Corruption Exists in Bay Ridge – Why the Override was Wrong
This is probably one of the hardest blogs I will write as I feel betrayed by the people I supported. I waited to write it because I wanted to give the politicians a chance to respond.
Community Board 10 made a decision for our community about bike lanes. As a resident, I wrote to Community Board 10 on my day off (if you have read my blog, you know I am a teacher and a day off in June was greatly needed). I wrote to the community board because I knew I couldn’t be present at the meeting. I also knew that I was one of the few people who could speak on this issue, as one of my students was killed while riding on her bike on 62nd Street and 21st Avenue in 2011. Many people don’t remember it or possibly didn’t live here when it happened.
While I know parking is huge concern for residents here, it isn’t mine because we have a driveway (We didn’t buy a house for many years because we couldn’t afford a home with a driveway). I am not against bike lanes for the area, but I did ask CB 10 for covered bike lanes because children would like to ride and everyone knows how bad drivers are in our area. There’s a l0t of car accidents here and we are lucky that we haven’t had a death here.
Here’s some important things to know:
1) Frontus and Gounardes were in Albany when the CB 10 meeting happened, so neither attended. Brannan stood at the back – there was no sign that he was dismayed about the results of the vote. Brannan did not ask to speak or make any statements to the community at the meeting or on social media (which he actively uses). There were no signs of Brannan wanting to overturn CB 10’s decision.
Brannan, Gounardes and Frontus did not wait to receive CB 10’s recommendations in writing before overriding their decision. CB-10’s recommendations were dated June 20th and shared with the community on June 21st. See them here None of these politicians have expertise in city planning or street design. They did not consult any outside street designers either.
2) Residents reached out to Community Board 10 in writing with specific concerns – Neither Brannan, Gounardes or Frontus knew about that letters. Residents didn’t know the politicians were going to override CB 10’s decision as this has never been done before here. I would say I am pretty engaged in the community and I had no knowledge about this. If I did, I would have CC’ed each of the pols.
3) During the CB 10 meeting, Jayne Capetenakis spoke about riders mentioning the steep slope on 84th Street. Capetenakis doesn’t ride, but shared that information from a resident who wanted a better block for riders. NOT ONE person on Community Board 10 interjected and said, “I ride there all the time and it’s okay” or “it isn’t so bad of a slope.” Bike enthusiasts were present and no one offered any contrary information.
4) Diane Gounardes serves on Community Board 10 and voted with the committee…..meaning: These hard working people did the best they could to chose streets that weren’t safe or were going to cause an issue in the neighborhood. YES, DIANE GOUNARDES IS THE SENATOR’S MOTHER. Why didn’t he speak to his Mother about her vote?
5) While residents were against 84th Street because there is a church at the corner and many senior citizens need to get out near the church, no one mentioned that was the corner where a former policians car hit a woman and she died.
6) Even stranger….the 84th Street bike lane extends down to 14th Avenue. Can you imagine the angry bike riders during the holiday season when Dyker Lights is in on? Cyclists aren’t going to understand why someone is double-parked on a packed urban street. Whoever mentioned 84th Street for a bike lane is clueless about this neighborhood, it’s culture and history. If you sat on the committee and 84th Street came out of your mouth, you are are an idiot. Politicians should have stepped and excluded that street for all of these reasons.
7) On June 18th, Assemblywoman Mathylde Frontus asked on social media about what residents thought about three issues. At no time did Frontus mention the bike lane, CB 10 or her desire to overturn CB 10’s results. Did she present those topics because they affect her area in Coney Island? Bay Ridge residents were not able to give Frontus any views because she wasn’t interested. (For me, this was he hardest of all to hear as you all know I held her in high regard).
8) Senator Gounardes didn’t mention of the bike lane or CB 10’s meeting. Ironically, his social media doesn’t discuss any Bay Ridge community issues. It reads like he is a US Senator taking on world issues. I hadn’t realized this until now. While I find he is doing good work for human rights – has he stepped too far away from Bay Ridge and it’s residents? What authority or expertise does Gounardes have in forcing these streets….none. He’s an attorney not an urban planning or street expert.
9) Okay now for the worst……When a special interest group that doesn’t represent Bay Ridge shared the news of what a politicians did, rather than the politicians explaining what they did, we know we have problems.
We’ve been here before Bay Ridge. This reeks of the same nastiness that Marty Golden and his tax breaks for developers did. Ironically, the man quoted in the article about our bike lane doesn’t live in Brooklyn – he lives in Manhattan. (See here) HELLO SPECIAL INTEREST OWNING OUR POLITICIANS. Special Interests: 1 Bay Ridge: 0
The CB 10 vote happened and the politicians came out with their letter. Two days later, DOT responded to the politicians with their decision (which was what the politicians wanted because Keith Bray wanted the politicians to leave him alone). I have had experience with Keith Bray and that’s how he operated. I contacted Bray last year and complained over and over….Bray paved my block even though it wasn’t on the schedule. WHEN HAS DOT RESPONDED TO ANYTHING WITHIN TWO DAYS?
As I stated here, special interest groups got the news from one or more of the politicians WAY BEFORE this was relayed to our community. See here The information in these articles is crucial. Although 3rd Avenue was not included in the bike lanes this time, they are making plans for it.
While these stories came out from the politicians special interest groups, they SWACKED at our Community Board members as if they were no one. And not one politician interjected and said, “No these hard-working people represent our community”……because they don’t care. NOT ONE had the integrity to speak up for Bay Ridge!
10) Even if you are for the bike lanes, I hope you are against the underhandedness and special interest groups controlling our community. There’s a reason Community Boards exists. By the three politians banning together, we have no one to speak to about this as all have said, their rule is above the people of this community. For Whom……for the people who received the information first! (Not the Bay Ridge Community)
11) Sadly, our community board has been made powerless by the three politicians. There’s no point in anyone going to a meeting as it is just a waste of time now. Brannan will attend and tell the other pols to override our representatives.
Community Boards allow input from residents. They are given this advisory role so that the community as a whole is represented. Why would anyone bother to be on the board? These residents must feel like they have wasted their time being on our board. Their ideas, suggestions and time are thought to be worthless by three politicians who should have respected their views.
Even sadder — Many Community Board 10 members were chosen by Brannan, Vinnie Gentile and Eric Adams, whom Andrew Gounardes used to work for. Some members have been on Community 10 for a long time and I am thankful that these members are there to offer different viewpoints. I have watched Community Board 10 take care of Bay Ridge for a long time! They do an excellent job.
I requested that Brannan, Gounardes and Frontus remove their request for bike lanes. Brannan and Frontus responded in politician mode and Senator Gounardes just ignored me (but then posted his weekly post – see here because this is important as well). A politician’s silence shows they aren’t answerable to anyone. If Senator Gounardes was busy, he would have said – “Hey can you call my office on Monday.”
For our community, we know that next year there won’t be any substantial input through Community Board 10 or until a new set of representatives are elected. I don’t know why Councilman Brannan spends money to tape/broadcast these meetings if he is just going to override a decision when he doesn’t like it.
12) Andrew Gounardes and Justin Brannan stood in Dyker Heights for a press release because many accidents happened. Rather than quieting the streets and taking care of business, they threw bikes lanes into the mix. Why didn’t they write to Keith Bray to make changes to the streets? When cyclists get hit, we won’t be so lucky.
Bay Ridge could have started with the lanes approved by CB 10 while Senator Gounardes ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING to quiet the streets……not just take have press conferences and take pictures. Because nothing is different in our community streets yet.
13) Eric Adams knows Brannan, Gounardes and Frontus overrode the community. And Eric Adams did nothing as usual.
Hugs,
marlene
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