Sheldon Silver’s torpedo-veto of the stadium left an enraged Bloomberg declaring that New York had “let down America.” But how do New Yorkers feel? We stopped 100 people at random on the street to ask about the stadium, the Olympics, and the rebuilding of ground zero.

Did you want a West Side stadium?
Yes . . . . . . 37
No . . . . . . 48
No preference . . . . . 15

Whom do you favor in the mayoral race?
Mike Bloomberg . . . . . . . 41
Anthony Weiner . . . . . 4
Freddy Ferrer . . . . . . . . . . 9
Gifford Miller . . . . . . . 2
C. Virginia Fields . . . . . . . .6
Don’t know . . . . . . . . 38
(64 percent of stadium supporters plan to vote for Bloomberg vs. 26 percent of the anti-stadium folks.)

Why do you think Bloomberg was so fixated on building the stadium?
“Insatiable thirst for power.”
“For his legacy.”
“He’s friends with the people who would benefit.”
“Economic boost for the city.”
“Grandeur.”
“Publicity.”
“Downtown was Pataki’s baby; Bloomberg’s ego needed something.”

What’s your opinion of Sheldon Silver?
It was split right down the middle— but 38 respondents had never heard of him.

What should happen to the West Side site now?
“Affordable housing” led the pack, followed by “park.” “A farm would be cool.” “A casino.” “Whatever gets the MTA the most money.” “Anything to create jobs.”

Do you want the 2012 Olympics in New York?
Yes . . . . . . . . 52
No . . . . . . . 28
No opinion . . . . . 20

New York seems unlikely to get them now anyway. So which of the other contestant cities do you like?
Paris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
(Clearly, we’re not as Francophobic as the rest of the nation.)
London . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Madrid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Moscow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
No opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Will the defeat of the stadium promote building at ground zero?
Yes . . . . . . . .40
No . . . . . . .41
Don’t know . . . . . . 19

So, what should be built at ground zero:
Freedom Tower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Trump’s idea: the old WTC—plus an extra floor . . . 20
Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
(“The U.N.” “Something not designed by Trump or David Childs.”)
Just a memorial with a park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
No preference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Apartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Jets stadium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Related:

• Archive: “Intelligencer”
• Table of Contents: Jun 20, 2005 issue of New York | Subscribe!