BACKERS BLITZING FENCE-SITTER SILVER BEFORE THE KEY VOTE

June 5, 2005 -- Officials are preparing to go into overtime on the Jets' West Side stadium today.

With a crucial vote by the Public Authorities Control Board put off until tomorrow, stadium-backers such as Mayor Bloomberg are planning an offensive to get skeptical Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver on board.

Adding fuel to the already heated negotiations is NYC2012's desire for a positive vote on the same day the Olympics site committee — which has called the stadium vital to New York's host bid — issues its report on the competing cities.

Olympic backers say if New York can't approve the stadium bid, it can't get the Games.

A vote had been expected Friday but was postponed to appease Silver, who expressed worry that subsidies for the 24 million square feet of commercial development attached to the project would hurt the redevelopment of lower Manhattan.

"The package of incentives for people to build or to move in would create serious competition to the redevelopment of downtown," Silver said.

Silver, Pataki and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno each has veto power over the project.

There were no talks yesterday with Silver, who observes the Jewish sabbath. Patrick Gallahue

SPEAKER GIFF SPEAKS HIS MIND TO BOOST ARENA HE DOES LIKE

June 5, 2005 -- City Council Speaker Gifford Miller threw his weight behind an NBA arena in Brooklyn yesterday, calling it a "stark contrast" from the West Side stadium for the Jets, which he opposes.

"The difference between the Atlantic Yards and the West Side stadium is the city has to contribute $100 million for this project as opposed to $400 million for the West Side stadium," he said at Brooklyn Borough Hall.

But opponents of the $3.5 billion arena and housing development were not so swift to separate the projects.

"Any officials who are against the West Side stadium and are in favor of this are hypocrites and unprincipled," said Daniel Goldstein, a spokesman for Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, a group opposing the arena.

Miller is the first mayoral hopeful to take a stand on the project — to be built over the 21-acre MTA-owned Long Island Rail Road yards — by Bruce Ratner, who bought the New Jersey Nets last year in order to move them to Brooklyn.

Miller claimed his support hinged on the level of affordable housing, its access to nine subway lines and the recent request for bids put out by the MTA. Jennie Leszkiewicz