Menin staying?
In one of the fastest political turnarounds we can remember, Julie Menin said this week that she may not be leaving Community Board 1 after all.
Menin, C.B. 1’s chairperson since 2005, made a dramatic and emotional announcement last month saying she would step down from the board in June. Citing her young children and her cable TV interview show, Menin said in December that she could no longer give her board position the time it deserves.
Since then, though, several board members have approached Menin to ask that she reconsider and run for another two-year term, and Menin is listening.
“I’m certainly open to that,” Menin told UnderCover this week. “I’m ready, able and willing to do whatever the community board wants me to do.”
One of Menin’s biggest proponents is Roger Byrom. He’s worried that Menin’s departure could disrupt the board’s progress, and he plans to hold a meeting of the Personnel Committee in the next two weeks to discuss a formal request that Menin stay.
Peter Braus, chairperson of C.B. 1’s Tribeca Committee, said he saw a “leadership vacuum” at the board if Menin left, because few people have her expertise at leading meetings and negotiating complex agreements with government agencies.
In December, Menin endorsed Vice Chairperson Catherine McVay Hughes as her successor and said she was confident in Hughes’ ability to lead the board. Byrom said he wasn’t opposed to Hughes taking over at some point, but he hoped Menin would stay as long as possible first.
Hughes did not sound disappointed this week that Menin had dipped her toe back into the race.
“Whatever the community members want is good for me,” Hughes said. “Julie has done a terrific job.”
Stepping down
In other community board news, we heard this week that John Foss, vice chairperson of the Planning Committee, won’t be reapplying for the board this year. He said he recently received a promotion and his job now requires more travel, so he won’t be able to attend meetings regularly, but he hopes to rejoin the board in the future.
Foss’ departure, on the heels of Barry Skolnick and Carole De Saram leaving at the end of 2009, means that at least three seats are open on the board. Applications must be postmarked to Beep Scott Stringer by Jan. 15.
Let it snow
Unlike almost every other property owner in the city, Goldman Sachs will not be responsible for clearing the snow off some of the sidewalks around its new headquarters in Battery Park City.
It’s hard to imagine that after Goldman gave out billions of dollars in bonuses last year, the banking firm can’t spring for a little extra to maintain its sidewalks, but Goldman execs told Community Board 1 last week that it was all part of their agreement with the Battery Park City Authority. Jessica Healy, who does community relations for Goldman, said the authority and Hudson River Park Trust were responsible for the sidewalk on three sides of its new building.
“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” said Maria Smith, a public member of the board. “I doubt it could all work.”
It turned out that Healy was partly mistaken, and Goldman will maintain most of its sidewalks, except for the West St. frontage, which will be the Hudson River Park Trust’s job. However, Noreen Doyle, executive vice president of the Trust, said she was not sure their snow removal equipment could fit through Goldman’s security bollards. If not, then Goldman will have to clear the West St. sidewalk itself, just like Brookfield Properties, which owns the World Financial Center, Doyle added.
W.T.C. anxiety
The Port Authority hasn’t said anything in months about the private arbitration with developer Larry Silverstein over the future of the World Trade Center site. But that didn’t stop Catherine McVay Hughes, chairperson of C.B. 1’s W.T.C. Redevelopment Committee, from asking about it at a meeting Monday night.
“We’ve been patiently waiting,” Hughes told Port officials.
“So have we,” replied Quentin Brathwaite, director of the Port’s Office of Program Logistics.
Glenn Guzi, a Port program manager, objected: “I don’t know if we should say patient — anxiously awaiting,” he said.
The arbiters have finished hearing both sides’ arguments and are now weighing a decision that they could issue anytime now. Brathwaite and Guzi did not want to speculate on what might happen, but it looks like whatever the decision is, it may only be the first step in a longer process of negotiations.
