8 FEBRUARY 28, 2019 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Probe continues into hate graffi ti at school Addabbo calls
BY MARK HALLUM
MHALLUM@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
2@QNS
Although the U.S. Supreme
Court overturned a
nationwide ban on
sports betting in May 2018,
New York state has yet to pass
its own legislation regulating
this activity.
One Queens elected official
says could not only drain the
coffers of organized crime
operations but could close a $2.3
billion gap in the budget.
State Senator Joseph Addabbo
was optimistic about the
potential of the state gaining in
tax revenue to fund education,
but now he sees the uses of those
funds going toward the shortfall
in the 2020 executive budget, in
addition to the $3 billion deficit
expected by Governor Andrew
Cuomo starting next year.
“Now more than ever it
makes sense to legalize sports
betting to help fund essential
programs by bringing in
additional revenue. It offers
great potential for increasing
revenue without placing the
burden on taxpayers, it creates
new jobs, and adds crucial
funding support for education
in New York. We should act
now to create new wagering
opportunities, including mobile
and online betting, to help close
the gap,” Addabbo said. “There
are many economic advantages
for the state in legalizing sports
wagering including tax revenue
from betting, sales tax revenue,
job creation, additional income
and increased payroll.
Addabbo cited New Jersey’s
8.5 percent tax on sports betting
which saw a yield of $2.45
million in November alone.
In May, Addabbo said there
was preliminary legislation
on the senate floor in Albany
that would see that legalized
sports betting was properly
implemented.”
But tax on wagers alone is not
the only upside Addabbo sees
potential for; sales tax revenue,
job creation, additional income
and increased payroll across
could bring additional funds
for the state.
The deadline for the
legislature to vote on the 2020
budget is April 1.
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
RPOZARYCKI@QNS.COM
@ROBBPOZ
Two days after anti-Semitic and
Nazi symbols were found all
over a Rego Park playground,
Governor Andrew Cuomo on Sunday
ordered the New York State Police
to help the NYPD investigate the
incident and bring the vandal(s) to
justice.
“I am appalled and disgusted by
the swastikas and other anti-Semitic
symbols of hate that were scrawled
in a Queens schoolyard,” Cuomo
said on Feb. 24, referencing the Feb.
22 incident at P.S. 139, located 93-06
63rd Dr. “In New York, we have zero
tolerance for such vile acts of anti-
Semitism. I am directing the State
Police Hate Crimes Task Force to
immediately assist the NYPD in the
investigation of this hideous act and
hold those accountable to the full
extent of the law.”
Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz’s
office received reports about the
hateful vandalism on Friday, and
the Forest Hills-based lawmaker
visited the school that day to see it
for herself. She shared images of the
damage on social media. One photo
showed swastikas written in chalk
all across the playing area; another
picture showed the message, “Hail
Hitler” (sic).
Anti-semitic writing was found scrawled onto the playground of P.S. 139 in
Rego Park on Feb. 22. Photo via Facebook/ Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz
“I am horrified, disgusted and
nauseated, to say the least, of what
I have witnessed today,” Koslowitz
tweeted on Friday. “Nazi imagery
and anti-Semitic slurs were drawn at
the P.S. 139 Playground in Rego Park.
I was on the scene today and most of
the imagery has been washed away.
Enough is enough!”
No arrests have been made in
connection with the vandalism,
according to the NYPD, and the
department’s investigation is ongoing.
“New Yorkers stand with the Jewish
community against anti-Semitism in
all its forms, especially in the wake
of the deadliest attack on the Jewish
community in our nation’s history,”
Cuomo said on Sunday. “We declare
that there is no hate in our state,
and we will always stand together
against hate and discrimination.”
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
RPOZARYCKI@QNS.COM
@ROBBPOZ
Brooklyn City Councilman
Jumaane Williams scored a
decisive win in the special
election to fi ll the vacant offi ce of
public advocate.
Unoffi cial returns from the New
York City Board of Elections have
Williams well ahead of the fi eld of
17 candidates, taking more than a
third of the vote (133,809). Queens
City Councilman Eric Ulrich was
his closest competitor, but a distant
second with 19.1% (77,026).
Former City Council Speaker
Melissa Mark-Viverito finished
third with 11% (44,158), followed by
Assemblyman Michael Blake with
8.2% (33,198) and City Councilman
Ydanis Rodriguez with 6% (24,266).
No other candidate had more than
20,000 votes.
Turnout in the race was, as
expected, horrendous. So far, the BOE
has tallied 402,778 votes citywide. By
contrast, 1,097,846 New Yorkers cast
a vote in the 2017 mayoral election —
a race which had an abysmally low
turnout of 23%.
The Feb. 26 nonpartisan
contest was ordered following the
resignation of Letitia James, who
stepped down as public advocate
after being elected as New York
State’s new attorney general. Each
candidate had to secure their own
ballot lines outside of political
affi liations. Political parties were
permitted to make endorsements in
the race, but they could not formally
nominate a candidate.
Williams is expected to be sworn in
as public advocate as soon as possible,
and will hold the offi ce through the
end of the year.
Another election will be held in
November to determine who will
hold the public advocate’s offi ce for
the remainder of James’ term, which
expires in December 2021.
Candidates seeking to make the
public advocate race in November
must win their parties’ primaries in
June. Ironically, petitioning for the
primaries began on Feb. 26, the date
of the special election.
Meanwhile, Mayor Bill de Blasio
was quick to congratulate Williams
on his victory. The public advocate
is the fi rst in the line of mayoral
succession, and would succeed the
mayor should he vacate the offi ce
before the end of his term.
“I join all New Yorkers in
congratulating Jumaane Williams
for being elected New York City’s
Public Advocate,” de Blasio said.
“I look forward to working with
Public Advocate Williams to
continue making this the fairest big
city in America.”
Jumaane Williams, the public
advocate-elect
for sports bets
in New York
Williams wins public advocate election
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