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maandag 23 september 2024
WORLD WORLDWIDE US USA - New York NY - New York NYC - THE CITY - Did Jay-Z’s Roc Nation contract a tenant association president?
Dear New Yorkers,
Last week, dozens of tenants of Manhattan Plaza crowded into a meeting room and, over complimentary slices of pizza, heard from representatives of a plan to erect the first casino in the heart of Times Square.
Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and SL Green are proposing 250,000 square feet of gambling space and a 950-room hotel tower a few blocks from Manhattan Plaza, known as “Broadway’s bedroom” and home to performing artists whose apartments are subsidized by federal aid.
The project has faced fierce criticism from Broadway workers and theater owners, as well as Manhattan Plaza tenants. The blowback could tank Roc Nation’s bid, since New York is expected to issue just three lucrative new downstate casino licenses next year in a competitive process that heavily weighs community support.
But at least one important critic appears to have softened her approach. Manhattan Plaza Tenant Association President Aleta LaFargue had once been a fierce critic of the plan, railing against it as “predatory.”
Now, LaFargue has struck a decidedly softer tone: “I know there's a lot of feelings about whether or not our community gets a casino, but here we are to listen to what they have to say, what they have to offer,” she told the tenants.
What they weren’t told is that LaFargue had been offered a $20,000-a-month contract to work for Roc Nation, according to a copy obtained by THE CITY.
New York City’s Office of Asylum Seeker Operations Director Molly Schaeffer was hit with a request for information from federal investigators, an Adams administration source confirmed on Friday. The subpoena comes amid widening federal inquiries that have entangled a stunning number of top officials in Mayor Eric Adams inner circle.
Another top Adams official, Timothy Pearson, who worked regularly with Schaeffer on migrant contracts was also hit with a federal warrant. Now, an investigation by THE CITY has found that Pearson delayed a contract for months that would have increased caseworkers at migrant shelters — which hampering efforts to help asylum-seekers get work papers and exit the shelter system as their numbers in the city skyrocketed.
If you’re having trouble keeping up with all of these federal inquiries, we don’t blame you. Here is THE CITY’s full guide to who is investigating the Adams administration and why — and yes, we updated it over the weekend.
Elevated subway tracks were given a high priority in the MTA’s proposed 68.4 billion capital plan. That’s, in part, because the MTA estimates that approximately half of its elevated structures in the city are in “poor or marginal condition,” having been treated with anti-corrosive paint that has outlived its projected shelf life. “Half of it is beyond its useful life,” said the president of MTA Construction & Development. “Every homeowner knows you paint steel and other parts of your house to keep it from corroding.”
Reporter’s Notebook
Fretty Krueger
Amid multiple federal investigations surrounding Mayor Eric Adams, a powerful state senator is distancing herself from City Hall — predicting the city will have a hard time getting what it needs from state lawmakers.
Sen. Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan), chair of the Senate finance committee, said an official from the city Department of Environmental Protection reached out to her to set up a discussion about the Environmental Bond Act — following up on an article in THE CITY that revealed New York City has received only 2% of the funds distributed so far from a $4.2 billion pot approved by voters.
The city rep asked her to fill out a meeting request form. She declined, in part because she was insulted, but largely because she wanted to stay away from City Hall drama — and the possibility of surveillance or subpoenas.
“I'm not filling out that stupid form, and I'm certainly not talking to anyone at City Hall, perhaps ever again,” Krueger said. “I'm a politician, and so I am sensitive to being sort of tied into any possibility of unethical behavior, or having to explain myself, or being in a situation where I might be dealing with somebody who I believe is suffering from unethical behavior. So why would I talk to them?”
The meeting form, first mandated by Adams, has stirred outrage among elected officials. A bill pending in the City Council aims to bar the required use of a request form to schedule meetings. Mayoral spokesperson Liz Garcia in a statement defended the form and said, “We look forward to working with the CIty Council to work through the very clear procedural and legal issues present in this legislation.”
Krueger said her skepticism is informed by serving through an “extended period of corruption in Albany where you knew in your heart people were being wiretapped,” dating to the 2000s.
— Samantha Maldonado
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