Pay to Play lived Well in the Bronx

Nothing fishy here, right? It's raining money and nary a turned head.

Maybe we need to look a little closer at another Obama czar.

Buildings sprang up as donations rained down...

The man who is President Obama's newly minted urban czar pocketed thousands of dollars in campaign cash from city developers whose projects he approved or funded with taxpayers' money, a Daily News probe found.

Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion often received contributions just before or after he sponsored money for projects or approved important zoning changes, records show.

Most donations were organized and well-timed.

In one case, a developer became a Carrion fund-raiser two months before the borough president signed off on his project, raising more than $6,000 in campaign cash.

In another, eight Boricua College officials came up with $8,000 on the same day for Carrion three weeks before the school filed plans to build a new tower. Carrion ultimately approved the project and sponsored millions in taxpayer funds for it.

Carrion resigned as borough president effective Sunday and begins his new job as director of the White House Office on Urban Policy Monday.

Saturday Carrion declined to answer written questions about his receipt of timely campaign contributions. Instead, he issued a terse statement:

"Thousands of people who share the Borough President's vision for building a stronger Bronx and a stronger city have contributed to Carrion NYC. Teachers, parents, police officers, firefighters, members of the business community and concerned citizens have all contributed to the borough president's efforts to strengthen the Bronx and stimulate the local economy and he is proud to have such wide-ranging support."

Here's a look at just one of his donors.

Last year Jonathan Coren and a partner wanted to build 166 units of affordable housing in Parkchester.

Coren, for the first time in his life, became a registered fund-raiser - for Carrion. He raised $2,577 from multiple donors in the three weeks before Carrion approved the project on March 26.

On a single day - April 12 - he raised another $1,255, less than a month before the Planning Commission, which includes a Carrion appointee, approved Idle LLC's project.

Coren raised $6,532 for Carrion from 43 donors. The developers are awaiting funding from the city.

Asked about the purpose of fund-raising for Carrion just before he reviewed the project, Coren replied, "None, other than, to be perfectly honest with you, at that time I became aware of his campaign. It is what it is."

Coren says he never spoke "directly" with Carrion about campaign donations.

He can really pick-um. Can he really be this stupid?