This morning on WVOX I was debating the Echo Bay project and the
possibility of Monroe college students residing there. Councilwoman
Shari Rackman called to dispute my claim stating the she and councilmen Jared Rice are negotiating with Forest City Ratner. Rackman stated that she was negotiating a stipulation that would prohibit a rental agreement between Monroe College and Forest City Ratner. All well and good BUT can Ms. Rackman or anyone prevent Monroe students from renting apartments individually? Can Forest City Ratner be sued for such a stipulation over claims of discrimination? Can Monroe students use housing vouchers and or stipends to lease Echo Bay apartments? Then there is always the question as to how many students you can pack into a waterfront studio apartment?
Ms. Rackman is touting her negotiation skills in a feeble attempt to
find a way to support the Land Disposition Agreement (LDA), which is the binding contractual document. There is no way to prevent Monroe
students from leasing Echo Bay apartments and Ms. Rackman knows this, just ask the residents of the Avalons about Iona students. There is another question I have for the administration; why are part-time council representatives negotiating with developers when New Rochelle has a department of development headed by a commissioner making in excess of $150,000?
Monroe College and Forest City Ratner are for profit entities and their
bottom line is the almighty dollar. The Echo Bay project has been
portrayed as a panacea for New Rochelle by the Bramson administration that has intentionally ignored the reality of existing mud flats, the ten-story county sewage plant and PCB contamination at the former Con Ed site. The scaled down, diminutive Echo Bay project will be the latest project in a long line of corporate welfare projects dolled out to wealthy developers on the backs of New Rochelle taxpayers.
In the interest of full disclosure, it should be noted that Ms. Rackman
is the second highest recipient of campaign contributions from Monroe
executives, second to Mayor Noam Bramson. Additionally, Ms. Rackman’s
mother works for Monroe College as a vice president. Stephen Jerome is the president of Monroe College and Marc Jerome (Stephen’s son), better known to New Rochelle residents, is Monroe’s executive vice-president.
Did Rackman and Rice read PH3001
Under item PH3001 it states the following: 29 of the rental units designated as “Moderate-Income Housing Units”. All apartments would be open to any financially qualified residents, with no anticipated special designations other than those provided for by applicable housing laws.
Since Rackman and Rice are lawyers what part of this do they not understand. If you have the money you can rent the apartment. If there is one thing we all know Marc Jerome has the money.
Bramson gerrymandered the
Bramson gerrymandered the district lines so he could handpick this council and get Echo Bay approved. There isn’t a chance in hell that this is not going to pass on a 5-2 party line vote. The Forest City “corporation” has already brought and paid for Bramson and the city council and they are not going to lose. America is controlled by corporations like Forest City who continue to buy off politicians. This is why all the good paying manufacturing jobs that allowed the middle class to prosper and made America the “land of opportunity” are now in Mexico and China.
As you can see, even with overwhelming opposition to Echo Bay, it is still going to be approved because it is what’s best for the politicians. I hope someday we wake up in this country and stand up to these politicians and show them that the U.S. Constitution gives “we the people” the power to control this country and NOT the Forest City Ratners!