Category Archives: Politics

Plans for the Cordoba House Mosque

Rick Lazio Demands WTC Mosque Investigation

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Rick Lazio, Ground Zero, Andrew Cuomo
Rick Lazio's Open Letter to Andrew Cuomo suggests "questionable" motives for WTC Mosque (Credit: Flickr)

As we suggested, politicians should heed last week’s Quinnipiac Poll.

We just didn’t know the first politician would be Rick Lazio.

Riding on the heels of a report that more than half of all New York voters oppose the building of the Cordoba Initiative mosque, the Republican gubernatorial candidate has openly challenged his Democratic opponent and current Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to investigate.

According to Lazio, “New Yorkers have a right to feel safe and be safe. There are serious security questions about the appropriateness of this mosque.”

In his formal request, Lazio asserts that an investigation must be made into the backgrounds of both the Imam in charge of construction as well as its questionable funding.

Here is the complete letter to Attorney General Cuomo which was posted on Lazio’s official website:

July 7, 2010

The Honorable Andrew Cuomo

Office of the Attorney General

The Capitol

Albany, NY 12224-0341

Dear Attorney General Cuomo,

I am writing on behalf of the people of New York who share my concerns for their personal security and safety with respect to the construction of the Cordoba Mosque in lower Manhattan. Recent press reports have highlighted the following troublesome issues:

• The Imam in charge of the construction refused to acknowledge that Hamas is a terrorist organization. (New York Post, 6/19/10)

• The Imam of the project is a “key figure” of Perdana Global, the single largest funder of the flotilla that tried to break the blockade of Gaza by Israeli defense forces. (New York Post, 6/5/10)

• The questionable background of the funding sources for the construction of the Mosque. (New York Post, 5/25/10)

Given that the Cordoba Initiative is a legally registered charitable organization with the New York Attorney General’s Office, my fellow New Yorkers and I are asking you to immediately conduct a thorough investigation of the previous items highlighted by the media with respect to the construction of this Mosque in lower Manhattan. The people have the right to know if this “charity” is using its resources in a legitimate, legal, and charitable way.

New Yorkers were shocked and appalled at the silence of our state law enforcement officials when the Obama Administration decided to stage a civilian trial of admitted terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in lower Manhattan. We hope that we can depend on our state officials for more competent leadership with respect to this extremely sensitive matter.

I and the people of New York await your rapid and full response.

Sincerely,

Rick Lazio

The cornerstone has not be laid out and it seems we’ve got a long road of controversy before any prayers begin. How do you feel about the allegations and the building of the Cordoba Initiative?

Battery Park City parking changes

City Considers Parking Regulation Changes Downtown

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Battery Park City parking changes
Street spaces are coming! Street spaces are coming! (Flickr/nyctaxiphoto)

Fed up with the serious lack of parking spaces anywhere below Canal Street? Pretty soon you might — just might — have a reason to dance a jig and thank your lucky stars. The Department of Transportation (DOT) is looking to change street parking regulations in Lower Manhattan, beginning with Tribeca.

At a recent meeting of Tribeca’s Community Board 1, DOT spokeswoman Suchi Sanagavarapu announced the plans, admitting that the regulations governing street parking in Tribeca were devised when the area was an industrial and commercial hub… and do not reflect the neighborhood’s current residential state.
“Our regulations have definitely not kept up, and we’ve been hearing about it from the community for years now,” Sanagavarapu confessed. “There seems to be a mismatch in terms of what the current land uses are versus what the current parking regulations are.”

Continue reading City Considers Parking Regulation Changes Downtown →

Governor David Paterson

Gov. Paterson to Gut Lower Manhattan Development Corp.

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Fed up with ineptitude, D. Patz will LMDC heads roll this summer.
David Paterson

David Paterson doesn’t like ineptitude. In fact, he abhors it so much that he’s going to go ahead and  gut the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. (LMDC) this summer.

According to the New York Post, Gov. Paterson will slash the 35-person staff — which reaps a combined annual salary of around $3 million — down to a crew of just five. The reason for this drastic measure: The LMDC hasn’t doled out $540 million of the $3 billion in federal funds it was created to dispense, and it has yet to carry out one of its primary duties, the demolition of the former Deutsche Bank building.

The LMDC’s critics, which not so shockingly include one of its own board members, say the corporation has devolved into a money-sucking bureaucracy with only one goal in mind: to justify its own preservation.

Gov. Paterson hopes that this slash-and-burn will jolt the corporation into action, compelling those still left standing after the shakeup to put the remaining Congress-allocated cash to good use in the rejuvenation of Lower Manhattan. This includes paying off cost overruns of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, funding a planned performing-arts center, and giving money to non-profit groups and small businesses.

In fact, the LMDC still has $4 million in its coffers that is supposed to be dispensed in $25,000 increments as grants to local small businesses. And, according to a recent Community Board 1 survey, a whopping 66 percent of local small business owners didn’t even know they were eligible for these grants.

Sounds like the LMDC still has a whole lot of work to do — and pretty soon it’ll have 30 fewer people to do it.

Opponents of the Park51 mosque are found nationwide.

1,000 Gather to Protest Ground Zero Mosque

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Mosque Protest
These New Yorkers aren't too pleased with the plans.

Unless you’ve been completely cut off from the outside world for the past couple of months, you’ve probably heard that there are plans to construct a mosque just steps from Ground Zero. Also probably on your radar: A lot of people aren’t too happy about it.

Proof of this was on display Sunday, when more than 1,000 protesters gathered on the corner of Church and Liberty Streets to rail against plans to construct a mosque and Islamic cultural/community center on Park Place, a mere two blocks from the World Trade Center site.

According to the Tribeca Tribune, during the three-hour demonstration, organized by Stop Islamization of America (SIOA), protesters endured 90-degree temps to listen to speakers — from family members of 9/11 victims to a former Muslim woman — denounce not only the construction plans… but often Islam itself.

The signs the protesters, most of them middle-aged or older, waved also bashed the religion. One read, “All I need to know about Islam, I learned on 9/11.” Another said, “You can build a mosque at Ground Zero when we can build a synagogue in Mecca.”

But the Cordoba Initiative, the Muslim group dedicated to fostering better relationships between New York City’s Muslim and non-Muslim communities, feels that this is exactly why a mosque and educational/cultural center would be so beneficial at 45 Park Place, a location it owns and plans to name Cordoba House when building is complete. The Cordoba Initiative opposes the radical Islam responsible for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and wants the opportunity to teach people the difference between those extremist violent sects and the vast, peaceful majority of Muslims.

The protesters who gathered on Sunday, however, remain unswayed. Their feeling is that there are plenty of mosques in New York already, and they believe it is inappropriate to build another one so close to the site of 9/11 devastation.

One protester, Joyce Boland, whose son died in the Sept. 11 attacks, told the Tribune: “I don’t think that a mosque should go up to loom over his grave, when they were responsible for what happened.”

While no violence erupted during the protest, there was definitely some pretty palpable hostility. An Arab-American TV crew, who were later revealed to be there to protest the mosque, had to be removed from the crowd by a police escort when protesters became agitated by their presence.

What is your feeling on the situation? Are those opposed to the mosque being to narrow-minded? Would a mosque near Ground Zero be a positive step in defusing prejudices toward Islam that were ingrained on the hearts and minds of many Americans on Sept. 11, 2001? Or is it just too soon and too close for comfort?

Fed up with ineptitude, D.Patz will let heads roll this summer.

David Paterson Appoints Anthony Notaro to BPC Authority

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Governor give community leader the nod.
Governor gives community leader the nod.

The Battery Park City Authority board is getting some fresh blood. Gov. David Paterson has appointed community leader Anthony Notaro to the seven-member board that manages BPC’s 92 acres and its $29 million annual budget.

Because Notaro is a longtime resident with deep ties to Battery Park City — he helped found the Certified Emergency Response Team, is president of the First Precinct Community Council AND is a Community Board 1 member — his presence on the board will give BPC residents a stronger say in decisions that affect their neighborhood.

In a statement to the press, State Sen. Daniel Squadron, who championed Notaro for the role, said: “The Battery Park City community has advocated for years to add more residents to the BPCA board. Anthony will bring an important perspective to help the board better understand the particular needs and concerns of Battery Park City residents.”

Now let’s just hope Mayor Bloomberg doesn’t dissolve the Authority altogether, and everything will be just peachy.

Chairman Thompson’s Post Uncertain With NYC Bid on BPC

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William Thompson Chairman of the Battery Park City Authority
William Thompson is the current Chairman of the Battery Park City Authority

That which the governor giveth, the mayor can taketh away. At least that’s the case for the Battery Park City Authority, which is facing a potential takeover at the hands of New York City.

It’s only been a month since William Thompson was appointed as Chairman of the Battery Park City Authority, but his days are already numbered. Ironically, his fate is in the hands of the same man who took away his shot at being Mayor, Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

According to the New York Daily News, Thompson said, “It’s not like I’m getting paid a lot in this job. If that happens in the end, so be it.”

Battery Park City has recently been under the scrutiny of New York City’s comptroller John Liu to start determining whether a takeover of the neighborhood is a financially viable step for the city, after similar and recent acquisitions of both Brooklyn Bridge park and Governor’s Island…

Historically, the city has had the option to take over Battery Park City for a mere dollar. Yet, behind that dollar comes great fiscal responsibilities — including assuming the Authority’s $1-billion-dollar debt, as well as the burden of keeping up the same impeccable park maintenance and services (events, art installations, etc.) to which residents have become accustomed.

The decision ultimately lies solely in the hands of both the mayor and comptroller. Liu has been quoted in several news outlets saying that he takes this decision seriously and would want to hear from the residents of Battery Park City before making a decision.

Longtime Battery Park City advocate, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, was also quoted in the article saying, “I’m not for it. I’m not against it. I’m cautioning at this point.”

If anything, Thompson’s announcement that he’s taking a new corporate job hints that he’s hedging his bets. Although Thompson and Bloomberg have a history as political rivals, they’ve also collaborated in the past, working together as comptroller and mayor for several years. While the decision about the Battery Park City Authority’s fate is far from final, the outcome is something neighborhood residents and property owners need to monitor vigilantly.

Mayor Bloomberg

After Governors Island, Mayor Now Seeks Battery Park City

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Mayor Bloomberg in a land grab for Battery Park City
Mayor Bloomberg in a land grab for Battery Park City

After successfully seeking control over Governors Island and Brooklyn Bridge Park, Mayor Bloomberg continues his game of Monopoly with his piece set on buying Battery Park City.

Comptroller John Liu is tasked with determining whether the takeover of Battery Park City from New York State makes sense for New York City. In a bid to help close the city’s budget deficit, acquiring Battery Park City would mean a constant flow of revenue from ground lease revenue and property taxes.

Although the city has had a longstanding option to acquire Battery Park City for a mere $1 dollar, tacked along with the purchase would be nearly $1 billion dollars in debt and high maintenance costs for the area.

The comptroller is also considering Battery Park City residents and commercial tenants opinions on the acquisition.

Whether or not the acquisition would follow through has yet to be seen, although it’s quite obvious that the plan has kicked in. Especially in light of Governor Patterson’s recent nomination of William Thompson as Battery Park City Authority’s new chairman.

New York Magazine’s Intelligencer has an interesting take on what this means, also mentioning that if the deal does not go through before September’s political primary — the likelihood that it deal would go through at all would be all but nullified.

How do you feel about about the possible acquisition of Battery Park City by the city and do you think this is a step in the right or wrong direction?