FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM OCTOBER 14, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 27
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Don’t make travel to NYC even less
affordable — legalize short-term rentals
BY AIMEE THRASHER
I moved to New York City in 1980 and
the biggest problem I encountered was
the lack of aff ordable housing, even back
then. Four years later, I was priced out of
Manhattan and chose to move to Queens.
While I changed boroughs because of
skyrocketing rent prices, I fell in love with
my neighborhood. Th ere is no area more
diverse in the world than Queens. From
the local restaurants to the unparalleled
boutiques, each small business is unique
and special in its own way. Th is is why in
1998 I made the decision to purchase a
small mother/daughter house in Queens.
It was my dream to be a homeowner and
this house would be an investment in my
family’s future.
When I neared retirement in 2015, I
realized that I could not live off of my
social security and pension. So I fi xed up
the fi rst-fl oor apartment of my home and
letters & comments
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listed it on Airbnb as a short-term rental.
My introduction to the platform was
through traveling with my family. One
hotel room with two beds was inadequate
for our needs and yet we could not aff ord
two rooms. Airbnb off ered comfortable,
home-like accommodations that could fi t
our entire family at a fraction of the price.
Yes, we would be without some amenities,
but what mattered was that we were able
to take a trip together as a family.
As a host, I’ve become very passionate
about hospitality and giving my guests the
best possible experience, like I had gotten
years ago with my family. I am proud to
share my home with New York’s visitors
and show new people around the borough.
My guests come from around the
world to spend their money in New York.
Th ey shop in our grocery stores, eat in our
restaurants, go to our shops and use our
transit system.
Our local government should be celebrating
short-term renters, not trying to
keep them out, but new legislation threatens
to do just that. An ambiguous and
arbitrary bill that’s currently being considered
by the City Council would limit the
number of guests to two people, when visits
to my home typically consist of families
made up of three or four people. Airbnb
was a way for families to travel aff ordably
and this bill would make our city even
less accessible to lower-income visitors.
Do they regulate hotels to that number of
guests? Th e answer is likely no.
Th ese regulations would strike a signifi
cant blow to tourism outside of
Manhattan and the traditional tourism
districts. Just when people have started to
book travel to New York City again, we
risk locking them out.
For me personally, these rules would
be devastating. While Airbnb might be
supplemental income for some, it is my
ONLY source of income. If I lose my ability
to rent on Airbnb, I won’t be able to pay
my mortgage and I will lose my home. I
am 72 years old and I don’t have anywhere
else to go. Airbnb is the only reason I am
able to stay in my home.
I know I am not the only older New
Yorker who relies on short-term renters
to stay in their home. Were our local government
to concentrate more on assisting
those of us on fi xed incomes and less
on unnecessary regulation, maybe this
wouldn’t be the case. Judging by current
events, they would rather work toward
helping the hotel industry than our city’s
most vulnerable.
If the New York City Council cares about
our city’s seniors, homeowners or the local
economy, then they will stop this bill from
becoming the law. Th ere is still time to do
what is right for real New Yorkers.
Aimee Th rasher is an Airbnb host in
Queens.
IS THE LGA AIRTRAIN
THE BEST OPTION?
Not sure why Tom Grech of the Queens
Chamber of Commerce and others in our
borough are so committed to the Port
Authority’s sub-optimal LGA AirTrain
plan.
Two much better transportation options
– sending AirTrain to the Woodside LIRR
and No. 7 train station or to the terminus of
the N/W trains in Astoria — would provide
all the economic benefi ts that Grech sees in
AirTrain while also providing faster access to
Manhattan or potentially all of Long Island
as well as Manhattan.
Mr. Grech is also wrong about how most
of the AirTrain will be funded. Th e Port
Authority of New York and New Jersey will
use the $4.50 passenger facility charge levied
on LaGuardia fl yers to build the project.
Th e money cannot be spent on bus terminals,
ports or bridges — only airports and
airport access.
If New York is going to spend several billion
dollars of public money on rail access
to LGA — and I think it should — let’s do
it right.
Steve Strauss, Forest Hills
DO YOUR PART DURING
BREAST CANCER
AWARENESS MONTH
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
and it is a reminder for all of us to make sure
ourselves and loved ones are aware of what to
look for regarding this disease.
Th roughout the month of October,
women are encouraged to make mammography
appointments. And, in rare cases, 1%
of men also come down with breast cancer,
which is oft en fatal because men wait too
long to get tested.
Some may wonder why a man is writing a
letter to the editor about breast cancer, which
is more common in women, but it aff ects
each and every one of us. It can impact all
the women we love — our mothers, sisters,
aunts, wives, daughters and friends can be
aff ected by this insidious disease.
Eva, my wife of 34 years, has gone for
this test several times, and I know it scares
her because breast cancer runs in her family.
She has friends who have had this disease
and some of them have passed away.
Each time she goes for the test, I’m afraid
to hear the worst and face the possibility
of losing the most important person in
my life.
But we must remember early detection is
the answer. I know that for a fact because
I had come down with aggressive prostate
cancer. But due to early detection and an
aggressive surgery, I am in remission fi ve
years later.
Now, with new treatment options, mammography
screenings can improve a woman’s
chance of survival. I had an aunt who
had breast cancer in the 1960s and died at
age 62. But more can be done today and the
cure rate is much better today.
We all need to get involved and do what
we can to fi ght this insidious disease, like
donating to the American Cancer Society,
which helps women cope with breast cancer.
A lot of organizations are out there
that can also help. Th ere are runs, walks
and other fundraisers that can also help.
So please volunteer if you can and let’s help
end this disease that has aff ected so many
men and women and their families.
Frederick R. Bedell Jr., Bellerose
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