On his last day as city controller Bill Thompson finally gave in to to a project he's been fighting tooth and nail—the expansion of a jail in downtown Brooklyn. Thrice the former mayoral candidate has blocked the $34 million project, citing price concerns and finally Mayor Bloomberg slapped a lawsuit on Thompson, charging that his opposition to the jail was motivated by a personal grudge. Just yesterday following his announced that he'll run for mayor again, he capitulated to the mayor's demands regarding the infamous House of D.
Thompson wasn't the only one gunning against the expansion of the Brooklyn House of Detention, located at Atlantic Avenue and Boerum Place on the edge of Boerum Hill. Neighborhood residents dreaded the action because they thought it would reverse some of the yuppification the neighborhood has undergone in recent years and produce generally bad prison vibes in their quiet streets.
Thompson, who lost to Bloomberg with an unexpectedly small margin, is believed to be planning another try for mayor next time. It's unclear what prompted his reversal on the House of D; two weeks before the election he said, "This boondoggle has been a disaster since day one," the Daily News reports.
