December 17th, 2009
Earlier today we linked to a Weekly Standard piece suggesting State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was critical of Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to hold the upcoming 9/11 terror trial in Lower Manhattan. Via the Politico’s Ben Smith, a clarification.
Silver’s support for the trials quite clear. “The Attorney General’s decision to try these men in civilian courts is a victory for the constitution and the rule of law,” Silver says in the statement. “While I support the Attorney General’s decision and have no doubt our justice system and our police department will ensure a secure trial, as the Assembly member representing Lower Manhattan, including both the World Trade Center site and the federal courthouse and detention center where the 9/11 terrorist trial will take place, I have expressed my serious concerns about the transportation and access issues that may arise from a lengthy trial and the resulting impacts on residents and small businesses in the area.” Silver’s views haven’t been crystal clear to this point, and he wrote a letter to city and federal officials expressing his concerns, but a spokesman sends over a statement making Silver cited his letter to the Secretary of Homeland Security and Police Commissioner requesting a meeting “to ensure that all necessary steps are taken to mitigate any negative impacts brought about by the trial,” and added that he’s “optimistic that the Secretary and the Commissioner will work to ensure our community’s ongoing revitalization and recovery.” Which is to say that Silver may wring some federal assistance for his district out of the trials, but that — quite helpfully to the White House — no senior New York official seems to want to lead the charge against the trial.
Continue reading Silver’s Take on Terror Trials
December 17th, 2009
Earlier this week, we posted a story on a neighborhood coalition's campaign for more control over Pier 36, at the end of Montgomery Street. Basketball City has signed a 20-30 year lease for a section of the pier. The coalition has been independently negotiating with the company for assurances that it felt were missing from "stipulations" worked out with Community Board 3 several years ago. At a recent CB3 committee meeting, the coalition presented the terms of a tentative "Community Benefits Agreement."
Today we received an email from CB3's Anne Johnson, who emphasized she was speaking for herself, not on behalf of the board. As a participant in the original deliberations and a current member of the parks committee, she felt there were some omissions in our story.
Continue reading More on Basketball City
December 17th, 2009
Last night Community Education Council 1 passed a strongly worded resolution, listing "100 Reasons Why Girls Prep Charter School Should Not Expand in District One Schools." In a 15-page document, they argue all three scenarios proposed by the Department of Education would hurt neighborhood schools on the Lower East Side, forcing them to eliminate critical programs.
Read the full text here: Download Gpcs-reso
The resolution states, "the flagrant and systematic failure to consult with the public is typical of the self-proclaimed Department of Education, whose arrogance and complete disregard for the intent of the State Law to give voice to the District communities, has resulted in a failed planning process…"
Continue reading Education Council Urges DOE to Rethink Girls Prep Solution
December 17th, 2009
The Weekly Standard observes: Sheldon Silver seems to be strengthening his opposition to the 9/11 terror trial in Lower Manhattan.
Attorney General Eric Holder promises downtown will be safe during terror trial.
Michael Daly in the Daily News: "In Sheldon Silver's world, school kids pay full subway fares while motorists pay nothing on bridges."
Continue reading Silver on 9/11 Trial, Congestion Pricing Redux, Charter Cap War of Words
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