WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES NOVEMBER 23, 2017 13
LETTERS AND COMMENTS OP-ED
A BONE TO PICK
WITH MAYOR OVER
HOLDEN
I cannot get over the immature and
irrational response our mayor had
when questioned about Bob Holden’s
victory over incumbent Liz Crowley
aft er the election.
First, de Blasio claimed not to
know Bob — an outright lie. While
the two may not have met formally, I
am certain de Blasio is very familiar
with the name. Aft er all, Bob has been
corresponding with City Hall regarding
many issues including bike lanes,
homeless shelters, motel conversions
and plans to close Rikers Island.
I personally attended a press conference
in front of City Hall and the
mayor sent several of his staff down
to talk with us.
Then, to suggest that they will
probably not see eye-to-eye on things
is predicting problems. Finally, to
say that Bob “signed up for something
very troubling in my book” is
surely not paving the way for a good
relationship.
Lee Rottenberg, Middle Village
SQUASH
POL’S PLAN
TO SUBSIDIZE
MEDIA
Regarding City Councilman Rory
Lancman’s Nov. 13 Daily News op-ed
piece titled, “Local Journalism With
Taxpayer Help”: As one of Lancman’s
constituents and a career
journalist (McGraw-Hill staff writer,
1968-2003), I oppose his plan to improve
NYC’s news coverage through
taxpayer-funded media.
These new outlets will become
De Blasio’s Daily Bulletin or Bill’s
Broadcast News. We’ll get puff
pieces on our mayor’s achievements
(which he claims many New Yorkers
don’t appreciate) and a total avoidance
of anything he regards as “off
topic,” just like his contentious press
conferences.
Lancman blames poor coverage
of the Mayor’s offi ce & City Council
for a record-low election turnout on
Nov. 7. But maybe the media’s reporting
of poor performance by both
agencies caused nearly 80 percent
of all eligible voters to stay home.
Local weekly newspapers like
The Courier and Ridgewood Times
do a great job of covering news in
their readership areas. Lancman
compared his idea to public donations
for PBS and NPR. He called
for “a tote bag in every pot.” This is
one piece of pot luck that taxpayers
should avoid at all costs.
Richard Reif, Kew Gardens Hills
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Welcoming the world to the ‘World’s Borough’
QBY REV. PATRICK H. YOUNG ueens is world-famous for its
unparalleled linguistic, cultural
and religious diversity. And
yet, our history — particularly in my
community of East Elmhurst — has
been shaped by forces of segregation
and prejudice.
As The New York Times noted, East
Elmhurst in the post-World War II era
was “an oasis of relative black privilege
… because it was one of the few
neighborhoods in the New York City
area where blacks could buy homes.”
Today, thanks in large part to the
perseverance of generations of residents
who fought for their rights
and their rights of their children,
East Elmhurst remains a thriving,
diverse community. However, our
history is a reminder that the fi ght to
give every resident the opportunity
to put down roots, raise families and
contribute to the unique tapestry of
Queens is never over. Indeed, just as
the Endangered Language Alliance
seeks to preserve threatened dialects
throughout the borough, we must
never take Queens’ pluralism for
granted.
For over 40 years, our church
has operated the not-for-profi t First
Baptist Church Federal Credit Union
(FBCFCU), giving parishioners and
their families/associates — many of
whom face considerable barriers to
the “banked economy” — a low-cost
way to save money, secure a loan and
even benefi t from annual dividends.
Furthermore, the First Baptist
Church of East Elmhurst Outreach
Ministry has provided food assistance
and other forms of emergency
assistance for thousands in the
East Elmhurst, Corona and Jackson
Heights communities.
In recent years, another mechanism
for economic empowerment
has emerged: internet-enabled home
sharing on platforms such as Airbnb.
Home sharing is a way for longtime
residents and recent arrivals to transform
their biggest expense (their
mortgage or rent) into an asset, boosting
local businesses in the process.
In the last year alone, 3,500 residents
welcomed 190,000 guests to
Queens on Airbnb, with the typical
host generating over $4,000 in supplemental
income by sharing their space
for about fi ve nights a month. Just like
the credit union, Airbnb keeps money
in the community, with 97 percent
of the host’s price going directly to
their pocketbook — a stark contrast
to multi-national hotel chains that
dole out tens of millions of dollars a
year to CEOs.
Better still, the benefi ts of home
sharing to Queens go well beyond the
$32 million in host income. Instead of
spending their precious dollars at
a chain restaurant on 42nd Street,
guests who stay with local hosts are
increasingly being drawn to authentic,
local cuisine and the small shops
and artisans that breathe life and
opportunity into our streetscape.
Even as thousands of hosts and
millions of guests have rallied to support
home sharing, the deep-pocketed
hotel lobby has sunk to new lows in
trying to protect its record profi ts on
the backs of middle-class residents.
What New Yorkers want — and
deserve — is a regulatory system that
fosters responsible home sharing and
the economic potential that comes
with it.
For decades, the soaring tourist
economy of New York was confi ned
to hotspots in Midtown Manhattan.
However, today, the 7 train is much
more than a shuttle from Times
Square to Grand Central. Rather,
more travelers than ever before are
traversing the East River to enjoy the
extraordinary cultural, culinary and
community experiences of Long Island
City, Sunnyside, Jackson Heights,
Corona and Flushing.
We’re proud to welcome the world to
Queens and are committed to ensuring
that the diversity and opportunity that
defi nes the “World’s Borough” is preserved
for the next generation.
Reverend Young is the Pastor of
First Baptist Church of East Elmhurst
and the General Secretary and Treasurer
of Mobilizing Preachers and
Community (MPAC).
There’s some culinary history in this
1938 photo of the intersection of
Cooper Avenue near Irving Avenue
(identifi ed in the photo as Irving Street)
on the Ridgewood/Bushwick border
in Brooklyn. The sign on the gate at
right reads Stahl-Meyer Stadium. It
was a small ballfi eld for employees at
the nearby Stahl-Meyer Meat Packing
company, which would in later years
become the offi cial hot dog supplier
for the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York
Giants and New York Yankees. Send
us your historic photos of Queens by
email to editorial@qns.com (subject: A
Look Back) or mail printed pictures to
A Look Back, ℅ The Queens Courier,
38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361.
All mailed pictures will be carefully
returned to you.
A LOOK BACK
