Issues and Politics

As Community Board #2 awaits the results of deliberations and voting by the Nominating Committee, Board Members as well as residents of SoHo, NoHo, Little Italy, Hudson Square and Greenwich Village watch in anticipation of a reformed Community Board.

While Brad Hoylman is widely expected to be the only candidate for Chair and Jo Hamilton and Bo Riccobono for 1st and 2nd Vice Chair are running with Sheelah Feinberg - there are always surprises. The difference this year is that a reform slate is likely to be the slate recommended by the Nominating Committee. It is no longer an uphill battle to root out entrenched, self-interested, business Members of the Board.

But, the problem with reformers is that they are driven by a desire to correct inequities and unethical behavior. Once the threat to Democracy has subsided or has been reduced, reformers relax and don't push as hard - just when they should pressure for even greater improvements. Tammany Hall, for example, counted on that fact of life and would simply wait out the reform movement. Community Boards are tremendous vehicles for pushing change. An effective Board can pass resolutions in tandem with sister Boards, which can give elected officials a clear and effective message. "Get to work to solve this problem or face being thrown out of office." With dangerous air pollution caused by a choking level of traffic congestion, a lack of police interest in controlling quality of life issues, a rapidly expanding influx of bars in some neighborhoods, the proliferation of illegal billboards, and the threat of over-development to entire neighborhoods - the need for leadership has never been greater. SoHo and Hudson Square have no parks for their children, yet the HRPT may allow "Vegas On the Hudson" to take away the ball fields on Pier 40. Washington Square Park is slated to be renovated but leadership in brokering a truce with the community is sadly lacking. The NYU co-generation plan is tearing at Greenwich Village and NoHo while more and more of the community is eaten up by the University. And, zoning in Hudson Square has been so ignored that Trump is building a 45-story hotel/condo in an area where commercial and residential buildings are less than half that size.

It is also rumored that Trump's brother is involved in a behind the scenes attempt to assemble a parcel on Watts, Broome and Varick Street for yet another colossal development - not unlike the Mark Epstein hotel/condo project in the works for 515 Greenwich Street. Speaker Quinn's office, as yet, has no credible time table for what activists are demanding for this area - a change to contextual zoning for Hudson Square and the western part of SoHo.

Maria Derr, the current Chair of Community Board #2 is a politician. Her two-year stint was primarily a political move. As the heir to a political family name, her objective was, and is, to take a first step towards being taken seriously as a political candidate. Whether she was effective or not, liked or not, interested in her job or not - is an irrelevancy. She became Chair of Community Board #2 for two years and can now focus on her next political move - which is rumored to be taking a shot at Deborah Glick's Assembly seat.

Derr could never be classified as a reformer. She ran for Chair at the suggestion - some say, the instructions of - Bob Rinaolo - previously known as the self-appointed Godfather of Community Board #2 who advertised the fact that he sometimes carried a copy of The Prince in his back pocket when he went to meetings. While currently off the Board, some believe he is still running the show for some people still on the Board.

Derr and Rinaolo, as well as a number of their bar owner/Chamber of Commerce allies controlled the Board for political gain and influence, and also for occasional financial gain through business dealings.

They were politically driven and had power. They were not driven by issues that affect the community even when it appeared that they were immersed in controversies. It was always the politics and the power.


Now, with the ascent of Brad Hoylman, who is widely expected to become the next Chair, there is some anticipation that Issues will once again become the focus for decisions made on the Board.

Candidly, however, Holyman is also well known as someone who wishes to run for City Council. He previously ran for the seat currently held by Alan Gerson in District #1. He is both highly intelligent and ambitious.

He is also known as someone who wants to heal old wounds and reach out to those on the Board who have been at loggerheads throughout the Bar/Chamber of Commerce vs. Community maelstrom that lasted for a few years. While reform of Board membership has proceeded, there are still remnants of the Tammany-style club and hangers-on that still listen for whispers from Rinaolo & Co., to give them their marching orders. Ray Lee, a Derr associate, is expected to remain in a sensitive post as Chair of the Business Committee -- the source of tremendous community contentiousness over liquor licenses. And, Phil Mouquinho is expected to become Vice Chair of the Zoning Committee. Arthur Schwartz, another of the Rinaolo/Derr team, is rumored to have been awarded the Chair of Waterfront.

While the Board weighs Issues that beg to be addressed, Political animals are still quite active.

Arthur Schwartz, formerly a District Leader was displaced by Brad Holyman. Despite the fact that less than a year ago Holyman decapitated Schwartz as District Leader -- with the help of Tom Duane, Deborah Glick and Speaker Quinn --Schwartz resurrected himself by winning the largely ceremonial position of Democratic Committeeman after spending heavily on the campaign. None other than Allen Roskoff (of Arty Strickler's CB2 Anonymous Letter fame) was rumored to have helped him spin the web of words that carried the day. Larry Moss and the politicians who supported him were stunned when it happened and Schwartz is still reaping the benefits. He is now "advising" political aspirants to fall in line lest there be consequences for their actions.

While Schwartz has arguably done a decent job with his committee work and in running the Advisory to the HRPT, he, too, is a supremely political animal. Issues are secondary to political moves. And, having blown off the Speaker, the Assemblywoman and the Senator, he's flexing his muscles.

Has Brad Hoylman responded only to the politics of the situation? Is Schwartz's ascendancy (by remaining a committee Chair on the new Board in spite of a vicious political rivalry) a measure of Hoylman's reaching out to the various factions on the Board? Or, is this about the realities of local politics - about control and balance of power via County Committee slots on downtown clubhouse political tickets?

What we will all have to ponder is this: Will the community see its Issues addressed and confronted or will residents have to sit by and watch another two year long Dog and Pony show as personal political goals are fulfilled?

Attention should now be carefully paid to the process. Issues should now move the Board, not Politics and personalities who wish to accumulate power.

Stay tuned Rangers.

Issues of the Day

The current issues of importance Downtown are many and varied.

The Department of Sanitation garage and fuel storage proposal at Spring and Greenwich is an ongoing community issue that clearly will not be quickly resolved. The destruction of Hudson Square as a viable community is at stake and activists and organizations such as the Friends of Hudson Square have weighed in and it appears that this will be a long litigious road. While a breakthrough is possible and certainly to be hoped for, there is nothing currently to suggest that.

Pier 40 is another community focus that has been a difficult matter for SoHo, Hudson Square and Greenwich Village - as well as Tribeca. Over the last 5 years at least five development proposals have been seriously considered. In fact, nearly three years ago Community Board #2 supported one plan to develop the 14-acre pier only to be rejected by the Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT). The reasoning behind the rejection by the Trust was that the plan had a financial weakness involving a $30 million hole that needed to be plugged with public money.

This week a public forum was conducted at PS 41 in the Village to review and comment upon two new RFPs (development plans) that made it through the HRPT initial review and was also discussed by the HRPT Advisory Committee, a community-oriented group which makes recommendations to the HRPT. It is purely advisory, however, and has no decision-making power.

The public meeting, which had to turn people away at the door, was packed with over two thousand people, 300 of which were children hoping to emphasize the need to keep the ballfields in an area with virtually no park space.

Activists, youth sports organizations, environmentalists, elected officials and residents made their feelings known about the two proposals.

The Camp Group proposal was aimed primarily and providing sports fields, swimming, and kid-friendly uses, in addition to parking.

The Related proposal provided for a multitude of venues, not the least of which was Cirque Du Soleil, restaurants, entertainment facilities and sports fields.

While neither developer won the audience hands down, there was no doubt that maintaining the existing ball fields (which cost the HRPT $5 million less than 2 years ago), was primary in the minds of the hundreds of young people that came out for the hearing.

The Camp Group came closer to what is near and dear to the hearts of those with kids downtown but was still not an overwhelming success.

The Related proposal, described by Andrew Berman of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) as "Vegas on the Hudson" and clearly an unsuitable location for such a $600 million business deal.

The pier needs to be repaired and that is one of the reasons why the development of Pier 40 is becoming more urgent. While it may not fall into the water soon, at least 10 percent of the 1500 pilings needs serious attention. As time goes on, less and less of the pier will be functionally able to be used. Ergo, the need for a developer - or, an infusion of cash to properly replace the infrastructure. To the tune of about $35 million.

The search for a developer is partly driven by the need for the infusion of cash to do the work necessary to repair the pier.

But, as Al Ferrer, representative of Greenwich Village Little League, Downtown United Soccer Club and P3 (Pier, Park and Playground) has recently pointed out - the search for public or private funds to repair the structure of the pier is what is most important here. That should be the focus - not the seemingly unending search for a developer in hopes that a plan, any plan, will somehow be acceptable to the community and residents, and drag along that $35 million to get the job done.

The Electeds, residents, the non-profits, the philanthropists and perhaps Wall Street needs to get together to solve this problem. Whether it be bonds (with an exception in the HRP act), a massive fundraiser or a conservancy - the $35 million should be found so that Downtown has a park and ball fields.

What had once been considered by the HRPT (after the most recent previous round of developments had failed) uses could be added to a fundamentally sound pier. To augment the ball fields and parking with other uses - once the structure is sound. The ballfields at $5 million and parking should stay as they are to provide uninterruped use. SoHo and Hudson Square have no parks for its young children.


The Trump SoHo site is buzzing again after lying dormant for many weeks. The Department of Buildings issued a building permit for this mega-structure as was anticipated and now the fun begins.

Having negotiated a restrictive declaration that ostensibly prevents the owner of a condo unit in this hotel from staying for more than 29 days in a row, the City allowed the beginning of the end of Hudson Square.

One community observer wrote about this "deal" made with the Trump people, saying that....

"the voluntary restrictive "Declaration" that Bayrock/Sapir made last week is what the Department of Buildings claim was the basis for their affirmative decision. It's a self-policing sham! The declaration is full of holes and needs to be attacked systematically. The whole thing hinges on self-regulation. The managing company is to maintain a database that blows the whistle on the inhabitants. But the inhabitants via their condo board is who hires the managing company. This is like the fox guarding the hen house.... The check on the managing company is if complaints are received by the city then the city's Independent Private Sector Inspector General provision can kick in and an IPSIG can be hired by the condo to look into it. That's like the wolf guarding the fox guarding the hen house... If anybody were ever prosecuted for overstaying under this procedure, I'll eat my hat...."

Of course, there are a few issues here.

The immediate issue surrounding the entire distasteful scenario is that the City was asleep at the switch. While people like David Reck of Friends of Hudson Square and Andrew Berman of GVSHP have been lobbying for years to change the zoning in Hudson Square - it has not served the Bloomberg administration's purpose to limit development or business.

That's why we have movie crews jamming our streets, billboards plastered all over our architecture and why we have a Trump SoHo going up.

It's money in many pockets. While Bloomberg may have enough of his own, Governor or Presidential campaigns are done with OPM. And, then there are the many Doctoroffs that don't have $4 Billion of their own to play with.

So, key people were not asleep at the switch, they were just dozing.

Trump, money, influence, favors, money.

One phone call could have killed this project. But, it was never made.

With one eye on his bank account and the other on either the Governor's Mansion or Pennsylvania Avenue, there is no third eye to protect communities downtown.

The real issue, for the future, since there's another not yet announced 38-story condo/hotel in the pipeline only two blocks from Trump SoHo (by Mark Epstein) - is contextual zoning for Hudson Square and western SoHo.

Since the Trump deals have already been made and the arrangements, wink-wink, nod-nod, have been set in stone, it is the speed with which downtown residents can push through a change in zoning that matters most.

When a community is sold out, the ripples are felt a long way away.

Borough President Stringer came out early against this project, as did Deborah Glick. Speaker Quinn has begun to address the issue, which lies within her City Council seat district. Tony Avella, of the Land Use Committee at City Council actually walked the picket line protesting the development - talk about guts.

But Bloomberg has been all smiles over a fellow billionaire that is destroying our City.

And, while the Molinari Republicans have purchased the last two mayors of New York, Giuliani and Bloomberg (and continued to pollute downtown by virtue of the Verrazano one way toll), think about how happy Staten Islanders would be with a 50-story condo-hotel located on Bay Street.

Waiting for The Other Shoe

Community Board #2 is preparing for elections once again and the forces of reform are still completing the mission supported by Borough President Scott Stringer. New members were appointed and those whose agenda did not clearly have the community in mind were allowed to exit, stage left. Under current Chair Maria Derr, protege of Bob Rinaolo and rumored aspirant to Deborah Glick's Assembly seat, the most controversial Board in Manhattan is now about to hold new elections. Some hope that the process of reform will be completed through the electing of community activists rather than business owners and their associates who, history has shown, have more interest in furthering their own interests than those of the community. The Chamber of Commerce is watching this election.

Roughly 20% of the Board is hardcore holdovers and sympathizers from the Rinaolo/Derr era who seek to maintain control of the Board for simple reasons - money and power. These are well-informed people who are savvy manipulators of the arcane Community Board election process. Many have learned tricks of the trade at the knee of former Board Manager Arty Strickler - a fox who was keeper of the secrets and one who performed not a few dubious manipulations in the service of - well, basically, Arty Strickler.

At the next meeting, nominations will be made from the floor of the Full Board and it will be instructive to see if any these holdovers have been designated to carry the mantle of the old guard. Clearly, an attempt had been made to stack the Nominating Committee, but that failed and reform-minded board members control that committee whose Chair is Ed Gold.
Gold is a long-time member of the Board whose pragmatic approach to community activism is rooted in Greenwich Village politics. Furtunately, there's not much wool that can be pulled over his eyes.


If you think Trump is the first one to force the Hotel/Condo concept down the throats of communities like Hudson Square - or, the last one to do so - you're wrong on both counts.

As to the latter, which is more important, it seems that the line is forming to take advantage of the lack of intelligent zoning in Hudson Square.

Apparently, not more than a few blocks away from Trump "SoHo" on Spring and Varick is 515 Greenwich, a corner parcel where another Condo/Hotel is reportedly under consideration. Trump's project is 45 stories; this one would be 38 stories.

Borings are already in progress by the developer, Mark Epstein, and the rush is on to get this development done.

There was some hand wringing at a recent meeting among those who had an interest in this affected community since it is clear that the only route to take on this issue is to push City Planning to re-zone Hudson Square. Contextual Zoning would limit the size of buildings and their bulk.

Christine Quinn's office hosted a sit-down for the purpose of learning what the various interested views were. While cordial, the meeting underscored the fact that there is no political consensus on how to handle this pressing issue - other than to change the zoning.

Gossip has had it that the 9 story condo development at 140 Avenue of the Americas may now become a hotel -- but this has not been substantiated. This has not been a welcomed piece of rumor-mongering to Sullivan Street neighbors.

Moondance Diner is about to go the way of kitchen grease -- and while there is an attempt to save the building, the last chicken-corn soup is about to be served before the wrecking ball moves in. Another 9 story condo is approved for that site.
There have been efforts to save the diner but even if successful it would only move Moondance to some other location.

With all of the parking lots and gas stations disappearing, where's Joni Michell when you need her?
SoHo could use a little paving over with a few more parking lots.

Last, but certainly not least, please attend the hearing on May 3rd at PS 41 (at 7 pm). The issue that concerns most SoHo and Hudson Square residents is the protection of the ballfields now located on Pier 40. The new development by the Related Companies would create what many activists are calling a plan that would destroy sports for the kids downtown -- in an area that has few parks. In fact, in SoHo, there are literally no parks. Attend the hearing and speak your mind. Ask questions, make comments, and find out what the real agenda is.

Crosscurrents

Several issues have been bubbling up to the surface in SoHo, as it has in America. Within the last few weeks Don Imus and his stupid "nappy-headed ho's" remark killed his career on CBS radio - causing Lenny Bruce to roll over in his grave and giving not just a few rappers reason to look over their shoulders -- to see whether Reverend Al was headed their way. Freedom of Speech is a delicate subject these days.

It was also the week after the Virginia Tech killing spree and the two-hour delay. Maybe gun control will now have new life. The shooter walked into a gun shop and walked out with a Glock in Virginia. Here's someone with a history of mental illness that a teacher begged the administration to remove from her class due to anger issues.

It was also a week that finally brought the Attorney General problem to a head -- as Gonzalez hopes to save his job for firing some prosecutors. The interesting thing about the whole firing of the U.S. Attorneys is that there is a general sense of shock and awe that such an office could be so politicized.

So, it would be shocking to think that prosecutors are not above the political fray and pick cases and individuals to target because of pressure from those who want favors - or that prosecutors are not highly moral people who move directly from the seminary to a position of practically unchallenged power? Why is it that people do not understand that prosecutors like former Suffolk County D.A. Catterson, for example, was so corrupt a power hungry politician that even the Republicans (his own party) had to get rid of him? Between the car leasing scandal that left one informer murdered and his son "Kitty-cat" tainted - now a judge in the Appellate Term of the First Department with a history (Pataki's reward for being loyal and his father not using his little black book) that actually makes Tom Spota look good. But Catterson never had a problem for all of his nasty prosecutorial vendettas and even forced his former buddy, the Sheriff to resign. The U.S. Attorney investigated but Catterson was never removed or sanctioned.

Prosecutors are political and able to exercise vendettas with nearly total immunity? Couldn't happen.

Meanwhile, back in SoHo, we expect the Trump situation to heat up again very soon. Rumors have it that the Building Department will soon issue a permit to Trump SoHo, exactly as the Bovis team explained to the Community Board Zoning Committee a few months back. It appears that counsel for the City is hard pressed to block the eye of the needle that The Donald has wended his way through with the Condo/Hotel ploy. The problem, of course, is a lack of definitiveness in the zoning laws in Hudson Square.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn has been seeking responses from activists and, it appears at this point that the betting is on a restrictive use agreement (declaration) to ensure that Trump SoHo will be primarily a transient hotel with strict control on extended stays so that it does not become a residence in disguise. Whether this dog and pony show will limit the use of what was clearly intended to be a residential condo building with 45 stories, as opposed to a hotel or a condo building with maybe 15 stories (with community approval required), remains to be seen. Almost no one is fooled by the cute move allowing a 45 story buid to be be built downtown.

The question is, will lawsuits follow. And, will this development spawn an all-out effort on the part of City Planning to redefine Hudson Square as a location where contextual zoning is the guiding principal. Or, is this just the parting shot of the Gold Rush for developers in Hudson Square and western SoHo.

Quinn appears to have become more concerned with Hudson Square. But, has City Planning?

Has the Department of Buildings begun to take its mission more seriously - in that it has become the endgame of City Planning Policy. To issue the permit, or not to issue the permit?

Of course, all are painfully aware that this 45-story behemoth should not be built. The game will play on.


It's Nominating Committee time at Community Board #2 again, folks.

The reign of Maria Derr is about to come to a close and all bets are on a curriculum vitea preparing for an Assembly run. The rumors and the p.r. machine, including the poisonous pen of infamous Alan Roskoff have been at work for several years attempting to clear a path for a challenge to Deborah Glick for her Assembly seat. This is the very seat that Derr's uncle Bill Passanante held, who left office rather than challange Glick. Having completed her two years at CB2, Derr can now move on to bigger and better Elysian Fields.

Brad Hoylman is the likely canddidate for Chair but the lesser posts are still up for grabs. These positions are usually a good predictor of who is hoping to fill the top slot in a couple of years. Keep your eyes on David Gruber, Jo Hamilton, Bo Riccobono and a few others who have not yet announced. Then, of course, there are the last minute nominations from the floor of the Full Board. This is where it could get interesting.
While the peculiarities of the balloting for those to be chosen for the Nominating Committee are unremarkable, it tells us two things.
First, the counting of the ballots for those who ARE on the nominating committee tells us who is NOT running. (You cannot be on the Nominating committee and run for office.) Second, it also tells us that there is a holdover group of indiviuals who
may still want to continue the power clique that controlled the former Board. This much is clear from the voting patterns for the Nominating Committee which is public information.

While Board reform has largely been accomplished, it is not yet a fait accompli on Community Board #2.

Beyond Trump

While the City Council fiddles, Trump is preparing to build on Spring and Varick Street. And, unless Quinn takes a stand against this illegal development - purporting to be condos in the guise of a hotel - we will soon have a 45 story monstrosity sitting right here in Hudson Square.

The ramifications go far beyond Trump SoHo and call into question the effectiveness of our Speaker whose City Council seat oversees this very neighborhood.

Not well publicized but also considerable in size is the 17 story hotel being constructed at this very moment on Watts Street - two blocks from Trump SoHo. Two small buildings (a one story manufacturing building and a 3 story brownstone) were razed for this 17 story monster. And, there appear to be more of these to come. Although, this has not been widely publicized.

Neighbors on Watts Street have begun to take notice of the fact that there have been some unusual, unsolicited offers for their properties. The 100 Varick Street parcel on Watts and Varick Streets and its mirror on Broome and Varick Streets are a single site which was approved a year ago by the Community Board -- but ground has not broken on the proposed 8 story rental building. That developer has also recently picked up a brownstone next to him - yet he still hasn't started building. Meanwhile, several building owners on Watts Street have been hearing some very large offers for the mid-block contiguous parcels. Could The Door also be next in line?

The Tunnel Garage is gone, Moondance Diner will be consigned to condo history, the Film Forum is long gone from Watts Street, and Trinity will soon give Hudson Square another 21 story office building at Varick/Grand/Canal/Sullivan Streets. Add to that mix the fact that Ramer & Saperstein, a couple of ex-dentists cum real estate manipulators are attempting to litigate the rent stabilized tenants out of 80 Varick Street (corner of Watts) in contemplation of a "better" use. Rumors of D.O.B. and HPD payoffs are rife as a result of their multi-year flouting of nearly every rule in the book.
Add these all up and you have almost an entire residential neighborhood facing extinction, except for the Swells.

So, is Mr. Trump now looking to pick up another block for Ivanka's Monopoly game? Or, is this another Trump-like creature from the black lagoon of developers. No one is talking - which is usually the case when a parcel is being assembled.

But, the neighbors think something's up. When you get offers ranging from $6 to $12 million, as they have, for individual, aging, 3 to 4 story brownstones with little more than a view of the Holland Tunnel and the smell of diesel smoke--- and several owners at once are being wooed - you have seriously deep pockets at work.

What we have here is the ongoing consequences of a zoning policy that is, well, basically, non-existent. It is bereft of intelligence. Vision, is not usually the hallmark of a politician unless he or she is gifted. Hindsight is their forte. Blindness, is even more common. Then, of course, there's graft.

SoHo (west of West Broadway) and Hudson Square needs rezoning - contextual rezoning -- and we need a moratorium on development in this area until the residents of downtown can have an effective dialog with City Planning and the Electeds. One that is not condescending or stacked against the residents.

And, then pass some new zoning regulations. Fast.


The Stringer Community Boards

Borough President Scott Stringer campaigned and won election based upon his view of reforming the Community Boards. He took his time and gradually pieced together a plan that entailed reviewing existing board members, and adding new people while dropping others. Many activists and community people were disappointed in the slow progress being made in eliminating self-interest and the broadening of community involvement in this elemental form of democracy. As imperfect as the Community Boards are, they do provide a forum for local issues to be heard.

After two years of planning, Stringer has managed to accomplish a great deal and appears to have brought a better balance to the Community Boards.

City Service

The recent shooting of two auxiliary police officers in Greenwich Village points up to all of us, including the regular uniformed police -- that no area, including relatively low crime areas like Greenwich Village, SoHo, Noho and Tribeca - is safe from occasional violent acts. It is a dangerous job which is underappreciated and underpaid.

It is one of the reasons why there are frequently justified criticisms that New York City Police officers are not paid nearly enough - as compared to, for example, the Southampton Town Police, where hassling Guatemalans on bicycles without papers is about as dangerous as that job gets for $100 grand a year after 5 years. Four years ago an off duty Quogue officer shot one of the local immigrants for waving a tree branch at him.

Serious stuff.

But, while we all realize that being a cop is a difficult job and wonder why someone would choose to pick such dangerous work, many of us have come to accept the fact that family tradition, psychological make-up, esprit de corps, and a variety of other factors, all play a part in one's decision to join the Police Force for a living. It's not just a job.

Somewhere between the early 60's during which police became "pigs" and the 1940's during which there was a near-reverence for the "men in blue" --lay the typical reaction of the average bear in dealing with a perspective on the average cop.

Police Officers are not social workers. They deal with aggravation and tedium on a daily basis far more of the time than we can even imagine. Their job is to fight crime and keep us safe. They are hired to protect us from the bad guys.

But, something else has been happening lately. The Police in lower Manhattan have been having trouble distinguishing between the criminals and the law-abiding citizens that they have been hired to serve and protect.

Several incidents have occurred recently in which the police reaction to mundane requests for help have been answered with -- what can only be described as -- ranging from indifference to hostility.

Right here in River City.

Yes. Right here, where violent crime is virtually non-existent.

The First, and to a lesser degree the Fifth and Sixth Precinct are assignments where officers call in favors to be assigned -- rather than wind up being stationed in the South Bronx where it is not always a picnic to do a four to twelve. If your gig is Downtown, you don't have to be assigned to the rubber gun squad to feel safe.

We called on the police recently because after getting into a taxi, the car next to us got scratched. The driver from New Jersey took severe umbrage that his SUV was scratched and got out of his car and started screaming, waving his arms and cursing. You know, the kind of thing you expect from a Jersey driver trying to get to the Holland Tunnel entrance. The Police were called to ensure that the Taxi driver and Jersey driver simply exchanged paperwork - and that the passenger was not attacked.

The Fifth Precinct police arrived - along with hostility, surliness and rudeness. It was actually a shock. The little badge that appeared in the Jersey driver's wallet, of course, didn't help the situation for us.

But, what kind of incentive is this for a law-abiding citizen to enlist the support of the police in a minor incident in which nothing illegal has happened.

In another situation reported recently, a light pole snapped off on a windy street and landed on a car in which a woman and her sleeping baby had just parked. Neighbors contacted the police to make sure the occupants of the vehicle were safe and report the dangerous condition of City property that had obviously not been maintained very well. The several hundred pound metal light severely damaged the car - and it was miraculous that no one was hurt.

The police arrived and simply started writing a report. There were no questions about the shock to the woman and her baby. She was forced to stand in 30-degree temperature outside the police cruiser for nearly half and hour - while protesting that she was cold - as they finished writing. The police controlled the situation, directed her to stand by in the cold, and ignored any concern for her or her baby.

We are not training social workers and we are not training emotional counselors. But, we are training people to "protect AND SERVE."

This does not mean that the police need to carry trays with tea on it, nor does it require them to like us - even when we are polite and conciliatory.

Police training should require some degree of ability to be able to respond politely and considerately when assistance is being asked of them, and when they are being treated in a similar manner.

Hostility towards the police is neither productive nor deserved - unless that is what is expressed by the men in blue toward the average, law-abiding citizen.

Manning the Barricades

Last year we made reference to the pamphleteers who ultimately cost Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI their heads. The pre-Revolutionary writers of that period were irresponsible and, for the most part, had their facts wrong. Marie Antoinette, for example, was widely quoted as saying "Let them eat cake" when food shortages erupted during the 1780's and she was rumored to have participated in illicit sexual debauches. Most of this was the product of the active collective imagination of self-styled revolutionaries who simply hated all authority -- many of whom had access to a printing press. They camped at the gates of the palace and handed out pamphlets, which says a lot for the laissez-faire attitude of Louis XVI. Ultimately, the number of periodicals and the venomous quality of their message contributed to the downfall of the monarchy, despite Louis' Citizen-King reputation.

No matter that the debauchery rumors were more attributable to the King's phymosis than to the Queens sexual appetite and imagined debauchery.

So what does this have to do with SoHo and Hudson Square?

When the hoi polloi (Greek derivation), the Bourgeoisie (French), or the regular working slobs (the Honeymooners) get annoyed - even Truth can take on new meaning. It no longer matters that rules or laws dictate that things must be done a certain way or, as in this case, that zoning regulations must permit a travesty.

At some point, the rules or the laws, and even the politicians, become dispensible.

Take the Trump SoHo project, which, again, is located in SoHo not in Hudson Square. This Sunday a demonstration took place at Spring Street just off Varick -- with several hundred residents from block associations, arts organizations, neighborhood organizations and political groups all banding together to voice their objections to the edifice euphemistically known as Trump Godzilla. Or, if you visit a NYC, Bloomberg approved website: Trump SoHo.


Speaker Quinn had a scheduling conflict, Councilman Gerson didn't appear and Mayor Bloomberg may have been too busy meeting with Doctoroff trying to figure out what else to try to sell the public. There's Trump SoHo, Cirque Du Soleil for Pier 40 and, oh, yes, the Sanitation Garage for Hudson Square. It appears that the loss of the Stadium was more than the Bloomberg/Doctoroff development team could swallow and retaliation is in the air.


Deborah Glick, however, showed up at the demonstration, as did Tony Avella of the City Council. Glick spoke to Lincoln Anderson of the Villager and was overheard as she commented upon Bloomberg pro-development stance - no, actually, she spoke of Bloomberg's "pro-Overdevelopment" stance. And, the Trump project truly is an example of the over-the-top over-development permissiveness.

Rather than correct the zoning imbalances downtown which allow almost anything to be built (as long as its called a hotel), the politicians are allowing Trump's 45 story hotel-condo monstrosity in an area that is seeing 8 or 9 story condominiums only, when anything that is not Manufacturing is being built. Everyone knows that the Trump building is being billed as a hotel to get 45 stories, only to be sold as condos for the multi-million dollar take.

Contextual zoning is the answer to the selling out of Hudson Square and the Western SoHo manufacturing districts. Glick sees the problem; Councilman Tony Avella sees the problem, why can't Speaker Quinn see it. Or does she see but cannot act? Contextual zoning. That's the "act" for this area. But, now, not later.


Avella is from Queens, is Chair of Zoning and a member of Land Use on the City Council - and he sees the problem. He was at the demonstration showing his support. What is an important member of the City Council who is from Queens doing in Hudson Square - why does he see the relevance of this issue and our own local politicians don't even show up?

When the "rules" (whether they emanate from City Planning or Department of Buildings) dictate that the multitude must sit back and allow the destruction of a neighborhood - when the promise of favors or contributions from corporate coffers blind the eyes of our leaders - extraordinary efforts become the response.


Don Lucchesi said: Finance is a gun. Politics is knowing when to pull the trigger.

With the help of leaders such as Sean Sweeney of SoHo Alliance, David Reck of Friends of Hudson Square and Andrew Berman of Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, there were several hundred protestors with placards and words.

The people were not happy with what they have been hearing from the elected officials and want action.

Weighing In

Politically speaking, there is a big difference between addressing an issue and "Weighing In" on a matter that means a great deal to people in a segment of the community. Politicians are adept at making speeches, giving interviews, addressing constituents at small gatherings or writing irate letters to subordinates or bureaucrats -even to commissioners of city agencies.

"Weighing In" on an issue is a totally different brand of toothpaste.

It is one of the more common catchphrases used by activists who can see through the fog of political rhetoric and window-dressing used to disguise the fact that a particular politician wants to appear to be fighting the good fight - but for one reason or another really doesn't give a shit whether the issue at hand is dealt with, or not. As long as it appears that he or she appears to be putting up a good fight - an argument can be supported that an effort was made.

But, the politician in question never really attempted to pick up the phone or have a meeting with the Commissioner who could make something happen and said "If you don't get this done, I'm going to fuck you politically!"

How does a resident of SoHo or Hudson Square, for example, know whether a Councilmember, Assembly member or Senator is really "Weighing In" on a matter of extreme importance?

How does anyone in the community know that their representative went to the mat for them? Like Lyndon Johnson - who was known to physically choke Congressmen in the halls of power - to get votes for his agenda. They feared him.

Politicians learn quickly about what they have to do and what they can get away with to get something done.

That's how they survive.

So, how do we know if our representative is REALLY fighting for us?

The answer to that is, follow the breadcrumbs.

Or, more succinctly, follow the phrase which teaches us that -- "It doesn't matter what you say, it only matters what you do."

Activists have their ears to the ground in a variety of ways. Whether someone is a member of a Community Board or one of its various committees, the public is always entitled to attend and listen. Newspapers, community publications and blogs tell those who are interested what they need to know, if they are listening.

In this regard, rumors have legs - and while some negative and false rumors are simply intended to damage reputations, there are rumors, which convey useful pieces of information. Some rumors are emotional reactions about the seeming intentions of an elected official -- but are nevertheless useful in evaluating a politician's real agenda.


Let's take one of the difficult issues in lower Manhattan: Billboards in SoHo, NoHo and Hudson Square. Not one of the elected officials has come out in favor of Billboards. It's sort of like the Trump condo-hotel, Trump SoHo. No one is in favor of it. Only in the case of Trump, no one is doing anything to stop it. No one is Weighing In on Trump. Why?

In the case of the Billboards, it's a very straightforward matter. Everyone is discovering that big BILLBOARDS can destroy an area, turn it into a mini-Times Square, destroy the appreciation of surrounding architecture, and generally piss people off.


Only, for the last six years it was only happening in SoHo, NoHo and Hudson Square (as well as in Queens and Brooklyn along the elevated highways). It wasn't happening in Greenwich Village or in Gansevoort--where there are more votes. Landmarking comes from votes and pressure, ergo, protection.

It also wasn't on the radar screen of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. Andrew Berman, who runs GVSHP, gets things done. He focused on the billboards going up in the Meatpacking District a/k/a Gansevoort where a demonstration was held this past weekend - and the community "manned the barricades." Berman got the politicians focused and scared the shit out of them. Votes, baby! They started to "Weigh In" on the issue and suddenly the Department of Buildings was reviewing the "self-certified" permits.


This is an issue that the SoHo Journal has been writing about for five or six years; what SoHo, NoHo and Hudson Square residents have been screaming about - has now been discovered. Suddenly, the fact that Van Wagner has been defacing our community for nearly a decade through felonious applications by architects who employ a process known as "self-certification" -- which is used to circumvent the Department of Buildings and the City Council - is big news.

Letters have been hastily generated by all of the politicians to "Weigh-In" on this issue. The existence of these signs, now, really mattered. There were more votes to contend with; people were demonstrating. The game had changed.

In fairness, only Borough President Scott Stringer had made an attempt with a recalcitrant Commissioner Lancaster of the Buildings Department to remove the offensive signs and structures. The D.O.B. response has been belated and insufficient.

But, what has been offered by D.O.B. is to -- are you ready for this -- have VanWagner Communications in charge of covering over illegal billboards. Talk about having the wolf in charge of the chicken coop! And, then a reward for eating them.



So, here is an open comment to Senator Tom Duane, Speaker Christine Quinn, Assembly member Deborah Glick, Congressman Jerry Nadler, Borough President Scott Stringer, Senator Connor, and Councilmember Alan Gerson:

Weigh-In on the Billboard issue.

SoHo, NoHo, Hudson Square, Greenwich Village and yes, Gansevoort too, wants the horrendous billboards removed from their respective community.

Investigate Van Wagner and sign installers and the architects they have used who have employed self-certification to install horrendous and unsafe structures in SoHo, NoHo and Hudson Square--as well as in Greenwich Village and Gansevoort. Send the Fire Department to investigate locations where these unsafe, illegal and horrendous billboards are installed to thoroughly investigate ALL of the safety issues, and to assure residents that these buildings conform to all codes and have no violations.
A building owner should not be entitled to install any structures, even a legal billboard, if there are ANY violations on their building.

Insist that the City Council-mandated fines (passed by Peter Vallone) are applied in all instances, so that there is a disincentive to flout existing laws; create an enforcement unit with the power to remove billboards; and create a review board to determine what signage the community will allow constructed.

Calling 311 is a joke, writing letters is a waste of time. Only action counts now. You are expected to make a real effort NOW.

It's time for politicians who are not concerned about campaign contributions from Van Wagner or other media companies like ClearChannel - to act.

Take A Deep Breath

Well, maybe that’s not such a great idea.

Have you noticed that the intensity of diesel fumes Downtown seems worse?
Than usual, that is?
Well, the fact that residents in lower Manhattan are actually talking to each other about it is a significant matter in and of itself. With the nearly 20 years during which the Molinari Republicans managed to get the Verazzano Bridge toll reversed, the pollution level in and around SoHo has been at disastrously high levels. It is referred to as a “Black Zone” on environmental lists of safe air locations. Residents, babies in carriages, sidewalk vendors who remain in place and traffic agents – from Lafayette and Broome to Watts and Varick – from Canal and Bowery to West Street and Canal – and from Chambers along Hudson to Houston – the particulate from diesel trucks is phenomenal. Breathing deeply or jogging in these areas is like smoking a pack a day.

The key to the elevated level of carcinogens and particulate matter is a curious blend of bad traffic patterns and illegal signage, according to some activists. This most egregious situation comes about because traffic is stopped dead and idling much of the time – as cars, trucks and buses use Downtown, through the Holland Tunnel to exit Manhattan free of charge.
The free round trip through Staten Island and back out through lower Manhattan costs lives in terms of asthma, lung cancer and pulmonary disease. Try crossing the street with a baby carriage and it’s like being the poor animal in “Buck Hunter.”

Good old “Chuck” Schumer promised to get the Verazzano toll reversed, as one of his campaign promises to win his first Senate race, but, well, you know how it is. As soon as he was confirmed, his telephone responses (if any) to Downtown political supporters wanting to know when legislation to reverse the toll would be forthcoming were – CLICK.


Congressman Jerry Nadler has been a vociferous supporter of Downtown residents – especially in light of the rampant lies spread to residents by the government over the safety of our air after 9-11. He is a ranking member of the now Democratically controlled House and has commented that he is interested in introducing legislation to help reverse those tolls. Of course, this does not make Staten Island politicians happy. In truth, the traffic patterns and pollution are not at all similar when you compare lower Manhattan and the Expressway in Staten Island, which leads to the toll plaza by the Verazzano Bridge.
Anyone who has commuted by car or bus to or from Staten Island for many years – as I have – knows that there are a few major areas where back-ups occur. One is ON the Bridge coming from New York entering Staten Island, another is AFTER crossing the Bridge in Brooklyn as traffic merges with vehicles coming along the Shore Parkway (also in Brooklyn) – and the last is along the Expressway on Staten Island where there used to be tolls. Presumably, that is where the contention that pollution would be greater from slow moving vehicles on Staten Island.
First, there is no argument from the Staten Island press or its politicians that those in Brooklyn should be spared the immense traffic jams and pollution arising from the traffic jams and slow moving vehicles. Presumably, once the vehicles are out of Staten Island, no one cares that commuters, even from their own borough, are spewing about the pollution.
Second, the roadway in Staten Island where any traffic back-up might occur is an open, three to four lane expressway – which has crosscurrents of air (and from a very windy body of water) which blows away pollutants – and the surrounding residential dwellings are not directly on the roadbed. It is an open area with no obstructions or ventilation impediments. And, the closest residential dwelling to slow-moving vehicles on the Expressway is 50 feet away.
In Manhattan, especially in SoHo and Hudson Square, pedestrians on the sidewalks are less than 10 feet from rows of stalled, pollutant spewing vehicles – with no crosscurrents and carbon monoxide and particulates which is compressed in the valleys between buildings that are at least 60 feet high. All of this putrid air infects the residential buildings right ON the roadbed and pedestrians as well as babies in carriages are forced to breathe it in. It is inescapable. Cross-street traffic jams in SoHo are horrific and local police simply look the other way as baby carriages, seniors and people with canes weave in and out of bumper-to-bumper cars, trucks and buses.
No one crosses the Expressway in Staten Island; no one walks on the Expressway with a baby carriage.
It’s out of sight, out of mind and screw the residents of lower Manhattan.
In fact, the Staten Island press as well as its politicians have no clue what it is like to try to walk down a SoHo street and take a deep breath.
The trump card has always been, we vote Republican and we elect your Mayors (Giuliani and Bloomberg). Don’t fuck around with us. If you don’t like the air in SoHo, move.

The Verazzano toll issue and lower Manhattan pollution is not unrelated to the Billboard issue. It is no surprise that many of the billboards are located by high traffic routes. In fact, there is some indication that pollution levels are, in fact, higher where signs have been placed. Vehicles slow down or delay speeding up when a scantily clad model or a hot new car is advertised. Van Wagner is one of the most offensive media companies operating in lower Manhattan. This company has placed huge billboards in many high traffic routes, which often obliterate the architecture of some of SoHo’s most beautiful buildings. On Watts and West Broadway, the Times Square effect is most noticeable. On Hudson Street, a video screen and huge billboards tower over the line of vision and obliterate the skyline.
The City Council fought a good fight and under the tutelage of Peter Vallone a bill was passed that called for fines approaching $25,000 per day for signs that were illegal.
Unfortunately, we have a Mayor who owns a media company and a deputy Mayor who runs the show – but is all but in the pocket of big business. Doctoroff doesn’t give a shit about SoHo and cares little about anything but his next development strategy. Does anyone really think that these horrendous billboards would exist if the Bloomberg/Doctoroff team wanted them gone?

The SoHo Journal has been writing about this issue for several years and has been talking about the loss of art, the horrendous message in an arts community, and the illegality of these monstrosities on our buildings.
Only recently, since billboards have become a threat to the Meatpacking District, has it come to the attention of Greenwich Villagers and, in particular, the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. Andrew Berman has started to weigh in on the issue and has expressed his concern about cooperation from the Department of Buildings. While Berman has optimism about the D.O.B.’s intentions, we have more serious doubts.
Commissioner Lancaster has consistently avoided the issue and to date there is virtually no enforcement. Illegal signs remain unless someone with real power has a talk with the sign company. And, that has never happened in SoHo.

In fact, at Community Board #2, members were advised of a new initiative. The Department of Buildings had given the Board preliminary information (which has not been followed-up) that certain billboards were going to be covered over if they were found to be illegal.
We know of no signs in SoHo or anywhere else where that has happened.

Oh, and the company that has been hired to do this work – Van Wagner.

So, let’s hire the wolf to watch the barn – and then maybe, we’ll let him build the new barn – after he’s eaten all of us chickens.

What do you think? You think Van Wagner contributes to political campaigns?
Nah, its just a coincidence.


And, finally:

David Reck, President of Friends of Hudson Square has been in the news.
The recent imbroglio over the Department of Sanitation plans to build garages and fuel facilities has raised some interesting issues and David has been very vocal.
This week there was a presentation at the Zoning committee of Community Board #2. This “Scoping” session was held at Zoning with members of the Environment Committee and Chair Maria Derr in attendance as well.
A presentation was made by D.O.S. and comments were offered by members such as Ann Arlen – a longtime Village resident and current Public Member of the Board (as well as previous regular Board member). While she has been a fervent environmentalist in the past, her speech at this meeting was well received by most of the members of the Board and the audience. It was neither excessively alarmist nor off the point.
Rick Panson, a partisan supporter of the nightlife faction on the Board and his committee were nevertheless helpful and focused on this issue and presented well – culling some of their material from Reck and other background through their own research.

Of course, the most salient, if not the most bizarre aspect of all of this is one simple set of facts:
On a recent walk near the existing site at Canal and Spring where there is current storage of 15,000 gallons of fuel, the doors to the building were wide open. No security, no observation, no concerns.
D.O.S. wants to expand the storage of these highly flammable fuels within a couple of hundred feet of a large gas station – in a building which would now accommodate 29,000 gallons of fuel – directly over the Holland Tunnel – and a short distance from the only escape route and ventilation building for the Holland Tunnel.
Can you say “Homeland Security?”

What’s wrong with this picture?

The Big Easy

With media operatives working for politicians, assorted commissioners, real estate developers and other non-civilians working the New York City goldmine, it's almost possible to believe that the glass truly is only half-empty. The stage in Gotham is one upon which the political charade is played as activists watch in disbelief while "pearls of wisdom" fall from the lips of our elected thespians.

But, the glass is really much less full than just half empty. And, those droppings from the lips of our elected leaders are often not pearls but the dribbling of idiots.

And, from this vantage point, it appears that many of our current politicians view the community and those who object to their handling of crucial issues as insignificant pests preventing them from doing what they want. Not for the community, but for themselves. Grandiosity is a dangerous fault among those who have won elections.

Take the illegal Billboards issue. Take the Bob Bolles sculptures in "Sunflower" Park. Take the illegal (and legal) vendors in SoHo that prevent residents from taking baby carriages down Prince Street or West Broadway. Take the polluted "Black Zone" in lower Manhattan exacerbated by the Verrazano one-way toll. Take the Trump development, lack of zoning oversight and sell-out of Hudson Square.

From the beginning, many of these little "community issues," the level of concern displayed by Mayor Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff, Speaker Quinn, Commissioner Lancaster, and most of the politicians at City Hall and the City Council, has been muted.

With a few nods, some carefully orchestrated meetings (several of them behind closed doors), a few well-placed news items of feigned outrage and concern, and a number of winks and nods - nothing has been done. What the respective deals were exactly, of course, we may never know. What we do know is that the white flag was raised before the battle began.


Simply, the art of Bob Bolles in SoHo was carted away by the Parks Department, the vendors still crowd our sidewalks, the illegal billboards flourish, and Trump is building Trump SoHo, known locally as Trump-Godzilla. (To be fair, though at least Commissioner Castro has returned a few Bob Bolles sculptures to SoHo.)

Of course, Bloomberg owns a media company and hopes to be President if everyone else is captured by aliens; Commissioner Lancaster works for Bloomberg and does what she is told: to help Trump and leave the billboard (media) companies alone -- and Speaker Quinn is rumored to be an ambitious politician whose main focus in life is fundraising for her next move (Mayor or comptroller is the latest rumored gig). She is perceived as cold and ruthless.

The billboards are funded primarily by Van Wagner and ClearChannel, media companies that give BIG fundraisers - in the form of campaign contributions. The illegal vendors are a pain in the ass to deal with and none of the elected leaders want to get their hands dirty so they leave residents to fend for themselves. The fact that the vendors are a blight on our community (legal or not), except for a small percentage of real artists who should form a collective and get off the streets - is beside the point for the upwardly mobile political hopefuls who don't want to take on a tough issue.

Then, there's the Trump fiasco.

The largest building between Midtown and Wall Street will be built in Hudson Square. Forty-five stories of "Hotel-Condos."

No objections from City Planning. No objections from Department of Buildings. Not a word from City Hall or Mayor Bloomberg - except for some cute words sparring with "The Donald." And, nary a negative word from Speaker Quinn or the City Council. Most of the heavy lifting has been done by Andrew Berman of the Greenwich Village Society of Historic Preservation. And, he's not even on the city payroll.

Instead of dealing with any of these issues, instead of creating a wall of legal opposition and denying permits to the Trump monstrosity that will destroy downtown, instead of pursuing answers and funding community-oriented initiatives - Bloomberg is mailing one billion dollars back to real estate owners. Let's buy some votes for the next campaign, forget the community needs.

There are no schools or parks for children in SoHo and there are no traffic enforcement agents to control the out-of-control traffic horrors. Why, because there is no money available. But, hey, why is Bloomberg mailing a billion dollars back to real estate owners?

This Fix is in.

Bloomberg has four or five $Billion and Quinn reportedly is looking for financing for her political campaign.

Lancaster is told what to do by Bloomberg (as in, lay off the illegal billboards and give Trump what he wants) and no one wants to upset Trump and his machine for plowing through communities that don't want his projects.

Take the Bovis Lend Lease Company that is construction the Trump-Godzilla project. They attended this week's Community Board #2 meeting to "update" everyone on their progress. It was explained that they expect construction of the building to begin in May (they know something we don't know because the deal has already been cooked with Department of Buildings) and requested that they be permitted to pile-drive on weekends.

In other words, they asked that the community help them get the hated project done faster. The Community Board denied their request to work on weekends so people could sleep.

Of course, the Department of Buildings doesn't give a shit about the community. So, Borough Commissioner Christopher Santelli issued an "After Hours Work Variance Permit" on Friday for Bovis to work and the pile driving continued, starting at 7 a.m. Saturday morning.

Bovis Lend Lease, the construction company that attended the Community Board meeting, ostensibly seeking approval for weekend work, of course, knew that they would be working on the weekend even if they did not get the assent of the Board. They were there for the dog and pony show. The same kind of show that Trump is known for. At the meeting the Bovis spokesman smiled and said that Trump wasn't even part of the deal, that the Donald, was "just a movie star."

(As an interesting footnote, Trump has been quoted as saying that he may weigh in on the side of the community to prevent the Department of Sanitation plan for new buildings and a fuel storage facility a few blocks from his site. Is this a sudden pang of concern for the area he is about to destroy, or concern that the units may not sell as well with a potential bomb a few blocks away?)

Even the foreman at the Trump site gave the party line "We always want to work with the community." He said this as the deafening pounding of the pile driver continued to work.

And, Lend Lease, when asked why they didn't augur (screw) in the pilings, the answer was an evasive "it works better" on the site. For who?



As an interesting side note on the most recent Community Board #2's Full Board meeting, Sidewalks Committee Chair Phil Mouquinho, at the urging of SoHo residents, passed a resolution and gave a mini-speech about the arts community's problems. His focus was the vendors that block sidewalks and clog streets. The Full Board also discussed SoHo's illegal billboards and touched upon the horrendous traffic gridlock caused by the one-way toll that comes in from Staten Island and exits free into New Jersey via the Holland and Lincoln tunnels. This was forced down our throats by the Molinari Republicans who have repeatedly managed to install Republican Mayors in a Democratic New York City. (Fortunately, Jerry Nadler is introducing a bill in the now Democratic controlled House that may reverse this)

It was an evening at CB2 in which SoHo residents felt that there was finally some recognition from a Board that had ignored its pleas to stop liquor license saturation and had ignored its attempts to return the Bob Bolles sculptures to the vest park on West Broadway. Something seemed to be softening up the Board.

The fact that Brad Hoylman, Vice Chair of the Board, has just announced that he is officially declaring his candidacy for Chair of the Board - and the fact that Phil Mouquinho has been rumored to desire the slot himself - is cause to ponder just how "too little, too late" these interests in SoHo really are.

Of course, Phil, seems sincere. Even though he has been closely allied with Bob Rinaolo, Maria Derr, Rick Panson, and Roscia Sanz and the bar crowd who sought to "teach SoHo a lesson" about who controls the board - we should deal with some pronouncements at face value, and see if the comments have feet.

Hoylman has an agenda. He wants to be Chair and has future political aspirations. City Council is high on his list and he is well connected. He is neutral to the extent that his main interest is in moving along Board reform to augment his resume. This is a personal agenda that is neutral for residents during a presumably constructive two year run.

Phil, who has not yet unannounced his candidacy, will have a harder job in convincing people that the strings that were formerly attached to the bar crowd, are not still attached to Rinaolo's apron where there remains the desire to control the Board from a distance. Out of that corner comes true self-interest.

So, what have we learned?

Well, folks, what we have learned is that most of our elected leaders basically don't give a shit about the small (and large) issues that affect our everyday lives - and that they pander to the sources of money which will buy them higher glory. The Bloomberg's, the Quinns, the Doctoroffs, the Lancasters, the Rinaolos are money seekers and makers. The Hoylmans, Glicks, Stringers, and maybe even the Mouquinhos, are in it for the ideology and philosophy of it. While this is no surprise to most of us in the political game, it should be a surprise to those elected officials that ignore our needs while pretending to have our interests in mind -- that we know very well that this is a long con, not leadership. You can't bullshit a bullshitter, the saying goes.

You can buy political office but you can't buy respect. You can buy PR and media that glorify your work. But, the people know.

There Goes the Neighborhood

With some amusement we read Scoopy’s recent comments in The Villager. Lincoln Anderson’s gossipy column describes efforts that have been undertaken to reach representatives of the Trump SoHo project. Apparently Doris Diether, Chair of the Zoning Committee and Maria Derr, Chair of the Board, both from Community Board #2 have reportedly tried to reach a Mr. Schwartz of the Bayrock Group because the pile driving at the 45 story Hotel-Condo is “disruptive” and is affecting the Chelsea Vocational School’s students “ability to learn.”

Can’t you just see Trump meeting with Doris and Maria and saying, “for you two, anything.” Stop the construction boys! Move those bones out of there and let’s screw those suckers!

Of course, Trump SoHo, which is not in SoHo, actually could augur instead of pile-drive, but that would cost more money. You understand how that works right, build cheap and sell expensive? If you don’t give a shit about the neighborhood, or even its kids, who cares how you do it. The fact that your brain rattles as each piling is hammered doesn’t affect the Emir in Dubai, who’s financing this, or even Mr. Schwartz who sits in an office a few miles away. Not to mention the Donald, who is contemplating an expansion of his mega-apartment. No, only the residents, the school kids and surrounding commercial tenants have to pay the price for all of these indignities.

Then, we have the fact that Mayor Bloomberg , Speaker of the City Council Christine Quinn, City Planning and Commissioner Lancaster of the Buildings Department are not only rocking on their heels but seem to be whistling the theme song to “The Apprentice” as Downtown gets raped. With the 45 story Trump-Godzilla project underway, there’s not even a word about changing the archaic zoning that has allowed this and several other horrors to be built -- like the 17 story sliver hotel underway on Watts Street.

(The Watts Street hotel, by the way, is the site of perpetual monumental traffic jam. Activists could not even get D.O.T. to re-route the commuter buses to alleviate the melee. Now, in the infinite wisdom of Commissioner Lancaster and Mayor Bloomberg, we have a hotel on the same block to make things cozier.)

And, if the Chelsea Vocational school kids can’t learn, imagine the reporters at The Villager trying to think straight in their condo office right next door at 145 Avenue of the Americas through all of this pounding. They’re closer to it than the kids. And, they can’t even directly complain. I would imagine that the Condo Board manager Peter Moore’s decision to sell the building’s air rights to Trump (for an undisclosed sum) doesn’t seem like the best idea right now. Hold on to your typewriter Lincoln.

If you think Trump SoHo will destroy Hudson Square, wait until you hear this.

The Department of Sanitation is planning to construct three new garages in the Spring and Washington Streets area. The first will be a 427,000 square foot building located on a lot that is currently owned and used by UPS. This one is slated for recycling trucks, snow plows and salt spreaders and would be roughly 15 stories high. The Trump SoHo people would be able to admire it from their own 45 story monster.
The second building would be constructed to accommodate about 7000 tons of salt and calcium chloride used to melt snow.

And, then, the piece de résistance folks, is . . . ta da . . . (drum roll)

A new storage building to house more than 20,000 gallons of diesel oil, gasoline, ethanol, motor oil and waste oil. Yes, folks, a veritable bomb in the making! Now, doesn’t that just warm your heart?
Here we have, not two blocks away from Trump Godzilla, right smack dab in the middle of yuppie-gentrification-central –- Hudson Square: over 20,000 gallons of fuel and oil sitting in our midst.
Osama, where are you? Timothy, can you still hear us?

You might want to put in an appearance at the public meeting to put in your two cents.
Who knows, you might even meet the star of 'The Apprentice' (it doesn’t seem like this would be good for selling “Residential Condos”, oops, we mean “Condo hotel rooms” –- there’s no long term living there, it’s a hotel is it not?)
More than twenty-thousand gallons of fuel only a couple of blocks away, hmm. Oh, and that’s not to mention all of those new multi-million dollar condos that have just sprung up in the ‘hood.

The Friends of Hudson Square (currently discussing this issue with an environmental law attorney) is hosting a Public Scoping Meeting- they would love a big turn out.

Public Scoping Meeting Wednesday January 31, 2007
Kimmel Hall, New York University, 60 Washington Square South,
Rosenthal Pavilion, Tenth Floor, New York, NY, 7:30 to 9:30 pm.
Contact David Reck, President of Friends of Hudson Square for further information: 512dave@earthlink.net.

A New Year

Political tails are wagging this week over what appears to be a misinterpretation of events at the McManus Midtown Democratic Club where Carlos Manzano had been reportedly stepping down as President of the club. The Daily News has been playing out the verbal ping-pong in the Ben Smith blog and readers have been spinning off of the controversy with some interesting side tidbits. What was a tasty story for those who know Jim McManus and his politics has veered off into the Downtown quagmire.

Among the controversial blog commentaries are a few morsels involving VRDC (Village Reform Democratic Club) which has recently been reanimated by the Chamber of Commerce and Community Board #2 bar crowd, which includes Bob Rinaolo, Maria Derr, Phil Mouquinho, and Rick Panson, among others. Their gambit has been to introduce lots of new money to shore up the dubious ascendancy of Ray Cline, a former State Committeeman out of the McManus club -- by having Brad Sussman succeed him as President (formerly of the Fields BP office) as Cline retreats behind curtain #1, or is it curtain #2?

While Cline has been known to boast about having arranged successful elections for judges, thereby earning their undying appreciation (in the form of judicial largesse for club members and other "friends"), McManus was not as appreciative of his efforts at his Midtown Democratic Club. Basically, as with the finality of Saddam, Cline was thrown out.

Ray Cline has been described by McManus as "an underhanded individual who couldn't be trusted." Then there were some negative comments.

While his full pedigree will not be fully described here, suffice it to say that his ascendancy as head of a "Reform" club (now with Brad Sussman as President) leaves one to wonder about the future of Village politics, or at least VRDC. The combination of Sussman, who was shown the door by Stringer's office, the bar crowd of CB#2 pumping in money, and the machinations of Cline -- all of whom rely on Allen Roskoff (another bar crowd "consultant" and negative-spin artist) -- makes for an interesting potpourri of characters. With such a cast of characters, community politics for Village idealogues may begin to resemble a ride down the River Styx on a surfboard.

As Joe Kane, one of Joe Kennedy's trusted henchmen, once said, "There are no friends in politics, only co-conspirators."


Among the developments in SoHo, the project at 520 Broome Street seems to have run into more than just a little opposition. What was planned as an 8 story condo with a parking garage, morphing into a 9 story condo with a four level parking garage and a 35 foot high "mechanicals" addition on the roof - is now running into some problems. The project started with slowly developing community opposition that gathered some steam when the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) entered the picture. A small demonstration took place at Thompson and Broome Streets and members of the SoHo Alliance and residents carried placards and chanted slogans about saving the Tunnel Garage from demolition.

Residents of SoHo, the GVSHP under Andrew Berman, the SoHo Alliance and Sean Sweeney as well as other community groups, wanted the developer to save the facade of the building and incorporate the condo within that structure. Before these groups could gain a foothold and bring some pressure to bear through the city and its landmarking process, the building was razed. The people in SoHo were pissed.

And, as the project has wended its way through the political process, reception for the new building has been less than warmly received.

In particular, the surrounding building owners have been understandably concerned about the "bathtub" within which the new structure would be erected. The foundation would essentially be erected upon pilings drilled down to bedrock upon which a concrete bathtub would be poured four stories below grade. The depth of the construction excavation, despite the assurances of the developer's engineers, remains a concern of residents adjoining the property. Bedrock is between 75 and 100 feet below grade in this location.

As a result of this controversy, what has become clear is that builders and developers are clearly better off having reached out to the community well in advance of their efforts to get cooperation. 520 Broome now faces the prospect of a smaller building and interminable delays as it continues the process with an antagonistic community as it heads off to the BSA (Board of Standards and Appeals) for approval after being turned down by Community Board #2.


Speaking of which, at the beginning of the New Year observers will again start to focus upon Community Board #2 elections. Election rumors will start gathering momentum in a few months as a newly constituted Board (new appointments and renewals are announced in late March) will become the hot issue Downtown. The odds-on favorite for new Chair of Community Board #2 is Brad Hoylman since Derr will be term-limited out. While he is Vice Chair and is a member of the Executive Committee of the current Board, he has remained independent of the Chamber of Commerce cronies under the Maria Derr/Bob Rinaolo/Rick Panson/Phil Mouquinho/Martin Diaz/Roscia Sanz management team who are holdovers from the Virginia Fields BP days. The frequent fundraisers by that group to fill the Fields coffers bought lots of new bar-owner Board members whose mission was to stuff as many bars as possible into downtown neighborhoods while fucking the community. Self-interest and personal agendas, real estate development approvals, and liquor licenses for friends and Chamber of Commerce "associates" were the hallmark of their collective efforts. It was not a pretty picture.

Hoylman has been an effective Chair of the Traffic and Transportation Committee and the only apparent self-interest in his agenda seems to be a possible run for future political office -- not, however, using the Community Board for his personal gain. That's more than you can say for many of the members with which he's had to share power on the Board, especially on the Executive Committee dais.

'Tis the Season

For all of the cranky people out there, this was a spectacular week.

The main question for those of you Downtown rangers is “What’s the rush?”
As in, hey Mr. Mayor, why rush in pushing Trump SoHo (at Spring and Varick in Hudson Square) on to completion after the deal of the Art (as in Con Art) has shown itself to be a residential tower in disguise as a Hotel.

As of right development can make you want to hide the real deal. Hotels go very high – because City Planning has been asleep. Condos go low – like only 8 to 10 stories.

After discovering Bones, as in the humankind, a stop work order was initiated by the Department of Buildings – only to be rescinded today so that the Donald can get back to work selling condos, oops, no Hotel/condos. All 45 stories – which, had he told everyone that he wanted to sell straight condos – he would have been lucky to get maybe, say, 8 stories. An FAR of 5 is about right normally.

So, you can see where a little subtlety (or even lying) might be useful.

There’s no subtlety for Commissioner Lancaster ( Department of Buildings ) or her boss, Mayor Bloomberg. Where a full archeological investigation might have otherwise ensued, we have a stop work order that lasted roughly one week.
That’s after all of the signals out of the Trump organization saying, “HELLO, we’re building a condo here!”
– but that was completely lost on Lancaster and Bloomberg, however.

Gives you a warm feeling when you think about how closely the City and Trump work and play together – at the expense of the residents Downtown.
Politicians keep forgetting about this area having the fastest residential growth in Manhattan. As in votes!


Speaking of building, Pier 40 is now about to have its future reconsidered – again.
The Hudson River Park Trust, the agency responsible for the redevelopment of our Hudson River shoreline, has now begun the process of reviewing plans submitted for the final development of Pier 40, at the foot of Houston Street.
Only four plans were received as a result of the RFP (request for proposal), which was sent to at least 300 potential developers. Of those four received, only two are serious entries – The Related Companies “Pier 40 PAC” (Performing Arts Center), featuring Cirque du Soleil – and CampGroup’s “Pier 40 – The People’s Pier” which primarily features ball fields, a pool center and an educational complex. Both entries have extensive plans and financials that are credible.
The RFP had a few ground rules. Among them were two requirements: that parking would remain and that ball fields would be part of any plan.
The “Pier 40 Working Group” under its Chairman Arthur Schwartz (who is also Chair of Community Board #2’s Parks and Waterfront Committee, will recommend a plan (or no plan) to the Trust Board once it has finished its review of the proposals.


Moving along On the Waterfront we find that a curious phenomenon has graced its development. It seems as though the Port Authority in its wisdom has authorized something like $5 million for the Beacon Institute to run the Pier 26 Estuarium when, in fact, the Board of Directors of the Hudson River Park Trust has not yet voted to designate any entity, Beacon or otherwise, to run the Pier 26 estuarium, and no process has yet been determined to select a developer for this site.
But, that didn’t stop the Port Authority from adopting a resolution. To wit:

RESOLVED, that the resolution adopted by the Board at its meeting of October 19,
2006 authorizing the Executive Director to enter into one or more agreements with the
Hudson River Park Trust and/or another appropriate entity, pursuant to which the Port
Authority was to provide up to $10 million toward the development of the new Urban
Estuary Center to be constructed on Pier 26 within the boundaries of the Hudson River Park
in Lower Manhattan, be and it hereby is amended (i) to reallocate $5 million of the funds
authorized for that purpose toward the reconstruction of Pier 86 in Manhattan, the berthing
site of the U.S.S. Intrepid (Intrepid), and toward the cost of repairing the Intrepid’s hull, and
(ii) to provide that the remaining $5 million of such funding for the Urban Estuary Center be
allocated by the Hudson River Park Trust and/or another appropriate entity for the study of
Hudson River estuary preservation strategies by a consortium of educational institutions led
by the State of New York and the Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries (Beacon
Institute) pursuant to the Strategic Plan and Conceptual Design 2006 prepared by Gensler on
behalf of the Beacon Institute;


It appears that as Pataki waves good-bye on Trigger like Hop-Along Cassidy, his buddy-environmentalist John Cronin will be left behind like Tonto with a 3 year old firm (Beacon Institute) and $5 mil to make the rounds of potential employers. With the Port Authority as the financial conduit to push the job by funding the money, the question is, do environmentalists take Cronin seriously and does the Trust want to be told what they’re going to say before they say it? In roughly 10 days Trigger could break a leg and Tonto would be left holding a bag of horseshit.



Back on land, the natives on Community Board #2 are a little miffed about items that keep disappearing before they hit the Full Board for consideration and a possible vote. Democracy is a fleeting concept on Board #2.

Like the Board #3 resolution, the one that was approved at Board #2’s Zoning committee Chaired by Doris Diether managed to get lost on its way to the Full Board.

When you consider the fact that the resolution had to do with grandfathering restaurant and bar use in order to limit further liquor licenses, you kind of get the feeling that the Bar Boys & Girls (Rinaolo, Panson, Derr, Mouquinho, Maggio, Diaz) might have sidelined the resolution before it got any real consideration.


This gives Humbug a bad name.