Brooklyn Merchants Oppose the BID they are in.

Merchant ‘revolt’ against Fulton Street BID
By Mike McLaughlin
The Brooklyn Paper

The Brooklyn Paper / Allyse Pulliam

Atchudta Barkr, owner of Sisters Community Hardware at the corner of Fulton Street and Washington Avenue, says she doesn’t need a business improvement district to do her sweeping.

Fulton Street merchants launched another assault on Thursday against a tax on property owners that would be allocated to improve the business environment along the thoroughfare in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.

Small business owners and neighborhood activists, mostly from the Clinton Hill-side of Fulton Street, delivered a letter of protest with 70 signatures against the newly formed business improvement district to Councilwoman Letitia James (D–Clinton Hill) and the city Department of Finance in the morning, warning that they’d withhold their fees from the controversial measure.

“We won’t pay,” the letter read. “This BID [business improvement district] has left us out. We want a new, democratic vote. Otherwise it’s a battle on Fulton Street.”

Shopkeepers first revolted against the business improvement district prior to its creation in December, but the rebel forces were not large enough to defeat the vote by the 200 property owners to ratify the tax. The opponents have kept up the fight, though, saying that the tax, $80 for every 20 feet of property, is a burden during the recession.

The tax will raise $300,000 per year and its proponents say the money will be spent on security, street lighting and other enhancements between Rockwell Place and Classon Avenue.

But there’s the fear among some entrepreneurs that it will accelerate gentrification and eventually drive them out of business.

James has defended the business improvement district and said that its formation now enables her to funnel city money to the area for other uses that could revitalize the commercial corridor.

Myrtle Avenue has a business improvement district, which has been credited with diversifying the stores along the strip once known as “Murder Avenue.”

The 88th Precinct played a large role in the turnaround, others say.

©2009 The Brooklyn Paper

Norman Siegel is no novice in dealing with the LMDC

Norman Siegel, seen here with Chinatown resident Triple Edwards and Jan Lee of the Civic Center Residents Coalition, explained his past experience in dealing with the LMDC.

Councilman Gerson Delivers over a hundred petitions to LMDC office

At 1:00pm today, NYC Council Member Alan Gerson, NYC Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr., public advocate candidate Norman Siegel and residents, community leaders and business owners from Chinatown, rallied at the offices of the Lower Manhattan Development (LMDC) Corporation to demand that LMDC funds allocated for the NYC Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Redesign of Chatham Square be withheld, based on widespread community disapproval of the plan.





Council member Gerson delivered a petition to the LMDC, signed by the boards of directors of several local residential buildings including Chatham Towers, Chatham Green and Southbridge Towers, representing over 5500 residents. Over 140 local businesses also signed the petition demanding the embargo of the funds. The Chatham Square Redesign has been formally rejected by Community Boards 1 & 3, and is “untested, unpopular and unsafe,” according to community leaders, who have created an alternative plan, which was vetted by a professional traffic engineer, Brian Ketcham.



The planning process for Chatham Square was initiated by the LMDC in 2003 to address issues of traffic congestion, pedestrian safety, increasing public space as well as re-establishing the connections that were cut off when Park Row was closed. Subsequently, a sub-recipient agreement allocated $30,690,000 in LMDC funds to the project, none of which has been invoiced yet.



Gerson, Chair of the Council’s Committee on Lower Manhattan Redevelopment, said “The NYC Department of Transportation must listen to the concerns of the community before it proceeds with major traffic reconfigurations. The Chatham Square area community is united in its opposition to this misguided plan, and we will do everything in our power to stop it from moving forward. The Lower Manhattan Development
Corporation has an excellent track record of stewarding federal funds.

It was demonstrated clearly at a City Council joint hearing that the NYC Department of Transportation is in violation of several community input requirements of the sub-recipient agreement. Therefore, the LMDC has a fiduciary responsibility to demand that the community review process fulfill the contractual agreement before funds are disbursed.”



NYC Council Transportation Committee Chairperson John Liu said, "We convened a joint oversight hearing on February 5 to examine the City's proposed Chatham Square Reconfiguration. Despite substantial objections from area residents and businesses to the plan, including formal resolutions from Manhattan Community Boards 1 and 3 rejecting the plan, the City had indicated the project will move forward. Chairperson Gerson and I had called for a full community review of the DOT's plans, including a six-month breathing-period delay in the plans to commence construction, because little information and opportunity for feedback has been afforded to the community. The City cannot disregard the community objections and outcry formally submitted today by way of petitions."



“I fully support this petition, and hope that the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation will heed the call by the community and elected officials to reconsider its funding of the Chatham Square / Park Row Improvement Program,” said New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. “This ill-conceived plan, developed by the City, has completely failed to take community concerns into consideration. Furthermore, if it moves forward, small businesses in Chinatown will loose significant amount of business at a time when they can least afford it. If the City will not step in and address these concerns, then I urge LMDC to take immediate action and stop this program from moving forward.”



Community leader Jeannie Chin said, “The LMDC must follow their own charter mandate in considering the tremendous effect that the reconfiguration of Chatham Square would have on the lives of thousands of residents and businesses surrounding Chatham Square and on the thousands more who use this critical major cross-town intersection in Chinatown and Lower Manhattan. With three other nearby cross-town streets shuttered either for reconstruction or permanently -- Fulton Street until 2014 and Park Row/Pearl Streets -- one cannot begin to imagine the traffic congestion, air quality and emergency access issues that our community will face in the next 4-5 years. We challenge the DOT to examine the community alternative and the LMDC to look before funding this white elephant.”



Several other community leaders including Danny Chen, Jan Lee and Margaret Chin also spoke passionately against the proposed traffic plan. Gerson then carried the petitions to the LMDC.

news Coverage of the Parks Department parking on sidewalks

Parks Department - oblivious

A day after Senator Squadron and Borough President Stringer announce a new legislation called the Haley and Diego bill in honor of the two children killed on East Broadway as a result of a commercial van backing into them, the NYC Parks Department continues to threaten the sidewalks around Columbus Park with their OWN vehicles. Almost all of the vehicles have poor rearward visibility due to their size. This is especially troubling considering the considerable usage of the park.
Note the school kids trying to relax next to an idling truck. Would you allow this in your neighborhood?
It's time the parks commissioner reign in his dangerous and disrespectful fleet. This is no way to be "green".

Daniel Squadron and Scott Stringer present new legislation on City Hall Steps today

On the steps of City Hall today Borough President Scott Stringer and Senator Dan Squadron along with Transportation Alternatives Paul White announced newly authored legislation they would like to see passed. Many Chinatown community leaders were also present including CCRC.

According to the Borough President, "The proposed legislation - recognizing the increased risk of injury and death faced by cyclists, pedestrians and other road users traveling outside the protection of an automobile - requires drivers who kill or seriously injure "vulnerable" roadway users to appear before a judge in court, attend driver safety training, and perform up to 60 days of community service. If a convicted driver fails to complete the safety training course or the community service requirement, he or she may also face fines of up to $10,000 and the loss of his or her driver's license."

Some concerns over this legislation, which was not available in print at the press conference for review, are whether or not the motorist would be "run through the system". It was not clear at the press conference about exactly what was to take place in the event of an accident resulting in injury. While it is clear that the onus should not be on the policeman on the scene to determine a driver's guilt or innocence, we are reminded of possible abuses of one's rights if one is run through the system.
We need to have a reasonable balance. CCRC is waiting to see this legislation.

What annoys Mayor Bloomberg? Mention his money.

New York City - Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the question “ridiculous.” A reporter wanted to know whether, in view of the economic adversity facing New York and the nation, he would consider limiting his spending in the coming mayoral campaign.

The Mayor was clearly annoyed.

“I don't understand your question,” he said angrily. “'I am not going to talk about the campaign. I think it's one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard.”

It may not sound so ridiculous to the New Yorkers who are living from paycheck to pay check or those who fear that that might soon be the case. Reportedly, Mike Bloomberg is ready to spend 80 to 100 million dollars to get elected to a third term. He put the heat on the City Council to have the law changed to allow him to run -- even though by referendum the people of New York had already voted twice to limit the number of terms to two.

This mayor is used to getting his own way and he's glad to throw money around to accomplish that goal. The Times carried a story the other day detailing the fat bonuses he's given his closest aides out of his own pocket for their services in furthering his ambitions. His generosity also extends to how he treats them on the road. According to the Times, Bloomberg puts his senior staff members up at the Four Seasons in London [$400 a night], at the Intercontinental in Paris [$320] and at the King David in Israel $345]. And, the Times reports, as he seeks to recruit new members to his staff for the campaign ahead, he makes it clear that they will have a chance to inhabit the Bloomberg world and get handsome bonuses for their efforts.
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One former adviser said he was surprised to find, after the 2001 election, that $25,000 had been added to his bank balance. Bloomberg had bestowed a little gift on him.

“I was shocked,” he said. “I knew big campaign operatives would negotiate bonuses but I was just a policy adviser.”

William Cunningham, an affable man who advised Bloomberg on strategy in the 2001 and 2005 campaigns, was paid about 1.2 million dollars for his work---and, the Times reports, he got bonuses of $300,000 each after each contest. The money enabled him to send his children to college, he said, and to go on pricey vacations with his family. “For that,” Cunningham said, “I am very grateful.”

No one can begrudge anyone a chance to make a good living. And the fault here is hardly on the recipients of Bloomberg largesse.

The problem here falls squarely on Bloomberg's shoulders. New York has a campaign finance law that was devised to make for an equal playing field. In the coming mayoral election, the two major contenders for the Democratic nomination are City Comptroller William Thompson and Congressman Anthony Wiener. Alongside Mike Bloomberg, both are paupers. Financially, he can wipe the floor with them.

Thompson's campaign manger, Eduardo Castell, said: “as he has in the past, the Mayor is buying a campaign.” Speaking of the perks that go to Bloomberg aides, the Mayor's spokesman Stu Loeser said: “These are rare and relatively minor benefits that don't come close to offsetting the workload, especially when you've flown through the night and have to work on both local and New York City time.”

Which gets us back to what the Mayor called a “ridiculous” question.

We're facing tough times. The mayor is a great philanthropist. He's supported many charitable causes. The other day, he promised the bishop of Brooklyn to consider a plan to convert four parochial schools threatened with being closed into public charter schools.

But it is hardly ridiculous to ask whether this man should flaunt his wealth in the political arena. he has done good for the city. He has also exhibited great hubris and if he truly believes in a democratic system, he should be willing to accept legal limits on campaign expenditures.

You have fans out there, Mr. Mayor, and critics. Are you afraid to test your achievements on a level playing field?
Gabe Pressman WNBC Feb. 11th 2009.

Parks Department Vehicles on Columbus Park Sidewalks send a message to Chinatown

Despite the presentation of photos depicting Parks Department vehicles parked on Columbus Park sidewalks at a recent Transportation Town Hall on the L.E.S. the parks department insists on endangering Chinatown kids and seniors who use the park.

Lower Manhattan D.O.T. Commissioner Luis Sanchez expressed to CCRC at the Town Hall that he would be calling Parks Dept. reps to put a stop to this practice, but only three days after the Town Hall the same vans and trucks are back again.

The Parks Dept. can be reached here.

Chinatown working Group - Parking, Transportation, Circulation & Security acts on Zip Car / Fast Fleet momentum

The "Parking, Transportation, Circulation & Security committee" of the Chinatown Working Group agreed last Tuesday to present the Zip Car / Fast Fleet technology idea, currently enjoyed by Washington D.C., to the full Chinatown Working Group at the next full Board meeting.
Washington D.C. is the first City in the country to adopt Fast-fleet.com for its own government fleet of cars, thereby cutting as many as 300 cars from its fleet.

Ever wonder where all the money went? New website will help NY'ers track the $$$

Comptroller Candidate David Yassky created a website for NY'ers to follow the "earmarked cash" (money divvied out by Councilmembers to favorite orgs.)
Although CCRC has not endorsed a candidate for comptroller, we find this website very useful.

Downtown Express and The Villager coverage of the Liu / Gerson Town Hall on Transportation Issues

Volume 21, Number 51 | The Newspaper of Lower Manhattan | May 8 - 14, 2009

Traffic changes driving ’em crazy in L.E.S. and Chinatown

By Albert Amateau

Lower East Side and Chinatown residents braved the rain on Monday to denounce Mayor Bloomberg and the city Department of Transportation over traffic changes the city has made during the past several months and is contemplating for the future for their neighborhoods.

City Councilmember Alan Gerson, who convened the May 4 forum on traffic and parking at P.S. 137 at East Broadway and Grand St., told Transportation officials that what the city thought would be improvements to traffic circulation and pedestrian safety on Grand St. have not worked.

“We get too many complaints that D.O.T. turns a deaf ear to community concerns,” Gerson said. “Traffic on Grand St. is worse. Pedestrian crossings are more dangerous. Critical turns for the Fire Department, ambulances and police have become difficult.”

Neighbors also railed against the recently established Grand St. bike lanes, and denounced bike riders who ride on the sidewalks and ride in the wrong direction when they do use the bike lanes.

Jan Lee, of Mott St., presented photos of Depart-ment of Parks cars and garbage trucks parking in the entrance of Columbus Park in Chinatown.

“It’s a daily occurrence,” he said. “Every weekday between 12 and 2 you’ll see a whole circulation of cars, even though there is curbside parking space reserved for the Parks Department.”

Luis Sanchez, a D.O.T. official at the forum, said the department tries to respond to the needs of pedestrians, drivers and delivery trucks.

“We end up taking from one group and giving to another,” he said. But he promised to call the Parks Department about vehicles in Columbus Park.

Triple Edwards, another Chinatown resident, insisted that the Police Department should be involved in traffic and parking forums.

“They are part of the traffic and parking problem in Chatham Square, and there is no dialogue with N.Y.P.D.,” he said.

Harold “Heshy” Jacob, the manager of the East River Housing Co-ops on Grand St. at the F.D.R. Drive and a director of the Hatzolah volunteer ambulance service, said the Grand St. traffic islands installed last year and the Grand St. bike lanes have interfered with emergency calls and delayed truck deliveries.

“Ambulances can’t get up Grand St.,” Jacob said. “I’ve seen fire engines tied up at Pitt St. Cars can’t move on Essex St.” Jacob recalled that the traffic islands last winter were useless as safety refuges for pedestrians because they were covered with snow and ice. The concrete of at least one island disintegrated over the winter and doesn’t exist any longer, he said.

Jacob also said the Grand St. bike lanes were a menace because they force trucks to park in the middle of the street when making deliveries.

Jacob recalled that Margaret Forgione, D.O.T. Manhattan borough commissioner, told a Lower East Side forum earlier this year that the Grand St. median island was intended to avoid pedestrian deaths on a section of Grand St. where there had been three fatalities. Jacob said he obtained records through a Freedom of Information Law request and found that there were no fatalities at that location, but that there had been one death on Clinton St. after a safety island had been installed at an intersection.

Jacob said there should have been an environmental impact statement done for the Grand St. traffic islands, but there was none.

Sanchez did not respond to Jacob’s comments.

“This is Bloomberg — arrogantly conceived and arrogantly carried out,” said Aaron Mitrani. He recalled pointing out to a construction foreman at one location last year that his crew was building an island next to another that was under construction.

“They made a mistake and they had to take it all down,” he said.

Mitrani noted that north-south traffic, especially along Essex St., is often at a standstill as far as the eye can see. He also condemned cyclists for disobeying traffic rules and riding wherever they pleased.

“It’s time the city licensed bikes so they can track offenders,” he said.

Iris Blutreich was angry about the curbside parking lost because of the bike lanes. She also called for an end to alternate-side-of-the-street parking rules and suggested that new street-cleaning technology could vacuum trash from the gutters. Parking-meter rules on the Jewish Sabbath should also be dropped, Blutreich said.

Darci Kennedy, a resident of Rutgers St. between Madison and Cherry Sts., said two parking lanes leave no room for cars on the street. Fire trucks cannot get to buildings, she said.

Rutgers St. residents called on D.O.T. to change traffic rules in time for the annual Rutgers St. neighborhood stickball game on May 23.

“It’s an important event for us,” Kennedy said.

Morris Faitelewicz also called for licensing bicycles and giving summonses to bike riders who violate traffic rules.

“They must he held accountable,” he said. Motorcycle and motor-scooter riders who remove their license plates and park on sidewalks should also get summonses, he added. Faitelewicz suggested that license identification should be affixed permanently on the vehicles rather than on a removable license plate.

Gerson said he intends to conduct a series of traffic town hall meetings, the next one on May 19 at Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Mulberry St. at Prince St.

TRANSPORTATION in the LOWER EAST SIDE - TOWN HALL MEETING - May 4th 6:30PM

Councilmember Alan J. Gerson, District 1

Joined by Councilmember John C. Liu,

Chair of City Council Transportation Committee
Invite you to a

TOWN HALL MEETING

on your

TRAFFIC, PARKING AND

TRANSPORTATION

CONCERNS

(Of the Lower East Side)



MONDAY, MAY 4, 2009



6:30pm

At

Public School 134

293 East Broadway at Grand Street

If you have any questions, please call (212) 788-7722

Department of Transportation invited and expected to attend

When Will NYC Government Go GREEN With Their OWN CARS?!?!?!?!?

On Feb. 13th 2009 CCRC reported on Washington D.C.'s progressive and aggressive approach to curtailing abuse of its government fleet of cars. Washington D.C., like NYC, suffers from a plethora of a good thing gone bad - the "good thing" is about to come to an end for government employees in Washington where tracking, online booking and "zip-car-like" technology is employed to cut the government fleet of cars from 360 to just 60 !!
Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty said that the majority of government cars sit for hours and days unused and the City had to pay for that storage time. A much better solution, according to the Mayor was to make a small amount of cars available on an "as-needed" basis. Like Zip Car rental cars, the user, in this case the government employee would have to go on line to "book" a car with a limited amount of time, after which time the car would have to be returned to its "home base".

Here is another article about Washington D.C.'s approach to their government cars.
New York's own Mayor Bloomberg should take some lessons from Mayor Fente and get serious about his GREEN initiative.

When the D.O.T. and Deputy Mayor Skyler met with members of the Chinatown community, the only community to propose this solution to address ourown placard abuse problems, they were met with this statement from the Deputy Mayor "placards are a perk that we believe we owe our employees since we don't compensate them with very much pay".

Big difference in City governance, don't you think? and don't you think NYC deserves better?

It's not a surprise that the Mayor never considered this solution when he and his "sheep" in the City Council proposed congestion pricing as a solution to reducing the number of cars in Manhattan. The Mayor claims to have done a lot to reduce government car abuse by its own employees, but in reality he has left himself an "out" by never proposing a permanent solution.
Placard reduction can quickly and insidiously become placard "growth" once again.

Tracking and online booking of government vehicles provides a permanent solution. Until the Mayor adopts this 21st solution to abuse that even he admits has gotten out of hand, the citizens of NYC will continue to suffer. Taxing the rest of us is not the solution. This is the start of a solution, the City must consider it.


Monday, April 27, 2009, 1:48pm EDT | Modified: Monday, April 27, 2009, 2:04pm
D.C. launches car program for city workers
Washington Business Journal - by Tierney Plumb Staff Reporter

D.C. has launched a vehicle fleet management program for its government employees through Zipcar’s FastFleet service.

D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and Zipcar chairman and CEO Scott Griffith made the announcement on Monday.

D.C. government employees can access and reserve city vehicles at fast-fleet.com and select a car type and location. Through a city-issued access card and integrated card reader mounted under the windshield, they can drive the car for official business use.

The D.C. government piloted the program last October with 29 vehicles and four sites. Monday’s launch consists of 58 vehicles at eight sites, which includes 56 hybrid and alternative fueled vehicles.

So far, D.C. has cut about 360 vehicles from D.C.’s motor fleet, yielding an estimated savings of $6.6 million over five years.

“D.C. is leading the way for cities to implement cost effective and sustainable solutions for fleet management,” said Griffith. “We are pleased to partner with D.C. to launch our FastFleet solution and bring the benefits of our car sharing technology to governments across the country.”

The program reduces costs by maximizing fleet utilization on an hourly basis, allowing many trips to be supported by a smaller number of cars. Fleet Share cars average as many as 10 drivers for every one car.

Norman Siegel on the campaign trail in Chinatown - Lin Sing hosts the public Advocate Candidate

Norman Siegel was hosted by the 109 year old Lin Sing Association in Chinatown at 49 Mott St. on Saturday the 25th.

Eddie Chiu of Lin Sing hosted two candidates on Saturday, Leslie Crocker Snyder for Manhattan district attorney, and Norman Siegel for public advocate.

The Civic Center Residents coalition introduced Mr. Siegel to Eddie Chiu, a man who has been featured in the New York Times as a political powerhouse in Chinatown.

“He’s becoming a regular kingmaker,” said Mei Hua Ru, the political director for Councilman John Liu of Flushing, Queens. “Whoever he touches gets elected.” - NY Times 10/8/08

Norman's approximately 30 minute presentation touched on subjects that included the role of the Public Advocate, what he would bring to the office, and how the public advocate can negate the need for Business Improvement Districts in Chinatown. He also talked about how he personally objects to the undemocratic nature of BID's as a whole.

He talked about how he would bring public advocate volunteers into each and every neighborhood to hear complaints on a regular basis to report to the public advocate.

"Problems that are systemic, those which affect groups of people, we will take that fight on as well and we'll do it by trying to persuade people but if that doesn't work, then I'll take them to court and sue them FOR the people." said Norman.


Norman spent a few minutes to talk about his objection to the Chatham Square plan presented by the D.O.T. and he presented a letter which he personally wrote. It was addressed to the Lower Manhattan Development Committee (LMDC) who would be responsible for 50% of the funding for the City's Chatham Square project.. Norman knew about the controversy surrounding the Chatham Square project and assured the audience that he agreed with the Chinatown community in asking the LMDC to reconsider funding a project that was so ill conceived and unpopular.

Jan Lee, a Chinatown resident and business owner shared with the audience his own experience as a defendant represented by Norman. Jan's employee was the victim of false arrest and Jan's office was illegally searched by a D.E.P. officer. Jan said that although he possessed a valid license to deal in antique ivory, a D.E.P. officer interrogated his employee for four hours eventually gaining entry to Jan's office where he found ivory pieces. This, according to the officer, was enough to handcuff and process the employee due to the dollar value of the ivory. Jan's employee spent a night in jail after being led out of the store in handcuffs, an embarrassing and traumatic experience.
According to Seigel, although the license in the display case at Jan's store showed an expired date on it, a simple five minute phone call would have revealed that Jan possessed an up to date license, but since Jan was away on business the new document was not yet on display.
Jan explained that had it not been for Norman's notoriety and reputation as a fighter and defender of civil rights, the charges against Jan would not have been dropped. Jan said that Norman would bring his expertise, his notoriety, and his professional career to the office and that Chinatown would benefit greatly from this.

The presentation was attended by approximately 75 Lin Sing members, Chinatown business owners, and residents from the Chinatown and lower East side area. Representatives from Chatham Towers, Chatham Green, and Southbridge Towers were also present.

Norman Siegel's words were punctuated enthusiastically by Eddie Chiu's translation. Mr. Chiu's energetic delivery often times caused raucous applause by the mostly Chinese speaking audience.

After the presentation many audience members clambered to pose for pictures with the candidate, Mr. Siegel obliged while answering questions, even pausing to kiss a woman on the cheek.

Chiu and Siegel stood in the middle of the crowd and discussed Chinatown issues, politics, and the race as Lin Sing members prepared the room for the next order of business , the singing club. Within moments after the picture taking the room broke into Chinese folk songs. Siegel was being guided away from the singers with an audience member as they continued to talk about Chinatown.

Mayor Bloomberg's GREENING of buildings is NOT NEW and NOT his IDEA!! BILL Clinton had suggested this in 2007

Mayor Bloomberg and Christine Quinn are on Charlie Rose tonight proposing the idea of a green initiative and retrofitting buildings as a way to reduce carbon emmissions and to create jobs in NYC.

Bill Clinton suggested this in 2007 as an answer to CONGESTION pricing, a poor excuse to tax drivers.

It's disgraceful that Michael Bloomberg is finally doing something about inefficient buildings in NYC and taking credit for it as though it was his idea. It's clear that he's doing this because he's running again.

Let's give credit where credit is due, Bill Clinton, a much more civic minded individual saw this years ago, and he suggested it to us NY'ers without any election on the horizon.

THIS should have been recommended prior to any suggestion of congestion pricing. Charlie Rose asks this question of "why wasn't this suggested during the congestion pricing discussion?" Mayor Mike dodged that question. Perhaps he was "saving" this suggestion for election time because he knew he'd rewrite the law to suit his run for a third term. This is not leadership.

see below:
June 15, 2007, 8:13 pm
Bill Clinton on Congestion Pricing
By Carolyn Ryan

Is there anyone at this point who hasn’t weighed in on Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s plan to impose weekday traffic fees in Manhattan?

Former President Bill Clinton mentioned Mr. Bloomberg’s congestion pricing proposal today during the annual luncheon of the National Partnership for Women and Families in Washington. Mr. Clinton did not explicitly endorse or criticize the plan, but he suggested that traffic fees would be “slightly regressive for lower-income working people that have no option but to drive.” He focused on the potential for creating jobs by making buildings more environmentally friendly.

An excerpt of Mr. Clinton’s remarks, from a transcript provided by the partnership:

If you just look at New York, where I work now, the mayor has proposed an ambitious plan for fixing the greenhouse-gas emission program in New York, even though we are already more than half as efficient as the average American, mostly because the people who live there are all packed together.

But in New York –- in America, about a third of our emissions come from transportation, a third from manufacturing and electricity generation, and a third from buildings of all kinds. In New York, where there is not much manufacturing anymore, it’s 20 percent from transportation and 80 percent from the buildings and the power needed to heat, cool and light them.

So all of the publicity, for those of you who come from New York, come from the mayor’s proposal for a congestion fee so that we have to pay if we go into Midtown Manhattan, another $8 a car a day. And there is a lot of concerns about it. It’s slightly regressive for lower-income working people that have no option but to drive. On the other hand, if you’ve ever waited an hour in New York City traffic, you pay $80 dollars just to be able to go another block or two.

But 80 percent of the problem is within buildings. Now you just think of how many jobs would be created. There are 950,000 buildings in the city. Let’s just assume 50,000 are maximally efficient, and 50,000 are unfixable. So you had — let’s suppose we said within the next three to four years, we’re going to green 850,000 buildings in that small piece of land. How many jobs would be created putting in all the lights, fixing the insulation, putting in new windows, greening all the roofs? How many manufacturing jobs would be created doing that? How many new small businesses could we create? And these jobs could not be easily outsourceable. You’ve got to be on the roof to green it; you can’t be in India.

As I said, this is not within the direct purview of what you are concerned about as an organization, but it relates to the success of the other policies. I think it is, if we created more jobs, I think we should also look at increasing the wages and the benefits of jobs which cannot be outsourced.

I think it would be a good thing if there were more unionization among public employee workers, hotel and restaurant workers, all the service jobs that cannot be outsourced. Many of us who access those jobs are above average income. I think about it every time I give a speech to a charity banquet in New York City. I think about how wealthy those of us are who are there participating in the charity, and I wonder how much money do people make who have to clean up after us after we leave and who serve and prepare the food while we’re there. So that’s a strategy that we ought to embrace.

And then we need to, finally, get back on this paid leave issue. I think there’s more support for it than ever before, and there’s lots of evidence that it increases productivity. Any time you can create an environment where people at work are not worried sick about their parents or their kids, they’re going to do better at work.

Petition Drive in Chinatown - LMDC funding for Chatham Square must stop now

CCRC has started its petition drive today, Sunday April 19th. The LMDC must understand that the DOT and Mayor's plan for the reconstruction of Chatham Square has no support in Chinatown.
Business leaders, community leaders and organizations will be canvassing the Chinatown area to gather signatures on the petitions shown here.
These petitions may be printed, signed and mailed back to the addresses shown at the top, or dropped off at Lin Sing association at # 49 Mott St. 2nd floor - Attention Eddie Chiu.

B.I.D.S = BAD

New York Post March 29 09

By ANGELA MONTEFINISE, KATHIANNE BONIELLO and SARAH RYLEY
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TODAY'S HOT TOPICS

Last updated: 3:21 am
March 29, 2009
Posted: 3:07 am
March 29, 2009

Shop owners in Washington Heights are wondering who's minding the store at their Business Improvement District.

As the stalling economy hammers mom-and-pop businesses, the efficacy and oversight of the city's 60 mostly taxpayer-funded BIDs, including those with limited budgets like the one in Washington Heights, are being questioned.

Merchants on 181st Street say they don't know what their BID does with its more-than-half-million-dollar budget, especially when 10 shops on one block have gone out of business recently.

"They don't do anything for the community," said Silvia Smith, president of the Inwood Chamber of Commerce, who recently shuttered her longtime travel business. "Most businesses don't know that it's even there. I was trying to organize two events for the community with them. I called and called. They just never called back."

A Post investigation of the Washington Heights and other BIDs -- which pull down tens of millions in taxpayer dollars every year -- found:

* Exaggerated or false claims by the Washington Heights BID about its activities. In a 2005-06 annual report, the BID said it co-hosted a networking dinner with the Latino Restaurant Association, which denied it was a joint event.

* Washington Heights BID Executive Director George Sanchez -- who took over in 1999 after the previous head was arrested for misappropriating funds -- lives in the Poconos and is rarely in the office, despite being paid $92,000 in 2007 and $117,000 in 2006. "I went to the BID almost 80 times in three years, and I never saw him even once," said Joanna Garcia, who ran a BID social-services program. "I couldn't pick him out of a lineup." Sanchez declined to immediately comment.

* At the East Brooklyn BID, retail businesses complain they're forgotten and have to sweep their own sidewalks -- a service often provided by BIDs -- or pay homeless people to do it.

* The 125th Street BID in Harlem spent $7,393 on "travel," with no further explanation in 2007 tax documents. The BID -- whose executive director is paid $127,000 -- did not return Post calls.

* Salaries for leaders of some of the city's large BIDs included $671,000 for Grand Central Partnership President Alfred Cerullo, $201,000 for Daniel Biederman of the 34th Street and Bryant Park BIDs, $202,000 for Tom Cusick of the Fifth Avenue BID, and $197,000 for Tim Tompkins of Times Square, according to 2007 tax documents.

* The Department of Small Business Services asks for annual reports from the BIDs but does not do regular audits.

BIDs collect special taxes from property owners based on real-estate assessments of their property, often based on square footage. Property owners often pass that down to the businesses that rent their buildings.

City Councilman Tony Avella says small BIDs should be overseen by community boards.

While he praised the concept of BIDs and the work of the larger ones, he sees problems with smaller BIDs spending more on overhead than actual programs.

"We need to strengthen our mom-and-pop commercial strips," Avella told The Post. "As they go, so goes the neighborhood. But it is absolutely essential that [BIDs] be monitored properly."

angela.montefinise@nypost.com

What we need is more green - if only the Parks Department did their job....

At virtually every presentation about Chatham Square's reconstruction the Mayor's office, D.O.T. and now the Parks Department lead off the "conversation" with "this area is in dire need of more green space...." followed by "this is why we've designed this plaza to include trees".


Anyone who uses Columbus Park, and there are thousands in the community who do, knows that the promise of trees goes unfulfilled. Since Columbus park underwent a major renovation several years ago the promise of trees has never materialized as evidenced from these photos. The only hints that trees were supposed to be planted are the sad asphalt squares carved out of the sidewalk, complete with iron grating in a few.


Perhaps other neighborhoods in the City get the trees that were promised to them. In Chinatown we only get square cut outs filled with asphalt instead of greenery.
As testament to exactly how the Community is treated AFTER a promise is made, white concrete planters which never get repainted stand as sorry substitutes for the trees that are supposed to be there. As if that's not enough of a message to our community , they don't even plant bushes in them, they're just empty containers filled with dirt and garbage. We get it, you put them there, we're listening.


As if the absence of trees once promised wasn't enough the Parks Department sees it fit to back their garbage truck onto the sidewalk, only feet from the entrance to the park where children enter and exit so they don't have to walk the extra ten feet with a garbage bag. Ironically they drive over the asphalt squares in doing so.
Perhaps THAT is the reason why we don't have trees, convenient parking for Parks Department employees . The area where the trees SHOULD have been is used daily by the Parks Department employees to park their pickup trucks and to pick up garbage.



"No parking", "No Standing", and "no parking on sidewalks near the entrance to a children's playground" are rules that exist for reasons of safety to the greater community. Why then, has the City foresaken these rules in virtually every aspect of its government?

We consider ourselves lucky that no child or senior has been seriously injured, that we know of, as a result of parks employees driving their vehicles onto the sidewalks at Columbus park every day. It's hard enough for an able bodied person to dodge a truck that is backing up, our seniors and children (slower moving and often under the sight line of the driver) may not be so lucky in the future.

Residents in Chinatown have legitimate apprehensions about the parks department when they say "this is going to be a beautiful plaza, in an area in dire need of more green space" when they refer to Chatham Square. The parks department does a lousy job of following up in a park that already exists. So why should we believe that they'd maintain 27,000 square ft. of additional park space in the middle of Chatham Square.

Case in point are these sad and dangerous white concrete planters. Now damaged, they were left lying on their sides after being hit (possibly by a parks department vehicle backing up) for three months at the corner of Worth and Mulberry St. After numerous calls to 311, they were finally righted, but left in their upright but damaged condition. Even more outrageous the empty vessels were left empty and now serve as garbage receptacles. The promise of more greenery is as empty as these planters. We don't believe the hype. Wny should we?


If the City of New York and the parks department is SO damn concerned about Chinatown's "dire need for more green" then they should STOP driving on our park sidewalks and start fulfilling the promises they made a decade ago by planting the trees that are supposed to be there right now. We know that the maintenance of Columbus park is dismal, we know that dangerous conditions are allowed to flourish, and are exacerbated by the parks department's own vehicles and we have a right to put a stop to MORE of this in our objection to the Chatham Square plan and proposed plaza.


Supporters of the D.O.T. and the Mayor's plan for Chatham Square offer their BLIND support (you'd have to be blind not to notice what's going on at Columbus Park and James Madison Park). It's much easier to side with the City with blinders on.

Feng Shui - City says to Chinatown "Feng PHOOOEY!"

Last night Community Board 3 hosted a presentation by Stantec, the firm hired by the City of NY and D.O.T. to design the plaza and Park Row promenade for the reconstruction of Chatham Square. Part of the reconstruction plan involves a totally new plaza, 27,000 sq. ft. of space, surrounding the Kim Lau Memorial arch already in the center of the square.
The presentation was accompanied by beautifully rendered computer generated images of what was to come once the Chatham Square reconstruction was complete. The drawings were obviously painstaking in their detail and scope and represented the City's vision for Chatham Square with precise detail.

What was missing is what has always been missing, the sensitivity to the community in which the plaza (remarkably similar to a skateboard park) would reside. Except for the color red, there were no indicators that this plaza, over scaled and expansive in size, was in the middle of the largest Chinese population on the East Coast of America. It could have been in Atlanta, or Boise, or Washington D.C. In fact, in showing the hand outs to a variety of people without telling them this plaza was to reside in Chinatown no one thought it was particularly Asian in any sense. No one has guessed it was designed for Chinatown.

CCRC members asked the folks at Stantec, who went through the trouble of bringing full color large format renderings to hand out with versions in English and in Chinese, why Feng Shui was never considered for this plaza. A culture that is five thousand years old, who has to this day a deep rooted belief system based on energy flow, wind and water and its relationship to prosperity and health, would surely benefit from the CONSIDERATION of this belief system in the design of a 27,000 sq. ft. plaza being plopped in their neighborhood for generations. This consideration was absent from the presentation because it was absent from the minds of all involved. There was no defense to the criticism that this plan was culturally insensitive, just blank stares. It was as though someone just called out the elephant in the room.

At no point in fact, at any presentation on planning, roadways, landscaping, or park space was Feng Shui even mentioned. In all fairness there was a mention of a fountain in the middle of the plaza, whose shape was that of a donut, as being "culturally significant" to the Chinese. Convenient that the one item in the plan that was pointed out as being a "nod" to Chinese culture was also innocuous enough to be insignificant to the non-Chinese who would inherit Chinatown after the Chinese have been displaced entirely.

Given the resources that we have in the 21st century, the internet being one of them, jet travel being another and $8 milion being spent on the plaza yet another, The City could have and should have expressed an "overabundance" (a very favorable Chinese concept) of cultural sensitivity for a plaza that no one approved in the first place.

Sadly, what could be an opportunity for America's best Asian American talent has degraded into a political bulldozer project that ultimately looks like a skate board park in a suburban cul de sac, but then again, didn't Guiliani want all of NYC to look like that - Good Work on the Guiliani-Follow-Through Mike.

City to Chinatown: "Feng PHOOOEY to you!"

CB3 Chatham Square resolutions 1,2 and 3