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Volume XX • Number 4 • January 24 - 30, 2013 •
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Stanton campaign raises conflict of interest By MIAWLING LAM The editor of the P.S. 24 parents association newsletter has been placed on City Council candidate Cliff Stanton’s campaign payroll. The Riverdale Review can reveal that Jennifer Firestone is receiving $1,000 a month from Stanton’s campaign committee for political consulting. Because Firestone is also the editor of the P.S. 24 PA’s Sounding Board and has the opportunity to include publicity for the City Council candidate in the public school’s newsletter, her campaign role presents a possible conflict of interest. Firestone does not disclose her ties to the Stanton campaign in the PA bulletins, which she edits on a volunteer basis. According to documents filed with the Campaign Finance Board, Firestone collected $1,000 from Stanton’s campaign committee on each of four separate occasions: September 18, October 17, November 15 and December 20. Each line item payment is listed as a “consulting fee.” Some charge that Firestone’s editing role could be clouding her judgment and that she is giving Stanton favorable editorial coverage in the PA bulletins. In the most recent Sounding Board issue, released this past fall, Stanton is featured in three photographs and rates a mention in six separate articles discussing his in-
volvement in the Boo Bash fundraiser, mock presidential election and International Walk to School Day. As usual, however, Stanton is given a half-page column to discuss traffic and safety-related issues in his capacity as the school’s safety committee chair. A separate item refers to the press conference Stanton held on September 10, when he proposed legislation calling for the creation of 20-mph safety zones outside all New York City schools and senior centers. “Stanton has been fighting for traffic-calming measures for the schools along Independence Avenue for four years,” the news brief states. In contrast, the issue released last spring features no photographs of Stanton and just three editorial mentions, while the winter issue boasts only Stanton’s traffic and safety column. When contacted on Tuesday morning, Stanton declined to comment and said, “I’ll pass on that one,” while Firestone could not be reached before press time. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said Firestone’s dual roles represented a clear conflict of interest. “She is getting paid by the campaign, and at the same time, she edits the bulletin, which gives an extraordinarily high degree of coverage to the candidate whose payroll she is on,” he said. “Unfortunately this gives the impression that many
people already have, which is that this parents association, which contains so many concerned and active parents, has been highly politicized.” No taxpayer funds are used to produce The Sounding Board—the school relies on advertisements from community organizations and businesses to print the bulletin, published by the P.S. 24 parents association. Although no public money is involved, Councilman G. Oliver Koppell said it was highly inappropriate for Firestone to occupy both positions and called on her to temporarily quit one of the roles. “It is a little troublesome,” he said. “Certainly it should be disclosed, at the very least. “Probably from an ethical point of view, it would be best for her to not be the editor at this time.” As of press time, calls to the Department of Education for comment were not returned. Stanton is hoping to succeed incumbent District 11 Councilman G. Oliver Koppell in this year’s citywide elections. Koppell is currently serving his third and final term and must vacate the office due to term limit rules. As of press time, there were three registered Democratic candidates in the race: Stanton, Community Board 8 member Andrew Cohen and Fieldston School track coach Cheryl Keeling.
Stella D’oro shopping mall on track for fall opening By MIAWLING LAM Parts of Riverdale Crossing, the $80 million shopping mall located at the former Stella D’oro cookie factory, could open its doors by as early as October. Metropolitan Realty Associates president Joseph A. Farkas said the two-story mall would most likely be unveiled in two stages—the north building will open first, with BJ’s Wholesale Club set to follow suit a month later. Farkas revealed the revised completion dates during a brief one-on-one interview with the Riverdale Review last week. “We’re shooting for October for the little building and mid-November for BJ’s. We’re trying to get in before Thanksgiving—that’s our goal,” he said. Once opened, BJ’s Wholesale Club will anchor the 165,255-square-foot shopping center, occupying more than 118,000 square feet in the south building on West 237th Street. All spaces in the north building should also be fully leased and built before fall, Farkas said, but due to co-tenancy clauses in the leasing agreements, businesses may choose to wait for BJ’s to open before serving eager shoppers. National retailer Petco, banking institution Bank of America and casual sportsthemed restaurant Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar have already signed leases to occupy space in the north building. “The project is moving along. We just poured concrete, 400 yards, in the ground this week for the north building,” Farkas said. Farkas declined to single out any other future retailers by name but provided a hint of what could come when asked what
industries the businesses were in. “It’s a combination of service vendors and restaurateurs,” he said. “We want to bring the project further along so people can visualize what we’re building, and then we anticipate papering the neighborhood and letting people know what’s available. And so we hope there will be a nice mix of national and local tenants.” Meanwhile, Farkas, who made a surprise appearance at last Tuesday’s Community Board 8 traffic and transportation committee meeting, allayed residents’ fears that Putnam Avenue West would be turned into a commercial truck route. Locals originally feared that BJ’s delivery trucks would be directed onto Putnam Avenue West after taking the Van Cortlandt Park South exit off the Major Deegan Expressway. However, Farkas said the traffic plan has evolved and that was no longer the case. Instead, he said, trucks would now travel up the Major Deegan Expressway, take the West 230th Street exit, travel north on Bailey Avenue, turn left onto West 238th Street and take a ramp into the mall to unload. Up to 500 free parking spaces will also be provided at the site. “Children’s safety is most important to us,” he said, after hearing the concerns of around a dozen parents who live in the area. “I am very respectful of your situation. There’s nothing that we would ever want to do to adversely impact your neighborhood.” Farkas said BJ’s would make deliveries only during off-peak overnight hours, while trucks serving businesses in the north building would make their deliveries using a new cul-de-sac at
West 237th and Broadway. Riverdale Crossing is expected to generate around 325 full-time equivalent retail jobs and 500 union construction jobs.
Metropolitan Realty Associates purchased the site of the former Stella D’oro factory for $18.75 million in August 2011.
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz hands Riverdale resident Helene Afon a check for $5,000. She lost her husband of 52 years in a fire which destroyed her home.