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Views From Your Windows
Today is a big day in the short history but seemingly endless history of the proposed West Side stadium, as the International Olympics Committee gets ready to tell the world what they think of the five potential 2012 Olympics cities and the state panel possibly voting on whether or not the stadium should get funding. With Assembly Speaker Silver in town recently, Mayor Bloomberg has been trying to charm Silver, but Silver has emphasized repeatedly he thinks Lower Manhattan is a more important priority and that the Jets should build in Queens. Okay, Gothamist agrees on point one, but point two is moot, since the Jets have made it very clear they don't want to build in Queens. In fact, the Mayor, in his trademark, whiny tones, said someting along the lines of "[no one/the Jets don't] wants to invest $1.4 billion in Queens." Net net: There's been "little progress" between them, and NYC's Olympic hopes are "waning". But Bloomberg and Silver (Bloomby in the comfy white polo, Silver in a suit) marched together in yesterday's Israeli Day Parade, along with Senator Hillary Clinton, showing that while they can't agree, politicians love a photo op. Gothamist predicts for the IOC will say NYC isn't that great a venue city, and then the state panel will actually end up voting not to allow public funds for the building of the stadium; Silver will call the IOC's analysis what made him finally decide the stadium isn't a good idea.
And City Council Speaker, mayoral hopeful and extreme anti-West Side Stadium politico Gifford Miller marched in the parade as well, wearing a snazzy sash. For his part, Miller actually supports the Nets arena.
Update:
The full report (gigantic PDF file) by the IOC Evaluation Commission on NYC 2012 has been released. Overall, the AP says it's a positive evaluation. Gothamist skimmed and found that the opening parade has the athletes walking down Broadway before entering the stadium.
Photographs from Newsday
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From the Associated Press:
Nice to know that Bloomberg has his priorities straight.
why not make building the stadium conditional: If we get the olympics Then we build it. If not, then we horse around and debate for 3 or 4 more years.
I like that beauty pagent sash that gifford miller is sporting here. Miller has taken over the crown which was formerly worn by Chuck Schumer as the queen of the photo op. He seems to be holding a permanent press conference. Today he was on TV calling for a law that would prevent the sale candy of a certain size to children of a certain age. Good luck with the enforcement of that gifford. He was making no sense and sounding like the Colonel Kurtz of the City Council.
I love Bloomberg's response. Sheldon Silver needs to realize that while rebuilding lower Manhattan is cirtical, New York City is bigger than just that one neighborhood. The West Side has been neglected for as long as anyone can remember and it's about time it got a shot at being something too. Maybe the stadium isn't the best way to do it, but lets' do something grand with the area.
I wish this stadium story would just die already. wake me after the election when the politicans are shuffled.
I don't know where you were on 9/11, but the WTC site is not just another neighborhood. It shook us up, and we need some progress. For chrissakes, it's been almost four years and they haven't even started building anything. I have no gripes about the West Side, but in terms of importance compared to Ground Zero--c'mon. No comparison.
Ground Zero comes first. Period. The West Side project is a blow job to a rich Republican from another rich Republican, pure and simple. Meanwhile, as Silver said today, it's been four years and nothing has happened at GZ. So Stupid One (Pataki) and Stupid Two (Bloomy) were finally called out for their incompetence.
Silver is a hero. He'll pay a price for his stand, but he did the right thing.
And when someone finds ten people who actually live here and actually want the Olympics here, call me.
The Times is now reporting the stadium is dead! Yes!!! Take that, Bloomberg!