Bloomberg Opines on Atantic Yards, Coney Island
Mayor Bloomberg spoke with reporters from the Community Newspaper Group, the parent company of The Brooklyn Paper, on Monday as part of his campaign tour, where they discussed everything from overzealous ticketing agents to Atlantic Yards. Concerning the latter, he hopes that developer Forest City Ratner can use the Frank Gehry designs for the arena…
Mayor Bloomberg spoke with reporters from the Community Newspaper Group, the parent company of The Brooklyn Paper, on Monday as part of his campaign tour, where they discussed everything from overzealous ticketing agents to Atlantic Yards. Concerning the latter, he hopes that developer Forest City Ratner can use the Frank Gehry designs for the arena and skyscrapers, as originally planned but later abandoned due to cost. It would make the arena—and Brooklyn—even more of an international draw, he reasoned: “Simon and Garfunkel on their tour would go to Brooklyn in a second before they go to Madison Square Garden. They’re New Yorkers.” (Has MSG been airlifted out of NYC recently?) Concerning the epic legal battles and financial concerns behind the massive development, the mayor sided with Ratner. “One of the great sins here is this small group of people stalled it so long [that] the economy is different,” he said. (AY Report disputes this view here.) Also of note, Mayor Bloomberg touched upon another hot-button development topic, Coney Island. Last month, City Council approved his plan for a new amusement park, hotels, theaters, a water park, and apartments. The last step is to purchase all or some of the land owned by developer Joe Sitt of Thor Equities. “Fundamentally, the deal with him is done,” the mayor said. He also insisted that Sitt will not develop the land himself, ominously adding that “He needs sewers; he needs water; he needs streets … If the city doesn’t want to cooperate, [Sitt’s] going to spend a lot of time with a lot of money tied up.”
Bloomy Still Wants Gehry—and Other Tidbits [Brooklyn Paper]
Bloomberg Blames AY Opponents for Loss of Gehry [AY Report]
Photo by David Shankbone, Wikimedia Commons
Let’s just say I disagree w/you, fsrg.
However, I don’t “hate” Bloomberg because he’s rich. I don’t “hate” him at all (I don’t even know him). I don’t begrudge the fact that he’s rich. I’m certainly not wealthy, but I do make a lot more than the average NYer, and as many posters here can tell you, I’m definitelty not against making money.
I just think his wealth has put him out of touch with common NYers.
There are many wealthy people (I work for and with several) who I believe has nothing like the elitist attitude Bloomberg evinces, which has manifested itself in the fiasco Sparafucile describes above.
“Koch? Huh? MTA service is better, I was here in the 80s and it was a nightmare.”
Yeah, I was here, too. I’ve been here since 1963. Koch dealt with fiscal metldown and a subway strike. He also made an effort to show sympathy and connect with everyday Nyers. Yes, the subway has improved in terms of cleanliness and safety, but there’s no 2nd Avenue subway, the system is more crowded and prone to delays than it was back in the 1980s and there is worse to come.
“ConEd is a public company, can’t blame Bloomberg for the blackouts.”
Agreed, Bloomberg isn’t in charge of Con Ed. But he has DEFENDED Con Ed as it provides extremely poor service to Nyers and actually creates life-threatening situations through negligence and incompetence. I have a problem w/that. It’s the mayor’s responsibility to call Con Ed out and demand improvement, not talk about what a tough job they have.
“Our biggest issue is the swamp of Albany.”
Agreed.
Koch and LaGuardia are two other likely candidates for greatest NY Mayor, and they both had very troubled third terms. There’s a lot to be said for quitting before you burn yourself and your best people out.
I think Bloomberg has done irreperable harm to his legacy by overturning term limits. Before this, he had really changed people’s expectations of how a mayor should conduct himself and how city government could run. If he left at the end of his two term, he would have set a standard that future mayors would be held to.
Now he’s revealed himself as just another careerist hack, along with the council members who were delighted to give themselves another term, public referenda be damned. Never mind that Bloomberg owed his entire career to term limits. If Giuliani could have run for reelection eight weeks after the World Trade Center attack, he would have been reelected with 85 or 90% of the vote, and there never would have been a Mayor Bloomberg.
ENY –
Please explain how Koch was better- Crime was higher (and rising) racial tensions were boiling, the MTA (which has nothing to do with the Mayor anyway but since you brought it up) was in shambles…..
Crime has been RISING across the country during Bloombergs term and it has fallen %wise even more than Guilliani/Bratton – Bratton would have to have been some visionary to make crime fall in NY 10 years After he left – notice his accomplishment in LA werent nearly so dramatic…. The fact that you do not want to give credit for keeping crime low (and then compounding its decline by another 40% or so) tells me you are simply beyond reason.
Con Ed has nothing to do with Mayoral Govt.
Water rates are higher but Bloomberg has managed to keep the Feds at bay and has prevented rates from really skyrocketing if mass treatment becomes necessary.
Test Scores and Graduation rates have ALWAYS (modern times) been how student achievement has been judged….and now that they are improving, critics say – the standards are flawed – it is so dumb – how would you suggest we judge improvements? Further, do you really think that the idiots (like Thompson) who ran the old board of ed didnt WANT to raise test scores ???(thereby giving them credit for improving the schools) or that they didnt TRY to “teach to the test”???? Everyone b4 Bloomberg would have been crowing if they had achieved the results he did – but because he is nominally a republican and rich you want to minimize an accomplishment, that even if you think is meaningless (its not) EVERYONE was trying to achieve in the past. He did it and ended most social promotion.
The smoking ban has probably saved more lives than any action by any mayor before – and btw – he took TONS of crap for it when he put it into place – only seems easy now.
Government isnt involved in peoples lives with the calorie counting – it just gives you information – in this case Govt is involved in the lives of fast food operators
You have no response to his handling of the Flu…good because Bloomberg handled round one terrifically
Bloomberg has implemented more environmentally friendly ideas than any mayor….granted not all
Oh and I forgot about 311 – another system that Bloomberg implemented that is now being copied everywhere.
I get it ENY – he’s rich (#1) and he overturned term limits (a distant #2) – so you hate him – that may be – but not withstanding that – Bloomberg will be remembered as one of the Great Mayors and there isnt a single historian who knows anything about NYC history that will disagree
Koch? Huh? MTA service is better, I was here in the 80s and it was a nightmare. I still think the subway is cheap. ConEd is a public company, can’t blame Bloomberg for the blackouts.
I doubt will get anyone better in the near term in NYC.
Our biggest issue is the swamp of Albany.
“Bloomberg will go down as probably the greatest Mayor in NYC history – bar none.”
LAGUARDIA AND KOCH WERE BETTER, FACED GREATER CHALLENGES AND MADE A POINT OF BEING IN TOUCH WITH EVERYDAY NYERS.
“Crime= Low – real low, amazingly low – almost frighteningly low”
BLOOMBERG ARRIVED AMIDST A NATIONAL DECLINE IN STREET CRIME. HE ALSO BENEFITTED FROM IMPROVEMENTS MADE PRIMARILY UNDER VISIONARY NYC POLICE CHIEF WILLIAM BRATTON. BLOOMBERG CAN’T CLAIM CREDIT HERE.
“Government Services – Garbage, Parks, Water, Fire all as good as ever, if not better.”
MTA/SUBWAY SERVICE IS WORSE THAN EVER, WITH MORE PAIN TO COME. CON ED HAS ELECTROCUTED SEVERAL PEOPLE AND DOGS IN THE PAST THREE YEARS, AND DON’T FORGET THE BLACKOUTS. HIGHER FARES FOR SUBWAY, BUS, TOLLS. WATER RATES FAR HIGHER THAN EVER.
“Schools – improving”
BASED ON STANDARDIZED TEST DATA THAT TESTS SUTDENTS’ ABILITY TO PASS TESTS, NOT TO LEARN. QUESTIONABLE “IMPROVEMENT” AT BEST.
“Health – Smoking Ban (huge hit – copied everywhere);”
I SMOKE – I’M DISQUALIFYING MYSELF.
“Calorie Count (well received – likely will be copied”
TALK ABOUT GOVERNMENT INVOLVED IN PEOPLE’S PRIVATE LIVES….
Flu response – so far great – we’ll see in the fall for round 2 – note his director of Health was just taken by Obama (sounds like a pretty good enforcement to me)
SEE ABOVE
“Environment – hybrid taxis, more green spaces, tried for Congestion Pricing and more”
I’LL GIVE YOU THIS, BUT HE’S BEEN UNABLE TO IMPLEMENT MANY OF THESE IDEAS.
“And I love that you people are looking for “our Corey Booker” – Booker endorces Bloomberg and says “he is the model for everything I do” – a sentiment echoed by the D.C. Mayor as well.”
BOOKER IS MAYOR OF NEWARK. WHO CARES WHAT HE THINKS ABOUT MIKE BLOOMBERG??? AND LET’S NOT FORGET THAT BLOOMBERG GOT THE LAW CHANGED SO HE COULD RUN AGAIN, AFTER DERIDING POLITICIANS WHO EMPLOYED SUCH TACTICS. HE’S AN OUT OF TOUCH ELITIST. ENOUGH ALREADY.
I agree with fsrq. If there’s someone out there who could do a better job, I’d like to hear what his/her name is.
I suspect you all have short memories or are not old enough to rmember the fiscally mismanaged and crime ridden NYC of old.
LOL @ fsrg
The people who are out of touch are YOU….
Bloomberg will go down as probably the greatest Mayor in NYC history – bar none.
Crime= Low – real low, amazingly low – almost frighteningly low
Government Services – Garbage, Parks, Water, Fire all as good as ever, if not better.
After the above (the real function of city Govt is practically optional)BUT
Schools – improving
Health – Smoking Ban (huge hit – copied everywhere); Calorie Count (well received – likely will be copied) ; Flu response – so far great – we’ll see in the fall for round 2 – note his director of Health was just taken by Obama (sounds like a pretty good enforcement to me)
Environment – hybrid taxis, more green spaces, tried for Congestion Pricing and more
And I love that you people are looking for “our Corey Booker” – Booker endorces Bloomberg and says “he is the model for everything I do” – a sentiment echoed by the D.C. Mayor as well.