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June 28, 2009
Atlantic Yards Report Sunday Sampler
When the MTA's Hemmerdinger called the AY arena a "public good," he was fantasizing
A humdinger from Hemmerdinger.
"And I think, in this economy, jobs and an arena in Brooklyn is a public good.”--Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Dale Hemmerdinger, June 24
...I suspect Hemmerdinger meant that an arena in Brooklyn was a "good thing for the public," rather than a public good.
NoLandGrab: We suspect that by "public," Hemmerdinger, who has made his fortune in real estate, meant "Ratner."
The Bloomberg and Ratner dodge on indirect subsidies for Atlantic Yards
For months, Mike Bloomberg had been saying the gravy train for Atlantic Yards had run off the rails. And then what happened? His boys on the MTA board voted another sweetheart deal for Bruce Ratner. What gives?
Flashback, 2004
Shortly after the project was announced, in January 2004, Bloomberg, asked about government support for the project, claimed:
Fundamentally, the answer to your question is: this will be done with private money, and any city monies of any meaningful size will be debt issues financed by the extra tax revenues that come from this. So, we’re not going to have to divert money from education, or police or fire or any other part of the city to do this. No. It is private money in that sense.Along with "police" and "fire," he might have mentioned "mass transit."
NLG: Best-case scenario? Bloomberg's stupid. Worst-case? He's a liar. Even worst-er? He pulled the plug on term limits.
Posted by eric at June 28, 2009 9:14 PM