Handouts to Big Real Estate, and a Festivus for the Rest of Us!
The ‘holiday’ of Festivus was developed as an alternative to the commercialization of the Christmas season and is celebrated annually on December 23rd. First celebrated in the mid-1960s by author and editor Daniel O’Keefe (father of Seinfeld writer Dan O’Keefe), it was popularized on Seinfeld’s December 18, 1997 episode “The Strike,” in which Kramer refuses to work on Festivus and pickets his employer, H&H Bagels.

Seinfeld has a few links to the Village, including Kramer’s disorienting journey to 1st Street and 1st Avenue (“the nexus of the universe”) and Newman’s job at the Cooper Station post office. But Festivus has taken on a life of its own beyond Seinfeld. Festivus features a celebratory Festivus Pole made of unadorned aluminum (selected for its high strength-to-weight ratio), the Feats of Strength, and the Airing of Grievances.
The Airing of Grievances takes place at the Festivus Dinner, where you gather your family and tell them all the ways they have disappointed you over the past year. As George Costanza’s father Frank eloquently stated:

In that spirit, we present the 2024 Village Preservation Airing of Grievances!
Mayor Eric Adams
Mayor Adams has found himself on several naughty lists this year (including those of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the New York City Campaign Finance Board), but he holds a special place on our list as the NYC mayor who has done the absolute least for landmarking in the 60-year history of the New York City Landmarks Law!
According to our report, Analyzing New York City Landmark Designations, A Review of Mayoral Influence and Policy: 1965 to the Present, Mayor Adams is far and beyond, the worst NYC mayor ever for landmarking.

Click here to read the full report.
The Members of the New York City Council Who Voted Yes on “City of Yes for Housing Opportunity”
Under the guise of creating more affordable housing, in 2024 the Worst Mayor Ever for Landmarking pushed through a citywide rezoning called “City of Yes for Housing Opportunity.” Not only is it doubling down on the failed housing policies of the past, it also happens to be giant giveaway to developers with little in it for average New Yorkers.
Instead of preserving and creating affordable housing, the Mayor continues to focus on how he can grease the wheels for his developer friends, claiming the benefits of lining the pockets of real estate interests will eventually trickle down to all New Yorkers. Read our specific objections here, and read our report “Is a Housing ‘Shortage’ Really the Cause of Unaffordability?”here.
Governor Kathy Hochul
This offender was on our list last year for attempting to lift the FAR cap on new residential development. She now makes the list again for accomplishing her nefarious goal (though we did manage to secure some safety net provisions which help protect some parts of our neighborhoods and some of our long-term and less well off residents from the displacement effects). Do better in 2025, Governor!

NYC Parks Department
In spite of the fact that the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center is a designated landmark on the city, state, and federal levels, and has provided generations of New Yorkers with both community and recreation facilities, the NYC Parks Department thinks it’s trash not worth saving.

Rather than repair this beloved community landmark, the Parks Department thinks its only possible future is to demolish it and relocate its facilities elsewhere. And what would be built in its place? No one seems to know. And those who likely do know, won’t say. The community is wildly opposed to this land grab and the battle is ongoing. Click here to tell our City officials that they must preserve this important site.
Merry Festivus to all who celebrate! And best wishes to everyone else for the holidays and the new year.