Now there is one more chance — maybe the last — to make up for past mistakes. The breakdown at the site seems legally incurable and invites creative thinking. On one hand we have a private developer without the money to build, and on the other, a public agency that only has the peoples’ money to spend. So, while “the richest man in New York” and “the most powerful man in New York” try to strong-arm the Port Authority into subsidizing the construction, a recent legal opinion in a New Jersey paper raised doubts that the PA has the statutory authority to underwrite any of Silverstein’s buildings — including Tower Four.

So where does that leave us? Nowhere, with nothing to show for years of hot air and billions of dollars except, in Cuozzo’s words, an “unloved, morbid Memorial” and hearts that are still broken. And that is all we are likely to have for a long time, without a massive infusion of public funds. Which brings this letter full circle, because that would require the kind of public comment that has been only window-dressing thus far. Disdain for the way democracy works is at its most visible at Ground Zero and for the good of all that must change. The people are not tokens. We are the missing link in what could be an historic process. We know a thing or two.

Governor Pataki, after spending years insisting that the Libeskind plan was the result of a democratic process, admitted on MSNBC in February of this year that he and Mayor Bloomberg thought the competition favorite, the THINK design, was “just terrible.” The entire rebuilding process was distorted because, as he once remarked, he never liked the Twin Towers to begin with. But where does the presumption come from that one person’s preference matters more than anyone or everyone else’s — especially in the case of public officials?

If the Vinoly design had been chosen, instead of the Libeskind plan, is there any doubt that redesigns would have left us with the inspiring sight of Twin Towers open for business today? But mistakes are opportunities. We don’t think the future of Ground Zero is nearly as bleak as it seems. The billions of dollars in savings that would have resulted from a transition to Twin Towers II have been offset by all the frenetic activity that led to an inevitable dead-end. But, Mr. Gardner is still committed to seeing this cherished American symbol rise in the Metro New York skyline and is, therefore, researching the feasibility of a mixed-use World Trade Center, world-class galleria, state-of-the-art convention center, and sports complex on the other side of the river, as a complement to the future renewal of Ground Zero.

As for the Twin Towers Alliance, we’re going to appeal to the media to get behind an honest inquiry into a best-case scenario before we settle for anything less. An unimpeachably independent analysis needs to establish whether or not we are really as stuck with the current plan as some would like us to believe — before Mr. Silverstein finds a way to pick the publics’ pockets of more treasure or Mr. Ward pours any more money down the WTC drain.

Until the options are known and widely debated, it would be malfeasance to inject more public funds into the site, because nobody knows what they’re doing. It is time for those who have been parroting the “train has left the station” line to have the grace to be ashamed of where that approach led us and let some common citizens inject some common sense. We have an in-depth understanding of the problems — gained over years of dedicated involvement — for love, not money — and some specific proposals on how we can transcend the current malaise.

We surely didn’t create the fiasco at Ground Zero, but as citizens we have a right and a duty to propose solutions that deserve consideration. We sincerely believe that the possibility of building a World Trade Center worthy of the name has never been more likely than it is today. Or more unlikely, if we allow those who brought us to this point to continuing driving the train, because they have forfeited the right.

It would be a mistake to try to paint us as spoilers. And it would be a mistake to try to turn this uniquely bipartisan, unifying issue into a partisan debate. That is the sort of manipulative Madison Avenue tactic that we can expect — and we are confident it would backfire.

Former Governor Pataki, the man who, more than any other, perverted the natural response to 9/11, read an Einstein quote at this year’s 9/11 ceremony. It was a quote about serving others — but what people most need to be reminded of now is some of Dr. Einstein’s other advice. “The definition of insanity,” he famously pointed out, “is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” He also cautioned that “we can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

George Pataki may never get it, but we have a feeling some true public servants soon will.