Avella Eyes Mayoral Race

On our way to a coffee shop for an interview, City Council Member Tony Avella of Queens said, "I don't believe in labels, but I guess you could call me a conservative Democrat."

I said facetiously, "Gee, I thought you were all dead."

By the end of our meeting, however, I discovered that he fit that description perfectly, and if he, as planned, does run for mayor next year, he might be able to run on the Conservative Party line as well.

Mr. Avella caught my attention when I read his comments on two issues that I believe New Yorkers should be more concerned about: eminent domain and the cable franchise battle. I initiated the meeting with him because he appears to be the maverick of the City Council, a group that I have little respect for as a whole.

This City Council approved the plan for the 17-acre expansion of Columbia University in Harlem. Columbia University representatives told The New York Sun that they aim to reach a negotiated settlement with the remaining reluctant landowners, but have made it clear they would invoke the state's power of eminent domain to condemn the property if no agreement is reached. Mr. Avella was one of five Council members who voted against the project, and said that the use of eminent domain would jeopardize all New York property owners. Mr. Avella told me, "Nobody's home or business is safe anymore."

Neighborhood opponents of the plan have long said it would harm Harlem's character and displace longtime residents. Of course it will, but the city's poorer neighborhoods have been on death row city since the Supreme Court ruled in Kelo v. the City of New London that gross violation of property rights is permissible. A private developer can swoop into blighted areas, and as long as the city determines that a project has a public purpose, such as generating higher tax revenue, individual property owners will be at its mercy.

It's happening in nearly all the boroughs, but no one seems to be paying much attention. Mr. Avella, however, views this subversion of the Constitution as "a disgrace." He noted what's happening in Willets Point in the Bronx and the Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn as examples. Let's not forget how the New York Times used eminent domain to relocate to a new Times Square building on Eighth Avenue. Ten existing buildings were condemned by the Empire State Development Corporation under a mandate to acquire and rebuild a blighted Times Square that is no longer blighted. The ESDC leased it to the New York Times for a price below market value and, in addition, gave the newspaper tax breaks. How that benefits the New York taxpayer is beyond me.

The second issue that seems to have escaped everyone's attention is one that should resonate with anyone who has problems with cable television. My service on Staten Island is unreliable and subject to weather conditions. I've been waiting for the past two years for Verizon FiOS TV, which has been operating in other parts of the state, to come to New York City. One news report mentioned that Mr. Avella had complained that the administration had been negotiating in secret with Verizon. When I asked the Council member if that situation still remained, he confirmed this and said, "I'm the chairman of the Zoning and Franchise Committee, which is responsible for the renewal of cable franchises with the city," he said, "and when I'm asked when Verizon FiOS is coming to NYC, I tell them I have no idea. The administration is conducting negotiation outside of any public control." Why the secrecy?

Mr. Avella comes across as a man passionate about the public good, and when I asked him what would be the first thing he'd do if elected mayor, he said, "Reduce taxes." Cynic that I am, I recalled hearing that same pledge from Mayor Bloomberg when I first supported him. But the Council member was adamant that there were plenty of ways to raise revenue instead of taxes. When he plunged into a litany of examples of how the city wastes money, he reminded me of Clifton Webb's efficiency expert in the original 1950 "Cheaper By The Dozen" movie. His suggestions on how we can raise millions of dollars simply by adjusting certain wasteful agency procedures are innovative, but I wonder, "Why hasn't anyone thought of this before?"

It's still too early to start thinking about the 2009 mayoral race, but it's nice to know that there's at least one candidate who marches to the beat of a different drummer.

acolon@nysun.com