12 DECEMBER 20, 2018 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
EDITORIAL
Scapegoating
a fine public servant
Joseph Esposito spent nearly 50
years in service to New York City,
and deserves a far better exit than
the one he’s been forced to endure.
The outgoing Emergency Management
commissioner spent 40 years
with the NYPD, rising from a trainee
in 1968 to the highest uniformed position
the force has, chief of department.
He served honorably in that role for
13 years, from 2000 to his mandatory
retirement in 2013. During his tenure,
he particularly distinguished himself
as part of the response to the Sept. 11,
2001 terrorist attacks.
Mayor Bill de Blasio made the
smart move in 2014 when he called
on Esposito to serve the city once
more as Emergency Management
commissioner. In that role, Esposito
continued looking out for New Yorkers
and making sure the city could
handle any crisis, large or small, with
relative ease.
But then de Blasio decided to place at
Esposito’s feet the blame for the city’s
inept response to a November 2018
snowstorm. He had a deputy fi re him,
but due to confusion, Esposito never
got the message. He showed up to work
days later, only to later agree on his
departure aft er a conversation with
the mayor.
This shameful episode should not
tarnish the public’s appreciation for
Esposito’s dedication to the people of
the city. He served the city responsibly
from start to fi nish, and no politician’s
buck-passing can change that fact.
The mayor may not have appreciated
Esposito’s talents, but the majority of us
do. And in the end, that’s all that counts.
ESTABLISHED 1908
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THE HOT TOPIC
STORY:
Teenager turns himself in for
slashing student at Benjamin
Cardozo High School in Bayside
SUMMARY:
A 15-year-old boy is now in custody on
assault and weapons possession charges
for slashing a fellow student at Benjamin
Cardozo High School in Bayside on Tuesday
morning — and causing a 2 1/2 hour
lockdown of the campus that alarmed
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COMMENTS:
A high time to
go green in NY
Ten states in this country
have legalized the recreational
use of marijuana —
and if Governor Andrew Cuomo
has anything to say about it, New
York will become the 11th to do so
next year.
Currently, marijuana use is
permitted in the Empire State for
medicinal purposes. In recent
years, the state and city have
sought to decriminalize possession
of minute amounts of weed
as part of overall eff orts to reform
the criminal justice system.
The national trend on pot has
been toward legalization, and
New York shouldn’t stand in the
way any longer.
The resources expended by law
enforcement toward keeping pot
off the streets could be used to
fi ght more serious crimes. Marijuana
related businesses will
create new jobs and pump money
into the economy at a time when
it’s beginning to slow down.
The revenue generated from
taxes charged on marijuana sales
off ers a new source of revenue to
fund public improvements.
While marijuana use should be
legalized, the state must regulate
the use and sale of pot with regulations
similar to those applied to
alcohol and tobacco consumption
— no sale or distribution to anyone
under 21, no smoking in public,
no marijuana use while operating
vehicles or heavy machinery, etc.
Let’s legalize it, but let’s do it the
right way.
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