NY'ers weigh in on term limits extension

This comment is lifted from the City Room Blog of the NY Times.
The subject is term limit extensions. Mayoral Candidate Bill Thompson had a rally at City Hall to give NY'ers a chance to speak out once more on the anniversary of the overturning of term limits.
This comment sums it all up, doesn't it?

"It’s not just about how Mayor Bloomberg ordered by mayoral fiat the overturning of term limits laws, but also how he has run this city into the ground. How many accidents have taken place regarding the collapse of our infrastructure ? The Queens Blackout of 2006, the steam pipe explosion on Lexington Avenue, how many cranes keep collapsing on the streets, how many people keep getting electrocuted by Con Edison manhole covers, how many buildings and churches does NYU get to tear down, for how many more weekends will the MTA be allowed to practically shut down the entire system, for how many more years will Ground Zero remain just a pit ? What has Mayor Bloomberg done in 8 years ? What makes him think he needs another 4 ? 8 is enough ! Only someone driven by greed, selfishness, and an over-inflated ego would think he deserves more and more and more and more and more . . . ."

— Louis F.

Downtown Express coverage of the CCRC endorsement of Bill Thompson

photo: DOWNTOWN EXPRESS
Chinatown residents group backs Thompson for mayor

By Julie Shapiro Downtown Express

Comptroller Bill Thompson got a boost in his campaign for mayor this week when the Civic Center Residents Coalition endorsed him.

Thompson joined about 20 members of the C.C.R.C. in Chatham Square Tuesday afternoon for the announcement. The location was no accident — one reason the coalition of Chinatown residents and businesses supports Thompson is because he opposes Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s Chatham Square reconfiguration plan.

Thompson has also promised that if elected he will reopen Park Row. The street was closed after 9/11 for security reasons and Bloomberg has said repeatedly that it should remain closed.

“I haven’t received that from anyone in eight years,” Jan Lee, a Chinatown business owner and C.C.R.C. leader, said of Thompson’s commitment. “Everything we as activists in Chinatown are fighting for is embodied in [Thompson’s] campaign. He’s not afraid to say these things.”

Lee also appreciates Thompson’s opposition of congestion pricing and East River bridge tolls.

City Council candidates Margaret Chin and Pete Gleason also attended the announcement and endorsed Thompson. C.C.R.C. has not yet endorsed in the First District Council race, but is interviewing candidates now, Lee said.

CCRC Will Endorse Bill Thompson for Mayor

Chinatown Community Supports
William Thompson's Mayoral Candidacy
Chatham Square Reconstruction Debacle Convinces Community that Mayor Bloomberg Must Go
What: Press Conference in support of William Thompson for Mayor

Who: Confirmed Speaker, Comptroller William Thompson

When: Tuesday, June 30, 2009, 1:15 p.m.

Where: Kim Lau Memorial Arch at Chatham Square in Chinatown

This event is being organized by the Civic Center Residents Coalition, representing Chinatown residents and businesses. The group was founded after 9/11 in response to government street shutdowns and permit placard abuse that resulted in massive traffic delays in Chinatown and the Civic Centre.

Bill Thompson "No tolls, not now, not ever" March 2009

Bill Thompson suggests a logical and practical alternative to tolling the East River bridges. Click this link.

Thompson said to City Hall in Dec. 2008 "Chatham Square must be delayed"

PR08-12-183

December 16, 2008
Contact: Press Office

(212) 669-3747

THOMPSON TO CITY: CHATHAM SQUARE PROPOSAL MUST BE DELAYED

New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. is expressing deep concerns about the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Chatham Square / Park Row Improvement Program.

In a letter to DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan – which can be viewed at www.comptroller.nyc.gov – Thompson criticized the agency for moving forward with the plan despite overwhelming community opposition from Chinatown and surrounding neighborhoods.

“It’s clear that Chatham Square – with its long crossings and poor pedestrian sight lines – must be rethought, and that he congested traffic on Park Row must be improved,” Thompson said.. “But process matters, and the City has not engaged in sufficient dialogue with community members. As it stands now, neighborhood representatives feel left out of the process.”

Thompson also expressed concern that Community Board 3 is scheduled to vote on the plan tonight, after one hardly-publicized hearing on December 2, 2008.

“As a result, a plan that would completely tear down and redesign a large area of Chinatown may be approved within the span of two weeks,” Thompson added. “Clearly, community members have not been given enough time to respond to the plan nor even comprehend it, as specific details have been perfunctory at best.”

In the letter, Thompson emphasized that DOT cannot guarantee that local small businesses will be supported during the project’s construction phase as a fatal flaw. He also cited DOT’s lack of a specific timeline for the project as problematic, and stressed that the plan does not make clear when, exactly, Park Row will be opened.

“These and other questions must be answered before this ill-conceived plan moves forward,” Thompson said. “For the sake of community members, local businesses, and our City government’s responsibility to operate fairly and transparently, I strongly urge you to delay this proposal and being to address the community’s significant needs and concerns.”