Photo: Image © Richard Wanderman

Geoffrey Croft, source of much imperative information about – and protector of – our city’s parks and public spaces via his organization, NYC Park Advocates, was asked by Gotham Gazette to list his predictions for 2009.

Here they are:

* Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Speaker Christine Quinn will hold a joint press conference to apologize for misleading statements made during the term-limits debate: Both had repeatedly insisted the public could actually choose not to re-elect them in November. They acknowledge that out in the last 107 City Council races, 98 percent of the incumbents were reappointed. They admit council members have only a slightly less chance of returning to office than former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein did during his last re-election bid. (He garnered 101 percent of the vote.)

* For the first time in more than four decades, elected officials will abide by the City Charter and begin to allocate adequate expense dollars to maintain, secure and program parks.

* The Bloomberg administration will apologize for installing more than 100 million pounds of chemically laden recycled tires in our parks and schools and realize natural grass is good for the environment.

* The city will voluntarily agree to test all materials installed in playgrounds for heat before they burn more children.

* Mayor Bloomberg will initiate community-based planning and consultation for all park projects. He agrees to send out $400 rebate checks to victims of poor park policies. The program will be suspended 24 minutes later after 311 is overwhelmed by calls from residents living near the new Yankee Stadium, the Van Cortlandt Park water filtration plant, Washington Square, the Ridgewood Reservoir, Randall’s Island, Union Square, the planned Brooklyn Bridge Park and others. The mayor will respond, “Don’t they know we’re experiencing the golden age of parks?”

* The New York Yankees will give back their city financing and admit the new stadium places an undue burden on taxpayers.

* After being visited by the Ghost of Christmas Future, all 29 Council members who voted to ignore two voter referendums on term limits will have a sudden change of heart and not seek re-election. Bloomberg holds out. Tipped off about the coming visitation, he posts extra security at his Upper East Side townhouse and prevents entry. However, the next day — after receiving a note left by the spirit saying he would return soon — the mayor agrees to participate in the city’s campaign finance program.

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You can read others’ predictions at the Gotham Gazette site.

To see the above photo with specific locations pin pointed, including Washington Square Park, check this out.