In Public Service: Maisel thrives on being problem solver
Councilmember Alan Maisel was deeply concerned not too long ago about a proposal by the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) to install a bike lane on East 108th Street in Brooklyn. “They would have had to take a two-way street and turn it into a one-way street,” he told the Brooklyn Eagle. Parking spaces would have been lost as, he said.
Maisel told DOT officials that “nobody is going to use it” and that “there is no place to park as it is.”
But he didn’t stop there. He also brought the problem directly to DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, who paid a site visit to the area with Maisel and subsequently decided to cancel the bike lane plan.
Maisel told the Eagle that the experience illustrates Mayor Bill de Blasio’s good judgment in appointing city commissioners. “Mayor de Blasio is a very smart guy. He has excellent commissioners,” Maisel said.