WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES JANUARY 30, 2020 13
BIDEN SHOULD END
ELECTION CAMPAIGN
The House submitted two articles
of impeachment against President
Trump to the Senate. But the second article
(“Obstruction of Congress”) is the
secondary one because it rises from
the fi rst article (“Abuse of Power”).
I think that if the fi rst article of
impeachment is proven to be wrong,
the second article should be dropped,
also.
Aft er what we heard on Monday, Jan.
27, 2020, at the Senate trial, Joe Biden
should end his election campaign immediately,
and his son Hunter must
return all the money received from
Burisma to the Ukrainian people.
Victor Maltsev
Rego Park
LETTERS AND COMMENTS
SNAPS
LATE NIGHT TACOS ON ROOSEVELT AVE.
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY Catherine Y
Send us your photos of Queens
and you could see them online or in our paper!
To submit them to us, tag @qnsgram on Instagram,
visit our Facebook page, tweet @QNS
or email editorial@qns.com (subject: Queens Snaps).
OP-ED
The least intrusive option
is the best for Queens
BY THOMAS GRECH
AND SETH BORNSTEIN
The Federal Aviation Administration
recently hosted public listening
sessions near LaGuardia
Airport as it continues an independent
review of AirTrain LGA project. We
welcome this engagement
and the opportunity to set
the record straight about
some of the fl awed alternatives
fl oated by critics
of this project.
Instead of the FAA’s
preferred route from
the LIRR Willets Point
Station to the airport,
some opponents want
the subway extended
through Astoria. But that
three-mile route would
require the use of eminent
domain to acquire
dozens of homes and businesses and
parts of St. Michael’s Park.
Other opponents think money allocated
for AirTrain LGA should be
used to improve the subways — but
they fail to recognize the project is being
funded by the Port Authority, Passenger
Facility Charges, and maybe
private capital. This is revenue that
simply cannot be used for projects
that aren’t related to airports.
Facts we can agree on: AirTrain
LGA will be a reliable trip of 30
minutes or less between Midtown
Manhattan and LaGuardia, support
thousands of good-paying union
construction jobs, and create an opportunity
to invest millions of dollars
in improvements and beautifi cation
of the Flushing Bay Promenade and
waterfront.
The current preferred route does
not force Queens residents from
their homes or businesses, does not
require the use of tax dollars, and
continues to go through a transparent
process that’s included public hearings
and listening sessions conducted
separately by the Port Authority and
the FAA. This transparent process in
which all stakeholders have a voice is
far better than what is required by
ULURP.
The new LaGuardia Airport will
soon be one of the most impressive
airports in the world. We are already
seeing this state-of-the-art reality
inside the new Delta terminal. Let’s
use this moment to improve access to
LaGuardia by building a rail link that
will take cars and taxis off the roads,
improve air quality, spur economic
activity throughout the tri-state
region and shorten the commute for
airport workers.
We applaud Governor Cuomo for
his eff ort to modernize New York’s
infrastructure. We need a bold vision
to get commuters moving throughout
our region and to ensure New York
City remains the premiere destination
for business travelers. This is
an opportunity to build up, not tear
down. The time for AirTrain LaGuardia
is now.
Thomas Grech is the President and
CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce
and Seth Bornstein is the Executive
Director of the Queens Economic
Development Corporation. Both organizations
are members of the “A Better
Way to LGA” coalition.
Email your letters to editorial@qns.com (subject: letter to the
editor) or leave a comment to any of our stories at qns.com. You can
also send a letter by regular mail to letters to the editor, 38-15 Bell
Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361. All letters are subject to editing. Names
will be withheld upon request, but anonymous letters will not be
considered for publication. The views expressed in all letters and
comments are not necessarily those of this newspaper or its staff.
/qns.com
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
link
link
