WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES JUNE 20, 2019 13
LETTERS AND COMMENTS
BILLIONS FOR BQX
NOT NEEDED
The BQX streetcar, already over
budget, was going to be $2.5 billion and
is now projected to be $2.7 billion, with
a shorter route.
Buses can do the same job and the
$2.7 billion needed for the BQX could be
used to fi x the subway system, where
the funds can improve the system.
If the BQX is so great, maybe we
should get rid of all the buses and put
this streetcar system in all over the city.
Why is the BQX better than the buses
we already have?
In the mornings, I see crowds trying
to go from Brooklyn to Manhattan, and
from Queens to Manhattan. Where
is the need for more transportation
between Brooklyn and Queens that
we already have?
In the end, as we all know, the
final price for this project will be
somewhere in the $3 billion-plus range,
the taxpayers will be stuck with the bill,
and the mayor who thought this up will
be long gone by the time it’s done.
Robert Hartling, Flushing
Editor’s note: To be clear, work
has not yet begun on the BQX project,
although the cost projects have
increased, as the reader noted. The
city still needs $1.4 billion in federal
funding to move the project forward,
and that is not guaranteed to happen,
according to experts familiar with
the project.
NOT A FAN OF THE
CHANCELLOR
NYC Schools Chancellor Carranza is
an out-of-control social justice warrior
who plays racial roulette with our city’s
school system to end what he calls its
“toxic whiteness.”
But he started his job on false terms
in 2018 by breaking a three-year
contract he signed with Houston’s
Independent School District in 2016.
Maybe he was lured by a $345,000
yearly salary which tops that of his
boss, Mayor de Blasio, by $86,250.
He spends $23 million on a “racial
equity” training program staff ed by
high paid consultants, while those
funds should be used to improve
classroom instruction in poor
performing schools. He is our town’s
worst schools chancellor since Mayor
Mike Bloomberg appointed former
Hearst Magazines boss Cathie Black
in 2011. She lasted 95 days on the job.
How much longer will Carranza
survive in his post?
Richard Reif, Kew Gardens Hills
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SNAPS
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OP-ED
Take the time to exercise
your right to vote
BY CONGRESSMAN GREGORY MEEKS
On Tuesday, June 25th voters in New York City will vote in primaries for the
next Queens District Attorney, the 45th City Council District in Brooklyn,
and judicial races throughout the city. And, chances are, you probably
had no idea.
This election will be particularly impactful for Queens, where the
District Attorney’s office will be under new leadership for the first time
in decades.
Yet, despite the candidates reaching out to as many voters as they can;
despite endorsements from elected officials and labor organizations, despite
religious and civic leaders urging them to vote… a relatively small number
of people will actually vote.
What’s missing? The business community, for one.
While business leaders don’t hesitate to advocate for specific policies,
businesses are conspicuously absent from these efforts to get people to
participate in the democratic process. How we vote and what we vote for
effects our daily lives, so it’s only common sense that we’re reminded of our
civic responsibilities right where we spend much of our day.
This is not only common sense; it is now the law.
Starting today, New York State law requires employees to post conspicuous
notice “where it can be seen by all employees as they come and go” that they
have the right to up to three hours of paid time off to vote on Election Day.
This law mandates that time off must be granted in consultation with the
employer as long as the request is made at least two working days prior to
the election.
Employers should not tell workers how to vote, but they should absolutely
encourage civic engagement to make our city stronger. Democracy works
best when it is more representative, and it can only be representative when
more people are part of the democratic process.
This city is far too complex to govern without the voices of all people being
heard at the ballot box. The same diversity of talent and perspective that
makes New York the greatest city in the world must be brought to bear on
choosing our leaders. And that takes time.
Please make sure everyone at your workplace has a plan to vote on June
25th.
Congressman Gregory Meeks represents the Fifth Congressional District
of New York, which covers much of southeastern Queens and southwestern
Nassau County.
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