Ravitch Named Lt. Governor

What in the name of all that's holy . . . finally some good news out of Albany!!

Governor Paterson has named Richard Ravitch, of late renown as the head of the Ravitch Commission (whose suggestions were largely stymied by the Fare Hike Four, resulting in last month's fare hike and continuing the MTA crisis at a lower boil)

If Paterson can break the logjam in the Senate with this appointment (and a terrific choice, by the way) he deserves some praise. Gatemouth likes this appointment as much as I do . . . while paying a - I'm not sure backhanded compliment is the right term, but I'm not coming up with a better descriptor - to Governor Paterson for the effort.

Now if Ravitch can get a second bite at the apple with the MTA funding situation (bridge tolls et al) we might have some hope yet.

Carroll Gardens Downzoning: CB6 Thursday

From Tom Gray of Councilman Bill deBlasio's office, a reminder to turn out in support of the long-awaited Carroll Gardens downzoning at the CB6 Land Use Committee meeting on Thursday night. The rezoning will protect the community from out of scale new development and preserve the character of Carroll Gardens and the Columbia Waterfront District.

Jun 25 Landmarks/Land Use Committee Meeting
PUBLIC HEARING on Carroll Gardens/Columbia Street Contextual Rezoning plan (ULURP No. C 090462 ZMK)
Discussion and formulation of a recommendation on an application submitted by the Department of City Planning (ULURP No. C 090462 ZMK) to contextually rezone Carroll Gardens and a significant portion of the Columbia Street District neighborhoods to protect the existing built form environments.

Long Island College Hospital
339 Hicks Street
Brooklyn NY 11201

6:00 PM

Rooftop Films In Gowanus This Weekend

Sounds like fun - I love the rooftop theme to this series:

June 27th
Voices from El-Sayed:

In this smart and charming documentary, the world’s largest community of
deaf people is suddenly given a gift that threatens to disrupt local
heritage.

Venue: On the roof of the Old American Can Factory
Address: 232 3RD St. @ 3rd Ave. (Gowanus/ Park Slope, Brooklyn)
Directions: F/G to Carroll St. or M/R to Union Ave.
Rain: In the event of rain the show will be held indoors at the same location
8:00PM: Doors open
8:30PM: Live music presented by Sound Fix Records
9:00PM: Films
11:00PM–12:30AM: Reception in courtyard including free sangria courtesy of
Carlo Rossi
Tickets: $9-$25 at the door or online

Presented in partnership with: Cinereach, The Israeli Cultural Consulate,
New York magazine & XØ Projects
BUY TICKETS: http://newyork.going.com/event-602772;Rooftop_Films_Voices_from_El-Sayed

No refunds. In the event of rain, the show will be indoors at the same
locations. Seating is first come, first served. Physical seats are
limited. This means you may not get a chair. You are welcome to bring a
blanket and picnic.

Overflow Magazine - Primary Education

Overflow Magazine interviewed the 5 candidates for City Council District 39 including yours truly. It's a fun read and includes pictures of all the candidates in our native habitats.

Flash, so I can't cut and paste . . . but copies are available for free at participating local establishments. Lots of other good stuff in there too.

Bloomberg Campaign Ties To Jailhouse Bar Mitzvah Rabbi?

New York politics can be fascinating stuff.

The rabbi[Leib Glanz] at the center of an investigation into a bar mitzvah that was held at a New York City jail last year had three scheduled meetings in the last four months of 2008 with Deputy Mayor Kevin Sheekey, the man in charge of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s political operation, records show.

The sordid details of the jail as Orthodox party hall made for some great tabloid fodder.

But to truly appreciate the story you must read this Gatemouth piece on Rabbi Glanz over at Room 8.

Rutgers Law Professor and Preservationist John Payne, RIP

I had the privilege of working as a research assistant for Professor Payne while I was in law school at Rutgers. Nominally he was my torts professor (and later my Land Use prof) but he was also the premiere scholar on the Mount Laurel affordable housing cases. I spent months poring over court records and exhibits spanning four decades to provide background for a book on these groundbreaking affordable housing decisions.

John M. Payne, Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor at Rutgers School of Law – Newark and key participant in the Mt. Laurel cases, died Wednesday of brain cancer at Rosary Hill Home in Hawthorne, NY. He was 67 years old. Services are private. A memorial service will be held at the law school in the fall.
. . . .
Payne was also a driving force for historic preservation in New Jersey and critical to protecting the work and legacy of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. He was a former president of the national Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy and former director of Preservation New Jersey, the New Jersey partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

As an academic, Payne wrote and lectured extensively. In addition to his Mt. Laurel writing and articles on housing and historic preservation issues, he co-edited one of the most highly respected and widely-used casebooks on land development and land law use (Planning and Control of Land Development, 7th ed., 2008, with Daniel Mandelker et al.).

Prof. Payne cared deeply about the struggle to provide quality affordable housing fairly, as well as about historic preservation. I feel fortunate to have had the chance to know and learn from him. He will be missed.

Squadron Seeks MTA Review of F Line: What About F/V Service?

The Brooklyn Paper ran a story yesterday on Senator Squadron's request that MTA review service on the Culver Line (aka the F train in Brooklyn).

Ben over at Second Avenue Sagas lays out some alternatives for improving service along the line, including the enhanced F/V service that we have been advocating for years now.

Right now, the Culver Line isn’t close to being at capacity. It could easily support the V train running out to Church at rush hour, and as one person commenting on Gersh’s article notes, the MTA could probably even run the V along the A/C through Lower Manhattan to pick up Wall St. commuters bypassed by the F. In one felt swoop, the MTA would make travel easier while alleviating congestion on the Culver line through Brooklyn.
The second solution — an observation — is a call for those people impacted by this service to just wait. On July 5, the MTA will extend G train service south to Church Ave. While not ideal, those who cannot get on the F train due to congestion can ride the G to Hoyt-Schermerhorn and transfer to the A or C. It’s not nearly as convenient as extending the V, but it may serve the same function.

There is a lively discussion in the SAS comments, check it out.