Coney's "Unofficial Mayor" Speaks Out in an Open Letter

Coney Island USA's Dick Zigun, who is known as the neighborhood's "Unofficial Mayor," sent out an open letter on Wednesday that was widely circulated. Jotham Sederstrom wrote about the letter in the Daily News yesterday, noting that Mr. Zigun had referred to developer Joe Sitt and his firm Thor Equities as "a bully." The letter was also posted on the Coney Island Message Board and, among other things, the Mermaid Parade founder says that "I fear for Coney Island’s future as a center of amusements and popular culture." He also said that his personal experience with Mr. Sitt has led him to conclude that the developer "is dishonest." It should be noted that Mr. Zigun is generally very supportive of Coney Island redevelopment and that he and his organization have played a vital role in its revival thus far.

We won't reproduce the entirety of Mr. Zigun's letter, as it is quite long and is posted here. (We suggest reading the full letter if you're interested in Coney Island.) We are posting a few excerpts, given his deep roots in Coney Island and the role he has played in its revival thus far:

Coney Island can change, of course, but it must remain true to its calling; first and foremost as an amusement park and not as primarily a shopping mall or residential neighborhood.

As you may know, in the next couple of weeks the City and the Coney Island Development Corporation are expected to roll out their long awaited zoning recommendations for future development in Coney Island. For all of us who have worked so hard to preserve this unique place, this is great news and I, for one, have faith that the city will do the right thing for Coney Island...

Unfortunately, Coney Island's historic and current interests are most certainly not on the mind of the single largest land owner and bully within the amusement district: Thor Equities and its principal, Joe Sitt...Based on my own personal experience with Mr. Sitt and my understanding of both Thor's history and their plans, I fear for the future of Coney Island...My personal experience suggests again and again and again that the man is dishonest...

...while we're likely to see a lot more fancy drawings and likely to hear tons of empty promises about jobs and integrity from the folks of Thor, what we're probably not going to see from Thor is an acceptable or realistic vision for the neighborhood we all love so much.

Interesting words from one of the pillars of the Coney Island amusement community.

If you want to read a letter posted in reply by Lee Silberstein, the former Thor spokesperson that strongly defends Mr. Sitt, you can click here. It says, in part, "It is also unfortunate that some of Thor's tactics allow some to view Joe as a bully. I am firmly convinced that Joe's heart and his head are in the right place, and that his vision is right for Coney Island -- even if some of the tactics Thor is using are not."

Mr. Zigun's words foreshadow a potentially very difficult road ahead for Mr. Sitt and his plans as publicly presented thus far.