2004 was not the borough’s finest hour in the public policy arena.

Most Bronx politicians in the machine’s fold continued to support the construction of the filtration plant in Van Cortlandt Park. The project will adversely affect Norwood and surrounding communities in numerous ways. The Eastview site in Westchester was much more suited to an industrial facility of this kind, but the politicians were seduced by more than $200 million in park improvement funds offered by the DEP in exchange for their support.

But even that kind of money does not justify destroying parkland, and endangering area residents, particularly those with, or prone to, asthma.

Barring any last-minute legal heroics, the construction of the plant will begin in earnest (site preparation work is under way now) in 2005. We can only hope that the plant’s prime political supporters will be as zealous in monitoring the construction and proper distribution of park funds as they were in supporting the precedent-setting disruption of parkland.

This year also saw the implementation of an awful pilot program to radically change the way meals are prepared and delivered to Bronx senior citizens. Once again, machine Democrats appeared to favor politics over people, in this case vulnerable seniors.

These deals may have been good for politicians’ personal agendas but not for the people they represent.

The New Year is an opportunity for reflection and improvement. We call on our political leaders to listen to their better angels in 2005.