By Jess Schiewe 6/05/12 3:38pm

Greensward

This could be you...if the Park Department's budget is cut.

Pols and Patrons Plead: Don’t Cut The Parks Department

Early this morning, a handful of city park advocates, a trio of council members, and a smattering of curious onlookers gathered on the steps of City Hall to talk parks, budget cuts and leafy green things.

“Funding for our parks must be restored,” cried City Councilmember Brad Lander, who was joined at the rally by park-loving compatriots Melissa Mark-Viverito and James Oddo.

The last few years have not been kind to the Department of Parks and Recreation, which has been the victim of a number of heavy-handed budget cuts since 2008. This year, the Parks Department faces a proposed budget cut of $33.4 million that, if approved, would lead to a cumulative loss of $62 million in funding—or 17 percent—over the last five years. Read More

By Azi Paybarah 5/06/09 7:52pm

The Katz Coalition

Here’s City Councilwoman Melinda with a bunch of City Council members who are endorsing her campaign for city comptroller.

The Katz campaign gathered outside City Hall for a very public photo-op in an effort to offset the notion that John Liu is the only candidate in the race with diverse support.

Read More

By Azi Paybarah 4/13/09 6:08pm

When Does the Thompson Campaign Start?

When Bill Thompson called fellow Democrat Carmen Arroyo at her Albany office to discuss his race for mayor, she ended the conversation abruptly.

“I had to hang the telephone on him because he was calling my office in Albany,” Arroyo, an Assemblywoman from the Bronx, said in a telephone interview from her home. “He has Read More

By Dana Rubinstein 12/10/08 12:41am

Clock Ticks on Seaport Developer

General Growth Properties reportedly has until Friday to reach an agreement regarding $900 million in debt, casting further doubt on the firm’s plans to redevelop the South Street Seaport and, to a lesser extent, its plans to take part in a $700 million mixed-use development in East Harlem.

“I guess the entire community is Read More