Politics

The Apologists Vs. The Naysayers In LIC

August 1, 2020 by editor 6 Comments

Over the last two months various cheerleaders and detractors have stated their cases as to why they are for/against the Waterfront Master Plan. The latter group seems to be spearheaded by Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer on behalf of various groups created during HQ2, aka the Amazon Naysayers. The cheerleaders are a seemingly disparate collection of voices looking to bless the Plan exactly as it is, let’s call them the Amazon Apologists.

Well Amazon isn’t coming to LIC, and neither is its 25,000 jobs. I think most would agree that the Naysayers are fully responsible for that. While that is a terrible shame, more now than ever, it is completely irrelevant in terms of assessing how much and what type of upzoning should be allowed now. It certainly does not mean completely unfettered approval of the full density, developer-friendly amenity package put forth in the initial Plan.

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Sunnyside Yards Plan Released With Vague Commitment

March 4, 2020 by editor 1 Comment

So ‘what do you think of the just-released Sunnyside Yards Plan?’ asked no one in particular. ‘However,’ as the foremost authority on this topic, I’ll share my thoughts, but first the salient details.

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Jimmy Van Bramer Dropping Out of Queens Borough President Race

January 21, 2020 by editor 7 Comments

Jimmy Van Bramer announced this morning that he is dropping out of the Queens Borough President’s race citing family reasons according to his twitter feed. In the announcement, he specifically mentioned his duties as a son and brother.

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Where’s The Plan Jimmy V & Mikey G?*

December 10, 2019 by editor 1 Comment

St. Mary's Church Long Island City — A wing and a prayer

“To destroy is easier than to create, and that is why so many people are ready to demonstrate against what they reject. But what would they say if one asked them what they wanted instead?”
Ivan Klima – Love and Garbage

A little over a year ago I gave my opinion on the Amazon HQ2 deal struck by the Mayor and Governor. My conclusion was that while the two leaders were not very good poker-players and could have offered less, the overall deal as struck was worth taking a chance on.1 I even-handedly acknowledged that not everyone in LIC would be a winner from the deal, and some of the biggest winners would be those already well-entrenched (and well-heeled). Most importantly, the physical presence of Amazon being located in LIC would be transformational for us and the rest of Western Queens. Heretofore a backwater of NYC, hence the cradle of growth.

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No matter what either side says, like any investment you don’t know until later if it will be a good one. [↩]

Let’s Get Political Long Island City

August 7, 2019 by editor Leave a Comment

Carolyn Maloney in Long Island City — Quick, spot the Congresswoman, then get burger

Any resemblance to a normal multi-section newspaper is purely coincidental

POLITICS – for quite some time the lights on the Empire State Building have gone dark to honor the victims in various mass shootings. Whether it be Pittsburgh or Parkland, Orlando or Vegas, San Bernardino or Charleston, the frequency of the shootings in recent years has programmed me to automatically make the link between seeing the darkened tower and whatever city the tragedy occurs. Monday night was the exception, when the owners decided to “rebroadcast” their “Gun Violence Awareness Day” orange lighting from just this past June, in sympathy with El Paso and Dayton. Hopefully it’s not the only exception made in regards to this issue.

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