Thursday, November 5, 2015

When Community Advocates Are Really Paid Political Public Relations Advisors

Cobble Hill Association can now confirm that Hilltop Public Solutions, a political public relations firm operated by former top-level campaign organizers for Mayor de Blasio, is aggressively operating a "messaging" campaign in our neighborhood in support of Fortis's proposed high-rise complexes for the LICH site. Hilltop's campaigners (who say they are working for "the LICH project") are collecting and asking residents' opinions on schooling and playgrounds to forward to New York City Councilmember Brad Lander. What is not stressed by these campaigners is that both redevelopment plans will place high-rise tower complexes over 35 stories high in our low-rise historic neighborhood.

We do not believe a consultancy firm paid for by the real-estate developer of the LICH site should presume to represent our community's opinions to our representatives. We are asking all residents of Cobble Hill and throughout South Brooklyn NOT TO RESPOND to Hilltop's solicitations. CHA is reaching out to Councilman Lander's office immediately to inform him of Hilltop's stealth campaign.

For more on Hilltop's lucrative relationship with the Mayor, read this New York Times article. And in case you missed it, the Wall Street Journal also recently ran an incisive report on Mayor de Blasio's abandonment of LICH and our community. We are updating our Facebook page regularly with news and information about the Fortis redevelopment plans and what we can do to protect our community from falling victim of gross overdevelopment. Please "like" CHA on Facebook and invite your neighbors to follow us on Facebook as well. We need your support!!

5 comments:

amy said...

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/nyregion/development-de-blasio-style.html?ref=nyregion&referer=http://m.facebook.com

Anonymous said...

CHA needs to ramp up efforts here. The ULURP plan is a disaster. As of right is less of a disaster. Please do more to combat the insane ULURP plan

Anonymous said...

So where is the big legal action this Association promised, huh? Nothing? Thought so.

Dave 'Paco' Abraham said...

When was legal action promised? Is there any legal ground upon which to actually build a case anyone knows of?

Anonymous said...

No, there isn't any legal action except nuisance suits which is delay only. The new CHA leadership fired the one guy who might have been able to negotiate a better ULURP but anyone who knows anything knows that there are no legal actions except nuisance and delay.... And for those who think there won't be any building there, there may still be a bridge you can buy up the river a bit.