Benedetto sponsors DMVapproved
Michael Benedetto will
Program from 9 a.m.-4
p.m. on Dec. 4. The course is
held at Fort Schuyler House,
3077 Cross Bronx Expressway.
safe driving course
Registration for this class
begins on Nov. 15. To reserve
a seat, please call Benedetto’s
offi ce at (718) 892-2235. The
class costs $30.
This 6-hour course will refresh
students’ driving knowledge
with a review of timetested
safe driving tips. Those
who complete the course will
receive a reduction of approximately
10% from the base
rate of automobile and motorcycle
liability premiums each
year for three years.
LET US HEAR FROM YOU
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, N BTR OV. 12-18, 2021 13
letters & comments
To the Editor,
This week the right-wing extremist,
who is granted a weekly
column in this newspaper for indiscernible
reasons, is rightly
concerned about the tragic effects
that result from the illicit
drugs that enter the country.
As one might expect, the author
found a way to politicize
the problem and accuse Democratic
offi cials of a failure to actively
combat this problem. He
would have us believe that this
scourge commenced during the
presidency of Democrat Barack
Obama and continues unabated
during the presidency of Democrat
Joe Biden.
No mention is made of the
intervening four years of Republican
rule. Did the problem
magically disappear during this
time? Once again the author has
utilized the “stacking the deck”
fallacy by omitting evidence
that would not support his specious
contention. Obama initiatives
against the illicit drug epidemic
included providing $11
million to increase access to
naloxone, which reverses opioid
overdoses and his Department
of Health and Human Services
awarded $53 million to address
the problem. Trump declared
the opioid crisis a “health emergency”
but requested no funds
to combat the calamity. Perhaps
Trump felt that the opioid problem
would just disappear like
COVID did.
The placement of this blatantly
political column in the
Civic Center portion of the
newspaper is puzzling. The true
civic organizations featured in
this section inform readers of
their efforts to improve the community
and highlight upcoming
local events and activities of interest
to residents. Usually.
This week the MPCA column
did not address efforts to
improve the quality of life in the
neighborhood but served as a
vehicle for the association president
Photo by REUTERS/Larry Downing
to express his partisan political
perspective. A letter to
the editor, like this one, would
have been the appropriate forum
to air the author’s personal
preferences and grievances.
Posting his views under the
MPCA banner gives the false
impression that all members of
the association concur with his
attitude, which some dues paying
members fi nd objectionable.
Pasqual Pelosi
To the Editor,
Republican truck driver Edward
Durr was David, who defeated
long time Democrat New
Jersey state Senate President
Stephen M. Sweeney as Goliath
in the 3rd Legislative District.
Four years earlier, Sweeney was
easily reelected by a 18-point
margin despite the teachers
union spending more than $4
million to defeat him.
Republican underdog Durr
spent less than $10,000 versus
Democrat Sweeney’s $1,061,957.
Sweeney has served in the New
Jersey state Senate as a member
since 2002 and president of the
Senate since January 2010. This
provided him with 19 years of
name recognition, all the perks
of holding public offi ce, along
with endorsements and campaign
contributions from all
the pay-t0-play special interest
groups doing business in Trenton.
It was old fashioned shoe
leather on behalf of Durr going
door to door evenings and weekends
and knocking on more
than 20,000 doors that overcame
the tremendous odds against
his winning. Investing in some
good walking shoes carried the
day for Durr.
This is a lesson all fi rst-time
Bronx Republican underdog
candidates could learn from.
Larry Penner
New York State Assemblyman
be sponsoring a state DMVapproved
Insurance Reduction
From Councilman Mark Gjonaj
commen
BY MARK GJONAJ
At the previous all-Council
meeting, I introduced new
legislation to protect food app
delivery workers throughout
the city.
Food delivery workers, in
the event of an accident, are
generally uncovered. Personal
insurance typically
doesn’t pay out for commercial
vehicle use, and the apps
that these workers technically
contract for, don’t all
offer commercial coverage.
This leaves our couriers, a
large portion of whom are
low-income, with a tricky dilemma:
pay for commercial
liability insurance out-ofpocket
or forego it entirely.
The bill I just introduced,
alongside Councilmember
Francisco Moya of Queens—
who partnered with me on
several packages protecting
small business restaurants
from predator food app practices—
will require that the
apps pay any and all damages
incurred by a courier
(including non-auto) in an
accident. This is an amenity
that should have been provided
as industry standard
from the beginning, and as
your elected city representatives
we have an obligation to
protect city delivery workers
from a fi nancially ruinous
situation.
A recent study from Cornell
found that 49% of delivery workers
have been involved in some
kind of crash, and 75% of those
workers report that they paid
for medical expenses related to
crashes out of their own wallets.
This bill follows a package of
bills I supported several months
ago that conferred new rights
onto food app delivery workers,
including minimum standards
of pay, bathroom use rights, and
limits on trip distance. I look
forward to following this bill
through the legislative process.
For questions related to the
district or legislation, please
contact my offi ce at either MGjonaj@
council.nyc.gov or at
(718) 931-1721. It is a pleasure to
serve the proud residents of
Council District 13. Be well
and stay safe.
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.
link
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link
/council.nyc.gov
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