If Vice President Joe Biden can be described as the Gaffe-Maker, Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind can definitely add to his 32-year resume the title of the Scandal-Breaker of 2013.

Following the blackface controversy this past Purim, reports about Mr. Hikind’s abuse of taxpayers money and family-relative-friend dividend pay have been the talk of town. If Obamacare is unpopular what would ya’ll say about Hikindcare?

The Crains’ Chris Bragg landed another investigative report in which the term ‘Hikindcare’ was used to describe Assemblyman Dov Hikind and Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs’s involvement in the matter. “Hire my relative, and I’ll hire yours,” appears to have been the arrangement in 2011 between influential Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind and veteran Brooklyn Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacobs—resulting in their kin getting part-time jobs that paid just enough to qualify them for government-funded health care,” Bragg writes.

“The moves came after Ms. Jacobs dropped her nephew from her own payroll, which she said was before she learned that employing him may have violated a state antinepotism law.

On Feb. 17, 2011, Mr. Hikind’s son Shmuel joined Ms. Jacobs’ staff as a $10,800-a-year community liaison. Mr. Hikind, a power broker in Brooklyn’s Orthodox Jewish community, this summer admitted to the New York Daily News that he had asked Ms. Jacobs to give his son the part-time job with health care perks. “I help strangers, and I certainly don’t discriminate against members of my family,” Mr. Hikind said.
But the assemblyman neglected to mention that at the same time, he had helped out Ms. Jacobs’ family. On Feb. 16, 2011, Ms. Jacobs’ nephew, Dov Blumenthal, joined Mr. Hikind’s office payroll, also as a community liaison, at a salary of $12,000. Mr. Blumenthal is the 38-year-old son of Abbe Blumenthal, who is Ms. Jacobs’ sister.

Mr. Blumenthal had served as a temporary community liaison on his aunt’s staff between June and October 2010. According to the state public officer’s law, legislators are not allowed to hire their close relatives, including nephews, except as temporary pages, interns or messengers.

“Lisa Reid, executive director of the Legislative Ethics Commission, said the state’s antinepotism law applies to “individuals who are direct descendants of the legislator’s grandparents,” which “include a member’s biological sister’s son.”

“Mr. Hikind did not return calls seeking comment. Ms. Jacobs said she did not realize the law forbade her from hiring her nephew, and said, “His hiring [by Mr. Hikind] was never contingent on my hiring Shmuel Hikind.”

“On the very day that Ms. Jacobs’ nephew joined Mr. Hikind’s staff, the Legislative Ethics Commission issued an opinion clarifying that legislators could not participate in the hiring of their relatives. The opinion did not specifically address lawmakers recommending relatives to their colleagues.

“Mr. Hikind, the Assembly’s assistant majority leader, also persuaded another Brooklyn colleague, Assemblyman Peter Abbate, to hire his other son, Yoni, the Daily News reported. Payroll records don’t indicate that Mr. Hikind hired any of Mr. Abbate’s progeny.

“In July, Crain’s reported that Mr. Hikind failed to report at least his last seven years’ of income from his weekly radio show, including a $65,000 payment from Maimonides Medical Center for a year of advertising.

Two years ago, Mr. Hikind’s son-in-law, Rabin Rahmani, an M.D. in his early 30s, landed the post of director of medical education and research at the hospital’s gastroenterology division. Maimonides relies heavily on state government grants for funding and regularly lobbies Mr. Hikind, but hospital officials said there’s no conflict of interest in its advertising on the lawmaker’s show, and that Dr. Rahmani was exceptionally qualified for the position.

This past Thursday Hikind challenged this reporter and others to ask for forgiveness ahead of Rosh Hashana. The question remains, will Mr. Hikind have the decency to apologize and ask his constituents forgiveness for the misconduct and abuse of power serving as the people’s representative in Albany.

(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN)