With possession of the area on either side of Stillwell Avenue, rather than be attacked by the sights and sounds of Coney, we will face a wall of buildings, blocking out any view of the little that is left. Rather than affordability, it would be one more venue inaccessible to those without means. All that will be left for the masses will be the public beach. Better bring your own food!
The City Council finally gets it!
The mayor’s ticket blitz, mentioned often in this column and highlighted in “I Was Mugged by Mayor Bloomberg” in a recent issue of the Bay Currents is finally being addressed by the City Council. Apparently, the only time they will act en masse against the mayor’s policies is when they are totally overwhelmed by their constituency and this is one issue on which most New Yorkers can agree.
In addition to the specific mugging sites alluded to in the previous article, it has been noted that in the past year 300,000 tickets were handed out in the first 5 minutes alternate side parking goes into affect and 28,000 in the first minute. With agents lying in wait for their prey people have no chance to even breathe.
It is interesting to note that the councilman taking the lead in protesting the summons, Simcha Felder, a Democrat who supported Bloomberg, waited until after the election to lodge his complaint.
-- I. Friedin
Amphitheater controversy shouldn’t be personal
The controversy over the proposed amphitheater in Asser Levy Park has become more and more hostile and much too personal as the conflict closed down the last meeting of Community Board 13 (see article on page 8). Those fighting the righteous battle for the integrity of their community have become more and more frustrated in their efforts to enlist the board’s active support, resorting to personal attacks against members. This only serves to play into the hands of those actually responsible for perpetrating the injustice. Although many believe that the community board should take a more proactive role, they are not at fault here. They did not make the proposal nor did they declare their support. Perhaps, according to some, they should speak out against this horrid project but these days their hands are pretty much tied when dealing with issues such as this.
People become involved in their community boards for many reasons; business, politics, ego, among them; but most board members are dedicated community advocates who put their time and effort into doing an increasingly thankless job. Demands are made of them as they are bullied and harassed by the powers above and are blamed by people for problems within the community. And most of them diligently carry on. Of course, with the same people in the same situation for many years, close friendships as well as personal animosities develop. And that seems to be having a major negative affect in the fight against the intrusive project few, if any, in the community want.
Lately we have seen the Community Board 13 members pressured from all sides in dealing with major rezoning proposals for Coney Island and Brighton Beach. As they have become simply an advisory board, they have had no real power. But everyone wants their vote recorded for their projects. Established to give some ability to communities to deal with issues that directly affect them, just about every succeeding administration has sapped some of their strength. Today, if they are strongly against the “powers who be” they can be eliminated, which has been the case all too often. The dictatorial Bloomberg, especially, has relegated their role to a sidebar. Even now, he has cut their budgets, already drastically reduced by him, by 4% this year and 8% next year and is pressing for a charter revision that would further diminish any affect they may still have.
As a forum for protest, with representatives of elected officials present, the meetings are still a place to express views but more effort must be made to go directly to the source and expose the injustices. The true perpetrators of the crimes against the community’s welfare must be openly identified and the callous disregard for the public good that is the tone of the Bloomberg administration be further exposed.
If Mayor Bloomberg and his cronies believe that they will be fondly remembered, they are sadly mistaken. They will forever be known as destroyers of community; villains who obliterate the once great character of our city and its neighborhoods; those who serve to undermine our democratic system.
To the righteous warriors who fight for the life of their communities, I say keep it up…but do it right. Aim at the true enemy and cut out the self defeating squabbles.
-- I Friedin
