Seifman Siphons Bowles’s Study

In yesterday’s New York Post, Dave Seifman, in citing the Center for an Urban Future report written by Jonathan Bowles, seems to imply that the study, done by “an independent think tank,” is unequivocally lauding the mayor’s economic development efforts in the city’s outer boroughs. That may be the way that William Cunningham, Bloomberg’s chief flack, would like the report to be perceived but there is, as we have already shown, much more to the report and the fact is that the study is critical of the mayor’s approach to economic development outside Manhattan.

In particular, Bowles focuses on the manner in which the Bloomberg team, because of a top down approach, has ignored the impact of development on existing businesses in the areas being targeted. The emblematic case is, of course, the Bronx Terminal Market and we welcome Dave Seifman, and the entire Post team at City Hall’s Room 9, to join us on June 8th at our BTM press conference. Now Dave, if you are going to give props to the outer borough development you should be eager to cover the other side.

In particular, isn’t it about time that all of our local press start to examine Bloomberg’s top down approach (or Doctoroff’s to be more accurate) and begin to dig a little bit more concerning the incestuous Doctoroff-Related love affair. Too often what happens is that the allocation of tens of millions of dollars to a favored developer is characterized by the press as “60 million dollars earmarked for the Bronx” rather than, as in the case of the Terminal Market, “60 million dollars allocated to Doctoroff’s close friend Steve Ross” (Of course when all is said and done this figure could double or even triple).

See you Wednesday Dave.