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Yankees, Go Home
August 18th, 2006

An editorial in the New York Post praises the groundbreaking for the new Yankee Stadium, appropriately on the 58th anniversary of Babe Ruth’s death, since the stadium looks to be a worthy successor to The House That Ruth Built. Some might miss the current stadium, but even the new facility’s critics – who, thankfully, lost their legal battles to halt the project – have to admit that the team was badly in need of a new home; the original stadium, which opened in 1923, is hopelessly outdated. Ironically, the new ballpark – slated to open in 2009 – probably will look more like the original than the present venue, which was renovated in the ’70s. ”

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner has said that the new ballpark will be better for the fans, and at least one blogger agrees: As a Yankees fan, this is some incredible news, writes The Misters Take.

Sports columnist Wallace Matthews of Newsday sees it differently. Do you like the idea of paying even more for your seat than the already league-high ticket prices at Yankee Stadium? Do you not mind the prospect of being shut out of a game because the new park will have between 5,000 and 7,000 fewer seats? Are you OK with the idea of cozying up on the couch in front of the TV set because that is now the only seat for a Yankees game you can afford? Have you grown accustomed to seeing one precious bit of New York history after another fall to the wrecker’s ball?

If you answered yes to any or all of those questions, then The Boss is right. The new Yankee Stadium will be better for you.

For the rest of us, the ones who live not on planet Earth but New York City, this deal is as dirty as anything ever found in a puddle of black water in the subway.

Clearly, critics remain, including some 100 demonstrators who protested during the ceremony. The Bronx group Save Our Parks (which is opposed to the taking of Macombs Dam and Mullaly parks for the stadium) announced it is appealing the decision to allow the stadium to go forward.

By Jonathan Mandell on August 18, 2006, 6:25 am
In category: Gotham City, Land Use | 4 Comments »

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New York's Fervent Interest In Itself
August 18th, 2006

In a blog in the New York Times entitled Summer in the City (Life in New York during the dog days of August, as told by five writers, available only to subscribers of Times Select), Adam Davies writes that New York has a fervent interest in itselfExpressions of New Yorks self-scrutiny seem limitless: literature, song, art, photography, food, sports, media, you name it. A short list of those New Yorkers made famous by looking closely include Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., George Gershwin, Gay Talese, Norman Mailer, Spike Lee, Candice Bushnell, Walt Whitman, Jonathan Lethem, George Steinbrenner, Woody Allen, Jay-Z, P. Diddy, Diane Arbus, Martin Scorsese, Neil Simon, Al Hirschfeld, Andy Warhol and John Lennon they all ♥ New York.

By Jonathan Mandell on August 18, 2006, 5:26 am
In category: Arts, Gotham City | 5 Comments »

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Investing for Children to Fight Poverty
August 17th, 2006

Mayor Bloomberg’s anti-poverty commission is scheduled to make its recommendations public next month. Since it was established at the beginning of the year, the commission has not said much about what might be included in these recommendations, frustrating many people who were excited that the city had taken up the issue.

The Daily News is running a series of out of the box ideas on tackling poverty to fill the gap. Today, Ray Boshara and Anne Stuhldreher of the New America Foundation propose investment accounts for every New York child:

“New York City should be the first in the U.S. to set up an investment account for every newborn child. Automatically at birth, the city should create a ‘New York Kids Account’ for each of the nearly 125,000 kids born in the five boroughs every year. The accounts should be seeded with $500 for all kids and an additional $500 for the 56% of them who are low-income….

…. At a price of about $100 million a year, New York Kids Accounts wouldn’t be cheap. But there’s no inexpensive way to eradicate long-term poverty. In fact, Kids Accounts – now a reality for all newborns in the UK, under a program called the Child Trust Fund – should prove to be as cost-effective as any other proposed solution under the sun.”

By Joshua Brustein on August 17, 2006, 6:52 am
In category: Gotham City, Social Services | 1 Comment »

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'Parading' Without a Permit
August 15th, 2006

This morning on DMIBlog, Ezekiel Edwards discusses how the city’s proposal to expand the definition of a parade would affect those who didn’t even know they were marching in one.

“One of the more laughable (yet not very funny) expansions of the meaning of a ‘parade’ includes at least two pedestrians or bicyclists traveling together on a public street who violate any traffic law, rule or regulation,” he writes. “Failure to obtain a permit before engaging in this activity — literally speaking, whether two old folks jaywalking (particularly if wearing anti-Bush pins) or a couple of friends biking on the wrong side of the street (particularly if sporting t-shirts saying “Abolish Prisons”) — gives the police grounds to arrest.”

Edwards is also concerned that the regulations will be used as yet another way to clamp down on innocent young men in minority areas: “under the preposterous ‘parade’ parameters they could stop every group of two or more people (most likely African-American and Latino men between 17 and 35) … and, if the subsequent illegal search yields no contraband, arrest them nonetheless for parading without a permit.”

Today in the Gotham Gazette, Andy Humm goes a bit deeper into the issue in his Civil Rights Topic Page.

By Joshua Brustein on August 15, 2006, 6:59 am
In category: Civil Rights, Gotham City | 2 Comments »

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Lame Duck Governor Keeps Busy
August 14th, 2006

After twelve years behind the wheel of state government, Governor George Pataki has less than five months left in office. While technically a lame duck, Pataki still has full gubernatorial powers to effect change across the state through legislation, executive orders, appointments, and other tools of the office. As he eyes the White House, Governor Patakis actions these next couple of month are all the more intriguing.

This weekend, news outlets across the state covered Patakis latest actions:

The Daily News reports that on Monday, August 14 Governor Pataki is expected to sign a set of laws addressing the health problems suffered by the rescue workers after 9/11. These new laws would allow workers who became sick after the two-year workers compensation deadline passed in 2003 to resubmit claims for consideration; grant full line-of-duty death benefits to the families of uniformed workers who died after participating in the rescue efforts; allow recovery workers to have their retirement status re-labeled as accidental disability if health problems arise; and form a commission to study the long-term health impacts of working at Ground Zero.

The Albany Times Union reports that Governor Pataki is considering trips to China, Japan and India this fall, perhaps to explore setting up a trade office in Shanghai with the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. In his executive budget, Pataki set aside $225,000 to set up the office, which he says would allow the state to develop relationships with both the Chinese government and Chinese businesses, but the Legislature removed it from the budget. Patakis office has not confirmed any travel plans as of yet.

The Staten Island Advance reports that the Legislature passed a seven-bill package of on organ donation, which now await Governor Patakis signature. The package includes measures to change organ-donation registrations from records of intent to records of consent; to commission a study on presumed consent to organ donation; fund a public awareness program for donation; establish tax credits for donors and their families; provide for voluntary contribution from drivers license applications to donation research and awareness; change the drivers licenses of donors to display the status on the front; and rename the states organ registry to the Donate Life Registry. Pataki has not said publicly whether he intends to sign or veto the legislation.

The Mercury News reports that while on a visit to Iowa to campaign for Congressional candidates, Governor Pataki stated that in order to succeed in this falls midterm elections, the Republican Party must return to core conservative themes that distinguish them from Democrats. He also stated that national security will be a big issue in the fall elections, and that Republicans have a clear advantage in that area. It is speculated that the visit was also meant to test the waters for a possible presidential campaign, and so Pataki could begin to dispel the perception that he is a northeastern moderate in New York, where the Republican Party is staunchly conservative.

The North Country Gazette reports that Governor Pataki has officially launched the Restore NY initiative, a program that is meant to aid cities across the state in financing efforts to revitalize urban centers, promote economic development, and improve housing. In the 2006-07 budget, the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) was granted $300 million to implement the program. Pataki has directed that ESDC officials hold meetings with local authorities across the state to discuss and explain the new initiative, and these meetings are expected to begin next week.

By Doug Israel on August 14, 2006, 4:29 pm
In category: Eye on Albany | No Comments »

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Promising Campaign Finance Reform, While Raking In The Money
August 14th, 2006

It is deeply frustrating to watch New Yorks politicians routinely proclaim how eager they are to reform campaign financing even as they rake in the money, the New York Times writes in its latest editorial on New Yorks embarrassing campaign system. While individual donors are limited to $2,100 in a political campaign for a federal office (such as U.S. Senator), the official limit in a New York State political campaign (such as governor of the state) is a whopping $50,100 per donor, which happens to be more than the average New Yorkers annual salary.

And thats just the official limit. As reported widely, donors can set up a limited liability company or L.L.C.
For example, a friend of Charlie King, a Democratic candidate for state attorney general, has managed to give over $500,000 working the L.L.C. route. Rivals Andrew Cuomo and Mark Green also have such L.L.C. donations, though for lesser amounts.

By Jonathan Mandell on August 14, 2006, 3:35 pm
In category: Albany, Electoral Politics | No Comments »

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Are NYC's Nightclubs Out Of Control
August 14th, 2006

Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr., chair of the Public Safety Committee, writes in the Daily News of the almost Sodom and Gomorrah atmosphere in New York City nightclubs and what the City Council is planning to do about it bills to require ID verification scanners, in order to spot the fake identification cards that so many underage drinkers obtain; and to require the installation of camera monitors at entrances and exits. The City Council is also asking the state for the power to enforce many of the State Liquor Authority regulations, and planning a night life security summit.”

Vallones essay is paired with one by Rob Bookman, counsel for the New York Nightlife Association, who argues that the nightlife industry is vital to the city and is being scapegoated. Restrictive zoning has created de facto nightlife districts where clubs are now concentrated. Instead of wringing their hands, Bookman writes, politicians here should follow the lead of other cities – New Orleans and Boston among them – and, in a spirit of cooperation that has been absent here, celebrate the city’s nightlife districtsAllowing smokers back inside and off the street, permitting club owners to pay for uniformed off-duty cops to patrol the streets late at night (as is done at Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium) and vigorous enforcement against those who make and use fraudulent IDs are just a few of the measures that will demonstrate that the city wants to help nightlife businesses and not just lay blame.

Others have expressed concern about the use of the surveillance cameras, especially in establishments that cater to gay people. When you go out at night, I think you have the right to be anonymous, Allen Roskoff told the New York Times. Not everybodys out of the closet, and therefore its an invasion of privacy.

By Jonathan Mandell on August 14, 2006, 11:21 am
In category: Civil Rights, Crime & Safety, Gotham City, Land Use | 6 Comments »

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Bloomberg And Bush: Support No Child Left Behind
August 14th, 2006

In an essay in the Washington Post on Sunday entitled How To Help Our Students written jointly with Governor Jeb Bush of Florida, Mayor Michael Bloomberg boasts that Florida and New York City are leaders when it comes to accountability in education and urges Congress to reauthorize the five-year-old No Child Left Behind law guided by four main lessons Bush and Bloomberg have learned:
1. Make standards uniform throughout the nation.
2. Redefine success by improvement in individual students performance, not just by how many students achieve the standards.
3. Dont just rate schools pass or fail; recognize gradations in-between
4. Reward and retain high-quality teachers. Congress should support measures that link pay with performance, raise pay for teachers in fields with shortages and high-needs communities, toughen standards for achieving tenure, and create meaningful paths for dismissing poor educators. (There is no mention of where the money would or should come from.)

The opponents of accountability have seized on the problems with the No Child Left Behind Act in an effort to do away with the law altogether, Bush and Bloomberg write. That is wrong.

By Jonathan Mandell on August 14, 2006, 4:41 am
In category: Education | 3 Comments »

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The Bumpy Road to Washington For Three New Yorkers
August 11th, 2006

This week was a bit rough for the three New Yorkers considering runs for the White House in 2006.

Pro-Iraq War Senator Joseph Liebermans defeat could be bad news for another pro-war senator: Hillary Clinton. Although she remains the favorite for re-election the Senate this year, her presidential ambitions could falter. Anti-war Democrats showed their clout in Connecticut, said The Next Prez. Dismayed by Lieberman’s defeat,
The Legal Fiction
sees it as a blow to Clinton: This was a big wake-up call that she needs to make some changes before she starts her run. Money and establishment-backing is still the most important thing, but its no longer sufficient in high-profile elections.

But Michael Tomasky in Slate disagrees. The Connecticut election, he says, was about one man and one state and anger over the notion that national-security toughness demands support for the mendacious and ruinous policies of the Bush administration in Iraq and elsewhere.

Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani also took some hits this week, and the criticism came over what even Giuliani haters usually applaud: his actions surrounding 9/11. Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11, by Dan Collins and Wayne Barrett quotes Police Commissioner Ray Kelly as criticizing Giulianis decision to locate the citys emergency command center next to Ground Zero and for archaic radios that kept the police and fire departments from communicating on 9/11. This comes after 9/11 Commission Chairmen Thomas Keane and Lee Hamilton indicating last week that they should have asked Giuliani tougher questions when he appeared before their panel.

Although Mayor Michael Bloomberg disputed the criticism of his predecessor and Ray Kelly sought to distance himself from the the latest charges, it could still put a dent in Giulianis political ambitions. Columbia political science professor Steven Cohen told the Sun that, if Giuliani wants to keep a positive glowing image of himself in the public, the last thing he should want to do is run for president.”

But the Next Prez has a different take. It says disclosure of the thwarted terrorist plot to put bombs on planes puts a renewed focus on terror threats [that] could turn more voters in Giuliani’s direction, and convince more conservatives to overlook differences on social issues.”

And as he stumps the country, considering a possible presidential bid, Governor George Pataki could not have been cheered by Sheelah Kolhatkar’s article in this weeks
Observer . Much of it is devoted to people saying how unlikely Pataki is to become president. President Pataki I dont see that one happening, pollster John Zogby said. And Ross Baker, a Rutgers University political scientist, chimes in: He starts with a pretty substantial deficit….He comes across as a rather bland person, both in appearance and demeanor.

By Gail Robinson on August 11, 2006, 8:48 am
In category: Electoral Politics, Gotham City | 1 Comment »

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Taking the Low Road
August 11th, 2006

Its been difficult for commentators to tear themselves away from the drama in Connecticut to look at New York’s Senate race where Hillary Clinton holds a huge lead in the polls and fundraising. And Wednesdays debate between K.T. McFarland and John Spencer apparently did little to raise the profile of either Republican as a credible challenger to Clinton.

Writing in the Times, Clyde Haberman likens the debate to an episode of MTVs reality show, The Osbournes. With references to marital infidelity, out-of-wedlock children, parental abuse and nepotism, Kathleen Troia McFarland and John Spencer showed how to really put the diss in dysfunctional, Harberman said.

Following the debate, the Empire Zone wondered if any Republicans around the nation, in New York, from Planet 9 will rally round K.T. McFarland or John Spencer. The Times blog continues, The post-debate buzz centered on K.T.s aggressiveness. After pledging to run a positive campaign about the issues, she was throwing punches right from her opening statement, lashing into John for cheating on his former wife, having kids out of wedlock, putting cronies and relatives on the Yonkers payroll, and, basically, being a low-life.

It may not have helped her much. Urban Elephants asked its presumably Republican readership who they think won the debate. Forty responded, with 22 giving the edge to Spencer and 18 to McFarland.

By Gail Robinson on August 11, 2006, 7:42 am
In category: Albany, Electoral Politics, Gotham City | No Comments »

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RAISING THE ETHICAL BAR
August 10th, 2006

Call it counting your chickens before they hatch or getting ready just in case, gubernatorial candidate Eliot Spitzer has reportedly assembled a team to lay the groundwork for him to govern. According to Lloyd Constantine, the attorney who led Mr. Spitzers transition team when he was elected Attorney General in 1998, I think he wants to get in there and hit the ground running. Its very much that there is a shadow government in formation.

Of course the election has not yet occurred, but Mr. Constantines observations should prod New Yorkers into thinking about the new governors transition. Whoever is elected will appoint a transition team to organize the new administration in the period between the election and January 1, 2007. This transition team, in turn, will be heavily lobbied by special interests seeking favors.

Gubernatorial candidates should publicly state their plans for ensuring that the transition process is publicly accountable and free from special interest influence. The last time that a new governor established a transition team, controversies and scandals resulted.

In December 1994 the former CEO of tobacco giant Philip Morris met with the new governor-elect, George Pataki. For years, Philip Morris had endured defeats at the hand of the soon-to-be-former Governor Cuomo. The election of a pro-business Republican Governor offered a new opportunity.

In his follow-up letter to governor-elect Pataki, the tobacco CEO wrote:

It was a pleasure visiting with you last night. I trust that this will only be the beginning of what I know can be a mutually beneficial dialogue.

While we have no way of knowing how the governor-elect reacted to the meeting, two days later, a Philip Morris check for $25,000 was deposited in Patakis secret Inaugural Account. Then Philip Morris created a New York State Preemption Plan, its attempt to overturn smoking restrictions.

Years later, those internal documents became public as the result of litigation. They made it clear that Philip Morris had used the transition period to attempt to influence the new governor and had hatched a secret and illegal campaign to overturn state and local health laws. Those secret discussions started New York on a path that would ultimately lead to the biggest lobbying scandal in its history.

The refusal by Governor Pataki to make public donations to his 1994 inaugural activities (including the one from Philip Morris) also generated controversy. Originally, the governor stated that he would make the donations public, but then reneged. Given who contributed, you can see why the governor tried for secrecy. As if that were not enough, Pataki raised money to pay eye-popping amounts of money for his soon-to-be staff during the transition period.

The promises to reform Albany have to begin during the campaign, follow into the transition period and governing years. Candidates for governor should learn from history and adopt measures to ensure the integrity of the transition process. Here are two proposals to include:

1. Publicly disclose any donations to, and spending by, the transition team. Governor Patakis inaugural fund was opened only after years of litigation.

2. Establish a reporting process for lobbying of the transition team. Any groups seeking to influence the transition team must publicly report their activities.


Changing Albany starts with the governor. The governor must set the ethical bar high.

By Blair Horner on August 10, 2006, 5:42 pm
In category: Eye on Albany | No Comments »

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Long Walks
August 10th, 2006

In the Regional Plan Association’s newlstter, Alex Marshall writes that he sees signs that taking really, really long walks is coming back.

“When New York City was young, say during its first two centuries, people must have walked a lot more than they do now, precisely because there were few other options,” he writes. ” I mention this because I believe some New Yorkers are reviving this old trend.”

Marshall details some of the long walks that people he knows regularly take each morning on the way to work — and some of them are quite long. Then he credits the city’s mass transit system with making them possible.

“Suburban long walkers are hard to find, because it is rare the person who will walk several miles through parking lots, highways crowded with cars, and isolated patches of grass and retention ponds in order to walk from home to office park,” he writes.

Another reason to not move to Long Island.

By Joshua Brustein on August 10, 2006, 4:43 pm
In category: Gotham City, Transportation | 3 Comments »

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Preventing Heat Wave Deaths
August 10th, 2006

As the city prepares to probe the 26 reported deaths attributed to the heat wave, Jessica Walker of the United Neighborhood Houses writes about what should come out of this effort in the Daily News.

“Most heat wave-related deaths are not random tragedies worthy of a shrug of the shoulders, as many assume,” she writes. “They are predictable and utterly preventable.”

Walker praises the city’s aggressiveness during the heat wave, but says that the investigation leading into the deaths of seniors will tell the city what everyone already knows: that it is the elderly and alone who died.

She suggests setting up a registry of isolated seniors, which the city can use to identify and attend to those who aren’t going to show up at cooling centers or pools to get a break from the heat.

By Joshua Brustein on August 10, 2006, 6:56 am
In category: Health, Social Services | No Comments »

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Over There In Connecticut, Viewed By New Yorkers
August 9th, 2006

New Yorkers are reacting to the victory in the Democratic primary in Connecticut of anti-war candidate Ned Lamont over 18-year veteran U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed Liebermans independent candidacy. The U.S. Senators from New York, Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer, have both made clear their support for Lamont Clinton reportedly wrote a $5,000 check to the Lamont campaign. But some are suggesting that the Lamont win might have repercussions in New York” Ben Smith quotes MoveOn.org’s Tom Mattzie that, while happy that she has increased her critique of the war, “we’re going to be watching Senator Clinton to be sure she doesn’t backtrack.”

Update: Clinton’s Democratic primary opponent Jonathan Tasini issued a statement that said in part:

I want to congratulate Ned Lamont on his victory and I applaud Connecticut Democrats for standing up and declaring with a loud voice that Democratic Party politicians who vote for illegal, immoral wars will be held accountable at the ballot box. Now, New York Democratic voters have a chance to move our party another giant step towards a progressive agenda that will save lives, end the war and benefit hard-working Americans.

On the question of the war, support for devastating pro-corporate policies such as NAFTA and so-called free trade, Joe Lieberman and Hillary Clinton have the same world views. Hillary Clinton is trying to obfuscate her position on the war. Let us be clear: she voted for the war and continues to support the occupation of Iraq…

I look forward to debating my opponent on these issues and call on her to agree on a series of debates between now and September 12th …”

By Jonathan Mandell on August 9, 2006, 10:38 am
In category: Electoral Politics | 1 Comment »

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Is The Fire Department "Dumbing Down"?
August 9th, 2006

Editorials in both the New York Post and the Daily News today comment on the New York Fire Departments effort to diversify its ranks in part by reducing the educational requirements. Both editorials agree with Mayor Michael Bloomberg that the city is not dumbing down the department.

Applicants must pass written and physical tests and graduate from the Fire Academy before they are hired, the Daily News writes. Those standards will not change. Whether a would-be firefighter has a Ph.D. or a bunch of junior college credits, he or she must meet the same performance levels.

The Post, however, is less enthusiastic about the change, especially for what it may forebode for the future: [W]hat if this step doesn’t produce the spike in minority recruitment that the department’s critics demand? There’s likely a limit to what aggressive marketing and outreach can do. The risk in linking standards to recruitment needs is that it may raise pressure to relax requirements that do matter.

By Jonathan Mandell on August 9, 2006, 9:47 am
In category: Civil Rights, Crime & Safety | 1 Comment »

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9/11, The Movie
August 8th, 2006


Clyde Haberman
devotes his column in the New York Times to Oliver Stones latest movie, World Trade Center, starring Nicholas Cage, which opens tomorrow. He says little about the content of the film itself, other than to point out that it avoids Stones past conspiracy theory filmmaking (in such movies as JFK) and that it will be an emotional experience for many New Yorkers, assuming they can bring themselves to see it at all.

Many bloggers seem to agree on that score I have no interest at all in seeing a film dramatizing one of the worst days in my life, writes Brooklyn Blowhard, and I’m sure that millions of others feel the exact same way.

Haberman focuses on answering the two major criticisms against Stones film, United 93 and other depictions of September 11th — that they are too soon (he doesnt think so) and that its wrong to make money on the disaster.

Small-time street vendors selling their tacky 9/11 souvenirs are widely scorned, and have been pushed away from the sidewalks ringing the trade center site, Haberman writes. Yet relatively little in the way of criticism is aimed at those who have parlayed the tragedy into big bucks and grand careers. Would former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani be earning his many millions and contemplating a presidential race were it not for 9/11? Would his onetime sidekick, Bernard B. Kerik, be in demand as a security expert? Would George E. Pataki, who to our knowledge has never been referred to as Americas Governor, be seriously entertaining White House dreams?

Haberman concludes by wondering what the reaction will be to future projects that are not meant to be (as all so far have been) unoffensive and soul-stirringWhat if some people trapped inside the twin towers are portrayed as far-from-noble figures? Or if a movie dwells on the catastrophic failure of communications between the Police and Fire Departments that occurred on Mr. Giulianis watchWill people say that artistic freedom is a supreme American virtue, even if it means exposing some warts? Or will they declare 9/11 to be sacred, rendering blasphemous any challenge to its heroic story line?

By Jonathan Mandell on August 8, 2006, 7:04 am
In category: Arts | 4 Comments »

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Is the Party Over?
August 7th, 2006

Following the murder of an 18-year-old after a night of drinking in Chelsea, the New York Post says the party capital of the world has to clean up its act. The editorial says everyone must help: the clubs by not serving underage drinkers, the police by enforcing the law, the State Liquor Authority by cracking down, etc. And it wonders, The Bloomberg folks, for their part, should ask themselves: Has their smoking ban, which forces club patrons onto the streets, contributed to the ruckus – and honestly assess whether it’s worth it. Whatever the solutions, the paper writes, The city can’t let club life continue creating a helter-skelter environment, where kids below the legal age drink themselves sick, putting themselves and others at risk.

By Gail Robinson on August 7, 2006, 7:35 am
In category: Crime & Safety, Gotham City | 1 Comment »

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Endorsing Atlantic Yards
August 6th, 2006

The Times looks at the proposed Atlantic Yards project today and likes what it sees: desperately needed housing, the return of major league sports (the NBA Nets) to Brooklyn, Frank Gehry buildings that would add a sense of excitement to the entire area, and a boost for city and state revenues. The paper has a few qualms, saying there should be more public review, and that developer Forest City Ratner (which is also working with the Times on building its new headquarters) may be getting more in subsidies than it should. Most of all the Times thinks the project could use a bit of downsizing but by and large, it concludes, the planners are correct in seeing an opportunity to build something grander and doing it at the one place in the borough that can handle it. (Have they been at Flatbush and Atlantic recently?)

Bloggers quickly challenged the Times contentions. On housing, Atlantic Yards Reports, says, The apartments aren’t a gift to a housing-starved city. Of the 6,860 projected units, 4,610 would be market-rate, and a good segment of the affordable units would rent for over $2,000 a month.

In a letter to the paper (posted on Develop Dont Destroy), Park Slope resident Steve Kroeter wonders, Why exactly is it important for Brooklyn to have a major league sports team when 25 percent of the population of the borough lives under the poverty level? And in his letter, Malcolm Armstrong of Fort Greene says the Times reasoning harks back to the Robert Moses era of destructive, sweeping ‘improvements’ that wiped out entire neighborhoods and left a permanent scar on the city.

By Gail Robinson on August 6, 2006, 8:57 pm
In category: Gotham City, Land Use | No Comments »

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Ask the Candidates
August 6th, 2006

The New York Times offers another set of questions (it posed the first group of queries last week) that it thinks voters should ask candidates for state office this year. In the editorial’s own words, they mainly involve maps and money: redistricting, campaign finance reform, and reform of ethics laws. Undoubtedly worthy issues, but a search of the Times archives turns up little evidence that the paper itself has asked bothered to ask state legislature candidates about them.

By Gail Robinson on August 6, 2006, 10:23 am
In category: Albany, Electoral Politics, Gotham City, Governing | 2 Comments »

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How Candidates Get Away With Above-The-Limit Contributions From Rich Donors
August 4th, 2006

What can wealthy and influential New Yorkers do when they have contributed the maximum $50,100 to a statewide candidate this year? They can create a “limited liabiltiy company” or LLCand help pump more money to their favorite candidates campaign coffers.

The NYTimes reported on the unscrupulously common way for candidates (and donors) to subvert the already weak state campaign finance laws by creatingthese companies –business entities that are relatively easy to establish (requiring about 1 to 4 hours)that giveowners, well, limited liability as well asenormous flexibility. Additionally, here in New York, according to the State Board of Elections contributions made bythese companiesare treated in a similar fashion to individualdonations (carrying the maximum total contribution of $150,000 in a calendar year) instead of corporations that may contribute up to a total of only $5,000 yearly. (Individuals may also contribute through a limited liability company.)

One way to plug this gaping hole in the state campaign finance law is to introduce public financing on a statewide level. During the 2005-2006 session, the Assembly majority passed a comprehensive campaign finance reform Act, A0004-b, which reduces contribution limits, closes various campaign finance loopholes and provides optional public financing of statewide and legislative offices.This measure died in the Senate, while Senate minority member Liz Krueger introduced such legislation (S.1668) which never made it out ofthe Elections Committee. Despite the inherent inaction of the the Legislature, the newly elected governor in 2007 should take the lead on reform and introduce meaningful improvements to the state campaign finance laws.

By Amy Ngai on August 4, 2006, 4:21 pm
In category: Eye on Albany | 1 Comment »

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