TIMES, THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2014 • 26 Participatory Budget Meeting In Ridgewood Pat Buchanan News & Opinion These conflicting visions are not exclusive to race. Many liberals share Sharpton’s vision, while many black folks move out of home communities to escape the scourge of crime. Indeed, if Ferguson in the North County is a racist enclave, why did so many African-Americans move there from overwhelmingly black North St. Louis? And if only three of the 53 cops on the Ferguson force are black, is that due to race discrimination? The chief says he has sought to recruit blacks and asked the Justice Department for help. Is this untrue? We are told that of six members of the Ferguson city council only one is black, while two-thirds of Ferguson’s population is black. Yet, last week, we learned that the black voter turnout in local elections in Ferguson in 2013 was 6 percent. When St. Louis County, to stop the violence and looting last week, sent cops into Ferguson with armored personnel carriers and assault rifles, they were denounced for militarizing law enforcement. “Tell them to remove the damn tanks," ordered Eric Holder. The county complied and a kinder, gentler law enforcement ensued. And the looters and rioters went on a three-night tear over the weekend forcing Gov. Jay Nixon to call out the National Guard. Nevertheless, the violence in Ferguson is child’s play compared to Watts in ‘65, Newark and Detroit in ‘67, and 100 U.S. cities including Washington, D.C., after Dr. King’s assassination in ‘68. In those riots, great cities were gutted, dozens were killed, and thousands arrested. Detroit never recovered. And that is the future that beckons us all if our first demand today is not for peace and order, and then for justice for Brown’s family and Darren Wilson, according to the rule of law. Patrick J. Buchanan is the author of the new book “The Greatest Comeback: How Richard Nixon Rose From Defeat to Create the New Majority.” -CONTINUED FROM PG. 4- Man Struck In Maspeth Crash Members of the 104th Precinct and EMS units responded to the scene and found Grzegorczyk unconscious in the middle of the street. Paramedics rushed him to Elmhurst Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The case was presented to the NYPD Collision Investigation Carey Retiring As CB 9 Dist. Mgr. Letters To The Editor attitude of, “I’m not going to paint it, for they’ll just do it again.” This is war which together we will win. Maria Thomson Executive Director Greater Woodhaven Development Corporation and Woodhaven Business Improvement District Letters from readers are invited and should be sent by regular mail to Times Newsweekly, P.O. Box 860299, Ridgewood, N.Y. 11386- 0299 or by e-mail to info@times newsweekly.com. All letters must be accompanied by the writer’s full name and address, which will be withheld upon request. Anonymous letters will not be considered for publication. All letters are subject to editing. The opinions expressed in each letter are not necessarily those of the Times Newsweekly or its staff. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 4- “There is a million dollars at stake that Council Member Reynoso wants to spend in the district,” GRYC President Bob Monahan said. “You’re going to get to decide how it’s spent on a capital perspective.” Those in attendance were asked to present their ideas on capital projects to fund. Ideas from the groups included funds to preserve the Ridgewood Reservoir in it’s current state and not to breach it as the Parks Department has planned, more playgrounds in the area, more Greenstreets and green spaces in the district, funds for more and better bathrooms at local parks and a community garden atop the former Joseph Garity American Legion Post, which will soon house GRYC programs and services. “We want to preserve the Ridgewood Reservoir,” Tom Dowd, a long-time resident, said. “It’s a good place to do real science. It’s still an incredibly beautiful place. We think that’s one good project.” Another resident proposed a recreation center for kids that offers sports programs. Participatory budgeting was first used in Porta Allegre, Brazil, and has since been implemented in Chicago, Toronto and Vallejo, Calif. In the last cycle, $12 million was spent in council districts using participatory budgeting, Farkas said. Farkas and Kevin Worthington, also of Reynoso’s office, presented an exercise to outline for residents what is meant by capital versus expense funding. After using projects examples to define the differences, Worthington told attendees, “You’re ready for P. B., congratulations.” Capital funding is brick and mortar projects that will ast at least five years. Only capital projects that cost over $35,000 and less than one million can be nominated, Farkas stated. Only residents of the 34th District may vote in the election, it was noted. To become a budget delegate, an individual must be at least 14 years old. They must live, work, own a business, go to school or have a child in school in the district. Immigration status is not a factor. Many ways to engage exist, Worthington and Farkas noted, including coming to a neighborhood assembly, becoming a budget delegate, voting on projects and spreading the word. Volunteers are also needed for phone banking, translation services, child care. Food for meetings, and meeting spaces are also always needed, Worthington said. “Being a volunteer really means outreach and spreading the word,” Farkas said. District committee meetings will begin this week, she noted. “You can really make an impact in the community,” volunteer Heather Hatton said. “You can really do anything if you have the votes.” -CONTINUED FROM PG. 3- Nolan Agrees With Times Trash Editorial “This arrangement would benefit all parties including businesses, customers and, most importantly, the residents who reside in Ridgewood,” Nolan told Garcia in last Friday’s letter. “The extension of the BID would allow businesses on Fresh Pond Road to expand garbage collection services which would lead to cleaner streets.” Last year, the Sanitation Department removed public waste baskets from many Fresh Pond Road intersections in Ridgewood amid abuse from local residents and business owners who illegally deposited their household or commercial garbage. Since then, as repeatedly documented in the Times Newsweekly, dumpers regularly leave trash on corners where the cans were once placed or lying next to nearby streetlights, mailboxes and newspaper containers. The site of a large trash heap observed last month near the Fresh Pond Road subway station entrance spurred the most recent Times Newsweekly editorial, which recommended that the Sanitation Department restore the waste baskets to Fresh Pond Road; the City Council explore legislation to install cameras near frequent dumping sites; and enhanced enforcement to punish those who contribute to the illegal dumping problems. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 4- Squad, police said. Anyone with information regarding the incident that could prove helpful is asked to contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800- 577-TIPS, by text message to 274637 (enter information, then the code TIP577) or online at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com. All calls and messages will be kept confidential. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 1- Residents got engaged in the participatory budgeting process and gave their ideas on how to spend $1 million in funding allocated by City Council Member Antonio Reynoso at an info session held at the Greater Ridgewood Youth Council last Wednesday, Aug. 13. (photo: Noah Zuss) accountability. Carey and Coccovillo clashed publicly earlier this year, when she accused the chairperson of intimidating her and the Board 9 staff. Eventually, the chairperson and district manager resolved their differences; Coccovillo ultimately declined to run for another term. His replacement, Ralph Gonzalez, lauded Carey for her decades of service, stating she made a lasting contribution to the communities she served. “She has done so much for our community and for so long,” he said. “It’s difficult to imagine anyone truly filling her shoes. She can be proud of the legacy she’s leaving at Community Board 9. I know that many people in Queens and on the board join me in thanking Mary Ann for her years of dedication.” Board 9—with the assistance of the Queens Borough President’s office—will begin looking for a new district manager following September’s meeting. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 3- Shop Locally! Support Your Neighborhood Merchants!
RT08212014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above