Developers who want to do business with the city would be required to publicly disclose previous relationships with government officials under a bill being introduced Wednesday at the City Council.
“Well-connected developers should not be getting sweetheart deals on the taxpayers’ dime,” said Councilman Ben Kallos (D-Manhattan), the bill’s sponsor.
Under the bill, the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development would be required to give the Council the “compliance package” submitted by prospective developers for mandatory background checks.
The filing details a company’s previous history with existing government officials, a company’s efforts to hire locally, ownership interests and other information Kallos said should be disclosed prior to public hearings.
Kallos told The Post the legislation was not drafted to target specific companies or government officials.
However, he pointed out that a questionable longtime business relationship between Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen and Ron Moelis of L+M Development Partners “has been widely reported” by the media.
Glen, who is planning to step down as in the next few months, had plenty of business dealings with Moelis while working as an executive for Goldman Sachs. Moelis’ L+M Development has been one of the de Blasio administration’s top partners on affordable housing projects.
“By forcing developers and HPD to disclose relationships, I am confident we will get more bang for every dollar given as a subsidy,” said Kallos, who chairs the Council’s Land Use Subcommittee on Planning Dispositions and Concessions.
City Hall spokeswoman Jane Meyer said “every project HPD subsidizes goes through an intensive review to ensure the integrity of individuals and entities seeking to do business with the City. We look forward to reviewing this legislation.”
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