A New York Times editorial headlined Mr. Bloomberg’s Third Term has a glaring omission:
Like all mayors, Mr. Bloomberg wants his share of monuments. He already has waterfront parks, two finished stadiums, a slew of high rises and tantalizing possibilities on Governors Island. Going forward, it will be hard for the public to stomach any big giveaways like Yankee Stadium, which, at the mayor’s urging, got billions of dollars of support, including taxpayer-backed debt, tax breaks and the use of city parkland.And, um, what if the mayor decides to let the state oversee the development instead, with major tax breaks, essentially free city streets and property, and an inside track on valuable public property like the Vanderbilt Yard?
“It’s a time for singles, not home runs,” said Mitchell Moss, a professor at New York University and informal adviser to the mayor. Mr. Bloomberg should use his business acumen to push for more developments with housing for moderate-income residents and public workers. The next time some bigwig wants a stadium or a fat new zoning change, the mayor should take care to demand more parks and public facilities as part of the deal. The bottom line for any development should be that it helps out more than the developer’s bottom line.
Has Professor Moss just awakened from a deep sleep? Mayor Bloomingdales has never hit a home run, unless you are a rich developer or sports team owner. As for hitting singles, it's hard to imagine Mayor Bloomingdales doing less for the 98% of New Yorkers who don't share brandy and cigars with him. As for Moss, he could start hitting singles by counting the number of units of affordable housing that our City desperately needs, and challenging Bloomingdales to build them. Or, Moss could go back to sleep and spare us his lame and untimely opinions. Bloomingdales will not fail to disappoint - that's who the man is.
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