A grassroots organization called Democracy for Battery Park City (“Democracy4BPC”) has gathered more than 2,200 signatures on a petition that calls upon Governor Andrew Cuomo to appoint residents of the community to a majority of the seats on the board of the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA).
This number represents the equivalent of slightly more than 15 percent of the residential population of the neighborhood. At the same time, twin bills that would require the Governor to appoint Lower Manhattan residents to a majority of seats on the BPCA board, introduced in January by State Senator Daniel Squadron and State Assembly member Deborah Glick in their respective chambers of the legislature, are moving toward ratification.
“Battery Park City is a strong community,” said State Sentor Daniel Squadron. “Unfortunately, the community is given too weak a voice on the Authority that governs it. Currently, community members can’t even speak at Authority Board meetings. As the community’s petitioning effort shows, there’s broad support for a larger community role on the Board. It’s important that the Governor’s appointments reflect this.”
State Assembly member Deborah Glick: “For years, residents at Battery Park City have called for greater representation on the Board that governs their community and affects their daily lives. It is time their calls for change be addressed. I am happy to stand by the community members spearheading this call.”
“For years, residents at Battery Park City have called for greater representation on the Board that governs their community and affects their daily lives,” said State Assembly member Deborah Glick. “It is time their calls for change be addressed to ensure residents hold a greater stake in the community they helped build. I am happy to stand by the community members spearheading this call.”
Last week, the Assembly passed Ms. Glick’s version of the bill. Mr. Squadron’s identical measure is now before the Senate, where he is pushing for ratification. Whether Governor Cuomo will sign the measure, assuming it passes the Senate, remains an open question.
Democracy4BPC’s Justine Cuccia: “The overwhelming support we’ve received from residents and other stakeholders proves that the time is ripe to bring local control to our community. Because the people who live, work, and pay taxes in Battery Park City are entitled to a voice.”
The BPCA board is comprised of seven seats. Of these, two are currently vacant and four others are held by directors whose appointments have expired or are set to expire within the year. (In practice, Authority board members continue to serve, even after their terms lapse, until the Governor reappoints or replaces them.) Of the five sitting members of the BPCA board, only one, Martha Gallo, actually resides in Battery Park City. And there is currently no legal requirement for the Governor to appoint residents to any of the BPCA’s seven board seats.
BPCA spokesman Nick Sbordone responded, “we are fortunate to have a board of devoted and well-accomplished individuals with diverse professional backgrounds, who have consistently served the Authority well. The choice of candidates for the board is entirely within the purview of the Governor, with a confirmation process in the Senate. We have complete confidence that Governor Cuomo will continue to select members of the highest caliber.”
Multiple other elected officials and community leaders representing Lower Manhattan have weighed in with support for Mr. Squadron’s and Ms. Glick’s proposed law. U.S. Congressman Jerry Nadler said, “I urge the BPCA to recognize the groundswell of support for giving local residents the opportunity to play a role in decisions impacting Battery Park City. The importance of civic engagement in the political process cannot be overstated, and local representation on the BPCA board would hold the Authority accountable to the community it represents.”
Democracy4BPC’s Crystal Hall: “The BPCA has done an amazing job of building this community. But now that development is complete and more than 13,000 people live here, it’s time for residents to take charge of their own destiny.”
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer said, “on issues ranging from recreational facilities to public safety, the BPCA board has failed to include the Battery Park City community in its decision-making. I support Assembly member Glick’s and Senator Squadron’s legislation. We need a BPCA board that is more accountable to and inclusive of the residents of this community.”
City Council member Margaret Chin said, “it’s time for the Battery Park City community to have a greater voice in decision-making on items of importance such as public safety, upkeep of playgrounds and ball fields, and the BPCA’s governance structure. That is why I am proud to join the call for reform of the BPCA, to ensure that Battery Park City residents have just as much of a say as those living in other neighborhoods in our City.”
Community Board 1 (CB1) chair Catherine McVay Hughes said, “now that development of Battery Park City is substantially complete, going forward the decisions of the Authority will be, overwhelmingly, decisions that affect the quality of life of local residents, businesses and neighbors. This is a new and exciting phase in the life of Battery Park City and it demands a new approach to governance of the 92 acres, the homes of 13,500 residents, the precious parkland, and the 10 million square feet of commercial space that make up Battery Park City. Local representation will mean that these decisions are made by the people best situated to make them: people with their feet on the ground in Battery Park and Lower Manhattan and sensitive to both the short- and long-term needs of the neighborhood.”
Assembly member Glick and Senator Squadron introduced their legislation in January of this year, shortly after a group of local residents organized Democracy4BPC and began collecting signatures at the end of 2015. This group is comprised of five local residents: Bill Aurnhammer, Maryanne Braverman, Sarah Cassell, Justine Cuccia and Crystal Hall. Together, they have spent more than 100 hours standing on local street corners, approaching residents, explaining their case, and asking for signatures.
Ms. Cuccia noted that, “the overwhelming support we’ve received from residents and other stakeholders proves that the time is ripe for the State Senate to join the Assembly in ratifying the Squadron/Glick bill that will bring local control to our community. And everyone who signed our petition expects the Governor to sign it into law. Because the people who live, work, and pay taxes in Battery Park City are entitled to a voice. That’s why we launched our petition, which is a first step towards building a true, local democracy in Battery Park City, from the ground up.”
Ms. Hall said, “the BPCA has done an amazing job of building this community, and when almost nobody lived here, it made sense to have engineers and bureaucrats in charge. But now that development is complete and more than 13,000 people live here, it’s time for residents to take charge of their own destiny.”
Democracy4BPC’s Sarah Cassell: “Our neighborhood is run, and decisions affecting our lives are being made, by officials nobody elected. Most people have difficulty believing that this is possible in America in the 21st century. But once people took the time to read our petition or investigate the BPCA situation, they were happy to sign.”
Ms. Cassell reflected that, “our biggest challenge has been to make residents understand that our neighborhood is run, and decisions affecting our lives are being made, by officials nobody elected. Most people have difficulty believing that this is possible in America in the 21st century. I had tourists react with shock when they understood what we were working towards. Once people took the time to read our petition or investigate the BPCA situation, they were happy to sign and passed it along to their friends and neighbors.”
Ms. Braverman observed, “it’s terrific that so many residents and workers in Battery Park City stood up to be counted and expressed their desire that local interests be represented on the BPCA board. I hope the Senate will follow the Assembly’s lead and pass this legislation quickly. Please Governor Cuomo, sign and implement this bill this year!”
And Mr. Aurnhammer noted, “there was a time when this type of action would not have been necessary, but in recent years the BPCA has been out of touch and unresponsive. Every day more and more of the middle class folks who built Battery Park City are being priced out of remaining here. We need a BPCA board made up of people who understand that this is happening — and are vested in preserving affordability in Battery Park City, while preserving and maintaining the quality of life we enjoy here.”
In January, days after the Squadron/Glick bills were introduced, Senator Squadron spoke to CB1 about the situation he and Ms. Glick hope to remedy. “I don’t want to set expectations too high, because I’m in the Senate minority and it is a horribly partisan place where the Majority Leader gets to decide everything that happens and doesn’t like people like me, who do crazy things like speak up when things are going wrong,” he explained.
“The upsetting thing in Albany is how easy it is for small numbers of very deep pocketed interests to control the narrative,” he continued. “But the good news is that it takes a relatively small number of deeply committed citizens to impact the narrative.”
“On a local bill with local impact, there’s an ability to get some traction,” Senator Squadron noted. “And this is a bill that we’re really going to be pushing this year. I don’t know where it will end up, but I’m really excited at the prospect.”
Asked what local residents could do to support this process, he suggested, “if residents of Battery Park City, and CB1 in general, get together and make a really big push, create a petition, some local movement and organic support can make a huge difference, in some ways more than the elected officials.”
(Editor’s Note: Ms. Cuccia is related to the reporter who wrote this story.)
Photos by Zachary Cassell
As a near neighbor to BPC in CB1 I am saddened to hear that the State Senate did not allow a vote on this bill. I hope BPC residents further organize and win their bid to have local representation on the BCP board. As we all learned in 3rd grade: “Taxation without representation is tyranny.”