I never went to journalism school but I have always had this belief that journalism has to be objective, that you had to suppress your own bias. So, it was with a bit of bemusement that I read David W. Chen’s article in the July 19th Times in which our Borough President Scott Stinger asks for a compromise cut back in the plan to build additional stories on top of Chelsea Market building which use to be the National Biscuit factory.
As the article points out, Stringer is running for Mayor and he has to address the activist that Andrew Berman of the Greenwich Village Association for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) has superbly motivated against the adding of an 11 story cap to this 19thcentury building. The Chelsea Market building has little to no historic architectural value (it is pretty ugly) but according to the GVSHP principal, if it is old and landmarked leave it alone.
The new owners, Jamestown Properties, are looking to cash in on this red hot real estate area and despite the added cost of building on top of an existing building, they want to do it and have started on the City approval process; one of the first hurdles is to obtain Scott Stringer’s approval.
Wow! We are far into the political season and Scott must throw a bone to the activists, so he offers that he wants to cut the size by 20 %, but what does the Speaker of the City Council, Chris Quinn say?
Now here is where we might say that Mr. Chen’s bias emerges.
“But she (Quinn) is well aware that the proposal pits important political allies – including Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, construction unions and the real estate industry who view the project as an economic engine – against some of the long time constituents who believe that the project is too big and could set a troubling zoning precedent.”
We know Quinn jumped into bed with Bill Rudin early on and launched her campaign at a real estate association dinner (she gave Bill a big kiss) and the article tell us (not surprisingly) that she “declines to comment.”
My understanding in reading this article is that The Times believes that Quinn and Bloomberg are pro big real estate and that Quinn, in running for Mayor, will say nothing against big real estate, just as she said and did nothing when Rudin took our hospital.
I don’t want you to think just WestView News feels this way.
