Oddo Boy!

Kudos to Staten Island councilman and Republican minority leader James Oddo for his spirited defense of his borough against the NASCAR invasion in yesterday's NY Daily News. His opposition was based on the still unaddressed traffic nightmare that would only be exacerbated by the introduction of a race track that would "bring 90,000 people and predicate its traffic plan on moving 25,000 fans in 8,400 vehicles. Then add 1,000 buses and 635 RVs."

Oddo goes on to ridicule the adding of an additional 620,000-square-foot retail center adjacent to the stadium saying, "A strip mall on steroids is not the kind of economic development we need." As Oddo points out, echoing our comments on accountable development, "There is pride in every job, but Island residents need full-time, well-paid jobs that allow them to work and live in the borough."