WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES FEBRUARY 21, 2019 13
LETTERS AND COMMENTS
LIES KILLED THE
AMAZON DEAL
We just recently witnessed a
carefully orchestrated mob attack
on the American fabric and value
system by a bunch of elected
officials and planted radical
activists, who for the most part
don’t live in, work in or care about
our community.
Worse is that these people
planned a propaganda campaign
and uttered incendiary hyperbolic
hate speech and tactics to kill
anywhere from 25,000 to 40,000
jobs, which would have had a
tremendous jolt to our local
economy, to make a political point
and push their socialist agenda.
They lied at every point in the
dialogue by saying the community
was against it, while never
engaging the community, when in
reality about 70% of the community
supported the arrival of Amazon.
The main rabble rouser refused
to meet with Amazon, outrightly
rejected the company and tweeted
“ScAmazon.” These people lied that
it would cost us $3 billion to bring
Amazon when the costs would be
paid Amazon by reducing some of
its taxes and spurring a $27 billion
net benefit to the city and state.
They lied about the infrastructure
of schools and transit not being
able to cope with the influx of new
people when the $27 billion made
from Amazon would be reinvested
into our roads, subways, schools
and mechanical systems.
They lied that unions were
against it when most organized
labor supported it. They lied that
Amazon supported ICE to scare
immigrants. They lied to the
NYCHA residents in Queensbridge,
the largest public development in
the United States that they would
lose their housing.
The elected officials who killed
this deal, or supported its death or
did nothing should be ashamed of
themselves. Their conduct amounts
to public theft and they are unfit
for public office and have violated
the will and trust of the people for
your own selfish political needs.
John Ciafone, Astoria
RIPPING GIANARIS
FOR AMAZON DEAL
Editor’s note: The following is an
open letter by the author to state
Senator Michael Gianaris.
As a lifelong liberal Democrat
and resident of western Queens, I
am thoroughly heartbroken that
Amazon will not be coming to
LIC. I am sad to the degree I was
when Kavanaugh was confirmed.
I am angry to the level I am at the
Wall. It is like the Grinch took my
Christmas gifts away or I lost my
best friend.
You, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,
and Jimmy Van Bramer catered
to the minority and destroyed
the best thing that could have
ever happened to our home
— western Queens.
I understand the concern the
renters had about being priced out.
We had to up and leave Astoria/LIC
a year and half ago for this reason.
We were priced out. And we are
Greeks who were the backbone of the
cultural community there for decades.
Today we live in East Elmhurst/
Jackson Heights.
Yet, instead of making a plan to
help renters, rather than using
Amazon as the catalyst for fi nally
creating truly aff ordable housing,
you threw out the baby with
the bathwater.
And according to QNS, you did not
have the decency to communicate
with The NYCHA tenants associations.
They were the ones out to benefi t
the most.
Yes I know that Cuomo and de Blasio
made a back door deal. Who cares?
Every city made a back door deal. It
was what it was. If we want to change
how deals are made or subsidies
off ered to large corporations, fi ne.
But this was the wrong time to do that.
We needed to close the deal and then
work on changing methods later.
Moreover, the argument that Van
Bramer used about NY being a union
town is nonsense. I agree we are a
union town and they serve a purpose.
But we were talking about six-fi gure
tech jobs that are never union jobs.
Exactly how do you plan to make
up for our loss? How do you now fi nd
the money to fi x NYCHA, Northern
Blvd., overcrowded schools, or
build the BQX? How will you fi nd
another 25,000 high paying jobs to
elevate Queens?
This Amazon pull out was loss for
everyone. Most importantly, it was
a loss for my children and all our
beautiful youth.
Penelope Katsaras, Astorias
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of this newspaper or its staff.
OP-ED
Make our elections work
BY ALAN SELTZER News reports next week will
mention what will be a light
turnout for the Special Election
to replace Leticia James as Public
Advocate following her election as
Attorney General. The good news is
the technical glitches voters faced last
November due to the two-page ballot
won’t happen this time, since there will
be only 17 candidates all running for
one position.
The bad news is there also probably
won’t be a lot of voters at the polls,
which is typical for special elections.
Even worse, success by six of the 17
candidates will require a second
special election somewhere in New
York City within a few months to
replace them in the State Assembly
or City Council. Both are a waste
of taxpayer money, which could
be saved by extending the election
reforms recently passed in New
York State.
Our state legislators made major
progress by combining some
primary elections and instituting
early voting procedures. This
is necessary since workforce is
different today from the days when
my mother was home to make dinner
and they took us to the local poll site
at my elementary school afterwards.
The new regulation provides
extra flexibility to allow working
families to participate in elections
while reducing the number of times
it’s needed.
However, the reforms didn’t go
far enough. Special elections like
the one on Feb. 26 can be abolished
completely by allowing appropriate
elected officials to vote on interim
officeholders in these cases. In
the case of the Public Advocate,
the City Council—elected by the
same people who would vote in
the special election--could choose
someone to hold the office until the
regularly-scheduled general election
in November.
New York would also benefit
from increased participation by
community groups. At a recent
election, I had a lengthy conversation
with a national consultant on voter
issues. She shared how many places
around the country treat elections as
community events, holding pot luck
dinners or other activities at or near
the polling place. People participate
in their event, then go to vote while
they’re out for the evening.
This could be a win-win situation
for voters and the organizations
holding the events. A PTA could
raise funds to help the school by
having a bake sale or book sale.
Places of worship or community
centers would increase awareness
of their activities—and probably
membership—by having dinners or
other events with transportation to
the polls afterwards.
The easier we make it for voters
to come to the polls, the more people
will show up.
Like many election workers,
Alan Seltzer will spend 17 hours as
coordinator at a poll site in Queens
next Tuesday.
SNAPS
RAINY DAYS IN FLUSHING
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY LISA KEST-FEIN
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