Citi Field and the mob

I’d say “only in New York,” but I spent a fair amount of time in my legal practice doing construction law, and I learned that this kind of thing happens in lots of places:

The Mets shelled out $51.6 million in taxpayer money to contractors shunned by the city for their ties to the Mafia, labor corruption or bribery, The Post has learned. At least seven contractors the city avoids were hired by the team to build Citi Field between 2006 and 2009, according to government records.

The tainted companies were paid from a $91 million pot the city Economic Development Corp. gave to the Mets.

It’s probably worth noting that a “tainted” company doesn’t mean a mobbed-up company any more than a company on some city-approved list is legitimate. There are tons of mob-connected or at the very least shady construction outfits on municipal approved lists all over the country because they made the right political contributions.

Likewise, there are lots of legit companies that are on non-approved lists because they wouldn’t play ball with with the right people. With “right people” usually being defined as a nogoodnik crony who got appointed to some mid-level job in the public works department because his brother-in-law knows people who knows people or something. Big city construction is ugly.

And besides: which is the bigger misuse of money: $51.6 million to the mafia, or $36 million to Oliver Perez?