The name game

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Time was when having something named for you was a special honor indicating your contribution to the public good. Presidents were immortalized at the entrance to schools. Senators and mayors had bridges named for them. Stadiums were named for their teams or for civic leaders who worked tirelessly to bring the team to the city.

Not anymore. Today the name game belongs to those who can pay to play. 

Forget William A. Shea. We probably wouldn’t have a National League team in New York without him, and in a gentler era the city expressed its gratitude by naming the Mets’ ballpark Shea Stadium. 

But once Citibank ponied up $400 million — even as it was accepting federal bailout money — Shea’s name was banished from the team’s handsome new park, Citi Field.

Of course, a privately held for-profit team can do as it wishes, but lately not-for-profits have been finding themselves in uncomfortable positions as sometimes controversial contributors are demanding to have top billing as presenters of buildings, plazas, even movie and concert series.

David Koch, one of the infamous Koch brothers who have invested so heavily in ultra-right wing candidates and causes across the country, is also a philanthropist who has given generously to both Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Now, ballet and modern dance lovers of a liberal bent cringe every time they pass through the doors of what used to be called the New York State Theatre and see David Koch’s name emblazoned on the doorpost.

Last month, the Metropolitan Museum was excoriated by art and architecture critics as it unveiled a new $65 million plaza on Fifth Avenue paid by — and named for — David Koch. 

Politicians have been in on the game for years, using our tax money for self-aggrandizement, often with unintended consequences for their grantees.

Riverdalian Hilary Baum — wife of the publisher of The Press — ran a not-for-profit organization that accepted funding from the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation (BOEDC), an arm of the borough president’s office.

She used the money to create a popular Sunday farmers’ market near Borough Hall. It provided fresh, mostly local produce to low-income families for five years without incident.

Then BOEDC funded handsome banners on Grand Concourse lampposts — with a catch: then Borough President Fernando Ferrer’s name had to be on them. 

Mr. Ferrer was running for mayor against Rudy Giuliani and as soon the banners went up, the market’s street permit was pulled. Forlorn signs advertised a market that was no longer there.

A more recent election has landed another not-for-profit in hot water. The Kingsbridge Riverdale Van Cortlandt Development Corporation (KRVC) accepted state money from Sen. Jeff Klein for a set-up to show outdoor movies and concerts. What could be bad about that? The trouble was, the organization shared the set-up with other communities in the senator’s district and it was hard pressed to refuse when the senator and his supporters used the stage to politick during the run up to the September primary. 

His opponent, Oliver Koppell, cried foul and went so far — too far, we think — as to refer the matter to the state Attorney General.

After all, Mr. Klein was only doing something that has become all too common among our elected officials.

Bronx Arts Ensemble concerts have delighted local audiences for years. But now top billing goes to Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, who “presents” the concerts. 

Both Mr. Klein and Mr. Dinowitz have long records of funding worthwhile local projects, and they deserve credit for choosing wisely when dispensing state money. But they — and their ilk in Albany, Washington and City Hall — ought to remember whose money they are dispensing. Wouldn’t it be refreshing to see the ads for the Bronx Arts Ensemble or the next outdoor movie saying “Presented by the People of New York State”?

discretionary spending, Shea Stadium, Citi Field, Koch brothers, Metropolitan Museum, Hilary Baum, BOEDC, Fernando Ferrer, Rudy Giuliani, KRVC, Jeff Klein, Oliver Koppell,

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