34 THE QUEENS COURIER • JUNE 1, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM THE QUEENS editorial PUBLISHER & EDITOR CO-PUBLISHER ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF VP, EVENTS, WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA ART DIRECTOR ARTIST SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER STAFF REPORTERS CONTRIBUTING REPORTERS ASSISTANT TO PUBLISHER CLASSIFIED MANAGER CONTROLLER PRESIDENT & CEO VICE PRESIDENT VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS BOB BRENNAN ROBERT POZARYCKI AMY AMATO-SANCHEZ NIRMAL SINGH RON TORINA EMILY DAVENPORT KATRINA MEDOFF, ANTHONY GIUDICE, ANGELA MATUA SUZANNE MONTEVERDI CLIFF KASDEN, SAMANTHA SOHMER, ELIZABETH ALONI DEBORAH CUSICK CELESTE ALAMIN MARIA VALENCIA VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441 www.qns.com editorial e-mail: editorial@qns.com for advertising e-mail: ads@qns.com Entire Contents Copyright 2017 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 offi ce telephone numbers, where available, as well as affi liation, 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 fi ve 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 QUEENS 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. A BEAUTIFUL DAY AT THE BALLPARK IN FLUSHING // PHOTO BY ROBERT POZARYCKI Send us your photos of Queens and you could see them online or in our paper! To submit them to us, tag @queenscourier on Instagram, visit our Facebook page, tweet @QNS or email editorial@qns.com (subject: Queens Snaps). Party infi ghting harms our democracy Two Queens state senators who happen to be Democrats fi nd themselves being protested by their own constituents over their affi liation with a breakaway group of Democrats that’s been working with Senate Republicans over the last several years. For many Queens Democrats, the Independent Democratic Conference’s (IDC) working relationship with Republicans in the State Senate is bizarre — and, more importantly, depriving them of the chance to fully pursue and enact a progressive agenda in state government. Democrats, aft er all, control the Assembly and the governor’s offi ce. Th ere are 32 Democrats in the State Senate, enough to constitute a majority of the 63-member body, but the eight IDC members have deprived the party of full control of the chamber. At a time when the nation is politically polarized like never before, some Democrats and liberals see the IDC as an obstacle that prevents the Empire State from eff ectively counteracting any odious policies and laws that Republicans in Washington may enact. Last week, the Working Families Party took that message directly to State Senators Jose Peralta and Tony Avella, both of whom are also IDC members. Th ey demanded that they return to the traditional Democratic caucus and advance progressive legislation forwarded — or else face a potential challenge to their incumbencies next year. Th e IDC’s leader, State Senator Jeff Klein of the Bronx, has said the IDC would vote for bills proposed by traditional Democrats in the Senate as long as they call for a vote on the fl oor. Senate Democrats should take up the IDC on its challenge and do so before the session ends later this month. Should Republicans work to block a bill supported by Democrats, the IDC should then work with their fellow Democrats to pass that bill — and if they refuse, they should be prepared to face the wrath of voters in 2018. By the same token, the IDC shouldn’t be forced to dissolve. State lawmakers are sent to Albany to represent the people — all of the people — in their districts, regardless of party affi liation. But this is not a direct democracy; these lawmakers are entrusted to make their own decisions not only on what the people want, but also on what they believe the people need. Blind allegiance to a party’s doctrine is a recipe for political disaster. Many of those who decry the IDC are also upset that a great number of Republicans in Congress are turning a deaf ear to calls for an independent investigation into the scandals surrounding the Trump administration. Lawmakers on every level, regardless of their party, should be able to act with at least some fl exibility and independence. STORY: Dine at these restaurants to retrace Anthony Bourdain’s footsteps on ‘Parts Unknown’ in Queens SUMMARY: This is a complete rundown of every restaurant that Anthony Bourdain visited during the episode of ‘Parts Unknown’ that highlighted eateries in Queens. REACH: 46,465 people (as of 5/30/17)
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