WPU Brief For Press Re: LDC 10-18-11
If you would like to know, in a fair amount of detail, what's been happening with the state Attorney General's investigation and Shulman's LDC's brownfield program for the Flushing waterfront (the state taxpayer grant of $1,505,700.00), then read the attached PDF. Today, Shulman's LDC is holding a bogus "community meeting" pertaining to its brownfield program for the waterfront properties. The attached PDF has been sent to all press.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Developing a Headache
The Observer is reporting on the uphill development slog at Willets Point and there's one point that we'd like to comment on: the putative investigation being done by the NYS Attorney General. Here's what the paper alleges about our slick friends over at TDC:
"The TDC bid has also elicited howls from opponents of the project, led by the holdout property owners group Willets Point United. It argues that TDC should be barred from participating because it was part of the Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corp., a nonprofit organization partially funded by the city that advocated for the redevelopment. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is investigating whether the LDC illegally lobbied for the project."
How long can a law enforcement office investigate a cold blooded shooting committed in plain day light? We've said this time and time again, the law is clear that an LDC cannot influence legislation-anywhere, anytime. So why is the AG taking so long, and is there really an investigation "ongoing?" Beats us, and we met with the office and heard the party line firsthand.
And if there is an investigation why couldn't the AG confirm as such to the comptroller and the Department of State?-and do so before the state committed over a million and a half dollars to this investigated LDC. Shulman and her developer pals must be laughing their asses off at this phony posturing-all the way to the bank.
So we suggest that Senor Schneiderman give up his Buster Keaton Keystone Kop routine and bring all of this to a head. He's suppose to not be intimidated by the powers that be-not! And as for Related, when is the anti-Wal-Mart crowd going to get its act together and go after this Willets Point charade? At the end of the day it is clear that all of the unions who supported the project were played like fools.
This entire development symbolizes everything that is wrong with the Bloomberg administration-insider trading, speculative development, cooked books, and the shafting of the little guys. The Observer gets the last word: "Numerous challenges remain for the firms, even beyond the challenges of remediating a toxic site F. Scott Fitzgerald once referred to as the Valley of Ashes...As if centuries of pollution weren’t headache enough."
"The TDC bid has also elicited howls from opponents of the project, led by the holdout property owners group Willets Point United. It argues that TDC should be barred from participating because it was part of the Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corp., a nonprofit organization partially funded by the city that advocated for the redevelopment. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is investigating whether the LDC illegally lobbied for the project."
How long can a law enforcement office investigate a cold blooded shooting committed in plain day light? We've said this time and time again, the law is clear that an LDC cannot influence legislation-anywhere, anytime. So why is the AG taking so long, and is there really an investigation "ongoing?" Beats us, and we met with the office and heard the party line firsthand.
And if there is an investigation why couldn't the AG confirm as such to the comptroller and the Department of State?-and do so before the state committed over a million and a half dollars to this investigated LDC. Shulman and her developer pals must be laughing their asses off at this phony posturing-all the way to the bank.
So we suggest that Senor Schneiderman give up his Buster Keaton Keystone Kop routine and bring all of this to a head. He's suppose to not be intimidated by the powers that be-not! And as for Related, when is the anti-Wal-Mart crowd going to get its act together and go after this Willets Point charade? At the end of the day it is clear that all of the unions who supported the project were played like fools.
This entire development symbolizes everything that is wrong with the Bloomberg administration-insider trading, speculative development, cooked books, and the shafting of the little guys. The Observer gets the last word: "Numerous challenges remain for the firms, even beyond the challenges of remediating a toxic site F. Scott Fitzgerald once referred to as the Valley of Ashes...As if centuries of pollution weren’t headache enough."
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Gateway Redux: Wal-Mart and the Need for Willets Point Oversight
Crain's is reporting on the bids that NYC EDC has received for its phony Phase I of the Willets Point development-a phase that simply didn't exist when the plan was approved by the NYC Council three long years ago. And lo and behold, one of the bidders is the Related Companies-the same out fit that has used a bait and switch strategy to site Wal-Mart at its Gateway Mall in East NY:
"Almost five years after Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled a sweeping plan to make over Willets Point, a 61-acre swath of pockmarked streets and auto shops in northeast Queens, the redevelopment is finally springing to life. At least four teams of bidders submitted proposals to build the project's first phase, and off-site infrastructure improvements will begin this fall in an area that has bedeviled politicians and planners since Robert Moses.
Crain's has identified four of the bidders, including The Related Companies and Silverstein Properties, though none of them would comment, citing a gag order imposed by the city."
It was the failure of the City Council to conduct an adequate oversight of the Gateway expansion-with CM Barron relying on the company's "word"-that allowed Related to sneak Wal-Mart into its retail mix. And it is the same lack of oversight that will allow Related-or any of the other developers-to do the same thing at Willets Point because, in giving its approval for the Iron Triangle, the Council gave the city carte blanche to site whatever retail use it wanted on the site.
This isn't sitting well with Local 1500 of the UFCW: "Some of the bids themselves have sparked controversy. United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500 said it will vigorously oppose Related's bid because the developer is considering leasing a Brooklyn site to Walmart. The union is trying to prevent the retail giant from entering New York City."
Well, we feel 1500's pain; but a remedy is available to all of the folks in the anti-Wal-Mart coalition. That remedy lies with the fact that this Phase I is arguably an illegal segmentation that was never approved by the city council-and with enough political pressure the entire Phase could-and should-be subjected to a full ULURP review (with another EIS to address the concerns that have been raised by us here at WPU.
The only reason that there is this phased approach is because WPU has stymied the city on the building of ramps off of the Van Wyck-a matter that is now before Judge Madden's court. In pleadings before the judge the city had said that it wouldn't go forward with the project and condemn anyone's property until the ramps were approved: clearly it lied and Phase I is an illegal end around the nettlesome ramp issue.
This all opens up an opportunity for a full oversight review of the development-one that should include an economic impact analysis because no one knows what the real price tag of the development is:
"Even as the project moves forward, questions remain. The redevelopment is complicated, requiring environmental remediation, infrastructure upgrades and land acquisition. The city controls 90% of the phase-one areas, but has not ruled out using eminent domain to secure the remaining parcels, which would create a storm of opposition.
Perhaps more significantly, the division of the project into three stages—intended to get it started faster—has raised doubts that it will work financially for developers. The first phase calls for up to 680,000 square feet of retail space, as many as 400 units of mixed-income housing, up to 387 hotel rooms and about two acres of open space. The city has also asked developers to propose a vision for future stages."
At a time of budgetary cutbacks does this development still make fiscal sense? And then there's a clamor to make the area into the next Silicon Valley:
"To reach the full potential of Applied Science NYC, the city will need to think bigger and more holistically. And to build an educational and robust commercial tech corridor capable of competing with Silicon Valley, the university will need more developable space and to be globally accessible. There is a location, though, that offers accessibility and expandability, and the opportunity to build not just another Silicon Alley or Square, but a Silicon City, and it is right here in our borough’s backyard: Willets Point."
Is that a good idea? Who knows? But what we do know is that this concept wasn't part of the discussion three years ago and the fact that it might be considered highlights how all of the oversight from back then is just so inconsequential-reinforcing the need for the council to finally do its job.
For us the fact that TDC is a bidder adds insult to injury-part of the reason why we have pushed the NYS AG to act:"The TDC bid has also elicited howls from opponents of the project, led by the holdout property owners group Willets Point United. It argues that TDC should be barred from participating because it was part of the Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corp., a nonprofit organization partially funded by the city that advocated for the redevelopment. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is investigating whether the LDC illegally lobbied for the project."
We also can't know whether a phased approach is economical:
"The biggest challenges, though, may lie in the impact that dividing the project into phases may have on the redevelopment's economics. The city won't reveal what the firms have proposed, but observers question whether the first phase has enough housing units to make residential development viable. Responses are likely focused on entertainment, retail and hospitality, they said. Because the project requires substantial remediation, is in a flood plain, and the first phase is just 12.75 acres, it will be hard for its developer to make the finances work."
All of the above makes it imperative for the city council to step into the breach it has created for itself-a refocus on Willets Point, its environmental impact, its economic plan and its fiscal feasibility, all need to be re-examined before the city creates the same kind of empty lot that exists in New London where Suzette Kelo's house used to stand.
"Almost five years after Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled a sweeping plan to make over Willets Point, a 61-acre swath of pockmarked streets and auto shops in northeast Queens, the redevelopment is finally springing to life. At least four teams of bidders submitted proposals to build the project's first phase, and off-site infrastructure improvements will begin this fall in an area that has bedeviled politicians and planners since Robert Moses.
Crain's has identified four of the bidders, including The Related Companies and Silverstein Properties, though none of them would comment, citing a gag order imposed by the city."
It was the failure of the City Council to conduct an adequate oversight of the Gateway expansion-with CM Barron relying on the company's "word"-that allowed Related to sneak Wal-Mart into its retail mix. And it is the same lack of oversight that will allow Related-or any of the other developers-to do the same thing at Willets Point because, in giving its approval for the Iron Triangle, the Council gave the city carte blanche to site whatever retail use it wanted on the site.
This isn't sitting well with Local 1500 of the UFCW: "Some of the bids themselves have sparked controversy. United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500 said it will vigorously oppose Related's bid because the developer is considering leasing a Brooklyn site to Walmart. The union is trying to prevent the retail giant from entering New York City."
Well, we feel 1500's pain; but a remedy is available to all of the folks in the anti-Wal-Mart coalition. That remedy lies with the fact that this Phase I is arguably an illegal segmentation that was never approved by the city council-and with enough political pressure the entire Phase could-and should-be subjected to a full ULURP review (with another EIS to address the concerns that have been raised by us here at WPU.
The only reason that there is this phased approach is because WPU has stymied the city on the building of ramps off of the Van Wyck-a matter that is now before Judge Madden's court. In pleadings before the judge the city had said that it wouldn't go forward with the project and condemn anyone's property until the ramps were approved: clearly it lied and Phase I is an illegal end around the nettlesome ramp issue.
This all opens up an opportunity for a full oversight review of the development-one that should include an economic impact analysis because no one knows what the real price tag of the development is:
"Even as the project moves forward, questions remain. The redevelopment is complicated, requiring environmental remediation, infrastructure upgrades and land acquisition. The city controls 90% of the phase-one areas, but has not ruled out using eminent domain to secure the remaining parcels, which would create a storm of opposition.
Perhaps more significantly, the division of the project into three stages—intended to get it started faster—has raised doubts that it will work financially for developers. The first phase calls for up to 680,000 square feet of retail space, as many as 400 units of mixed-income housing, up to 387 hotel rooms and about two acres of open space. The city has also asked developers to propose a vision for future stages."
At a time of budgetary cutbacks does this development still make fiscal sense? And then there's a clamor to make the area into the next Silicon Valley:
"To reach the full potential of Applied Science NYC, the city will need to think bigger and more holistically. And to build an educational and robust commercial tech corridor capable of competing with Silicon Valley, the university will need more developable space and to be globally accessible. There is a location, though, that offers accessibility and expandability, and the opportunity to build not just another Silicon Alley or Square, but a Silicon City, and it is right here in our borough’s backyard: Willets Point."
Is that a good idea? Who knows? But what we do know is that this concept wasn't part of the discussion three years ago and the fact that it might be considered highlights how all of the oversight from back then is just so inconsequential-reinforcing the need for the council to finally do its job.
For us the fact that TDC is a bidder adds insult to injury-part of the reason why we have pushed the NYS AG to act:"The TDC bid has also elicited howls from opponents of the project, led by the holdout property owners group Willets Point United. It argues that TDC should be barred from participating because it was part of the Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corp., a nonprofit organization partially funded by the city that advocated for the redevelopment. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is investigating whether the LDC illegally lobbied for the project."
We also can't know whether a phased approach is economical:
"The biggest challenges, though, may lie in the impact that dividing the project into phases may have on the redevelopment's economics. The city won't reveal what the firms have proposed, but observers question whether the first phase has enough housing units to make residential development viable. Responses are likely focused on entertainment, retail and hospitality, they said. Because the project requires substantial remediation, is in a flood plain, and the first phase is just 12.75 acres, it will be hard for its developer to make the finances work."
All of the above makes it imperative for the city council to step into the breach it has created for itself-a refocus on Willets Point, its environmental impact, its economic plan and its fiscal feasibility, all need to be re-examined before the city creates the same kind of empty lot that exists in New London where Suzette Kelo's house used to stand.
Friday, October 14, 2011
WSJ Reports ON AG's "Investigation" of Shulman's LDC
In this morning's WSJ the paper reports on the questions surrounding the now two and a half year old investigation into the illegal activities of Claire Shulman's phony LDC-a group formed to advance the interests of developers:
"The New York State Department of State awarded a Queens development group a $1.5 million grant, despite a continuing investigation by the Attorney General into allegations that the group conducted an extensive lobbying effort in violation of state law.
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's office said last month it couldn't block the grant because the comptroller's office couldn't confirm the Attorney General is investigating the Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corp., a group led by former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman."
But why exactly couldn't the comptroller determine whether the AG was investigating?-and what does that say about the nature of the so-called investigation? "It was unclear why the comptroller's office was unable to determine the status of the investigation. Danny Kanner, a spokesman for Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office, told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday that the probe remains active, but declined to comment further."
What makes this truly opaque-and raises questions about the conduct of the AG, his office, and the genuineness of his investigatory effort, is that in communications between the AG and the Department of State one Loren Kittilsen of the AG's office told DOS, in essence, and incorrectly, that no one at the AG's office knew anything about any investigation. It is not just that DOS could not confirm the investigation but rather that the AG's office affirmatively provided inaccurate information to DOS that cannot be reconciled with information it provided to WPU and now to the Wall Stret Journal.
This is beginning to look as if a special prosecutor is going to be needed to sort this all out-but Shulman, bathing luxuriously in all of her illegality, continues plowing ahead:
"Ms. Shulman's group is using the grant money to hire a consultant. The group has invited the public to attend on Tuesday a public meeting about the redevelopment plans at Flushing Town Hall. "We're going full steam ahead on this project," Ms. Shulman said in an interview. "This is really for the benefit of the community and I would hope that we will continue it—I see no reason why we shouldn't," she said. "The Willets Point people, they don't want to leave, and they will strike at whatever they can."
Benefit for the community? Don't make us laugh. Since when is TDC the community? Or the Mets Foundation? Or the Muss Organization? Shulman is the madam for a corporate capitalist brothel-and she's masquerading as the Red Cross.
And why shouldn't she act with impunity when the investigators are acting like Inspector Clouseaus? What the Journal has left out is any mention that WPU attended meetings and otherwise corresponded with AG office staff responsible for the investigation, right after Kittilsen told DOS that no one knew anything about an investigation. The irreconcilable behaviors of the AG's office are so striking; why was this salient fact omitted?
What is clear is that the AG needs to step up because it looks as if his office is either being dishonest or incompetent-not exactly how the state's chief law enforcement officer wants to be seen. As it stands now an illegal lobbying entity has now been funded by both the city and the state to advance private real estate interests-can you say crony capitalism? All to the detriment of property owners that dowager Shulman patronizingly spits on.
We'll give Jerry Antonacci the last word on this farce:
"Gerald Antonacci, who represents Willets Point Untied, wrote in a recent letter to Mr. Schneiderman that the Department of State and comptroller's office have "fiduciary responsibilities to insure that public funds are not disbursed" to a group that is the subject of a pending investigation. Without a ruling from the attorney general, he said, Ms. Shulman's group has continued "operating with impunity."
"The New York State Department of State awarded a Queens development group a $1.5 million grant, despite a continuing investigation by the Attorney General into allegations that the group conducted an extensive lobbying effort in violation of state law.
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's office said last month it couldn't block the grant because the comptroller's office couldn't confirm the Attorney General is investigating the Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corp., a group led by former Queens Borough President Claire Shulman."
But why exactly couldn't the comptroller determine whether the AG was investigating?-and what does that say about the nature of the so-called investigation? "It was unclear why the comptroller's office was unable to determine the status of the investigation. Danny Kanner, a spokesman for Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office, told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday that the probe remains active, but declined to comment further."
What makes this truly opaque-and raises questions about the conduct of the AG, his office, and the genuineness of his investigatory effort, is that in communications between the AG and the Department of State one Loren Kittilsen of the AG's office told DOS, in essence, and incorrectly, that no one at the AG's office knew anything about any investigation. It is not just that DOS could not confirm the investigation but rather that the AG's office affirmatively provided inaccurate information to DOS that cannot be reconciled with information it provided to WPU and now to the Wall Stret Journal.
This is beginning to look as if a special prosecutor is going to be needed to sort this all out-but Shulman, bathing luxuriously in all of her illegality, continues plowing ahead:
"Ms. Shulman's group is using the grant money to hire a consultant. The group has invited the public to attend on Tuesday a public meeting about the redevelopment plans at Flushing Town Hall. "We're going full steam ahead on this project," Ms. Shulman said in an interview. "This is really for the benefit of the community and I would hope that we will continue it—I see no reason why we shouldn't," she said. "The Willets Point people, they don't want to leave, and they will strike at whatever they can."
Benefit for the community? Don't make us laugh. Since when is TDC the community? Or the Mets Foundation? Or the Muss Organization? Shulman is the madam for a corporate capitalist brothel-and she's masquerading as the Red Cross.
And why shouldn't she act with impunity when the investigators are acting like Inspector Clouseaus? What the Journal has left out is any mention that WPU attended meetings and otherwise corresponded with AG office staff responsible for the investigation, right after Kittilsen told DOS that no one knew anything about an investigation. The irreconcilable behaviors of the AG's office are so striking; why was this salient fact omitted?
What is clear is that the AG needs to step up because it looks as if his office is either being dishonest or incompetent-not exactly how the state's chief law enforcement officer wants to be seen. As it stands now an illegal lobbying entity has now been funded by both the city and the state to advance private real estate interests-can you say crony capitalism? All to the detriment of property owners that dowager Shulman patronizingly spits on.
We'll give Jerry Antonacci the last word on this farce:
"Gerald Antonacci, who represents Willets Point Untied, wrote in a recent letter to Mr. Schneiderman that the Department of State and comptroller's office have "fiduciary responsibilities to insure that public funds are not disbursed" to a group that is the subject of a pending investigation. Without a ruling from the attorney general, he said, Ms. Shulman's group has continued "operating with impunity."
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Civics 101 and Willets Point
In the Civic Corner from the Times Ledger News paper we get the following observations from Bob Harris about Willets Point from the Kissena Park Civic Association newsletter:
"Vice President Dr. Carsten Glaeser of the Kissena Park Civic wrote a page about a public hearing related to the city Economic Development Corp.’s plan to build a new city on the 65 acres of the Iron Triangle in Willets Point...Glaeser wrote of the current concerns of Bayside and Flushing residents of the “known quality-of-life issues that already exist in this town from noise and air pollution, overcrowding in the streets and schools, garbage, filth and stench generated in commercial downtown Flushing and the mother of all quality-of-life issues, vehicle and truck traffic and pollution ....”
These concerns of course cannot be seen apart from what the city has planned for nearby Willets Point-as the good doctor pointed out: "He wrote of the concerns about the independence and accuracy of the studies which support the proposed construction, which were made by residents who testified at the latest hearing. It seems our business-oriented City Hall, wants a rebuilt Willets Point."
Concerns about the accuracy of government evidence is well founded at any time, but especially in the case of Willets Point where we have uncovered gross negligence and fraud at the highest levels of EDC. Mr. Harris for his part sees the development as unneeded and unwanted-and decries the use of eminent domain: "When this project was first proposed years ago, this column was against the proposal of the government to use eminent domain to take private property in the Iron Triangle for use by private business corporations to “improve the area.”
What this tells us is that there is a great disconnect between the civic groups of Queens and their representatives-folks who are all too willing to sell out their own communities in the name of "development." Harris' Civic Corner, them serves as a civic virtue in reminding us of how suspicious the people of Queens are about Bloomberg's Willets Point White Elephant.
"Vice President Dr. Carsten Glaeser of the Kissena Park Civic wrote a page about a public hearing related to the city Economic Development Corp.’s plan to build a new city on the 65 acres of the Iron Triangle in Willets Point...Glaeser wrote of the current concerns of Bayside and Flushing residents of the “known quality-of-life issues that already exist in this town from noise and air pollution, overcrowding in the streets and schools, garbage, filth and stench generated in commercial downtown Flushing and the mother of all quality-of-life issues, vehicle and truck traffic and pollution ....”
These concerns of course cannot be seen apart from what the city has planned for nearby Willets Point-as the good doctor pointed out: "He wrote of the concerns about the independence and accuracy of the studies which support the proposed construction, which were made by residents who testified at the latest hearing. It seems our business-oriented City Hall, wants a rebuilt Willets Point."
Concerns about the accuracy of government evidence is well founded at any time, but especially in the case of Willets Point where we have uncovered gross negligence and fraud at the highest levels of EDC. Mr. Harris for his part sees the development as unneeded and unwanted-and decries the use of eminent domain: "When this project was first proposed years ago, this column was against the proposal of the government to use eminent domain to take private property in the Iron Triangle for use by private business corporations to “improve the area.”
What this tells us is that there is a great disconnect between the civic groups of Queens and their representatives-folks who are all too willing to sell out their own communities in the name of "development." Harris' Civic Corner, them serves as a civic virtue in reminding us of how suspicious the people of Queens are about Bloomberg's Willets Point White Elephant.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Budget Cuting and Willets Point
The NYC budget prospects are looking quite grim. The Daily Politics has the story:
"Mayor Bloomberg’s budget officials notified some City Council members this morning that they plan to order across-the-board cuts of every city agency — including the NYPD and the education department. They plan to slash 2% from agency budgets in the current fiscal year that ends next June, two sources said. The cuts are expected to save $500 million for the cash-strapped city. "
Yes "cash strapped city" has an ominous ring to it, doesn't it? So why are we allowing the city to speculate with the Willets Point development when across the board cuts are chopping away at vital city services-even the police? And the shortfall is $1.5 billion: "Hizzoner also plans to propose much deeper whacks — a 6% slam — for next FY to save $1.5 billion."
But that's because Bloomberg the Mayor is such a sharp fiscal manager, right? Still, with all this cutting that's going on no one has asked the administration to put a number on the cost of Willets Point-looking more and more like Bloomberg's Solyndra.
The last word belongs to Deputy Mayor Holloway-and his observation should prompt the city council to emerge from its slumber and ask the pointed but necessary questions: “We’re looking at extreme economic uncertainty and State and Federal governments that are likely to further cut funds they return to the City. We’ve preserved services essential to maintaining safety and quality of life to this point through prudent planning and a willingness to make the hard decisions, and we’ll do that again this year," said Cas Holloway, Deputy Mayor for Operations."
"Mayor Bloomberg’s budget officials notified some City Council members this morning that they plan to order across-the-board cuts of every city agency — including the NYPD and the education department. They plan to slash 2% from agency budgets in the current fiscal year that ends next June, two sources said. The cuts are expected to save $500 million for the cash-strapped city. "
Yes "cash strapped city" has an ominous ring to it, doesn't it? So why are we allowing the city to speculate with the Willets Point development when across the board cuts are chopping away at vital city services-even the police? And the shortfall is $1.5 billion: "Hizzoner also plans to propose much deeper whacks — a 6% slam — for next FY to save $1.5 billion."
But that's because Bloomberg the Mayor is such a sharp fiscal manager, right? Still, with all this cutting that's going on no one has asked the administration to put a number on the cost of Willets Point-looking more and more like Bloomberg's Solyndra.
The last word belongs to Deputy Mayor Holloway-and his observation should prompt the city council to emerge from its slumber and ask the pointed but necessary questions: “We’re looking at extreme economic uncertainty and State and Federal governments that are likely to further cut funds they return to the City. We’ve preserved services essential to maintaining safety and quality of life to this point through prudent planning and a willingness to make the hard decisions, and we’ll do that again this year," said Cas Holloway, Deputy Mayor for Operations."
EDC Much Too Un-Phased
Crain's is reporting that a number of bidders are lining up for the extra-legal Phase I that EDC has concocted in order to end run the fact that they have still been unable to obtain regulatory approval for Van Wyck ramps that the agency swore were essential for the viability of the Willets Point project: "Two major developers and the Mets' owners' real estate firm are among the firms that submitted proposals for the right to redevelop Willets Point, sources said."
Where the hell is the city council in all of this chicanery? Hiding under their desks as Queen Quinn flexes her muscles in anticipation of a quixotic mayoral bid. Oh, we know that she's polling pretty well now but when the voters get to see her in all her political ungainliness-and her cheek to cheek dancing with the mayor will be no benefit when the time comes-they will spit her ambitions out like tainted sea food.
This is the "leader" who won't even allow a hearing for Peter Vallone's bill on tracking the mayor when he sneaks out of town-and in the case of Willets Point, leading from behind becomes her specialty. The simple fact is that Phase I may be all there is if the ramps aren't approved-and this violates what the council approved three years ago. Quinn, however, can do nothing substantive since her movements are restricted by having to carry the mayor's coat-along with his water.
But the Crain's story does bring up the elephant in the room-the fact that the at least two of the developers, but particularly TDC,were subsidized by tax payer money to lobby for the project's approval:
"The Queens-based Times Ledger reported last month that Flushing-based TDC Development also made a bid. Opponents of the development cried foul at TDC Development's proposal because the firm played a role in the Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corp., a nonprofit organization of private and public sector stakeholders seeded partially with city funds that advocated for the redevelopment.
“The city was paying for private developers to lobby,” said a spokesman for Willets Point United. "
Well it seems that our prosecutors are too preoccupied by all the low hanging fruit to go after the well heeled malefactors like the mayor-and possibly a governor who colluded with him to close off an investigation into the whole sordid affair.
What's missing of course is any one minding the store and watching the cost of this White Elephant. The city doesn't have the money and going forward at his juncture is irresponsible-not to mention probably illegal as well. One thing's for sure: The Mighty Quinn will not mess with the porridge being eaten by the mayor and the Queens Democratic Party-quite a change from those heady organizing days in Hell's kitchen.
Where the hell is the city council in all of this chicanery? Hiding under their desks as Queen Quinn flexes her muscles in anticipation of a quixotic mayoral bid. Oh, we know that she's polling pretty well now but when the voters get to see her in all her political ungainliness-and her cheek to cheek dancing with the mayor will be no benefit when the time comes-they will spit her ambitions out like tainted sea food.
This is the "leader" who won't even allow a hearing for Peter Vallone's bill on tracking the mayor when he sneaks out of town-and in the case of Willets Point, leading from behind becomes her specialty. The simple fact is that Phase I may be all there is if the ramps aren't approved-and this violates what the council approved three years ago. Quinn, however, can do nothing substantive since her movements are restricted by having to carry the mayor's coat-along with his water.
But the Crain's story does bring up the elephant in the room-the fact that the at least two of the developers, but particularly TDC,were subsidized by tax payer money to lobby for the project's approval:
"The Queens-based Times Ledger reported last month that Flushing-based TDC Development also made a bid. Opponents of the development cried foul at TDC Development's proposal because the firm played a role in the Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corp., a nonprofit organization of private and public sector stakeholders seeded partially with city funds that advocated for the redevelopment.
“The city was paying for private developers to lobby,” said a spokesman for Willets Point United. "
Well it seems that our prosecutors are too preoccupied by all the low hanging fruit to go after the well heeled malefactors like the mayor-and possibly a governor who colluded with him to close off an investigation into the whole sordid affair.
What's missing of course is any one minding the store and watching the cost of this White Elephant. The city doesn't have the money and going forward at his juncture is irresponsible-not to mention probably illegal as well. One thing's for sure: The Mighty Quinn will not mess with the porridge being eaten by the mayor and the Queens Democratic Party-quite a change from those heady organizing days in Hell's kitchen.
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