Kenney made his remarks yesterday, after introducing a resolution authorizing Council's Committee on Public Property and Public Works, which he chairs, to investigate the awarding of contracts at the airport. Council has not yet voted on the resolution.
The Daily News reported last month that a major Street campaign contributor had been chosen to replace Rosenbluth as the operator of information booths in each of the airport's five terminals.
Parkway Garage, Inc., a subsidiary of Parkway Corp., took over from Rosenbluth on Jan. 1 in a deal that will pay Parkway $1.5 million for one year. Parkway boss Joseph Zuritsky donated $86,100 to Street over the last decade and also paid for an eight-day trip to Israel that Street and his wife took in 1998.
Hal Rosenbluth, head of the travel agency, contributed $10,000 to Sam Katz, Street's 1999 Republican opponent.
Kenney said he also wants to investigate a $5.8 million contract to draft a master plan for the airport that was awarded on a no-bid basis to a company which hired friends of Street as subcontractors.
The Inquirer reported the subcontractors included Synterra, Ltd., a landscape architect whose boss, William Wilson, donated $43,250 to Street, and A. Bruce Crawley, a Street public relations adviser.
"Why is it that a parking company with no experience can replace Rosenbluth, which was doing a good job and is experienced in travel and tourism?" asked Kenney. "Maybe this wouldn't happen if we'd pass the campaign finance bill that would limit Zuritsky to giving $1,000 as an individual contributor or $5,000 as a political action committee."
Street's spokeswoman did not return a Daily News call requesting comment on the matter. *
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