The Mayor Comes to Jackson Heights
Last night, Mayor Bloomberg came to Jackson Heights for a dinner meeting with the Jackson Heights Merchants Association at the Jackson Diner. At the same time across the street were about 25 residents led by the Western Jackson Heights Alliance. They came with placards and loud voices, hoping to get the Mayor’s attention. They chanted, “Mayor Bloomberg, talk to us!”. So, he went over and talked to them, albeit briefly. He has (or his office has) been aware of the demands of the community regarding overdevelopment, noise, and litter. The WJHA has strongly supported the creation of a city task force to investigate such issues. The city basically says, that a task force can’t be accommodated right now (”putting the cart before the horse.”).
While inside the Jackson Diner, the Mayor talked to the Merchants Association about public transportation issues (extending the 7 eastward), development and homeless issues, among other things. The Merchants seem to really like Mayor Bloomberg. While talking to them, he referred to the peeved residents outside, which I think was a good move. He could have totally ignored them both inside and outside the Diner, but chose not to.
Related:
Mayor Visits Jackson Heights Amid Protest From Residents [Queens Chronicle]
Noise and Congestion in Jackson Heights [previously on OuterB]
