Me The Mafia & Congressmen Fino

Before I get to Fino, I would just like to remind the regular readers of this Blog of my repeated attention to the impact of social unrest on society. Okay, that’s exactly what we are seeing right now in Iran. How it works out will unquestionably influence the whole Middle East and in turn the rest of the world. In the meantime, let me get back to Mr. Fino.

For so many days now in my 92nd year the obituary page of The Times reminds me of things past. Todays paper, June 19th, reports the departure of Congressman Paul Fino, “Politician Who Battled Lindsay.” At one point in that effort I was used as a battering ram.

It was 1965-67. I was Deputy Manpower Commissioner in charge of Youth Employment for the Lindsay Administration. One afternoon the phone rang, which it did constantly. My secretary said it was an important call from John Kifner of the New York Times calling from Washington. Kifner told me that Congressman Fino had just successfully had an amendment passed to the Anti-Poverty legislation requiring a loyalty oath from all people working in the Anti-Poverty Program. Fino, citing this man Schrank, a notorious known communist, was in charge of the largest anti-poverty effort in the country, dispensing millions of dollars to whoever he wanted. Kifner said that because NBC had given Fino 5 minutes on the evening news they would give me equal time to reply. He also added that he didn’t think the amendment would go anywheres as it would by all probability be killed in the Senate. He said the whole story would be in the morning paper.

I waited for the early edition of The Times and there was the whole story. By the time I got home there were calls from my boss at the agency, Mike Sviridoff, as well as calls from the Mayor’s office and NBC. A little background. I was working at Mobilization for Youth at the time I was asked to come to work for Lindsay. I said I would make the switch, but first I needed to talk with the Mayor. One of his deputies said it was okay to tell him anything I had on my mind. “No,” I said, “I need to talk directly to Lindsay.” A few days later I was summoned to City Hall at 8.30a.m. to meet with the Mayor. Upon arrival at his office there were three or four staff “kids” as the Mayors entourage came to be known. I suggested Lindsay and I meet alone. He nodded approval and a disgruntled group of guys filed out.

I told Lindsay about my communist past and my three expulsions from the Union for “supporting communist causes.” I reminded him of the Eagleton nomination and everybody's surprise that the guy had a history of mental problems. “Mr. Mayor,” I said, “we are not going to play that game of ‘oh, if I only knew,’ because sooner or later it will come up. If that bothers you, do me a favor and don’t hire me, because if and when it does come up, I will cite this conversation.” John Lindsay was most courteous. “First off,” he said, “we have run more checks on you than anyone in NY history. The FBI says you are fine and the NYPD, which is better at this stuff than the FBI, has a phone size book about you and they say your okay. So what’s to worry about?” That is how I went to work for John Lindsay.

The next morning Mike and I headed for City Hall. A funereal atmosphere hung over the room. On my way to the Mayor’s office some of the staff suggested that I could do Lindsay a huge favor by just going away. Unfortunately for the Mayor there were a number of his staff boys who were drooling over the idea of going to the White House with Lindsay as President. They saw me as an obstacle to that effort. After a brief discussion regarding our options, I said that if there was any effort to resign me, such as an announcement that I had resigned in deference to the Mayor, I would go on NBC and take my five minutes to blast not only Fino, but the Mayor as well, citing my conversation with him prior to my employment.

Lindsay had a good sense that this was not going in the right direction. He looked over at me, smiled, and asked, “What would you do if you were me?” By this time the Blue Room at City Hall was pacted with reporters. I said, “Mr. Mayor, just go out there and tell them the truth of what happened when you hired me, as well as what you think of my record as Commissioner for Youth Employment.” He stood up said,”That’s what we’re going to do if you agree not to go on NBC?” “That’s okay with me as long as there are no slip-ups along the way.” We all shook hands and went off to the Blue Room.

Lindsay was great. He did exactly what he said he would and went far out of his way to praise my work for the City saying he would like to hire 25 more like me. Mike Sviridoff and I left delighted with the outcome. I called NBC and told them the Mayor had adequately answered all the questions.
I had one more piece of unfinished business. After reading the speech Fino made on the House Floor, it became obvious that he was not competent enough to have written it. So who did? Years before all this, when I was still in the Union, I had occasions to deal with the Mafia. At one point during a police investigation I was asked about some of their shenanigans with health insurance programs. I had written about that in our union paper. I declined saying that my job was in the Labor Movement and not as a policeman or prosecutor. At a Union Convention I had met a Mafia leader who said, “Schrank, we owe you. So call me when you need something.” And so I did. He called back ten minutes later to say, “The speech was written at the Powerhouse on 50th Street” (St. Patrick’s Cathedral by Monseigneur Ahearn). Just another New York story.

Thanks Kate. N.H.W.Y.

PS. Did I ever tell about my job interview with the Mafia bosses, the two Tony’s?