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Paper Questions NY Bishop's Political Contribution

By Howard M. Friedman

Today's New York Daily News questions a $250 political donation made by Brooklyn's Catholic Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio. The bishop (whose diocese also includes Queens) made the contribution to City Council candidate Geraldine Chapey whose mother is a member of the state Board of Regents. The Regents have jurisdiction over approval of charter schools. A month after the contribution, DeMarzio and Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a proposal to convert four financially-strapped Catholic schools in Brooklyn and Queens into state-supported charter schools. (See prior posting.) Both DiMarzio and Chapey say the donation-- which also generates $522 of taxpayer matching funds-- was not connected to the charter school proposal.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on February 17, 2009 (boomark / email).