16
QUEENS WEEKLY, DEC. 9, 2018
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(718) 368-5596 | www.OnStageAtKingsborough.org
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Courtesy of Classical Arts Entertainment
Amazon
these hearings, but there
are a lot of unanswered
questions and I believe the
public has the right to know
more,” Johnson said. “The
process by which this deal
came about troubled me
from the start and I have
serious concerns about the
subsidies. I am looking forward
to getting answers.”
City Councilman Jimmy
Van Bramer, who represents
the neighborhood, joined
Brooklyn colleagues Jumaane
Williams and Brad
Lander, who also announced
they will co-sponsor and
introduce legislation that
would prevent city officials
from signing non-disclosure
agreements with corporations
doing business with
the city, similar to those
used in the Amazon deal.
“The council must do
all that it can to prevent the
secretive process that led to
the bad Amazon deal from
ever happening again,” Van
Bramer said. “Transparency
should be the minimum
requirement when you’re
talking about shelling out
billions in taxpayer money.
We’re not giving up the
fight against Amazon’s new
headquarters, but this piece
of legislation will serve as
an essential tool to ensuring
future deals go through
a democratic, transparent
process.”
Williams said it was outrageous
that the deal was
done in total secrecy by the
governor and mayor.
“Our government should
be taking steps to act as a
check on rampant corporate
expansion, to ensure that
any new development is designed
with the greatest possible
benefit to New Yorkers
in need and to prevent any
unintended consequences.
The governor and mayor
failed us, but we won’t stop
fighting until this deal is
stopped.”
The Council is angered
that it was circumvented
through the negotiating
process and that it will not
have veto power over the
rezoning of the area around
Anable Basin. The Cuomo
administration is planning
to create a general project
plan like it did at Atlantic
Yards and One World trade
to avoid the length city
ULURP process.
“Like so many New
Yorkers, we’re outraged
that the Amazon deal was
done behind closed doors,
with zero community buy
in,” Lander said. “It was
unacceptable for the mayor
and governor to yield
to Amazon’s demands and
throw away the city’s land
use process, but with this
bill, that type of backroom
deal will no longer be an
option.”
Continued from Page 1
City Councilmen Jimmy Van Bramer (l. to r.), Jumaane
Williams and Brad Lander announce legislation that
would block backroom deals like to one that is bringing
Amazon to Long Island City as Speaker Corey
Johnson announces oversight hearings into the deal.
Courtesy of Van Bramer’s office
Festival
ugly Christmas sweater contest
and awards will be given
out to the dogs and their
owners with the “worst”
sweaters.
City Councilman Paul
Vallone, state Assemblyman
Ed Braunstein and
state Sen.-elect John Liu
are slated to be at the festival
according to Rebecca
Gellos, the new executive
director for the Douglaston
Local Development
Corporation.
The Douglaston LDC is
a nonprofit organization
that was founded in 2010
by area residents, merchants
and stakeholders
to “preserve and protect
the unique historical and
aesthetic qualities of the
Douglaston Village commercial
district.”
This year, the winter
festival will be hosted by
the Douglaston LDC in cooperation
with the Douglaston
Village Chamber
of Commerce and PS 98.
Other participants include
the Douglas Manor Environmental
Organization,
the Douglaston Little Neck
Historical Society, Udalls
Cove Preservation Committee,
Douglaston Garden
Club, APEC and local
Churches.
For more information
on the event, visit
dougldc.org or facebook.
com/DouglastonLDC.
Continued from Page 1
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