Former council member dubs Bloomberg an 'honorary lesbian'No one denies Bloomberg's support of the arts (unlike his predecessor, who wouldn't know Art if Garfunkel walked up and introduced himself).
BY DAN JANISON
STAFF WRITER
January 12, 2006
In an unusual ceremony that saw former city Councilwoman Margarita Lopez dub him "an honorary lesbian," Mayor Michael Bloomberg Wednesday marked the transfer of six city-owned lower Manhattan buildings to a group of cultural and artistic organizations.
Each of the buildings on East Fourth Street had been run down, vacant and occupied by squatters, and through the years had been taken over informally by community theater and arts groups. Lopez, an openly gay Democrat who left the Council last month because of term limits, had clashed with the Giuliani administration, which she said sought to have the city sell the properties to private developers.
Last September, however, Bloomberg and the Council approved the sale of the buildings for a token $1 each with the agreement that the 13 non-profit organizations involved would provide "specific cultural and community uses," officials said.
One wonders at the ultimate fate of six buildings in prime real estate regions like East Fourth. Yes, the buildings were abandoned, probably because they were rent controlled in a highly-lucrative neighborhood. One can only imagine how this will be co-opted (pun semi-intended).
Posts
