Editorial
Op-ed
An unpromising start
When early voting polling places
across New York City opened
on Oct. 24, 2020 for the fi rst
voters in the presidential election, they saw
a massive turnout — more than 93,000
people across the fi ve boroughs on the
fi rst day.
But on June 12, 2021, the fi rst day of
early voting in the all-important Democratic
primary for mayor, just 16,867 people
showed up to vote — still a good number
for a beautiful Saturday in June, but just
17% of the turnout seen on Oct. 24, 2020.
It’s a bad sign that the voter interest in
this election — focused primarily on city
government — is nothing close to last year’s
heated presidential contest.
We’ve said it before, and it bears repeating:
The local elections matter, too — and,
in many respects, the people we elect to
represent us at City Hall and Gracie Mansion
have a greater impact on our everyday
lives than those working in Albany or
Washington, DC.
We’re about to select a new mayor to
lead the city out of the worst health crisis
in a century which devastated our economy.
The mayor, among other responsibilities,
oversees the NYPD and the public
school system — and will choose a police
commissioner and a schools chancellor refl
ecting their priorities and reshaping how
our streets are protected, and our children
are educated.
All but a handful of City Council seats
are up for grabs in this election. They will
elect a new speaker who will hold great
infl uence in city government, working with
the mayor to shape budgets and enact new
policy.
They will also be tasked with handling
land use issues and passing new regulations
which will impact every New Yorker almost
on a block-by-block level.
And in this city where registered Democrats
outnumber registered Republicans by
more than a 3-1 margin, the winners of
the June 22 primaries are almost certain
to win their seats in the November general
election.
If you were passionate about voting last
November and were willing to stand in
line to cast your ballot, you ought to do
the same in the week ahead — because this
primary matters just as much to the life of
our city.
To the victors belong the spoils — but to
the apathetic non-voters belong the silent
shame from refusing to make their voices
heard when they had the chance.
Publisher of The Villager, Villager Express, Chelsea Now,
Downtown Express and Manhattan Express
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Returning to in-person
learning important for
every school
BY GINA CHRISTOFORATOS
If you heard a deep sigh of relief across
New York City a few weeks ago, it
might have been around the same time
that parents of students at Archdiocese of
New York Schools found out our kids are
returning to the classroom next fall with
no remote or hybrid learning.
For some parents, whether in public or
private schools, remote and hybrid learning
has had some benefi ts. It’s been a blessing
to spend more time with our children and
to bear closer witness as they grow into the
well-rounded individuals we aspire them to
be. But it’s not been without serious hardship,
for both parent and child.
I have two children who have attended
or currently attend a Catholic school in Inwood,
the same school I went to years ago.
Regardless of where our kids go, I know
parents like myself have had to make tough
decisions with information that kept changing
daily. I’ll be forever grateful that my
family remains healthy and safe due to the
oversight that school leadership provided
to help prevent the spread in our Catholic
school communities.
Unlike so many of our fellow New Yorkers,
our family was fortunate—we could
work and study from home with relative
comfort. While it was a tight fi t for everyone
in our home, and our schedules were
crazier than normal, we tried to make sure
the kids kept up with the work without
burning out.
Still, it wasn’t easy—for ourselves or for
the teachers. I witnessed every day how
educators were “all in,” doing their best to
engage our children and encouraging them
from the other side of a small camera. But
PHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES
it wasn’t the same as being in a classroom
setting, especially for my youngest. While
trying to stay optimistic, it was hard not to
feel disheartened.
While the pandemic reminded us about
so many things that are out of our control,
it also helped reinforce that there are things
we can do to help our families stay healthy
and ensure our kids thrive. Going back to
solely in-person learning next fall is one of
those choices that makes sense intuitively
after watching students and their families
struggle with remote learning.
For nearly a year now, families have been
caught in the push and pull over health and
safety. How do we keep our kids safe during
a global pandemic, but also support their
education in a healthy and holistic way?
How do we do any of that in a way that’s
fair to the families with essential workers
putting their livelihoods on the line, while
making sure our kids don’t feel abandoned
or isolated?
We’ll probably never have satisfying
answers to those questions—families are
doing the best they can with their individual
circumstances. But knowing that
my children’s school system will offer fully
in-person education again next fall is an
incredible reassurance that I wish every
parent can feel soon. It is an option that
all families deserve.
To know that my kids will get some
sense of normalcy next fall is a relief in and
of itself. Having them back in a classroom
where they can pray, learn, and grow together
with their classmates and teachers is
another blessing to be grateful for.
Gina Christoforatos is a mother of two
whose children currently attend a Catholic
school in Inwood.
10 June 17, 2021 Schneps Media
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