NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 40
CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE
Sponsored by the Coalition of Concerned Preservation Voters in the 40th District

 

3. Would you support increasing City Council funding for the Landmarks Commission so that they can more actively designate new neighborhoods as well as enforce the landmarks law in already landmarked districts?

Gordon: Yes.

Hopkins: Yes.

James: I would support increasing City Council funding for the Landmarks Commission so that more neighborhoods can be designated and the City landmarks law can be enforced more effectively.

McNally: I support all City Council efforts that would improve landmarks law enforcement and assist the Landmarks Preservation Commission in the performance of its duties.

Razvi: Yes, the inability to enforce the laws renders the designations meaningless.

Schiffman: This is really a two part question. The first is a resounding yes. The budget of the LPC needs to be adequate enough for them to do their jobs properly—whether that means more front line staff and support services as well as ensuring that the LPC has the technology to do their jobs. The second part has to do with enforcement issues. I believe that before enforcement-since the LPC has been so short staffed-there first has to be an aggressive education program in the landmarked neighborhoods on landmark issues ie: what can and can’t be done on one’s property. I have seen in PPS over the years that we have been living here that there can be a misunderstanding by neighborhood residents of what can and can’t be done to properties. So education would need to come before enforcement.
Sharpe: Yes.

Tulloch: Yes.