Yesterday’s Daily News article about the deal Patricia Lancaster cut with Robert Scarano certainly did its best to make it sound like something improper had occurred when the DOB head agreed not to reveal any of the details of its Scarano investigation to any other regulatory agencies or the press in return for the architect’s voluntarily giving up the right to self-cerify. Noticeably absent from the article, however, was any perspective that might explain Lancaster’s side of the story. As one commenter on Brownstoner put it yesterday, “I couldn’t tell whether I was supposed to think she was aiding and abetting a criminal or just cutting an expedient deal the way a prosecutor might.” A it turns out, the latter’s exactly the defense that the DOB put forth in an email to us last night. Likening the stipulation to a plea bargain, the DOB argues that it was the most expedient way to get Scarano out of the Professional Certification Program; on top of that, the department argues, the State already knew about Scarano’s alleged misdeeds at the time of the stipulation and it had “no practical impact whatsoever” on the State’s ability to go after Scarano. While we’ve certainly been critical of the DOB in many instances in the past, this seems like a pretty reasonable explanation. In the end, what possible reason would Lancaster have to coddle Scarano given what a high profile case it was? It just doesn’t make sense.
Buildings Chief Hid Architect’s Mistakes [NY Daily News]
Daily News: DOB Chief Buried Scarano’s Blunders [Brownstoner]
Photo by Thomas Moncaster for The Daily News