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The Buzz ELEGIES FOR ELIOT No sooner had many local folks given (soon-to-be-former)Governor Eliot Spitzer a long to-do List—fix Hudson Yards! Get Moynihan Station moving! Help us take our rent laws back! Then this week’s surreal events occurred, prompting the Buzz to ask some of them for comment. John Raskin, of the Hell’s Kitchen antipoverty group Housing Conservation Coordinators, was quick to welcome new Governor David Paterson to the fold: “As a State Senator, Governor Paterson was a pro-tenant legislator. I see no reason why that wouldn’t continue as governor,” Raskin said by e-mail, “though of course the proof will be in the pudding. That said, the real question is going to be control of the State Senate in the coming year. Joe Bruno is the single biggest roadblock to progressive housing reform in the state of New York, and I have a hard time seeing any progressive legislation enacted into law as long as he’s running the Senate.” Meanwhile, Speaker Christine Quinn was quite eloquent on the subject at City Hall on Wednesday. “I think the Governor did the right thing by resigning,” Quinn said. “I feel terrible for Mrs. Spitzer; I feel terrible for his girls… When you have a governor who has to step down, mired in a controversy like this, following not long after our state comptroller had to step down, it’s a very upsetting thing. I hope young people out there who are watching this, who are thinking about getting into government, who are thinking about getting into politics, recognize that this does not speak to all of us in government.” Quinn added that she has known Paterson “a long time. We worked on a ton of issues together. He will be a great governor.” She plans to be in Albany on Monday for his swearing-in, she said: “He asked me if I would come to Albany on Monday, and since I’m not marching in the parade, I’ll have a lot of time on my hands.” We wonder if other pols, used to joining in the annual Irish fest, will feel conflicted, but we’re guessing the current Albany drama will cause almost as much revelry. Franchises Committee, requested that the project not only blend in with area building height and bulk, but also include an affordable-housing component. His appeals mirror those sought by Democratic District Leaders Keen Berger and Brad Hoylman of the Village Independent Democrats political club, who have also called for the project to include an affordable component. Avella is asking St. Vincent’s to review testimony from the Pratt and Urban Justice Centers, “which outlines a number of subsidy and financing programs that would enable St. Vincent’s to include affordable housing while maintaining the necessary financial viability that you require for the project.” Avella noted his Council vote on the project would depend on St. Vincent’s consideration of these suggestions and the concerns of the community. “By working together with the community,” Avella said, “St. Vincent’s can create a development that will be a great health and housing resource to the local neighborhood and the city.”
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