Local Politics n' Stuff: Town Hall Meeting

Last week's NAG (Neighbors Allied for Good Growth) Town Hall meeting didn't involve any monorail-related issues, but we did talk about the major concerns of the neighborhood: irresponsible construction, tenants' rights, bike safety, quality of life issues (crime and street cleanliness) and waterfront access.

The most interesting part of the meeting, for me at least, was seeing who was represented at the meeting. The vast majority had lived in the neighborhood for at least 10 years, which makes sense--these are the people who have truly committed themselves to living here, and who actually care about the long-term health of the neighborhood. Greenpoint and North Williamsburg were represented well, but the South Williamsburg presence was woefully absent. Perhaps more Spanish-language outreach is needed? Anyway, I was one of the few Southsiders there. While the crowd was on the older side of the spectrum, I did see a fairly impressive turnout among younger residents.

Another interesting divide? Bikes! Older people seem to hate bikers and their propensity for riding in the middle of the street and running red lights, while the younger people were all like "Stop hitting us with your cars!" Ultimately, the younger generation needs a primer on bike etiquette, while the older generation needs to accept the fact that bikes will only become more popular in the future and that they need to be careful pulling into intersections.

For me, the most pressing issue discussed was the irresponsible behavior of construction companies and developers, and the absolute ineptitude of the Department of Buildings in a neighborhood experiencing unprecedented development. One lady’s Kafkaesque tale of dealing with scaffolding put up against her building by a neighboring construction crew was absolutely harrowing. If you've ever dealt with the DOB, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

Overall it was a constructive evening, and I can only hope more and more young people will get involved in the future.   

Comments

[al]

bikers are supposed to follow all the rules of the road, except riding in the middle of the street, because that one makes it inconvenient to drive a car. of course, at the side of the street, they get doored and have trouble making turns to the opposite side.