david’s dead end

(from https://halfmillionbinghamton.wordpress.com/)

David’s Dead End, the Mayor’s $500,000 plan to pave over the Metrocenter courtyard for ten parking spaces, is officially dead. We want to thank Council President Bill Berg, and Council members Lea Webb, Teri Rennia and Jerry Motsavage (all Democrats) for standing firm, blocking and burying for good this financially irresponsible project that was wrong for so many reasons and sparked a massive groundswell of opposition from residents and taxpayers.

Whereas the three Council Republicans were ready to rubber-stamp this absurd project and saddle local taxpayers with a $500,000 bill–simply to honor and fulfill a backroom handshake deal between the Mayor and one downtown business owner–the four Democrats recognized this project was wrong, wasteful, and not in the community’s best interests.

So thank you Council Democrats!

But the six of us here at Binghamton Advocates for Quality Spaces want to extend even bigger thanks to ALL OF YOU! We’ve been floored by your commitment to stay informed and engaged–and then to act when necessary. And you sure are a diverse lot! We’ve heard from Republicans and Democrats, artists and accountants, high school students and grandparents, business owners and retirees! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Let us celebrate this victory, but our work is not done. Now is when we shift from opposition to advocacy, because we all agree this underutilized space needs immediate attention and improvement. Yes, we stopped David’s Dead End, a dumb parking lot design that prioritized roads and cars. Now we need to work with the four Council Democrats on a creative, cost-effective design for the Metrocenter courtyard  that prioritizes public spaces and people.

You in? Share, share, share…..and stay tuned. Because we ain’t going anywhere.