NETS CEO Brett Yormark Tells It Like It Really Is!
At last we agree on something.
After years of hyperbole from developer and Nets' owner Bruce Ratner and his Nets chief, Brett Yormark, concerning the Nets' intended move to Brooklyn, CEO Yormark finally said something that is both entirely believable and astounding in an interview with Julian Garcia on DailyNews.com Wednesday:
"There was an incredible amount of uncertainty with Brooklyn, and through Bruce's incredible efforts, (it got done)," Yormark said. "And he deserves all the credit in the world. No one thought he was going to get it done."
Either he's lying, or he's very confused. I dunno, but the CEO who's been involved in all the planning and worries and effort to make this thing happen should know the score if anyone does. And he's the guy who kept saying it could and would and will happen. Phew.
So if I understand him, "no one thought he was going to get it done" means that Marty Markowitz, Michael Bloomberg, George Pataki, the heads of the ESDC, the Nets investors (including Jay-Z, of course), the investment bankers who sold the (almost) junk bonds last December, and... and... all of us critics and doubters and nay-sayers were of the same mind? Incredible! I mean, Yormark said it clearly: No one thought he could get it done.
We opponents probably can all agree that it still won't happen as described at various points along the way: not the jobs, not the opening date, not the tax revenue, not the housing. All of those figures were deliberately over-optimistic and in some cases, deliberately misleading, such as the constant chanting that it would provide 10,000 construction jobs (it won't - there may be some union construction jobs but way fewer than 1,000 at any one time, per their own figures.) As for the facts, see the court cases that are still active and analysis available online.
It pains me to say, "we told you so," but we did and we will continue to do so. Stay tuned.