Squadron Urges Battery Park City Authority to Reconsider Direct Public Comment Refusal

NEW YORK – State Senator Daniel Squadron, who authored the attached letter calling for the Battery Park City Authority to allow public comment at its board meetings, along with colleagues, released the following statement in response to the Battery Park City Authority’s meeting today where direct public comment was disallowed, instead opting for elected official comment and written comment for the record:

“It’s disappointing that the Battery Park City Authority has chosen a complicated and woefully lacking solution to a simple problem. The Authority could have allowed direct public comment as many other boards do, instead it has shown insufficient willingness to allow public comment.

“This was never about elected officials’ opportunity to be heard -- we have many opportunities to be heard. It’s about local residents sharing their local perspective with a board who overwhelmingly resides elsewhere.

“Every local elected official representing Battery Park City, as well as Community Board 1, made a basic request: that the Battery Park City Authority allow community members to speak at board meetings. While I appreciate that the Authority took up this request, this step is inadequate. I urge the Authority to reconsider, take real steps to repair relations with the community, for the Governor to appoint community members to the Board, and for a common-sense restructuring of the Authority to allow more local control.”

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