As the Clock Ticks, City Works for Willets Support
Eliot Brown of the New York Observer has an excellent piece about the impending vote on Willets Point, detailing almost every aspect I can think of regarding this process. Here are a few excerpts from the article to get you interested, but I highly recommend reading the whole thing.
City officials say they have met individually or in small groups with at least 10 to 20 council members over the past two weeks alone; the city-funded Flushing/Willets Point/Corona Local Development Corporation plans to meet one by one with the Queens delegation between this week and last; and labor unions are adding pressure in support of the plan, with a rally slated for City Hall on Friday…
“I’m worried that so many of the Council people seem to be: first reaction is negative, and not do it,” said Assemblyman Mark Weprin, a Democrat of Queens. “If it doesn’t go this time, it may never happen.”…
At the center of all of the efforts is Mr. Monserrate, the former Marine whose vote is likely to sway a significant portion—if not a majority—of the Council, as legislators typically defer to the local member. Without his support, the city would surely face a steep uphill climb to gain approval…
I can’t do this article justice with brief quotes, but the major points about the City winning over Council Members are crucial to this plan happening. The article also highlights the fact that the project has seen broad support from elected officials outside of the Council - meaning State Senators and Assembly Members, who unfortunately do not have votes in this process.
In addition, the fact that the Council traditionally defers to the local member could be a major problem, although Council Members should see past such a narrow-sighted practice for such an important plan that would affect the entire city and not just Hiram Monserrate’s publicity interests in his own district.
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