When Mayor Bloomberg released his Fiscal 2008 budget last month, the Landmarks Preservation Commission received a $100,000 increase over 2007′s number of $4.2 million; in addition, the agency picked up two more staff positions, bringing the number to 57. While this move was in the right direction, the Citizens Emergency Committee to Preserve Preservation argues that it’s not enough. Since 1991, the LPC has lost almost 20 percent of its buying power in real dollar terms and a similar percentage of its staff. Given that the commission is now trying to make up for years of its arguably overly Manhattan-centric focus by addressing critical portions of the outer boroughs, one would think it would need more than a couple more staff members.
Mayor Bloomberg’s Landmarks Budget [Save LPC]
Photo of Brooklyn Fire Department on Jay Street by Frank Lynch