Gjonaj letters & comments
Dear editor,
In the July 31 issue of the
BTR, the head of the Morris
Park Community Association
did not report on local
issues or activities in the
community but saw fi t to
use the civic center column
to express his personal political
views, which are not
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR AUGUST 7-13, 2020 13
BY COUNCILMAN
MARK GJONAJ
Last week, my offi ce cohosted
a small business reopening
webinar with the
Bronx Times and the Bronx
Chamber of Commerce. This
virtual event allowed us to
discuss the various reopening
guidelines and resources
specifi c to small business and
after that, the discussion was
opened to a question and answer
session. On the whole,
the webinar was extremely
successful. We were able to
cover a range of topics from
increasing local consumer
confi dence to the prospects
of indoor dining.
During the question and
answer segment of the webinar,
we were able present the
great online resource produced
by the Bronx Chamber
of Commerce in the way
of bronxmeansbusiness.
org, which has clarifi ed for
ease and convenience, all of
the seemingly confl icting
reopening information received
by small businesses.
Speculation on timelines for
indoor dining was also made,
with it still as of yet, remaining
uncertain. Outdoor dining
however, has seen great
success with a lot of small
businesses who have demonstrated
immense creativity
with their specifi c outdoor
dining solutions.
Customers of Bronx small
businesses, I would like to reiterate
the importance of hygiene
and proper PPE. Hand
washing and mask wearing
go a long ways in virus protection
for oneself, other customers
and employees of visited
businesses. The fi rst step
in helping our small business
make it out of this pandemic
and the economic recession it
has caused is by making sure
businesses and their employees
remain healthy and able
to operate. Beyond hygiene
and mask wearing, it is essential
that we make a concerted
effort to shop locally,
and whenever possible and
safe to do so, avoiding purchasing
products via thirdparty
intermediaries like ecommerce
companies.
Small businesses looking
for available resources and
consumers looking to help
their local businesses are encouraged
to contact my district
offi ce at 718-931-1721 or
at mgjonaj@council.nyc.gov
for details.
LET US HEAR FROM YOU
Letters to the editor are welcome from all readers. They should be addressed
care of this newspaper to Laura Guerriero, Publisher, the Bronx Times Reporter,
3604 E. Tremont Ave., Bronx, NY 10465, or e-mail to bronxtimes@cnglocal.com.
All letters, including those submitted via e-mail, MUST be signed and with a
verifi able address and telephone number included.
Note that the address and telephone number will NOT be published and the
name will be published or withheld upon request.
No unsigned letters can be accepted for publication. The editor reserves the
right to edit all submissions.
Lifetime Pelham Bay resident
Anna J. Feaster, affectionately
known as “Cookie,”
unexpectedly passed away on
Friday, July 17, 2020. Cookie
is survived by her loving husband
Robert Feaster, her son,
Rob Feaster and his wife Tara
and her daughter, Michelle
Feaster. She was the greatest
Oma in the world to her grandchildren,
Cassandra and Robert
Feaster and Kaelyn and
Isabel Newgent.
As she requested there will
be no service or memorial. Instead
play some loud music,
hug those you love and raise a
glass high for Cookie.
From,
The Feaster Family
Photo courtesy of the New York City Council
shared by many in the organization.
To the editor,
How interesting it is that
the letter by Pasqual Pelosi
is printed directly above
that of the very prolifi c
Larry Penner.
Mr. Penner’s letter du
jour concerns Senator
Schumer allegedly stonewalling
a bailout without a
bailout for the MTA. The letter
is actually a thinly veiled
attack on the MTA bailout;
not Senator Schumer. Mr.
Penner’s disapproval of the
MTA bailout has been published
in issue after issue
of BT, BTR, and every other
newspaper in the metropolitan
area that publishes
Mr. Penner’s letters.
Why exactly does Mr.
Penner have an issue with
the MTA receiving money?
I agree that the MTA should
better manage its money.
But the MTA, has lost millions
if not billions of dollars
due to COVID-19.
Is Mr. Penner in favor of
reduced service provided by
the MTA? But wouldn’t reductions
in service interfere
with another of Mr. Penner’s
ideas: everyone taking public
transportation and no
one using his personal vehicle
(except for Mr. Penner, of
course)? Is Mr. Penner in favor
of thousands of MTA employees
being laid off? But
wouldn’t that interfere with
another of Mr. Penner’s letters,
patronizing local diners
to keep them in business?
Wouldn’t this also interfere
with yet another of Mr.
Penner’s ideals, patronizing
local business that advertise
in local newspapers?
How about this: Mr.
Penner is so addicted to seeing
his name in print that he
will write anything to get his
name in print, no matter how
ridiculous, trite, or contradictory
of his previous position?
And how about this: Mr.
Pelosi is right on the money.
There is absolutely nothing
fair, impartial, or balanced
about BT/BTR’s journalism.
– Nat Weiner
CM Gjonaj helps
small businesses
Trump is so despicable to proclaim he’s “LAW and ORDER” when he has, and continues to,
commit the utmost unlawful, disorderly and unconstitutional acts!!
– Michael S. Wilbekin
Mr. D’Angelo is certainly
entitled to his political
opinions, but it is inappropriate
to disseminate these
views via a column ostensibly
devoted to local matters
and the MPCA’s work. Instead
of using the civic center
column for personal political
opinions, which some
members of the MPCA fi nd
odious, Mr. D’Angelo should
utilize a more suitable forum
such as a letter to the editor
or an op-ed piece, where
his opinions are clearly labeled
as his, and his alone,
avoiding the false impression
that these opinions are
shared by the membership of
the MPCA.
– Pasqual Pelosi
BY JASON COHEN
On July 29, residents and elected offi -
cials joined Friends of 4 Parks Alliance
Inc. as they participated in a clean up of
Franz Sigel Park.
About 45 people participated in the park
clean up, including Senator Jose Serrano.
The Friends of 4 Parks Alliance took to social
media to thank all the participants for
“another successful park cleanup.”
“We are defi nitely making progress and
it seems that more and more people are interested
in our community and our work.
We know that the parks are being used more
than ever with the volatility of the coronavirus
and closures across the city and we
are so excited to see our parks in use and
the members of our community happy and
thriving and we sincerely hope that this
trend of spending time outdoors will continue,”
said the organization in a statement
on Facebook.
The alliance added that the Parks Department
would place more trash cans in local
parks and encouraged park goers to “put
litter where it belongs.”
On July 29, residents and elected offi cials joined
Friends of 4 Parks Alliance Inc. as they participated
in a clean up of Franz Sigel Park. Courtesy of Friends of
4 Parks Alliance Inc.
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