s comptroller office also uses a hotline staffed by former FBI agents and retired state police to field potential fraud tips.
“Anytime there’s billions of dollars flowing into the state, fraud or waste is going to be a big concern,” said Peter McAleer, director of communications for the New Jersey comptroller’s office.
“We felt like every dollar counts, and it would be important for New Jersey residents to see the money.”
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly spelled the name of City Council member Brad Lander. Epoch Times regrets the error.
