Tough Crowd . . .

Oh sure, now the world acts like it’s suddenly uncool to bilk investors out of billions:

For a half-century, Arnold and Joan Sinkin worked hard to raise their four kids, put a roof over their heads and build up a nice nest egg for retirement.

The Brooklyn-born couple moved out to Long Island and then down to Florida, where they planned to spend their golden years living off their nearly $1 million life savings.

That all came crashing down this past week when Wall Street legend Bernie Madoff’s empire of fraud collapsed.

“I put my kids through college, made four weddings, did everything to put away some money,” said Arnold Sinkin, 76, a retired carpet salesman, from the couple’s condo in Boynton Beach, Fla. “Two days ago, it was all wiped out.”

The couple lost about 85% of their life savings and their retirement dreams are gone with the cash.

Police Have A Tough Job

That apparently includes harrassing abuse victims at their fellow officers’ arraignment:

A Brooklyn tattoo artist clapped sarcastically and blew kisses Tuesday after being taunted by supporters of the NYPD officer accused of sodomizing him with a baton.

Michael Mineo, 24, faced off with cops when they berated him with an anti-gay epithet in a courtroom.

“I relive this every day,” Mineo said. “I’m too young to be going through this. Nobody should be going through this.”

Police Officer Richard Kern was formally charged with attacking Mineo and two other cops were accused of covering up the Oct. 15 subway station attack.

Mineo, who stared down the three accused cops at their arraignment, got into a standoff with plainclothes cops, who called him a “f—-t,” said Mineo’s lawyer, Kevin Mosley.

Perhaps we’d be less likely to believe allegations of stick-sodomizing if some police didn’t act like such homophobes.

Aha, That’s What Borough Presidents Do!

Advocate for the destruction of bits and pieces of the city’s architectural history:

Queens Borough President Helen Marshall urged destruction of the New York State Pavilion during an interview this week with the Daily News, pre-empting a city study on whether the structure can be saved.

“It should be demolished,” Marshall said of the pavilion, designed by famed architect Philip Johnson. “We have great artists. He’s not the only artist in the world.”

Though the 1964 World’s Fair exhibit has decayed much over the decades, the unique rotunda with three towers remains integral to the city’s proposed transformation of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

Location Scout: New York State Pavilion.

The Man Who Would Single-Handedly Save An Entire City From Massive Budget Deficits And Worldwide Financial Crises . . .

. . . first must gin up the numbers to make his case. Suggested protest placard — “Bloomberg Lied, Democracy Died”:

On Oct. 21, two days before the City Council voted by a thin margin to allow Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to seek a third term, the mayor sounded an alarm on the city’s economy.

New York City’s annual budget deficit, he said, would swell by $500 million during the current fiscal year because of weakening tax revenues.

At the time, the worsening picture seemed to strengthen his central argument for changing term limits — a vulnerable city needed his steady hand and business background for four more years.

But some of those inside and outside the administration say that Mr. Bloomberg’s remarks were inaccurate and may have painted a more dire financial situation than was warranted. Interviews with these people show that the city does not expect any budget deficit in the current fiscal year, which began July 1.

In fact, data that was provided to the city about the same time the mayor was speaking showed the city’s tax revenue grew at an unexpectedly brisk pace during July, August and September.

During that time, the city took in at least $200 million more than it had planned for, data and interviews show. Much of the unexpected revenue stemmed from sales, personal income and property transfer taxes.

Of course, the city could face deficits reaching into the billions in 2010 and beyond as a result of the global financial crisis, as layoffs mount, consumer spending falls and tourism slows.

But several economists said they were mystified by Mr. Bloomberg’s statement. Marcia Van Wagner, a deputy in the New York City comptroller’s office who focuses on budget issues, said that “it is extremely unlikely that the city would end the year in deficit.”

She said that tax revenue would certainly fall later this year, but that surplus funds now slated to be used in the 2010 fiscal year could offset any shortfall this year, “as can other reserves that are normally freed up during the year,” she said.

Ms. Van Wagner also noted that the mayor has already requested $500 million worth of spending cuts from city agencies this year, which could be used to close any budget gaps.

Asked why the mayor said the city faces a deficit this year, aides said that Mr. Bloomberg may have been referring instead to his expectation that revenues would be lower than the city forecast. But even if the mayor were referring to a potential falloff in this year’s tax receipts, the $500 million number is a greater decline than what many city officials and economists predict.

Mr. Bloomberg’s Oct. 21 remarks carried significant weight, and prompted articles in The Daily News and The New York Post about the city’s worsening economy.

Both articles reported that the city’s budget deficit would swell by $500 million, and mayoral aides never sought to correct those stories.

“I can tell you,” the mayor said, “that our deficit — we originally had ’09 balanced. Now we’ve got a $500 million hole in it.”

And By “Changed Her Mind,” They Mean “Threatened And Strong-Armed Until She Was Reduced To Tears”

Because obviously it’s easier to do that to handful of the 29 councilmembers who voted yes than actually make a case to the public:

Less than two weeks ago, City Councilwoman Darlene Mealy stood on the steps of City Hall, along with Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr. and a group of ministers who opposed Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s plan to extend term limits.

In fact, it was that very day that Ms. Mealy, a Democrat who represents the Brownsville and Ocean Hill sections of Brooklyn, announced that she would vote against the bill.

“People are telling me that they like Bloomberg, but that we should not take the power away from the people, where it belongs,” said Ms. Mealy, speaking loudly at that press conference. We shouldn’t be held hostage by anyone. Imagine if President Bush said he wanted four more years.”

However, when her name was called to vote on Mr. Bloomberg’s bill in the City Council chamber on Thursday, Ms. Mealy votes yes, and with a decidedly more somber tone to her voice.

What could have transpired in such a short time to convert one of the strong voices of the opposition to a supporter the mayor’s bill?

Some of her colleagues have charged that Ms. Mealy was the subject of a high-pressure effort from either the speaker of the mayor. In fact one Council member reported seeing Ms. Mealy emerge from City Hall late last week in tears, saying that she was the subject of intense pressure.

“They put unbelievable pressure on her in a way that may have been unethical,” said City Councilman Charles Barron, who represents an adjoining district to Ms. Mealy in Brooklyn and who was a strong opponent of the mayor’s bill.

“She has said that she was under intense, intense pressure,” Mr. Barron said. “I think it merits some kind of investigation, to be quite honest.”

In an interview, Ms. Mealy was asked whether she had been threatened in any from either City Council speaker Christine C. Quinn or Mr. Bloomberg.

“I don’t want to discuss it,” she said.

. . .

Maria Alvarado, a spokeswoman for Ms. Quinn, repeated the speaker’s comments from a press conference early in the day, insisting that accusations of “horse-trading, arm twisting, anything of that nature, is just quite frankly false and untrue.”

Ms. Alverado said: “Council member Mealy made up her own mind, and said she believed in this.”

Jason Post, a spokesman for the mayor, said that Mr. Bloomberg never met with Ms. Mealy in the weeks leading up to the vote, nor had there been any meetings between the Councilwoman and any senior administration officials.

“The mayor has made his case to the Council and he did it appropriately,” Mr. Post said.