Mr. Bloomberg responded angrily during a news conference to the suggestion that the Department of Buildings had failed to ensure public safety.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the D.O.B. — D.O.B. didn’t crash; it was the crane that collapsed,” Mr. Bloomberg told reporters. “Keep in mind that construction is a dangerous business and you will always have fatalities.”
TWO DISASTERS IN TWO AND 1/2 MONTHS - MR MAYOR ISN'T IT TIME TO ADMIT THAT DOB DID CRASH - BEFORE THE THIRD?
May 30, 2008 / 91st Street
March 15, 2008/ 51st Street
(an unpublished letter to the NY Times)
The deaths and injuries caused by two recent crane collapses were both tragic and miraculously limited. For decades New York City's development philosophy has been that what’s good for the real estate industry is good for the rest of us. The Department of Buildings, our “cop on the beat” was left underfunded and understaffed. The Guliani administration changed the rules to allow architects hired by builders to “self certify” zoning and housing code compliance. The real estate industry has now forfeited the right to this degree of trust.
Its time to remove the fox from the henhouse door before there is a third crane disaster. High rise crane projects need to be halted pending a safety procedures review that is similar to what NASA did following the Challenger disaster. New Yorkers have a right to be assured by competent independent experts that they can live and work near high rise construction sites without fear.
