The Declining New York City Power Center

Good ol' Robert. Finally put to rest. from bckspcr

I’m totally fascinated by this too-quick New York Times article on the decline of the New York City power-centers.

The article shows one problem with eliminating term limits – it creates an inability to pick hard political battles like really saving the MTA when constantly in the running for a third or fourth term.  Regardless of the high re-election rate for incumbents, the media attention on a candidate for re-election means they shy away from real battles.

The main point of the article is more interesting.  It shows the dearth of symbolic resources for politicians in the city- Robert Caro’s point at the end that the issue is also one of ‘vision’ points out that no one really has a clear sense of what the city should or does look like.  Obama harnessed the decline of machine politics on a national level by latching on to a fundamental set of American Myths that propelled him to prominence.  In New York, the myths may be just as powerful, but they certainly don’t unite in the same way – glam NYC clashes withcorrupt or mafia New York, intersects with multicultural diverse New York.

The decline of hard-and-fast power centers, and the lack of real and easy symbolic center puts a particular emphasis on grassroots organizing.  Groups like the Working Families Party and sites like ChangeNYC will be the key to shaping the future of the city.  With no quick paths to power or easy levers to pull, the emphasis returns on creating coalitions and organizing disorganized groups with potentially converging interests against the developing rapid changes overtaking the city.

Term Limits Extension Brings More Bad Government

Marty! from vivaantarctica's flickr.

The string of folks sticking in their current city government positions demonstrates the absurdity of the term limits extension – it’s a wave of incumbents staying in place (including Mr. Playmate Markowitz) rather than seeking the offices that they originally said they would pursue, the opposite of the good-government argument about voters choosing whoever they thought was the best candidate for the job.  Instead of seeking open races for the right job, incumbents self-selecting for races they know they can win by force of political inertia.

But that was the purpose all along, and the best reason for folks to push incumbents out of office whenever they get the chance.  While not the same as forcing them out via term-limits, supporting an extension or taking advantage of one provides a compelling display of self interest at the cost of voters, and a good argument for getting them out of office ASAP.

Bloomberg’s Slasher

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2150/2344865328_6429cf59ef.jpg?v=0

or by order of mayor. from stellets' flickr

Bloomberg announced his budget cuts on one of the most overwhelming media days of the year, right after a historic Presidential election.  Standard fare. (Not much unlike the Friday Night Massacres of the Bush administration, announcing environmental cuts on Fridays before the nearly-dead Saturday news cycle).

I’m no wonk on the city budget, but I’m not particularly happy with the idea of cutting city worker’s jobs, particularly as New York City continues to lose them vis-a-vis the surrounding metropolis.  That seems to be cutting the city’s working-class feet out from under it when targeting higher taxes on the very wealthy might actually present a better option for balancing the budget while maintaining spending.

Also, I can think of some pretty frivolous uses of city money that should see the chopping block before anyone’s job gets lost – Washington Square Park leaps to mind.

There are some good things here: trimming police jobs in the bloated absurdity that is the NYPD, repealing the homeowner credit (not that many people own, and focusing on owner-relief shouldn’t be a priority), but Bloomberg’s credibility on the budget is running pretty low, and I’m interested to see the meat of what this means.

Symbolizing the NYC Mayor

work with this. from Tony the Misfit's flickr

Obama’s campaign ran on a series of wildly effective symbols and phrases that drove the campaign to the electoral and political heights we see today.  Watching returns and his acceptance speech last night, you could see how he drew on an immensely powerful set of tropes and symbols used to define the nation and his role in it.

The next important election I see is the New York City Mayoral campaign.  I think it’s wildly important to get Mayor Bloomberg out of office ASAP, and I want to work to make it happen.

Any opposition to Bloomberg doubtless will try to pivot off of the Obama Hope and Change messages, but it seems like cities lack the same type of empty-ish symbolic tools that made his message possible.  That should be the first task of any mayor going in to this campaign, seeing the changed look and feel of politics: develop new symbols – both visual and rhetorical – that represent a new city, a new sense of hope, and a united front against the narrow interests that have come to control this city

Park-BIDs: More Private Public Space

Hi, no more of this, please. from The Flooz's flickr.

The Gotham Gazette reported on a plan to establish a Hudson River Park BID-style partnership that would be funded by taxes on property owners.  Easy to say that this could become a significant force in shaping  public open-space in New York City, in much the same way that the Times Square Partnership and other groups have shaped street-space.

Public-private financing schemes become self-fulfilling prophecies for less public control over public space.  BIDs and kin allow property owners with an interest in rising rents to control space that should be available to everyone, a particularly perilous situation considering the importance of public parks in the big city. Property-owner funded quasi-government structures remake the city in the name of rising rents, but they also create another fee for owners to pass on to tenants, encouraging immediate rise in rents that push more people out of the city.

Once property-owners establish private financing schemes, it provides the city an excuse to rollback funding for park maintenance in the name of balancing the budget while keeping park services in place.  The result are public-private schemes like the privatization of Union Square’s pavilion, and the Tisch-NYU-Village Alliance backed Washington Square Park renovation, which honestly sucks. That’s the real face of new BIDs for parks.

Why Bloomberg Shouldn’t Run pt. 3.1 Million

he's on yr teevee. from .HS. flickr photostream

This post from Gothamist shows exactly why Bloomberg shouldn’t be allowed to run again – because it shows how an endless incumbency allows for a manipulation of city resources to control elections. Bloomberg (or whoever wants to be Mayor-for-life) can game around money to deputize the entire political class of New York to work for him. Bloomberg’s manipulation of Mayoral money – and his re-distribution of money towards friendly charities – shows how incumbency creates an uneven playing field, and not some sort of competition that the best candidate necessarily wins.

In fact, Bloomberg’s vast wealth makes him particularly dangerous as a three term or more mayor. Rather than a temporary guard against financial crisis, a vastly wealthy mayor creates a long-term threat to democracy, because he can devote $30 million+ of his huge huge wealth to every election he runs, indefinitely. Even outside of the question of overriding *2* voter referendums, Bloomberg’s bid poses a threat to the (meager) democratic system in New York City

Totally drained.

Against my expectations, this summer became an exhausting affair.  I ended the school year teetering on a blowout of sorts, and looked forward to a break.  After classes ended my summer never quite resolved itself into a real break: I had class daily for 3 weeks in a May intensive; family affairs for a week or so after that; orientation following not far after that.

While none of my myriad engagements quite took over my life (save orientation, but that was among friends) lingering obligations that trailed on from the Spring kept me from really stepping back from everything and making mental peace with myself.  I had to look for a job (and got led on by a few employers, making the whole process even more frustrating), had to do debate work, had to begin working on the Disorientation Guide, etc. etc.

The point being that I never quite got into the groove of summer, never quite shook that feeling of being busy.  Like, really busy. I don’t think people give credit to the labor that goes into being a student.  All last semester, I worked the equivalent of 15 hour days, 6 days a week.  10 am to at least 1am, daily – and the last few weeks during finals, I often worked more than that.

After meandering through half the summer, I wandered into being over-committed again.  I started freelancing with whatever free time I had; took up one internship, then another.  Now, I’m back to working 12 hour days again, with only 2 weeks of summer left.

Last summer I read 33 books.  That’s a lot.  This summer I read much less, I’m not even sure I could reach double digits.

I began this break with some vague goals – meet lots of people, read some books… really get to know New York.  For better or worse, I missed out on some of those, but succeeded in another way:  I feel like I live here.  It’s been a long time since I’ve felt that way.

Summer Streets – a NYC Bike Safari

I liked the first Summer Streets – lots of conspicuously first time riders, which I think was the point, and I always support car free space. I thought the 7 am to 1pm hours were a bit absurd – I think New York has enough of a night life to expect that folks will spend most of Saturday mornings asleep – moving back the time might bump participation, and make a bigger statement against car-driving.  Overall, an excellent idea, I hope this becomes a jumping off point for car-free streets designed for, you know, transportation rather than recreation.  I believe I was misled, however on one major point: my ride did not once feature Lance Armstrong, David Byrne or Jay-Z, and for that I blame Mayor Bloomberg and his fleet of lies.

Summer Streets was a veritable zoo, representing almost every variety of New York’s diverse cycling biosphere.

The Commuter on their steel beater – An important species, usually the most curmudgeonly of cyclists, because they’ve spent years doing this and god damn it this world just needs less cars and more cyclists that follow the rules. Ride conservatively, but like cycling and make up the vanguard of folks making cycling easier in New York City:

The Folding Bike Commuter – Typically seen toddling through city streets trying to make bikes with 10 inch wheels do things they probably shouldn’t. Note basket and earnest desire for people to take them seriously, despite their clownish bikes. Typically Manhattan based.

The Middle Age Recumbent – another commuter variety, likely to express similar grumpiness, but while reclined. Like the commuter in most ways, except with higher disposable income to spend on a bike that puts the rider’s face at about bumper-level. I don’t understand it, but more power to them, I guess.

The Twinkie – I’m not sure on the origins of the name, but I’m more than familiar with this particular species. Note the matching bike-spandex-helmet combo and shaved legs. Potentially rides competitively, but in the mean time spends time most of their time riding circles around Central Park looking focused.

The Fixie – Among the most polarizing of cyclists, the fixie rider eschews brakes and traffic laws with equal zeal. Some descriptions call them ‘reckless’ ‘absurd’ ‘dangerous’, etc. etc. I once agreed, but now, alas I am a ‘fixie’ myself. Typical identifying marks include tattoos, u-locks, attitude, and a penchant for trendiness.

The Fashionista Cruiser – tending to be feminine, but with increasing numbers of masculine riders spotted. An outgrowth of the ‘bikes as fashion’ trend, identifying marks include sunglasses, a slow but assertive riding style, and summer dresses.

Other fauna spotted at Summer Streets incldued:

The ever-present ‘Person going the wrong way‘:

‘Person with bike very poorly suited for its use‘ (see center – hard to make out, but this is a full suspension mountain bike):

and the parasitic “NYPD Motorbike” which was unable to leave its host even when the streets are closed. It seems the NYPD was worried that TimesUp! might turn its Clown Parade into a spontaneous Critical Mass, and so posted one of the iconic scooterbikes next to the TimesUp! tent:

Missing from this safari expedition are the working class of cycling: messengers and delivery people.  Their conspicuous absence from the event shows the basic flaw of Summer Streets – it was designed for people who bike in their free time, not for people who ride daily as employment.  I’d like to see more large-scale pro-bike events designed for people who may not have free time on Saturday, and don’t live in Manhattan.

The greatest discovery of Summer Streets was an event unheard of on Manhattan streets. No, not just 7 miles of car-free space, but this:

Cyclists actually stopping for red lights at intersections

Washington Square Park Under Renovation/Assault

Flier for tour - led by Cathryn of the Washington Square Park Blog

This Sunday I took a tour of the under-construction Washington Square Park with Cathryn of the Washington Square Park Blog and WSP Community Improvement District. 7 or so people showed up for a politicized discussion of the park’s history and future.

Our running discussion focused on why – Just why anyone needs such drastic changes to a fine public space, why anyone would undertake such an expensive and seemingly frivolous renovation without, for instance, even having a planner for the new playground.

An enclave on the North side of the park

One of the biggest changes will be the elimination of the circular enclaves of benches throughout the east side of the park. These spaces are the focal point for musicians performing on the weekends in particular, and allow park goers to take their time and just sit in the shade, instead of treating the park as a thoroughfare of commerce or policing.

Benches vs. Lawn - Benches win.

The new park will expand lawn space at the expense of bench-seating and the ‘theater in the round’ space surrounding the fountain. Walking through the park, the error of this approach becomes obvious immediately – very few people spend time on the lawn relative to the number of people sitting on benches. Overall, this will make the park less usable, and less amenable to unexpected interactions with musicians, protesters, or even friends.