Dan Epstein, Executive Director of Cause of Action will be the featured guest on the John Murtaugh Show this Thursday, August 22nd at 1:00PM on WVOX radio.
From their website “Cause of Action is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that uses investigative, legal, and communications tools to educate the public on how government accountability and transparency protects taxpayer interests and economic opportunity.” .For nearly 2 years, they have been compiling data and records relating to Forest City Enterprises, the multi billion dollar Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) organization and it’s track record of development practices throughout the country. Part 1 of their findings has been released and can be viewed HERE. The document is an uncensored reporting of facts and figures that give the reader a keen insight as to how the developer operates in it’s negotiations with various government entities. From political contributions to failure to deliver as promised benefits to the public, the report lays it out in plain english. As New Rochelle stands at the crossroads of making a commitment to entering into a deal with this developer, the report is considered required reading. Parts 2 and 3 will follow shortly.
John Murtaugh is a former Yonkers City Councilman who was there during the negotiations for the Ridge Hill development by Forest City. John has been outspoken in his opinion of the way Forest City “negotiates” with local government issues and anyone who has spoken with him regarding this topic knows all too well his regard towards Forest City.
If you’re the least bit interested in the future of New Rochelle’s health as a city, I urge you to listen in and hear what due diligence and unbiased evaluation really sounds like.
That’s WVOX – 1460 on the AM dial, Thursday August 22nd, at 1:00PM.
If you’re not near a radio, you can hear live streaming at www.wvox.com.
Tune in and get involved, you’ll be glad you did.
New Rochelle put a stop to the political games!
Timing is everything and the time is now to put a stop to the political gamesmanship and back room parlor games that take place here in New Rochelle. We can’t let the City of New Rochelle go “All In” with Forest City on a bluff. We need to pass to the next player and get out of this card game. The ante being used to sweeten the pot grows with our money, our tax dollars, and our lives with Forest City checking to see our hand. We will be the ones turning the deed to the farm over to the villain with no cavalry coming to the rescue. Once done is done! We have already been in other crooked games with Capelli, Avalon and Trump and we lost big. We need help; we need to break this cycle of addiction called New Rochelle Politics. We need to go cold turkey!
I was putting together a post and will share the information now instead. I also see some of what I had posted already by others. But it makes for good reading if you can call what is going on good. It’s NOT! This all ties in to some of what is going on here in New Rochelle with The Echo Bay Proposal, The City Council and more importantly, our tax dollars. This is to a point of being criminal. I would use more puns but this is not funny at all.
Other interesting articles to read:
New owner seeks renters at Ridge Hill
By: John Golden Posted date: August 19, 2013
Westchester County Business Journal / Westfair Communications Inc.
A Long Island property management company is marketing 90 former condos at The Monarch at Ridge Hill as rental apartments after purchasing the unsold units this month from the luxury tower’s financially struggling developer.
http://westfaironline.com/57051/new-owner-seeks-renters-at-ridge-hill/
I would also go back and read some articles from 2012 that involve Forest City and their antics:
September 18, 2012
http://www.nolandgrab.org/archives/forest_city_ratner_company/
The Culture of Cheating: Forest City gets the inside track with the MTA, then gets to revise the deal (though the MTA could have recognized its leverage).
Atlantic Yards Report a watchdog blog I believe was the page launched on Sept. 10, 2012.
Taken from the blog: This watchdog blog, written by journalist Norman Oder, offers analysis, commentary, and reportage about Forest City Ratner’s planned $4.9 billion Atlantic Yards project, to build the Barclays Center basketball arena and 16 high-rise buildings at a crucial site in Brooklyn. Contact: AtlanticYardsReport [at] hotmail.com
http://atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/p/atlantic-yards-and-culture-of-cheating.html
One last Thing to read if you haven’t already, Read the Interesting piece written by Phil Reisman 8/20/13 in the Journal News.
Stalin quip an unfortunate aside in county exec race
http://whiteplainsjournal.ny.newsmemory.com/?token=f22eb01d2e5a8935ff4bc41c597865d2&cnum=2591227&fod=1111111STD&selDate=20130820&licenseType=paid_subscriber&site=BH&sub=RFM1259@OPTONLINE.NET&edate=20130820&source=nletter-top5&source=nletter-top5
He said during a live lohud¬.com webcast, I made a fa¬cetious reference to Josef Stalin that led to a misun-derstanding with the Democrats. If you are paying any attention, you know the Democrats are trying very hard to unseat West¬chester County Executive Rob Astorino. They also have a limited sense of humor.
It is here also: http://www.newrochelletalk.com/content/reisman-i-meant-call-bramson-neo-stalinist
For every fluff piece that is put out for how good this project is there are multitudes of others that counter their stand along with The Mayors. We have yet seen any substantiated facts to back up any of their claims. Who are the many? Show me details rather than claims and inferences. Because those that oppose the project have as we have seen the number and details. We can’t let The Echo Bay Project and The City of New Rochelle is something that is read about when we look back and say what happened to New Rochelle, What Went Wrong. It was one vote and that vote is this fall and is in the hands of our City Council. It can’t be, speak up and let those that are leaning toward a yes vote realize what a big mistake this Forest City Proposal is. Re-work this area with new ideas and information that we have gathered during the process. Use their information and learn from it. This is one sure way we can benefit from a failed project. That is when it is not moved forward as their vision or concept. Move forward the way the people of New Rochelle want. Speak to the people and listen this time. Don’t rely on the words of a crooked dealer/Forest City. This is too big of an investment to roll the dice for one man’s pipe dreams and gamble.