On Tuesday, the Common Council passed a resolution expressing the opinion that the Mill Street parcel, the site of the proposed Mill Street Lofts, is municipal parkland and its conveyance for a nonpark use may constitute an alienation of parkland which requires specific authorization by the New York State legislature.
The Mill Street resolution sent to my desk earlier this week by the Common Council aligns a fellow lawsuit defendant with the party suing us.
The Common Council had been briefed by Planning Board and Corporation Counsel prior to Tuesday's vote on this matter. The vote goes against the guidance provided by our taxpayer-funded attorneys.
I believe the best course of action in regard to this lawsuit is to let the legal process play out in the courts. The resolution before me--regardless of the Council's semantic gymnastics--attempts to weigh in on a matter that is central to the lawsuit.
By the power vested in me by § C6-2 Approval of legislation; veto power of the Hudson City Charter, on this day, October 2, 2026, I veto Common Council Resolution No. 6 of September 29, 2026.
The same paragraph of the charter cited by the mayor indicates that the Council can override a mayoral veto with a two-thirds vote. On Tuesday, nine of the eleven members of the Council voted in support of the resolution, and two abstained.
Is this why Joe took a pay cut?
ReplyDeleteMaybe Joe should donate the remainder of his salary to cover the City’s current and future legal bills rooted in his unforced mistakes.
How much does it cost taxpayers every time DPW mows that field? Does it take more than an hour to mow it? Or just 45 minutes? There is a park across the street with a field big enough to throw a frisbee or play cricket (that DPW mows every week in the summer!), soon to be "improved." Let this one be returned to nature, maybe plant some trees. No need to ever water it. The birds, insects, butterflies, moles, foxes, bears, and other important critters would appreciate it, as would our lungs and brains. Enough with this nonsense.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if a resolution that isn't codified, that doesn't have any enactment clause, can be called "legislation." It's more like a mood ring. Be that as it may, it's nice to see the mayor hang tough on his determination to screw the nice folks who already call Mill Street home and double-down with this show of force . . . vetoing a piece of 1970s ephemera.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine being a developer who is such a jerk that you want to proceed with your project in spite of fierce community opposition. I've had a business here for 36 years, but would have left decades ago if I didn't feel welcome.
ReplyDeleteWe are now three years into this project. Why is the alleged alienation of parkland a matter of opinion? Can no one confirm the status of this parcel? Some of the supporting text in that resolution is extremely thin; people using a parcel as a ball field doesn’t mean it’s a ball field. When I was a kid, my friends and I played football all over our neighborhood, in whichever field was least damp that day. Didn’t make them football fields.
ReplyDeleteIt’s pretty cut and dry if a parcel is municipal parkland or not.