Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Bloomberg Wants Silverstein Out of the Ground Zero Sandbox
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 24, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 24, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Mayor Bloomberg wasn't kidding about wanting a bigger role in the redevelopment of Ground Zero: He made sure the Daily News could tell World Trade Center leaseholder Larry Silverstein that Bloomberg wanted him to "Butt out, Larry". Gotta love the tabs and how they cut to the chase. Bloomberg told the Daily News Editorial Board, "It would be in the city's interest to get Silverstein out, [but] nobody can figure out how to do it yet. And can you imagine the stink if you gave him half a billion dollars or a billion dollars in profit to get him out?" Not if it's your own money, Bloomberg!
Among of the other things Bloomberg told the board: The September 11 victims' families may be too powerful for the own good of redeveloping downtown ("What merchant is going to rent a store and then get picketed? So there are some real practical aspects.") and that residential buildings and schools should be built, instead of all the commercial space (clearly an election year way to get in the "affordable housing" part of his promise). Responses: One 9/11 families organizer called the mayor a "dictator" and the Port Authority says that laws prohibit building residences down there. Recents polls do confirm that most people want Mayor Bloomberg to run things at Ground Zero, versus Governor "The Lamest Duck" Pataki, but who knows if the Mayor would be able to wrangle things down there. It's like the Wild West, but in pinstripe suits, American flag buttons and more than enough ego to go around.
Do you think the Mayor should try to push Silverstein out? Or should the Mayor go back to figuring out what went wrong with the West Side Stadium plan?
Tagged
9/11
affordable housing
bloomberg
daily news
Daily News Editorial Board
downtown
editorial
election
governor
ground zero
housing
jen chung
larry silverstein
laws
love
mayor
mayor bloomberg
money
new york
new york daily news
news
News: NYC
people
Politics
polls
port authority
redevelopment
schools
september 11
the city
The September
Trade Center
west side
west side stadium
wild
wild west
world trade center
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Mamdani faces pressure to forge ahead with plan to fix polluting South Bronx market
“We cannot let this fail,” Comptroller Mark Levine said of the Hunts Point Produce Market plan.
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Oct 5, 2026 at 1:15 p.m. ET
Dominican man who shot border patrol officer in NYC sentenced to 15 years in prison
The shooting during a botched robbery occurred amid heightened tension over immigration enforcement.
By
Samantha Max
News
Dominican man who shot border patrol officer in NYC sentenced to 15 years in prison
The shooting during a botched robbery occurred amid heightened tension over immigration enforcement.
By
Samantha Max
NYC extends program offering late-night soccer games at 5 parks
By
Liam Quigley
Two Legionnaires’ disease cases appear at a Queens housing complex. Here’s what we know.
By
Joe Hong
Cyclist dies in Central Park after crashing into off-leash dog, NYPD says
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .