MAYOR BLOOMBERG’S CONFLICT OF INTEREST:MARILYN PENN
Mayor Bloomberg’s Conflicts of Interest
August 5, 2010 – Marilyn Penn
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.6954/pub_detail.asp
The NYC Landmark Preservation Commission is comprised of eleven people appointed by the mayor, with the approval of the City Council, to serve a three year term. The powerful chairman and vice-chairman of this agency are designated by the mayor alone. In the case of New York, we have already learned how an aggressive mayor can get elected officials to rubber-stamp his wishes. Michael Bloomberg is the man who ran for office championing term limits, then muscled the City Council to shift its opposition to said limits so that he could run for a third term while they conveniently feathered their own nests.
The wealthiest politician in the history of the United States, Bloomberg has often used his personal fortune to offer perks to city employees. While on the public payroll, Police Commissioner Kelly enjoys the use of the mayor’s private plane and deputy mayor Patricia Harris had a university building named after her with a million dollar contribution from her generous boss.
In the recent imbroglio over the Ground Zero Mosque, Bloomberg vociferously announced his support for its construction in numerous public addresses before the matter was voted on by the Landmarks Commission. Shouldn’t he have allowed this agency to come to its seemingly independent conclusions by recusing himself from comment until they did? Far from being a test of religious tolerance in a city that is already home to a multitude of mosques, this issue has always revolved around zoning, and is no different than numerous other conflicts involving religious centers and their respective communities. When orthodox Jewish synagogues want to erect an eruv, there is often community opposition, which must ultimately be resolved in court. This is not a sign of anti-Semitism, nor is concern for the sensitivities of non-Muslim New Yorkers a sign of Islamophobia.
None of the 9/11 families, nor the firefighters, rescue workers, Tribeca residents nor the various Republicans and Democrats who oppose this project do so on the grounds of anti-Muslim bigotry. This city mingles peacefully and respectfully with its Muslim inhabitants – every person who takes a cab is periodically interacting with a Muslim driver. The argument is strictly about the appropriateness of a mosque large enough to accommodate 1,000 worshippers within close proximity of a burial site and memorial to 3,000 innocent people killed in the name of Allah. The Burlington building itself was heavily damaged by falling fuselage from one of the crashing planes – for those who ask how close to Ground Zero is too close for a mosque, that might be the appropriate gauge.
Bloomberg’s ongoing spouting of his opinions has surely compromised the decision of the Landmark Preservation Commission, which should be challenged legally in light of this conflict of interest. It’s time for New Yorkers to challenge Michael Bloomberg’s abrogation of our city’s own system of checks and balances.
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