In June, former Nassau County legislator Roger Corbin (Democrat-Westbury) was sentenced to 18 months in Federal prison for tax evasion and lying to Federal agents in connection with payments from developer Ranjan Batheja relating to the New Cassel urban renewal redevelopment plan. Corbin has just been indicted on state charges by Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice, who is seeking the Democrat nomination for Attorney-General. http://www.longislandpress.com/2010/06/28/roger-corbin-sentenced-to-18-months-in-prison/
Besides Corbin, fellow Democrat former Nassau legislator Patrick Williams, Norh Hempstead Community Development Agency director Neville Mullings, and former North Hempstead building and planning commissioner David Wasserman were indicted with ensuring that the development contract was given to Batheja who gave more than $220,000 in checks to Corbin.
This urban renewal scheme involved eminent domain on a widespread scale, even taking the property of St. Luke’s Pentecostal Church. I was personally involved in rallying the defense of St. Luke’s Pentecostal Church. Federal and state funding secured by former Senator Hillary Clinton, North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman, and Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, all Democrats, was celebrated by them at a ground-breaking near the site taken from St. Luke’s.
As a libertarian, even if there were no bribery or extortion involved, I regard the New Cassel urban renewal scheme as criminal–the legalized crime of theft from landowners and taxpayers. Urban renewal is a legalized theft scheme sold on fallacious notions of economic development. It is a developed world version of the cargo cult.
-30-
About the author: Richard Cooper is an international trade executive with a manufacturing firm on Long Island, New York, USA. He is active in the Libertarian Party www.lp.org on eminent domain and other issues. He was chair of the Libertarian Party of New York http://ny.lp.org.
Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) helped defend St. Luke’s, thanks to aide Bradley Jansen.
Presidential Candidate Defended Black Church Dispossessed By Eminent Domain https://groundreport.com/articles.php?id=2853645