May 11, 2006
LMDC's Whitehead Resigns
The former co-chairman of Goldman Sachs, former deputy secretary of state under Reagan, and Pataki contributor John C. Whitehead will resign from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the World Trade Center rebuilding organization, today. Whitehead was placed in the role of LMDC chairman by Pataki four years ago, and has had a lot of troubles, given the issues with WTC leaseholder Larry Silverstein, government officials, government agencies and victims' families all squabbling. Whitehead said, "This is the toughest leadership job I've ever had. We've accomplished a lot. Lower Manhattan is a very different animal today than even before 9/11. I wish there weren't as many problems right now. But I'm 84, and I need to be relieved." We're on the fence about Whitehead - he's Pataki flunky, but the WTC rebuilding has been a terrible mess and you can't pin it just on Whitehead.
Related: The NY Times asks whether the WTC memorial be drastically redesigned. Plus: Whitehead's "Message from the Chairman" on the LMDC site. An interview with Whitehead from Harvard Business School and a commencement address he gave to Bates College: "There simply are no present important leaders."
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Another rat hits the water. Glub glub glub.
Spitzer cannot take this thing over fast enough. I'm not saying he's a saviour by any stretch, but in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
Coincidentally, the Penn & Tell Bullshit program was shown on Sunday and blasted Whitehead. The whole LMDC was shamed by the program.
The entire LMDC needs to be scrapped they are the part of the problem. Also the city should use eminent domain to get the land away from the bloody Port Authority, too.
the memorial looks great in the design. a few truckloads of cement shouldn't cost a billion dollars. just build it already.
It is a shame that there is still a huge hole in the ground at the WTC site. Pataki has done everything in his power to screw up the entire building process, and Our Enlightened Mayor now wants to get in on the finger pointing. Add the Port Authority to the mix, and this has totally become about politics and power, and nothing about building a Memorial. People should be outraged.