When Clowns Go Bad Part II: THE PURGE OF COMMUNITY BOARD 6
Well, two weeks after I reported on it, the big purge comes. Community Board 6 is being purged of most if not all of its members who have opposed the corrupt and irresponsible Ratner plan for developing Atlantic Yards.
(photo comes from here)
Marty Markowitz has been a consistent supporter of Pataki's law school buddy, Bruce Ratner's, plan for development. This despite the fact the project has no business plan (who supports a project so huge without a business plan???) and NYC taxpayers are being asked to pay for the acquisition of the land for Ratner (wish they'd paid for my land acquisition when I bought my apartment!)...and despite considerable doubts as to the real costs and benefits to the community.
Community Board 6 has been trying to strike a balance between the need for development and the need for responsibility to the existing community. Those I know on the board took their responsibility to the community seriously (at the time of writing I do not know if they have been reappointed or not). And my observation of CB 6 gave me a very good impression of its members. But Marty Markowitz wants blind yes-men, and it is within his power to do this.
When I first heard about the purge, as I wrote before, more than a month ago, it was in the context of several public scenes made by Marty in which he yelled at people, in public, for their "disloyalty" on Atlantic Yards and threatened to drop them from the board. One person relating such stories questioned Marty's actual sanity, so embarassing were these scenes.
I also hear that there may be other acts of revenge surrounding CB 5, however I don't have the full info on that. I have also heard rumors of purges surrounding other Community Boards but again don't really have all that much info on it. CB 6 seems to be the center of the Clown's Rampage.
One thing that only came to my attention recently is that some of the purge may be due to City Councilmembers, particularly David Yassky and Bill DeBlasio. DeBlasio, like Markowitz, is also a blind supporter of Ratner, ignoring the corruption and lack of a business plan. But he is not the political clown that Marty is and, even if he is participating in the purge, I have heard no stories of embarassing public rampages and flying spittle as I have about Marty. Bill DeBlasio is a far more intelligent and savvy politician than Marty who is fully capable of purging with velvet gloves rather than with flying spittle like Marty. As for Yassky, I am curious why he is participating in this purge since he has been striking a decidedly skeptical pose towards Ratner this year, in contrast to his more resigned attitude last year that my wife was so turned off by. If Yassky really wants the city to stand up to Ratner in any way, I would assume he would like to see the Community Boards to have some people opposed to Ratner's plan to balance Marty's yes-men. But perhaps Yassky has other reasons for participating in this purge.
I have to say that the role that my fellow Democrats play in a plan that is surrounded by so many lies, so many secret, sleazy deals and not doesn't even have a business plan embarasses the hell out me. I spent a great deal of time last year writing about how disgusting the Republican cronyism and corruption around the nation is and how damaging it is to America. And yet right here in Brooklyn I find a sadly similar level of corruption and cronyism with politicians like Marty Markowitz and, less clownishly, Bill DeBlasio siding with Republicans like Pataki and Bloomberg to support it. These days it is rare that I am embarassed to be a Democrat. But I am embarassed by Brooklyn Democrats and I am embarassed by the unwillingness many so-called reformers have in standing up against people like Marty. Reform Democrats should be at the forefront of opposing the lies, corruption, fiscal irresponsibility and sleaze surrounding Atlantic Yards. And yet mostly I see a fear of taking a stand that is, quite honestly, quite disappointing.
Politicians like Marty Markowitz make it much harder for me to challenge Republicans on their corruption. Thanks Marty. Way to go! Bush likes yes-men, too, and see where it got America?
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Atlantic Yards | Community Board 6 | payback | Brooklyn | Marty Markowitz
Not my point
Submitted by mole333 on 19 May 2007 - 12:17pm.
My main points have been a.) Marty's public displays of rage and b.) the lack of real guts on the part of many reform-minded Democrats in Brooklyn. I agree that the AY opponants have played some of their cards wrong, but there are many politicians and organizations whose reservations about Atlantic Yards tend to be muted by fear of people like Marty. To me this is more of a scandal than the failure of a group of amateurs trying to save their neighborhood playing some of their cards wrong.
That and the fact that Marty, a man with higher ambitions, chooses this point in time to make new enemies.
Hey Millstone, nice blame
Submitted by beepwatch (not verified) on 19 May 2007 - 2:28pm.
Hey Millstone, nice blame the victims nonsense post regarding opposition to AY. what development fight has had "serious citywide opposition"? Not even the West Side stadium, what they had was serious Cablevision.
also, it seems to me that the politician appointing community board members should not simply appoint them to be yes men, but rather, their re-appointments should be at least partially dependent upon the community board members representation of the community or misrepresentation of it. CB6's well thought out resolutions and comments to the AY DEIS, seems to have met what clearly appears to be the majority community sentiment within the CB6 boundaries. I mean community board appointees are not the same as appointments to borough hall staff positions. the boards are not an arm of borough hall, or yassky's office, or deblasio's.
but maybe that's a quaint idea.
and Mole333 what cards were played wrong exactly, especially when the political fix was in from day one?
No offense intended
Submitted by mole333 on 19 May 2007 - 4:10pm.
My point was merely that when a community tries, with little or no prior experience, to organize itself in oppostion to forces that include the BP, the mayor, and the governor, they are going to misstep from time to time. Personally I think a few things were said that perhaps should have not been said or, more likely, said differently, and some political alliances were problematic. In general I think the opposition has done an excellent job given what they started with and I have seen politicians who were ready to roll over for Ratner start sounding tougher on Ratner because they see where the community stands and how strongly they stand there. The fact that we don't have a done deal yet shows the strength of the opposition.
But there are also political games to be played that are almost unavoidable in things like this and compromises that have to be made. I think therein lie some of the problems with the opposition. Sometimes it appeared that there was a "your for us or against us mentality" that was understandable but grating. And they have been learning rapidly from past mistakes! Some who naturally opposed Ratner but had a really hard time siding with the opposition now feel far more comfortable with that opposition. So my comment was not really meant as a criticism of the opposition which, as you point out, started from a HUGE political and organizational and financial disadvantage, but rather was intended to point out that Millstone seemed to be expecting an initially naive and inexperienced community opposition to play its cards like a political card shark from the start.
Names Some Names
Submitted by Gothanonymous Reader (not verified) on 19 May 2007 - 4:33pm.
Who exactly got purged?
Since each person on the Board is either a Borough Presidential appointee, or one recomended by a Council Member, it shoudl not be too too diffuclt to figure out each Council Member's level of complicity, if any. Whether someone was a direct appointee or a recommended one is public info, and if asking doesn't work, a FOIL will.
While the members may protest, at least concerning the members who they recomend, that Markowitz was unyielding, forcing them to fold, history would indicate that Markowitz will not play chicken with those who control his budget allotment.
Facts and names Mole, we need facts and names!
Facts and names
Submitted by mole333 on 19 May 2007 - 10:10pm.
Come on...how long have YOU been in the business (heh)? Names? When someone wants to go on record I will use their name. As it is, the delicacy of this means I can't say ANYTHING until I get enough either public or private confirmation. People are cautious, and my info comes from more than one source on three CBs.
I know who tells me they are being pressured by whom. But can I say? Not until someone wants to go further into it. Today's Observer piece is my main source for the involvement of City Council critters, though I had heard rumors. So ask them who has City Council folks dropping them. As for Marty, I know several people have experienced his personal spittle and been threatened. Whether he carries it out remains to be seen.
Want to know who is dropped? Go to the next CB meeting. Then you'll know. For now I just report what I can get people talking about when I can get 3+ people talking about it.
Republicans...croynism? Come
Submitted by Gothanonymous Reader (not verified) on 20 May 2007 - 10:16am.
Republicans...croynism? Come on Democrats invented patronage politics (jackson andrew - not jesse) and urban machine /boss politics are a democratic, urban invention. Yes the republicans (and I am one) since getting control of congress (on the pretext of smaller less wasteful government!) have become bigger spenders than democrats -but bruce and the elite of new york all self identify has liberal - even bloomberg who only ran on the republican ticket - he was never a republican before then.
Upstate/albany the republicans have always been corrupt i agree we need a grassroots - non partisian reform movement like the one led by Teddy R. at the turn of the last century - but remember mr. mole, the most intelligent opposition to the war is coming from the right not left www.antiwar.com for example, ron paul for example, pat bucanan for example - they are willing to discuss the REAL reasons for the war ,not rants about halibruton and oil, both of which are side effects of a much bigger problem
Yes and no
Submitted by mole333 on 20 May 2007 - 2:06pm.
You make some good points, but are basically wrong.
Democrats can be corrupt. Chicago and Louisiana have been among the more corrupt Democratic bastions there are. And I fight a great deal against corruption in Brooklyn. But NOTHING rivals the corruption reached by the Republicans. The last time we had the same level of deep, entrenched, disgusting corruption permeating every level of government was under Harding...another Republican. Nixon looks clean in comparison to the current level of Republican corruption.
I admire your admission that your own party has gone astray. And I admire Ron Paul for going against the trend of your average corrupt Repubilcan, from Bush to Cheney to DeLay to Frist to Doolittle, to...But the bottom line is that the current Republican party reaches a depth of corruption as yet unknown within the United States...as many REPUBLICANS I know admit.
Bloomberg may have been a Democrat at one time, but he has not shown too much Democratic tendencies these days. He was one of the largest single donors to Tom DeLay's horribly corrupt and reactionary PAC. That alone belies any claim of moderation on his part. His loving statements regarding Bush in the past further tarnish his moderate image. He has sold his soul and I am willing to hold him accountable.
As to the anti-war opposition, I completely disagree. Although you are right that some thoughtful Republicans have stepped up to the plate, mostly it has been the left that has been antiwar. And as to the most thoughtful, it is the Democrats who served in Iraq then ran for office who currently give the best, most thoughtful opposition to the war.
So again, you make some good points and I will say I am not 100% anti-Republican nor 100% pro-Democrat. But by and large you are exaggerating the anti-war Republican voice and underestimating the level of Republican corruption these days.
Blame the victim?
Submitted by Daniel Millstone on 20 May 2007 - 11:49am.
Dear Beepwatch,
You wrote: "Hey Millstone, nice blame the victims nonsense post regarding opposition to AY. what development fight has had "serious citywide opposition"? Not even the West Side stadium, what they had was serious Cablevision."
The fight against AY has been a big one. It's one of many. From time to time, neighbors from different parts of NY are able to team up and leverage more political muscle than when only people living in the directly affected area oppose a project.
It doesn't "blame the victims" to see that bad outcomes ensue when people are divided. Certainly the opponents of the West Side Stadium benefited from Cablevision's opposition. It's a shame that AY opponents have not mobilized further and enlisted similarly powerful allies. But it's not their fault.
I remember one development fight in which one mayor and two successive governors were elected, in part, based on their opposition -- only to switch to pro-development the moment each took office. I've not watched it closely enough, but so far as I can tell from a distance, support of AY has not yet been a political death sentence for electeds.
The Purge Occurs!
Submitted by Barry Popik on 23 May 2007 - 2:17am.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/23/nyregion/23yards.html?ref=nyregion
Project’s Foes Shown Door in Brooklyn
By ANDY NEWMAN
Published: May 23, 2007
The letter arrived in Marilyn Oliva’s mailbox yesterday from the Brooklyn borough president, Marty Markowitz. It thanked her for her dedication to the community as a member of Community Board 6, but informed her that her services were no longer needed.
Ms. Oliva was disappointed. She was also not alone. Though community board members’ terms are usually renewed routinely, Mr. Markowitz on Monday replaced at least five longtime members who had sought reappointment to Community Board 6, which covers the brownstone neighborhoods of Boerum Hill, Park Slope and Carroll Gardens.
The five members had one thing in common: they voted yes last year on a resolution denouncing Atlantic Yards, the $4 billion development project that Mr. Markowitz has spent three years and much of his political capital extolling.
I think Mr. Ratner's Atlantic Yards project
is a bad idea. I think those community board members who have been fighting it have the right idea.
That said, it seems to me that the idea of community board independence has a somewhat Panglossian tinge to it. Should it be front page news when an elected official decides to not re-appoint people who disagree with him on a major project? Imagine a Ratner-opponent had been Borough President. Should s/he reappoint Ratner's supporters?
The galling fault, in my view, has been that AY opponents have not been able to create serious city-wide opposition to the project; not that politicians act like politicians.