Going To the Horse's Mouth

The Daily News published this article about negotiations between the city and forest city ratner over the 421 carve out:
Under pressure from the city, developer Forest City Ratner's sweetheart tax break is getting scaled back by state lawmakers, the Daily News has learned.

Officials yesterday agreed to reduce to 15 years the length of time Bruce Ratner is exempt from paying property taxes on 1,900 market-rate condos slated for the Atlantic Yards project, a tweak that could save the city $100 million.

Until now, Ratner was poised to gain heavily from a 25-year state property tax exemption inserted in a housing bill last year by Assemblyman Vito Lopez (D-Bushwick) that would have netted an estimated $300 million, according to experts.

"As far as we're concerned, the issue has been resolved," said Forest City Ratner spokesman Loren Riegelhaupt.

City officials threatened Monday to yank $105 million in subsidies earmarked for Atlantic Yards infrastructure needs unless portions of the so-called 421A housing reform bill involving Forest City Ratner were heavily revised.

It was unclear whether that threat was still on the table.

In particular, officials took issue with the $300 million tax break and another exemption that would allow middle-income tenants to be eligible for 2,500 units of housing once anticipated for low-income tenants.

A Bloomberg spokesman declined to discuss details of the negotiations but said Forest City Ratner and city officials had hammered out an agreement this week.

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Note the last line:

A Bloomberg spokesman declined to discuss details of the negotiations but said Forest City Ratner and city officials had hammered out an agreement this week.

Since when is Forest City deciding what a tax break should be? Why negations with Forest City and not the state - the Daily News, perhaps unwhittingly has pointed out the massive corruption & influence of Forest City, perhaps the city, wishing to save time, went to the horse's mouth.

In addition - Ratner will be not paying 200 milllion property taxes to the city YET, they cityis giving him 2-3 hundred million - so how is the city 'saving' anything?

Why is the city, a publically accountable instution, refusing to discuss the details with the pubic? What is going on here?

This article is very telling for two reasons: first, as noted, it points to the massive corruption and influnce of Forest City - second, it shows just how much it's accepted.