August 20, 2006
Ken Diamondstone is Endorsed by the New York Times
The New York Times - The City- August 20, 2006
Ken Diamondstone, a small developer in Brooklyn, deserves a lot of credit. He’s running against State Senator Marty Conner, a long-term incumbent who also happens to be a lawyer specializing in election law. Mr. Conner has long been the go-to man for politicians who want to get pesky challengers off the ballot. Naturally, Mr. Diamondstone faced weeks of challenges at the Board of Elections and in court.
The party establishment dislikes real elections, and prefers to bump competitors out of the race—either through their control over local boards of elections or with judges handpicked by those same party leaders. This year, one candidate was told the board mysteriously “lost” her petitions from voters. Another, Terence Park in Queens, had to go outside the county to find judges who agreed that a tiny mistake should not disqualify him.
With that dismal history in mind, these are our endorsements in some of the upcoming primary elections for state legislature:
State Senate District 25 (Williamsburg and Sunset Park in Brooklyn): Miraculously, a Brooklyn judge ruled that Mr. Diamondstone should be on the ballot, giving the district an actual race. He does not have a strong record of accomplishments, and Senator Connor is something of an Albany institution. But Albany needs change, not institutions. We recommend voting for Mr. Diamondstone to send a message that business as usual must stop.
Posted by klowy at 10:29 PM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2006
Senator Clinton Join Widening Chorus For Reasonable Review Period
Senator Clinton Join Widening Chorus For Reasonable Review Period
Senator Hillary Clinton and the Municipal Art Society (MAS) have joined Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Councilmember Letitia James, Assemblymembers Jim Brennan, Joan Millman, and Roger Green in calling for the ESDC and its Chairman Charles Gargano to provide a reasonable and fair amount of time for the public to provide comment on the 2,400 pages of the "Atlantic Yards" Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and General Project Plan (GPP), as well as the eminent domain hearing, which have all been combined into an egregiously and inexplicably expidited time period.
Posted by klowy at 11:37 AM | Comments (0)
Senator Clinton rips ‘park’ condos (Brooklyn Papers)
Hillary rips ‘park’ condos
Calls luxury homes on waterfront ‘disingenuous’
By Dana Rubinstein
The Brooklyn Papers
Senator Hillary Clinton criticized Brooklyn Bridge Park as “yet another luxury condo project” — and in doing so, became the highest-profile elected official to speak out against the housing, commercial and open-space development that’s being promoted as a park.
Leaders of the Empire State Development Corporation — the state agency that owns the “park” site — have insisted that the project be self-sustaining. As a result, they plan to construct luxury housing as a precursor to recreational development.
“If parks had to be self-sustaining, would anyone have ever built a park?” Clinton asked.
She called the housing scheme “disingenuous.”
“It’s not luxury housing we need,” she added. “We absolutely need affordable housing.”
The project site spans the Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO waterfronts, from Atlantic Avenue to the Manhattan Bridge. The first housing is planned for the foot of Atlantic Avenue; in addition, the massive industrial building on Furman Street, between Joralemon Street and Atlantic Avenue, has been transferred from city to “park” property, allowing its owner to expand the building and convert it to residential use while skirting city review.
Clinton echoed the project’s opponents, questioning why the government would cede public land to private developers.
“Public land should be public land,” she said.
The senator’s summer reading may have prompted her to speak out on the thorny issue. She’s just finished the still-unreleased autobiography of Nobel Prize recipient Wangari Maathai, a long-time green crusader in Kenya.
“One of her great accomplishments was stopping luxury housing in Uhuru Park in Nairobi,” said Clinton, who recommended the book.
Opponents of the state “park” plan applauded Clinton for speaking out. “We are extremely heartened by her remark,” said Judi Francis, president of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Defense Fund, which is suing the state over the financing scheme.
The Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation, the agency overseeing the development, refused to comment.
Posted by klowy at 11:29 AM | Comments (0)
August 01, 2006
Community Board Atlantic Yards Hearings
Thursday August 3rd, 2006
All hearings are from 6 to 8 pm. Please bring your comments on the Atlantic Yards DEIS.
Brookyln Community Board 2:
Long Island University
Health Sciences Center, Room 119
Brookyln Community Board 6:
Long Island College Hospital
339 Hicks Street, Conference Rooms F&G
Brooklyn Community Board 8:
Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation 520 Prospect Place
Posted by klowy at 11:42 AM | Comments (0)
