BY ALEXANDER MEADOWS | Last summer I started a brief run for City Council and spent time meeting with elected officials, including Assemblymember Deborah Glick. I had been a member of Community Board 2 for more than six years and had a good grasp of the issues and learned a lot during my brief campaign. Ultimately, though, I dropped out and endorsed Corey Johnson.
As a C.B. 2 member and a longtime member of the board’s Waterfront Committee, I have developed a passion for Hudson River Park and working to solve its problems. C.B. 2 and the Hudson River Park Advisory Council held a number of public meetings and hearings in search of public input about solutions, one of which was the possible sale of the park’s unused development rights to sites across the highway.
All of a sudden, in late June 2013, without any public vetting, a bill sponsored by Glick passed the Assembly and a companion bill passed the state Senate, giving the Hudson River Park Trust the right to sell its development rights.
Afterward, the bill faced sound critique, both in the local media and at C.B. 2 meetings.We discovered many things wrong with it that needed to be addressed and fixed, so that the legislation would have teeth and the community wouldn’t get screwed.
So, at the monthly full community board meeting that following October, I wanted to follow up with Sarah, Glick’s C.B. 2 representative, regarding all the still-unanswered questions and concerns about the legislation. As a community board member and activist, it is my duty to ask tough policy questions of elected officials, especially when the policies in question will have a direct impact on the community I call home.
I asked Sarah the following policy question: “Now that this legislation has been passed, and because there were so many unanswered questions, does Glick plan on holding any public town hall meetings about the bill, so that we, the community, can have a greater say on how we move forward with this new legislation, and so that we, the community, can make sure this legislation has some ‘teeth,’ so that the community can make sure this is done the correct way?”
Sarah’s answer: “The legislation has been passed. We have held several public town hall meetings to discuss, and the community has had their input. So, no, Assemblymember Glick will not have anymore public town hall meetings. And if you would like any further information regarding the legislation, it’s on the Web site.”
It was not the answer I was hoping for. I did not respond or engage, but two other board members did. They actually stood up and disputed what Sarah stated, saying, “Glick has never held one public meeting regarding the legislation, and the only public meeting that Glick attended after passage [of the bill by the state Legislature], she actually left early once it was announced that Cuomo had signed the legislation.”
Sarah replied that this was not the case and that, “Glick did hold public meetings, but nonetheless that the legislation was passed and it was time to move forward.”
Never once — either during or after the meeting — was I approached by a single C.B. 2 member, community member, journalist or elected official’s representative to tell me that the policy question I asked was out of line, unbecoming of a board member, insulting or just plain wrong. Not one person!
Fast-forward several weeks to what I call the bullying done by Glick. On a Sunday morning around 11 a.m., my friends and I were getting ready for brunch when my front door buzzer started repeatedly ringing. At first, I thought it was a prank, so I ignored it. Then it buzzed again. I still ignored it, thinking it must be for my neighbor, but it kept buzzing, and this time I finally answered. However, I was puzzled because I wasn’t expecting anyone.
Through the intercom, I said, “Hello, who is this, please?” The answer came, “It’s Deborah Glick. Is Alexander Meadows there?” I laughed into the intercom and said, “Seriously who is this, please?” She then stated, “This isn’t funny. It’s Deborah Glick. Is Alexander Meadows there?” At which point, I was shocked and my friends said out loud, “Who is that lady? And whoever she is, she does not sound happy at all.”
Still in shock and surprised that my elected representative was showing up at my house unannounced, I rushed downstairs to greet her. As I opened the door, I extended my hand to shake hers, but she refused. That’s when I knew something wasn’t right. Without skipping a beat, she laid into me with the following intimidating screed:
“Do yourself a favor,” she said. “The next time you have a challenging question for one of my representatives, make sure you ask that challenging question in private. And if you ever ask anyone on my staff a question in public, make sure you never ask it in a challenging manner — understand?”
Then she proceeded to scold me and state, “Yes, I did have a public meeting and I did discuss the issue because it’s in my newsletter. And one more question. Are you a registered voter?”
I was stunned that she even asked because if she took a few minutes to look it up, she would have seen that I am a registered voter.
“Because if you are a registered voter,” she continued, “then you should have gotten my newsletter, which you obviously didn’t read.”
“I apologize,” I replied. “I must have missed it.”
Never once did she say to me, “Alexander, the question you asked pissed me off but nonetheless it was a fair and tough policy question regarding the legislation I sponsored, and now that I am here, let’s discuss it.”
Nor did she ever say to me that my question was not a policy question, or that I was out of line, disrespectful or just plain rude.
She simply finished by angrily saying, “I hope I’ve made myself clear,” then turned and walked away.
I was stunned. Just imagine if any of us tried to show up at her house unannounced, all hell would break loose!
I think Deborah Glick, after 24 years, has outlasted her productive time as an assemblymember. We need some new blood and a new attitude of being open to community ideas and community input.
I just may run against her in November.
On Tues., Aug. 19, Alexander Meadows filed 2,800 petition signatures (a minimum of 500 were needed) to run on the Progressive Party line in the Nov. 4 general election for the 66th Assembly District. He is a member of the Village Independent Democrats (V.I.D.) — which is Glick’s home political club.
