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<channel>
	<title>The Wonkster</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster</link>
	<description>A blog about the views and spews of editorialists, bloggers and other unsavory opinionated New Yorkers.</description>
	<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 22:13:17 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>Issues Discussed in Queens Special Election</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/16/issues-discussed-in-queens-special-election/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/16/issues-discussed-in-queens-special-election/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 18:50:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mike Muller</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Voting]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=1843</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[While the resignation of Councilmember James Gallagher received wide ranging coverage, the resulting special election for his seat in Queens has gotten less attention  - as is generally the case. But a historic preservation coalition recently released a wide ranging voter guide. Although the focus of the guide is decidedly on preservation, it covers [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>While the <a href="http://gothamist.com/2008/03/17/councilman_beat.php">resignation</a> of Councilmember James Gallagher received wide ranging coverage, the resulting special election for his seat in Queens has gotten less attention  - as is generally the case. But a historic preservation coalition recently released a wide ranging <a href="http://hdc.org/District30VoterGuide.pdf">voter guide</a>. Although the focus of the guide is decidedly on preservation, it covers a number of development issues, touching on PlaNYC, industrial zoning, eminent domain, and transparency in government.<br />
<span id="more-1843"></span></p>
<p>On the topic of &#8220;<a href="http://www.lib.umd.edu/NTL/glossary.html#D">demolition by neglect</a>&#8220;, Anthony Como, a former prosecutor, said that allowing a building to deteriorate to the point it has to be demolished to get around preservation rules is &#8220;congruent to criminal neglect.&#8221; Former Councilmember Thomas Ognibene said that the city should place a lien on such properties in order to fund repairs for the buildings.</p>
<p>Asked about <a href="http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19514690&#038;BRD=2731&#038;PAG=461&#038;dept_id=574901&#038;rfi=6">St. Saviour’s Church</a>, a building in Maspeth valued by preservationists but in the process of being disassembled, both Charles Ober and Joseph Suraci said they would commit city funds to rebuild it. Ognibene committed to a precise number, offering $50,000 in council initiatives.</p>
<p>Reactions from the candidates to the proposal in PlaNYC to utilize the abandoned <a href="http://ridgewoodreservoir.blogspot.com/">Ridgewood Reservoir</a> were mixed. The plan to set aside two of the three reservoirs as a nature preserve and alter the other for recreational use had the support of Como and Suraci, both Republicans. But Elizabeth Crowley and Ober, Democrats, called for the preservation of the entire area. Ognibene, another Republican, thinks the whole thing should be preserved as a back up reservoir.</p>
<p>Asked what the worst aspects of <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030/html/home/home.shtml">PlaNYC</a> were, Crowley, an adult educator, responded that it lacked community input and Suraci, a trial lawyer, dissed congestion pricing.</p>
<p>The topic then turned to areas zoned for light manufacturing. Suraci recommended these areas be used to relieve school overcrowding and open space.</p>
<p>Another question from the coalition was about illegal conversions. Ognibene called for more building inspectors. Ober, a community activist, called for cyclical inspections on multiple dwellings and inspections of properties before they are sold, refinanced or altered. </p>
<p>The transparency of city agencies was of concern to the coalition as well. In response, Ober said he would support legislation mandating that the deliberations and decisions of the Buildings and City Planning Departments, as well as from the Landmarks Preservation Council, all be posted online.</p>
<p>The guide is much more detailed, and this is just a review. But if you prefer to see somebody speak, or want even more, the Juniper Park Civic Association - one of the members of the coalition - is hosting a <a href="http://www.observer.com/2008/questions-candidates-queens-special-election">debate</a> on Tuesday, May 20. </p>
<p>For more, you may also want to check <a href="http://gothamgazette.com/resource/voting/inthenews/17">Voting Links in the News</a>.</p>
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		<title>River Crossings</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/15/river-crossings/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/15/river-crossings/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2008 15:49:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mike Muller</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Gotham City]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=1841</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council yesterday released this map of 2005 river crossing data.

A couple interesting highlights: The Bayonne Bridge has had the biggest increase in use over the past 10 years, with 4.9 percent rise, and the Cross Bay-Veteran Memorial Bridge is the runner up with 3.9 percent more traffic over the last [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The <a href="http://www.nymtc.org" target="_blank">New York Metropolitan Transportation Council</a> yesterday released this map of 2005 river crossing data.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.nymtc.org/library/bridgewheel/default.cfm" target="_blank"><img height="275" width="300" src="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/picture-1.png"/></a></center></p>
<p>A couple interesting highlights: The Bayonne Bridge has had the biggest increase in use over the past 10 years, with 4.9 percent rise, and the Cross Bay-Veteran Memorial Bridge is the runner up with 3.9 percent more traffic over the last decade. With the exception of the Williamsburg Bridge, all of the Brooklyn river crossings have seen a drop in traffic of about 0.5 percent over 10 years.</p>
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		<title>E-Waste Override</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/14/e-waste-override/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/14/e-waste-override/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 May 2008 21:01:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gail Robinson</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[e-waste]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=1840</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The bill does not cover cell phones as was originally &#8212; and incorrectly &#8212; reported in this post. Disposal of cell phones, according to a spokeswoman for Councilmember de Blasio, are already covered by state law. Thanks to a reader for drawing this our attention! 
In a rare disagreement with the mayor, the New York [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><i>The bill does not cover cell phones as was originally &#8212; and incorrectly &#8212; reported in this post. Disposal of cell phones, according to a spokeswoman for Councilmember de Blasio, are already covered by state law. Thanks to a reader for drawing this our attention!</i> </p>
<p>In a rare disagreement with the mayor, the New York City Council today overrode his veto of a bill that would require electronic manufacturers to meet certain benchmarks in recycling their discarded products. The override &#8212; by a 43-3 vote &#8212; was the latest development in the city&#8217;s efforts to deal with what bill sponsor <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/fea/20071210/202/2366">Bill de Blasio</a> has described as a &#8220;tsunami&#8221; of electronic waste.</p>
<p>Earlier the council and the mayor <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/searchlight/20080331/203/2478">agreed</a> on a <a href="http://www.nyccouncil.info/issues/intros_act.cfm?intro=Int%200728-2008">measure</a> to establish a recycling program for old televisions, computers and the like. But they disagreed over a bill that would require manufacturers to meet certain benchmarks. The administration <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/nyregion/27recycle.html?_r=1&#038;oref=slogin"> has argued</a> the benchmark would unfairly penalize businesses if they&#8217;re customers don’t recycle. But at the council meeting de Blasio argued the requirement is essential.</p>
<p>&#8220;Performance standards,&#8221; he said, &#8220;make the industry move forward and recycle and make greener products.&#8221;</p>
<p>At the press conference prior to the meeting, both de Blasio and Council Speaker Christine Quinn acknowledged that the administration would almost certainly not enforce the measure, despite the override.  They said environmental groups might seek to challenge that inaction in the courts or that a new mayor &#8212; and there&#8217;s almost certain to be one in January 2010 &#8212; might take a more kindly view of the measure.</p>
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		<title>Hudson Yards Plan Derailed</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/13/hudson-yards-plan-derailed/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/13/hudson-yards-plan-derailed/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 May 2008 19:49:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mark Berkey-Gerard</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Community Development]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Transportation]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Waterfront]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Hudson Yards]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[MTA]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Tishman Speyer]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=1839</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Mayor Michael Bloomberg&#8217;s efforts to salvage the latest version of the Hudson Yards development plan for the West Side of Manhattan have failed. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials and developer Tishman Speyer have been unable to work out their differences, and today, the MTA released a brief statement:
&#8220;The MTA met today with Tishman Speyer. Despite the best [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Mayor Michael Bloomberg&#8217;s <a href="http://www.nypost.com/seven/05132008/news/regionalnews/west_side_war_110630.htm">efforts to salvage the latest version of the Hudson Yards development plan</a> for the West Side of Manhattan have failed. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials and developer <a href="http://www.tishmanspeyer.com/">Tishman Speyer</a> have been unable to <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/03/27/the-hudson-yards-deal/">work out their differences</a>, and today, the MTA released a brief statement:<br />
&#8220;The MTA met today with Tishman Speyer. Despite the best efforts of both sides, a final agreement could not be reached. The MTA has now re-entered discussions with other interested developers and remains committed to timely development of these unique and valuable parcels of land on Manhattan&#8217;s Far West Side.&#8221;</p>
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		<title>Brooklyn Bridge Birthday Bash</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/13/brooklyn-bridge-birthday-bash/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/13/brooklyn-bridge-birthday-bash/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 May 2008 12:33:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mark Berkey-Gerard</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Gotham City]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Transportation]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Waterfront]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[125th anniversary]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Brooklyn Bridge]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=1838</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yesterday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz announced a five-day celebration to mark the 125th birthday of the Brooklyn Bridge. The event will run from May 22 through May 26 and include a bridge lighting, concerts, lectures, children&#8217;s readings, dance performances, and a bike tour. The New York Observer notes that the $15 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Yesterday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com//www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.c0935b9a57bb4ef3daf2f1c701c789a0/index.jsp?pageID=mayor_press_release&amp;catID=1194&amp;doc_name=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyc.gov%2Fhtml%2Fom%2Fhtml%2F2008a%2Fpr178-08.html&amp;cc=unused1978&amp;rc=1194&amp;ndi=1">announced a five-day celebration</a> to mark the 125th birthday of the Brooklyn Bridge. The event will run from May 22 through May 26 and include a bridge lighting, concerts, lectures, children&#8217;s readings, dance performances, and a bike tour. The <a href="http://origin.observer.com/2008/happy-birthday-brooklyn-bridge">New York Observer notes</a> that the $15 million birthday bash will cost roughly as much as it did to <a href="http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/brooklyn/">build the bridge</a> over a century ago (not counting inflation). But there may be at least one lasting result of the event: an upgraded pedestrian bridge entrance, which officials promise is getting &#8220;newly designed signage and energy efficient lighting.&#8221;</p>
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		<title>Staten Island Scenarios</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/12/staten-island-scenarios/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/12/staten-island-scenarios/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 May 2008 21:46:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gail Robinson</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Electoral Politics]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[fossella]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=1837</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So the weekend &#8212; Mother&#8217;s Day weekend no less &#8212; has come and gone with no word from &#8220;I led two lives&#8221; Rep. Vito Fossella on his political future or lack thereof. As Fossella cogitates, pundits prognosticate. What are the various scenarios? And who wins and who loses?
Fossella could resign effective immediately, keep his seat [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>So the weekend &#8212; Mother&#8217;s Day weekend no less &#8212; has come and gone with no word from &#8220;I led two lives&#8221; Rep. Vito Fossella on his political future or lack thereof. As Fossella cogitates, pundits prognosticate. What are the various scenarios? And who wins and who loses?</p>
<p>Fossella could resign effective immediately, keep his seat now but decide not to run for re-election in November, or stay and run.<br />
<span id="more-1837"></span></p>
<p>If he resigns before July 1, the <a href="http://www.observer.com/thepoliticker/"> Politicker</a> explains, a special election will be held to fill the remainder of the term and in the proud tradition of <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/issueoftheweek/20070323/200/2135">special elections</a> in New York, party bosses will get to pick the candidate. With Staten Island making up two thirds of the13th district (the remainder falls in Brooklyn), the Richmond County parties will be the real power brokers, Jerry Skurnik told the blog. That could pose problems for the two current candidates, City Councilmember Dominic Recchia and Steven Harrison, both of Brooklyn. </p>
<p>Whoever wins the special election will have to run again for a full term in November.</p>
<p>Whether it&#8217;s for a special election, the September primary or November general &#8212; and whether Fossella stays or goes &#8212; names are being bandied about for his post. Even before Fossella lost his ability to recite the alphabet, Democrats were already dreaming of ousting the city&#8217;s one Republican representative. After all, the little known, poorly financed Harrison managed to rack up 43 percent of the vote against Fossella in 2006. Now Democrats State Sen. Diane Savino, City Councilmember Michael McMahon and Assemblymember Michael Cusick are eying the seat as well. </p>
<p>Recchia and Harrison&#8217;s &#8220;biggest problem is they don&#8217;t live on Staten Island. Eighty percent of this district is in Staten Island,&#8221; Savino <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2008/05/savino-awaits-decision-from-ha.html"> told</a> the Daily Politics. &#8220;One thing about Staten Islanders, they will vote for anybody on any line if they&#8217;re from Staten Island versus someone who&#8217;s not.&#8221;</p>
<p>Savino concedes, though, she might not want to give up a safe seat in the legislature for a risky congressional run. </p>
<p>&#8220;Few political observers believe that Fossella can win re-election now that the sordid details of his secret double life have come to light,&#8221; <a href="http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/121059270659430.xml&#038;coll=1&#038;thispage=2"> wrote</a> Tom Wrobleski in the Staten Island Advance. But if he does decide to stay, Wrobleski continued, local Republicans would be unlikely to challenge Fossella.</p>
<p>The national GOP would prove less reticent. According to Wrobleski, the national party does not want to lose its one seat from the city &#8212; &#8220;Wall Street movers and shakers want to make sure that they have someone &#8230; to go to when they need help&#8221; &#8212; and has already approached Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan about the race.</p>
<p>The national party is also unlikely to give Fossella any financial help this year when GOP funds are tight and Republicans everywhere are feeling vulnerable, the Daily Politics <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/05/12/2008-05-12_all_funds_goin_outta_fossellas_life-2.html"> said</a>. &#8221; Fossella has become the poster boy for anti-family values in the aftermath of his drunken-driving arrest and the stunning revelation that he had fathered a love child,&#8221; the blog&#8217;s Elizabeth Benjamin wrote. &#8220;With its own share of sex scandals &#8212; from a senator&#8217;s toe-tapping antics in an airport bathroom to another&#8217;s Spitzer-esque admission that he hired hookers &#8212; the GOP is desperate to restore its pro-family reputation.&#8221;</p>
<p>Surveying the scene, <a href="http://electionadvantage.blogspot.com/2008/05/ny-13-people-dont-like-fossella-and-hes.html"> Election Advantage</a>, which handicaps races, thinks if Fossella decides to stay and fight, Democrats holds the advantage. But, the blog continued, &#8220;If Fossella ultimately does not run again, then â€¦ Donovan would probably be the Republican frontrunner, as Republican State Sen. Majority Leader Joe Bruno wants State Sen. Andrew Lanza (R) to run for re-election to the State Senate so it doesn&#8217;t threaten Bruno&#8217;s narrow Senate majority.&#8221; In that case, it concluded, the Republicans have a slight edge.</p>
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		<title>Game City</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/12/game-city/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/12/game-city/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 May 2008 18:16:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gail Robinson</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Crime]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Tech]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[videogames]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[violence]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=1836</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Whatever you think of the merits or evils of videogames (Too violent? Mindless? A skills tool?),  they can help the economy. New York City already has about 30 game development companies and another 55 firms involved in some aspect of games, according to a recent count by the Center for an Urban Future. And [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Whatever you think of the merits or evils of videogames (<a href="http://www.whattheyplay.com/features/grand-theft-auto-iv-11-things-parents-should-know/">Too violent</a>? Mindless? <a href="http://discovermagazine.com/2005/jul/brain-on-video-games">A skills tool</a>?),  they can help the economy. New York City already has about 30 game development companies and another 55 firms involved in some aspect of games, according to a recent count by the <a href="http://www..nycfuture.org">Center for an Urban Future</a>. And the think tank&#8217;s <a href="http://www.nycfuture.org/content/cftemplates/adjump.cfm?click_id=29415&#038;user_id=28315"> report</a>, &#8220;Getting in the Game&#8221; urges the city to try to attract more. &#8220;Doing so would help the city diversify its economy and create good-paying jobs in one of the nation’s most promising sectors,&#8221; the report states</p>
<p>But what do video games mean for our city&#8217;s image. The report comes amid much buzz &#8212; and huge sales &#8212; for the latest installment of <a href="http://www.rockstargames.com/IV/">Grand Theft Auto</a>. The setting, Liberty City, is essentially New York.<br />
<span id="more-1836"></span></p>
<p>&#8220;It’s divided into boroughs with distinct populations and architectural styles; it has most of the same suspension bridges and historic landmarks in the places you’d expect to find them; and its streets are always teeming with traffic and unruly pedestrians,&#8221; <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/nyregion/thecity/04gran.html?pagewanted=1&#038;ei=5124&#038;en=26b15206bbe48f82&#038;ex=1367812800&#038;partner=permalink&#038;exprod=permalink"> David Itzkoff</a>wrote in the Times. But that only goes so far, Itzkoff continues: &#8220;For a native New Yorker, the game is both comfortingly routine and eerily disorienting; you find yourself playing because it is a limitless escape and a consequence-free confinement. Liberty City is like nowhere I’ve ever visited, even as it tries with all its heart and soul to remind me of a place with which I’m already intimately acquainted.&#8221;</p>
<p>While the landmarks and names may invoke New York, <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2191012/"> Sudhir Venkatesh</a> in Slate finds the game more reminiscent of gang life in Chicago. And for those who think it&#8217;s too violent, Venkatesh begs to disagree: &#8220;This may sound strange, but I found that Grand Theft Auto actually offered a less sensational portrait of gangland and ghetto streets than the one put out by most cops, politicians, policymakers, and even academics.&#8221;</p>
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		<title>McCain's East River Tour</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/09/mccains-east-river-tour/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/09/mccains-east-river-tour/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2008 18:00:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mike Muller</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Finance]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Voting]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=1835</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In anticipation of John McCain&#8217;s trip to our hometown, the Democratic Party has released this cute map outlining the areas where he has failed to provide for the city&#8217;s infrastructure. (Via the Albany Project)

Although the campaign did not respond to requests for comment, it might be noted that the Republican candidate has positioned himself as [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In anticipation of John McCain&#8217;s trip to our hometown, the Democratic Party has <a href="http://www.democrats.org/a/2008/05/john_mccains_ea.php" target="_blank">released</a> this cute map outlining the areas where he has failed to provide for the city&#8217;s infrastructure. (Via <a href="http://www.thealbanyproject.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3041" target="_blank">the Albany Project</a>)</p>
<p><center><img height="300" width="400" src="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/mccaineastrivertour.jpg"/></center></p>
<p>Although the campaign did not respond to requests for comment, it might be noted that the Republican candidate has positioned himself as a fierce opponent of government waste, and a major source for this flier is the <a href="http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=reports_pigbook2008" target="_blank">Citizens Against Government Waste&#8217;s &#8220;Pig Book.&#8221;</a> </p>
<p>Indeed, a McCain advisor says, as <a href="http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/05/dnc_plays_spending_chicken_wit.html" target="_blank">quoted</a> by Time Magazine, &#8220;I haven&#8217;t seen public data on this, so let me not elaborate for the moment, but a huge majority of people, [about] 75 percent think the federal government spends too much and wastes a lot of money. Ask them about pork barrel projects that&#8217;s the biggest number of all.&#8221;</p>
<p>In fact, voting against some of the projects mentioned in this flier certainly seems defensible. The case the party makes for McCain&#8217;s failure to provide for the Brooklyn Bridge? These earmarks actually have nothing to do with the bridge itself. One is a $300,000 grant for a youth program at the <a href="http://www.bbpc.net/" target="_blank">Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy</a>. The other is a $1 million grant for a study  of the Brooklyn Bridge Park. </p>
<p>But there are other items here that may not be so easy to shrug off as waste. The Arizona Senator has repeatedly denied funding for the repair of sea walls for the East River. According to a <a href="http://maloney.house.gov/documents/local/seawall/20040813armycorpsletternofedinterest.pdf" target="_blank">memo</a> from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who sought funds to repair Queens seawalls which protect the likes of parks and subways, the city&#8217;s seawalls are typically in a state of deterioration. </p>
<p>&#8220;The age-old problem for people living near water, is that eventually the water has an impact on the land – in some places it’s flooding, in some places, like Venice, the entire city starts to sink,&#8221; <a href="http://maloney.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&#038;task=view&#038;id=187&#038;Itemid=61" target="_blank">said</a> Maloney. &#8220;In New York, we have to maintain our seawalls.&#8221;</p>
<p>For details on the map&#8217;s points, <a href="http://www.democrats.org/a/2008/05/john_mccains_ea.php#more" target="_blank">click here</a>.</p>
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		<title>Water System Critics Opposed to More than the Rate Hike</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/08/water-system-critics-opposed-to-more-than-the-rate-hike/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/08/water-system-critics-opposed-to-more-than-the-rate-hike/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 May 2008 20:28:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mike Muller</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Finance]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Housing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=1833</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[To help limit increases in water and sewer rate hikes, a number of people are calling for changes from the city, and it is coming from more than just those who are running for office, as Mayor Michael Bloomberg has scoffed. Among the changes critics say are needed are: a new rental agreement between the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>To help limit increases in water and sewer rate hikes, a number of people are calling for changes from the city, and it is coming from more than just those who are running for office, as Mayor Michael Bloomberg has <a href="http://origin.observer.com/2008/bloomberg-slams-water-board-critics" target="_blank">scoffed</a>. Among the changes critics say are needed are: a new rental agreement between the <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008/05/08/2008-05-08_water_board_ponders_145_hike-1.html" target="_blank">Water Board</a> and the city for the use of infrastructure, a review of capital spending to ensure efficiency, and reforms to the water system that will protect affordable housing and conserve water use.<br />
<span id="more-1833"></span></p>
<p>The most widely desired option for reducing rates is changing the rental agreement. The Independent Budget Office <a href="http://www.ibo.nyc.ny.us/iboreports/waterandsewer0508.pdf" target="_blank">estimated</a> that limiting rental payments could trim the proposed rate hike from 14.5 percent to 11 percent. The Water Board pays rent based on the amount of debt service it incurs, but critics say that excess rent could be put back into water infrastructure without endangering bond ratings. It would, in fact, lower debt service, they say. Since those rent payments are put into the city&#8217;s general fund, some are calling it a backdoor tax.</p>
<p>&#8220;Instead of the city taking all this money for rent, they should take a fixed fee that’s closer to their actual costs and allow the Water Board to keep the rest of the money for their own needs so that they don’t have to keep raising water and sewer rates,&#8221; <a href="http://waterwatchnyc.wordpress.com/2008/04/11/reasons-to-protest-dep-rate-hikes/" target="_blank">says</a> the Water Watch Blog.</p>
<p>&#8220;Some critics of the excess rent rebate proposal have suggested this would hurt the Water Authority’s credit ratings,&#8221; the comptroller&#8217;s <a href="http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/press/2008_releases/pr08-05-054.shtm" target="_blank">testimony</a> at a City Council hearing read. &#8220;That is not the case. As the City’s chief financial officer, Comptroller Thompson would not be advocating for an idea that did not protect and even enhance the Authority’s financial health.&#8221;</p>
<p>Although construction costs and needs have risen significantly, detractors say that the water system is insular and not subject to appropriate oversight. Noting that the system was not subject to recent budget cuts, a <a href="http://chpcny.org/pubs/UP_Liquid_Assets.pdf" target="_blank">report</a> by the Citizen&#8217;s Housing and Planning Council pointed out that, &#8220;The efficiencies and innovation that can actually come from budget cutting exercises are largely absent from this process.&#8221;</p>
<p>One project many have used as an example is <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/24/nyregion/24water.html" target="_blank">the soaring costs of the Croton water filtration plant</a> being built in the Bronx. Referring to comments by the mayor that the Department of Environmental Protection spends its money efficiently, Gregory Lobo Jost <a href="http://westbronxnews.blogspot.com/2008/05/bloomberg-out-of-touch-on-water-rates.html" target="_blank">opined</a> in the West Bronx Blog that, &#8220;The mayor probably wasn&#8217;t thinking about the filtration plant where costs have skyrocketed when he made his &#8216;reasonably efficiently&#8217; comment.&#8221;</p>
<p>Housing advocates also point out that the system of funding water needs through usage rates paid by homeowners is unfair, and that the burden falls disproportionately on low income neighborhoods. &#8220;Households in low-income parts of the city not only pay more to support the water system, but pay a much higher percent of their income to do so,&#8221; a <a href="http://www.unhp.org/pdf/WaterReform.pdf" target="_blank">report</a> by the University Neighborhood Housing Program points out.</p>
<p>&#8220;Many existing [affordable housing] projects will struggle to meet the bottom line with the rising cost of water,&#8221; the report continues. &#8220;Operating expenses will claim a larger share of an already slim budget that includes other competing needs for maintaining quality housing and preserving affordability for low income tenants.&#8221;</p>
<p>The way rates are charged may also stifle the goals laid out in PlaNYC to reduce water consumption, critics point out. By charging for usage, conservation would be met by increased rates to make up for the loss in revenue. &#8220;For rate payers, reducing water usage has not decreased costs,&#8221; the housing council reports says. &#8220;This is a serious flaw in the effort to conserve water.&#8221;</p>
<p>Today is the last day for <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwaterboard/html/public_notices/fy09_rate_hearings.shtml" target="_blank" target="_blank">public hearings</a> and the new rates, if adopted, will go into effect on July 1.</p>
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		<title>The Last Republican?</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/08/the-last-republican/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/08/the-last-republican/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 May 2008 18:02:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gail Robinson</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Electoral Politics]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Gotham City]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[fossella]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=1832</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Given our focus on policy and issues, we have avoided the travails of Rep. Vito Fossella since his  arrest for drunk driving last week. For those of you have taken a similar tact, the congressman from Staten Island and Brooklyn was arrested in northern Virginia early Thursday morning with a blood alcohol level of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Given our focus on policy and issues, we have avoided the travails of Rep. Vito Fossella since his <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/content/article/2008/05/01/pm-fossella1.html"> arrest</a> for drunk driving last week. For those of you have taken a similar tact, the congressman from Staten Island and Brooklyn was arrested in northern Virginia early Thursday morning with a blood alcohol level of about <a href="http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/05/vitos_boodalcohol_level_twice.html"> twice the legal limit</a>. With his judgment perhaps clouded by the wine that (according to the police document) had stained his lips, Fossella <a href="http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/05/vitos_ride_a_single_mom_old_fr.html"> called a &#8220;friend&#8221;</a> to pick him up following his arrest. Now it turn outs she&#8217;s more than a friend &#8212; and the married politician is the father of her three-year-old daughter. Fossella acknowledged this in a <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2008/05/fossella-admits-outofwedlock-d.html"> statement</a> released today.</p>
<p>And so Fossella seems poised to become the next New York politician to see his career fall victim to scandal.<br />
<span id="more-1832"></span> The lone Republican in the city&#8217;s congressional delegation (and member of a rapidly shrinking state GOP contingent that suffered heavy losses in the &#8216;06 elections) Fossella was already facing two likely Democratic challengers: term limited Brooklyn City Councilmember <a href="http://council.nyc.gov/d47/html/members/home.shtml"> Dominic Recchia</a> and <a href="http://www.steveharrisonforcongress.com/"> Steven Harrison</a>, a lawyer who managed to garner 43 percent of the vote when he mounted a seemingly quixotic challenge to Fossella in 2006.</p>
<p>But Fossella could be gone before voters go to the polls. Some onetime supporters, including Conservative Party chair <a href="http://origin.observer.com/2008/fossella-admits-affair-love-child"> Michael Long</a> and <a href="http://www.observer.com/2008/fossella-roundup"> Frank Morano</a>, an Independence Party activist who described himself as Fossella&#8217; friend, are hardly rushing to his side. House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/"> said</a>, &#8220;I think Mr. Fossella is going to have some decisions to make over the weekend.&#8221;</p>
<p>Who&#8217;s waiting in the wings? The <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/"> Daily Politics</a> reports that the national GOP will begin polling to see how State Island District Attorney <a href="http://rcda.nyc.gov/"> Dan Donovan</a> and State Senator <a href="http://www.nyssenat"> Andrew Lanza</a> might fare in a congressional race. And smelling blood, the Democrats reportedly are mulling other candidates as well, such as State Assemblymember <a href="http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=063"> Mike Cusick</a> and State Sen. <a href="http://www.nyssenate23.com/"> Diane Savino</a>. (One possible problem with Recchia and Harrison is they both live in Brooklyn, and the bulk of the <a href="http://www.house.gov/fossella/district.htm"> 13th district</a> is on Staten Island.)</p>
<p>One final note: Whatever Fossella&#8217;s persona and political failings, thanks to the congressman and his wife for sparing us the &#8220;stand by your man&#8221; news conference &#8212; at least for now.</p>
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		<title>Silver: Saint or Sinner?</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/07/silver-saint-or-sinner/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/07/silver-saint-or-sinner/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 May 2008 17:58:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gail Robinson</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Albany]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Sheldon Silver]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=1831</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[With Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver facing a credible challenge for his Assembly seat on the Lower East Side, a heated debate has broken out in some progressive circles over whether Silver is really so bad after all.
Blogging on Open Left,
Dan Cantor, founder of the purportedly progressive (but very tied to the Democratic Party) Working Families [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>With Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver facing a credible challenge for his Assembly seat on the Lower East Side, a heated debate has broken out in some progressive circles over whether Silver is really so bad after all.</p>
<p>Blogging on <a href="http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=5597">Open Left</a>,<br />
Dan Cantor, founder of the purportedly progressive (but very tied to the Democratic Party) Working Families Party, comes out enthusiastically for Silver, even though the party has not made an endorsement. &#8220;His batting average has not been perfect - nobody&#8217;s is. But he prevented more harm and accomplished far more good than anyone could have expected during an era when Democrats were a minority party among Albany&#8217;s power centers,&#8221; Cantor<br />
said, citing Silver for standing up to former Gov. George Pataki and for backing bills that made it &#8220;more difficult for employers to fight union organizing, barred discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation, restored Food Stamps for immigrants … and increased the minimum wage.&#8221;</p>
<p>Now <a href="http://www.newellnyc.org/"> Paul Newell</a> one of two announced challengers to Silver (<a href="http://www.lukehenry.org/">Luke Henry</a> is the other), has fired back on the same blog. &#8220;Sheldon Silver is neither a progressive Democrat nor a conservative Democrat. Sheldon Silver is a status quo Democrat,&#8221; Newell writes. &#8220;Sheldon Silver chooses his positions so as to best maintain his power. As Silver’s power derives from a Democratic held body, it is often in his interest to strike a comparatively progressive pose. But progressive action is rare.&#8221;</p>
<p>Another progressive, Chris Owens, chair of Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats, tries to take (on this one) a middle of the road position, <a href="http://www.observer.com/2008/lefts-debate-over-sheldon-silver"> telling</a> the Daily Politics that Silver is &#8220;a mixed bag for progressives.&#8221; &#8220;Silver&#8217;s &#8220;greatest weakness has been his maintenance of old-school Albany politics,&#8221; Owens said.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.dailygotham.com/">Daily Gotham</a> leaves little doubt where it stands. &#8220;Shelly Silver Killed Congestion Pricing&#8221; it blares in huge white on orange type.</p>
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		<title>More on Atlantic Yards Redesign</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/06/atlantic-yards-redesign/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/06/atlantic-yards-redesign/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 May 2008 12:27:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mark Berkey-Gerard</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Community Development]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Land Use]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Atlantic Yards]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Bruce Ratner]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=1830</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Over the weekend, developer Bruce Ratner unveiled a redesigned and scaled-down version of the Atlantic Yards project for downtown Brooklyn, complete with new models and drawings and an op-ed in the Daily News.
Now opponents have unveiled a new Web site called Atlanticlots.com, created by the Municipal Art Society and Brooklyn Speaks. It features a slide [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/05/brooklyn-blight/">Over the weekend</a>, developer Bruce Ratner unveiled a redesigned and scaled-down version of the <a href="http://www.atlanticyards.com/">Atlantic Yards project</a> for downtown Brooklyn, complete with <a href="http://www.atlanticyards.com/html/footer/images.html">new models and drawings</a> and an <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/05/04/2008-05-04_atlantic_yards_dead_dream_on.html">op-ed in the Daily News</a>.</p>
<p>Now opponents have unveiled a new Web site called <a href="http://www.atlanticlots.com/">Atlanticlots.com</a>, created by the <a href="http://www.mas.org/">Municipal Art Society</a> and <a href="http://brooklynspeaks.net/">Brooklyn Speaks</a>. It features a slide show with aerial views the proposed development and a click-able link to &#8220;Ask Governor Paterson to make an interim plan for the site that works for Brooklyn.&#8221;</p>
<p>The real estate blog Curbed provides a <a href="http://curbed.com/archives/2008/05/05/the_atlantic_yards_reboot_battle_for_hearts_minds_rages.php">look at the &#8220;mini-taboloid war&#8221;</a> between the Daily News and the Post in their coverage of the Atlantic Yards redesign. (The blog <a href="http://atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/">Atlanticyardsreport</a> says the New York Times has ignored the story.) Curbed also offers a <a href="http://curbed.com/archives/2008/05/05/atlantic_yards_reboot_poll_miss_brooklyn_or_b1.php">poll so readers can weigh in the old and new version of the tower</a>.</p>
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		<title>Skipping Gym Class</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/05/skipping-gym-class/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/05/skipping-gym-class/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 May 2008 23:22:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Courtney Gross</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Gotham City]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Health]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=1829</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum found the Department of Education is skimping kids out of their exercise, according to a new survey of scores of randomly selected elementary and middle schools. 
The report found that 96 percent of elementary schools violate state mandates for third graders, who are supposed to have PE class daily. 
We ran [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum found the Department of Education is skimping kids out of their exercise, according to a new survey of scores of randomly selected elementary and middle schools. </p>
<p>The <a href=" http://www.pubadvocate.nyc.gov/policy/PhysicalEducationMay2008.html " target="new">report</a> found that 96 percent of elementary schools violate state mandates for third graders, who are supposed to have PE class daily. </p>
<p>We ran a <a href=" http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/issueoftheweek/20080305/6/2453 " target="new">similar story</a> in March, which showed the lack of focus on physical education has been a growing trend since the 1970s, when schools turned more towards academics.</p>
<p>But the Department of Education contends it <a href=" http://www.nysun.com/news/schools-failing-mandatefor-gym-0 " target="new">is working hard</a> to reverse this trend. </p>
<p>Obesity is still a huge problem among New York City kids. How do you think the department should, if at all, get kids to shed pounds?</p>
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		<title>Spring Snarls</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/05/spring-snarls/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/05/spring-snarls/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 May 2008 22:25:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gail Robinson</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Gotham City]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Transportation]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[street closings]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[traffic]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=1828</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s that time of year again &#8212; when city streets are closed to traffic, making way for foot races, organized bike rides, charity walks and street fairs. Fine. As writers for Gotham Gazette have frequently noted ( here, for example), in a city where land is a previous commodity, cars do not deserve so much [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It&#8217;s that time of year again &#8212; when city streets are closed to traffic, making way for foot races, organized bike rides, charity walks and street fairs. Fine. As writers for Gotham Gazette have frequently noted (<a href="http://gothamgazette.com/article/parks/20071130/14/2361"> here</a>, for example), in a city where land is a previous commodity, cars do not deserve so much of it.</p>
<p>The problem is not the closing of streets but how it’s managed. Police officers and traffic agents patrolling the areas seems completely unaware of alternative routes &#8212; or unwilling to provide assistance. Many are downright rude, refusing to even try to answer questions from bewildered citizens, instead demanding drivers &#8220;move along&#8221; into a miasma of traffic.<br />
<span id="more-1828"></span></p>
<p>Take last Saturday. A <a href="http://www.nyrr.org/races/2008/grandprix/brooklyn_reg.asp">foot race</a> down Brooklyn&#8217;s Ocean Parkway split the borough in two almost as resolutely as the wall once divided Berlin. Trying to cross Ocean Parkway, I asked an unusually helpful police officer how to proceed. He told me to take the parkway service road to Caton Avenue and go west on that. &#8220;Do that and hopefully the other cars will follow you,&#8221; he suggested.</p>
<p>Woe to those that did. A traffic agent a few blocks away blocked my path, When I tried to explain what the policeman had told me, the agent waved his arms, refused to answer and told me to keep moving &#8212; in the exact opposite direction I needed to go in. As cars milled about, tempers &#8212; to say nothing of emissions &#8212; mounted.</p>
<p>This chaos surrounding special events is not isolated. I heard a similar report from an unwitting driver snarled in Sunday&#8217;s <a href="http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/396215"> Five Boro Bike Tour</a>. At last fall&#8217;s Giants victory parade, police could not provide basic information on which streets in lower Manhattan pedestrians could cross. The officers routinely sent people struggling to get to work to streets that turned out to be blocked by barricades and another set of less than helpful cops. A few years ago, I asked an officer at the Park Slope St. Patrick&#8217;s Day parade when it would begin and whether it would pass ourway (this time I wanted to go to the event ). &#8220;How should I know?&#8221; he demanded.</p>
<p>Is it rudeness or ignorance? When the police department and Department of Transportation sends its employees out to control these events, can&#8217;t it give them simple instructions about what roads are passable? Maps? Signs?</p>
<p>Any thoughts?</p>
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		<title>Brooklyn Blight</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/05/brooklyn-blight/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/05/brooklyn-blight/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 May 2008 21:49:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gail Robinson</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Community Development]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Housing]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Land Use]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Atlantice Yards]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Ratner]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=1827</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Every day seems to bring more stories about troubles at Atlantic Yards, Bruce Ratner&#8217;s megaproject in downtown Brooklyn. The latest, from today&#8217;s  Daily News, reports that the signature &#8220;Miss Brooklyn&#8221; residential and commercial building will be scaled back, renamed and only contain commercial space. Ratner has  conceded the troubled economy could delay the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Every day seems to bring more stories about troubles at Atlantic Yards, Bruce Ratner&#8217;s megaproject in downtown Brooklyn. The latest, from today&#8217;s <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2008/05/05/2008-05-05_atlantic_yards_miss_brooklyn_is_slashed_.html"> Daily News</a>, reports that the signature &#8220;Miss Brooklyn&#8221; residential and commercial building will be scaled back, renamed and only contain commercial space. Ratner has <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/nyregion/01yards.html"> conceded</a> the troubled economy could delay the residential and commercial project for years, casting doubts on whether the affordable housing and other community assets will fall by the wayside. And even the basketball arena for the Nets could be in jeopardy with accounts surfacing in the <a href="http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/topstories/index.ssf/2008/05/bringing_nets_to_newark_plan_i.html"> Jersey Ledger</a> last week that Newark Mayor Corey Booker is working to have the team move to Newark, instead of Atlantic and Flatbush.</p>
<p>The possible demise of Atlantic Yards though could be a pyrrhic victory for opponents of the project, since New York&#8217;s leader have already allowed Ratner to level much of the surrounding area. If Ratner does not build on much of it, a neighborhood that probably would have developed just fine on its own could instead be a bleak and blighted landscape of vacant lots.  </p>
<p>As evidence, the <a href="http://www.mas.org/"> Municipal Art Society</a> has released a series of <a href="http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001MSvjDdYMyahDx5K0RLbJVEojsLFg4MZ1cihFm19sspV81XJRoCMvt9lGuckYyxA-e7gYKxQyMTPdhBJTb4u-4eZKBgVpRuTAqtzw_j4IYjo="> artists&#8217; renderings</a> showing just how much of this key location, close to Manhattan and atop transit and commuter train routes, could lie empty for years thanks to Ratner and his allies in the state government, Bloomberg administration and Brooklyn borough hall.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are concerned that the approach with Atlantic Yards is to build when the market is ready, blighting the area with parking and harming Brooklyn in the meantime,&#8221; said Kent Barwick, president of the Municipal Art Society said in a prepared statement, adding Brooklyn could &#8220;be burdened&#8221; with the parking lots for 15 to 20 years.</p>
<p>&#8220;The independent renderings portray a vision of urban blight: Only the planned arena near Atlantic and Flatbush avenues and a lone adjacent residential/office tower remain, surrounded by a series of large &#8216;temporary&#8217; surface parking and other empty space,&#8221; said the <a href="http://www.nypost.com/seven/05052008/news/regionalnews/the_futures_blight_109446.htm"> New York Post</a>.</p>
<p>Ironically, Ratner was allowed to level the area of small-scale apartments and business to remove so-called &#8220;blight.&#8221;</p>
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		<title>Spreading Ferry Service</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/05/spreading-ferry-service/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/05/spreading-ferry-service/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 05 May 2008 16:41:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Courtney Gross</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Gotham City]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Transportation]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Waterfront]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=1826</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Staten Island aqua travel shouldn’t seem so unique for that much longer. 
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced the start of expanded ferry service to the outer boroughs this morning &#8212; a pillar of Quinn&#8217;s State of the City address in February &#8212; which will start with service in the Rockaways then [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Staten Island aqua travel shouldn’t seem so unique for that much longer. </p>
<p>Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced the start of expanded ferry service to the outer boroughs this morning &#8212; a pillar of Quinn&#8217;s <a href="http://council.nyc.gov/html/releases/012_021208_soc2008.shtml">State of the City address</a> in February &#8212; which will start with service in the Rockaways then expand to North Williamsburg and Greenpoint. </p>
<p>The two-year pilot project for the Rockaways is funded by $1.1 million from Councilmember Joseph Addabbo&#8217;s discretionary funds. </p>
<p>Forget about the obnoxious waits of the infamous G line or the shadowy subterranean travel of the subway system, because the service could spread even more.<br />
<span id="more-1826"></span><br />
Other New Yorkers could end up seeing ferry service in their neighborhoods, since the City Council allocated $500,000 for an &#8220;in depth&#8221; study to investigate other potential sites. The study will be done by outside consultants and city agencies and it will look into the following areas: Riverdale, Orchard Beach, Ferry Point, Soundview and Hunts Point in the Bronx; LaGuardia Airport and Astoria in Queens; Bay Ridge, and Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn; and 125th Street, East 20th Street, East 75th Street and East 90th Street in Manhattan.</p>
<p>So far environmental advocates have hailed the project. Here is a <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/fea/20080219/202/2435">commentary</a> we had from the New York League of Conservation Voters after Quinn announced the expansion earlier this year. </p>
<p>You can get the mayor&#8217;s full release <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.c0935b9a57bb4ef3daf2f1c701c789a0/index.jsp?pageID=mayor_press_release&#038;catID=1194&#038;doc_name=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyc.gov%2Fhtml%2Fom%2Fhtml%2F2008a%2Fpr163-08.html&#038;cc=unused1978&#038;rc=1194&#038;ndi=1">here</a>.</p>
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		<title>Reactions to the Mayor's Proposed Budget</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/02/reactions-to-the-mayors-proposed-budget/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/02/reactions-to-the-mayors-proposed-budget/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 May 2008 16:52:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mike Muller</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Finance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=1824</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Most of the reactions to Mayor Michael Bloomberg&#8217;s executive budget proposal so far hail its fiscal prudence, albeit some include caveats and others were outright hostile.
Comptroller William Thompson and the Citizen&#8217;s Budget Commission are both happy with what they heard, and are pleased that their recommendations are included in the proposal. Both called for reducing [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img align="left" height="150" width="250" src="http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/top_050108.jpg"/>Most of the reactions to Mayor Michael Bloomberg&#8217;s <a href="http://nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.beb0d8fdaa9e1607a62fa24601c789a0/">executive budget proposal</a> so far hail its fiscal prudence, albeit some include caveats and others were outright hostile.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.comptroller.nyc.gov/press/2008_releases/st08-05-023.shtm">Comptroller William Thompson</a> and the <a href="http://www.cbcny.org/Press_Release_09_Executive_Budget.html">Citizen&#8217;s Budget Commission</a> are both happy with what they heard, and are pleased that their recommendations are included in the proposal. Both called for reducing capital expenditures, which is money invested in long-term assets like buildings and transportation networks. The mayor addressed this by stretching the capital plan from 4 years to 5 years, which will reduce debt service.</p>
<p>The New York Times editorial board is also <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/02/opinion/02fri5.html?ref=opinion">supportive</a>. For one, they call the mayor&#8217;s plan to end the 7 percent property tax cut in fiscal year 2010 - which starts July 2009 - &#8220;politically brave.&#8221; The move will bring about $1 billion in taxes back into city coffers. Given the money at stake, the Times thinks the $400 annual rebate should also be put to rest. </p>
<p>But the New York Post&#8217;s editorial board <a href="http://www.nypost.com/seven/05022008/postopinion/editorials/wilfully_deaf_109127.htm">disagrees</a>. Although they also commend the mayor for holding the line on spending and using surpluses to pay off future debt, they don&#8217;t like the idea of ending the tax cut, which they refer to as a tax <em>hike</em>. </p>
<p>Education advocates, however, are steaming mad, and are launching a campaign to reverse spending cuts for city schools. Accusing the Bloomberg Administration of retreating on previous financial commitments, they are starting a campaign called &#8220;Keep the Promises!.&#8221; The Promises! coalition, which launched with a <a href="http://www.nysun.com/news/new-york/educators-will-fight-cutslikely-result-budget">rally</a> and a <a href="http://www.uft.org/keep_the_promise.mp3">radio ad</a> yesterday, includes the teachers union, the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, the Alliance for Quality Education, ACORN, and the New York City Coalition for Education Justice.</p>
<p>&#8220;The mayor rightly understood it was important to keep his $400 promise to homeowners and to roll some of the surplus as a cushion,&#8221; <a href="http://www.uft.org/news/school_funding05_01_08/">said</a> Randi Weingarten, the president of the teachers union. &#8220;He should have given the same consideration to the importance of the 4-year promise the city made to our children. He has broken that promise, and we have five weeks to work with him and the City Council to reverse it.&#8221;</p>
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<enclosure url="http://www.uft.org/keep_the_promise.mp3" length="1478699" type="audio/mpeg" />
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		<title>Live Broadcast of Executive Budget Presentation</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/01/live-broadcast-of-executive-budget-presentation/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/05/01/live-broadcast-of-executive-budget-presentation/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 May 2008 15:53:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mike Muller</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Gotham City]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=1823</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Mayor Michael Bloomberg is currently giving his executive budget presentation, click here to watch a live video stream. (Microsoft Windows Media Player required. Click here for download.)
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Mayor Michael Bloomberg is currently giving his executive <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/omb/pdf/sumss5_08.pdf" taget="_blank">budget presentation</a>, <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.b270a4a1d51bb3017bce0ed101c789a0/index.jsp?pageID=nyc_blue_room&#038;catID=1194&#038;doc_name=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyc.gov%2Fhtml%2Fom%2Fhtml%2Fexec_budget.html" target="_blank">click here</a> to watch a live video stream. (Microsoft Windows Media Player required. <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/cgi-bin/exit.pl?url=http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download/default.asp" taget="_blank">Click here</a> for download.)</p>
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		<title>Quinn Kicks Public Out (Update)</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/04/30/quinn-kicks-public-out/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/04/30/quinn-kicks-public-out/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:14:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Courtney Gross</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Civil Rights]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Community Development]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Gotham City]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Land Use]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=1822</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In the first significant disturbance since the Viola Plummer incident, Council Speaker Christine Quinn ordered the balcony of the council chamber be cleared this afternoon after a large group of Harlem rezoning opponents and supporters created a so-called disturbance.
The council approved the rezoning by a vote of 47 to 2, with members Charles Barron and [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In the first significant disturbance since the <a href=" http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2007/07/25/plummer-ousted-with-an-escort/" target="new">Viola Plummer incident</a>, Council Speaker Christine Quinn ordered the balcony of the council chamber be cleared this afternoon after a large group of Harlem rezoning opponents and supporters created a so-called disturbance.</p>
<p>The council approved the rezoning by a vote of 47 to 2, with members Charles Barron and Tony Avella dissenting.</p>
<p>Quinn&#8217;s move was criticized on the floor by several representatives, including Councilmember Helen Foster, who said if they are going to close the meeting to the general public (which is what they essentially did since the only people allowed on the council floor are staff members and press) they should do it for any disturbance &#8212; whether it is cheers of approval or heckling of dissent.<br />
<span id="more-1822"></span><br />
Equal treatment must be given to all groups, she added, and the council must ensure it does not eject anyone &#8220;based on color.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;We have set a bar here today,&#8221; said Foster.</p>
<p>Noticeably disturbed by the heckling, Councilmember Inez Dickens, who represents a majority of the 125th Street throughway, challenged the perception that Harlem lost out in the rezoning &#8212; which will require 46 percent of housing be income targeted.</p>
<p>While calls of &#8220;sell out&#8221; sailed down from the chamber&#8217;s second-story balcony, Dickens said, &#8220;I don&#8217;t need anyone to document my commitment to my community. I was born and raised in Harlem.&#8221;</p>
<p>It is not unusual for catcalls to come from the council&#8217;s balcony &#8212; similar disturbances have occurred over the past year to varying degrees, most recently during the Columbia University <a href=" http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/searchlight/20071226/203/2389&amp;lt;br &amp;gt;&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;" target="new">rezoning</a>. This is the first occasion in Quinn&#8217;s tenure as speaker that the balcony has been cleared.</p>
<p>Clearing the chamber is allowed under the City Council&#8217;s rules, which state:</p>
<blockquote><p>3.10. Order, Decorum - The presiding officer shall preserve order and decorum. In the event of disturbance or disorderly conduct in the Chamber, lobby or gallery, the presiding officer  may cause the same to be cleared.</p></blockquote>
<p>The state&#8217;s Open Meetings Law is mute on whether government bodies can close meetings based on disturbances. Exemptions in the law (available <a href=" http://www.dos.state.ny.us/coog/openmeetlaw.htm" target="new">here</a>) would not apply to this incident.</p>
<p>UPDATE: According to Robert Freeman, executive director at the state <a href="http://www.dos.state.ny.us/coog/coogwww.html">Committee on Open Government</a>, the council may have acted appropriately.</p>
<p>Here are his condensed comments:</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;Certainly a public body like the City Council has the authority to keep decorum&#8230; If there was no way of distinguishing those that are disruptive to those that are not, perhaps it might have been reasonable&#8230; Alternatively, the council might have adjourned their meeting and reconvened at a time when ground rules clearly could have been established and returned to civility.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
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		<title>Park Battles</title>
		<link>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/04/30/park-battles/</link>
		<comments>http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/2008/04/30/park-battles/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:06:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gail Robinson</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Community Development]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Land Use]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Law]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Parks]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[planning]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.gothamgazette.com/blogs/wonkster/?p=1820</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In a city where everything is contentious, add another item to the list: parks. The Observer  reports on  the trend for community groups to fight parks in their midst, often with lawsuits and often with some success.
The groups do not oppose green space and trees but say they object to the &#8220;public-private partnerships [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In a city where everything is contentious, add another item to the list: parks. The Observer <a href="http://www.observer.com/2008/somehow-park-development-becomes-blood-sport"> reports</a> on  the trend for community groups to fight parks in their midst, often with lawsuits and often with some success.</p>
<p>The groups do not oppose green space and trees but say they object to the &#8220;public-private partnerships undertaken by the Bloomberg administration to develop or to change the parks.&#8221;  This issue has arisen at Union Square, where a lawsuit has at least <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/nyregion/23park.html?ex=1366689600&#038;en=3e9ce312c1353580&#038;ei=5088&#038;partner=rssnyt&#038;emc=rss"> temporarily blocked</a> plans for a private restaurant, and on Randall&#8217;s Island where another suit has <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/02/01/2008-02-01_randalls_is_ballfields_stay_public__judg-1.html"> halted the city&#8217;s </a><a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/parks/20070129/14/2088"> plan</a> to give private schools priority in using playing fields.</p>
<p>The opponents also voice a complaint that has come to characterize the Bloomberg administration: They don&#8217;t consult with people in the community. &#8220;This is the worst situation I’ve ever encountered in terms of [dealings with] the community Carol Greitzer, a former councilwoman from the West Village who helped start 250+ Friends of New York Parks, told the Observer. &#8220;They come up with a plan. Maybe—maybe—if you’re lucky, you can tweak it slightly, but that’s about all you can do.”</p>
<p>For more on the administration&#8217;s approach to planning, see <a href="http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/landuse/20080421/12/2495"> Is the Long-Term Sustainability Plan Sustainable?</a> by Tom Angotti.</p>
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