Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park Report

The New York Times reports that veteran south Brooklyn political operative Frank Seddio seems positioned to succeed scandal-tinged Assemblyman Vito Lopez as the leader and kingmaker (judges and other party positions) of the Brooklyn Democratic Party. And yes, there's an Atlantic Yards angle, sort of. Seddio comes from the powerful Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club , home of former Forest City Ratner external affairs chief Bruce Bender, and a reliable source of Atlantic Yards-loving pols, including Carl Kruger (now disgraced), Alan Maisel, and Steve Cymbrowitz. Seddio's main rival seems to be Brownstone Brooklyn reformer JoAnne Simon, who lost to Lopez protege Steve Levin (strategically silent lately) for the 33rd District City Council seat, but might have won without such a large field. (Cumulative voting, anyone?) Simon is a leader of BrooklynSpeaks, the coalition that began as "mend it don't end it" regarding Atlantic Yards but has become increasingly voca...

As the Brooklyn Paper put it No surprises at all in local primaries , but that's a little premature. In the 50th Assembly District, Lincoln Restler won a narrow victory (according to his Facebook update ) for Male District Leader/State Committee over Warren Cohn, son of the longtime officeholder and the candidate supported by Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Vito Lopez. (Lopez challenger Esteban Duran lost .) What do District Leaders do in their unpaid positions? Serve as liaisons between the community and elected officials, s elect the Brooklyn Democratic Party Leader , determine the slate of Democratic Judicial Candidates , and endorse candidates for local office. Because they can raise campaign funds, District Leaders are essentially on the farm team for future elective office. In the 52nd District: Owens and Simon Despite endorsements and robo-calls from Borough President Marty Markowitz and 33rd District Council Member Steve Levin, and a...

A year after it really mattered, Jo Anne Simon has directly gone after the candidate endorsed by Brooklyn Democratic Party boss Vito Lopez. This time it's for re-election to her unpaid position as State Committeewoman, or Female District Leader (Democratic) for the 52nd Assembly District (represented by Joan Millman). The vote will be during the primary election on September 14. Like a couple of other races, it is essentially (as the Brooklyn Paper described ) a referendum on Lopez, the political powerhouse, who, among other things, ensured that a new law toughening subsidies for affordable housing would not apply to Atlantic Yards. (The developer's argument was that the project was planned under the assumption 421-a subsidies would be available.) And unlike the race for Male District Leader, in which the presence of two reformers should help the Lopez candidate, this one's one-on-one. Jo Anne Simon Committee What do district leaders do? Help pick the ...

So, did Jo Anne Simon, the 52nd District Leader, civil rights attorney, and fundraising leader in the race for the 33rd District Council seat, say that she was an “early vocal opponent of the use of eminent domain” at the debate on Tuesday, as noted by her anonymous critics on the Real Reform Brooklyn blog? The answer, as far as I can tell: she said something at least pretty close she did announce opposition to eminent domain early on she has been less vocal than leaders of the AY opposition regarding eminent domain Simon is not the most anti-Atlantic Yards candidate for the seat-- Ken Baer and Ken Diamondstone are longstanding opponents standing with Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn (DDDB), and Doug Biviano and  Evan Thies  are making AY an issue--though she's far more critical and knowledgeable than the current officeholder, David Yassky. She also has endorsements from and ties to various Brooklyn political figures. The question for voters seeking reform is whether the mo...

Six elected officials, along with a district leader, have sent a letter to Gov. David Paterson asking him to make public any documents requesting stimulus funds for Atlantic Yards, to hold a public hearing with opportunity for public comment regarding such allocation of funds, and to have "responsible state officials"meet with them before any decision is made regarding such funds. While the letter, dated March 3, does not go so far as to oppose stimulus funds for AY, as several community groups did in a recent letter , it essentially sets up many more roadblocks beyond those faced by any other request. And the letter points out that not only the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) but also the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) have not requested stimulus funds for the project. (It was known that AY was not on the initial MTA list, but there's been no public disclosure of ESDC requests.) The Times reports that, though the state has $4 billion to spend, l...