32 The QUEE NS Courier • june 13, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com editorial letters 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, Terence Cullen, Cristabelle Tumola Maggie Hayes, Angy Altamirano Cliff Kasden, Samantha Sohmer, Elizabeth Aloni Cristabelle Tumola Bill Krese Jan DiGeronimo 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 Director, Business Developm ent 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:[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Entire Contents Copyright 2013 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. 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IDENTIFY THIS PLACE To find out the answer to last week’s “Identify this place” please visit www.QueensCourier.com THE QUEENS Proposal to clean unkempt properties The issue of unkempt properties has plagued our communities since the housing bust. The Department of Sanitation addresses properties with garbage but does not address those with unkempt grass/weeds. These properties must be addressed as well. Often half built properties and those in foreclosure do not have garbage, but have grass/weeds that are THREE feet high. This is my proposal: • Department of Sanitation advises property owner/bank that a property is unkempt (failure to cut grass, remove weeds, trim hedges that block sidewalks etc.) and gives the owner 10 or 15 business days to comply. • If they do not comply, the Department of Finance will assess a surcharge on the next quarterly property tax bill (percentage amount to be determined). That surcharge will be used to pay for the expenses of having the property maintained on a monthly basis by private landscaper (contract given by RFP). • This surcharge can be removed once the property owner/bank can show proof that a landscaper has been hired to address future clean-ups or submits a signed affidavit with the name of the person who will maintain the property. It is in the city’s interest to do this. The banks that have interest in these properties continue paying taxes even when the homeowners fail to pay their mortgages and the escrow for the taxes. The surcharge will be a higher tax and the city would not have to worry about how to collect for the clean-up. Marie Adam-Ovide, District Manager Community Board 8 Big Brother is watching New information has just come to light that our government is watching. Granted, our nation is always on the alert for terrorism 24/7 and this has proven to be a necessary evil. Yet I still feel troubled that our phones and Internet are all being monitored. This is what the premise of George Orwell’s book 1984 was all the about -- a government out to protect its citizens and the price was the violation of all personal freedoms. Eventually we will defeat terrorism but will these freedoms that we have given up be returned to the people? Big brother in my opinion will continue to eaves drop on its citizens and the next step will be control. Remember this: when freedom is infringed upon, totalitarianism will prosper. Frederick R. Bedell Jr. Glen Oaks Village Conflict of interest? Has Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer been using the perks and powers of his office to assist his ambitions to become the next NYC Comptroller? The lines are clearly blurred between his day job and the new job he seeks. Stringer has been engaged in a non-stop series of daily press conferences, news releases, issuance of various reports, letters to the editor, guest columns in newspapers and publicity stunts for years. All of this was at taxpayers’ expense to raise his name identification with voters and grease the wheels for his previous ongoing 2013 mayoral run which he abandoned months ago for an easier NY Comptroller race. Don’t forget his visiting every local and county Democratic Party clubhouse from the day after Mayor Michael Bloomberg took his last oath of office in January 2010. Stringer should have avoided the appearance of any conflict of interest by resigning as Manhattan Borough President. He could have ended the charade and been honest enough to run full time for Comptroller on his own time and dime. Hard working municipal civil servants work full time. They can’t campaign part time during the day like Stringer. They would have to either take a leave of absence or quit their day job. According to Driving the Beep by Lisa L. Colangelo and Irving De John which appeared in the New York Daily News on June 7, his office has spent $118,000 of $170,000 for drivers to date. How many hours were spent driving him to campaign fund raisers, campaign events or speeches, especially outside of Manhattan, on the taxpayers’ time and dime? Shouldn’t his campaign reimburse taxpayers for many of these trips, which were clearly related to his quest to become NYC Comptroller? Larry Penner THE GOD . . . There are too many tales for our taste.Heart-breaking stories of people – young and old alike – in the fight for their lives – the fight against cancer. But there is help – and there is hope. Howard Beach, a community still reeling from Sandy, came out in force this past weekend to raise more than $100,000 for cancer research and services at the fifth annual Howard Beach Relay for Life. All in all, they have collected roughly $750,000 in the fight against cancer. They are not the only ones, however. All over Queens, Relays for Life bring together survivors, their loved ones, and those who wish to remember those we lost. But let’s not forget that the fight against cancer is not just one day. So if you can, donate. Time, money, anything. Let’s help kick cancer together – one story at a time. THE BAD. . . The recent rainstorms have brought with them a flood of trouble. Not only did our area roadways flood, snarling traffic and making for a treacherous commute, but some Queens homeowners were forced to wade through their own houses. For decades, poor infrastructure in Fresh Meadows has caused basements and garages to flood with sewage during heavy rainstorms. The problem also extends to Glendale, where wet weather shut down the flood-prone Cooper Avenue underpass last weekend. And in southeast Queens, thousands say they have been suffering mold spores and flooding since the city took over the water supply in 1996. The DEP has said the city has “invested hundreds of millions of dollars upgrading the sewer system in Queens” over the last decade. So why is flooding still a problem? After Sandy, the city should get it together. We agree with the politicians who are calling for the DEP to prioritize flood-prone neighborhoods in capital plans and expedite short-term flood mitigation measures like street landscaping to reduce storm runoff. Our borough’s homes should not float. THE UGLY . . . Two words: domestic violence. We were at once shocked and saddened to hear that police officer Sherlon Smikle allegedly shot and killed his wife, Lana Morris, outside their St. Albans home. He then went inside and fatally shot himself in the head. Despite outward appearances, neighbors said cops showed up at the couple’s door approximately two weeks ago in response to a domestic violence call. They said Smikle was asked to leave the home. And there were reports that Smikle had had his gun and badge removed after an incident. Please, for anyone out there who feels that he or she may be the victim of domestic violence, we urge you – get help. And if you suspect something about a neighbor or loved one, please do not remain silent. The help you get now may avert a tragedy later.
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