The Brooklyn Eagle reports on the latest round in the SaveLICH saga. Kings County Supreme Court Justice Carolyn Demarest granted Public Advocate/ mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio a seat at the “intervenor” table in determining the next operator of Long Island College Hospital. He joins the Brooklyn Heights Association, the Cobble Hill Association, the Riverside Tenants Association and other community groups in that search. When de Blasio ceases to be Public Advocate in January, either to assume the Mayor’s office should he win the election or to return to private life, he will be succeeded as an intervenor by Tish James, who faces no Republican opponent in the general election.
Control of LICH was taken away from SUNY by court order in August.
More progress in fight 2 #SaveLICH: Judge grants our "motion to intervene" in case 2 determine next hospital operator http://t.co/awpJjcLZZV
— Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) October 9, 2013
Brooklyn Eagle: De Blasio and the community groups are all being represented by the firm Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher. The motion to intervene was filed in August.
Explaining the “intervenor” status, a spokesman for de Blasio said, “We [the Public Advocate’s Office] will be able to take part in conferences, question witnesses, appeal decisions, sign off on any agreement,” although Justice Demarest would have the ultimate authority to select an operator.
Jane McGroarty, vice president of the Brooklyn Heights Association, commented, “The Brooklyn Heights Association is grateful to Justice Demarest for allowing the community and the Public Advocate to be parties to the court proceedings that have resulted from Justice Demarest’s Decision and Order of Aug. 20, 2013 in which the transfer of LICH to SUNY was rendered null and void.
