GB Metz

@notthegiraffe

Dad, gadfly, housing abundance and safe streets. Your neighbor from Kew Gardens, Queens.

1115 Siguiendo735 Seguidores1691 Publicaciones

Bluesky

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GB Metz@notthegiraffe· 8d

In case you needed to know, @speakermenin.bsky.social and the Council are shaping up to be full-on backlash NIMBYs.

"In Tuesday’s meeting, Williams and other members said they were also troubled by a 2014 law review article Mangin wrote in which he blamed “wealthy homeowner cartels” for stifling affordable housing production in “high-demand, high-cost neighborhoods.” In the same piece, Mangin lamented that housing developments typically hinge on a need to pair them with so-called community benefit agreements.

“The housing advocacy community tends to argue for a ‘kludgy’ set of policies that can actually prevent new development and end up increasing housing prices,” Mangin wrote in the 2014 Stanford Law and Policy Review article, specifically mentioning community benefits agreements as one such nuisance.

Community benefit agreements on housing developments generally include incentives like local hiring guarantees and commitments to upgrade infrastructure in surrounding areas.

Bronx Council member Kevin Riley, who chairs the Council’s Land Use Committee, told Playbook that Mangin’s writings, coupled with his work on the Charter Revision Commission, raise serious red flags."

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· 15d

I don't know about you, but I always look to former Manhattan Institute, NJ natives when I'm looking for insights on how Michigan Dems should vote.

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· 24d

What's funny/dumb is that even the few Canadian wooden stick manufacturers largely make their sticks not in Canada.

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Jun 26

New Yorker here. It's 41%, according to the Rent Guidelines Board.

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Jun 24

The "Other" here is for rent-regulated units that have been lost to reasons such as condemnation and...that's not a trend we should be having if we want to keep our RR stock. And it starts right around 2019, when HSTPA passed.

Rent Guidelines Board table on Subtraction of units from Rent Regulation, 1994-2025. The other column is for things like disrepair, and there's a massive jump starting in 2019, with 2025 seeing over 7k, where in previous-to-2019 it didn't break 2K, and only got close once.

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Apr 28

Screencap from NYTimes article on a focus group of disenchanted Trump voters. When prompted about how Dems could win their vote, one participant (Pamela, a 65-year-old white Republican from Tennessee) says "I would say stop whining about everything. I feel like they find a cause, and then they just whine about it until there’s something else to whine about."

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Apr 14

Hoo boy.

Lindsey Boylan trying to score a pedantic rent regulation point against the wrong opponent.

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Apr 10

Sorry, former mayor Adams. You maybe should have researched better.

Screencap of an extradition treaty between Albania and the US.

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Mar 25

Anyway, the @queenslink.org Business Case can be pulled from the below link, but here's a teaser summary infographic to peak your curiosity. thequeenslink.org/reports-stud...

Fast Facts on the Queenslink. Spoiler: it's good.

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Mar 25

Of course, bc it's the @nytimes.com they will have to make the case for the stupid suburban-style rails to trails, but here's just one of tables in the report:

Ridership comps to other US transit project. QueensLink fits right under the GOATed 2nd Ave Subway.

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Mar 12

A reminder, @pcac.org found that pricing just half the spaces in NYC $5.50/day could net billions for the city.

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Mar 11

Vibes.

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Mar 7

Lamar's post makes sense now.

Lamar Jackson posted the cryptic "Denzel goes boom" gif with no other details, similar to when he signed his last extension.

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Feb 28

Your turn.

Still of the classic TWIN PRAKS title slide but with the words "THIS IS YOUR LIFE NOW."

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Feb 26

meanwhile on the Ottawa Senators reddit:

From r/OttawaSenators: "You have to wonder, if you bring in a sign that says Tkachuk supports a pedophile, will the Sens kick you out? It would be nice if Ian Mendes could weigh in on all of this."

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Jan 9

Butterfly meme with text "Is this Tren de Aragua?"

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Jan 3

Has...he met his boss?

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Dec 10

TFW you unlock the next level in the dungeon but it's actually just heading to Javits.

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Dec 2

Blasting this to voters in TN-7 right now.

"The economy is the top issue for 38% of Tennessee voters, followed by housing affordability (15%), healthcare (13%), threats to democracy (13%), immigration (6%), crime (5%), and education (5%)." -- Emerson Polling, TN-7, Nov 22-24

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Nov 3

The deal being "Yeah, fuck that guy."

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Oct 29

Queens CB4 is home to maybe the most severe overcrowding in the entire city, so of course they'd want to ease that with some new apartments, right? gothamist.com/news/elmhurs...

From Queens CB4's resolution rejecting the new development: "The Queens Community Board 4 (QB4) is against such a high-density development that would overwhelm local
infrastructure and alter neighborhood character and cast shadows upon the low to midsize dwellings, blocking out the sun,
and encourage other developers to propose rezoning to the rest of the M1-1 zone and ultimately the R6 zone to the east to
R7X in future actions. "

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Sep 26

It seems like every five years we get left policy wonks who think repealing Faircloth will create a social housing utopia, and I'm sorry to report that's just not the case. We should get rid of it bc artificial barriers to more homes is bad, but it's not a real barrier to social/public housing.

David Sirota: "Abundance Guys engineered a debate about housing that somehow never mentions AOC's bill to simply repeal the oligarch-backed GOP law that limits the amount of affordable housing local governments can build.

"It's almost as if this omission is a deliberate act of deception." [LINK to AOC's bill to repeal the Faircloth Amendment.]

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Sep 15

I'll allow this from Suozzi. At the end of the day his voice does not matter/he at least acknowledges he has worse instincts than Hochul.

I will not be endorsing Mamdani. While I share his concern about the issue of affordability, I fundamentally disagree with his proposed solutions. Like the voters I represent, I believe socialism has consistently failed to deliver real, sustainable progress.

People have asked me about the Governor’s decision. I have not discussed this with the Governor and I am not in a position to give the Governor political advice considering the fact that when I ran against her she beat me soundly.

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Aug 22

Jaguar is American? Target went woke? Disney didn't just beat earnings expectations? It's all lies for the sake of outrage and attention, all the time.

X post from Rep Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL): Bud Light. Target. Disney. Jaguar. Now Cracker Barrel. One by one, once-great American companies are self destructing with woke rebrands.

When will executives take the note: Wokeism isn’t just a failed ideology, it’s economic suicide.

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Aug 4

This honestly might be the best pizza I've made. Using my meatloaf for the meatballs (I use a meatball recipe) was exceptional. And the combo of homemade sauce, provolone base and galbani block cheese for with Parm grated on top...amazing.

Illustration of the crumb from one of the cheese slices.

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Aug 3

Full sheet grandma pie tonight. Half cheese for the kids, half meatball. It's a little more well done than I would have liked, but the taste test will be key.

Well done grandma pie, half cheese half pepperoni.

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Jun 28

Bc I'm not seeing this on here...seems like Mamdani is doing exactly what he needs to do to make the general a snoozer.

From X: As @NYCMayor is meeting with busy leaders, @ZohranKMamdani has been talking to @Partnership4NYC CEO & biz powerhouse Kathryn Wylde.

Wylde tells me she’s organizing a big CEO meeting w/ Mamdani next month, to introduce him to that world& give him a chance to pitch his vision.

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Jun 16

jfc, this non-endorsement endorsement from the @nytimes.com (which is no longer in the business of endorsements) is some weak, weak shit. It's like if stooge Rich Azzopardi was tasked with writing an editorial on the mayoral election but was forbidden from endorsing his boss (Cuomo).

NYTimes: "Given those polls, however, the crucial choice may end up being where, if at all, voters decide to rank Mr. Cuomo or Mr. Mamdani. We do not believe that Mr. Mamdani deserves a spot on New Yorkers’ ballots. His experience is too thin, and his agenda reads like a turbocharged version of Mr. de Blasio’s dismaying mayoralty. As for Mr. Cuomo, we have serious objections to his ethics and conduct, even if he would be better for New York’s future than Mr. Mamdani."

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· Jun 3

I'm losing my mind.

1/3
"Andrew Cuomo has a record of executive experience that stands head-and-shoulders above his fellow candidates in this Democratic primary field. Yet, rarely has a candidate arrived with a resume as thick—or as complicated. After nearly 11 years as governor, and earlier service in Washington as Secretary of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and New York State attorney general, Cuomo is the most seasoned government executive to seek City Hall in living memory.

His record of delivering major infrastructure projects and landmark laws while reducing Albany dysfunction to a minimum showed a mastery of politics, implementation, and the levers of government. Those levers were pulled to advance reform under his watch. Achievements during his tenure included tougher lobbying disclosures, a constitutional ban on gerrymandering, the nation’s first statewide public-matching funds program, numerous election and voting reforms, and a mandate for local police reform.

Cuomo now offers New Yorkers a vision of strong, stable leadership to navigate the city’s complex challenges, including those posed by the current President. Citizens Union believes he is well-suited for that task. A tough and competent mayor could lead our city to new heights."

2/3
"...suited for that task. A tough and competent mayor could lead our city to new heights.

Cuomo understands power and would be uniquely able to advance the city’s interests in Albany and Washington on Day One as Mayor because of his previous government positions. That offers a tremendous advantage to deliver for our city, especially in a time of crisis. But his past misuse of power cannot be ignored: from shuttering the Moreland Commission to intervening in the ethics agency he created, from COVID nursing home data omissions to accusations of sexual harassment, from using government resources to write his memoir to recent campaign finance problems. An aggressive style of governing ultimately alienated members of the legislature, forced his resignation and clouds his potential return.

Citizens Union knows this history firsthand. We sued Cuomo to overturn a law aimed at pressuring public charities not to criticize his administration by exposing their donors. We opposed his lawsuit against the state ethics commission—as the lawsuit was an effort to avoid accountability that would have weakened oversight. When mounting sexual harassment allegations made it clear he could no longer effectively lead the state, we were among those who called for his resignation.

To re-earn New Yorkers’ trust, Cuomo must leave behind that domineering approach, forge a..."

3/3
"To re-earn New Yorkers’ trust, Cuomo must leave behind that domineering approach, forge a constructive partnership with the City Council and Governor, and show a genuine commitment to avoiding the ethical missteps that marred his past. Recent penalties imposed on Cuomo’s campaign by the New York City Campaign Finance Board regarding alleged coordination with an affiliated Super PAC raise concerns. But in conversation with Citizens Union, he pledged to set clear ethical standards, including strict conflict-of-interest rules, independent oversight, stronger whistleblower protections, and a cooling-off period for officials tied to former clients, and to seek out a new generation of leaders to join his administration. Notably, he now supports ending the city’s closed primary system, citing chronically low voter participation, and advancing open-primaries which would open the door to more representative elections.

If he can balance hard-won wisdom and a degree of newfound humility with his unmatched command of governmental levers, Cuomo could marshal City Hall’s power for all New Yorkers’ benefit."

GB Metz@notthegiraffe· May 24

I do not share this from the @nypost.com with glee, but Cuomo becoming mayor is something that can't happen.