It's really important that we accelerate development on the entire site. Many people say the Freedom Tower is not a viable economic proposition even with Liberty Bonds and insurance money. It stands in the way of the development of the balance of the site, which would otherwise be quite feasible.

They are the first major commercial tenant to come into the World Trade Center site. So it's a very important commitment. And it is highly valued by the city and the state. We hope it's a magnet.

Public opinion polls have shown that people support the mayor taking an aggressive role downtown and that they want to see the development of the site accelerated.

The site is an embarrassment, first and foremost, to all of us that felt confident it would move forward more quickly than it has.

Brian has always been reasonable and has a reputation for seeking consensus on difficult issues.

We have every indication that the city is prepared to look closely at that.

We've already got reports that sales were down this last weekend over last year. I'm sure there's been an impact on tourism as well.