This post appeared in a previous blog and is here for posterity’s sake.

Jets / West Side Stadium
Yesterday two out of three members of the Public Authorities Control Board voted against the West Side Stadium, thus ending this months long dog and pony show. The developing story line is that this effectively ends New York City’s bid for the Olympics. Which is true, but NYC’s bid was in trouble far before the stadium was itself in trouble.
Today, Mayor Bloomberg has the audacity to say, I think one of the problems here is that we have let down America,” said Bloomberg. “The USOC selected us, New York, to represent the country. In a word – crap. I’m sorry, but the linking of the Jets Stadium to the Olympics was pure lipstick on a pig. Of course selling the Jets Stadium as for the Olympics was a way the expedient way shepherd this project through the popular press and constituents to a tune of $300 million-plus giveaway to the Jets.
The ultimate blame lies with Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff and his band of merry NYC 2012 Gnomes. His decision to bypass any sort of democratic check on this boondoggle lead to his demise. Instead of going through the City Council’s land use board, Doctoroff decided that the most politically expedient method was to use Empire State Development Corporation – a vestige of the 1970’s takeover by Albany of bankrupt New York City’s finances. This board has three members: the Governor George Pataki, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, and the Senate majority leader Joseph L. Bruno. A unanimous vote was needed in order for the Control Board in order to issue bonds in the order of $300 million to fund part of the stadium. Mistake.
Going this route – which was explicitly chosen to decrease citizen involvement – was Doctoroff’s undoing. It is satisfyingly ironic that Tammany-style politics derailed a project which was directly administered along the same lines.
There is no doubt that not getting the Jets Stadium through the Control Board is a major issue at hand for the NYC 2012 crew. One has to wonder why exactly does the bid hang on the stadium issue alone? Wouldn’t a more competent team have created a bid package which had contingencies in place for this exact result? New York City isn’t exactly known for its’ lack of backroom politics.
Or better yet, shouldn’t Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff have directed his NYC 2012 minions to create a bid package which was not contingent on shepherding a complex project through both City and State agencies? Or perhaps this really was just a charade to give away $300 million to the Jets and the Olympics was an afterthought? Inquiring minds want to know.
In the end, the Mayor can stop whining about withdrawing New York’s bid. You reap what you sow.
Not to bring it up (again), can we now take that ugly sign off the Union Square Clock? Thanks.