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Miami Herald Article
Miami Herald Article
jake
· 2004-04-02
Miami Herald Article
Posted on Thu, Apr. 01, 2004 City Council Speaker Stays Mum on Plan for New York NFL Stadium By Michael Saul, Daily News, New York Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Apr. 1 - When it comes to the proposed Jets stadium on Manhattan's far West Side, most people have no problem taking sides. Then there's City Council Speaker Gifford Miller. Miller, a potential 2005 mayoral candidate, won't say where he stands on the $2.8 billion plan to build a stadium for the Jets and expand the Javits Center. For months, city and state lawmakers, civic groups, business leaders and neighborhood groups have engaged in a verbal war over the project. The Council's finance chairman, David Weprin, endorsed the project two weeks ago and joined Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Pataki for the formal announcement last week. But Miller has been silent. "We are going to hold hearings," said David Chai, Miller's press secretary. "The position is to make sure that we have all the facts before we move forward on a massive project that spends taxpayer dollars -- we will weigh in based on facts and not on conjecture." Chai said Miller, a Manhattan Democrat, generally supports the concept of expanding the convention center, but he "isn't sure if this is the best way to do it, with the least impact on the community." Insiders say Miller is concerned about upsetting construction unions, which favor the West Side project, and alienating key supporters, such as Councilwoman Christine Quinn and others who oppose the stadium. Marilyn Sirasky, an actress who has lived in Hell's Kitchen for the past 30 years, said she's disappointed with Miller's silence. "I don't think he's expressing much courage," said Sirasky, who opposes the stadium. "Go ahead and take a position that you believe in. Don't wait. We're in trouble if everybody waits until the end, when it's a fait accompli." The Bloomberg administration also urged Miller to take a stand. "It's a project deserving of the support of the speaker of the City Council," said Jennifer Falk, a Bloomberg spokeswoman. Quinn, one of Miller's closest Council allies, said: "I'll be disappointed if the speaker's position doesn't recognize the very devastating effect this plan, as presently proposed, will have on the West Side of Manhattan." Meanwhile, several Council members and housing advocates gathered yesterday outside City Hall to blast Bloomberg's plan to use $350 million in Battery Park City Authority funds to pay for the Javits expansion. Miller wasn't there, but said through Chai that he opposes tapping Battery Park money for the project. ----- To see more of the Daily News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.NYDailyNews.com © 2004, Daily News, New York. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/national/8332445.htm
jake · 2004-04-02
Posted on Thu, Apr. 01, 2004 City Council Speaker Stays Mum on Plan for New York NFL Stadium By Michael Saul, Daily News, New York Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Apr. 1 - When it comes to the proposed Jets stadium on Manhattan's far West Side, most people have no problem taking sides. Then there's City Council Speaker Gifford Miller. Miller, a potential 2005 mayoral candidate, won't say where he stands on the $2.8 billion plan to build a stadium for the Jets and expand the Javits Center. For months, city and state lawmakers, civic groups, business leaders and neighborhood groups have engaged in a verbal war over the project. The Council's finance chairman, David Weprin, endorsed the project two weeks ago and joined Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Pataki for the formal announcement last week. But Miller has been silent. "We are going to hold hearings," said David Chai, Miller's press secretary. "The position is to make sure that we have all the facts before we move forward on a massive project that spends taxpayer dollars -- we will weigh in based on facts and not on conjecture." Chai said Miller, a Manhattan Democrat, generally supports the concept of expanding the convention center, but he "isn't sure if this is the best way to do it, with the least impact on the community." Insiders say Miller is concerned about upsetting construction unions, which favor the West Side project, and alienating key supporters, such as Councilwoman Christine Quinn and others who oppose the stadium. Marilyn Sirasky, an actress who has lived in Hell's Kitchen for the past 30 years, said she's disappointed with Miller's silence. "I don't think he's expressing much courage," said Sirasky, who opposes the stadium. "Go ahead and take a position that you believe in. Don't wait. We're in trouble if everybody waits until the end, when it's a fait accompli." The Bloomberg administration also urged Miller to take a stand. "It's a project deserving of the support of the speaker of the City Council," said Jennifer Falk, a Bloomberg spokeswoman. Quinn, one of Miller's closest Council allies, said: "I'll be disappointed if the speaker's position doesn't recognize the very devastating effect this plan, as presently proposed, will have on the West Side of Manhattan." Meanwhile, several Council members and housing advocates gathered yesterday outside City Hall to blast Bloomberg's plan to use $350 million in Battery Park City Authority funds to pay for the Javits expansion. Miller wasn't there, but said through Chai that he opposes tapping Battery Park money for the project. ----- To see more of the Daily News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.NYDailyNews.com © 2004, Daily News, New York. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.Miami Herald Article
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/national/8332445.htm