24 The QUEE NS Courier • JANUARY 9, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com editorial “Identify This Place” to find out where this is letters IDENTIFY THIS PLACE Go to www.queenscourier.com and search Job well done The winter storm Hercules blew in and the city was well prepared. Our new was a true novice in such matters, but with the help of our Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty and his tenacious and diligent sanitation crews, they got the job done. I live in Glen Oaks Village and our main roads were done by morning. Our Sanitation Department had done what was needed to keep us safe and allowed us to get to our daily tasks and for that I give them all a “high five.” Frederick R. Bedell Jr. Glen Oaks Village Take your time, Mr. Mayor There is no rush for Mayor Bill de Blasio to fill several hundred City Hall staff positions, along with hundreds for various city agencies. The 300,000 municipal employees ably lead by several thousand managers are quite capable of continuing to deliver the critical services which millions of New Yorkers count on while Mayor de Blasio assembles and puts his own management team in place. Larry Penner Support DiNapoli’s audit Charter schools can’t have it both ways. They should either stop their false claim that they’re public schools or stop their false claim that as private entities they’re beyond judicial reach. They should step up to the plate and stop dodging State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s financial audit of charters. Charter schools depend on public money as the primary source for their funding, but they luxuriate in their imagined immunity from the oversight that governs and sheds light on the operations of true public schools. Most of your readers are hard-working, taxpaying people who have every right to be aware of and the duty to question the astronomical “management fee” profits of charter schools that are being underwritten by their blood and sweat. Profit is not a dirty word, but when charter schools end the year with millions of dollars of largesse, an inquiry is in order. The comptroller is no patsy. He is a watchdog for us New Yorkers. His job is to prevent the extravagant waste of your readers’ money. His lawsuit, which the charter school is bitterly disputing, is a fight against “public funding without any real accountability to the public.” Not all fans of charter schools are zealots with an infinite capacity for excuse-making and evasion of responsibility for the toll of their mischief. Let unvarnished truth about charter schools emerge from an unhindered and impartial court action. Ron Isaac Fresh Meadows Share the skies The latest story regarding the adding of the snowy owl to the list of birds needing to be killed around our area airports is nothing short of barbaric. Yes, it is very important for passengers and flight crews to be safe on airplanes landing and taking off, but it is also imperative for the Port Authority and wildlife officials to sit down and attempt to come up with a viable solution to this continuous problem. At this rate, every single bird that flies near the airports will be targeted for mass shooting. Keep in mind that it was not the most intelligent thing in the world to do, when the sites for our regional airports, especially JFK, were selected. The Jamaica Wildlife refuge, which is owned and protected by the federal government, was in place long before any plane ever flew over our region. Compromise, not confrontation, is very essential to deal with this serious and continuous problem between birds and airliners. Both have the right to fly in our skies. It is up to the powers that be to reduce the possibility of potential collisions between birds and planes. John Amato Fresh Meadows Good luck, Mr. Mayor Mayor Bill de Blasio has just become the 109th mayor of New York City by taking the Oath of Office administered by Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on January 1. I would like to wish de Blasio good luck and success in his current administration. Now I would like to praise Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has kept our city in financial good shape, and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and the NYPD, who have kept the crime rate low. As such, I hope our new mayor keeps our city financially secure and safe. As a proud New Yorker, my wish is that we all live long and prosper under our new mayor. Frederick R. Bedell Jr. Glen Oaks Village WE BEAT THE STORM Hercules may have flexed his muscles, but his labors were lost. Newly minted Mayor Bill de Blasio rolled up his sleeves—literally and figuratively -- and our city battened down the hatches and set to work keeping all New Yorkers safe. Our school children were – thankfully – given the day off and the men and women of the Sanitation Department did a yeoman’s job of clearing our thoroughfares. Nearly 2,500 snow plows worked through the 6,200 miles of city roadways. New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) workers were assigned 12-hour shifts, and DSNY Commissioner John Doherty said the agency was “able to keep the city moving no matter the situation.” It was a major test for de Blasio and all eyes were on him – and son Dante – as Hercules battered us, dumping up to 11 inches of snow. We think the new mayor – and all those who worked day and night cleaning up NYC – did a wonderful job. To them, we offer our thanks and a sincere “kudos.” CONGRATS ARE IN ORDER New year, new administrations. We at The Queens Courier would like to officially congratulate – and welcome – the new class of politicians sworn into office. Over the weekend, ceremonies were held for Councilmembers Paul Vallone and Rory Lancman, and as you read this, Borough President Melinda Katz has officially taken over the reins. We also welcome Public Advocate Letitia James, City Comptroller Scott Stringer, returning Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and all the other politicians who we are sure will hit the ground running. We are sure that each and every one will work hard for his or her constituents and will continue to make New York – and Queens – one of the best places to live and work. FRONT & CENTER For those of us who live and here, Queens is the center of the world. Well now someone else realizes it too. Fleet Financial Group has purchased the 1.67-acre DiBlasi Ford dealership on Northern Boulevard and plans to bring apartments and a convention center to Queens. We think this is a great idea. Some groups have been advocating for a convention center in our borough for quite a while, citing the economic boon one will be. We’re all for it, provided Fleet and company president Richard Xia meet with residents, the local community board, leaders and other organizations so that everyone’s needs can be met. THE QUEENS Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Bob Brennan Tonia N. Cimino Amy Amato-Sanchez Nirmal Singh Graziella Zerilli Stephen Reina Ron Torina, Jennifer Decio, Cheryl Gallagher Melisa Chan, Liam La Guerre, Cristabelle Tumola Maggie Hayes, Angy Altamirano Cliff Kasden, Samantha Sohmer, Elizabeth Aloni Cristabelle Tumola Bill Krese Maria Romero Louise Cavaliere Celeste Alamin Maria Valencia Daphne Fortunate Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Publisher & E ditor Co-Publisher Associate Publisher Editor-In-Chief VP, Events, Web & Social Media Art Director Assistant to Publisher Assistant Art Director Artists Staff Reporters Contributing Reporters Web Editor Editorial Cartoonist Events Manager Senior Acc ount Executive Classified Manager Controller Office Manager President & CEO Vice President Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441 website: www.queenscourier.com e-mail:editorial@queenscourier.com ads@queenscourier.com queenscourier@queenscourier.com Entire Contents Copyright 2014 by The Queens Courier All letters sent to THE QUEENS COURIER should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should include a full address and home and office telephone numbers, where available, as well as affiliation, indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Name withheld on request. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, AS WELL AS OP-ED PIECES IN NO WAY REFLECT THE PAPER’S POSITION. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of THE QUEENS COURIER. The publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Errors must be reported to THE QUEENS COURIER within five days of publication. Ad position cannot be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication. Schneps Communications assumes no liability for the content or reply to any ads. The advertiser assumes all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold The Quens Courier and its employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement.
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