Friday, August 10, 2007

Avella in the Brooklyn Rail

In recent years, Avella, along with Tish James and Charles Barron, has been one of the few City Council members to speak out against over-development. Among other issues, Avella has challenged the Bloomberg administration on the closing of firehouses, the developer-friendly rezoning of areas including Williamsburg-Greenpoint, and the proposed use of eminent domain to benefit private development in many areas of the city. In mid-June, Rail editor Theodore Hamm sat down with Avella at City Hall Park.

A Ground-Level View of the City

"I don’t understand why we can’t be a city that takes care of its own citizens and listens. I think that’s one of the faults that government has. We don’t listen. We tell people what we think is in their best interest. That’s the reverse of what it should be. We should be listening to city residents and doing what they want."

Photo from The Brooklyn Rail

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Compare this guy with the one pictured below. Enough said.

Anonymous said...

He's got my vote.

Anonymous said...

So now this blog is supportive of Charles Barron - this says volumes. Avella lost my vote with his stance on the Sonny Carson street naming issue, and the fact that people here are in favor of him and Barron is sad.

Queens Crapper said...

This blog is not supportive of Charles Barron. Get your head out of your ass and read the article.

Anonymous said...

I'd rather have Charles Barron than Pinky.

Anonymous said...

Who cares about stupid street renamings? I don't think the city should allow any, to be honest with you. Dumb things like that detract from the real issues, like overdevelopment.

Anonymous said...

So why did this 'hero' vote for the Queens public waterfront grab by private investors?

Or is it that people in western Queens are just not important and can be given bull crap while everyone stands around keeping quiet: better everything gets dumped in your neighborhood than mine.

Didn't work for Sunnyside Gardens.

Anonymous said...

My, my, my.....
somebody out there really dislikes Avella
for speaking out against all that rampant
out of context, out of control, over development that's been going on all over the place.

Realistically reigning in over development,
obviously, threatens to place a dam
across the swiftly running river of money
that flows so freely from developers' bank accounts into politicians' pockets!

Now....
who might Avella's strident maligning critics be:

#1. The NYC real estate/building industry?

#2. A future mayoral contender ?

#3. C.M. Gallagher's bitter camp ?
(Strike that last one...
they're too busy right now with rape
indictment defenses).

#4. Any other who likes the status quo?

Every time a former city council speaker i.e.
(Gifford Miller) dishes out spiteful punishment
like rescinding Avella's city parking privileges,
or an adversary pushes DOB into harassing
Tony with an idiotic unfounded
swimming pool violation......
Avella GAINS SUPPORT.

If all of you keep on bucking Avella's
governmental reform measures and persist in advocating for up-zoning which ruins
the quality of life surrounding our largest investments...... our homes.....you're the ones who will ultimately pay for this come election time.

If you're not part of the solution ,
you're (certainly) part of the problem!

Anonymous said...

Wasn't Charles Barron a member of the Pink Panthers?

Anonymous said...

You have a picture of Barron on the site, and you highlight a statement from the article that says Barron is one of the few City Council members to speak out against overdevelopment. If you don't think that appears supportive, you should check where your head is.
Also, the blog critics here should realize that when someone posts a message disagreeing with their position, it likely is coming from one of the majority of Queens residents that are not anti-development and not from some crazy vast conspiracy. I think some of the bloggers here watch too much television.

Anonymous said...

The article is about Avella, not Barron. You are the one who needs to pull your head out of your ass.

Anonymous said...

Crapper - I may post comments here that disagree with your positions or express different opinions, but I never use crude language or express any personal insults or derogatory statements against another poster. While I don't expect the same level of decency from everyone who posts here (and I never lower myself to respond to those who can't discuss issues in a civil, intelligent way), I would expect that the person running this site can maintain a higher standard.

Queens Crapper said...

My apolgies. Change that to "Perhaps you should seek medical attention and get yourself a cranialrectomy."

Anonymous said...

Apology accepted. I'll call my physician next week . . .

Anonymous said...

You still haven't answered the question. Why are you still sitting in your apartment trumpeting your rhetoric? Is there something preventing you from buying and moving to an area that you like?

Answer the question.

Anonymous said...

Contrary to the comments about QC supporting Barron (unfounded, naturally), I reexamine Barron and realize that he actually represents his constituents - ferociously. Barron doesn't care if we agree or disagree with his positions. He single-mindedly represents and cares about his district.

We had nothing to do with electing him, and will have nothing to do with retaining him, so, in his mind, we don't matter.

Contrast that with our stumblebum, drunken, girly-boy, lying, cheating, treasonous "representative". (Remember that his staunchest supporters do believe that he represents them - and, they're probably right!)

Tony Avella represents his constituents tirelessly and honestly. He actually cares about what becomes of his community. It doesn't matter if we agree or disagree with any particulars of his representation; we are not his constituents. Honest representation requires him to first serve the "ones who brung him".

I believe - without representing anyone but me - that as Mayor, we New Yorkers will have tireless, honest representation in the person of Tony Avella.

We already know what dishonest non-representation is like. We should look to try an honest candidate!

Anonymous said...

Anthony Weiner may be running for mayor too. Having grown up in Queens he may have the interests of the borough in mind if he gets elected. If nothing else he cracks good jokes so I'll probably wind up voting for him...or Avella?

Anonymous said...

Anthony Weiner might have the interests of the borough in mind? Like implementing Cross Harbor, so that thousands of Queens residents would breathe in more toxic truck fumes?