Tony Avella
News: Two Councilmen Still Opposed to Plan
The NY Daily News writes about the continued opposition of Councilmen Hiram Monserrate, who has gone full speed ahead with his campaign for State Senate, and Tony Avella to the development of Willets Point. The News reports that despite the efforts by the EDC to provide education to the workers of Willets Point at LaGuardia Community College - the largest effort ever undertaken in a redevelopment plan by the EDC - these Councilmen still oppose the city every step of the way.
The education program will provide english language and computer literacy courses to the workers of Willets Point, in addition to training in automotive and construction work.
Councilman Avella refers to this part of the plan as “window dressing,” while Councilman Monserrate questions why the city is moving ahead before it owns the land.
The piece also makes note that the EDC is looking to set up a headquarters for its project in the Willets Point neighborhood.
First of all, Councilman Avella likes saying outrageous things to get his name in the paper. To call this education and training program window dressing is ridiculous, as the city is clearly making a serious effort to provide assistance to the workers who currently earn their pay in Willets Point.
Second, in response to Councilman Monserrate’s complaints, I’m glad that the city is pushing forward with this plan as well as it is. He must not have had anything bad to say about the training and education program, and his surprise that the city is moving forward with the plan is, well, surprising. Does he expect Mayor Bloomberg to operate slowly from here through the end of his Mayoral term?
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