Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer’s integrity questioned

 Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer

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City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) blew up at colleagues when they questioned whether his ties to the Queens Library would compromise his ability to conduct a hearing on the library’s finances.




City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer blew up at council colleagues who questioned his integrity at a closed-door meeting of the Queens delegation Wednesday morning.


Fellow councilmembers asked the newly anointed majority leader whether his ties to the Queens Library, where he worked for 11 years, would compromise his ability to conduct a hearing on the system’s questionable finances.


RELATED: NYC CONTROLLER EYES QUEENS LIBRARY PRESIDENT’S SPENDTHRIFT WAYS


“Who are you to question my integrity?” Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) shouted at City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) after she voiced her concerns at a meeting in Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz’s Forest Hills office, sources at the meeting told the Daily News afterwards.


“How dare you? You’re out of place and out of order.”


RELATED: THOMAS GALANTE, QUEENS LIBRARY CEO, CALLS $ 392,000 PAY ‘AVERAGE’


Van Bramer refused to comment through a spokesperson when asked by The News about his conduct at the meeting. Crowley did not immediately return calls for comment.


The president of the Queens Library, Thomas Galante, came under fire after the Daily News revealed earlier this week that he spent $ 140,000 to renovate his offices last year.


RELATED: QUEENS LIBRARY PRESIDENT MAKES $ 390G WHILE SHEDDING 130 JOBS


The library big wig also receives a $ 391,594 annual salary — on top of a $ 37,000 car allowance.


Van Bramer, who used to work with Galante as the head of government affairs for the library, called for an oversight hearing on the library and its operations on Tuesday. He is chair of the Council’s Cultural Affairs Committee.


City Councilman Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria), who heads up the Council’s libraries subcommittee and will be chairing the hearing with Van Bramer, defended the embattled pol.


“I have full confidence that Jimmy Van Bramer is going to do a credible and impartial job,” Constantinides said.


ctrapasso@nydailynews.com





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