30 THE COURIER SUN • october 30, 2014 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com editorial letters ELECTION DAY The 2012 elections should have been an opportunity for minority communities in Queens to increase their political representation in the state Legislature. Census data had shown that Asian and Hispanic populations in the borough had bloomed, raising hopes that these communities could send candidates to Albany who would truly represent their interests. Instead, these communities failed to be fully recognized in 2012. Rather than gaining influence, both Asians and Hispanics lost the opportunity to have districts that reflect their growing populations. These results are directly tied to our state’s broken redistricting process, which for generations has allowed Albany lawmakers to carefully engineer voting blocs that let incumbents coast to victory. Today, incumbents win re-election a staggering 97 percent of the time, which could lead voters in Queens and throughout the state to wonder why we even bother holding elections in the first place. On Election Day, voters will have a rare opportunity to change Albany to end this rigged system by voting yes on the Proposal 1 ballot initiative. Prop 1 will ban partisan gerrymandering by outlawing the drawing of legislative maps for political advantage, positioning New York as a national leader on redistricting reform. Currently, this powerful constitutional ban exists in only four states. The amendment will strip state legislators of their long unchecked redistricting power by creating a commission that will divide the state into fair districts. This commission will be banned from drawing districts to favor any incumbents, candidates or parties. Albany lawmakers have been able to serve their own self-interests and diminish the voices of New Yorkers for far too long by perpetuating a rigged system that protects incumbents. On Election Day, voters can reclaim power and hold their lawmakers accountable by voting Yes on Prop 1. Dick Dadey, executive director of Citizens Union QUEENS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ENDORSES THE ASTORIA COVE PROJECT With a diverse and growing population and a transportation system working hard to meet the needs of everyday New Yorkers, the Queens Chamber of Commerce believes the proposed Astoria Cove development will allow future residents of Astoria and western Queens to lead a much higher quality of life and add to Queens’ burgeoning economy. This specific project enhances this corner of our borough by importantly adding: 1) 345 affordable housing units; 2) A proposed 456-seat school for grades K through 5; 3) A new pedestrian thoroughfare along the waterfront that includes green spaces and water access for recreation and for families to enjoy. There will be many hundreds of construction jobs needed for this project for years to come. Astoria Cove will add some 110,000 square feet of retail space and a supermarket in a corner of the county that is sorely lacking in such vital retail amenities. This neighborhood, its inhabitants and future workforce can look forward to services ranging from local family restaurants, perhaps a hardware store, dry cleaners and the employment opportunities that come with these new retail businesses. As part of the proposed infrastructure enhancements there will be eight sewer projects in the current plan to help mitigate neighborhood flooding, as well as 900 garage spaces for local residents and visitors, including retail shoppers. Without Astoria Cove, none of these improvements would even be looked at. The Queens Chamber of Commerce believes this project is and will be a great addition for our borough and for Astoria. We wholeheartedly endorse and support the project and the many advantages it will present for the local community for generations to come. Jack Friedman, executive director of Queens Chamber of Commerce sun WWW.COURIERSUN.COM Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Bob Brennan William J. Gorta Amy Amato-Sanchez Nirmal Singh Graziella Zerilli Stephen Reina Ron Torina, Jennifer Decio, Cheryl Gallagher Liam La Guerre, Cristabelle Tumola, Angy Altamirano Katrina Medoff, Eric Jankiewicz, Salvatore Licata Cliff Kasden, Samantha Sohmer, Elizabeth Aloni Cristabelle Tumola Demetra Plagakis Warren Susman Celeste Alamin Maria Valencia Daphne Fortunate Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Publisher & E ditor Co-Publisher Associate Publisher Editor-In-Chief VP, Events, Web & Social Media Art Director Assistant to Publisher Assistant Art Director Artists Staff Reporters Contributing Reporters Web Editor Events Manager Senior Acc ount Executive Classified Manager Controller Office Manager President & CEO Vice President Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441 Sales fax: 718-631-3498 www.couriersun.com editorial e-mail: [email protected] for advertising e-mail: [email protected] Entire Contents Copyright 2014 by The Courier Sun All letters sent to THE CO URIER 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 CO URIER 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 CO URIER 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. IDENTIFY THIS PLACE Go to www.queenscourier.com and search “Identify This Place” to find out where this is VISIT QueensCourier.com FOR MORE STORIES RECOVERING SLOWLY Two years on from the devastation wrought by Superstorm Sandy, there is some reason for optimism. Yes, there are many people whose homes have yet to be rebuilt and there are many problems with the infrastructure throughout southern Queens and the Rockaway boardwalk – well, let’s not even talk about that. But there is progress being made. And there seems to be a new openness about the process, which is, let’s face it, something new and refreshing. We sympathize with the hardship and frustration of the homeowners and we hope the progress continues – and speeds up. ROCKAWAY FERRY A disturbing note came out of a Sandy town hall meeting held earlier this week. The city reiterated its refusal to continue funding the Rockaway ferry, saying the annual $5 million outlay was too expensive. We’re pretty realistic around here. We understand $5 million is a lot of money, but not in the context of the overall city budget, the hardship created by the cancellation and the disinvestment of the city in innovative transit ideas to reduce automobile use. The ferry subsidy is an infinitesimal part of the city budget. Given the $75 billion enormity of the budget, an imaginative leader could find an underused $5 million lurking in some corner with relative ease. We urge that leader to come forward. CITI BIKE At last, Citi Bike is coming to Queens – sort of. Naturally, we are pleased to see LIC and Astoria on the list for the next phase of Citi Bike expansion. But what about the rest of the borough? When can the rest of us see the amenities granted to tourists and our friends in Manhattan? This is a matter of both equity and common sense. We want our fair share in Queens for our own residents, surely. But we also get plenty of tourists (and Manhattanites) and an ideal cycling spot – Flushing Meadows Corona Park. We also want to promote more cycling – for health and enjoyment, yes, but also for pollution free commuting and shopping. How ‘bout it, Citi Bike?
SC10302014
To see the actual publication please follow the link above