It's All Connected! Community Meeting In Brooklyn Heights to Inveigh Against Over-development and Trickery By Brooklyn Bridge Park Board, Marvel Architects. Connect The Dots To Libraries.

Wednesday, May 4, 2014, According to Mary Frost's article in the Brooklyn Eagle:

 A standing-room-only crowd filled St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church on Montague Street for a town hall held Wednesday night to update Brooklyn Heights residents about raging development controversies in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

These include two controversial towers at the Pier 6 end of the park - which advocates say are unnecessary to support the park -- the mountain-sized Pierhouse hotel/residential complex, which appears to be jutting into the protected Scenic View District, and the partial blocking of the view of the Brooklyn Bridge from the Promenade.

The town hall was hosted by the Brooklyn Heights Association (BHA) with its coalition partners Brooklyn Bridge Park Defense Fund (BBPDF), People for Green Space Foundation (PFGSF), and Save the View Now (STVN).

Councilman Steve Levin was at the event.  While he is saying the right things now, the question is how do we keep him accountable? 

See (and read more): Brooklyn Eagle- Brooklyn Bridge Park leadership derided for `broken promises' at Brooklyn Heights town hall- Meeting on development issues draws huge crowd, By Mary Frost, May 5, 2016

Here is other covergae:

Brooklyn Paper-  Heights Association: Sorry, we didn’t act fast enough to stop view-blocking park building, by Lauren Gill, May 5, 2016

Here, followed by the text version, is the flyer, emphasizing that's it's ALL CONNECTED, that Citizens Defending Libraries distributed to the more than 200 attendees at the event:

Click to enlarge

Monday, NY1 reported on the "pay to play" scandal and contributions (violating a Conflict of Interest Board letter) from David Kramer to de Blasio while Kramer hoped his Hudson companies would be handed a sale of the Brooklyn Heights Library.  That's in the context of the NY Post now having already reported that Kramer was not the high bidder for the library (being sold for a minuscule fraction of its replacement cost), 20% lower than the going rate for vacant land in Brooklyn Heights, plus the bid, topped by another bid 12% more was inferior in other respects. . . . .

As reporting and investigation of the de Blasio pay-to-play scandal grows, Marvel Architects, Kramer's architect for the 400+ ft condo tower to replace the library, is guiltily scurrying trying to remove from the internet evidence of the joint pay to play fundraising he and Karmer did for de Blasio.  Marvel Architects is the same architect as on the Pierhouse boondoggle . . .  And there's significant overlap between the BBPC and BPL boards, those selling park for development and those selling libraries for development.

It's all interconnected and it’s time for the Brooklyn Heights Association to stop hamstringing itself by pretending it not.

Ever since the BHA took its position favoring the library sale and shrinkage of the library emerging facts have made the case against selling the library more pronounced.  At its annual meeting this past February 2016 the BHA had three newly emerged additional major reasons to change its position on the library.  The BHA flatly refused to consider them.

    1.    The recent complaint filed with the NYS Attorney General's office showing that the BPL fudged its budgetary figures to claim poverty as a reason to sell and shrink the library when that wasn't the case.

    2.    The revelations about pay to play and Kramer's very inferior bid.  What's more, these bids were in no way related to the value of the library to the public from the public's perspective, because de Blasio and the BPL trustees were selling off the library with no appraisal of the value of the library from the public's perspective.  And it is important to remember that what we are speaking of is a recently enlarged and fully upgraded library that would cost more than $120 million to replace.- A library the BHA once fought to enlarge!!!

    3.    We now know the library sale proposal is also raiding our district's Department of Education funds in a significant unrevealed amount to sweeten the backroom deal for the developer paying the following for an unwanted  "STEM Lab" or "STEAM Lab" facility (really just a black box): 1.)  Acquisition of space, 2.) outfitting space, and 3.) running the off-site space.

In refusing to consider these reasons the BHA essentially shunted principle aside to come out in favor of corruption and bid-rigging.  It surrendered multiple opportunities to stand with the community in ways that would have stopped the library sale.  It has undermined other important goals essential to the community and what should be the BHA's mission of protecting it.

    1.    It undermined the fight against the sale of LICH (another public asset attacked by the real estate industry), which has now turned into the unfortunate Fortas proposal situation.

    2.    It undermines dealing effectively with the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation (the board of which has startling overlaps with the board of the Brooklyn Public Library), which means less effective opposition to:
            i.    The Pierhouse overbuilding in Brooklyn Bridge Park
            ii.    The Pier 6 overbuilding in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

    3.    It undermined the opposition to the 75 Henry Street Pineapple Walk proposal, an almost nearly identical proposed luxury tower casting a long shadow on Cadman Plaza (this time on privately owned property, not selling a publicly-owned asset).

    4.    The BHA, acting like an unpredictable wildcard, undermines our efforts to keep our elected officials accountable and honest with people at the office of Councilman Steve Levin, who betrayed the community on the library sale, sometimes fielding phone calls saying things like: `Yes, 95% of the community is opposed to the library sale, but the BHA favors it and they are very powerful.'

Sign our petition on the web: Citizens Defending Libraries

To great everyone entering for the event the Brooklyn Heights Association stationed one of its foremost library sale and shrinkage proponents, BHA trustee (and ahcitect and Saint Ann's School parent) Erika Belsey Worth.  Remember that Saint Ann's School is getting a mega-windfall if the library is sold and shrunk.

BHA board member library sale and shrinkage proponent Erika Belsey Worth in position to greet everyone at the door.

Here is a question submitted on the supplied cards from Citizens Defending Libraries co-founder Michael D. D. White.  After staring it perturbedly for a long time BHA President Patrck Killackey deep-sixed it with the questions no to be asked.  No matter, moderator Judi Francis called upon White to answer the question orally.

Is the sum greater than the parts?  Should we connect the dots?   Are we strongest uniting in these fights because its all the same "pay to play" investigations and same people being investigated?  Judi Francis answered yes and commended to the audience the coalition group New Yorkers for a Human Scale City that had just hours before had a very well covered press conference on the steps of City Hall with member groups like Citizens Defending Libraries and Save the View Now participating.  Save the View Now's Steve Guterman's remarks at that earlier event got even better coverage than his eloquence at the evening Brooklyn Heights event.

The meeting's PowerPoint presentation was also valuable.

Steve Guterman earlier in the day on BrooklynNews12, also covered by the NY Post, Daily New and NY1

Attendees were also handed a letter to sign to Mayor de Blasio.  It was beautifully written but could creatively added to remind de Blasio that it is also a betrayal on his part to be selling our libraries like Brooklyn Heights (see below).  For instance, "it is hard to imagine a more obvious progressive cause than parks". . . .  ADD: except probably libraries!

As attendees left at the end of the night they got to appreciate the same Citizens Defending Libraries banners that had been unfurled on the steps of City Hall that afternoon like "Community Needs Over Dveleoper Greed."

As Feeding Frenzy Elevates NY1 Covers DeBlasio “Pay To Play” Violation: Taking Campaign Contributions From Kramer’s Hudson Companies While Handing Out Brooklyn Heights Library Deal- Marvel Architects Runs But Can’t Hide

January 8, 2014 letter Conflict of Interest Board letter: No "pay to play"!

You will find more added here to this page as the story develops. . . .

Monday, May 2, 2016 NY1 reported a heftily researched story about how Mayor de Blasio’s “pay to play” campaign contributions violate a January 8, 2014 letter (issued eight days into the de Blasio administration) from the city's Conflicts of Interest Board, the agency overseeing ethical conduct for local elected officials that specifically restricted pay to play contributions to de Blaios’s Campaign for One New York. . .  Prominently mentioned amongst a number of violations is a $5,000 donation from developer David Karmer’s Hudson Companies in February of 2014 while Kramer and Hudson were hoping that de Blasio would do what de Blasio eventually did: Sell Brooklyn’s second largest and most important library to Kramer for a fraction of its value so that Kramer could build a tower of luxury condominiums while shrinking the library down to just 42% and moving much of the publicly visited space underground.

Does this make clear why de Blasio and friends are being investigated right now?

You can view the NY1 story here or read the text of it.

See: NY1-  Mayor's Nonprofit May Have Violated Directive from City's Conflict of Interest Board, By Courtney Gross, Monday, May 2, 2016

But that’s not all!: Kramer and his development team with their library deal pending to be decided by de Blasio’s administration were previously bundling campaign funds and sending them de Blasio’s way with a fundraiser held October 24, 2013.  Kramer’s architect is Jonathan Marvel’s firm, Marvel Architects.  Their fundraiser was apparently a joint one.

See:  Noticing New York- WNYC Reports Mayor de Blasio's "Furiously Raising Funds"- Including From Developers "Lurking Behind The Curtain" of Library Real Estate Sales- And WNYC's Money? Saturday, June 6, 2015.

From the NY1 play to pay report

Forest City Ratner, neighbor to the library and involved as a gatekeeper in the Brooklyn Heights Library sale transaction is also mentioned in the NY1 report as a pay to play player.

The "pay to play" contributions must be evaluated in the context of it's being reported that David Kramer's Hudson Companies and his development team didn't deliver the best bid.  According to a recent New York Post article the Kramer bid was inferior to others in various respects and was lower than two other bids, twenty percent below the market and $6 million (12%) below one of the higher bids.  Given that the deal selling the library for a minuscule fraction of its value could net perhaps only $20 million (if even that) the obvious sacrifices of public value are huge.  Further, the Post reports Kramer "was not going to be the winning guy pre-de-Blasio.”

See:  New York Post- Developer with ties to de Blasio scores job, despite being outbid, By Aaron Short, February 21, 2016

It seems that word has gone out that the jig is up and a worried Marvel Architects has just recently gotten busy expunging evidence of their collection of funds for de Blasio while planning to snare the sweet deal plundering the public’s property.

Marvel Architects has simultaneously gone searching to delete pages from its website about the October 24th 2013 joint fundrasier with Kramer as well as its tweet-with-picture about the event.

Unfortunately for Marvel, Kramer et al, the internet is something of a time machine and its is not as if they weren’t already being watched.  We were waiting to pick our time to share this.  (The now you see it, now you don't nature of the internet can be treacherous, but it is not completely obliging when it comes to expunging things.)

Here are the web pages Marvel just hastily deleted from its website:

Web page evidence of pay to play campaign contributions deleted from Marvel Architects' website as de Blasio fundraising comes under scrutiny-  Jonathan Marvel and David Kramer were on the "host committee" according to the details you can read on this page.  Reading who was there it must have been a night!$$$$

A related page on Marvel Architects' website that was also deleted.

What Marvel wants you to see if you go looking for the fundraising page now:

Sorry, but your page can't e found!-  But on the internet you can't hide and it can be found.

For those of you who know Twitter, it is pretty weird, pretty far out there and pretty desperate to go search to delete your two-and-one-half year old Tweets.  But that is what Marvel Architects felt compelled to do at the same time it was deleting its web pages.  Here is the tweet of the de Blasio fundrasing it wanted to scrub from the internet.

Up until not many days ago the link to it used to be:


https://twitter.com/marvelarch/status/393493291410264064

If you'd like a better look at the actual picture tweeted (same one that was on the webpages) you can see de Blasio standing right next to David Kramer below.

Maybe for good measure Marvel Architects also thought it would be a good idea to block Citizens Defending Libraries co-founder Michael D. D. White (also on Twitter) from seeing its tweets (see below).  But taking that measure, whatever it was supposed to accomplish, was rather too late- That's not the way the internet actually works.

"You are blocked from following @Marvelarch and viewing @Marvelarch's tweets."

 

The Googled up ghost of @Marvelarch's deleted tweet.

This, of course, is probably not actually the sort of destruction of evidence that's illegal when a criminal case is being pursued, but for the onlookers it has a delicious similarity of flavor, a sending up of smoke signals that perpetrators have realized that conduct crossing the line needs to be hidden.

There is more that we hope gets investigated.  The other day we asked NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer about how the BPL's trustees selling an extremely valuable library without bothering to appraise it value to the public as a library from the public's perspective (it would cost more than $120 million to replace and is being sold to net next to nothing) should be a red flag for auditors, an indication of fraud and bearch of fiduciary duty.  That's when Comptroller Stringer observed a connection (presumably in theme) of the library sale to Kramer and the nursing home deal being investigated where the de Blasio administration essentially gave away a nursing home by selling the restrictive covenant that created and ensured it while de Blasio reaped what looks like these same kind of pay to play contributions.

We hope that there is also an investigation into how, with the Library deal pending, de Blasio and his Deputy Mayor for Development Alicia Glen raided NYC Department of Education Funds (in still unspecified but sizeable amounts) to push Karmer's real estate deal along.  How far do pay to play contributions go?  With the question of mayoral control of schools again in the balance in Albany that is a good question.

(Footnote: Meanwhile, City Councilman Steve Levin, who at one point said he had to put through the library sale over his constituent's objections because of de Blasio, is sidestepping his responsibility to insist on transparency respecting the transaction.)

Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats Resolution Calling Upon Councilman Steve Levin To Demand Transparency From Brooklyn Public Library Respecting Its Library Sales

Steve Levin endorsing the sale of the Brooklyn Heights Library for a March 1, 2016 Brooklyn Borough Board vote while side-stepping making any demands for transparency with respect to this and related transactions.

At its April 28, 2016 meeting Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats adopted the following resolution calling for Councilman Steve Levin to fulfill his responsibilities as a city councilman and demand transparency from the Brooklyn Public library with respect to library sales.  The resolution, following up on prior action by CBID more or less speaks for itself.  It was also followed up immediately by news the next week (see below after the resolution) indicating just how important the transparency that should be sought is.

Citizens Defending Libraries has an open letter to Levin asking for him to demand transparency:

Sunday, January 31, 2016, Open Letter To Councilman Steve Levin About His Letter To Brooklyn Public Library Demanding Transparency About Library Sales

The CBID resolution:

Resolution Calling Upon Stephen T. Levin To Perform and Fulfill His Responsibilities as a City Councilman And Demand Transparency From Brooklyn Public Library Respecting the Future of the Brooklyn Heights Library and Brooklyn’s Other Libraries

Whereas, the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats (CBID) recognizes the critical and expanding role that Brooklyn's public library system, and all its libraries, including particularly the central destination downtown Brooklyn Heights Library and other libraries threatened by plans that are oblivious to their value to the public and that treat them as real estate deals to benefit private parties, not the public, and

Whereas, in our growing city, our libraries play a critical and necessarily expanding role in the lives of the city’s residents, providing them with books, information, technology, meeting space and other resources and activities they rely upon to improve and enhance their intellectual, social and economic well being, and

Whereas, Stephen T. Levin holds the office of Council member for the 33rd District of the New York City Council and it is a most fundamental obligation of the office he holds to demand transparency from any institution such as the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) funded extensively by city funds, and most particularly when that institution is involved in promoting the sale of a significant and valuable city-owned asset like the Brooklyn Heights Library as well as other libraries, and

Whereas, in the fall of 2014 Stephen T. Levin represented to members of Citizens Defending Libraries that he would fulfill the obligations of his office in demanding such transparency, and

Whereas, on Thursday, January 22, 2015 Independent Neighborhood Democrats held a forum about the Brooklyn public libraries that gave special focus to the proposed sale and shrinkage of the Brooklyn Heights Library where representatives of the Brooklyn Library acknowledged they should be more transparent but the BPL never followed through in that regard, and

Whereas, Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats has previously passed a resolution on April 23, 2015 opposing the lack of transparency with respect to the proposed sale of the Brooklyn Heights Library and another resolution opposed all the pending sales of New York City libraries, and

Whereas, Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats has sign Citizens Defending Libraries letter of support that calls for greater transparency with respect to library sales with this language:

“Transactions like the sale of the Donnell Library, the proposed sales of branch libraries in Brooklyn and the now abandoned Central Library Plan must be subject to a much higher level of public scrutiny, one they have not yet received. A lack of transparency, and consequent lack of oversight by the public and its officials, gives rise to unanswered questions about the large salaries many library administration officials receive and the roles that they perform when they receive them.  It also gives rise to many deeply troubling uncertainties about proper, equitable and effective use and allocation and distribution of funds.  Selling and shrinking libraries can be astoundingly and unjustifiably costly in many ways, without providing any real public benefit.”

Whereas, since the spring of 2015 Stephen T. Levin has repeatedly represented to members of Citizens Defending Libraries that he would follow through on his obligations as a Council member by sending a letter to the BPL demanding such transparency and an existing publicly available draft of that letter furnished to Stephen T. Levin makes clear what should be demanded in the way of transparency (including but not limited to the “Strategic Real Estate Plan” and the “Revson Study” and information about costs and a proper appraisal of value from the public’s perspective) and makes it easy for him to follow through by sending it, and

Whereas, the obligation and duty of Stephen T. Levin persist unextinguished notwithstanding that Stephen T. Levin has voted in favor selling the Brooklyn Heights Library without demanding transparency of the BPL beforehand, and

Whereas, it is bad policy that is exceedingly deleterious to the public interest for Stephen T. Levin to take actions that further any proposed sale of the Brooklyn Heights library or other libraries before he has demanded such transparency, and the BPL has responded by appropriately and timely furnishing such transparency giving the public a chance to examine its records, now therefore be it

Resolved that the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats call upon Stephen T. Levin to immediately, forthwith and without further delay, and certainly by a date no more than two week’s hence, demand such transparency from the BPL including by sending an appropriate letter to do so.

Resolved that the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats calls upon Stephen T. Levin to take all necessary and appropriate steps to follow up in insisting on such transparency from the BPL.

Resolved that the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats calls upon Stephen T. Levin not to take any further steps to advance the sale of the Brooklyn Heights Library at the very least until he has made such demands, sent such letter, and the BPL has responded by appropriately and timely furnishing such transparency giving the public a chance to examine its records.

Resolved the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats calls upon all our elected officials to similarly demand and insist on such transparency from the BPL and to take no further actions advancing any real estate plans of the BPL involving sale of the Brooklyn Heights Library or other Brooklyn libraries at least until the BPL has responded by appropriately and timely furnishing such transparency giving the public a chance to examine its records.

Resolved the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats calls upon all our Stephen T. Levin and all elected officials to similarly call for a moratorium on any actions advancing the sale of the Brooklyn Height and other Brooklyn Libraries until such transparency has been achieved.

The following Monday NY1 ran a story about how de Blasio's violation of the prescriptions of the NYC Conflicts of Interest Board by taking money from Hudson Companies while the Brooklyn Heights Library deal was pending (to say nothing of the squandering of a library- And the raid on Department of Education funds for Hudson!)-  (There's a 1:00 PM, May 4th press conference on the steps of City Hall about such "pay to play" shenanigans by the mayor.) 

See:  Mayor's Nonprofit May Have Violated Directive from City's Conflict of Interest Board, By Courtney Gross, Monday, May 2, 2016

You can view it via the link- Also here is some of the text from the print version-

Maya Wiley, the counsel to the mayor, says, "The COIB letter is clear.  It does not prohibit solicitations from people who do business with the City.  It only bars the solicitation of someone 'with a matter pending or about to be pending' before the City. There was a process in place to insure that this guidance was scrupulously followed."

Of course, the timeline in some cases says otherwise. For instance, the Hudson Companies gave a $5,000 donation in February of 2014. In September, it was selected by the city to build a new public library in Brooklyn.

Senator Velmanette Montgomery presenting legislation at CBID to reform the Brooklyn Public Library board

At the same April 28, 2016 meeting Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats at which the resolution was adopted the State Senator Velmanette Montgomery came before the Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats clubs and presented proposed new legislation she has drafted to keep the Brooklyn Public Library board of trustees from going off mission, eliminate conflicts of interests (She talked about the real estate and hedgefunders there now) and to make that board's composition more reflective of the community and what it wants.  Assemblyman Jim Brennan said he would review Senator Montgomery's legislation (it will need an Assembly Sponsor).

See the legislation below:

Report: Yes It’s Happening- “SAVE NY CITY'S PUBLIC LIBRARIES” Litigation to Save the Brooklyn Heights Central Destination Library!

Yes, dear Library Lovers and Defenders-  It’s time!: Learn about and join us in the most important action we can take!

Yes, we will be filing a lawsuit to stop! the sale of the Brooklyn Heights public library!  As you know, the City plan is to sell the library to a private developer who will instead put up a 36-story condo tower that will completely cast a shadow over the adjacent public parkland during the afternoon hours of the day.

Despite what you may have heard, this misplaced tower is not As of Right or within the limits of the zoning code.  In fact, the developer applied to City Planning for a special zoning permit to allow an illegal height and set-back.  We need your help and participation (including we now ask for your donations) to stop this wholesale usurpation of the people's light and air and to protect the adjacent parkland.

They Misrepresented the Facts of the Matter

Besides which, we've been lied to about the money.  For three years, Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) has been crying that it is too poor to make needed repairs, like fixing the library's air ventilation system or the elevators to the Branch Library on the second floor.  But, in fact, city budget reports show BPL is sitting on approximately $168 million in unspent capital funding, which funding the library corporation has been hoarding over six fiscal years.

BPL has been crying poverty, meanwhile pushing forward a lucrative real estate deal in which parties others than the public have vested financial interests.  The agenda being carried out by its trustees is entirely at odds to the public interest, welfare and the BPL’s proper mission in looking after the public trust.

In short, we've been hoaxed.  And we need your help to stop this travesty. 

“Save NY City's Public Libraries” -- Launches Online this Thursday, April 7th with a Celebratory Launch Party Friday April 8th

Defending Libraries: Friday April 8th Launch Party- “SAVE NY CITY'S PUBLIC LIBRARIES”

You can make donations here: Our GoFundMe Page launched April 7th!

Keep up with the latest on our Facebook page and our Twitter posts.

Here is a link to an Evite invitation you can share to invite people to our litigation launch party:

Invite people to our litigation launch party.

 Here's a link to our Facebook Event Page for our litigation launch party that also tell people about our GoFundMe site:

Visit and share our Facebook Event Page

  Here are Tweets you can retweet to help let people know about our launch and our new GoFundMe page. . .

TWEET ONE:

https://twitter.com/DefendLibraries/status/718143054851522560

Facebook event page for our launch of Save NY City's Public Libraries-LIVE for donations! https://goo.gl/ait1q6 

TWEET TWO

https://twitter.com/DefendLibraries/status/718142531347857409

Our Save NY City's Public Libraries GoFundMe site is now LIVE for donations! Contribute! https://goo.gl/NtvzBd 

TWEET THREE

https://twitter.com/DefendLibraries/status/718134329092743168

Our Save NY City's Public Libraries GoFundMe site is now LIVE for donations! Yes, we are litigating!- Contribute! https://goo.gl/NtvzBd

Follow-up Letter to Bernie Sanders About Selling Off NYC Librraies and Public Assets

April 4, 2016

Mr. Bernie Sanders
Bernie 2016
Campaign Office
P.O. Box 905
Burlington, Vermont 05402

                Re: Follow-up on Proposed New York City campaign event

Dear Bernie Sanders,

Citizens Defending Libraries has expressed its interest in holding an event with you.  Your campaign office responded with interest asking us to furnish more information which is the purpose of this letter.

Everyone understands, particularly those heeding how you have so very clearly made it a central focus in the national debates, that we face a crisis of growing income inequality.  We invite you to join with us to decry the way that escalating income and wealth inequality are leading to attacks on our public assets, presenting a viscous cycle where deals to sell these assets off are stacked to favor those at the top.

We believe that a broad swath of our public resources are in similar jeopardy, libraries being just one example.

As described below, the two leading candidates running against you in this election, the Democrat Hillary Clinton and the Republican Donald Trump, both with anchors in New York, also both have interesting connections to the proposed sale, shrinkage and underfunding of New York City libraries, accompanied by an unfortunate elimination of books.

Where To Hold a Rally

We suggest holding a rally outside the Brooklyn Heights Library, Brooklyn's central destination downtown library on Cadman Plaza West at the corner of Tillary and Clinton.  It is the next New York library proposed to be sold and rather drastically shrunk citing underfunding of these public assets as an excuse for taking a huge public loss in selling this recently enlarged and fully upgraded library.   The library is immediately adjacent to Hillary Clinton's national campaign headquarters.  We can also readily expand into and utilize the very large open area of Cadman Plaza Park directly across the street.

We similarly reached out to Hillary Clinton’s campaign when we approached yours.  Your campaign expressed interest in taking action to preserve our public assets.  Ms. Clinton’s campaign expressed no such interest even though this threatened library is actually, for real estate development purposes, part of the same real estate parcel, owned by her politically active landlord, that her campaign headquarters is in.

Not Just this Library: Other Libraries and Public Assets in Jeopardy

As you are no doubt aware, in New York City much of the money that rides rough shod over the public interest escalating inequality in wealth and power is money from the real estate industry.  Is it just by coincidence that the sale and hand off of this library to a developer who wants to build a tower of luxury condominiums to take its place is an almost exact replication of the much decried sale of the beloved Donnell library in central Manhattan?  Behind the scenes, some of the same people were involved.

One of the people involved behind the scenes who benefitted from the Donnell Library’s sale and shrinkage (for a pittance) was Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.  There was no proper bid to sell Donnell, nor public notice or involvement.  Even if you take this as no more than a symbol. it is something to think about: As the rest of us lose out with ever increasing inequality, the world of the elite who benefit has become far too cozy.  Similarly, the New York Post recently reported that the Brooklyn Heights Library is being sold to an inferior bidder, sold for 20% less than its value as a vacant lot and 12% less than one of the two bidders who bid more.  And, remember, a recently enlarged, fully ungraded library is very far from what should be valued as if it was only a vacant lot.

See:  PRESS RELEASE: Donald Trump Connected To Sell-Off of NYC Libraries? This Explains Exactly How.

http://citizensdefendinglibraries.blogspot.com/2015/08/press-release-donald-trump-connected-to.html

We have held forums with other New Yorkers to discuss and recognize that other public assets, not just our libraries, are at stake in these attacks: Public parks and public buildings built on city-owned land. .  schools, colleges, libraries, fire houses, playgrounds, police stations, hospitals, housing, memorials.

See:

Our Public Assets Under Attack- A Calamity of the Commons Unfolding That We Must Act Collectively Against- How best To Express It?

http://citizensdefendinglibraries.blogspot.com/2015/06/our-public-assets-under-attack-calamity.html

About Citizens Defending Libraries

Citizens Defending Libraries (you can find us on our webpages, Facebook page, Twitter) was formed just over three years ago at the beginning of 2013 in response to then breaking headlines about the sell off of New York Public Libraries.  We launched two petitions with tens of thousands of petition signers.  Last fall, in just over two weeks, we collected more than 2,000 multi-point testimonies opposing the sale of the Brooklyn Heights Library.  We were instrumental (and one of the plaintiffs in two lawsuits) in the 2014 derailing of a $500+ million planned sale and shrinkage of major Manhattan libraries (Mid-Manhhattan, SIBL and the Central Reference Library) and exile of books from the 42nd Street Central Reference library (the “Central Library Plan”).

We greatly look forward to hearing from you and holding this event soon.  We can also coordinate with you on disseminating press statements and publicity to help the public understand these issues better as well as the position candidate Sanders is willing to take on them.

                                Sincerely,


                                Carolyn E. McIntyre

CC: Campaign Staff

Representative Nydia M. Velazquez Writes Brooklyn Public Library Seeking To Prevent Closure of The Federal Depository Library At The BPL’s Central Destination Business Career and Education Brooklyn Heights Library

Congresswoman Representative Nydia M. Velazquez wrote to the Brooklyn Public Library on April 4, 2016 asking that the Federal Depository Library functions of the Brooklyn Heights Library in Brooklyn’s Central Downtown business district not be shuttered as the BPL proposes.

The Brooklyn Heights Library is just one of the BPL libraries in Representative Velazquez’s that have been at the head of the list to be threatened in various ways by the BPL’s real estate plans.  More on this after the exchange of letters between the BPL and Representative Velazquez presented below.

Background

BPL President Linda Johnson started at the BPL in July 2010 describing at her first meeting with the BPL board of trustees how the BPL's real estate plans were her priority.  First up for sale, the library proposed for sale and drastic shrinkage that was the highest priority as part of those plans was then and continues to be the BPL’s second largest library, the recently expanded and fully upgraded central destination Brooklyn Heights Business, Career and Education Library in Downtown Brooklyn.

Plans to sell and shrink the Brooklyn Heights Library go back to at least 2007.  In October 2011, Ms. Johnson reminded the BPL board of the goal of locking the next mayor into the real estate plans that were secretly underway.

March 9, 2015 Linda Johnson presided over a “Community Advisory Committee” meeting set up by the BPL concerning the Brooklyn Heights Library sale.  At that meeting Citizens Defending Libraries co-founder Michael D. D. White asked that the question of the library’s function and status serving as a Federal Depository Library be addressed.  BPL president Johnson responded: “I am not even sure exactly what you mean by a Federal Depository.”  She went on to say, “Nothing about this project changes our responsibilities or our operations in that regard.”

That evening Ms. Johnson stood by the BPL’s continuing refusal to provide information about the cost of moving Brooklyn Heights Library functions to the Grand Army Plaza Library where alterations and construction were acknowledged to be necessary to accommodate them but no additional space is to be created to support those functions.

When asked by Citizens Defending Libraries co-founder Carolyn McIntyre, Ms. Johnson could not give information about the number of book previously at the library vs, how many were still remaining.  Ms. McIntyre suggested that this was because library administration officials were focused on real estate deals, not on the management of the public's tax-payer paid for assets.. . .

. . .  To date, the BPL has steadfastly neglected to furnish any information about the currently existing book capacity of the Heights Library vs. what it will be reduced to in the future.  Another indication that the BPL is not focusing on library functions or need as it goes forward: The BPL also committed itself to its plans to sell and shrink the library without designing a library to replace it afterward.  The recently expanded and fully upgraded library is being sold to net a minuscule fraction of the $120 million it would cost to replace it.  It is being sold to an inferior bidder, one of the low bidders and the bids were only for what the value of the property as a vacant lot, which it definitely isn’t.

At the March 9th meeting Ms. Johnson was told the Brooklyn Heights Library  "is packed with people all the time."  She responded only with a strange expression.

BPL president Linda Johnson reacted with a strange expression when told by Toba Potosky, president of the board of directors of nearby Cadman Towers on Clinton Street, that "The library is packed with people all the time."

Letter from BPL to Representative Velazquez

Brooklyn Public Library

The Honorable Nydia Velazquez
266 Broadway, Suite 201
Brooklyn, NY 11211

March 15, 2016

Representative Velazquez:

Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) is writing to advise you that its Business & Career Library, located at 280 Cadman Plaza West, is relinquishing its Selective Depository Library status through the Government Publication Office's (GPO) Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP).

Most government publications are available electronically through government websites. The GPO also sends print versions of select documents to FDLP libraries, which in turn make those documents free and accessible to the public. Even though BPL will no longer offer these documents at the Business & Career Library, it remains committed to connecting its patrons with information by and about the federal government through reference assistance and broadband access.

This relinquishment is due to BPL's sale of the 280 Cadman Plaza library site. The Business & Career Library is merging its FDLP collection and services into the depository at BPL's Central Library, located at 10 Grand Army Plaza, which remains affiliated as an FDLP Selective Depository Library. By uniting the two depositories into a single, more comprehensive collection at the Central Library (which offers the largest collections, longest hours of services and receives the most visits) we believe that the government documents they contain will be more accessible and convenient.

We are grateful for your continuing support of Brooklyn Public Library and ask you to please contact me should you require further information.

Sincerely yours,


Lisa G. Rosenblum, Chief Librarian

Brooklyn Public Library
10 Grand Army Plaza
Brooklyn, NY 11238-561.9
hklynpuhliclibrary.org

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Letter back from Representative Velazquez to BPL

April 4,2016

Lisa G. Rosenblum
Chief Librarian, Brooklyn Public Library
10 Grand Army Plaza
Brooklyn, NY 11238-5619

Dear Ms. Rosenblum:

I am writing to express my concern regarding the future of the Brooklyn Public Library's Brooklyn Heights Branch and Business & Career Library located at 280 Cadman Plaza. I have reviewed your letter, dated March 15th, and respectfully request that the Brooklyn Public Library maintain its status as a Selective Depository Library in the Government Publication Office's Federal Depository Library Program.

While it is true that most federal government publications are available in electronic form online, the current state of internet inequality across Brooklyn requires maintaining a hardcopy of government documents in a location that is accessible to the public. The Brooklyn Heights branch, at Cadman Plaza, is in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn, and at the center of the borough's transportation and civic hub. The branch is in close proximity to a plethora of subway lines and bus routes. Maintaining the Selective Depository in Downtown Brooklyn would continue to offer those individuals without reliable internet service a location to review select government publications.

As the borough's transportation hub, the Downtown Brooklyn neighborhood is largely disability friendly, making the Brooklyn Heights branch accessible for those individuals with disabilities and/or are of limited mobility. The Borough Hall subway station is located three blocks away and has elevators for facilitated access. Meanwhile, the Central Library is located a mile away from the nearest subway station with an elevator. By relinquishing the Brooklyn Heights branch's status as a Selective Depository Library, and moving the government publication collection across the borough to the Central Library, you are limiting access to government publications for those individuals with disabilities and/or who are of limited mobility.

In addition to the ease of access that Downtown Brooklyn provides, the neighborhood is the legal and educational hub of Brooklyn. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York is located within blocks of the Business & Career Library and judges and lawyers frequent the Selective Depository for legal research and study. St. Francis College, Long Island University, and Brooklyn Law School are also in close proximity to the Brooklyn Heights branch and students from these institutions frequent the library and make use of its collection of government publications. Again, by relinquishing the branch's status as a Selective Depository Library, and moving the collection across the borough, you are limiting access for key constituencies who frequently make use of these materials.

I understand the Brooklyn Library's desire to consolidate the two depositories, and appreciate its commitment to offer the government publications online, but the ease of access to the Business & Career Library at the Brooklyn Heights branch and the frequent use of its government publication collection warrants maintaining the branch as a Selective Depository. Therefore, I respectfully request that the Brooklyn Public Library consider maintaining a SelectiveDepository Library in Downtown Brooklyn.

Sincerely,


Nydia M. Velazquez
Member of Congress

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Other Brooklyn Libraries In Representative Velazquez’s District Threatened By Real Estate Plans

As noted above, many BPL libraries in Ms. Velazquez’s district have been some of the most immediately threatened by the BPL’s efforts to turn libraries into real estate deals.

Specifically of concern in her district, in addition to the Brooklyn Heights Library:

    •    The BPL proposed to reduce the size of the already very small 7,500 square foot Red Hook Library to just 5,500 by giving 2,000 square feet away to the private Spaceworks firm
    •    The BPL gave away the second floor of the Williamsburg Library to the private Spaceworks firm.
    •    The Sunset Park Library has been subject to secrete plans to hand off its real estate on a no-bid basis (and with no prior community input) to turn into a multi-use real estate project that will, among other things, preclude its future growth to keep pace with the community’ growth.
    •    The Grand Army Plaza Library, another important central library in the BPL system and Ms. Velazquez’s district, will suffer the effects of disruption, crowding and the cramming in of functions as a result of shrinking of the Brooklyn Heights Library and any that follow it in the future.

In addition to the above, Ms. Johnson told the City Council this fall that the sale and shrinkage of the Brooklyn Heights Library is regarded as a model for other transactions underway in all three NYC library systems (Queens and the NYPL are the other two).  The BPL’s unreleased, not publicly available “Strategic Real Estate Plan” calls for the leveraging of all of the BPL’s library real estate.

When the BPL trustees met in December, the trustees applauding this library sale were reminded how sale of this library was chosen as a demonstration for what was possible.  They were told that this was a "huge turning point for the library system" and "across the city in general" with Johnson `pioneering' the future of libraries. 

Other BPL libraries in Representative Velazquez’s district are:

    •    Carroll Gardens Library
    •    Washington Irving Library
    •    DeKalb Library
    •    Arlington Library
    •    Bushwick Library

Representative Velazquez’s district also extends into Manhattan where NYC public libraries are run by the New York Public Library (NYPL). The NYPL was the first system to turn a library into a real estate deal.  It was the central destination Donnell Library whose sale and shrinkage was used a model for the proposed sale and shrinkage of the Brooklyn Heights Library.

Representative Velazquez’s district- Showing City Public Libraries

 Manhattan Libraries In Representative Velazquez’s District

The Manhattan area of Representative Velazquez’s district is a portion of lower Manhattan.  The central Brooklyn Heights Library is supposed to serve lower Manhattan as well as all of Brooklyn.

NYPL libraries in Representative Velazquez’s district are:

    •    Chatham Square Library
    •    Seward Park Library
    •    Hamilton Park Library

The NYPL’s now derailed. but not entirely defunct Central Library Plan was a plan that was going to cost more than $500 million to sell and shrink Manhattan central destination libraries.  It involved the proposed sale Mid-Manhattan Library, SIBL (the 34th Street Science, Industry and Business Library) and destruction of the research stacks at the 42nd Street Central Reference Library with an exile of books.  Parts of the plan persist: A planned sale of SIBL, a concomitant shrinkage of Mid-Manhattan and a persisting exile for million of the research books from 42nd Street Central Reference Library.

Threat To SIBL Another Federal Depository Library

SIBL- Another Federal Depository Library

As just noted, the NYPL currently is currently planning on selling SIBL, built at considerable public expense ($100 million including federal funds) as a state of the art modern library in 1996.  SIBL, whose functions are supposed to overlap with those of the Brooklyn Height Library  is also a Federal Depository Library.  It is in the district of Representative Carolyn Maloney whose district butts up against that of Representative Velazquez.

Shuttering two major central destination Federal Depository Libraries in close proximity of each other at the same time?

Sale of Brooklyn Heights Library Pushed Through With Last Minute Backroom Deal Raiding Education Funds

The approval of the sale and shrinkage of the Brooklyn Heights Library was pushed through at the last minute with a backroom deal that raids Department of Education funds in still unspecified amounts.  The money for a “STEM” or for a “STAEM” facility (yet to figured out what the heck it will be) is needed to: 1.)   Lease to purchase space from the developer, 2.) outfit the space, and 3.) run the space.

The Department of Education budget depends on federal funds.