BRIAN KIERAN’S “WE THE PEOPLE”

“King” Mike and “Queen” Christine

Mayor Bloomberg has run City Hall like a CEO of a corporation but that has alienated many citizens. “King” Mike has selected his heir apparent but the citizens of New York will have the last word on the matter in November. We will need a great mayor to deal with the municipal employee contracts crisis and the out of control municipal budget. The Mayor announced in his weekly radio show that Christine Quinn “has done a very good job as speaker” of the City Council. The Mayor is “Queen” Christine’s strongest supporter. He defended her policy of withholding funds from uncooperative Councilmembers as just “the way you manage a legislative body.” The Mayor has regularly praised her great leadership.

Ms. Quinn, the frontrunner in a crowded Democratic field, leads the others in a recent Marist poll. It’s predicted she would defeat any candidate for the nomination and if no candidate garnered 40% of the vote then she would prevail against all contenders if two candidates competed against each other in a run off primary.

The winner will inherit expired municipal union contracts with $8 billion in retroactive pay demands. This could cripple the city budget. Employers should not benefit by refusing to bargain over contracts and workers should not be denied cost of living increases but there is no absolute right to retroactive back pay. The NYC DOE announced a $24.5 billion budget that provides a paltry $10 million for tutoring.

Councilmember Domenic Recchia (D-Brooklyn) eschewed the crowed mayoral race and set his sights on the 13th Congressional district seat occupied by Michael Grimm. He recently criticized Congressmember Grimm (R-Staten Island) for engaging in petty politics by refusing to support legislation to release $27 million for programs for 9-11 victims currently sequestered by the federal budget. An allegation was made that Mr. Grimm refused to support a release because he was slighted by not being invited to a press conference. Mr. Grimm denied the allegation in a press release which personally attacked Mr. Recchia. Mr. Grimm called Mr. Recchia “a pathetic political hack,” “a complete empty suit” and an “utter hypocrite.”

The Councilmember responded that Mr. Grimm’s hyper-defensiveness was “well warranted given how out-of-touch he seems to be with the people of Staten Island and South Brooklyn … he’s trying to have his cake and eat it too when it comes to sequestration. If he didn’t support it he shouldn’t have voted for it.” Mr. Grimm will face a strong challenge from Mr. Recchia in 2014.

The MTA announced the closure of the Montague Street tunnel used by the R train. The corrosive effect of salt water from flooding during Superstorm Sandy damaged equipment throughout the tunnel. The MTA estimates that it will take $100 million and fourteen months to affect the repairs. During the closure weekday R trains will terminate at Whitehall Street in Manhattan and Court Street in Brooklyn. Weekend R trains go all the way to Manhattan over the Manhattan Bridge. I strongly urge that express buses and N and D trains be added to alleviate the crush of the 65,000 displaced riders. If possible some “special” rush-hour R trains could make selective stops in Brooklyn and go over the Manhattan Bridge to complement the N and D trains. No mention for tunnel doors or flood protection was made during the announcement. An order to protect the expensive work flood protection measures should be incorporated into the project.

Community Board 10 held a public meeting on the DOT plan to redesign Fourth Avenue in Bay Ridge in St. Anselm’s parish hall. There was a split of opinion as to the effect of proposed lane reductions on traffic and safety but all in attendance agreed that safety improvements are needed and overdue. Speakers repeatedly complained that speeding was an unaddressed problem.

PULL QUOTE: “We will need a great mayor to deal with the municipal employee contracts crisis and the out of control municipal budget.”