Talking the talk, but…
To The Editor:
Re “Q & A with Corey Johnson on Pier 40 air rights and ‘expedited ULURP’ ” (news article, June 19):
Once more we hear dismay from our elected representatives that they can’t get a copy of the secret (from them) memorandum of understanding, or M.O.U., including those that appoint members of the Hudson River Park Trust board of directors. That means that Trust board members were not informed about the M.O.U. before its signing or given a copy afterward.
Why only expressions of dismay and no calls for action? If this is so anathema to our elected reps, why aren’t they demanding the removal of the paid Trust senior staff who went behind their backs?
Nicole Vianna
Power vs. community
To The Editor:
Re “Until C.B. 3 is fixed, L.E.S. has no democracy (talking point, by Diem Boyd, June 19):
Over the past 15 years, I have frequented Community Board 3 full-board meetings, and my memory from the earlier years was that there were more citizens participating in the process back then. I fully agree there has been a chilling effect created within the current C.B. 3 that has discouraged community input.
As an example of this, I recall (recently resigned C.B. 3 member) David McWater stating during an S.L.A. Committee meeting that the committee should not cede power to community groups. This he stated just before he jumped up and started screaming at a female community member inches from her face.
The response from the community board, oddly, was the suspension of the block association to which the young woman belonged. It was most peculiar that the civil liberties of a group of citizens — uniting together to petition their government for change — could be swept aside so callously.
It makes you wonder what kind of power some community board members really want to hold on to for themselves, and does being the big bully really constitute power?
The real tragedy, though, is that this type of underhanded behavior is more often remembered — instead of the incredible work that many community board members perform (without pay) for their community, without the need to grab “power” or call unnecessary attention to their work.
David Troutman
Boards need term limits
To The Editor:
Re “Until C.B. 3 is fixed, L.E.S. has no democracy (talking point, by Diem Boyd, June 19):
Excellent piece. Yet, your synopsis has been stated before and the results have been as they are today: yelling into a grave. During my nearly six years on Community Board 3, there were attempts to generate committees that would have oversight of interior board operations and the board’s responsive function. They were roundly defeated by long-term board members who had vested interests and still seek to control board direction and conduct.
Community boards need term limits. Community boards need district managers — who are city employees — to stay out of local politics and out of politics in general. Many of them work as fulcrums for political levers to steer, or sway, board members in political directions that may not be the will of the populace.
The same goes for board chairpersons. A chairperson does not lead a group, but is its officially designated public representative, and must speak only as the board directs. Outside of that, conduct a meeting and shut up.
C.B. 3 is absolutely not the only community board that is leaking political ooze from all pores. Just look at C.B. 4 as one example. There is more, much more… .
John Shuttleworth
This is not Midtown!
To The Editor:
Re “N.Y.U. plan foes say run is a park, doggone it, as appeals are filed” (news article, June 19):
I live at the corner of Mercer and Bleecker Sts. When you see the people and four-leggers sitting in the dog run, there is no question it is a park. I see more people there than I do even in the Mercer Playground.
Why does N.Y.U. need to take open space — park or not — away from our neighborhood? Greenwich Village is a residential neighborhood not Midtown.
The university can increase its space by 25 percent without building anything. For example, N.Y.U. can start having a full-class schedule on Fridays, and improve existing structures it already owns, using the same building envelope and / or footprint.
Howard Bader
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