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February 15, 2006
Conflict of interest in Ratner bid
Metro NY
Reporter Amy Zimmer focused on the Justice's conflict-of-interest ruling:
Judge Carol Edmead of New York’s Supreme Court said Paget’s “dual role” had a “crippling effect” on the project’s public review process. The decision heartened Ratner foe Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn and the 11 other groups that joined the lawsuit to halt the demolition of the buildings and to disqualify Paget.
“This dual representation [by Paget] explains the public cynicism of the body politic,” said Brooklyn City Councilwoman Leticia James, who represents the area and filed a “friend of the court” brief in support of the plaintiffs. “It taints the integrity of the project.”
According to Jeffrey Braun, Ratner’s lawyer, “We knew the ESDC would hire Paget.” Braun called him the “pre-eminent environmental lawyer in New York,” and said Ratner hired him because “we felt he would get the process done most effectively.”
Judge Edmead was not persuaded.
“The ESDC essentially hired the sponsor’s current lawyer, at the sponsor’s expense, to assess the environmental ramifications of the sponsor’s project,” her decision read. “I do agree with the petitioner that objective public interest is not being met. It’s destructive to the public good.”
Posted by lumi at February 15, 2006 8:46 AM