‘Get Back to Work’

At a time when the majority of New Yorkers are calling on Governor Spitzer and his top staff to tell the truth about “troopergate,” Democrats Carolyn Maloney and Jerrold Nadler are urging that efforts to get to the truth be abandoned [Oped, “Get Back to Work,” August 14, 2007].

These statements appear to have been a coordinated effort by Ms. Maloney, Mr. Nadler, and others to protect an embattled governor at all costs.

However, people who see the clear comparison of this scandal to Watergate will see through their smokescreens. The Attorney General’s report on the Spitzer administration’s improper use of the State police resources for political purposes, along with subsequent published reports, clearly show that the governor’s top aides have stonewalled efforts to get to thetruth.

While the governor claims his administration has fully cooperated with investigators, the truth is that his top aides refused to cooperate or testify under oath.

The Albany County District Attorney and the State Ethics Commission have launched investigations because the Spitzer administration has not been honest and forthcoming.

The blatant misuse of the State police to further political power should concern all New Yorkers and these investigations are warranted. The one point Ms. Maloney and Mr. Nadler got right is that we cannot move forward with doing the people’s business and restoring integrity to the governor’s office until there is a full airing of the facts of this unseemly episode.

Martin J. Golden
State Senator
Albany, N.Y.

‘Goldman Sachs Tower Construction Zooms Ahead of Freedom Tower’

A recent story in your paper gives the impression that work on the World Trade Center site is lagging [Real Estate, “Goldman Sachs Tower Construction Zooms Ahead of Freedom Tower,” August 9, 2007]. I thought I was reading an article from last year.

In September of 2006, the Port Authority finalized agreements with Silverstein Properties Inc. and the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation that allowed us to assume responsibility for construction of the Freedom Tower and the Memorial.

Since that time, every acre of the World Trade Center site both below ground and on street level is under construction.

There are more than 500 construction workers on site each day, along with nearly 100 pieces of construction equipment, including large cranes and heavy earth-moving equipment.

In less than a year, we’ve already awarded $1.2 billion in construction contracts for the Freedom Tower and another $110 million in contracts for the Memorial.

The foundations and footings for the Freedom Tower are nearly complete, and we’re anticipating that steel will begin to be installed for the Memorial by the end of this year. More than 10,000 cubic yards of concrete have been poured for the Freedom Tower, and 4,500 cubic yards of concrete poured for the Memorial.

In addition, some of the large structural steel columns for the tower have been installed, rising to street-level.

The Port Authority has a long and proud history of building great projects. We were honored last year to take over construction of these two high-profile projects, and they remain on schedule and on budget.

Stephen Sigmund
Chief of public and Government affairs
The Port Authority
New York, N.Y.

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