The New York Times profiles the new head of the newly created Office of Urban Policy:
To his critics, Mr. Carrión’s vision was unremarkable and his record of accomplishments a matter of debate. They argue that he often sacrificed community concerns to please business interests and failed to follow through on many of his ideas.
Mr. Carrion’s promise in 2003 to build ice skating rinks at three Bronx parks fizzled, though a temporary rink is planned as part of the Yankee Stadium redevelopment. His Office of Faith Based Initiatives has been largely inactive after the death of its director. And his plans in 2006 to start a Bronx Sports Commission and a health insurance co-operative for small businesses remain works in progress.
Mr. Carrión’s handling of two big projects especially angered many in the Bronx … The shopping center being built on the site of the old Bronx Terminal Market displaced about two dozen wholesale produce and ethnic foods merchants, and a community benefits agreement negotiated by Mr. Carrión with the developer was criticized for shortchanging residents.
The new Yankee Stadium was built on land occupied by two neighborhood parks, and a number of community leaders and parks advocates objected to the loss of the parks and plans to replace them with smaller parks scattered around the neighborhood. Months after a Bronx community board voted against the stadium plan, Mr. Carrión replaced or demoted several board members in 2006.
“It’s ironic that President Obama hired Adolfo Carrión, whose record in the Bronx at every turn thwarted the interest of the community, and yet the president started his career as a community organizer,” said Richard Lipsky, a lobbyist for the market’s former merchants.
Mr. Carrión received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from several individuals who worked for developers, companies or institutions building retail, housing or other developments in the borough, often as plans for those projects were still winding through the approval process.
What, to you, does this appointment signal about the Obama administration’s perspective on cities and urban policy?
