Posts
After the Jan. 6 protest at the Capitol, comrade de Blasio vowed to rid the city of one of its most successful real estate developers who went on to become President. Trump's success evidently angered de Blasio since he tried to do the same and failed miserably because most people don't want a Communist POTUS.
But the failed mayor didn't let that stop him from doing what he does best: tear down things and destroy them. So on January 13 de Blasio said he would pull all the Trump Organization's longtime concession contracts that operate the Central Park carousel, the Wollman and Lasker skating rinks [where this writer put on his first pair of ice skates as a kid and fell dozens of times], and the Trump Ferry Point Golf Course in The Bronx, proving de Blasio is an oversized, jealous idiot.
“This president has committed an unlawful act, he has disgraced himself, he will no longer profit from his relationship with New York City,” de Blasio whined to reporters. But while de Blasio is willing to strip away the Trump name at on the taxpayer's dime, if he had waited until spring, the contracts would have expired anyway and he could have just refused to renew them.
“This president has committed an unlawful act, he has disgraced himself, he will no longer profit from his relationship with New York City,” de Blasio whined to reporters. But while de Blasio is willing to strip away the Trump name at on the taxpayer's dime, if he had waited until spring, the contracts would have expired anyway and he could have just refused to renew them.
The campaign, like de Blasio's policies in general, went down the bowl right from the start. Getting rid of Trump's involvement would have closed the two skating rinks six weeks early in the skating season and would have angered skaters as a result. City Hall had to walk it back and allowed the contract to run its course, making de Blasio look like a big buffoon.
Now with the contracts going to new operators, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, Equinox and Related Companies in July, the rates shot up. Under Trump, a family of four paid $95 to enter; under the new operators they pay $109. Congratulations, New York. You deserve what you got good and hard.
There was nobody to operate the Central Park for all of the 2021 summer season. The de Blasio crew finally got Central Amusement International, the company that operates Luna Park in Coney Island, Brooklyn, to run it for five years in late July. It finally reopened October 16.
The Wollman rink is now under construction and will re-open in November under new management.
But the bigger clusterfrack is the court battle over the effort to evict Trump from the Bronx golf course.
The Trump Organization claims in its lawsuit opposing the termination that it is entitled to over $30 million in reimbursements if they get the boot. De Blasio hates Trump so much that he might be willing to have the taxpayer foot the bill, despite Comptroller Scott Stringer requesting a time out in the rushed process.
“I’m just learning of this and have to look at that and find out exactly what this is about,” Eric Adams, the mayoral-race frontrunner and former cop, told The New York Post regarding the city possibly being on the hook for tens of millions. Adams is running against Republican Curtis Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels.
The Bronx golf course known as Trump Ferry Point, was built on a garbage dump that closed in the 1960s. It took 14 years to develop--perhaps due to the wait for the odor to subside--and finally opened in 2015. It was New York's newest golf course and then-Mayor Mike "Short Round" Bloomberg asked Trump to take over the management and construction due to his company's experience with such projects. It reportedly cost $269 million to build. Trump added a 20,000-foot clubhouse in 2018 which he says cost $10 million.
The city’s termination notice issued in February, for Trump’s Ferry Point contract still had 13 years to run. The notice stated it was “because the Trump brand is now synonymous with an insurrection against the federal government” and can no longer attract tournaments. But no tournament was ever promised as per the contract, only a “tournament quality course.”
And what happened on Jan. 6 was not an insurrection when you consider what happened across the country during the Antifa/BLM "protests." If you're looking for an actual insurrection, look no further than Portland, Seattle, New York City, and Minneapolis, for starters.
In recent state Supreme Court filings, the city doubled down and told the judge that if it can’t terminate “for cause” based on the Capitol insurrection, it would use the boilerplate “at will” clause because Bill de Blasio is an oversized baby whose only concern is getting personal revenge and not for the 150 jobs that would be lost under a new operator.
The course is used by many people in the community and also Bronx organizations, some of whom spoke passionately at a city Franchise and Concession Review Committee hearing earlier this month.
* * *
Why not subscribe to Brain Flushings and check out the ads on these pages. It costs nothing to subscribe and it's worth every penny. And remember, every time you click on an ad, you help in the fight against the tech giants.
* * *
In recent state Supreme Court filings, the city doubled down and told the judge that if it can’t terminate “for cause” based on the Capitol insurrection, it would use the boilerplate “at will” clause because Bill de Blasio is an oversized baby whose only concern is getting personal revenge and not for the 150 jobs that would be lost under a new operator.
The course is used by many people in the community and also Bronx organizations, some of whom spoke passionately at a city Franchise and Concession Review Committee hearing earlier this month.
In spite of the pleas, the panel plans to hand the course over to a Georgia-based operator under a 13-year contract beginning in November. The 4-2 vote to approve the changeover came despite the objections from residents and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.
This is de Blasio's parting shot at Trump, but it's also a parting shot at the city's residents who voted this weasel into office.
To date this year, the Trump course has hosted 25,220 rounds of golf and grossed far more than $8.2 million — double what was made during the pandemic shutdowns in 2020 and $1 million more than in 2018 — and the course expected to reach $10 million by the end of the year.
The course attracts players from across the globe because it boasts the legend Jack Nicklaus' "Signature Design." De Blasio and his cronies seemed to have ignored their agreement with Nicklaus' company that gives them a "veto" over who operates the course. And if they strip the Nicklaus name from it, there's going to be a serious financial hit taken by the city just to stroke de Blasio's ego.
Nicklaus Companies CEO John Reese said in an Oct. 12 letter to the committee, “We have no desire to become entangled in city politics; however, we are unhappy with the prospect of having The Trump Organization summarily removed,” adding that Park Commissioner Mitchell Silver never responded to a Feb. 16 letter.
The course attracts players from across the globe because it boasts the legend Jack Nicklaus' "Signature Design." De Blasio and his cronies seemed to have ignored their agreement with Nicklaus' company that gives them a "veto" over who operates the course. And if they strip the Nicklaus name from it, there's going to be a serious financial hit taken by the city just to stroke de Blasio's ego.
Nicklaus Companies CEO John Reese said in an Oct. 12 letter to the committee, “We have no desire to become entangled in city politics; however, we are unhappy with the prospect of having The Trump Organization summarily removed,” adding that Park Commissioner Mitchell Silver never responded to a Feb. 16 letter.
Bill de Blasio does not have his head stuck in a sand trap--he has it stuck in his nether regions.
