Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report

In a race that pushed incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo to his left and highlighted challenger Cynthia Nixon's criticism of Cuomo's stewardship of the subway system, Cuomo, riding a huge war chest, soundly defeated Nixon in yesterday's Democratic primary election, likely a path to victory in the November general election. In other words, "Status Cuo-Mo," as the Daily News cover "wood" put it. And that would be the status quo for New York State's stewardship of Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park, via the state-controlled Empire State Development, which likely will remain deferential to the developer's desires. Not that ESD oversight became a campaign issue. Not status quo was the defeat of most Democratic Senators who were in the breakaway Independent Democratic Conference, including Brooklyn's Jesse Hamilton, who represents a broad district that includes part of Prospect Heights. The AG race From the New York Times In a surprise to some, e...

There's a lot to catch up on regarding the Attorney General race. While Mayor Bill de Blasio has decided to stay out of the race--seemingly a snub toward Public Advocate Letitia James , a fellow Brooklynite--his wife Chirlane McCray has endorsed law professor Zephyr Teachout , the farthest left of the candidates. Ideology trumps identity politics: McCray is a black woman, bypassing two black women, James and Verizon lobbyist and ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo aide Leecia Eve , either of whom could be the first black woman in statewide office. Teachout is white. Late-breaking pressure Meanwhile, as Politico  reported  9/10/18, "New York's biggest developer is helping to bankroll an eleventh-hour effort to take down an attorney general candidate who has vowed to do battle with the real estate industry," with the Related Companies giving money to a PAC fighting Teachout, while its had has donated significantly to  Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney , considered the most business-fr...

In last night's Attorney General debate--here's my City Limits profile of candidate Leecia Eve , by the way--I was wondering what candidate Letitia James, the city's Public Advocate, might say about Atlantic Yards. "As someone who has consistently and repeatedly over 20 years spoken truth to power, and who has challenged powerful interests in the state of New York," James said in her closing , "I will not allow anybody to question my independence, because it's already been proven. She cited her work as a former public defender, as a former assistant Attorney General, and then said "as a former City Council member who took on the most powerful developer in Brooklyn," before moving on to her work as Public Advocate. Maybe the micro-pause after "took on the most powerful developer in Brooklyn" was consistent with all her other micro-pauses. Or maybe James considered--but then held back on--saying that she'd taken the developer...

I have an op-ed in Gotham Gazette, published last night, headlined Running for Attorney General, James Takes Strong Atlantic Yards Record Too Far . A few excerpts: So it was surprising and dismaying to hear James during two recent appearances inflate her significant and often brave record opposing the Atlantic Yards project, the arena-plus-towers development announced in 2003 when she was representing the 35th City Council District in Brooklyn. ...“Lastly, let me just say that I’m the only individual on this stage that’s actually taken a major developer all the way to the United States Supreme Court,

In Touchstone For Whether There Will Be Change In Albany: Attorney General Candidates on Atlantic Yards and Eminent Domain , Michael D.D. White offers a long but important-to-read post. The summary: The good news with respect to the possibility of change is that at least two of the candidates for state Attorney General (the Erics) think that the job of Attorney General should entail actions designed to stop Atlantic Yards dead in its tracks. That includes, in the case of state senator Eric T. Schneiderman, investigation of likely violations of law and, in the case of former state insurance superintendent Eric R. Dinallo, use of the Attorney General’s power to issue opinions and rulings to make clear that the law is not being properly interpreted when eminent domain is abused by state officials. (We will be quoting both at length further on.) The bad news is that if the Erics are correct and that addressing these Atlantic Yards abuses should be part of the Attorney General’s job (or at ...