12 SEPTEMBER 10, 2020 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Our mayor must be our champion
Not counting the “New York”
football teams that play in New
Jersey, it’s been a very long time
since this city had a winning sports
team.
In fact, it was the Yankees in 2009
who last celebrated down the Canyon
of Heroes. Our other non-football pro
teams have given us year aft er year
of futility.
A champion is a symbol of civic
pride. When a team wins, we all share
in their success in some way. We get
a little more attention in the national
spotlight, and a little more swagger in
our step.
As badly as we desire champions at
the Garden, Yankee Stadium or Citi
Field, the greatest champions in New
York City have been found at Gracie
Mansion.
New York has hit nadirs before in
times of crisis when it seemed all was
lost — and each time, the mayor stood
tall to rally the city into recovery.
Fiorello LaGuardia championed the
city’s recovery aft er the Great Depression.
Ed Koch pulled the city from the
brink of bankruptcy in the late 1970s.
EDITORIAL
THE HOT TOPIC
STORY:
Little Neck restaurant sues mayor
and governor over indoor dining
shutdown
SUMMARY:
A Little Neck restaurant has sued Governor
Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de
Blasio and the attorney general’s offi ce
over the continuation of the shutdown
on indoor dining in New York City.
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Now, more than ever, we need Mayor de Blasio to lead our city. Photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Offi ce
Rudy Giuliani helped summon the
city’s heroes and strength aft er 9/11
and helped set into motion recovery
and rebirth that followed under Mike
Bloomberg’s leadership.
Where does Bill de Blasio’s response
to COVID-19 and the related crises
rank with his predecessors? Not very
high.
As Politico pointed out in analyzing
de Blasio’s handling of the public
school reopening, his major policy
decisions are oft en reactionary, and
come aft er somebody else has seized
upon the issue.
From school reopenings to criminal
justice reform to half-fare MetroCards,
we don’t see de Blasio out in front on
anything. With the school issue resolved,
the attention is focusing again
on indoor dining — and once again, de
Blasio is leading from behind as City
Council members and small business
owners beg for help just to survive.
The mayor hinted that a decision
will come later this month. But the
restaurants and their employees can’t
wait much longer, especially as New
Jersey and Long Island eateries are
opened on a limited basis.
This city, right now, starves for a
champion to come up with big ideas
to save both lives and the economy —
to do more than gripe when outside
forces balk at helping our city — and
to push back against the naysayers
who’ve already declared our city
dead.
For God’s sake, Mr. Mayor, lead!
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