Sunday, April 06, 2003
Thoughts of the old, hopes for the new
LOOKING AHEAD by Wally Dobelis
In need for a positive fix, I broached some friends, neighbors and local dignitaries for good news, local, city, state and world variety. Herewith the first installment.
Louise Dankberg, a distinguished local politico, District Leader of the Tilden Democratic Club, is pleased with the victories of local Democratic candidates, making our town's delegation fully of that persuasion, in City Council, assembly and state senate. She regrets the loss of Carl McCall in the governorship race, and sees it as the result of bad campaigning. Local issues such as rent regulation were not addressed early enough.
As for 2003, she sees the city and state in a troubled condition, with backbreaking taxes imposed to keep us afloat. Lower and middle income people have no place to go, outer borroughs are as expensive as Mnhattan. Education and housing will be suffering. The mayor is remote and aloof, although not an authoritarian of the early Giuliani stripe, but whether his austerity measures, such as the 18% tax, address the issues adequately is moot. If you ask him, he wants to make the city whole, but politically this NYC Democrat is making common cause with Pataki and Bruno, whose interests are biased toward upstate. On the bright side, the Tilden Club will be celebrating its 50th anniversary the whole year. It was founded as one of the original Reform or anti-Tammany clubs, and several of its founding members will participate in the festivities - such as Ida Malbin, Barbara White, Audrey Kasha, and the original district leaders Margot Gayle and retired Judge Millard Midonick, now in private practice.
Asked about expectations and favorite candidates in the 2004 Presidential race, Louise suggests that interested parties come to the club meetings, where such matters will be discussed.
Karen Shaw, Executive Director of the 14th Street-Union Square LDC/BID, and Joe Tango, its Director of Operations (that's Safety and Sanitation) had the most positive outlook. Last year's recovery from the terrible business slump following 9/11 has been almost miraculous. The restaurants are full, once more, in the best-tasting-neighborhood in the city (I write 'em as I hear 'em, folks), the reconstructed park is more beautiful than ever, the summer concerts attract big lunchtime crowds, the four-day market schedule brings in shoppers from far away (noted, some Kiwis with World Cup signs, and an Aussie playing the didgeridoo), the off-Broadway theaters are a major attarction, and the neighborhood is safe! Safe? Yes, a safe haven! The public safety officers, although without authority to arrest, cooperate with and are the eyes and ears of the 13th, 9th and 6th Precincts and Transit Division 4, all of which have responsibilities in the BID. You may want to look for the BID's banners, announcing events and openings.
Next, a caution for car owners. If you drive fast, be careful not to whizz through traffic lights. There are some 50-60 traffic light cameras scattered throughout the five boroughs, and the fines imposed for a red light transgression have risen from $55 to $105. Some of the locatons are 42th and 2nd Ave (South-bound), Houston and 1st (W/B), Amsterdam and 72nd (N/B), 72nd and 3rd (N/B), and consider yourself lucky that this offense is not costing you points and an increase of the insurance premium (it is treated as a parking offense, since the camera cannot tell who's driving). This is advice from Matthew Weiss, Esq., a Park South/20s lawyer specializing in defending drivers. Also, remember, no single occupant vehicles (SOV) are permitted at five key crossings (Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburgh bridges, Brooklyn Battery and Hudson tunnels) 6-10AM on weekdays, and no turnoffs are permitted off express ("through") avenues (3rd to 6th, except Park)) on many blocks in midtown, 36th to 60th.
Next news, for the subway users. Through a glass, darkly, is the view of civic activist Jon Schachter, our train-watcher (and police-watcher, noise-pollution watcher and unlicensed-premises watcher). His attitude is colored, for the moment, by the proposed closing, subject to hearings, of the part-time MTA subway change booths at 16th and Broadway (BMT), 14th and 3rd Ave (L train), 22nd and Park (both sides of the street), and the off-and-on proposed 23rd and Broadway (N,W R lines, both sides of the street). What happens presently, when part-time booths close at 9PM, and before the gates close at 11PM, is that "card swipers" disable the card dispenser machines, and stand at the gate, offering to let through the transit users who have no card or tokens, for the standard $1.50 (they'll make change). How? They have bought "unlimited use" cards! The TA police force is reduced, down from 4,000 to 2,500, and unable to monitor all of the frequent crime situations, and booth closings will cost MTA lost revenue. Jon has seen a "swiper" do 14 quick transactions in the lag hours at a part-time booth; imagine the results if the booths are closed all day and night, without adequate police presence! He advises us to look at the the token/card machines, as we pass by. They are marked green when fully operational; yellow means that a part (single fare, multi-dollar etc) is vandalized; red means the entire machine is vandalized. At some of the above locations there have been weekly vandalizations. Good wuck, New York.
I did not escape a share of black humor. Asked for good news, a bookstore man replies: "Tell 'em books about Iraq sell well." And a religious source: " The good news is that the Buccaneers won." And from a theater -person: "cheer up, tickets are easy for any show, get them before the shows close."
But there is a silver lining. Jeff, a student at Stuyvesant High, is totally positive. The school has won, first time in five years, the national Intel (formerly Westinghouse) Science Talent Search. More than half of the 300 semi-finalists are from New York, and Stuy Hi has 19 of them, first again (it has been first six out of the past 10 years, although a second in 1998-2002). That speaks well for his scholarship search. Yo, Jeff, stay on the track.
In need for a positive fix, I broached some friends, neighbors and local dignitaries for good news, local, city, state and world variety. Herewith the first installment.
Louise Dankberg, a distinguished local politico, District Leader of the Tilden Democratic Club, is pleased with the victories of local Democratic candidates, making our town's delegation fully of that persuasion, in City Council, assembly and state senate. She regrets the loss of Carl McCall in the governorship race, and sees it as the result of bad campaigning. Local issues such as rent regulation were not addressed early enough.
As for 2003, she sees the city and state in a troubled condition, with backbreaking taxes imposed to keep us afloat. Lower and middle income people have no place to go, outer borroughs are as expensive as Mnhattan. Education and housing will be suffering. The mayor is remote and aloof, although not an authoritarian of the early Giuliani stripe, but whether his austerity measures, such as the 18% tax, address the issues adequately is moot. If you ask him, he wants to make the city whole, but politically this NYC Democrat is making common cause with Pataki and Bruno, whose interests are biased toward upstate. On the bright side, the Tilden Club will be celebrating its 50th anniversary the whole year. It was founded as one of the original Reform or anti-Tammany clubs, and several of its founding members will participate in the festivities - such as Ida Malbin, Barbara White, Audrey Kasha, and the original district leaders Margot Gayle and retired Judge Millard Midonick, now in private practice.
Asked about expectations and favorite candidates in the 2004 Presidential race, Louise suggests that interested parties come to the club meetings, where such matters will be discussed.
Karen Shaw, Executive Director of the 14th Street-Union Square LDC/BID, and Joe Tango, its Director of Operations (that's Safety and Sanitation) had the most positive outlook. Last year's recovery from the terrible business slump following 9/11 has been almost miraculous. The restaurants are full, once more, in the best-tasting-neighborhood in the city (I write 'em as I hear 'em, folks), the reconstructed park is more beautiful than ever, the summer concerts attract big lunchtime crowds, the four-day market schedule brings in shoppers from far away (noted, some Kiwis with World Cup signs, and an Aussie playing the didgeridoo), the off-Broadway theaters are a major attarction, and the neighborhood is safe! Safe? Yes, a safe haven! The public safety officers, although without authority to arrest, cooperate with and are the eyes and ears of the 13th, 9th and 6th Precincts and Transit Division 4, all of which have responsibilities in the BID. You may want to look for the BID's banners, announcing events and openings.
Next, a caution for car owners. If you drive fast, be careful not to whizz through traffic lights. There are some 50-60 traffic light cameras scattered throughout the five boroughs, and the fines imposed for a red light transgression have risen from $55 to $105. Some of the locatons are 42th and 2nd Ave (South-bound), Houston and 1st (W/B), Amsterdam and 72nd (N/B), 72nd and 3rd (N/B), and consider yourself lucky that this offense is not costing you points and an increase of the insurance premium (it is treated as a parking offense, since the camera cannot tell who's driving). This is advice from Matthew Weiss, Esq., a Park South/20s lawyer specializing in defending drivers. Also, remember, no single occupant vehicles (SOV) are permitted at five key crossings (Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburgh bridges, Brooklyn Battery and Hudson tunnels) 6-10AM on weekdays, and no turnoffs are permitted off express ("through") avenues (3rd to 6th, except Park)) on many blocks in midtown, 36th to 60th.
Next news, for the subway users. Through a glass, darkly, is the view of civic activist Jon Schachter, our train-watcher (and police-watcher, noise-pollution watcher and unlicensed-premises watcher). His attitude is colored, for the moment, by the proposed closing, subject to hearings, of the part-time MTA subway change booths at 16th and Broadway (BMT), 14th and 3rd Ave (L train), 22nd and Park (both sides of the street), and the off-and-on proposed 23rd and Broadway (N,W R lines, both sides of the street). What happens presently, when part-time booths close at 9PM, and before the gates close at 11PM, is that "card swipers" disable the card dispenser machines, and stand at the gate, offering to let through the transit users who have no card or tokens, for the standard $1.50 (they'll make change). How? They have bought "unlimited use" cards! The TA police force is reduced, down from 4,000 to 2,500, and unable to monitor all of the frequent crime situations, and booth closings will cost MTA lost revenue. Jon has seen a "swiper" do 14 quick transactions in the lag hours at a part-time booth; imagine the results if the booths are closed all day and night, without adequate police presence! He advises us to look at the the token/card machines, as we pass by. They are marked green when fully operational; yellow means that a part (single fare, multi-dollar etc) is vandalized; red means the entire machine is vandalized. At some of the above locations there have been weekly vandalizations. Good wuck, New York.
I did not escape a share of black humor. Asked for good news, a bookstore man replies: "Tell 'em books about Iraq sell well." And a religious source: " The good news is that the Buccaneers won." And from a theater -person: "cheer up, tickets are easy for any show, get them before the shows close."
But there is a silver lining. Jeff, a student at Stuyvesant High, is totally positive. The school has won, first time in five years, the national Intel (formerly Westinghouse) Science Talent Search. More than half of the 300 semi-finalists are from New York, and Stuy Hi has 19 of them, first again (it has been first six out of the past 10 years, although a second in 1998-2002). That speaks well for his scholarship search. Yo, Jeff, stay on the track.
# posted by Wally Dobelis @ 3:10 PM 
