I don't understand why you think posting this article was pathetic. This was not a hit piece. It was a fairly balanced view of what Giuliani was actually responsible for doing. It states that his efforts wouldn't have been possible without prior city planning, but it clearly states what he did to make the project a success.
I don't speak for NYC Republican but I'll answer.
I don't think merely posting the article was pathetic (nor do I think that's what he was saying). Posting articles is what FR is about. But many of the responses to the article have been pathetic. If you don't believe me see me tangle with someone poo-pooing the difficulty of radiation cancer therapy above, just so they can keep their "dig" against Rudy.
I disagree that the article offers a "fairly balanced" view. The intent and raison d'etre of the article is clearly to try to reduce Giuliani's credit for cleaning up Times Square in peoples' minds. Articles headlined "Did [so-and-so] really [do such-and-such accomplishment]?" are almost automatically leading, subjective fishing expeditions with an agenda in mind.
Why does this article exist? Is this a news article? Did some news event occur right now in late 2007 which prompted "AP Staff" to investigate and write this article about whether Giuliani, as 1990s mayor of New York, "really" cleaned up Times Square?
No.
They (someone or some editor at AP) wanted to write a Rudy-takedown piece and so they did. This is not news, it is not balanced, and it is not even very informative, because the entire premise is based on a straw man. When Rudy takes credit, or people give him credit, for cleaning up Times Square, nobody means that he singlehandedly did so and that no other human had anything else to do with it.
If the criticism above is valid, it's valid for every accomplishment of every single leader in any institution. If Rudy didn't "really" clean up Times Square then no leader has ever "really" accomplished anything. That is where the standard they're applying logically leads. But of course, they aren't applying that standard equally to all leaders - just Rudy Giuliani.
"Balanced" indeed.