32 The Queens Courier • MAY 31, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com
32 THE QUEENS COURIER • MAY 31, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
sun
THE QUEENS
editorial
WWW.COURIERSUN.COM
PUBLISHER & EDITOR
CO-PUBLISHER
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
VP, EVENTS, WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA
ART DIRECTOR
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
STAFF REPORTERS
CONTRIBUTING REPORTERS
ASSISTANT TO PUBLISHER
CLASSIFIED MANAGER
CONTROLLER
PRESIDENT & CEO
VICE PRESIDENT
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS
BOB BRENNAN
ROBERT POZARYCKI
AMY AMATO-SANCHEZ
NIRMAL SINGH
EMILY DAVENPORT
KATRINA MEDOFF, RYAN KELLEY, JENNA BAGCAL
SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
CLIFF KASDEN, SAMANTHA SOHMER, ELIZABETH ALONI
DEBORAH CUSICK
CELESTE ALAMIN
MARIA VALENCIA
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS
Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361
718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441
www.qns.com
editorial e-mail: editorial@qns.com
for advertising e-mail: ads@qns.com
Entire Contents Copyright 2017 by The Queens Courier
All letters sent to THE QUEENS COURIER should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should
include a full address and home and offi ce telephone numbers, where available, as well as affi liation, indicating
special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Name withheld on request.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, AS WELL AS OP-ED PIECES IN NO WAY REFLECT THE PAPER’S POSITION.
No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of THE QUEENS COURIER. The
publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the
error. Errors must be reported to THE QUEENS COURIER within fi ve days of publication. Ad position cannot be
guaranteed unless paid prior to publication. Schneps Communications assumes no liability for the content or
reply to any ads. The advertiser assumes all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold
THE QUEENS COURIER and its employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting
from or caused by the publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement.
SPRINGTIME IN RIDGEWOOD // PHOTO VIA INSTAGRAM @blonde.par.jour
Send us your photos of Queens and you could see them online or in our paper!
To submit them to us, tag @qnsgram on Instagram, visit our Facebook page,
tweet @QNS or email editorial@qns.com (subject: Queens Snaps).
STORY: Sample some of Bayside’s best restaurants during the
‘Bell Boulevard Food & Music Fest’
SUMMARY: The Bell Boulevard Food and Music Fest will take
place on June 3 from 2 to 6 p.m. and off er bites from 30 of the
commercial strip’s restaurants.
REACH: 12,934 people (as of 5/30/18)
The hard but good plan to rebuild the MTA
Listen carefully and you’ll hear the proverbial piper calling for his paycheck.
Look carefully and you’ll see the waiter approaching the table with the proverbial
bill.
Th e MTA has run out of time, and commuters have run out of patience.
Th e broken infrastructure and systemic failures that cause hours of commuter
delays every day require the MTA to conduct a major overhaul that will cost
billions and take years to complete.
New York City Transit President Andy Byford announced a comprehensive,
$37 billion, decade-long plan to bring the subways and buses into the 21st century.
It’s a good plan that will, among other items, end the daily signal problems
that infuriate straphangers and provide Queens, in particular, with a revamped
bus system featuring new buses and redesigned routes.
Th e Byford plan is the way forward for New York City’s public transit system
— but make no mistake, all of us will pay for this, one way or another.
Th e plan calls for $3.8 billion in annual investment over the fi rst fi ve years,
and another $3.6 billion every year for the fi nal fi ve years. It’s a lot of money,
and the city and state already pay billions of dollars annually to keep the subways,
commuter trains and bus lines running. Commuters contribute hundreds
of millions more for the privilege to do so.
Where does one fi nd $3.8 billion a year to spend on a public transit system?
More bonds, more taxes and, yes, higher fares, too.
Th e revamped congestion pricing plan in Manhattan, aff ecting for-hire vehicles,
will pump hundreds of millions of dollars to the MTA in capital repairs. Th at’s a
good start, but everyone concedes that more money will have to be found to fulfi ll
the Byford plan’s objectives.
We need our lawmakers, both at City Hall and in Albany, to step up now. Th ey
have to show some political courage and make the tough decisions necessary to
fund the MTA overhaul.
Nobody wants to pay more for anything. Like the driver who sees the “check
engine” light fl ashing in the dashboard, or the homeowner eyeing a leaking pipe
under the kitchen sink, they seek a temporary fi x to keep things together just a
little longer.
But in the end, the temporary fi x always gives way; the problem festers into
something even greater; and the owner always winds up paying more.
Let’s get the MTA rebuild started and let’s take the pain that comes with it,
knowing that in the end, our transit system will be stronger and more reliable
than ever.
Publisher & E ditor Victoria Schneps-Yunis
Co-Publisher Joshua A. Schneps
Associate Publisher Bob Brennan
E ditor-In-Chief Robert Pozarycki
VP, Events, Web & Social Media Amy Amato-Sanchez
Art Director Nirmal Singh
S ocial Media Manager Emily Davenport
S taff Reporters Katrina Medoff, Ryan Kelly, Angela Matua
Suzanne Monteverdi
Contributing Reporters Cliff Kasden, Samantha Sohmer, Elizabeth Aloni
Assistant to Publisher Deborah Cusick
Classified Manager Celeste Alamin
Controller Maria Valencia
President & CEO Victoria Schneps-Yunis
Vice President Joshua A. Schneps
Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361
718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441
www.qns.com
editorial e-mail: editorial@qns.com
for advertising e-mail: ads@qns.com
Entire Contents Copyright 2017 by The Courier Sun
All letters sent to THE COURIER SUN should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should
include a full address and home and office telephone numbers, where available, as well as affiliation,
indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Name withheld on request.
No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of THE COURIER SUN. The
publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by
the error. Errors must be reported to THE COURIER SUN within five days of publication. Ad position
cannot be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication.
VIctoria Media Services assumes no liability for the content or reply to any ads. The advertiser assumes
all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold The Courier SUN and its
employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the
publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement.
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