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March 9, 2010
At Borough Hall, Paterson asserts he's making tough decisions, but when it comes to Atlantic Yards, he punts (with video)
Atlantic Yards Report
Speaking at a budget Town Hall meeting yesterday before a friendly audience at Brooklyn, Gov. David Paterson portrayed his administration as making tough decisions, speaking the truth, and maintaining accountability.
However, when he faced a tough question about the Atlantic Yards project, he deferred to the courts, somehow ignoring the fact that, under his watch, the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) both approved the project and defended it to the hilt in court.
The video below contains segments edited from Paterson's opening address; an Atlantic Yards question from Council Member Letitia James; an AY question from Noticing New York blogger Michael D.D. White; Paterson's closing remarks; and comments from Dean Street resident Peter Krashes on Paterson's unfulfilled opportunity to create a governance structure for the project.
Norman Oder has much more on the Town Hall meeting via the link.
Additional coverage...
Courier-Life Publications, Paterson comes to Brooklyn Borough Hall
Embattled Governor David Paterson came to Borough Hall Monday to talk budget, amid continued questions of his alleged misconduct.
Along the way, Paterson appeared to sidestep Atlantic Yards while addressing such issues as a tax on sugary drinks and allowing the sale of wine in grocery stores.
When asked about his support of the $4-plus billion Atlantic Yards including the Barclays Center arena, Paterson noted the project was already in place when he took office.
There has been plenty of debate on both sides of this issue, he said, noting the Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of condemning property for the 22-acre project at the Flatbush/Atlantic Avenue intersection.
“Ten years from now they [proponents of the project] will be right or you’ll be right, but I didn’t want to impose on the court’s decision,” said Paterson.
Runnin' Scared, Paterson's Town Hall -- Some Other Moments of Truth, Or As Close As We Can Get
He took some small flak from council member Tish James about both Atlantic Yards and his proposed soda "fat tax" proposal which she said was "regressive." The governor, seated cross-legged in a wooden chair on a platform, said that the decision on the Yards happened on someone else's watch and that he is now just going along with an appeals court decision on it, one that "surprised him."
So nice they covered it twice?
Runnin' Scared, David Paterson Budget Town Hall: As Pointless As You'd Imagine It To Be
[Councilwoman Letitia James] asked him to fill the budget gap by closing prisons upstate, and by diverting public money from the Atlantic Yards project, which is in her district and which she considers "a waste of taxpayer dollars."
...When a follow up questioner also asked him why he wasn't fighting to keep the state from paying $2.9 billion towards the Atlantic Yards "boondoggle," Paterson punted to the Court of Appeals, and tried to side-step the issue as something that was in place before he arrived and decided by the courts during his tenure beyond his control.
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Paterson, at Borough Hall, Takes Break From Scandal
Several people in the audience criticized the state’s sponsorship of Forest City Ratner’s Atlantic Yards project, calling it a boondoggle that costs the state $7.3 billion [sic: the state's contribution, while still substantial, would be a fraction of that amount]. They called attention to the fact that Paterson, while a state senator, had made statements critical of the plan.
Paterson replied that, while he realizes that the plan is contentious on both sides, he waited to make any public pronouncement until state Supreme Court Justice Abraham G. Gerges made his ruling. Justice Gerges recently ruled that the state could take the title of land in the Atlantic Yards “footprint” from private landowners.
Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, Paterson, Shirking Responsibility, Tries to Rewrite Atlantic Yards History
Paterson is trying to re-write history. While Atlantic Yards was unveiled and approved under Pataki, a new sweeter-heart deal with the MTA was struck with Ratner under Governor Paterson, and a Modified General Project Plan was introduced and approved under the Paterson Administration. Both of those Paterson actions took place in September 2009.
Posted by eric at March 9, 2010 12:05 PM