WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES DECEMBER 28, 2017 21
LETTERS AND COMMENTS OP-ED
CUOMO’S
PRE-PAY PLAN
IS TAX SCAM, TOO
How is it that no one is calling out
Governor Cuomo’s fake “tax help”?
We live in New York. How many New
Yorkers have $11,000 to $20,000 and up
sitting around to “pre-pay” their taxes?
This is a slap in the face to all hardworking
New York families. This is a slap in the
face to the middle-class families that make
up home ownership in this state!
Where are our elected representatives?
Why aren’t they calling out
this farce? What else are they doing
to rectify this burden?
This is not a fi x. This is an insult.
We need a permanent fi x in this overpriced,
underserved state!
Alfredo Centola, Whitestone
BUY AMERICA ACT
MAY LEAD TO MORE
FED FUNDS
Governor Cuomo signing the “NY Buy
America Act” legislation mandating the
MTA and other state agencies to “Buy
American” is nothing new for the MTA,
New York State Department of Transportation,
Thruway Authority and
Bridge Authority. They receive billions
each year from the United States Department
of Transportation Federal Transit
and Federal Highway Administrations.
“Buy America” requirements for both
transit, bridge and highway projects
are one of many requirements for receipt
of federal funding. This impacts
the MTA’s ability get the best bang for
the buck when spending $7 billion in
direct federal formula grant funds,
potentially several billion more in
competitive discretionary, New
Starts and Hurricane Sandy relief
dollars under the MTA $32 billion
2015-2019 Five-Year Capital Program.
Larry Penner, Great Neck
ISLES ARENA AT
BELMONT A BIG
POWER PLAY FOR
QUEENS
It has just been announced that
the Islanders are moving back to
Long Island where they belong
with a new 18,000-seat arena that
will be built near Belmont Park in
Elmont. What is really sweet is that
it will be on the border of Queens,
where I live in Glen Oaks Village.
This is great for all us hockey
fans and all others who would like
a sports arena close to home. Not to
mention get to see the Rangers and
Islanders play against each other,
closer to home for many of us.
Let’s go Islanders!
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.,
Glen Oaks Village
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Mr. Mayor: Restore
order in the courts
BY COUNCILMAN RORY LANCMAN
New York City’s justice system
cannot function without
judges.
Yet today our Criminal Courts are
plagued by a speedy trial crisis, driven
in part by the lack of judges available
to hear cases.
Without judges, attorneys cannot
present the facts and make their case;
the accused cannot put forward their
defense; victims cannot seek justice;
and witnesses cannot be heard.
While cases languish in the courts,
those defendants who cannot aff ord
to pay bail are stuck on Rikers Island
indefi nitely. As a result, individuals
are separated from their families and
communities and unable to earn a living
for long periods of time — all at a
great expense to the taxpayer. In 2015,
misdemeanor and low-level defendants
waited on average 564 days for a trial
by jury, or 474 days for a trial by judge.
As time goes by, and the prospect
of a speedy trial fades, victims and
defendants alike are more likely to
surrender to the system to move ahead
with their lives, instead of seeking
justice. That is a travesty.
Mayor de Blasio must not exacerbate
the problem. In November 2016, eight
New York City Civil Court judges were
elected to the state Supreme Court,
thereby leaving these positions open
for the mayor to fi ll on Jan. 1, 2017.
Interim Civil Court judges are almost
always assigned to serve in Criminal
Court.
Inexplicably, the mayor let the vacancies
linger well into May 2017, and
were only fi lled aft er the Courts & Legal
Services Committee, which I chair,
held an oversight hearing to examine
the delay. The mayor’s unwillingness
to promptly fi ll these vacancies left the
city’s judiciary understaff ed at a time
when our courts are starved for judges.
Aft er the mayor fi nally fi lled these
vacancies, I urged him to immediately
begin the vetting and review process
for the 2018 vacancies to ensure that
our city has a full slate of judges.
In the coming days, we will fi nd out
if the mayor is serious about having
a fully staff ed judiciary to take on the
current case backlog. On Jan. 1, there
will be 12 vacancies on the New York
City Civil Court as a result of the Nov. 7
general election. These vacancies have
been known since September 2017,
when the Democratic and Republican
parties held their nominating conventions.
Despite this, we have yet to
hear from City Hall if the mayor is on
track to fi ll these openings in a timely
manner.
New Yorkers already spend enough
time waiting for their judicial system
to function at an appropriate pace. The
mayor should not make this problem
worse.
Lancman represents the 24th Council
District, which covers Kew Gardens
Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, Fresh
Meadows, Hillcrest, Jamaica Estates,
Briarwood, Parkway Village, Jamaica
Hills and Jamaica.
‘Twas the day after Christmas in 2010 when
Queens and the rest of New York City was
socked by a massive snowstorm. The snowfall,
up to 20 inches in most spots, was so rapid
and heavy that it overwhelmed the Sanitation
Department’s ability to quickly plow the streets
and keep the borough moving. Residents woke
up on Dec. 27 to fi nd many roadways, such as
74th Street off 66th Drive in Middle Village (as
shown), completely impassible. It would take
several days before the streets were fully plowed
and the borough was back up and running at
full strength. Send us your historic pictures 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
