Mayor’s Adviser Calls for Federal Probe Into Ferrer Appearance in Puerto Rico

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The New York Sun

A Bloomberg campaign adviser yesterday called for a federal investigation into a Fernando Ferrer campaign event at La Fortaleza, the governor’s mansion in Puerto Rico.


The adviser, Ninfa Segarra, said a federal law may have been violated at the event, but federal officials said yesterday that the allegation appears to be baseless.


Standing on the steps of City Hall, Ms. Segarra, who is a leader in New York’s Puerto Rican community and whom Mr. Ferrer appointed to the Board of Education, said the campaign supports a group of Puerto Rican lawmakers who this week sent a letter to the Department of the Interior’s inspector general, urging a federal probe into Mr. Ferrer’s appearance at the mansion over the weekend and stating that campaigning in a National Park constitutes a violation of Interior Department rules.


“We are awaiting, anxiously awaiting, the results of such an investigation because we think it should be pursued,” she said.


The letter from the Republican lawmakers quoted articles in Puerto Rican newspapers questioning the candidate’s appearance and said the visit was part of a pattern by Mr. Ferrer. Echoing Bloomberg campaign language, the lawmakers wrote, “On September 28, 2005, Mr. Ferrer was widely criticized for campaigning in a New York City public high school in direct violation of New York City Department of Education requirements.”


Ms. Segarra said Mr. Ferrer’s weekend campaign trip was proof that the Puerto Rican-born Democratic candidate is not fit to run the city.


“That’s a major flaw in someone who’s going to be leading the city of New York and trying to run a government in New York City,” she said. “You should know the parameters of your powers, and you should know how to administer those powers in a responsible way.”


Yesterday afternoon, federal authorities told The New York Sun that the Bloomberg campaign’s charges – and those of the seven Puerto Rican lawmakers who wrote the letter – were likely baseless.


The lawmakers said La Fortaleza is part of the San Juan National Historic Site. But the deputy superintendent of the site, Robert Dodson, said it isn’t. Rather, he said, the mansion, which has certain protections as a National Historic Landmark, is owned by the Puerto Rican government.


Mr. Dodson said confusion often stems from the fact that both the historic site and the historic landmark are part of a “world historic site,” a designation handed out by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, which recognizes historic and culturally significant locations worldwide.


He added that in his estimation, anyone pressing for a federal probe into activities at the governor’s mansion “would be wasting their time.”


The deputy chief of the office of policy for the National Parks Service in Washington, Chick Fagan, concurred. He said landmarks not owned by the federal government are not subject to federal requirements for political activities.


“The federal government cannot and does not tell anyone what they can and cannot do with their property,” he said. “They’re free to do what they want.”


He said that even on federally owned parkland, politicians could hold campaign events as long as they secure permits and as long as federally employed parks officials don’t participate while on duty. A campaign consultant who accompanied Mr. Ferrer to Puerto Rico, Luis Miranda, said the event on Saturday night was a celebration of Mr. Ferrer, who would be the first Puerto Rican mayor of New York City.


“It’s a big deal,” he said. “The day that Freddy was there, the coverage was a big deal. It’s a big historical event for Puerto Rico.”


He said it seems like this latest spat on the campaign trail “has more to do with the politics of Puerto Rico than the politics of New York.” He said that doesn’t absolve the Bloomberg campaign of responsibility for floating a baseless accusation: “No doubt, the mayor’s attack machine will latch on to anything.”


The Bloomberg campaign did not return requests to clarify its position.


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