No One Gets Out Alive

The untimely and unexpected death of Community Board #2's District Manager last week is another reminder of the old adage that, “Nobody gets out of this alive.” Arty Strickler was a wily, not-so-old fox who was a survivor from what is arguably the most contentious community board of them all. Certainly, in recent times, it has not been a place where you would want to dip your toe into the political waters to check the temperature – unless you don’t want to keep that particular foot. Arty knew everyone and nearly everything that was important to know. He had himself been Chair of Board #2 and survived numerous attempts to remove him and remained in power despite the displeasure of several board members as well as board chairs. J. Edgar Hoover had nothing on Arty. He could tell you who had the votes in an election and commented about the most recent election that, “A paper bag could win as Chair of this Board” because of his vote count as to who was “on our side.” He was usually right. He wasn’t prescient; he just worked at getting the best intelligence. Sometimes he moved things along.
And, while his pants were too tight, he had a curious sense of humor that seemed to fit well with his interpretation of the job. He was also a master of the “anonymous letter,” – a form of character assassination used by those who want to besmirch those whom they determine are their adversaries. It was (and apparently still is) a tool of some Board members with weak egos and underwear that’s pulled too tight.
District Manager of Community Board #2 is not an easy job.
Arty was a close personal friend of a few Board members like Bob Rinaolo (de facto Chair of Community Board #2) and less so of Maria Derr, the current Chair, and he had famous, public, running disputes with a few Board members such as Ed Gold, a personal friend of former Mayor Koch. Arty was opinionated and dictatorial at times; – but in the end, with his curious brand of ethics, he sometimes tried to reach out to people, even adversaries, to try to heal wounds in his own imitable way. Despite his sometimes-brusque manner, he really wanted people to like him and get along with each other. He kept repeating that the split on Board #2 was just for the moment and “soon everyone would be friends again.” Arty, at least, had common sense – he did not know how deep the division had become and how intransigent and rancorous the polarity was. We can thank C. Virginia Fields for dangling the carrot of money and control of the business agenda for that.
Filling his sneakers will not be an easy task and one, which, it is hoped, will be less political, and more quieting, given the current state of disaffection on Board #2.


The jockeying for Strickler’s job has already begun and a few names including Florence from the Board office have been mentioned. As of this writing, Florence had not indicated that she was ready for the position. She is a warm and intelligent young woman who is both engaging and savvy.

It has been learned, however, that the nightlife contingent which now runs the Board, operating as the Personnel Committee but is a disguised form of the Executive committee, plan on deciding who they are going to place in the District Manager position – for their benefit. Bob Rinaolo, de facto Chair, Maria Derr, acting Chair, Mark Rosenwasser, Phil Mouquinho, Brad Hoylman (Vice Chair), and Carol Yankay – are arranging to replace Arty Strickler with a Manager to do their bidding.
The Board may not like being told what to do. The new District Manager needs to be a bi-partisan selection that goes beyond politics and personal agendas or the healing process will never begin. It will then remain for
Scott Stringer to rely heavily on the knife to rectify the situation.


Arthur Schwartz’s fortunes are once again on the upswing. It appears that he will finally Chair the Advisory to the Hudson River Park Trust. The deep and murky decision-making of Maria Derr, which is now the skirt behind the Rinaolo throne at Community Board #2, has apparently decided that Schwartz should handle that assignment after personally trying her hand at it briefly. Schwartz is familiar with HRPT matters, having chaired the Waterfront committee and he has sued the Trust on a few occasions. During the mishandled Pier 40 debacle, for example, Schwartz and others, including several electeds -- were so pissed off that the opportunity to develop the pier was lost that a lawsuit ensued. It went nowhere. But, at least we have the $5 million dollar investment in playing fields to be thankful for, compliments of the now defunct Waterfront Committee that survived Schwartz.
Schwartz is also reportedly planning on challenging Larry Moss for the position of Democratic State Committeeman. If he does run against Moss, there will be some strange new bedfellows downtown and possibly some soul-searching among the political clubs.
Moss is a favorite among some electeds like Deborah Glick and Tom Duane in favor of Brad Hoylman essentially ousted Schwartz from his District Leader’s position. However, there WAS no love lost for Moss among some of the downtown political clubs—there’s no telling where that’s at right now. Moss may be back in favor.
It may actually turn out to be a contest, after all – depending upon who else decides to run. Pete Gleason seems to be opting out for the moment.

Activists Downtown have a new friend in the Development Wars.
Andrew Berman is looking more and more like a friend of SoHo, not to mention his already having conquered the hearts and minds of Greenwich Villagers. The Tunnel Garage is finally coming to its last days before demolition starts and Berman’s GVSHP has been the only organization outside of the SoHo Alliance, which has taken an active role in pushing to get some of the historical buildings in SoHo landmarked. Berman has had a crystallizing effect upon Villagers and there has been genuine progress is slowing down, and zoning down sections of downtown. Manning the barricades did not go out of vogue with student protestors – Berman’s success in getting people out to demonstrate, as he has at the Tunnel Garage – bodes well for a resurgence in genuine community activism.
While this may not be the battle where a line is drawn in the sand, it is clear that the hearts and minds of people in the community are with Berman and the GVSHP.

Fallout over The Falls has been much more lamented by the Nightlife people in lower Manhattan than would have been anticipated. It has drawn attention to a smarmy business.
There has been so much nasty publicity and so much negative press as a result of The Falls’ management having lied to the police over the rape and murder of a young female customer – that other bars throughout the city are wringing their hands over the bad rap this has generated. Not to mention heavier surveillance and investigations into personnel practices with regard to bar employees and security workers—at other locations.
Demonstrations, picket lines, media trucks, satellite dishes and police brass are not conducive to business as usual in some of our “watering holes” downtown.
However, a little more scrutiny might provide the community with a silver lining – like providing the kind of police presence at downtown bars that eliminates drugs and reduces noise and the kind of antisocial behavior that has created a lower Manhattan that is antagonistic to family life. This has occurred in the name of enticing tourists to drink until stupid and endlessly bar hop at the expense of our community’s quality of life.

Community Board #2’s Business Committee, Chaired by Martin Diaz did an unusual thing. It denied a liquor license to the old Verushka location on Broome Street – across the street from the site of a new condo development (Tunnel Garage) and below a condo building itself on the ground floor and basement level. The applicant wanted the lower level to be open until 4 a.m., a strange request for the so-called white tablecloth restaurant that was being proposed.
The Business committee is not known for its sensitivity to SoHo’s needs, which is what makes this denial all the more perplexing.
Makes you wonder what’s afoot.

Stay tuned.

Downtown Gets Hot

Special Assistant to D.A. Bob Morgenthau, Eben Bronfman, has been a busy guy. Between the Page Six comments referring to his recent marital conflagration and time spent with his current main squeeze Kathy, you’d think business would suffer. Not so.

He’s off to China on a mission to promote Human Dignity and Policing, a program which the Chinese leadership is eager to implement. Considering the negative press that the police in China have been exposed to, it is understandable that they wish to correct that. Or, at least make a serious attempt to mitigate the damaging perceptions. Eben and his associates will be spending several weeks consulting with the Chinese leadership on this matter and presumably he will avoid controversy in the process of straightening out the police.



Scott Stringer is off to a great start with his appointments. He’s chosen attorney/activist Lawrence Goldberg to fill one of the Hudson River Park Trust Board (HRPT) slots. While there has been a lot of jockeying by some Downtown hopefuls, Goldberg seemed the obvious choice. He’s a community person, heading the Friends of LaGuardia Place, formerly Chair of the Advisory to the HRPT, a previous member of Board #2’s Waterfront Committee, and a staunch supporter of Mr. Stringer’s campaign.

Fortunately, for residents, Goldberg is a family man and has the interests of parents and children in mind – and has several ideas for Park uses that will benefit the young children of our community. Too few activists, fewer politicians and virtually no one on Community Board #2 gives enough consideration to the kids in our community – not to mention the parents, who must provide not only education but access to safe outdoor activities. Scott Stringer used judgment and consideration in appointing Lawrence Goldberg and it augurs well for his promise of reform for the Community Boards that he chose a community-oriented person of character and experience.

Julie Nadel, an important person in the Downtown political scene, will be re-appointed to the Trust Board, as will Franz Leichter. Madelyn Wils will not.


Which is a reminder of another position from which Wils has recently become dearly departed. Apparently, chess allows for more than two Queens in a game. Not so, the Tribeca Film Institute. The staff reportedly seems to have felt that there was just a little too much attitude in the air and Jane Rosenthal (DeNiro’s partner in the Film Festival) was less than thrilled with the quality of the competition. It also should not be lost on anyone that Wils, no longer Chair of Board #1 is out of a job less than 6 months after being ousted as Chair by Virginia Fields. Things are a whole lot less “fluid” now -- a lot less juice and a lot more acid to go around. Oh, well, at least DeNiro got his hotel in time.

The management of Board #2 continues to flounder.

A persistent problem that has begun to fester relates to the Pier 45 congregation of gay youth that populate the waterfront late in the evenings primarily during the summer. When the pier closes at midnight, the kids leave the Park and noisily make their way up Christopher Street, at least as far as the PATH station near Hudson Street. Neighbors cannot sleep and have complained bitterly. For years.

The Parks and Waterfront Committee, headed by Arthur Schwartz, with Board Chair Maria Derr in attendance, attempted to pass a resolution this past week that would call on HRPT to open Pier 54 as Pier 45 closed during the summer – allowing the groups of kids to move on to another location for a few hours more after the Christopher Street pier closed (Pier 45) at midnight. The plan was to provide portable toilets as well as some food and other amenities, to be located at Pier 54, and that would ameliorate the yelling and screaming up Christopher Street (Pier 54 would remain open until 2 a.m.).

Unfortunately, Schwartz’s reso spoke of this plan but went on to mention that the kids were primarily Black and Hispanic and as a result, basically, the shit hit the fan. Since the kids have a PR-type guy who calls their group “Fierce,” the cries of Homophobia as well as Racism rang out. The committee, along with Schwartz and Derr, wilted. The big losers in this fracas were the residents and members of the Christopher Street Block Association who gained no help from the Board or the police – who do not treat yelling and screaming after midnight a criminal offense. It’s also a sticky problem that the police would rather avoid.

So, while many Village residents, especially those on Christopher Street where there is a long history of diversity and acceptance (gay, straight, bi, Trans, black, white, Asian, Hispanic – or even Republican), which essentially blows the homophobic and racist label to hell – the kids have made the adult politicians extraordinarily defensive. Not to mention useless. Only Melissa Sklarz and Lisa Canistracci, Board #2 members, spoke with some rationality on this issue. The fact that Sklarz and Canistracci are LGBT (Lesbian,Gay,Bisexual,Transgender) members and familiar with sexual orientation issues as well as the community issues, connected with both groups.


But, Village residents on Christopher Street will still get no sleep.

The issue will come to a head at the Full Board meeting on Thursday the 23rd of March. Expect a few sparks if you attend.


It should also not be lost on us that Schwartz and Derr are not exactly seeing eye to eye these days. Derr is trying to distance herself from the Rinaolo/Sanz/Panson liquor license/Chamber of Commerce/real estate group that took control of Board #2 in order to further their personal business agenda. Schwartz helped Derr in her election bid but there is now no love lost between them – as witnessed by her taking the helm of the Advisory to the Hudson River Park Trust. This is an honor that typically goes to the Chair of the Waterfront Committee, which was recently merged into Parks and Waterfront, making Schwartz a bigwig at Board #2. Unfortunately for Schwartz, since he would normally be entitled to Chair the Advisory as Waterfront Chair – Derr decided to assume the position herself. The fact that Schwartz has been denied this coveted position does not speak well for the cooperation between them, nor does it reward his support for her election.


There are a lot of pissed off people now on Board #2 who were either sidelined by the Rinaolo putsch in electing Derr, or who, like Schwartz, were sabotaged by the burgeoning ego of Derr and the Machiavellian aspirations of Rinaolo – who is still the de facto Chair of Board #2.


Questions:

What Downtown Community Board politico has been the subject of harassment by his/her landlord and has been dealing with a totally untenable living situation for years?


Which members of Community Board #1 and #2 are about to bite the dust with the reform sweep about to hit the decks?


What are the electeds proposing to do about the “Demolition clause” that landlords are using with the help of DHCR to “evict” rent controlled and stabilized tenants Downtown?

Is the rumor of a 50 story Trump Hotel "near the Holland Tunnel" real and going to be built on the 596 block at West, Spring and Washington Streets?

Milestones:

Congratulations to Noreen Doyle, Vice President of the HRPT. She just gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Kenna. A lovely young lady for a lovely young lady.

We were advised of the passing of Arty Strickler, District Manager of Community Board #2's office. He suffered a fatal heart attack and died on Sunday, March 12th. He was a knowldegable person, who had served as Chair many years ago and knew the Board and all of its members well. He will be remembered.

Stay tuned rangers.

The Community Speaks

This week there was an impressive joint meeting held by Zella Jones and the NoHo Neighborhood Association, Sean Sweeney and the SoHo Alliance and Rob Hollander and LESA, the Lower East Side Alliance. In part, it was sponsored by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) and the SoHo Journal. The forum was very well attended by a crowd of several hundred residents and many downtown pols -- including Tom Duane, Martin Connor and Scott Stringer, as well as representatives from Deborah Glick's office, Alan Gerson's office, Rosie Mendez' office, Sheldon Silver's office and the Mayor's office.
Manhattan Borough D.O.T. Commissioner Margaret Forgione, Parks Department's Bill Castro, and the Police Brass were in attendance as well.
In other words, folks, it was a meeting that should not have been missed and NBC as well as NY1 were on hand to hear what was being said.

In a well organized agenda, speeches were made by Zella Jones, Sean Sweeney and Claudia Flanagan of LESA, and the gist of it was this: stop the proliferation of bars that are ruining our communities -- start paying attention to the fact that we can't cross the streets unmolested by cars and trucks -- and start talking to us about the out of control zoning in our neighborhoods.

Claudia Flanagan made a compelling case for the neglect of our communities by the S.L.A., for example, as she cited the fact that 4500 liquor licenses have been approved Downtown in the 10003, 10012, and 10013 zip codes alone.

Zella Jones made a case that the more bars that are allowed to open downtown, the higher the commercial rents go for retail space -- making it impossible for small shops, food stores and service establishments to afford the rent. And, therefore, this bar saturation is depriving our neighborhoods of other necessary services.

We have become the open bar and late night game room for the Tri-state area. Times Square, High Noon at the OK Corral, and Coney Island -- all rolled into one big party-time for our families to endure.

As Claudia Flanagan told the packed audience, including the politicians and media that were present, "The community is putting you on notice" and we are going to make our voices heard.

Some of the politicians did hear the message and some took it to heart even before the meeting.

Deborah Glick's office announced that she has introduced two new bills to afford oversight and greater community involvement in the S.L.A. approval process.
Scott Stringer suggested that residents attend the Borough Board meeting for the purposes of having input on zoning matters, S.L.A. enforcement matters and Traffic problems.

Sheldon Silver's office announced that he will be holding hearings in May and specifically asked the community to send representatives. He wants to modify the Padavan Law, known as the 500 foot rule -- so that this is more rigorously observed and enforced.
Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott pledged a meeting with Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler who is in charge of Operations (Police) in 6 weeks, to follow up on the needs of the community. He also directed all of the NYC Commissioners to remain until the end of the meeting.

As an interesting side note, Besito Restaurant in SoHo, the focus of much bad blood at Community Board #2, has seen some management changes. Even with a liquor license, business has reportedly been slow. Rumors of a possible late night club scene and "hot" music have been bandied about. Then the unthinkable happened.
A robbery was reported this week. All of the liquor, the cash register and even the phone was stolen. On West Broadway?
Well, at least it wasn't a fire. Right?

Rumors abound about what actions will be taken by the new Borough President, Scott Stringer, with regard to changes on the Community Boards. Among these, is a rumor that Community Board Chair Maria Derr has been read the riot act about straightening out the mess at Board #2. Especially, with regard to the "anonymous" letters and attempts at character assassination which once again has reared its ugly heads at that Board. This traditional method of spreading around the cheer at Board #2 (which would never be tolerated at any other Board) has happened a number of times in the past and actually resulted in the passing of a resolution.
Only Board #2 has developed this rancorous reputation for trying to tarnish reputations with fraudulent, unsigned missives.

Seems that David McWater, Chair of Community Board #3, former Vice President of the New York Nightlife Association is divesting himself of bars as fast as he can. Between a just announced investigation by Eliot Spitzer involving the S.L.A., liquor companies and some bars, and the sweeps being conducted by Deputy Chief Steven Paragallo, the pressure is on. McWater reportedly owned as many as nine bars in his own Community Board turf but has dropped a couple of them.

Apparently, there are some involved at the Community Board level of politics who see no conflict running businesses that are counter to the wishes of large segments of the community -- like David McWater of Community Board #3 and Robert Rinaolo or Roscio Sanz of Community Board #2 -- and who feel compelled to force their views down the throats of many activists.

For people like these to have gained control over any community board is a testament to the power of campaign contributions. Virginia Fields packed the Boards with bar owners because the money kept flowing into her campaign coffers. The Nightlife people wrote checks as fast as they could.

Oh, and don't be fooled by those divesting themselves of bars. Rinaolo may have "sold" one of his bars, as McWater has -- but whether these are truly arms-length transactions or a ruse to permit future political moves -- given the antipathy shown by the community -- is a matter of opinion. McWater wants to run for City Council and Rinaolo has wanted to be Community Board #2 Chair for quite some time. Shills (even to run bars) are a favorite ploy among those with big egos.

But, the days of maintaining control over the community through intimidation, fear, political favors or character assassination, are over. The cat is out of the bag. The bird has flown the coop. The ship has sailed. And, the Fat Lady has definitely sung.

And, contrary to Yogi Berra's famous remark, sometimes it is over when it's over. Especially when, as Joe Mantegna says in The House of Games, if everyone is in on "the Tell."

The entire community now knows how the Nightlife people pulled this off. So, the politicians now must realign their allegiance, or leave the stage.

Barbarians at the Gates

This week was a difficult one for activists Downtown. Reverberations continued from libelous anonymous letters and slanderous whispers. While the origin of these missives and remarks were masked but still well-known (emissaries of the nightlife crew) the more effective the community's actions were the more blatant became the response.

This coming week, for example, a Town Hall-style meeting (March 2nd at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street) is being held with the combined efforts of the NoHo Neighborhood Association, the SoHo Alliance and LESA. The focus is on land use, traffic and S.L.A. reform. The primary organizer of the event, Zella Jones, is a tireless community worker who has spoken out at numerous Community Board meetings. She supported Andrew Berman's GVSHP initiative to curb the expansion of NYU while giving the Village residents a breather from constant development on and around Washington Square. And, as part of her NoHo organization's community efforts, she helped convince Community Board #2 to deny a liquor license at 26 Bond Street. Not only was there an issue of a safe emergency exit, but in addition it was unclear as to whether there were sprinklers or a C.O. for the building. Neighbors also spoke at the CB2 Full Board hearing and the Business Committee decision that had approved the license had its resolution overturned. Few wanted to be responsible for approving a license at a potentially dangerous location. Visions of the Happyland Social Club fiasco danced in people's heads when the vote came to the floor. A liquor license for the applicant at 26 Bond Street was soundly defeated.

So, between the activism afoot Downtown, and the retaliatory nature of the nightlife crew, what was the logical step? Defamatory remarks, anonymous letters, personal smears -- what's next?

Why, a lawsuit, what else?

A few hearbeats after Community Board #2 denied a liquor license to the applicant B-Flat, Inc., which was to open up at 26 Bond Street, a lawsuit was apparently filed by Saada Roberts, as "assignee" of First Pegasus Management Co., against Zella Jones, the NoHo Neighborhood Association, Ruth Bauman (who lives above the space) and Joelle Shefts, a next door neighbor. Saada Roberts reportedly is the daughter of Bahia Chambi, who, according to tenants and neighbors, is a legend on that block -- a person whom they claim has threatened numerous lawsuits. Chambri signed over the ownership of the building in 2000 to Pegasus. The lawsuit claims that defamatory remarks were made at the Community Board about the building at 26 Bond Street. But, while the summons and complaint asks for $5,000,000 in damages, in part for claiming that someone said "Fuck you, go back to your country" to the building owner -- the lawsuit doesn't deny that there is no C.of O. for the building. Curious logic.
One of the former commercial tenants in this building (subsequent to the antique store) was a massage parlor. The sexy young Russian girls who operated the short-term business, or their clients, didn't seem to worry about an emergency exit. Bars, however, do -- or should.

While nasty remarks have been made before at Community Board meetings, which will no doubt continue in the future -- they are not the proper fodder for litigation. Qualified immunity does apply to statements made during open discussions or hearings where facts can be discussed and comments rebutted. Courts take a dim view of suing Board members or aiding people who try to stifle freedom of expression, even if they are incorrect but spoken during the heat of passionate debate. And while some Board members have used the race card to influence approvals for liquor licenses, generally speaking discrimination is a bullshit ploy. Of all Boards, Community Board #2 has a history of embracing minorities of race, gender, or sexual proclivity. Even cross-dressing Republicans are welcome.

This case is reminiscent of what is euphemistically called a "slap suit" which is a lawsuit initiated and intended to prevent people from expressing their opinions.

Such litigation should not be condoned or permitted by the courts and sanctions should be sought for such adolescent back-biting behavior.

What is important here, though, is that it is entirely possible that such a weak legal tactic may be yet another ploy being used by the nightlife people and/or their lackeys among the business community to attack community activists. Is it possible that litigation, instead of trying to reach an accommodation with people among whom they wish to do business, has become another tool to silence activists? Calls placed by the SoHo Journal to Saada Roberts for a response or opinion were not returned.

On another matter this week, the SoHo Alliance and residents of SoHo took a bus ride up to the S.L.A. hearing for the "Eat 4 Health" Beer & Wine license to be located at 76 Wooster Street. The applicants, Rick Panson and building owner Ron Pasquale once again did not appear after 35 members of the community bused up to 125th Street. The applicants reportedly regretted missing the last appearance at the S.L.A.,according to their attorney, but it is not clear if they also regretted missing this one.

The new Commissioner, Joshua Toas -- a former Upstate Sheriff, and the new Chairman of the S.L.A, Daniel Boyle, appear to be attempting to follow through on their claim of being more community-responsive. After some haggling and complaining by residents that they were being stood up -- again -- the Commissioners ruled that the applicants have 30 days to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy. While the application stated that the building in question had a C.O., it turns out that it does not.

Considering the fact that it is virtually impossible to obtain a C.O. in 30 days, especially when problems exist, it appears that the application is as dead as Kelsey's Cow.

And, now for something completely different.

Congratulations to Noreen Doyle, Vice President of the Hudson River Park Trust -- who will be having a little one. We hope that all goes well and she has a healthy baby.....!

Let the Games Begin

This week a number of important issues bubbled to the surface Downtown and the season of controversy is upon us.

But first, a word from Donald Trump. It seems that Hudson Square is suffering from landlord overload. Trinity Real Estate, typically, refuses to comment upon a statement made by the Trump people that they plan to construct a major hotel in the Holland Tunnel area (50 stories was the number). As the major landowner and developer in the Varick Street corridor, compliments of the Queen, Trinity would likely have insider information -- especially if it was one of their parcels. While the Canal/Grand/Avenue of the Americas/Varick Street block for which Trinity already has construction approvals is slated for demolition and development, it appears to be the rumored location. This Trinity office tower site has ostensibly been delayed because they have not found an anchor tenant; however, that project was only approved for 21 stories. The Trinity project is located in a Manufacturing zone and all things are possible if enough money is thrown at it. Another vacant site nearby is located at Varick Street between Spring and Dominick and is currently a parking lot that is ripe for development. Since zoning permits manufacturing and hotel use without a variance, we may not know about it until he cranes show up.

The Tunnel Garage, which has sparked controversy in SoHo, is slated for demolition unless the City can be convinced that we are losing a landmark AND parking space at the same time. While the 74-712 special text amendment to the Zoning regulations was implemented by the City Council to permit development of vacant lots with City Council oversight, not all developers have chosen to go that expedited route. GVSHP has come to SoHo for this one and Andrew Berman fortunately has weighed in on it. It is difficult to say what the outcome is likely to be. Even major news organizations have become interested in the pace of development Downtown and some observers, like David Reck of Community Board #2's Zoning Committee, tell us that there is a whole slate of new projects coming through on the West Side. Perhaps when some of the electeds cannot find a place to park, more attention will be paid to this developing crisis.

Speaking of which, in a dramatic reversal of Community Board #2's policy, Maria Derr (Chair of that Board) permitted a vote to go forward on a controversial resolution directed at NYU development. After a contentious Zoning Committee meeting two weeks ago, in which long suffering Village residents were very agitated and vociferous over not getting the Board's committee to pass a resolution, Derr apparently relented and allowed the resolution to be presented at the Full Board for a vote. It passed easily and quickly and many activists and members of the community were appreciative of her ability to do an about face without a lot of fanfare. Her official stance had been that a more in-depth hearing was needed in front of a joint Institutions and Zoning Committee meeting was logical but, according to some, unnecessary given the fact that this issue has been ignored for decades. While Bob Rinaolo, Chair of Institutions Committee, was noticeably irritated that it bypassed his committee, it quickly passed on the Board floor.

Zella Jones, of the NoHo Neighborhood Association, and organizer of the upcoming Town Hall meeting to be held on March 2nd at the Public Theater -- was successful in convincing the Community Board to overturn a contentious liquor license application (B-flat)affecting NoHo. A number of speakers made it known that a bar at that 26 Bond Street location was a potential disaster in the making. Not only did the building in which the bar/restaurant was to be located lack a C.O., but it also suffered from a lack of a sprinkler system. For many, visions of a flaming inferno with trapped patrons fleeing a bar approved by the Community Board, was enough for them to deny the application. John Diaz, Chair of the Business Committee appeared to be ambivalent about opposition to this application and seemed to take the reversal in stride.

This week also saw continuing salvos spread through the community by nightlife operatives and lobbyists who have been hired to undermine the growing sentiment against the "All bars all the time" mentality as the primary business of Downtown. First came attempts by some nightlife Community Board #2 members to claim activists were discriminating against minorities. Then came anonymous personal attacks and dirty tricks which were reminiscent of the Nixon years -- again, directed at those who question the sanity and intelligence of Business interests who apparently want no limit on the number of liquor licenses issued -- no matter how the community feels. Scott Stringer's office, the new Borough President, has been the indirect focus of these baseless attacks since the obvious reason for them has been to affect his expected reform of the Boards. Attack the community activists, the theory goes, and Stringer will be loath to remove Board members who clearly are part of the old Virginia Fields bar owners clique. And so numerous Community Board members (especially on Community Board #2)who are nervous about the conflict of interest allegations have adopted the defensive strategy of attacking the community and its activists.

As if to underscore the seriousness of this issue, rumors abound that not only is the Attorney General investigating the S.L.A. for corruption (all S.L.A hearings were cancelled this week, for at least one week), but interest has also been peaked at Bob Morgenthau's office. Lobbyists recruited by the nightlife association are considered prime suspects by Downtown insiders.

The Community's response to this attempted coercion, libel and slander has overwhelmingly been to crank up the activity and hold a public forum with a respectful, but firm attitude toward the electeds. The message is decidedly clear. The community expects some action.

Alan Gerson, Deborah Glick, Scott Stringer, and Rosie Mendez are expected to be appear and address the audience. They are community-oriented officials who need and want your support.

Even Tom Duane, whose office and staff (past and present) has been wrestling with this issue of Bar/Lounge proliferation is expected to make an appearance. There is no doubt that he has devoted time to this. So let him and those who have been close to him, clearly know where you stand, as well.

Come to Luesther Hall at the Public Theater on March 2nd at 425 Lafayette Street -- between Astor Place and East 4th Street -- at 7 p.m. and make your feelings known about liquor licenses and S.L.A. reform, land use and traffic issues. Your (quality of) life depends on it.

The event is being sponsored by the NoHo Neighborhood Association, the SoHo Alliance, LESA, and the SoHo Journal.

Power to the People

It's been a long time since activists were "manning the barricades" as they did in the 1960's. Passivity and comfort have taken a toll on most of us but a few die-hards in our midst keep the faith. Of course, the new breed is not trying to take over Main Building at NYU for a sit-in, or blocking traffic at University Place in order to get support for the anti-war effort.

But, forty years later -- there are some similarities. Certainly, the Iraq war is starting to destroy our economy while Bush steals our civil liberties and we slide into a Primordial soup. Just wait until they reactivate the draft.

But one of the latest flaps that gets activist juices flowing has been percolating Downtown over a suggestion by Andrew Berman of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP), that New York University should consider working with the City to find alternative other space for its expanding campus. In other words, the fact that NYU has been slowly gobbling up the Village and parts of NoHo, is starting to get on some people's nerves. One building after another is erected, transformed into classrooms or dormitories, or demolished to satisfy is limitless craving for space -- in one location. During the sixties NYU had a campus in the Bronx but that was closed and everything was consolidated down at Washington Square.

Absolutely no one is suggesting that NYU leave town. No one is suggesting that NYU is not a desirable neighbor. What many ARE suggesting, is that Washington Square, Greenwich Village and NoHo also exists for residents whose lives are feeling increasingly encroached upon. They want to see a new dialog begin with the administrations -- of NYU and the City -- for the purposes of exploring a way to protect the essence of the Village and NoHo from becoming ONLY NYU. That, no one should want.

Berman asked the Community Board #2 Zoning Committee, whose Chairman is David Reck, to have a public hearing on the issue and to pass a resolution asking NYU and the City administration to explore the possibility of locating other areas that could help with the expanding University's needs. This would merely be an expression of the community's wishes, with no force of law.

Roughly 30 members of the Village, SoHo and NoHo attended the meeting and GVSHP's Andrew Berman made a compelling presentation. A member of the NYU administration was also present, although there was not what she called a team of members to answer everyone's questions.

What followed this presentation, however, was not anticipated. Normally, after a Public Hearing, a resolution is passed either in support of or against the proposal in front of the committee. In this instance, the Board's Chair, Maria Derr, would not permit a resolution to be voted upon. The residents were not happy about this and were angry at the fact that further delays were to be the culmination of their efforts in bringing people out for this meeting. Although there were passionate speeches, including one by Zella Jones of the NoHo Neighborhood Association, who told the committee "I beg you to pass a resolution tonight" and to move this issue forward --these entreaties were rejected.

According to Derr, the issue will now go to a joint Zoning and Institutions Committee meeting -- with Bob Rinaolo as the Chairman of Institutions. Those of you who have been following the machinations on Community Board #2 know that as de facto Board Chair, this delay and insistence upon yet another meeting -- has the silver lining for Rinaolo and the power elite on the Board -- of giving them center stage. That's how power plays out on Community Boards. And, that is the only plausible reason for a delay. While the ostensible explanation for a delay is to give a "full hearing" on the matter --it is hollow. Nothing need stop two committees from taking a position on this issue -- to be molded into a resolution at the Full Board. It's not that difficult an issue to either embrace or reject. But there is a reason for this.
Since Community Boards are advisory in nature, influence flows from the ability to hold center stage, with the Klieg lights focused on the star. And, perks flow to that person, in unseen ways. There are business relationships, professional organizations and personal favors to consider. Essentially, that is what currently drives some people to join Community Boards. Often, unfortunately, it is not to serve the community.

The residents, in this "tempest in a teapot" (the resolution being sought by GVSHP is no more than a suggestion that the City and NYU work together on this)-- will just have to take a back seat to the all important "appearances" of power. Residents were not happy at having to wait still longer in line for the show to begin, however, and this is no way to treat voters. Representatives of all of the electeds were in attendance and clearly heard the drum rolls.

If this kind of duplicitous behavior gets you riled up, don't forget to attend the hearing at Luester Hall at the Public Theater on March 2nd. This Public meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. and will be a joint convocation of NoHo,SoHo and East Village/Lower East Side residents, organizations and elected officials. The subjects are land use, SLA reform and traffic issues. The Public Theater is located at 425 Lafayette Street, between 4th Street and Astor Place. Make sure you get there and let your neighbors know that this is where we make politicians aware that we want action. We want reform and local authority to police illegal bars and lounges, we want the ability to cross the street with or without a baby carriage and not be targeted by drivers, and we want responsible planning for current and future land development in our communities.

Quality of Life

Many of you Downtown know what it's like to walk out of your home, and directly into a photo shoot. The film companies clearly have no interest in your quality of life. While they used to donate to the community for the inconvenience, the Mayor has given them carte blanche and only very organized neighborhood associations get the tribute they deserve. Whether you simply want to get a cup of coffee on West Broadway and Broome, or just want to drop your children off at P.S. 3 on Hudson Street -- the tow trucks are already waiting for you so that the film goons can stake out their turf with orange cones and wave you away. The police help them, not residents. Law enforcement is on site to aid and protect the film companies, not to protect citizens from being inconvenienced. If you doubt this, try complaining about not being able to push a baby carriage over the not so carefully arranged electric cables in your way.

Or, try to escape from your building when a klieg light is shining on the couple kissing in your doorway. You are the interloper, not the star with the collagen lips.
Clearly, the film companies are becoming offensive and making themselves an unwelcome nuisance.

Filming day or night has been so prevalent during the past several months, from SoHo to Greenwich Village, that with the number of different crews and films -- it is almost impossible to decide what to do. Normally, you might call the cops, but in this case they're too busy sucking up to the stars.

There isn't anyone who will listen. Including the Mayor. The plaintive cry, when anyone bothers to answer you, is that the City needs the money. Well, the City always needs the money -- and the more it gets, the more it will need. Oh, and just as a reminder, in real life (when not playing Mayor) Bloomberg owns a media company. So, don't expect those illegal billboards to come down either. Commissioner Lancaster's not listening.

The New York City Mayor's Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting issues permits for these crews and is totally unresponsive to inquiries by residents. They never met a filmmaker they don't like. Several years ago, a so-called Hot Spot list existed which indicated that some degree of rationality needed to be used in issuing repetitive permits in the same locations. Now, that's not even given lip service.

The result? Well, let's just say that Law & Order, Special Victims Unit (a title which more accurately labels SoHo residents than their series) has reason think that they own SoHo. In the last month alone, their trucks, cables, crews and goons have overtaken Grand Street, Varick Street, Avenue of the Americas and West Broadway for a combined total of two solid weeks. License plates from one of their passenger cars, parked illegally if it weren't for the special location scout parking permit, was registered down South. After five years of shooting in the same location on Grand Street, a location scout "trying" to work SoHo is about as necessary as lipstick on a pig. Lunch in SoHo, with free parking, is more likely. Law & Order already owns SoHo. And, they've given the community nothing -- except aggravation.

Jay Schwimmer, known as SoHo's Mayor, a coop owner and building owner, spoke with us recently and told us of the problems he has experienced during the recent Ben Stiller film being shot on West Broadway. He explained a requirement that film companies never observe without being asked to provide it. The fact is that they are required to have proof of Workman's Compensation and Liability coverage -- proof of coverage for shooting in front of or on sidewalks at local businesses and residences. The obvious rationale is that if anyone gets hurt from work being done during the film shoot, the first to be sued is usually the building and/or business owner in front of whose establishment they are working.

As if this week's filming did not cause enough commotion and annoyance for residents to cope with, there was another crew congregating at 15 Watts Street at the same time. This is the site of Lola, the cabaret styled restaurant/bar that even the nightlife controlled Community Board #2 managed to turn down (before they bought the election from Virginia Fields and consolidated power). Residents, having spent well in excess of $20,000 to fight the SLA's approval of a license that the Community Board denied, have since been treated to an unending campaign by the Lola applicants. After repeated attempts to educate the Board that SoHo has been besieged with bars, booze, noise and crippling traffic jams, activists were additionally treated to orchestrated attacks that SoHo residents were guilty of racial discrimination for not wanting yet another bar. (One of the applicants is black). Where's Johnny Cochrane when you need him?

In other words, folks, if we can't get a license one way, we'll get it another.

Now Lola has decided to wage a media war while their application for a Beer & Wine license is being weighed -- no doubt as a flying wedge -- to force residents to accept their establishment. This effort is aided by the new-found spirituality (as in 50 proof) at Community Board #2. As they helped Besito with the murmurs of discrimination, they are not beneath working for Lola surreptitiously.

So, get ready for LoLa, the movie.

If the electeds or SLA or the courts cave in to this form of financial and psychological bludgeoning and racial blackmail, we had better start lining up some new political talent Downtown. Because it's time to stop the bullshit!

And, Besito, which had a lot to do with the Maria Derr/Nightlife crew election -- is rumored to now have new owners, related to the applicants AND the Naked Lunch crowd a block away on Grand and Thompson Streets. Inquiries into the possibility of adding a little night music have been reported (as in nightclub and lounge) and are being quietly floated by the new management, to augment their restaurant income. Running a Latino-styled restaurant (which the original applicant professed to be his life's dream) may not have been the real game after all. Lots of new people have been wending in and out every day during this rumored changeover in operation. And, they weren't there for quickie empanadas. There is no confirmation on this yet, but it bears watching, amigos. The functional political split on Community Board #2 was focused on this SoHo joint and the ethnic/race card was also used here to get them their license.


Speaking of Quality of Life issues, Zella Jones of the NoHo Neighborhood Association has been working hard on planning a genuine Town Hall meeting -- on March 2nd. Several of the electeds, including Deborah Glick, Tom Duane, Alan Gerson, Rosie Mendez and Scott Stringer, will be discussing Traffic, Land Use and State Liquor Authority Reform. Don't miss it if you give a damn.
We expect SoHo Alliance members and residents to attend, as well as many activists from NoHo.

The event will be held at Luester Hall at 425 Lafayette Street at 7 p.m., between East 4th Street and Astor Place at the Public Theater. For those of you interested in learning more about what is being done, or contemplated -- or to find out what level of activity your political representatives are exhibiting (actions not words), show up and speak your mind. This is a public meeting.

Pay attention to the level of solicitousness aimed at any nightlife representatives present, if they appear. Community Board #2 and Board #3 are already controlled by nightlife money.

Watch how the politicians deal with nightlife representatives. As Joe Montegna said in the House of Games, watch for "the Tell."


The new Community Board applications have gone out. All of those people, who are members of the Boards and are planning to "re-up" in April when their terms end, must fill out a new "Scott Stringer" form.

Basically, it is expected that everyone will be assessed on an equal footing.
In other words, experience and interest in the community will come first this time around. One should not automatically expect to be appointed (or reappointed) if one's only asset is a bar/lounge/nightclub/restaurant. Clearly, a break from the Virginia Fields tradition of only appointing bar owners who vote with liquor license buddies, is anticipated.

Hopefully, Mr. Stringer, a well-liked and widely admired politician will enable those on the Boards to see the light -- whether that be the bright white light of the Sunlight laws or, for some undeserving Board members, the inevitable light of an oncoming train.

For those of you who have not been following the saga of the Hudson River Park's development, the arcane game of three dimensional chess has finally paid off for residents of Greenwich Village, Hudson Square and SoHo. With virtually no parks for the children in lower Manhattan, the HRPT development has been watched with a keen and jealous eye.

The Friends of Hudson River Park recently succeeded at settling with the Department of Sanitation over the messy situation at Gansevoort Pier. For years, there have been negotiations, promises, plans -- and recently a new building erected -- on a pier that has become an eyesore for those wishing to see the Park completed. Completely aesthetically, that is.

The Friends, under the guidance of Al Butzel, a cagey, and smart lawyer who small talks longingly about his unfinished novel in quiet tones -- sued Sanitation and brought them to the table. The deal that was cut, at the insistence of the Court, leveled the playing field.

Although Kate Ascher of the Economic Development Corporation has been pushing the Mayor's plan for a recycling plant at this Gansevoort site -- all the while dangling an unspecified sum of money for its acceptance by the community -- the deal the City has been offering was always contingent upon the building of a Recycling and Transfer station. With that would come the rumbling of garbage trucks (both public and private) more streets clogged with pollution and traffic, noise day and night, and the concomitant smell from putrescent waste. Not to mention a lot of unhappy residents. The Community Board hearings held on this plan were not happy ones.

Butzel's deal, courtesy of the Courts, gets Sanitation off of the pier at Gansevoort within 5 years and collects about $14 million from DOS to develop it as a Park. The trucks move off and a park gets built. No deal for a Transfer station. No trucks. No traffic increase. No smell. And, we get a park. Nice going Al.
How can we learn to play chess like you?

Let the SunShine In

City government and especially Community Boards need as many sunny dispositions as possible, given the nature of politics. More to the point, the law requires that "sunlight" rules apply to the many details that are reviewed in these elemental bodies of Democracy.

While numerous matters seem to escape general scrutiny, it is hoped that the new administration in the Borough President's office will insist upon complete openness.

A recent application, for example, by the Village Nursing Home for necessary variances needed to build a new facility on West Houston Street -- a much needed community facility -- came before Community Board #2 on several occasions. It's repeated presentation involved much discussion among Committee and Board members, and there were a number of outreach consultations with the community. The process was handled well.

But, at no meeting that was held on this matter, was there mention of the fact that the multi-million dollar parcel in contract for this facility was owned by a Community Board #2 member. While there have been no unseemly questions about the transaction or the review process at the Board -- the fact that this item of information was not divulged publicly during the many hearings in this lengthy process -- creates questions about openness. In fact, some Board members did not, and still do not know, that such a relationship exists.

Recusing one's vote during the vote on an application in which a Board member has a financial interest is not always enough. A simple statement by any Board member prior to discussions and voting -- indicating to the Public and the Board that such a relationship exists -- should be required. Financial interest is one thing, the ability to exercise influence during the application process, is another.

Whether it be a multi-million dollar real estate transaction or a liquor license application -- there should be complete openness and transparency. Speaking up prior to discussions has a clarifying effect upon all involved. This protects the Board member involved and protects the community from the potential for indirect pressure tactics that may be illegal or unethical.

We hope Mr. Stringer, our new Borough President will review this as part of his reform of the Community Boards.

Speaking of Borough Presidents, we have learned that in an effort to stack Community Board #2 with bar owners, a predilection of C. Virginia Fields -- and part of the deal to pay back the Nightlife crew among her supporters and fundraisers -- several of the Borough President appointments to the Board were made as a lame duck. The most recent of these appointments were vetted by Fields' people for their pro-liquor license attitudes. And, you can take that to the bank.

Fields had blocked appointments by Christine Quinn (Tobi Bergman and Jo Hamilton) as well as Margarita Lopez, and held back new appointments during the election -- in an effort to swing the election of Maria Derr for Chair of that Board. Usually, in a transition period, a number of appointments are left for the incoming administration. This is considered to be a matter of professional graciousness and courtesy. Not here.

Fields appointed bar owners til the bitter end -- in a continuing payback for all of those who filled campaign coffers. To Hell with the community.

It is highly unusual for an elected official to so openly play politics with appointments to Community Boards because the power of the Boards is not particularly great -- the Boards are advisory in nature. The Borough President is not supposed to directly try to affect the outcome of any election -- since it is a Community body, not an extension of some group's little Business operation.

But, that's another story.

The application for 311 West Broadway, a new SoHo development which was approved at the Community Board level, will be a 9 story condo project located between Canal and Grand Streets on West Broadway. One of the reasons why this application is important is the fact that currently a 206 space parking lot exists on the site of the development. As has been discussed before in the SoHo Journal, the 74-712 Special text amendment, was specifically enacted to deal with development of the remaining 14 vacant lots in SoHo and NoHo. Unfortunately, while this regulation does deal with the issue of eating and drinking establishments (which have often turned into nightclubs in SoHo), it does not address the severe lack of parking arising out of the disappearance of these lots due to development. However, this particular project does provide for the return of a good portion of the parking that is being eliminated by the two new separate and distinct buildings -- one facing on West Broadway and the other facing Wooster Street. Between the buildings will be a planned open space and below grade there will be a 150 space public parking garage.

Two issues about this development are still unresolved. First, residents of the neighboring building which is a coop, are very concerned with the structural integrity of their homes during and after construction. Since the water level is only 14 feet below grade in this, the lowest spot in Manhattan, the 12 feet deep below grade construction for the foundation and parking facility -- is a troubling issue for the coop owners. Former Board member Tobi Bergman is dealing with just such a problem right now on Watts Street, due to the construction of a 17 story, "as of right" hotel next to him. One of the walls of his building appears to be suffering from partial collapse.
One of the reasons for the fairly speedy approval of the West Broadway project was the impressive array of professionals that were gathered by the owner Albert Laboz, in presenting this proposal through attorney Howard Zipser. If the owner and his consultants negotiate in good faith and do as they say they will do in protecting the integrity of the adjoining building -- it will be a benefit to SoHo.

The second issue involves the lounge, 323 as it is called, located on the parcel being developed. While the 74-712 Special Permit application does not allow eating or drinking establishments, the existing free-standing building (which will remain) that is part of the lot which is the subject of the the application -- has, and will continue to have, the lounge. At the Zoning Committee hearing where the variance for the building was being discussed, several residents complained about loud music emanating from 323 -- but unfortunately they did not bring up this problem during the committee discussions with the developer.
Howard Zipser, the applicant's attorney, and Sean Sweeney of the SoHo Alliance have stated that Laboz is a "good guy" and Zipser tells us that he will be responsive to the community on this issue.


Jim McManus of the powerful McManus Midtown Democratic Club has indicated that he has become interested in the candidacy of Tom Suozzi, the Nassau County Executive who has initiated the "Fix Albany" campaign. The chinks in Eliot Spitzer's teflon armor have developed partly as a result of Republican disinformation, but is also due to the perception by some Democrats that Spitzer is a little too squeaky-clean. Translated: a little too cranky or dismissive with those who disagree with him. The fact that McManus is friendly with the Attorney General, yet sees a more congenial talent in the attractive Mr. Suozzi, speaks volumes.

SoHo Politics

One of the most visible and outspoken members of Community Board #2, Melissa Sklarz is now a star. Rumor has it, she is a supporting member of the cast of Transamerica, an Indy film. As the only announced transgender member of Community Board #2, she has been a highly visible champion of sexual-orientation rights on the Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Bisexual Committee. She is reportedly moving to Queens and it is expected that she will be leaving this Board. While there are many who neither understand nor appreciate the problems and concerns of the transgender community, she has been their vocal and unwavering voice. See the film and wish her success.

Apparently Rick Panson, former owner of the Duplex and current partner of Ron Pasquale (both CB2 members) in their new restaurant venture Eat 4 Health, has had "words" with Sean Sweeney of the SoHo Alliance. The continuing flap is about the proposed Beer and Wine license for this new establishment at 76 Wooster Street. The SoHo community is strongly objecting to the possibility that this could ultimately turn into another nightclub/lounge. But, even just a restaurant in this tight mid-block location on a residential street poses problems, according to SoHo neighbors.

SoHo residents boarded a bus this past Wednesday to attend the S.L.A. hearing on 125th street for the Eat 4 Health Beer and Wine license but the applicants didn't show. Instead, two of their lawyers attended and informed everyone that a postponement had previously been requested and that the restaurant owners really wanted to "hear everyone's concerns." Caroline Keating, a SoHo resident and activist, joined the community group at the S.L.A. but called this display simply a brush off. It appeared as though the Commissioners and attorneys for the applicants had played a variation on the good cop, bad cop routine -- at the expense of the community. One of the lawyers claimed to have notified the S.L.A. that the applicants were not going to be able to attend, but the S.L.A. Commissioners apparently did not think it necessary to advise the residents about this inevitable postponement. The S.L.A. heard a few comments and then (surprise, surprise) decided that the only "fair" thing to do would be to postpone the hearing. "Fair" to whom, is the real question. It's doubtful that either the attorneys or Commissioners had spent the previous few weeks arranging for a bus full of people, who have other things to do with their lives, to appear at a hearing -- for one bar application.

This is an example of the contempt exhibited by the S.L.A. towards residents of our community. And, which applicants lawyers (many of whom are friends of Commissioners directly or indirectly), count on in this little chess game.

Seems that the level of hostility this Beer and Wine application has generated, which normally is rubber-stamped by a pro-Bar S.L.A., is rooted in the fact that several nightclub-styled establishments have already been a problem at 76 Wooster Street. The track record is not good. Attorney Barry Mallin is handling the matter for the SoHo Alliance and it seems likely that this application will wind up in court.

Pay attention to the fact that new liquor licenses morph quickly. It is zoning by S.L.A. fiat. What was once Pfiff, a restaurant on Grand Street, for example, is now Copper -- a bar/lounge that is usually closed for private events. The sushi bar and also the former Nameskaar on the corner of West Broadway and Grand Street are closed to SoHo residents as well. But, we have been informed that at least one of them opens late at night and operates as a lounge after hours. So, while we have a couple of dry cleaners, a few deli's, no shoe repair store, not one supermarket, no hardware stores, one pharmacy and NO schools in SoHo -- we have twenty to thirty bars in a two block area. What is wrong with this picture?

Zella Jones, a community leader and activist from the NoHo Neighborhood Association, contacted us and expressed her concern that NoHo seemed to be unfairly treated in their efforts in dealing with bars. NoHo is dealing with another 26 Bond Street application at CB2. She pointed out that in the recent issue of the SoHo Journal, it was suggested that NoHo had less of a problem than SoHo in this regard -- yet has been treated better by the Community Board. In fact, she reported, a bar application which was mentioned in the recent issue had serious safety problems (sprinkler systems) and that there is an ongoing problem with the saturation of bars in their community as well. She also suggested that NoHo and SoHo needs work together to bring this problem out front and center and downtown politicians should be lobbied even more aggressively to get the job done. Zella herself can be reached through her website.

Interestingly, Community Board #3 on the Lower East Side is also dealing with this issue. The "Town Hall Coalition" is a group of individuals for whom the problem has gotten way out of hand. Rob Hollander points out that his Board Chair owns nine bars, all lined up neatly in a row along 1st Avenue, to the detriment of any sensible community planning, at the very least. They are just getting organized. We'll keep you posted on their efforts.

Brad Hoylman, Chair of Community Board #2 Traffic and Transportation Committee has recently been making efforts at community outreach. Among those who are part of the existing power structure at CB2, he has been the most responsive to the needs of parents and SoHo residents. Recently, he made efforts to help parents and caregivers who drop off their children at the few schools near SoHo and who are routinely ticketed by the Traffic Department. His efforts paid off and representatives of D.O.T. joined the dialog. Unfortunately, the effort was hampered at the committee level by lower level representatives of D.O.T. (despite the fact that Commissioner Forgione was personally helpful) who appear to have no interest in finding a way to aid the parents wishing to safely bring their children to school.

Which brings us to the matter of Park space for our children. One of the most exciting developments downtown has been the transformation of the Hudson River Park. The Parks and Waterfront Committee (at Community Board #2) which deals with use of the Hudson River Park is Chaired by Arthur Schwartz. That committee enabled Pier 40 to be completed and there are playing fields for programmed activity and there still is affordable parking after a $5 million dollar infusion for development was allocated. In addition, the Tennis courts are now completed at the foot of Canal Street -- while further plans are in progress.
But, over all, easy access to the park, is not widely available to children. It is not an easy park to get to for little kids. And, they cannot just go whenever they want to play on the fields.

We hear that Arthur Schwartz will not be appointed to the Hudson River Park Trust Board despite the flattering reports which were published in The Villager, and Madeleine Wils, we understand, will not be reappointed to the HRPT Board. There are also unsubstantiated rumors that the Waterfront and Parks Committee may be divorced -- returning to two separate committees -- in the near future.
Since there are three slots for HRPT appointed by the Borough President (and we expect Judy Nadel to be reappointed) there are only two to be named by Scott Stringer. The two names being bandied about are Florent and Goldberg.

One of the most eligible candidates, and one whom we know is concerned with children and parents (he is a parent), is Larry Goldberg. He is former Chair of the Advisory to the Hudson River Park Trust and former member of the Waterfront Committee. His position, among others, is that parents of young children are not represented on Community Board #2 and that their voices are not heard on a number of issues that affect the community -- including the under-utilized resources at the Hudson River Park. Programmed space is fine, but open access and use of the Park is practically non-existent.

Now that downtown has addressed the myriad issues of special interest groups, minorities, and those who have previously been discriminated against in our society -- it is time to bring the hard-working, tax-paying, child-rearing residents -- who vote -- back into the mainstream of downtown politics. We need parents with young children brought back into the downtown political process and that is a mission that has NOT been accomplished. Our politicians needs to pay attention to this.

In last week's political commentary there were comments about the NSA wiretaps of private citizens. This week many of you have learned about the subpoenas issued to Google by Attorney General Gonzales, ostensibly to gain information that would lead to prosecutions for child pornography. Each week, it seems, there are new attempts by the Bush White House to chisel away at our privacy rights.

Deborah Glick in association with Richard Brodsky has crafted legislation to protect our personal information at the State level. This Personal Privacy Amendment to the State Constitution is an attempt to protect our communications and personal information to keep it out of the governments hands. As Brodsky and Glick point out in their release, "The Bush Administration has whittled away at personal privacy rights, through the increasing power of the unitary executive -- the theory that the executive may exercise unlimited power."
We applaud this action by Assemblymembers Glick and Brodsky as a early response to the packing of the Supreme Court with Conservatives who view the Presidency in Imperial terms.

National and SoHo Perspectives January 13, 2006

Many of you are old enough to remember the Kennedy and Nixon years. Jack Anderson was alive and well and was a good follow-up act to Drew Pearson who seemed offer almost daily revelations about how the government had abused its powers in spying on protest groups or political rivals. Watergate was just one example. J. Edgar Hoover had obviously been busy prancing around in drag at home with his boyfriend, but back at the office everyone worth knowing had a file. Abby Hoffman, Martin Luther King, even Elvis had a personal dossier and was being overheard or watched. Hoffman was pursued, King was compromised about his affairs and eventually murdered, and Elvis got a special badge from Nixon. He even flew in to Washington one night to personally pick it up.
The latest revelation that the NSA has been tapping phone lines involving international calls originating in suspect countries like Afghanistan and being received in this country, is a tempest in a teapot. There are Civil Libertarians and there are pragmatists. Even ignoring the fact that we are engaged in a war, of nerves if not terror, who among us does not expect that we might want to know if someone calling from Afghanistan has something up their sleeve that could be interesting or dangerous. It's not a bizarre possibility. The fact hat someone who was up to no good would make a phone call to America with compromising information is actually a good sign. It attests to their stupidity.
With a secret court to approve wiretaps, how would we know if or when a request to tap our phones had even been requested? Even if Bush or his managers approved a wiretap, how would we know? It's like Alice through the looking glass trying to figure out if she can see everything. No way to know. Or, for the most part, why would we even want to know? Why would we care?

What we all really do know is this. Anyone who expects to be completely private in conversations on the phone, e-mails on the computer, or correspondence that is mailed, faxed or handed out to others -- is either doing drugs or needs psychiatric attention. Phone calls made on a cell phone or telephones (as most of us use) that operate off of a wireless base, are excluded from laws requiring wire taps anyway. Devices which operate on "radio frequencies" can be recovered with electronics without any court approval. E-mails as most of know are basically "out there" and can be retrieved in a number of ways, not to mention a simple subpoena issued to the service provider. Practically nothing you do on a computer is ever really private, even without a hacker working to get at you for personal information. The NSA scans billions of bits of data daily through various means to scan for words or particles of words that indicate the need for review.

Which brings us to this conclusion. The Democrats in Congress, including some Republicans like Arlen specter, are miffed about this for another reason. When Nixon and other former Presidents were operating like cowboys in conjunction with their friends at various Intelligence agencies, their prime targets then were not terrorists. And, the fear is that that fact is still true. The real targets that were most worrisome were political adversaries. The complaints by fringe groups, Yippies, black Panthers, Gray Panthers, SNCC and other protest groups that they were being wire-tapped and surveilled were routinely denied by government spokesman -- and most Americans believed the government. As it turned out, they clearly were being watched (as they should have been), but along with the dissidents who were capable of planting bombs and kidnapping people were political rivals and activists working within the system.

The concern is that there could be the possibility that a Democratic opponent (or a Republican dissident) to the existing party in control could qualify for wiretaps under the laws covering terrorism. It would seem much less likely, if the rules governing terrorism wiretaps were properly observed, that even a secret court would approve tapping, say, Hillary Clinton's phone. The possibility that protection against cowboy decisions made by underlings who provide the President with deniability is what upsets members of Congress. And, that is why it is important to find out whether the powers that be are allowing themselves (or their underlings) to go astray in their ability to listen in on everything we have to say.


The ceremony for swearing in Scott Stringer as Borough President was quite an affair. Held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art this past week, there was an overwhelming turnout at the Temple of Dendur. You can access his speech and some photos of the event. The importance of Stringer's election cannot be overemphasized when you consider the horrendous shape that a few of the Community Boards are in currently.

C. Virginia Fields, Stringer's predecessor, managed to interfere with in several of the previous Community Board elections and in her zealousness and in Community Board #2 managed to appoint bar owners as a reward for substantial campaign donations. She worked hard for the nightlife people right up to the bitter end. Even as a lame duck Borough President, another bar owner friend of the current Chair of Community Board #2 Maria Derr, was recently appointed to the Board. The plan of the nightlife people, which has come to fruition, has been to stack the Board with Bar/Restaurant owners and/or their sympathizers, many of whom are also members of the Chamber of Commerce --in an effort to thwart the will of community activists and residents concerned about quality of life issues. Despite the obvious conflict of interest which exists in several committees on Board #2, not the least of which is the Business Committee, the effort is well underway to relegate true Community-oriented members of the Board to ineffectiveness, without a voice or the ability to vote its interests.
Former Board members like Jo Hamilton, Honi Klein, Tobi Bergman and Ann Arlen have been discarded in favor of bar owners. Quality of life issues are clearly in danger. Community-oriented members of the Boards are in jeopardy. And, the interests of parents with young children are essentially relegated to obscurity. The fact that most parents with young children cannot attend evening meetings of the Community Boards is a glaring issue that has never been addressed. And, that includes many of the elected officials that represent Downtown. The exceptions to this are Alan Gerson, Jerry Nadler, Deborah Glick and Martin Connor. These political representatives have been especially considerate of the full spectrum of their constituency and highly receptive to community-oriented activists.


For those of you community activists on the Downtown political stage, be aware of the fact that the most recent method used in attempting to discredit criticism (especially if you are instrumental in thwarting unwanted businesses, developments or conflicts of interest) is to use the D word against your views -- Discrimination. All of you should be aware that when in doubt, the current political ploy has been to make accusations against political adversaries or opponents by attacking motivation based upon theories of equality. One becomes Un-PC. It's not that noisy bar you are against, it's the person running it that you are against. (This attack was used against activists/residents recently in the case of Besito at 357 West Broadway and Lola on Watts Street).
Criticism leveled against those who speak their mind based upon Sexual-orientation is so basically over as a serious issue Downtown (many Downtown politicians are openly Gay) that it hardly qualifies as a source of legitimate discrimination complaints any more. They persist, but only half-heartedly.
But gender, ethnicity, religion, race, age, nationality, or even hair color -- is currently being rummaged up out of the grab bag of complaints, however, in an effort to discredit Community activists and deflect them from the truth about what is said. This has become the new Nightlife policy and agenda and it has infected Community Board #2. Be aware of this last chance, last round-up type of attempt to discredit your voice.
Don't buy it and don't back off from a thinly disguised attempt to extort political advantage from this vengeful anger at not having complete control over your actions or words. Silence is not golden.

Councilmember Alan Gerson has reached out to us and asked that we make Downtown aware of his artistic commitment to the rebuilding effort at the World Trade Center site. Partly in response to an op-ed piece appearing in the Daily News seeking to argue for removal of the cultural prong to the World Trade Center site planning, his office has prepared a Cultural Imperative which can be found on the SoHo Journal website. It states the case that not only a Memorial and commercial development should proceed, but that a cultural component is vital to the regeneration of the Downtown Community. It is certainly essential to move forward on the Artistic element that Alan has championed so forcefully. Be sure to review it and contact his office to support him by contacting Paul Nagle, his influential aide in these matters.(paul.nagle@council.nyc.ny.us)

Finally, contrary to reports in The Villager, there are a number of candidates being considered for appointment to the Hudson River Park Trust that were not discussed several weeks ago in one of their articles. While Arthur Schwartz, attorney and Chair of the Community Board #2 Parks and Waterfront Committee, was mentioned as a candidate for this position which is appointed by the Borough President -- Scott Stringer's office seemed to be unaware of the fact that he was being considered.
In fact, we have learned that a number of key political insiders believe that Julie Nadel is front and center for reappointment and are hoping that one of the two additional slots may go to attorney/activist Larry Goldberg. The other may go to a yet undisclosed candidate. Madelaine Wils doe not appear to be up for reappointment.
Goldberg, of course, has experience as the Chair of the HRPT Advisory, is a member of Community Board #2, and is a driving force behind the Friends of LaGuardia. He is very knowledgeable regarding waterfront issues and has a good relationship with the Trust Board and executives. He's also a terrific lawyer and has helped SoHo regain some of the Bob Bolles sculpture due to his influential relationships with City agencies. We hope Larry gets the nod.

For those of you who follow the development of the Hudson River Park, you will be happy to know that the AIDS Monument committee has finally completed its design. Any of you who are interested in their work for a permanent symbol of those who died from that disease, you can contact them at: www.AIDSMonumentCommittee.com

SoHo Perspectives

The air is thick with intrigue in SoHo politics. As former Borough President Virginia Fields' legacy is evaluated, the vote is still out who or what will be left standing on the Community Board battleground. What is clear is that the damage done by the Nightlife crew in supporting Maria Derr as Chair of the Board, utilizing the skills and power wielded by Fields in ensuring her election, will be felt for some time to come.

Aside from marginalizing SoHo as a financial, social and political entity among the mostly Greenwich Village members on the Board (90%), the more concerning split is between Nightlife Business members and The Community -- and, which is, or should be, more empowered. Right now, with the support of Chamber of Commerce members and Bar/Restaurant owners calling all of the shots, residents of the Board #2's communities take a back seat in quality of life issues. So, it's booze first and Quality of Life last.

Former members of the Board like Honi Klein and Anne Arlen, controversial people in their own right -- as well as Greenwich Village residents, were emphatically concerned with the Community FIRST. Klein, in fact, is the Executive Director of the Village Alliance, which is not exactly anti-Business. But, she has her priorities straight. People like Klein and Arlen are off the Board because they were controversial and outspoken and belong back on. Ditto for former activist members like Tobi Bergman and Jo Hamilton whose appointments were blocked by Fields in her all out effort to help elect Derr as Chair of Community Board #2.

A recent example of this Nightlife v. Community conflict has been the recent Lola application. As we have reported previously, this was a controversial liquor license. With all of the twists and turns, the bottom line is that the community (SoHo in this case) had to lay out a tremendous amount of money and put great physical effort into thwarting what was going to be the next best thing to a nightclub -- a restaurant/bar/cabaret. Residents were offered fixed-pane windows to shield their coop bedrooms from the noise of an outside bar which would have been open until 4 a.m. Every trick in the book was used to push this through -- including gratuitous claims of discrimination -- which has become a favorite tool of the nightlife crowd when it is clear that the Community is against it. Roscio Sanz, a wealthy Latino member of Community Board #2, with several bars under her and her family's belt, has used that same card numerous times to help push through Besito Restaurant in SoHo. A more Progressive community would be hard to find, but if all else fails, Discrimination accusations is a fall-back ploy that has worked.

While the Community Board did deny Lola a liquor license, it took a great deal of effort to overcome the wishes of those Nightlife members on the Board who now control it.

Many are hopeful that Scott Stringer, the new Borough President, will do what is necessary to reconfigure Community Board #2 so that it is truly representative of the Community and will hopefully bring back some of the members that need, not just deserve, to be back on Board #2.

So far, Stringer has enunciated the correct position: That everyone will be considered and re-considered and will be properly evaluated. He is mindful of the fact, as well as appearance, of Conflict of Interest.

While we like Melinda Katz who has been a friend of SoHo and hope that she takes a strong position in the new City Council, we wish Christine Quinn best wishes in ascending to her new role as Speaker. She is a strong personality and knows Downtown issues. Her long time alliance with Senator Tom Duane and her familiarity with our problems -- pollution due to the Verrazano Bridge toll reversal, unpatrolled traffic crosswalks, illegal billboards, oversaturation of liquor licenses -- just to name a few -- is a good basis for knowing the job that faces her. Her tough attitude could be a plus for SoHo, Hudson Square and Downtown in general in getting a better deal in this City, if she wishes to help us. By the big hug she gave David Gruber of the Carmine Street Neighborhood Association, it appears that the Village will do well during her tenure. Perhaps she will help David and his people get the signage removed at Abatino Pizza which is driving the natives crazy. They should live in SoHo if signs make them nuts -- our area is festooned with illegal and just plain obnoxious billboards 30 or 40 feet high, lit up 24 hours a day and shining into people's apartments -- courtesy of VanWagner Communications or ClearChannel. No City official seems to have had the ability or will to do anything about it. Now those video screens are popping up on our subway entrances as well. Does the name Bloomberg sound familiar with regard to media?

That the Mayor has not shown any interest in SoHo and the proliferation of illegal billboards and repeated invasions of film crews on our streets in what is supposed to be a "Hot Zone" demeans the quality of life of our residents. His Commissioner of Buildings, Lancaster, has all but cut off any discourse with the community and no action has been taken against these offensive eyesores. Not one sign has come down in SoHo, despite the years of complaints and press coverage. The owner of 366 West Broadway/505 Broome Street complained one day that if he gave up the $15,000 monthly lease for each of two signs, he would have trouble paying for his child's schooling. So, fuck the community.

Let's hope Chris Quinn remembers the community.

Keep your eyes on the support of Assembly Member Deborah Glick for re-election. Tougher than Christine Quinn when she disagrees with you, she is clearly a Community supporter. In fact, she has been criticized by the Nightlife people for being anti-bar (which she is not). The bottom line is that she is not afraid to take on monied interests in supporting the residents rather than large contribution organizations. She is independent and tough. To contact "Friends of Deborah Glick" regarding contributions to her campaign, call 212-684-3191.

The powerful Greenwich Village Society for Historical Preservation has finally weighed in on SoHo developments -- and this is an important development for those who are wary of multi-level condominium projects that threaten to destroy the character of our community. Andrew Berman, one Downtown's political assets, appeared recently at a demonstration to emphasize the importance of protecting our historical architectural heritage. As he "manned the barricades" at the Tunnel Garage on Thompson and Broome Street with other demonstrators carrying placards, he gave new life and meaning to efforts by activists in the SoHo community. We hope this is a portent of new activism to come.

Finally, Carlos Manzano, president of the McManus Midtown Democratic Club and former candidate for Borough President advises us that he is gearing up for his next political move and has moved his constituent office to 321 West 44th Street (2nd floor). During the period in which he assess his next candidacy for office, he let us know that he has taken on some additional assignments. He is now member of the Board of Directors of En Foco, a non-profit organization dedicated to photography representative of African, Asian, Latino, and Native American artist. The website is www.enfoco.org. He also informed us that he is now associated with ARDOR Realty, a company that handles rental, co-op and condo sales, and commercial leasing. So that if any of you want any help with your real estate needs, Carlos would be delighted to help you find what you need. His e-mail address at the company is cmanzano@ardorny.com, or by phone, at (917)751-0186.