Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Topics

Topics

Predicting The Big Stories in 2007


 

At the site of New York's two World's Fairs, Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently talked about the future. In a speech, the mayor laid out the possibility of a grim 2030 for New York City. Rush hour will be 12 hours long, there won't be enough electricity to go around, and monster storms, empowered by global warming, will regularly pummel the city.

But the mayor sees a way out, if New Yorkers can come up with ideas to change the future. He thinks they will.

"It’s here in Flushing Meadows ... that more than once, New Yorkers have looked beyond the present, to see the promise of the future," said Bloomberg.

Of course, the futures envisioned at the World's Fairs didn't necessarily come true. At the 1939 World's Fair – whose theme was "Building the World of Tomorrow" – an exhibit called "Futurama" predicted that the United States would construct an elaborate system of superhighways, enabling people to spread across the country in suburban luxury. This is kind of what happened, actually, except that in Futurama the vehicles that traveled on the superhighways didn't have drivers, and were controlled instead by magnet-wielding computers. The 1964 fair had Futurama II, which foresaw a "near future" where people populated the moon and vacationed in underwater hotels.

Gotham Gazette encourages such innovative and fanciful thinking, so each December we ask New Yorkers to predict what will happen in the year to come. This year, two dozen public officials, journalists, and advocates tell us what they think the big story in 2007 will be. There was little talk of cataclysmic new weather patterns or automated cars (well, a little talk about automated subway cars). But our predictors did see a 2007 with big fights in Brooklyn, big changes in Albany, the end of the black-and-white cookie -- and twelve months of speculation about November 2008.

DOUG MUZZIO – PROFESSOR, BARUCH COLLEGE

New Yorkers will confront the unthinkable.

Pataki gets off LSD, goes into private sector.

Everything does not change on Day One -- or Week One, Month One, Year One, or even first term. But a lot does. Albany is awakened from its long dysfunctional, often corrupting, sleep.

DICK GOTTFRIED – MEMBER OF THE STATE ASSEMBLY

The story will be the Spitzer Administration, of course.

BROOKE MASTERS – AUTHOR OF "SPOILING FOR A FIGHT: THE RISE OF ELIOT SPITZER"

Eliot Spitzer will charge into the governor's mansion and pick at least one high-volume, high profile fight with Sheldon Silver to demonstrate his independence. One likely point of contention: Spitzer's efforts to reform redistricting and campaign laws.

On other policy issues: Spitzer will give the NYC schools more than the $1.9 billion required by the Court of Appeals but considerably less than the $6 billion the CFE folks were hoping for. For business, he'll try to revamp the workers compensation insurance rules to cut premiums. Middle-class homeowners should see a small cut on their property taxes. There will be months and months of negotiation over efforts to revamp Medicaid and Spitzer will almost certainly lose his temper and tell someone powerful off in a way that makes headlines in the tabloids and the Wall Street Journal.

ERROL LOUIS – NEW YORK DAILY NEWS COLUMNIST

The debate in Albany on a host of issues – including parole reform, public support for subsidized housing, transparency in government and reducing the influence of lobbyists – is about to shift several paces to the left. Big story.

Locally, the conclusion of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit means the city will have a constitutionally mandated minimum of $2 billion in additional spending every year. This will spur a furious three-way battle between the Department of Education, the United Federation of Teachers, and long-suffering parents who have been waiting more than a decade for change.

BRIAN LEHRER – RADIO HOST, WNYC

Governor Spitzer will move quickly to stuff the legislature with big proposals for change, including less power for two of the three men in the room (guess which two.)

Spitzer will stage some "Sister Souljah moments" early, not aimed at black people specifically like Bill Clinton's was, but to show his independence from some Democratic constituencies (the teacher's union?) and establish his bipartisan credibility. Remember, he'll want to run against Obama in 2012.

Spitzer will be very popular in his first year, despite a tough love budget.

Giuliani, Pataki, and Hillary Clinton will all run for President, and all still be in the race at year's end. Bloomberg will still be teasing us with the idea at this time next year.

Congestion pricing will gain even more popularity among policy wonks, but union opposition will stop it from taking off in City Council or in Albany. Spitzer will have to answer the question: "Why does Albany get to decide these things for the city anyway?"

The trans-fats ban will take effect in restaurants, but New Yorkers' trans-fat blood levels will remain unchanged.

JONATHAN BOWLES -- CENTER FOR AN URBAN FUTURE

Continuing his recent public health kick, Mayor Bloomberg bans black-and-white cookies, pastrami sandwiches and Kennedy’s fried chicken. He also orders changes to the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, capping the number of hot dogs allowed to be eaten at 10.

The Spitzer administration accomplishes more in its first six months than the Pataki administration did in 12 years.

In addition to advancing transit infrastructure projects like the Second Avenue Subway and the extension of the Number 7 train, state and city officials finally start to put pressure on the MTA to improve and expand existing subway and bus service.

GENE RUSSIANOFF, STRAPHANGERS CAMPAIGN

There will be a new MTA Chairman by late spring to replace current MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow - as well as a new president for the subway and bus system to replace NYC Transit President Larry Reuter, the longest serving head of the city transit system.

Transit and traffic officials will open the first two "Bus Rapid Transit" lines - and these "subways on the surface" as Mayor Bloomberg calls them will be very popular with riders.

In the fall of 2007, the MTA will have to face an estimated $900 million dollar deficit for the following year. Everything - from a fare and toll hike to new management savings to increased state aid - will be in play.

New York City Transit will end its loopy plans to run trains without conductors.

The Second Avenue Subway will start construction, but its long-term fate will remain uncertain.

Mayor Bloomberg will sign Council legislation that requires private employers of 50 or more to offer their workers TransitChek, a programs that gives both businesses and employees tax breaks for using subways, buses and commuter rail.

NICOLE GELINAS - SENIOR FELLOW, MANHATTAN INSTITUTE

1. The state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) finally will learn that its customers loathe the unattended high-entry-exit-turnstiles it has installed all over Gotham’s subway stations in the past few years to save a few million dollars’ worth of token clerks’ hours. The MTA then will determine, once and for all, to deal with its real labor problem: not too many clerks, but overly generous pension and healthcare benefits for those workers relative to what’s available in the private sector. The MTA and the Transport Workers Union then will negotiate a new contract that calls for reasonable pension and benefit reductions in the future, allowing the authority to property staff its stations again while saving the riders and taxpayers money at the same time.

2. Mayor Bloomberg will announce that he won’t spend another taxpayer dime on city-subsidized “affordable housing.” In a speech, he’ll say he’s decided, after careful consideration of the issue, that the government shouldn’t be in the business of subsidizing housing for hundreds of thousands of working-class and middle-class New Yorkers, because the end result of that philosophy is government allocation of all housing, which certainly isn’t something the city should pursue. The mayor will say he’ll spend that money instead helping the MTA to build new express tracks to the outer boroughs, to allow those same working-class and middle-class New Yorkers get to work more quickly from their unsubsidized, private-market housing.

3. If it’s a boy, Donald Trump, Jr. and his wife, Vanessa, will name their new baby Donald Trump III.

SUDHIR VENKATESH – DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR URBAN RESEARCH AND POLICY AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

The big story will be the rise of hate crimes against minorities. There will also be a new wave of grassroots organizing; I think you're going to see minority communities challenging their own leadership.

ESMERALDA SIMMONS – EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CENTER FOR LAW AND SOCIAL JUSTICE, MEDGAR EVERS COLLEGE

There will be continued advocacy against the New York Police Department's use of excessive force. I don't think it's going to die down. There will also be a push for immigration reform and for more affordable housing.

JILL NELSON – JOURNALIST, AUTHOR AND ACTIVIST LIVING IN HARLEM

I think the big story will be the continued loss of affordable housing and the disappearance of the working and middle class from the city as it is transformed into a place for the very rich, those who serve them, and the few others who still cling to housing.

I also think we'll see increased instances of police violence against young Black and Latino males and perhaps an organized and violent response to these police actions as people arm to protect themselves from the robbers and the cops.

Overall, we'll see an increased division based on race and class as the wealthy continue to eat up housing stock, wages stagnate, hospitals close and health care disappears, public schools continue to fail most students, unemployment remains almost 50 percent among Black males, people feel economically disenfranchised and trapped, and the developers, chain stores and gentrifiers, like arrogant and studiously oblivious locusts, continue to gobble up the resources necessary to maintain the economic, racial, and cultural diversity that once made New York City such an amazing place for dreamers and pragmatists alike.

GALE BREWER – CITY COUNCILMEMBER

The big story in 2007 will be the issue raised by the shooting of Sean Bell, and the relationship between police and residents – all kinds of residents. There have been a lot of discussions. This is a diverse city, and we have a wonderful police force. This is a historical, ongoing challenge. We're a safe city, but we also have to be a compatible and compassionate city.

MARTY MARKOWITZ – BROOKLYN BOROUGH PRESIDENT

The Atlantic Yards project will bring thousands of new union jobs to Brooklyn as we eagerly anticipate the arrival of the Brooklyn Nets and thousands of units of affordable housing in our enhanced and vibrant downtown.

Our new Democratic Governor and Congress will play a role in bringing the parties responsible for the oil spill in Greenpoint and the pollution of Newtown Creek to justice.

Coney Island will reclaim its status as "America's Favorite Playground," as plans for a new amphitheater are set in motion and the glorious Parachute Jump, a.k.a. "Brooklyn's Eiffel Tower," lights the way.

SAMUEL FREEDMAN – NEW YORK TIMES COLUMNIST, AUTHOR OF SMALL VICTORIES

1) The Atlantic Yards plan will be either defeated by racial politics or terminally bogged down in court challenges.

2) Confrontations will develop at many schools between teachers and the principals installed by Chancellor Joel Klein straight out of the Leadership Academy.

3) The cast of prospective mayoral candidates for 2009 will have people cursing the law that does not allow Michael Bloomberg a third term.

ELAINE RIVERA – STATE POLITICS REPORTER FOR WNYC

The big stories of 2007 will be:

1. Eliot Spitzer's first 100 days. He's got to make his mark quickly.

2. What happens with Atlantic Yards. If Sheldon Silver nixes the project, it will be the third development project he has nixed -- first here was the West Side Stadium, then the Moynihan Station.

3. New Yorkers running for president. Hillary will announce. Mike will not. Rudy might. Nobody cares if George does or not.

DAVID RABIN – OWNER OF LOTUS, CO-PRESIDENT OF NEW YORK NIGHTLIFE ASSOCIATION

Someone in City Hall will finally wake up and realize that nightlife is a $10 billion economic engine for NY, and is just as crucial a factor as Broadway, sports teams, or museums when people decide to travel here as tourists or move here. The Mayor will set up an Office of Nightlife just like the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting.

DAVID KALLICK – FISCAL POLICY INSTITUTE

Eliot Spitzer will quietly realize that it doesn’t make sense to spend hundreds of millions in public dollars to build the Freedom Tower as a home for government workers who don’t even want to go there.

Taking the Freedom Tower out of the equation, Spitzer will restore public confidence in the rebuilding process by making the rebuilding at Ground Zero go faster, work better, cost less, and have the memorial - - not a political symbol - - as its central element.

RICHARD PEREZ-PENA – REPORTER, NY TIMES

I'm a health care reporter, so I always think health care is going to be the big story in the upcoming year.

One of the most interesting things is going to see how Spitzer tries to keep his promise of universal health insurance. I really don't know what he has in mind.

I think the [Berger Commission's recommendations] will take effect. It may not all happen on schedule, but I think it will happen. But I also think that in a few years we're going to be doing this again. The hospital closures aren't going to stop because you managed your way through a part of the process. All those same forces are still at work.

JENNIFER CUNNINGHAM – EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 1199 SEIU

2007 will be a year in which the debate over healthcare costs rekindles the desire of Empire State policy makers to address the crisis of the uninsured. NY's congressional delegation, with its newfound clout, will push for a federal solution, sharpening the debate over the issue during the 2008 presidential election cycle.

JOHN SEXTON – PRESIDENT OF NYU

With Mayor Bloomberg's announcement of a major sustainability initiative for New York City and with the issue of climate change very much on everyone's mind, more and more major New York City institutions are going to scrutinize their operations to determine how they can contribute to sustainability.

The reason New York City is so great is that it has been, almost since its beginnings in the 17th century, the birthplace of important ideas. Sustainability is one of those crucial ideas, and I expect to see an accelerating embrace of it in 2007.

MAJORA CARTER – SUSTAINABLE SOUTH BRONX

The City of New York will coordinate its agencies in a way that allows for our environmental problems to be mitigated in many different ways with multiple benefits instead of relying on single-use, expensive, and ugly "end of pipe" solutions like sewage treatment plants, more power plants, emergency room asthma treatments, and jails.

JAMES ODDO, CITY COUNCIL REPUBLICAN LEADER

1) I think that in 2007 any talk of tinkering around with term limits dies. I think that comes to a stop. I think it's a mistake. It's impossible. After watching what the media did with the pay raise issue, people will come to realization that it's a fight you can't win.

2) This year, particularly during the budget process obviously, there will be more talk of property tax rollback than ever before. As the surplus continues to grow, the pressure on the council and individual members to bang that drum will grow. I'm not saying we'll get it, but I think you'll hear a lot of us talking about that.

3) In a case of instant karma, New York Yankee pitcher Mike Mussina will have an inordinate number of line drives hit back at his head this year. And I will cheer as each near miss happens, and hope that he has an epiphany. That's my third prediction. It might be as much wishful thinking as my prediction last year: " 2006 in a word: Suozzi!" But whatever.

 

Top 10 Stories of 2006


The biggest news story in New York, as in the rest of the country in 2006, was really the war in Iraq. The war had specific effects here, as New Yorkers died in battle; those at home debated what the United States should do; and New York politicians saw their influence increase on Capitol Hill as Democrats gained control of Congress, partly because of voters’ opposition to Bush administration policies in Iraq.

A furor arose nationally over Dubai Ports World’s plan to run port facilities in New York and other ports in the country. This takeover of port facilities was one of the big stories that did not happen in 2006. (For others, see The Big Stories That Did Not Happen in 2006.)

But 2006 was not just the year of national and international news. In New York, it was the year of Eliot Spitzer. His election as governor rarely seemed in doubt, despite two qualified and articulate opponents. Democrats and Republicans alike seemed to believe that the man who once took on Wall Street could manage to clean up the “mess in Albany.”

Here are the top 10 New York stories of 2006 – and the big stories that did not happen.

1. Democrats Sweep State Elections

Led by gubernatorial candidate Eliot Spitzer, Democrats captured the four statewide offices on Election Day, giving them control of all the positions for the first time since 1942.

Election Day brought the state its first black lieutenant governor, David Paterson of Manhattan. In the contest for Spitzer’s old job of state attorney general, Andrew Cuomo, son of the former governor, won a convincing victory against former Westchester District Attorney Jeanine Pirro following a campaign marked more by revelations about Pirro’s marriage than any policy debates.

But one winning Democrat was not invited to the ticket’s election night parties: State Comptroller Alan Hevesi. Long considered a shoo-in for reelection, Hevesi seemed in jeopardy after it became known that he had used a state employee as a chauffeur and companion for his ailing wife. The news provided a boost for the little known Republican candidate, former Saratoga County Treasurer Chris Callaghan. But despite the charges – bolstered by Hevesi’s apology, reimbursement payments to the state and a scathing report by a state ethics panel – the comptroller held on to win, getting 57 percent of the vote. Hevesi’s future remains in doubt, though, as the Albany district attorney is investigating the case and Spitzer seems likely to seek his removal from office early in 2007.

On other matters, Spitzer vowed to bring change to Albany from “day 1.” During the transition he implemented new ethics rules for himself and those advising him and said he would limit the size of campaign contributions that he would accept. He had also set forth an ambitious agenda, particularly in health care and education.

2. New Yorkers Gain Clout on Capitol Hill

The Democratic victories across the country on Election Day boosted the power and prestige of New York City and State’s overwhelmingly Democratic congressional delegation. With the Democrats assuming control of the House of Representatives for the first time since 1994, Charles Rangel, the longtime Democratic representative from Harlem, was named chairman of the House Ways and Means committee, which handles tax writing and other financial matters. Joe Crowley of Queens also got a seat on the key committee. And Anthony Weiner, who represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens, won a seat on another important committee: Energy and Commerce. Nydia Velázquez will head up the small business committee. And the representative from the Rochester area, Louise Slaughter, will chair the rules committee, giving New Yorkers two of the most powerful committees on Capitol Hill.

While neither of New York’s senators will head committees, they were big winners on Election Day as well. Senator Hillary Clinton trounced her Republican opponent for the Senate, former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer, bolstering her position for a presidential bid. And by masterminding the successful Democratic Senate campaign, the state senior Senator Charles Schumer, increased his power.

3. Health Problems At Ground Zero

Days before New Yorkers marked the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, researchers confirmed what many had long assumed: that the collapse of the Twin Towers led to serious health problems. Mt. Sinai Medical Center published the first major clinical study (in pdf format) of the 40,000 men and women who worked at Ground Zero in the days immediately following 9/11. Seventy percent of those tested reported respiratory problems, and 60 percent of them continue to be sick.

Studies have also shown reduced lung capacity among firefighters, increased respiratory problems among downtown residents (in pdf format), low birth weight for babies born in lower Manhattan soon after the attacks, and declining health for nearby residents with asthma. The collapse of the Twin Towers even led to the coining of a new medical term: " World Trade Center Cough." The death of James Zadroga in January, 2006, was the first death to be linked officially to a problem caused by work at Ground Zero -- though he does not seem to be the only one to have died from working on the smoldering rubble that rescue workers referred to as "the pile." Medical experts also predict that people who are healthy now may develop conditions related to 9/11 in the years to come.

Many blame these health problems partly on government neglect and, in some cases, outright deception. Until recently, many officials had been unwilling even to acknowledge a direct link between health problems and 9/11, likely because of the fear of a wave of lawsuits.

There are signs that change is coming. Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a new plan for tracking and treating 9/11-related cases, including giving millions of dollars to the city Health and Hospitals Corporation to expand its 9/11 related services. There are also several bills pending in Congress that would provide care and compensation to those whose health is suffering as a result of 9/11.

4. The $5.4 Billion Apartment Sale

In what BusinessWeek billed as “the world’s biggest real estate deal,” Jerry Speyer bought Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village for $5.4 billion. The complex, with 110 buildings on 80 acres on Manhattan’s East Side, has provided housing for ten of thousands of middle income New Yorkers. With the new owners likely to upgrade the apartments in order to get the biggest return on their investment, the sale prompted increased concern about the loss of affordable housing in Manhattan and throughout the city. Tishman Speyer, Speyer’s firm, said residents of rent-stabilized apartments would continue to be protected, but the company has not said what it plans to do with its new purchase.

Almost as soon as the Stuyvesant deal was announced, another moderate-income development, Starrett City in Brooklyn, went on the auction block. Sixty percent of the tenants in the 140-acre development on Jamaica Bay receive federal rent subsidies. Although real estate experts predicted that the complex far from Manhattan could go for more than $1 billion, they also noted it was unclear how much a new owner could change the character of Starrett City. Both sales, along with continued construction of luxury buildings and high prices, indicated that the New York City real estate boom, while perhaps flagging a bit, continues

5. Health Board Bans Trans Fats

In a move that some praised as a path-breaking public health measure and others denounced as Big Brotherism run amok, the city health board banned almost all uses of artificial trans fats in city restaurants. This made New York the first city in the nation to ban the artificial fats that medical experts say increase the chances of heart disease and other serious health conditions.

Restaurants would have to start sharply curtailing the amount of trans fat, found in oils and shortening, by July 1 from recipes that contain more than a half-gram of trans fat per serving. By July 1, 2008, they would have to remove all items with more than a half gram of trans fat, including deep fried foods, from their menus.

In another effort to encourage New Yorkers to eat more healthily – and to lower high rates of obesity and diabetes in the city – the health board will also require restaurants with standardized menus –McDonald’s and Starbucks, to name two – to post the calories content of their offerings.

6. Legal Battle Over School Funding Ends

The 15-year court fight to win more state money for New York City public schools ended in November when the state’s highest court ruled that city schools need an additional $1.9 billion a year to provide all their students with a sound basic education.

The decision in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit represented a partial victory for the education advocates who launched the suit in the early 1990s. They cheered the fact the court for recognizing that there is a right to a sound education and a link between funding for schools and the schools' ability to provide that education.

But the court’s dollar amount – while not “chump change” as several observed – represents far less than the $4 billion to $6 billion set out in decisions by lower courts.

Noting that Governor-elect Spitzer had said during his campaign that state schools could get an additional $8 billion, the Campaign for Fiscal Equity and others vowed to take the fight for more funds to the new governor and the state legislature.

And no matter how much money the city schools do get, fights seem certain over how the money will be spent and whether the Department of Education will have to account for how it uses the money.

7. Commission Recommends Closing Hospitals

New York's health care system is under immense pressure. The state's hospitals are in worse shape than hospitals almost anywhere else in the country; its Medicaid program is the most expensive in the country; and millions of New Yorkers lack health insurance.

Eighteen months ago, Governor George Pataki appointed a commission to recommend a course of action. In a report released in November, it concluded that there are too many hospital beds in New York, leading to a financially unsustainable health care system. The panel recommended closing nine hospitals statewide and forcing 48 others to change the services they provide. Five of the hospitals slated to close and 10 set to restructure are in New York City.

The recommendations were widely seen as one of the biggest things to ever happen to the New York health care system. Some protested the closings, saying they would only aggravate existing inequities, and a poll found that over 70 percent of New Yorkers opposed the recommendations. Others said the closings wouldn't save money. Still, there never seemed to be much doubt that Albany's lawmakers would allow the plan to go through. Both the state's major health care workers union and its hospital trade association -- political juggernauts who have made hospital closings politically unfeasible in the past – did not oppose the report. Pataki and incoming governor Eliot Spitzer said they supported it. And indeed, the legislature passed on its chance to block it.

8. Christine Quinn Becomes New York City Council Speaker

Members of the City Council chose Christine Quinn from Chelsea as their new speaker, making her only the third person – and the first woman and the first gay person – to hold the powerful post. Quinn replaced Gifford Miller who had to leave office because of term limits.

Although Quinn won out over several rivals, thanks to skilled backroom maneuvering and the support of powerful city political organizations, she pledged to make the council more open and democratic. As her first year as speaker neared its end, observers gave her mixed grades on her reform agenda, saying she had implemented some needed changes, on such matters as enacting the budget and restricting access to the council by lobbyists, but faltered on eliminating special stipends for committee chairpeople and restricting council members’ outside incomes.

9. Police Kill Unarmed Man on His Wedding Day

In an event that rekindled long-standing tension over police conduct in black communities, 23-year-old Sean Bell died in a barrage of 50 police bullets on his wedding day. Bell, who was unarmed, was leaving his bachelor party at a Jamaica strip club when plainclothes police began shooting at his car, killing him, wounding two of his friends and even sending a bullet into a nearby air train station.

The number of shots fired, the victim’s race and the shooting by members of a special undercover unit prompted comparisons with the fatal police shooting of Amadou Diallo in 1999. But, in sharp contrast with the conduct of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani following the death of Diallo, Mayor Bloomberg met with black leaders shortly after the Queens shooting and called the number of rounds fired “inexplicable” and excessive.

Several weeks after the shooting witnesses and police disputed what happened that night. As the year ended, the case was still under investigation by Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

10. Summer Heat Kills Dozens, Causes Long Blackout in Queens

One of the worst heat waves on record in New York killed about 140 people. After five straight days of above 90 temperatures in late July, temperatures in early August edged above 100 in some parts of the city for three more days. Heat stroke caused about 40 of the deaths, with the others arising from conditions, such as heart problems, exacerbated by the heat.

An earlier – and less severe heat wave – had caused power outages of as long as 10 days in some parts of Queens, raising concerns about the city’s aging infrastructure. The power failure was blamed on the distribution system, which relies on aging and outmoded equipment. As food spoiled and people sweltered, ire grew at Con Ed for both the failure and for seriously underestimating the number of people affected as well as for not being able to get the lights back on more quickly. But Con Ed has refused to take the blame, going so far as to issue a report in October praising its handling of the blackout. In that report, Con Ed said a series of unrelated events, including an underground cable fire, caused the power to fail.

 

The Big Stories That Did Not Happen in 2006


1. Dubai Will Not Take Over the Port

A nationwide furor erupted last winter when Dubai Ports World, owned by the United Arab Emirates, took over a lease to operate port facilities in the United States, including a cruise ship terminal in New York. Although the emirates are considered a U.S. ally, critics of the deal said the country harbored terrorists. New York's senators, Governor George Pataki and other officials said the plan raised security concerns. Despite assurances from the Bush administration that the move did not pose a threat, normally quiescent Republicans in Congress vowed to try to block the administration on the deal.

Faced with such opposition, the company announced that it was dropping the port deal and would "transfer" the lease to an American company. Earlier this month, the huge Dubai company ended its efforts in the U.S, saying it had sold its U.S. operations, including those in New York and New Jersey, to American International Group for an undisclosed price.

2. Hevesi Did Not Leave Office

Amid a chorus of calls for him to resign or be removed from office, Alan Hevesi remained state comptroller as the year ended and, by all accounts, planned to begin a second term in January. Critics charge that Hevesi's admission that he had a state employee serve essentially as a personal servant for his ailing wife undermines his ability to serve as the state's fiscal watchdog. Hevesi counters that he has apologized and was exonerated by voters who overwhelmingly re-elected him in November.

So, he did not resign. And Governor George Pataki decided not to try to remove him from office. That leaves Hevesi's future up to incoming Governor Eliot Spitzer who could seek his removal or somehow convince Hevesi to resign.

Update: This is now a story that did happen. Hevesi resigned on December 22.

 

3. No Major Building at Ground Zero

Designs for three towers to be built at Ground Zero were released to the public in September, clearly timed to be the big story about the fifth anniversary of 9/11. But to many obsevers, Ground Zero looked pretty much the same as it had a year before.

Tangible progress has been lacking among the numerous marking of milestones and pronouncements of success at Ground Zero. In 2006, Governor George Pataki was blamed for lack of leadership, Mayor Michael Bloomberg was blamed for lack of interest, and developer Larry Silverstein was blamed for lack of cash. Estimates on the cost of the memorial swelled to close to $1 billion, but fundraising stagnated. And the discovery of more human remains drew some to question the competency of the original cleanup and others to call for a halt to development.

It is true that there was some rebuilding-related news in 2006. Silverstein agreed to give some of his development rights to the Port Authority. The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the agency that ran the design contests that produced the plans for the site, said its job was done, and that it would soon disband. In mid-December, the debate over how to order the names at the memorial was resolved.

But questions remain. Is there money for the memorial? Will the office buildings be financially viable? Should their construction be delayed? What will change when Eliot Spitzer becomes governor?

One thing is clear, however: the tenure of George Pataki as the official head of rebuilding Ground Zero will not be remembered positively.

More than any other aspect of the project, the Freedom Tower -- Pataki's key project -- has been plagued by maddening starts and stops. It has been redesigned four times. Its cornerstone was put in place in a public ceremony, then discreetly removed from the site. Construction has still not moved far enough along to convince everyone that it is even going to happen -- especially with an incoming governor who has publicly questioned the wisdom of the project.

4. No Talladega Nights on Staten Island

The largest proposed New York stadium of them all -- a NASCAR track on Staten Island -- will not be built after all. Citing overwhelming political opposition, International Speedway Corp. said it was abandoning plans for the 80,000-seat stadium. Many Staten Islanders had worried the track would bring even more congestion to the already traffic snarled borough.

5. Daniel Doctoroff Does Not Save Governors Island

Plans to develop Governors Island faltered once again as the city and state body that controls it rejected all proposals it had received for the island off Lower Manhattan, saying they would require substantial public subsidies. Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff said this means there will not be any master plan for the island for "quite a while."

The federal government gave the 172 acres to the city in 2003 but despite flurries of ideas and the appointment of Doctoroff as head of the city-state body in charge of development, little progress has been made.

6. Bernard Kerik Does Not Go to Jail.

But he does make lots of headlines.

Former police commissioner Bernard Kerik managed to stay out of jail and avoid a trial on felony charges as he pleaded guilty in June to misdemeanors for accepting tens of thousands of dollars of illegal gifts and a loan while he was a city official in the late 1990s. The plea, which carried fines of about $220,000, signaled yet another step in Kerik's fall from police commission and nominee for homeland security secretary to disgrace. And Mayor Michael Bloomberg topped that off, when within days of Kerik's plea, he ordered the former commissioner's name removed from the lower Manhattan jail once named on his honor.

Kerik did not fade from the limelight though. Later in the summer, he turned up in another scandal as Jeanine Pirro, the Republican candidate for governor, asked her to bug her husband's boat to determine whether he was having an affair.

7. New York Does Not Follow London's Example

Despite increasing demands from business groups as well as environmentalists and alternative transportation advocates to implement congestion pricing in New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg remained resistant to the idea, calling it a "nonstarter" that would probably never win approval.

But the pressure on the mayor continues to build. At an event to announce his new push to have New York improve its infrastructure and environment to accommodate a million more residents in the next 25 years, many people indicated their support for congestion pricing.

8. No Major New York Sports Team Wins a Championship

The city continued its losing streak in major league sports, with the NBA Knicks distinguishing themselves by the depth of their failure. They won 23 games and lost 59 for the second worst season in their history.

In what has become a pattern of late, the Yankees faltered in October, losing in the playoffs, the first round of post-season play.

The Mets made it to the postseason too but lost to the St., Louis Cardinals in the league championship series. But while Yankee fans reacted angrily to their teams' demise, calling variously for the heads of manager Joe Torre and highly paid star Alex Rodriguez, Met fans remained cheerful. This year, they reasoned, was far better than recent previous seasons. Wait until next year!

9. No New Yorker Enters the Presidential Race

But Hillary Clinton, Rudolph Giuliani, George Pataki, and sometimes even Michael Bloomberg all looked a lot like candidates. Giuliani and Clinton formed exploratory committees, Giuliani devoted much of the year to trying (usually in vain) to bolster campaigns of extreme conservatives, cynics thought Pataki spent more time in Iowa and New Hampshire than New York -- and the pundits anointed Clinton the front runner for her party's nomination (at least until the junior senator from her real home state of Illinois began talking about running). While denying his candidacy, Bloomberg seemed to revel in the buzz, performing a take off on Born to Run at Gracie Mansion party.

But no official declarations yet. As Met fans would say, just wait until next year.

 



Print Friendly and PDF

Editor's Choice


Gotham Gazette: New York Voters Approve $4.2 Billion Environmental Bond Act
New York Voters Approve $4.2 Billion Environmental Bond Act
Gotham Gazette: 
New York City Voters Approve Racial Justice Ballot Measures
New York City Voters Approve Racial Justice Ballot Measures
Gotham Gazette: 
Housing Development in New York City Slows to a Crawl as Officials Debate Tax Incentives
Housing Development in New York City Slows to a Crawl as Officials Debate Tax Incentives
Gotham Gazette: 
City Council Examines Low Voter Turnout, Moving Local Elections to Even Years City Council Examines Low Voter Turnout, Moving Local Elections to Even Years