Randall's Island deal voided; judge strikes blow to city's no-bid contract habits

Posted by Philissa at 6:30 AM

Good news for parents out of a State Supreme Court room in Manhattan yesterday: A judge ruled in favor of East Harlem residents who sued over the city's secretive agreement last year to give 20 private schools almost exclusive access to the playing fields on Randall's Island. As opponents of the plan argued, the deal was made illegally because the city circumvented a required competitive bidding process, the judge ruled, voiding the agreement. According to the New York Times, the city must now resubmit the proposal through the Uniform Land Use Review Process, which requires City Council approval. Given the council's stance on the DOE's habit of entering into costly no-bid contracts, and the press the Randall's Island showdown has gotten, the mayor and chancellor will likely have a hard time pushing the proposal through.