Wednesday, February 23, 2011

OPPOSING VOICES SHOUTED DOWN AT CB 12 MEETING

Last night's Community Board 12 meeting was totally chaotic and horribly uncivil. Residents and Community Board 12 members who dared to speak out against the District Manager's misrepresentation of the Board, against the expansion of a supermarket, or against tax breaks for that expansion were shouted at, shouted down, derided, and vilified by a loud chorus of voices. 

The issues leading to this bad behavior are
  • an application by Moisha's Discount Supermarket to the city's Industrial Development Agency (IDA) for close to $2,000,000 in tax breaks so it can double its size and
  • CB 12's District Manager Wolf Sender telling IDA that the Board supports the tax breaks when, in fact, the issue had never been presented to the Board. (It wasn't presented because the expansion is "as-of-right" and no variances are required, so the Board's approval isn't needed.)
Despite neither issue being on the evening's agenda (which the Board never got around to discussing) and despite the Board having no authority over the matter of Moisha's application, testimonials on behalf of Moisha's owners, booing, and yelling were allowed to continue unabated far past the one hour allocated for Board meetings.

When asked about the issue of Mr. Sender's testimony to IDA, residents were told that it would be discussed by the Board. That will take place behind closed doors.