Month: September 2017

Cumbo Outdistances Fox To Retain Her City Council Seat

According to the preliminary numbers, Cumbo received 10,116 votes, or 58 percent of the electorate, while Fox received 7,304 votes, or 42 percent of the electorate.

Bedford-Union Armory opponent loses Council race

“It’s an interesting test case to see if you can run a whole campaign on one land-use item. Ede staked her claim on one land-use issue and she was overwhelmingly rejected,” Councilmember David Greenfield told Politico. “[Cumbo] made it clear to me months ago she would not support the armory [deal] in its current form. She made that clear from day one. Ede was yelling louder, and it’s easier when you run a one-issue campaign, but I think people trust Laurie.”

Stay on de Blasio’s good side or else, says top City Council aide

“If you have someone that’s hated by the mayor, that basically has been run through the mud, you’re not going to get that pothole fixed,” said Monica Abend, referring to opponent Ede Fox, a former aide to Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.
…
Politicians playing favorites to fellow elected officials who publicly praise them — or punishing those who are critical — is nothing new.

But the Abend tape is remarkable in that she details how the dynamic affects nuts-and-bolts services like filling potholes.

Abend refused to comment on the exchange, but did not deny it took place. Cumbo also declined to answer questions.

Anti-Gentrification Protesters March Through Brooklyn

The demonstration targeted “gentrification, racism, and police violence,” according to a press release from the Brooklyn Anti-Gentrification Network (BAN), which helped organize the march. Protesters stopped at Barclays Center, Ebbets Field Apartments, and the Bedford-Union Armory, all of which have been at the center of debate over gentrification in the borough.

Eric Adams Officially Recommends Condo-Free Bedford-Union Armory Project

For starters, Adams called for the project to ditch the 58 luxury condos currently included in developer BFC Partners. In the place of luxury housing, Adams suggested a larger number subsidized apartments for both extremely low and extremely high earners.

In the case of the upper-tier affordable units, Adams says that they “could offset some of the operational costs incurred by the recreational center.” He also called for all of the affordable units to be made permanently affordable, and for a larger share of the apartments capable of housing larger families.