Kosciuszko Bridge plans moving forward

From the Daily News:

Despite a red light in funding from the governor early this month, the state is moving forward with the much-anticipated project to replace the Kosciuszko Bridge, officials said.

The state Department of Transportation will be forced to make a number of budget cuts after Gov. Paterson deemed its five-year capital program too expensive, but plans to replace the 70-year-old span will not be halted, an agency spokesman said.

The $25.8 billion capital package allocated $403.9 million for the first construction phase of the new Kosciuszko Bridge, with 80% paid for by the feds.

The project, which got the green light from the Federal Highway Administration earlier this year, remains on schedule to begin in fiscal year 2013-14, Levine said.

The feds will put up 80% of the estimated $1.7 billion it will cost to erect the new bridge.

The state DOT held a meeting for stakeholders on Oct. 20 to vote on eight design plans presented by PB Americas Inc.

From that vote, the top three were selected for further development by a team of architects, and the results will be presented at a public open house currently expected to be held in January, Levine said.

In all the design plans, the height of the span is significantly reduced, lessening the incline so as to avoid slowing truck traffic from the on-ramps.

The new Kosciuszko Bridge will also include shoulders and a total of nine traffic lanes - five eastbound and four westbound. The eastbound portion will also have a bikeway and walkway.

Though residential land has been acquired for the project, negotiations are still ongoing for a number of commercial properties and will continue through the end of next year, Levine said.

Against illegal signs

Illegal signs and posters on utility poles, public walls and trees have long been an eyesore in NYC. Many civic organizations’ volunteers have spent countless unpaid hours removing these posters so their neighborhoods can remain neat and clean-looking. A piece of proposed legislation by Speaker Christine Quinn and several other council members would destroy those efforts by rewarding those who prefer to remain unaware of existing laws that prohibit defacing public property. Speaker Quinn’s new law would in effect give small businesses and non-profit organizations free "get-out-of-jail" cards for their first violations. This is absolutely wrong. The various business and merchant organizations that support this legislation should instead attempt to educate their members that it is illegal to defile public property with their advertising.

It is difficult enough for the Department of Sanitation to enforce the existing law. There are enough loopholes that allow companies to skirt the law by using cell phones and bogus addresses, making it nearly impossible for them to be tracked. Why create new loopholes for them? That’s exactly what this legislation, if passed, will do. The number of illegal signs will greatly increase and make even more of a mess of our neighborhoods.

Rather than cater to a few business groups that should know better, the city council members should instead support the efforts of those small business that advertise legally, and not at the expense of our neighborhoods.

What's really surprising is this legislation's support by Council Member Peter Vallone, who had in the past prided himself on being one of the top "go-to" council members for anti-graffiti efforts. With the increase of signs that this law will bring, either he'll be busier, or he's already given up. I've called Vallone's office, his "legislative director" Jonathan was either never given the message, or he didn't want to bother calling me back.

I wonder what other politicians are supporting this behind the scenes. Could it be the ones that have already been hit with multiple fines for their campaign posters?

Rick Duskiewicz
President, The Creedmoor Civic Association
Member, Citizens Against Graffiti Everywhere

Developers cut community off from the beach

From the Daily News:

A wall separates them: Battle for a Bronx beach
By Dorian Block, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

The weather is cooling down, but the battle over a Bronx beach is heating up.

A group of families who have been visiting a stretch of shorefront for decades is suing a couple who blocked their easy access by building luxury homes.

"We want our beach back," said Edel Morrissey, 50, whose three children grew up kayaking and skim-boarding in the water.

"I don't think they expected we would fight."

She and six other families are suing Thomas and Susan Acquafredda, who are constructing three two-family home rentals on the site. They also built a locked fence and a sea wall at the end of the public street, where the neighbors used to enter the beach.

Now the longtime residents must walk several blocks for access and fret that the value of their homes is being damaged.

Simon Rothkrug, lawyer for the Acquafreddas, called the beach "private" and pointed to a $20-a-month lease from the city in June for the small parcel that the neighbors used to walk on.

Eric Baum, lawyer for the residents, says an easement granted in 1928 proves the neighbors have rights to the beach.

In Bronx Supreme Court on Friday, Rothkrug agreed his clients will not work on the sea wall or rent or sell the units until a judge can consider the case on Nov. 16.

Glowing-eyed bandits

From Newtown Pentacle:

Raccoons in Astoria. 44th street, corner of 31st avenue.

Never thought to look under cars for them.

Eric Ulrich retains 32nd Council District seat

With 100% of precincts reporting, Eric Ulrich 59%, Frank Gulluscio 41%.

Dan Halloran is District 19's new Council Member

Dan Halloran 53%, Kevin Kim 47% with 100% of precincts reporting. Congratulations!

Peter Koo victorious in the 20th Council District

With 100% precincts reporting: Peter Koo 50%, Yen Chou 45%, SJ Jung 4%, Evergreen Chou 2%

Bloomberg 51%, Thompson 46%

4 more years, folks. $100M spent and he only won by 5 percent. You should have come out in stronger numbers.

30th Council District result

Elizabeth Crowley 59%, Tom Ognibene 41% with 100% precincts reporting

One final endorsement ...

The group Self Certifying Urban Developers (SCUD), a civic activism group founded by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Crap, today announced its endorsement of Mayor Mike Bloomberg for re-election. Mr. Crap joined the mayor outside city hall this morning to make the election day announcement. Below is a transcript of Mr. Crap's speech, with some minor typos corrected:

"I am proud today to announce SCUD's endorsement of Mayor Michael R Bloomberg for re-election. Under Mayor Mike's leadership, we've developed the hell out of New York, and we need to keep that going. Anyone can build anything with Mayor Mike in office, with the Taxpayers often footing the bill. Under his Buildings Department, developers can build efficiently by approving their own designs, hiring the cheapest labor possible, and having some reasonable flexibility regarding the onerous safety regulations on the books.

Only Mayor Mike can save our economy. Development provides both jobs and housing to shitloads of illegals many middle class New Yorkers, and we know that no one appreciates the needs and struggles of the middle class more than a billionaire like Mike Bloomberg. SCUD feels that 56 independent newspapers cashing Bloomberg's ad checks can't be wrong with their endorsements, so we encourage everyone to vote early and vote often for Mayor Mike Bloomberg."

"Development is the key to getting out of this recession," the mayor said. "With people like Frank Lloyd Crap in our city, we know we'll soon be on the road to recovery. He suggested developing affordable housing atop 'soft sites' like cemeteries, and bold ideas is what this administration is all about."

The rumor throughout the chambers of City Hall is that Bloomberg may replace Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri with Mr. Crap during his anticipated third term because LiMandri has been known to actually issue stop work orders from time to time.

Phony flier shenanigans in 30th Council District

Crowley Mail 2
From the Daily News:

A Queens Tribune reporter who lives in Kew Gardens said this eyebrow-raising flyer arrived in the mail last night in an unmarked, stamped envelope.

The flyer, which for some reason I can only upload upside down, urges "fellow black Americans" to vote for Democratic Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley because "she will make sure we get our New York City Services" and features a photo of Crowley next to a photo of Gov. David Paterson, who has been plagued by historically low poll numbers.

There is no "paid for" message, and, as the reporter wrote in his accompanying e-mail: "I do not think this could be from Crowley... pretty ugly, no?"

Pretty ugly, yes indeed. Dirty tricks at best, and clumsily concealed racism at worst. Anyone who knows the 30th Council District is aware of its conservative bent and the fact that it is not, in fact, home to many "fellow black American" voters.

Ognibene's campaign manager, Michael Michel, said he didn't know anything about the flyer and suggested I speak to the candidate himself.

I reached Ognibene on his cell phone, and he demanded that I ask Crowley's campaign about the glossy mailer - unidentified - that repeated many of the same allegations Burak made above and featured a mock-up of him in handcuffs.

"I have never in my life been in handcuffs," an indignant Ognibene declared. "If I have to put up with all the things she's sent out about me - vicious things, almost libelous...These things happen. I don't know anything about it. I get this kind of sh--. Excuse my language, but it makes me so angry when people do this."

Nope. Never in handcuffs. Just caught on wiretaps accepting bribes. It pays to have friends in high places.

Voters being bussed into 19th District from outside?

"Note these photos -- big vans are taking people from their homes to a physical therapy center in Flushing -- Flushing Medical Clinic is its name.
From there they get into smaller cars, white Dodge Caravan ambulettes, which go to polling places in the 19th District -- then they are taken back to the physical therapy center, where they get back into a big van and taken back home. The physical therapy place is the staging center.
From there, the big van is going to places in downtown Flushing and Jackson Heights -- well outside the district. The people on the vans are seniors -- people in their 70s and 80s. They ain't being taken to work. These photos were taken at around 11 a.m." - anonymous

Bloomberg part of "Queens team"; brags of Shulman endorsement...

The Queens team? Bloomberg has never cared about Queens unless it had to do with a megaproject or getting his own ass elected.

He's proud of being endorsed by Ackerman and Shulman?

Good gravy...

Flushing residents feel nabe is overcrowded

From the NY Times:

Popularity has been a double-edged sword in Flushing, Queens, one of the city’s most diverse neighborhoods. Business owners welcome the droves of people who descend on its downtown sidewalks in search of scarves, massages and melons, as well as ginseng that can run a few hundred dollars an ounce.

But many residents, including some of those busy business owners, say the teeming neighborhood, filled with immigrants from South Korea, China, India and many other places, has become too crowded, according to people interviewed in the days before Tuesday’s election.

“We like the people coming to Flushing for shopping,” said Suzi Ye, 45, a 20-year resident and a manager of Yat Chau USA, a store that sells herbs on Main Street. “But if you live here, a lot of problems. Traffic every day. Too much noise.”

Among the oft-heard complaints: Parking is impossible to find, contributing to the congestion, and a proliferation of street vendors adds to sidewalk gridlock. More housing for working-class and middle-class residents is also cited.

Mail Fraud 101 by the Kim campaign

"Hey Crappy,

You're not gonna believe the attached document mailed out by Friends of Kevin Kim: the Pastor of Sacred Heart RC Church in Bayside warning his flock about the pagan. And I scanned the outside, too, where it says who's responsible for the mailing. This one is a new low."

- anonymous

Well, anonymous, not only is it a new low, but making it appear that the church mailed these out to voters could have serious consequences for both the church and the candidate. It puts the church's 501c3 in jeopardy and opens up the possibility that Kim could be prosecuted for mail fraud. Federal postal rules prohibit printing an address other than your own on a piece of mail bearing your prepaid postage stamp.


Can't make this stuff up, folks. And yes, the church did print this in their Sunday bulletin. Which begs the question how the Kim campaign got it in enough time to mail it so that it hit before election day.

Bloomberg's real record

From Bloomberg Watch:

For all the talk of Bloomberg the power-player who at least gets things done without worrying about the unions and special interests, he’s been unable to win any political battle with anyone he couldn’t literally buy off. Like Sheldon Silver, who (thankfully) killed the West Side Stadium and (annoyingly) ended all that “Congestion Pricing” talk. And those unions and special interests were just bought off, which worked fine back when the boom whose end Bloomberg never saw coming was in full swing.

And about that stadium: what the fuck was that? And the Olympics thing? After bitching about Giuliani’s disgraceful subsidizing of the fucking Yankees, Bloomberg both turns around completely on that particular issue and attempts to build the fucking Jets a stadium, so that New York could get an Olympics that it did not want. And that failed, and everyone forgot about it. Meanwhile: 40,000 people in shelters! Bloomberg could personally buy every single one of those people an apartment in a vacant Williamsburg luxury condo building and still have enough left over to bribe a City Council member into supporting his fifth term.

And those luxury Williamsbug condo buildings, by the way, that stand vacant? Yes, well, that was part of this brilliant plan to utilize rezoning to spur the free market (which always allocates resources more efficiently than anything else in the history of civilization but sometimes it needs government help, like with tax breaks and stuff) to create affordable housing all over the waterfront. This did not work, as developers decided to just not bother to build all those affordable housing units they were supposed to build. More than 2,200 promised new affordable apartments in Williamsburg and Greenpoint have turned out to be 768, 20 percent of which are renovations of apartments that were already affordable. There are lots more of these stories.

His record on housing, like his record on nearly everything having to do with the outer boroughs and poverty and human beings who make less than $100,000 a year, has been a ridiculous disgrace. His entire philosophy of development solving everything turned out to be precisely, 100% wrong, and suddenly the city itself was driving the real estate boom, driving up land prices to absurd levels across the boroughs and tearing down neighborhoods only to replace them with vacant lots and half-filled cheaply built hideous high-rises once the bottom fell out of the City Hall-inflated market. But hey, we got the High Line and 311! So you can sleep in that fancy park while you call 311 asking if there is room in a shelter because you can no longer afford your home.

From NYC Council Watch:

But while Mayor Bloomberg can’t be bought, he can buy: the incorruptible is the ultimate corrupter. This is the truth that is so evident that it passes without comment. The Mayor gave the Independence Party $1.2 million for its endorsement—this is just business as usual, nobody cares. The Mayor bypassed City regulations to give millions of public dollars to select groups in Brooklyn, and then lied and tried to suborn Simcha Felder to claim he requested the money—the story disappeared, nobody cares.

So if you are Miguel Martinez and you backdate a few receipts to the tune of a couple grand, you go to federal prison. But if you are Mike Bloomberg and you ask an elected official to commit fraud and backdate a legal request, nobody follows it up, even though Mr. Felder refused adamantly to go along with the Mayor’s cover story.

So there we have it folks. The third term that Mayor Bloomberg wanted was voted on in hugger-mugger under highly irregular procedures. Almost all of the Council Members who voted for it will retain their cozy seats, thankfully with a few egregious exceptions. The Mayor will likely keep being Mayor, so he can continue to bully New Yorkers with his bogus City Beautiful projects and revenue schemes. And civic democracy will die another little death.

An interesting read

Apparently this was found posted on an abandoned newsstand on the Maspeth-Middle Village-Ridgewood border.

DOB bribery business-as-usual under Bloomberg

From the NY Times:

Mayors have been grappling with inefficiency and corruption within the city’s Buildings Department for decades. John V. Lindsay’s buildings commissioner so tired of allegations of graft that he suggested the agency give its inspectors uniforms without pockets.

But Michael R. Bloomberg took office with a reputation for managerial ingenuity and earned accolades for crime reductions and improvements in student test scores. He brought a flair for technological, data-driven solutions honed in the business world and an outsider’s energy to refashion tired practices.

“Reducing corruption is one of this administration’s primary objectives,” he declared in a news release about the Buildings Department early in his first term.

Over the past seven years, however, the agency has largely been a blemish on the mayor’s record, a bureaucracy that found it difficult to effectively oversee a construction industry that operated at full throttle during the building boom while construction spending doubled.

“When you pay people who have the responsibility as inspectors so little, they’re prone to having their hand out,” said Daniel J. Castleman, a former chief assistant in the Manhattan district attorney’s office who is now a managing director at FTI Consulting, an investigations firm. “That’s not endemic to one mayor or a dozen mayors, that’s just the way it is. There’s so much money to be made in construction and development that people are going to offer you things and people who are paid less are going to think, ‘Who’s this going to hurt?’ ”

The point was driven home just six months into Mr. Bloomberg’s first term, when 19 of the city’s 24 plumbing inspectors were arrested on federal bribery charges.

Since then the Buildings Department has been cited for regulatory oversights in connection with demolition work at the former Deutsche Bank building, where two firefighters lost their lives in a blaze that prosecutors tied to inspection lapses by the agency. Two tower cranes have fallen, killing nine people, and in the aftermath prosecutors ended up charging two of the agency’s crane inspectors.

More recently, the agency has had to change the way it oversees the concrete industry after two testing companies were indicted on charges involving their work.

How the Campaign Finance Board wastes our money

So I received my voter guide in the mail. The English version has Spanish in the back and a separate Korean version came with it. Notice there is a message on the front asking the reader to mail back a postage paid postcard to opt out of future Korean mailings. So they are wasting money mailing it to us and then wasting more money paying for us to respond. Also, shouldn't there be a similar message in Spanish?

High Line design is a liability for taxpayers

Costly 'trips' on High Line
By JAMES FANELLI and RICH CALDER, NY Post

Money had better grow on trees in the High Line Park, because the city's newest greenway is also its latest liability.

Less than five months old, the elevated promenade has become a major stumbling block. Pedestrians are tripping over raised concrete slabs meant to resemble train rails, and one has even filed a $2 million claim against the city.

Paula Shapiro, 66, said she broke her left ankle during an evening stroll along the path on June 21, two weeks after it opened, according to court papers.

The Gramercy Park resident was 246 feet north of the park's Gansevoort Street entrance when she tripped near a median of trees and flowers surrounded by "raised, uneven, depressed decorative concrete," her claim states.

And while Shapiro is the first pedestrian-turned-plaintiff at the $172 million park, she is not the first to fall, her lawyer said.

"She was told there had been accidents before," Jeffrey Pomerantz told The Post.

From Forgotten-NY:

to prevent baby carriages from entering the green areas (bikes have been proscribed on the High Line) metal lips have been placed at the edges of the park paths, to divide them from the plantings. Unfortunately, I nearly lost my footing a couple of times on these.

Hey folks, the good news is we'll get to pay a lot more in liability soon since the city is moving to acquire the rest of it!

Bloomberg restores school vouchers to get votes

From the NY Post:

Two weeks before the election, Mayor Bloomberg told Or thodox Jewish leaders in a private meeting that he planned to restore $8 million in day-care vouchers that the administration had pulled just months earlier as the city braced to cope with the collapsing economy.

"They are a huge help to many families, especially in the Orthodox community," the mayor said at the Oct. 22 session in Borough Park, Brooklyn, which wasn't listed on his campaign schedules. That was a 180-degree flip from what Bloomberg had said before.

In April, when presenting his preliminary budget for fiscal year 2010, the mayor cut the entire $16 million program.

In June, under pressure from advocates, he came up with $8 million to continue funding the vouchers through Dec. 31.

The timing of the mayor's announcement strongly suggests this is about politics and not the economy, since the budget gap for the next fiscal year was last projected at $4.9 billion.

There's no question that Bloomberg will win most of the Jewish vote.

There is a question, however, about whether turnout in the general election will be as abysmally low as it was in September's primaries. That explains why the mayor turned up with Rudy Giuliani in Borough Park on Oct. 18 to rev up Orthodox voters.

Rockrose split was not an unpleasant one

From the NY Times:

The Elghanayans, like many of New York’s old real estate families, took a conservative approach to financing. They often bought land for cash and kept leverage low. “We never had mezzanine loans,” Tom said. “We financed 75 percent of value, not 95 percent.”

Over time, the brothers developed a clear division of labor: Fred, an engineer, handled construction. Tom, a graduate of Yale and Harvard Business School, did development and acquisitions. Henry, a lawyer, handled financing and, later, commercial buildings. Their youngest brother, Jeffrey, who left the partnership in 1989, is an architect. Every Wednesday, they met over lunch.

Compared with property breakups of some other New York real estate families — often long, messy affairs replete with blood feuds, lawsuits and ugly recriminations — the Elghanayan brothers’ split has been relatively swift, smooth and secretive. The Milstein family fought for a decade over control of a $5 billion fortune that included hotels, apartment buildings and a bank. The wrestling match over the billion-dollar estate of the land speculator Sol Goldman lasted seven years. And who can forget the squabbling over Harry B. Helmsley’s $8 billion empire, part of which eventually went to his wife’s poodle?

The Elghanayan brothers didn’t slap one another with lawsuits. And there were no vicious industry rumors, or anonymous mudslinging in the gossip columns, about the fate of this very private family that ran the Rockrose Development Corporation, one of the city’s largest developers of residential buildings.

“A lot of the families have had very unpleasant break-ups,” said Daniel Brodsky, a developer and a close friend of Tom Elghanayan. “They managed to do it in a very civilized way."

Civilized, yes. But that doesn’t mean it’s been free of tension. For one thing, Henry’s decision to initiate it, as well as the assets he selected, surprised his brothers. There would be much horse trading before the breakup was legally completed on Sept. 29, and the brothers acknowledge some bumps along the way.

Pay your water bill or lose your home

From the Daily News:

Since May 2008, the city has sold almost 3,200 water liens, primarily in low-income and working-class neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. Before then, water liens were sold only with property tax liens.

Water liens can be sold to private collection entities when property owners - residential or commercial - are delinquent on their bills for $1,000 or more for 12 months.

If property owners are unable to pay the liens - plus fees and double-digit interest charges - their properties could go into foreclosure.

Advocates predict the first wave of these foreclosures could hit as soon as the end of the year.

"The very neighborhoods that were victims of predatory lending and are suffering foreclosures are now being hit by city tax lien sales," said April Tyler, the state and local campaigns coordinator for the Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project.

"It increases the pool of people that are in danger of losing their homes," said City Councilman Al Vann (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant).

He introduced a bill in August that would expand the eligibility for lien sale exemptions. It would also require the city to wait three years before selling water liens.

Currently, owners of one-family homes, low-income seniors and low-income disabled are exempt from water lien sales.

But not everyone eligible for an exemption is getting one, Vann said, because it's up to the individual to report their status to the city. And once a lien is sold, it's often very difficult to get the property out of arrears, he said.

Vann's bill is expected to be approved by the end of the year.

Bikers told to ride on sidewalks in Brooklyn

Miss Heather presents:

Great Moments in Municipal Idiocy

Ognibene tries deception (with Gallagher's help)

Got a robocall tonight. A young male voice said that they were representing the Gay and Lesbian Coalition and urging me to vote for Liz Crowley because she is the only candidate in the 30th district council race that is 100% for gay marriage.

TRUTH: There is no Gay and Lesbian Coalition.

TRUTH: There is another robocall going out saying not to vote for Bloomberg and that Crowley is pro-gay marriage.

TRUTH: These calls came courtesy of the Ognibene campaign in an effort to score points with older voters.

TRUTH: Crowley is for civil unions, but not gay marriage.

TRUTH: Dennis Gallagher is working on Ognibene's campaign and his fingerprints are all over this. His blog is also encouraging violence against Crowley.

God help Council District 30!

Does Chou hate Koo for befriending a Jew?

From City Hall News:

Isaac Sasson, a Sephardic Jewish leader who placed a close third in the primary, has crossed party lines and endorsed Koo. In part, the decision appears motivated by events during the primary.

Last spring, Chou sparked controversy when her campaign stated in a Chinese language newspaper that, according to one translation, “voting for Peter Koo in the General Election instead of voting in [the] Democratic Primary Election is equivalent to indirectly giving the throne to the Jews,” appearing to allude to Sasson.

Chou’s campaign manager, Michael Olmeda, attributed the divisive sound of the statement to translation issues between Chinese and English.

But Terence Park, an influential Democratic leader in the Korean-American community, remains unconvinced. He is also supporting Koo.

“I’m a diehard Democrat and I will be for the rest of my life. But this race is between a competent candidate versus an incompetent candidate,” Park said. “Yen Chou is not seen in the community as a good woman—and that is spreading around the Chinese community like wildfire.”

Kevin Kim's Aggressive Tactics

This came into my inbox. (I linked it via the photo.)

--Joanne Trikas, who ran the polling site at PS 79, wrote of the Kim poll watchers that, “Many of our inspectors and myself at times felt they could be electioneering to voters. These people were ‘constantly’ inquiring with the inspectors who told me that they were very aggressive in gathering information.”

-- Elyse Bulla, the coordinator at PS 130, wrote that the Kim poll watchers, “Did not want to follow orders or procedures…They are telling me what to do…I kept telling them not to get involved.”

-- Maria Farren, the coordinator at St. Andrew Avellino School, wrote that, “Hyng Jung Shim–another Kim poll watcher, made our inspectors very uncomfortable. As soon as an Asian voter arrived at the table, she was right there inching her way in and taking notes.”

--Elaine Klein, the coordinator at PS 169, wrote that a Kim poll watcher named Jae W. Lee was “nasty, belligerent insulting.”

--Kevin Smyth, the coordinator at PS 193, wrote that Kim’s poll watchers were “not just checking signatures but taking names addresses & following voters out for more info (only Asian).”

According to the Board of Elections poll worker’s manual, “it is a felony punishable by fine, imprisonment or both for a poll worker to…electioneer at the polls.” The manual also state that poll watchers must, “follow the directions of the Coordinator or Board of Elections personnel,” and that poll workers cannot, “threaten or intimidate voters.”

Also, it turns out that Michael Sais, who organized the phony "Halloran is an anti-Semite" protest, is not only a Gianaris hack, but also a former Parkside lobbyist.
If the various news outlets that reported on this had bothered to do a simple Google search, they would have found this info. But reporting the whole truth is apparently no longer a goal in the age of Bloomberg.

DOB says this is perfectly safe

"These were taken about 10am this morning at the St. Saviour's site. There was a partial stop work order in effect which stated that there could be no excavation within 20 feet of the damaged retaining wall and that they were to repair the shoddy construction fence. So they were replacing the fence manually while excavating the wall with heavy equipment without any protection whatsoever for the public. I can't really describe in words what was going on there - you have to watch these videos to understand. But the arm of the backhoe was swinging out over the sidewalk and they were driving it on top of an unstable mound of dirt. Both 311 and 911 were called but no one came."







More videos here.

When I got home, I received this:

Dear Ms. Wilkinson,

An inspector was sent to the above location this morning. At the time of the inspection, the Inspector observed no work in progress, except to make the site safe. Specifically, workers were observed using a machine to remove dirt from the sidewalk. The Department of Buildings will nonetheless continue to monitor the location to ensure compliance with the Stop Work Order.

Sincerely,

Byron Muñoz, MA
Liaison
Intergovernmental and Community Affairs
NYC Department of Buildings

I replied with a link to the photos and videos and asked them not to insult my intelligence.

Now there is a scramble to try to save what's left of the historic stone wall." - Christina Wilkinson

UPDATE: "I got a call that a 10-foot section of the wall collapsed around 2pm." - Christina

Newpaper publisher exposes Bloomberg campaign tactic

From the Daily News:

Bloomberg is the one with endorsements from 61 papers - not just the three major dailies, but also dozens of tiny neighborhood weeklies that thrived on Bloomberg advertising dollars.

"A representative of Mayor Bloomberg called me, and he made it very clear to me that I know how it's done. And I had to join the program, and the earlier I endorsed him, the more money I'd get," said Jerry Lippman, publisher of the Manhattan Jewish Sentinel and the Long Island Jewish World.

His papers endorsed Thompson, all 30,000 weekly copies of them.

GOOD FOR YOU!!

And now we know why Vicky couldn't wait to hop on board the Bloomberg express and also why the Queens Chronicle was so sensitive about being called on it.

Well, the cat's out of the bag now, even though we all knew it was in there to begin with.

Last ditch effort shows Kim's desperation

From the Daily News:

Kim supporters and religious leaders began the day outside Republican headquarters, trying to make hay over Halloran's acknowledged involvement in a pre-Christian pagan religion, Theodism.

"By comparing animal blood sacrifices with the Jewish dietary laws of keeping kosher, it's no wonder that Dan Halloran's religion is supported by neo-Nazis and white supremacists," said Michael Dovid Sais, a Jewish Kim supporter.

The anti-Halloran protesters claim the religion furthers anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic views - something a Jewish leader who stood with Halloran yesterday in Whitestone was quick to dispute.

"It's a clear sign of a desperate campaign," said Halloran, a lawyer.

Fact: Dan Halloran never compared the sacrifice that his religion partakes in to "keeping kosher". He made the comparison to kapparot, which is a Jewish blood animal sacrifice whereby an animal is slaughtered to atone for a person's sins and then the meat is donated to feed the poor. Or perhaps similar to the halal tradition that takes place in slaughterhouses across the borough which the Queens Tribune presented in a positive light last week.

Fact: The group Halloran is a part of is multi-ethnic and multi-racial.

Fact: The Kim campaign is shitting in their collective pants.

Hospitals' sale to Guttman on hold

From the Daily News:

The sale of two shuttered Queens hospitals to a controversial developer has been temporarily blocked.

The state Dormitory Authority asked a federal bankruptcy court judge on Friday to hold off on approving the sale of St. John's Hospital and Mary Immaculate Hospital to an investment group headed by Joshua Guttman.

The authority, which is owed more than $62 million by bankrupt hospital owner Caritas Health Care, wants the court to consider reopening the auction. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for tomorrow.

Guttman made the highest bid at an Oct. 16 auction, promising $26.6 million for both properties.

The Dormitory Authority filed the motion after Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and others made a personal appeal to Gov. Paterson at a Queens County Democratic Party dinner Thursday night.

Avella and Halloran working together on police academy

Halloran Stands up for College Point at City Hall Hearing
Candidate Makes Case for Safeguards in New Police Academy Proposal

Dan Halloran had a simple message for City Council Members on Monday at the Meeting of the Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses: College Point needs a police academy.

But Halloran cautioned we must listen carefully to the concerns expressed by the community and plan properly. The police academy is a $1.5 billion project, and it must be implemented with measures to mitigate adverse impacts on the community.

“This police academy could potentially be helpful to the area around College Point Boulevard, but only if the community's recommendations are incorporated into the final project,” said Halloran.

Halloran warned that the City must do its due diligence in planning, or the new academy may actually hurt the neighborhood.

“There are only three roads in and out of College Point, and this station is going to be at the intersection of two of them,” Halloran said. “I have serious questions about the transit impact this will have on the community.

“I am joining with Council Member Tony Avella and civic leaders in cautioning that this has to be done right or not at all. If done right, there will be adequate mitigation measures, the opportunity for increased public safety, and even a police substation, which would ultimately benefit the neighborhood."

Halloran pointed out that a police academy will add hundreds of police cars to the streets of College Point.

“The neighborhood already has very few parking spaces available for its residents,” Halloran said. “We have to have a plan in place – where are these extra cars going to go? The people of College Point deserve answers, and we owe it to them to think things through.”

As added benefits, the police academy will make the neighborhood safer and boost College Point’s economy, Halloran said.

“The small businesses of College Point just got 5,000 new potential customers,” Halloran said. “And those potential customers also happen to give the area a strong police presence. This will deter crime.”

Ship made from WTC steel arriving in NYC

From Gothamist:

The future USS NEW YORK (LPD 21), built with 7.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center in her bow, will be commissioned in New York City on November 7, 2009. The ship will actually arrive on November 2, when the public can welcome her as she renders honors at the World Trade Center site, and by visiting the ship before she leaves on November 12, 2009.

At approximately 8:00 a.m., on November 2, the future USS NEW YORK will come to a standstill across from the World Trade Center site, dip her flag, and deliver a 21-gun salute. Members of the Fire Department of New York, the New York Police Department, Port Authority Police, members of the families of 9/11 victims and veteran’s will gather on the shore at the North Cove in the World Financial Center to return the salute. Members of the general public are encouraged to attend

There will also be several opportunities for the general public to tour the ship when she is docked at Pier 88 at 12th Avenue and West 48 Street. The schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, November 4 - 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Thursday, November 5 - 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 8 - 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Monday, November 9 - 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday, November 10 - 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday, November 11 - 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Members of the general public wishing to tour the ship should:
- arrive early as lines my be long, especially on the Sunday, Nov. 8.
- enter at West 46th Street and 12th Avenue (by the Intrepid).
- bring a photo ID (adults).
- wear comfortable shoes.

No large packages or backpacks will be permitted.

More info here.

Another reason Manhattan rents are so high

From the NY Post:

More than half of all Manhattan residents are living alone -- and the number of singles in the city is continuing to rise to historic levels, new Census Bureau data show.

That means you've got a 50-50 shot that the cute neighbor down the hall is looking for love.

The borough now resembles some kind of "Sex and the City" fantasyland with a majority of households, 50.3 percent, with just one resident -- no roommate, no spouse, no family, no kids.

When the other four boroughs are factored in, the single household rate drops to 33.5 percent -- a little closer to the national average of 27.5 percent, according the Census Bureau's American Community Survey.

New York first passed the 50 percent mark in 2007 in what sociologists called an inevitable trend.

There are numerous forces turning Manhattan into an isle of singletons, explained William Helmreich, deputy chairman of City College's sociology department. The factors include high-paying jobs, the expense of raising a family, longer-living widows and widowers, and, of course, a celebrated culture of singledom.

"Singles attract more singles," he said. "They participate in a lifestyle that is mutually reinforcing. The more single people engage in that lifestyle, the more acceptable it is, and the more acceptable it is, the more people are going to do it."

Kevin Kim really gets around...

"I decided to do a search for Kevin Kim's Manhattan address. Looky what I found! Check out Kevin Kim's address...

For someone who has lived in Bayside all of his life, this guy really gets around!!!"

Why is he using different addresses to give money to a Boston politician?

I thought he was just like me? I'm not doing that!

Claire still lobbying illegally

From the Times Ledger:

The board of the Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corp. met last Thursday with other leaders, including Maura McCarthy, Queens borough commissioner of the city Department of Transportation, to discuss options for the long-neglected area.

Possible plans discussed at the meeting include one which is not well-known among nearby residents but could have a significant impact on the area’s character: the construction of a pedestrian bridge connecting Flushing’s business district to Willets Point.

Such a bridge would serve the purpose of bringing the two areas together as a cohesive whole, said Fred Fu, former president of the Flushing Chinese Business Association and current president of the Flushing Development Center.

“We Flushing people are concerned about Willets Point. We don’t want Flushing and Willets Point to be competitors, two cities,” he said. “If we have a bridge, they will be one city.”

Current city plans for the Willets Point redevelopment project do not include a bridge or money to build one, however, so Fu and other local business leaders are pushing through various channels to boost support for one.

The proposed bridge would cross onto TDC's property on the east bank of the Flushing River. Why does no paper bring this up? Oh, and one more thing (from Neighborhood Retail Alliance)...

Claire, for her part seems to continue to spit in the face of the ongoing AG investigation into the questionable political activities of her so-called not-for-profit local development corporation-and he signed federal waiver to refrain from lobbying: "Former Borough President Claire Shulman, who now heads the development group, said she and the group’s board plan to secure funding, maybe even from the federal government, for the bridge and that they “intend to do everything we can to make sure it happens.”

So, let's get this straight. Claire's going to go and lobby the federal government-the same one that she pledged to refrain from lobbying in order to be granted her not for profit status-in order to get money for a project that is on land that the city doesn't even own yet.

Trib quotes mob boss in editorial headline

I'm glad the Trib has finally slipped and revealed one of the Queens Machine's victory tactics.

“Vote early and vote often.” - Al Capone

Times endorsement of Bloomberg

The visual is quite amazing.

Subway flooding on the N line in Brooklyn

From Interactive Journalism:

The Daily News reported last year, that the New Utrecht Ave. station was among the 19 stops where renovations have been deferred due to a rise in construction costs.

“On New Utrecht Ave., below the elevated D line – where 10 stations are on the list of postponed renovations – there were similar fears. Earlier this year, big chunks of wood fell from the track. Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Borough Park) said he was creating a profile of every borough subway station, highlighting problem areas. “It doesn’t take millions to keep people out of dangerous situations,” Hikind said.”

Getting the main entrance to be waterproof can be a good place to start.

Liu plans to run for mayor

A) I never signed up for this spam.
B) John Liu is no Barack Obama.
C) They praise "diverse communities" then follow that up by repeatedly mentioning only Asians.
D) Insiders are considering him a contender for mayor after Bloomberg is out of the way? The only insider saying that is Johnny.

Begging for heat in the Bronx

From the Daily News:

Bronx tenants who haven't had heat or hot water for three months took the dramatic step of hanging giant banners out of their windows this week, begging for relief.

The residents of 2285 Sedgwick Ave. are forced to use crock pots to heat bathing water, shiver beside space heaters and face sky-high electric bills since a July fire knocked out their gas service.

"I don't know if I can keep taking it," said Jonathan Rodriguez, 26, who is wheelchair-bound and needs hours to get ready in the morning because of the lack of heat.

Tenants of the 54-unit building have repeatedly called the city's 311 hotline to report the problem, but gas service cannot be restored until the gas line to the building's boiler and hot water heater is repaired.

Ridgewood bum is a real pisser

From the Daily News:

A boozed-up homeless man has been the bane of a Queens neighborhood, urinating and defecating in public and exposing himself in front of children, fed up locals said on Wednesday.

No one knows the name of the destitute man who locals said speaks Polish and loiters around Benninger Playground in Ridgewood. Neighbors charge his vulgar behavior is not safe for kids.

"He drinks so much, he doesn't know where he is," said Henry Valdes, 48. "He'll just stand up and pull his pants down."

Valdes, who has a 10-year-old daughter, said he has made several calls about the obscene behavior to community leaders.

But unless the man is caught in the act, he cannot be arrested, officials said.

The vagrant has also caused problems for city parks workers, who said every morning they have to clean up a corner of the playground he uses as a toilet, and sometimes sanitize the excrement-covered benches.

It doesn't sound like it would take much effort to "catch him in the act".

Court rules against football team

From the NY Post:

The Queens Falcons football team’s drive to return to their home field failed because they fumbled on the opening play, a judge ruled today.

Queens Supreme Court Justice Lawrence Cullen said since the Falcons couldn’t prove they had applied to play in Juniper Valley Park, he was forced to let the ruling on the field stand – the Falcons will have to play their games on the artificial turf fields that the Parks Department assigned them.

"My hands are tied. I’m bound by the law," Cullen said as he punted the Falcons’ bid to regain their old turf in Middle Village.

From the Daily News:

Cullen's decision to toss out the Falcons' lawsuit means they'll have to play their last few games on nearby artificial turf fields.

The city wants the team confined to turf fields, arguing that the pounding and grinding of football cleats do irreparable damage to grass.

Longtime Falcons coach Tim Cavanaugh said the judge made a bad call and insisted the league applied for permits online as they've done for two decades.

"How do you file for a permit for 23 years and then suddenly forget to file?" Cavanaugh said. "It wouldn't make sense."

Cavanaugh claims artificial turf leaches dangerous toxins and has caused high ankle sprains for some of the league's 225 boys, ages 7 to 16.

Too bad you don't play soccer. Because Parks allows those teams to play wherever they want, including on the fields they are banning you from. And if you played Irish football, Bloomberg would direct the city to seek 6 acres of space for you. Learn how to play a tweeder sport and you'll get more respect.

I'm sorry you were forced off the field over which the 9/11 memorial banner honoring your coach, Stephen Hoffman, hangs.

He's just like one of us! (The final weekend edition)

From WCBS880:

After purchasing a cantaloupe-sized pumpkin for $6, the mayor was asked to reveal his favorite vegetable.

He said he eats a lot of onions, but declared iceberg [lettuce] the favorite.

He says it may not be fashionable but insists iceberg is "real America."

Have you ever heard anyone say their favorite vegetable is iceberg lettuce? I think most "real Americans" say "oh, crap, they're serving the cheap lettuce here" when it's featured at a salad bar. It is bland, boring and offers very little in the way of substance. So I guess Bloomberg has proved that you are what you eat.

Construction down, deaths up

From the NY Times:

More than 30 construction workers died in falls and other events on job sites in New York City last year, the federal Department of Labor reported Wednesday. Chiefly because of that spike, the overall number of workers who died on the job in New York in 2008 was 90.

The toll of on-the-job fatalities, which had been on a downward trend for the past decade, was up 11 percent from 81 in 2007, according to the report, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Among the various ways New Yorkers were killed at work, the biggest increase was in falls, which claimed 29 people, up from 23 in 2007. All told, there were 31 fatalities related to construction, up from 24 in 2007.

Murders in the workplace also rose, to 18 from 15 in 2007, the report showed. But the killers used guns less often: the number of workers shot to death declined to 10 from 12.

Photo from the Daily News

Far Rockaway rapist on the loose

NEW YORK (AP/1010 WINS) -- New York City police are beefing up their presence in a Queens neighborhood where two women were raped in as many days.

Police say they are searching for one suspect and are waiting for DNA evidence. A 25-year-old woman was followed as she got out of a subway around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday. The suspect flashed a gun and told her to obey or he'd kill her. Police say she was raped in an alley behind a church.

The second victim, a 21-year-old woman, was waiting at a bus stop around 5:20 a.m. Wednesday when she was also approached by a man with a gun. She told police she was taken to a top-floor building landing and raped by a man wearing a green hoodie and bandanna covering his face.

Additional foot patrols as well as undercover detectives are being sent to the Queens neighborhood of Far Rockaway.

Feds provide water, sewer funds for NY communities

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer says New York municipalities will be able to tap $322 million in loans and grants to upgrade aging water and sewer systems.

Schumer says 30 percent of the funding — $3.5 billion in total aid nationwide — will be in grants that won’t have to be repaid. He says he sought that provision to avoid local tax increases to pay for the work.

The Democrat says Wednesday the federal funds will trigger action and create jobs to address a backlog of water and sewer projects statewide. He said improved water and sewer service is also a priority of employers seeking sites to grow.

Report says IBZs are undermined

From Crain's:

Dozens of hotels, superstores and other non-industrial businesses are encroaching on areas the Bloomberg administration set aside to protect the city's dwindling manufacturing base, a new report charges.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg's five-year-old industrial policy prohibits residential conversion in 16 outer-borough Industrial Business Zones to help stave off increases in real estate prices that could threaten manufacturing. But the report by the New York Industrial Retention Network alleges the protection has been undermined because at least 39 sites in the IBZs are being used for non-industrial purposes.

Among the non-industrial businesses are two bowling alleys, an art gallery and several bars in a Williamsburg IBZ and a shopping center in East Greenpoint.

The report shows that industrial rents in the outer boroughs have doubled since 2000, to $18 per square foot, and argues that for IBZs to truly be effective, they need to be reinforced through zoning that restricts non-industrial use. The escalating rents, not just globalization and regulation, are driving companies out of the city, the report argues.

“We are losing the next generation of small, creative industries that are vital to the city's economic diversity and the renewal of its middle class,” said NYIRN Executive Director Anne Seifried. “It's frustrating to see a preventable situation continue unchecked.”

Eating "little dead men" in Corona

From Interactive Journalism:

At Beky Bakery on 103rd Street in North Corona, owners Jose Gonzales and his sons Jesus and Fernando prepare dough flavored with cinnamon, orange peel, walnuts, brandy, and vanilla.

The also make breads called muertitos which are shaped like a human figure with crossed arms, and topped with pink sugar.

The breads are traditionally eaten from October 28 to November 2 during the days when Mexicans commemorate their dead ancestors and family members with altars made of flowers, candles, paper, fruits, and the favorite foods of the deceased.

Believers in the All Saints traditions say that during these days, the souls of their ancestors return and eat the essence of the food and drink.

Around North Corona and Jackson Heights, bakeries do a brisk business in the breads at this time of year. Mexican immigrants in New York also make and sell sugar skulls, another typical offering.