West Side Stadium Plan
Obstacle Rises for Bloomberg on West Side Stadium Plan
By WINNIE HU and CHARLES V. BAGLI
March 3, 2005
Entire New York Times article
The proposal, which is expected to pass the City Council in the coming weeks, would pose a significant new obstacle to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's plans for a football stadium for the Jets.
"The bottom line is this is the people's money, not the mayor's money," [Council Speaker Gifford] Miller said. "This is not a slush fund that he gets to divide up for favorite pet projects."
Mr. Bloomberg wants to use $600 million in city and state money to help build the stadium, which would also bolster New York City's bid for the 2012 Olympics and anchor overall development of the Far West Side. The mayor has proposed diverting tens of millions of dollars in real estate payments that normally flow into the city budget to pay for the city's investment in the stadium.
The mayor's Democratic challengers, though, have sought to portray Mr. Bloomberg as more interested in helping out wealthy friends like Woody Johnson, the owner of the Jets, than the average New Yorker.
It may be having an effect. In a poll released yesterday by Quinnipiac University, most of the respondents said that the mayor did not care about their needs and problems while Fernando Ferrer did.
As opposition to the stadium has grown, fueled by negative television ads from Cablevision, the mayor has increasingly found himself on the defensive as he seeks to gain political traction for his re-election bid. Yesterday, his aides dismissed Mr. Miller's attempt to insert the Council into the stadium fight as illegal.
But the mayor's potential challengers, sensing political opportunity, have intensified their attacks against the mayor and the stadium. Mr. Ferrer has called for a public referendum on the stadium, while Mr. Weiner has suggested moving it to Queens.
The Bloomberg administration has said it would use annual payments in lieu of taxes, known as Pilots, which are made by developers, to pay for its $300 million investment in the stadium. The administration plans to divert some of that money from the city budget to make the annual payments on $300 million in bonds for the stadium.
Council leaders contend that both the city charter and state law prohibit Mayor Bloomberg from using the money without the Council's approval.
But the Bloomberg administration insisted yesterday that the mayor had the power to redirect the Pilot money as he sees fit under state legislation governing the city's economic development agency and the City Charter.
"Any proposed limitation on the mayor's powers by Council action would be illegal," said Kate O'Brien Ahlers, a spokeswoman for the city's Law Department.
STADIUM DRAGGING MIKE DOWN IN POLLS
By DAVID SEIFMAN City Hall Bureau Chief
Entire New York Post article
March 3, 2005 -- The attacks on Mayor Bloomberg over the West Side stadium plan are taking a toll on his popularity…
Bloomberg lags behind Ferrer, 39 to 47 percent, after being tied with the Democratic front-runner at 43 percent on Jan. 19, the Quinnipiac University poll found.
The mayor's approval rating fell slightly, from 50 percent positive and 37 percent negative to 48-40, over the last six weeks.
"It's all the stadium," said veteran political consultant Hank Sheinkopf. "The stadium has become the catch-basin for all social-class arguments."
The poll found a slight increase in the percentage of voters who think that Bloomberg doesn't care about their problems.
Forty-one percent said he does care, while 52 percent said he does not. That's up by 7 points in the last few months.
Stadium critics are hammering Bloomberg on a near-daily basis, creating a debate that has overshadowed his accomplishments in reducing crime, building affordable housing and Bloomberg didn't comment on the poll yesterday. But during a forum on Tuesday, he rejected the idea that it might have made political sense not to push the stadium so vigorously.
"I'm 63 years old and I'm not going to spend my life pandering to anybody. I'm going to do what I think is right for this city and I'm going to lead from the front and not the back," he said.
By WINNIE HU and CHARLES V. BAGLI
March 3, 2005
Entire New York Times article
The proposal, which is expected to pass the City Council in the coming weeks, would pose a significant new obstacle to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's plans for a football stadium for the Jets.
"The bottom line is this is the people's money, not the mayor's money," [Council Speaker Gifford] Miller said. "This is not a slush fund that he gets to divide up for favorite pet projects."
Mr. Bloomberg wants to use $600 million in city and state money to help build the stadium, which would also bolster New York City's bid for the 2012 Olympics and anchor overall development of the Far West Side. The mayor has proposed diverting tens of millions of dollars in real estate payments that normally flow into the city budget to pay for the city's investment in the stadium.
The mayor's Democratic challengers, though, have sought to portray Mr. Bloomberg as more interested in helping out wealthy friends like Woody Johnson, the owner of the Jets, than the average New Yorker.
It may be having an effect. In a poll released yesterday by Quinnipiac University, most of the respondents said that the mayor did not care about their needs and problems while Fernando Ferrer did.
As opposition to the stadium has grown, fueled by negative television ads from Cablevision, the mayor has increasingly found himself on the defensive as he seeks to gain political traction for his re-election bid. Yesterday, his aides dismissed Mr. Miller's attempt to insert the Council into the stadium fight as illegal.
But the mayor's potential challengers, sensing political opportunity, have intensified their attacks against the mayor and the stadium. Mr. Ferrer has called for a public referendum on the stadium, while Mr. Weiner has suggested moving it to Queens.
The Bloomberg administration has said it would use annual payments in lieu of taxes, known as Pilots, which are made by developers, to pay for its $300 million investment in the stadium. The administration plans to divert some of that money from the city budget to make the annual payments on $300 million in bonds for the stadium.
Council leaders contend that both the city charter and state law prohibit Mayor Bloomberg from using the money without the Council's approval.
But the Bloomberg administration insisted yesterday that the mayor had the power to redirect the Pilot money as he sees fit under state legislation governing the city's economic development agency and the City Charter.
"Any proposed limitation on the mayor's powers by Council action would be illegal," said Kate O'Brien Ahlers, a spokeswoman for the city's Law Department.
STADIUM DRAGGING MIKE DOWN IN POLLS
By DAVID SEIFMAN City Hall Bureau Chief
Entire New York Post article
March 3, 2005 -- The attacks on Mayor Bloomberg over the West Side stadium plan are taking a toll on his popularity…
Bloomberg lags behind Ferrer, 39 to 47 percent, after being tied with the Democratic front-runner at 43 percent on Jan. 19, the Quinnipiac University poll found.
The mayor's approval rating fell slightly, from 50 percent positive and 37 percent negative to 48-40, over the last six weeks.
"It's all the stadium," said veteran political consultant Hank Sheinkopf. "The stadium has become the catch-basin for all social-class arguments."
The poll found a slight increase in the percentage of voters who think that Bloomberg doesn't care about their problems.
Forty-one percent said he does care, while 52 percent said he does not. That's up by 7 points in the last few months.
Stadium critics are hammering Bloomberg on a near-daily basis, creating a debate that has overshadowed his accomplishments in reducing crime, building affordable housing and Bloomberg didn't comment on the poll yesterday. But during a forum on Tuesday, he rejected the idea that it might have made political sense not to push the stadium so vigorously.
"I'm 63 years old and I'm not going to spend my life pandering to anybody. I'm going to do what I think is right for this city and I'm going to lead from the front and not the back," he said.
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