Lawsuit Charges St. Vincent's Execs Fleeced Failing Hospital
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SOUL SENSATION, P. 21 Volume 80, Number 12 $1.00 West and East Village, Chelsea, Soho, Noho, Hudson Square, Little Italy, Chinatown and Lower East Side, Since 1933 August 19 - 25, 2010 Chess man plots his next moves to citizenship BY AIDAN GARDINER out of legal limbo and into Saravuth Inn crooked his proper citizenship. He’s hand over the board and let been making a living play- it hang for a moment. He ing chess in Union Square slapped his knight down and for the past two years. After as suddenly, snatched up the Christmas, he plans to fi nal- enemy pawn. ly visit the Department of “I love chess,” he said. Homeland Security to get “To be able to be omnipo- a naturalization number, tent. To be able to do many which will enable him to things in one shot. Freedom. get a steady job. However, Control. Flexibility. he fears offi cials may deport “Chess allows you to do him to Cambodia instead. that when in life, you can’t,” “I will not accept that he added. as an option,” said Inn, Inn, 49 and Cambodian- born, is fi ghting his way Continued on page 5 Governor O.K.’s Squadron’s bill Photo by Aidan Gardiner Saravuth Inn playing chess in Union Square. on problem bars BY ALINE REYNOLDS enable the State Liquor Lawsuit charges St. Vincent’s Governor David Paterson Authority to crack down signed a bill sponsored harder and more effective- by state Senator Daniel ly on bar and club owners Squadron into law last who are frequently unable execs fl eeced failing hospital Sunday that will tighten the to control disorderly con- reins on nightlife operators duct, who violate noise BY ALBERT AMATEAU was a transition plan for Mt. Sinai lion to its top executives over the two who routinely break the law. laws and who repeatedly Attorney Yetta Kurland fi led a free- Hospital, not a closing plan,” Kurland years preceding the second bankruptcy, But Paterson vetoed another require police assistance at dom of information lawsuit on Monday told members of the Coalition for a which was fi led on April 14. of Squadron’s bills, a piece their premises. The law will demanding that the New York State New Village Hospital, gathered at Foley “They spent nearly $300,000 on a of housing legislation that enable the S.L.A. to pull a Department of Health and its commis- Square outside of State Supreme Court golf outing as the hospital was going would have assisted a vul- liquor license after a prob- sioner, Richard Daines, make public on Monday morning. The negotiations under,” charged Kurland. “They have nerable and needy popula- lem spot has incurred six or “any and all documents” relating to the for Mt. Sinai to take over administra- not accounted for $100 million in tax- tion. closing of St. Vincent’s Hospital. tion of the hospital fell apart shortly payers’ money,” she added. The nightlife bill will Continued on page 14 Kurland and her law partner, Tom before St. Vincent’s closed. The suit contends that the state Shanahan, challenged the legality of the “We question the number of admin- Department of Health has not fur- April 6 vote by the St. Vincent’s board istration employees and hospital con- nished documents that the coalition of directors to close the only remain- sultants and the expenses involved in requested. EDITORIAL, ing Catholic hospital in Manhattan, two bankruptcies,” Kurland said. “We “It’s a shame that we have to go to LETTERS founded 160 years ago. know that $63 million was spent on the court to get documents that belong to PAGE 12 The suit also challenges the validity fi rst bankruptcy, and St. Vincent’s still the people,” said Mark Taylor, a lawyer of a hospital closing plan submitted hasn’t paid for the second bankruptcy. taking part in the lawsuit. to the state Department of Health in There are still people working it.” “We’re going to hold all our elected FRINGE February. The suit also seeks documents relat- offi cials accountable for the fate of FAVES “I was told that the Feb. 17 plan ed to the coalition’s complaint that St. PAGE 17 submitted to the Department of Health Vincent’s has paid more than $10 mil- Continued on page 4 145 SIXTH AVENUE • NYC 10013 • COPYRIGHT © 2010 COMMUNITY MEDIA, LLC 2 August 19 - 25, 2010 Photos by Clayton Patterson Here’s looking at you, kid Antonio was just a kid when he posed with his family, who are Dominican, in CLAYTON’S PAGE front of Clayton Patterson’s Essex St. door around 1985. From left, above, they were Lily, Antonio, William, Leila, Shakira and Bellen. Twenty-fi ve years later, Antonio works nearby in the family business at Three Brothers bodega, 116 Stanton St., where he got a hug last week from his daughter, at right. Need to See a Doctor Now? COMING SOON Brand New State-of-the-Art Facility 65 West 13th St between 5th & 6th Ave s.O7AITING s.O!PPOINTMENT.EEDED s"OARD#ERTIlED0HYSICIANS s"EST!LTERNATIVETOTHE%2 s-OST-AJOR)NSURANCES!CCEPTED (212) 414-2800 65 W 13th St between 5th & 6th Ave -ONDAY &RIDAYAMTOPM NYDoctorsUrgentCare.com 3ATURDAY3UNDAYAMTOPM August 19 - 25, 2010 3 hoping the situation might change. He was paid a bit before. SCOOPY’S He wasn’t paid what the time was worth.” THE RAY REPORT: (Attention reader Michael Gottlieb: Please skip this item!) We were biking by Ray’s Candy Store NOTEBOOK last Sunday afternoon — yes, using the Avenue A bike lane, for all you bike-lane haters! — when we saw the man him- HUDSON PARK GOINGS AND COMINGS: Matthew self stepping outside for a moment and got the latest news. Washington has left the Friends of Hudson River Park as Ray informed us that progress is, in fact, being made on his deputy director to become executive director of Friends fi re-protection system for his Belgian fries: A chimney pipe of the High School for Environmental Studies, his alma all the way up to the roof, as well as a hood over his deep Home of the NFL Sunday Ticket, mater. Washington is also chairperson of East Harlem’s fryer have been installed. All that’s needed now is the actual, Community Board 11. The parks advocacy group will be foam-spraying Ansul system. But the guy installing all of this College Football, Premier League honoring him at their annual Fall Fling on Tues., Sept. for Ray always seems to disappear for two or three weeks at Soccer, MLB Playoffs + World Series 28, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the Frying Pan, at Pier 66A, a time, before fi nally showing up to do the work. Speculation Private Party Room avail. / happy hour 4 -7 Mon. - Fri. W. 26th St. and the West Side Highway. Also honored at is he’s focusing on more lucrative jobs in the meantime. At 63 Carmine St., Greenwich Village. the Friends’ Fling will be Rich Caccappolo, president of any rate, it sounds like Ray will be a’fryin’ again pretty soon. Tel. 212 - 414 - 1223 • www.MrDennehys.com the Greenwich Village Little League. Tickets start at $75 Before we go on any further, we’d like to note that a number and go all the way up to $5,000, which earns the title of readers were rubbed the wrong way by Michael Gottlieb’s of “Underwriter,” plus 40 tickets and recognition in the recent letter in which he accused us of giving Ray too much Friends’ annual report. With ticket prices like that, maybe coverage. A typical response was (of Gottlieb), “Who is the Friends really will be able to raise the funds to fi x up this guy???!!!” Pro-Ray readers say the egg cream maestro Pier 40 at West Houston St. and keep it — and its $5 mil- deserves all the coverage he can get since he’s an East Village lion in annual parking revenue for the park — from falling institution of so many years. Speaking of longevity, although into the river. Ray generously gives away hot dogs and coffee to the needy, he hasn’t lasted on Avenue A since 1974 without playing MUCHO DINERO FOR ABC NO RIO: Susan Howard, a hardball when necessary. He said he’s still seeing long lines board member at the ABC No Rio arts collective, on Rivington outside the new NYC ICY store across the street. So, in his St. between Clinton and Suffolk Sts., tells us they’re elated latest strategy against the upstart, Ray said he’s planning that they’ve just received another $800,000 in government to paint a NYC ICY sign of his own on his store’s canopy. funds for their rebuilding project: Borough President Scott He said he knows a trademark rights expert and asked him Stringer allocated $400,000 and the Department of Cultural to check out if Suzie Leeds of NYC ICY and her husband Affairs and City Councilmember Margaret Chin each gave actually own the name. Ray said he found out they don’t, so IN THE HEART OF GREENWICH VILLAGE — Recommended by Gourmet Magazine, Zagat, Crain’s NY, Playbill & The Villager — $200,000. This adds to the $1.65 million ABC No Rio it’s going to go up on his storefront, which could cause some “Gold Medal Chef of the Year”. — Chefs de Cuisine Association previously got from local elected offi cials, plus a $1 million icy confusion that could benefi t him.