מורא'דיג: ראביי העשל פון בארא פארק

Chaplaincy

WCBS-TV had a great story the other night about a volunteer Port Authority chaplain using lights and sirens to get through traffic and scatter pedestrians. (Great because they followed the guy in a helicopter.) It prompted a reader to point out that another chaplain, Bernard Freilich, is still on state payroll, after being acquitted in a witness-tampering case, and that untold other, similar jobs are scattered through the state payroll.

Wonder if Spitzer's going to keep the chaplains, and the various other odd, protected -- in this case, by Assemblyman Dov Hikind* -- corners of patronage.

UPDATED: Hikind called to say "Rabbi Freilich is a nice guy" but "whatever his position is right now, I have nothing to do with it."

Posted by Ben Smith at December 1, 2006 11:09 AM

Comments

Here's an idea: readers post the names of every political hack and gadfly who drives a Tahoe, Crown Vic, etc with lights and NYPD parking placards. Would be a stellar list I'm sure

Posted by: Anonymous at December 1, 2006 11:26 AM

One should go over to Centre Street and Chambers where there are "NO STOPPING AT ANY TIME" signs and take down the plates and placards of the people PARKED there.

Could anyone imagine how many less people would have city cars if everytime that they illegally parked, drove in HOV lanes, ran red lights, or drove recklessly? They think because they have "offical" plates they can do whatever they want as they sure don't get ticketed and if they do they can ignore it.

Posted by: Anonymous at December 1, 2006 11:43 AM

Illegal parking is one thing, but stories like this are infuriating and disgusting. The mayor should have this guy arrested. You can easily argue that he is guilty of a felony.

Posted by: Clare at December 1, 2006 11:45 AM

And to follow-up on my own post, what do you think would happen if some mailroom clerk at ACS had lights and sirens put on his car and started cruising around town?? This is such a joke and doesnt the NYPD have a duty to (with such clear evidence of felonious lawbreaking) lock this guy up?

Posted by: Clare at December 1, 2006 11:48 AM

First of all the guy should be in jail. Second, he has endangered a lot of lives because the volunteer ambulance group Hatzoloh has legit Paramedics racing to serious life-threatening emergencies and they will be stopped because of this lunatic (any Hatzoloh member who uses his lights/sirens for non emergencies should also be arrested).

Third, Hikind avoided jail becasue a jury found he didn't accept a bribe that the 2 givers were convicted of paying him off. If Governor Spitzer wants to demonstrate change, he should keep his distance from Dov. Pataki provided Hikind with over $2 million in member items to dole out. Who knows who got money from that fund (since it's not the usual State Legislative member item). And then there is Pataki's State Police guy and Hikind collaborator Bernie Freilech (Hikind opposed D.A. Joe Hynes because he prosecuted Freilich) who Governor Pataki saw fit to keep at the State Police even though he has no background or qualification for the job (like Golan Cipel under Jim McGreevey).. and Pataki acts like Hevesi is a scandal.

Posted by: Anonymous at December 1, 2006 12:44 PM

the key issue about R' Frielich is, what does he do for 75,000.00 that he sits in his New Uthrect office most of the time, has Official plates,and gets paid from the Department of Health.

Because the NYS Police has no such job on record and the money to pay

Spitzer should check that, this is called "tax payers money stolen and waisted".

BTW-where is he a Rabbi, when and where was he ordained, does he have a shul, congragation, followers? maybe 1-a kitchen maker

they all are home made Rabbi's to get a discount at a movie.

isn't he the guy who kicked R' Gluckin the butt?

Posted by: Isaac at December 4, 2006 04:15 PM