When you are a press secretary for a City agency, you have to deal with some pretty tough people. From constituents that want help with concerns, to activists that demand answers - to the media that circle like vultures over an almost dead body. But of all the people I have to deal with - I love when I have to deal with an elected official that has launched an all-out attack against my Agency that is baseless - and blatantly invented.

Despite the fact that the Mayor's Office and the City's other elected officials are in the same government and are "one big happy family" - they sometimes tend to clash over issues. In most cases, other elected officials, such as Assemblymen, Congressmen, Senators and Councilmen are fine to work with despite our differences of opinion. But every once in a while, an elected official comes along that chooses my Agency as his target for notoriety, free publicity - and an outlet to make his constituents believe that he is working hard for their "best interest." Considering the fact that I am writing this column - it is obvious that this happened to me today.

A "reliable" morning news program interviewed a City Councilman who was "outraged" that a woman was sexually assaulted by a man impersonating a livery cab driver. Of course, the Councilman said that the fault of the incident lies entirely with the TLC and demanded that the TLC step up enforcement in that area. In addition, he held a press conference at the very spot where the alleged attack took place later in the afternoon to tell the same thing to any other media that was willing to listen.

What I find extremely interesting is that there was no police report filed by the alleged victim, the alleged victim was not at the press conference - and that the Councilman does not know the identity of this alleged victim and could not provide any witnesses to the incident. So basically, the Councilman is holding a press conference demanding justice and increased enforcement due to an incident that he "thinks might have happened."

It is when elected officials scream bloody murder over an incident that they either have half-baked knowledge about - or absolutely no proof of - that drives me insane. If you want to get press - do your job. Don't take on an Agency when they did nothing wrong except what is concocted by you and your staff. Do not spend your time and my tax dollars inventing problems that you "demand" be fixed by an Agency that is apparently doing more work then you. And most importantly, remember that there are other people that can do your job without having to resort to inventing problems that need to be fixed - but actually solving the real problems that face our City - and making a true difference.

Now that is an elected official to be proud of.