Mike Drop: No Neutral Choices, by Mike Racioppo

The late great historian, Howard Zinn used to say, “you can’t be neutral on a moving train.” What he meant was that we are part of a world that is moving whether we like it or not and therefore have choices to affect its direction. Soon, you’ll have an opportunity to vote for our next president. If you are one of the people that feel this election offers two bad choices, I’ve got news for you. We have only one future and sitting it out is not an option.

I read things in academic journals on the failings of the “lesser evil” argument and how things must get worse before they get better. Yeah, tell that to someone who loses their healthcare or food stamps because you believe things must get worse before they better. Or tell it to someone as Trump’s hot headedness ends the 60-year prohibition of nuclear weapons, not to mention other possible destabilizing events in a Trump presidency.

It’s the most entitled response. Many who offer it have little fear as they have a net that those who live on the margins don’t have. All we have is a choice and it’s clear. Vote for Hillary Clinton or risk being part of why Trump got elected.

A more local choice that seems to be a constant topic for discussion is the future of Gowanus – both the canal proper and the surrounding neighborhoods. The topic has as many plot twists as the local studio production of the “Americans.”

The one constant is the federal presence overseeing the dredging and capping of the waterway and working with NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and National Grid to remediate the Manufactured Gas Plant sites.

However, regarding everything else, it seems as if one day there is momentum for this, then fast forward a bit and there’s momentum for that.

I can’t say with any certainty what the future will hold. What I can say is that I’m incredibly encouraged at the process that has been unfolding.

I’m referring to the NYC planning commission’s formal kick-off meeting to a neighborhood wide planning study, held on October 27. This followed our lengthy series of neighborhood meetings to develop a statement of our shared values and Department of City Planning’s informal meetings held this summer and fall.

The purpose of all this organization and effort is to build a consensus on the best way to create a neighborhood that can – by re-examining our zoning – manage change and allow for a healthy mix of business, affordable housing, and a strong arts culture that is supported by a robust infrastructure. This meeting was just a first step in the next phase of a process initiated to rescue us from a dystopian future dominated by hotels and storage facilities by matching our zoning to our values.

The planning meeting was very well attended. I’d guess over 200 people gathered on a chilly, rainy night. We are engaged and this matters. The wants, needs and dedication to what happens in Gowanus did not go unnoticed by our elected officials, including Councilman Brad Lander and Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon, as they noted the great turnout. Their leadership and support for engaging in what is never an easy discussion is much appreciated.

Over the years, as the City Planning’s own website notes, there has been an ongoing dialogue about what to do.  With this dialogue, there have been various snags and bumps along the way. But I’m hopeful that we now have, with the support of Lander and Simon, the means to make a freshly scrubbed Gowanus great.

The next meeting in this process, focused on sustainability and resiliency, will take place on Thursday, December 8. Time and location TBD.

Michael Racioppo is the Vice Chairman of Community Board 6 and the Executive Director of the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation