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RT05182017

WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES MAY 18, 2017 13 OVERPAID CONSULTANTS PROBE ACS During his run for mayor in 2013, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio blasted then-Mayor Mike Bloomberg for spending too much money on consultants. He vowed to "end the consultant class" if elected. Flash forward 4 years later. Far from ending consultants' role, de Blasio expanded it & called fi ve of them "agents of the city" to shield them from media scrutiny. Our misguided mayor just hired Kroll Associates at $550 an hour to probe the Administration for Children's Services in "an open ended contract that could continue for years," reported the New York Post. This lucrative contract raises some disturbing questions. Founded 45 years ago, Kroll focuses primarily on corporate security & corruption. It uncovers kickbacks, billing fraud & other malfeasance. But Kroll has no apparent expertise for the newproject it will tackle. Did political connections play a role in winning this contract? Our moronic mayor fails to learn from his mistakes. Our elected offi cials must get these high-priced hucksters off the public payroll ASAP. Richard Reif, Kew Gardens Hills INDEPENDENT DEMS ARE REALLY HELPING THE GOP Aft er watching the Aff ordable Care Act repealed for the American Health Care Act, which will literally cost thousands of lives. I cannot fathom how the Independent Democratic Caucus and Senator Simcha Felder do not see the necessity to join forces and conference with the Senate Democrats to fi ght this abomination of an administration. Their willingness to give a majority seat to an administration with such a blatantly misogynist, racist, xenophobic agenda shows an astonishing lack of moral compass. They hide behind Senate procedure and blame-shift when asked why progressive legislation is stalled, or why they vote down progressive budget amendments, or why certain progressive legislation gets buried in committee. The bottom line is the Independent Democratic Committee and Senator Felder have given the majority seat and with it the power of the New York State Senate to the most abhorrent GOP in the history of this country and they should ALL be primaried out. Every single one of them. Honor Mosher, Jackson Heights Editor’s note: To clarify, the Aff ordable Care Act has not been repealed. The House voted for the American Health Care Act, which would eff ectively repeal and replace the ACA, but it is not law as of yet. The Senate has yet to schedule a vote on the American Health Care Act. It would become law only if passes the Senate and is signed by the president. RIP BISHOP DAILY I just read that Retired Bishop Thomas V. Daily has passed away at age 89. I found this loss of a good priest most sad. I met Retired Bishop Daily at a convention of the New York State Knights of Columbus in 2002. I was Grand Knight of St. Anastasia Knights of Columbus Council #5911 and still am again and was a delegate to the convention. Bishop Daily was N.Y. State Champlain and a member of the Knights of Columbus. I had the opportunity to speak to him and found during our conversation that he was proud of the Knights of Columbus and all we had accomplished in terms of charitable works. I also found him to be honest, warm, kind, and compassionate for those who were hurting. As such this is a sad time for the church, family and all those who knew and loved him. May God bless the memory of Bishop Daily for all he did for the good of the many. Frederick R. Bedell Jr., Glen Oaks Village OP-ED Despite Trump, New York Must Stand Against Gun Safety Rollbacks BY SENATOR TOBY ANN STAVISKY When my colleagues in the State Senate and I passed the SAFE-Act, we reaffi rmed New York’s commitment to curbing gun violence in our state. However, even with our state laws in place, proper gun control is under threat as Republicans across the nation become empowered by the Trump Administration. Protecting our state from senseless gun violence has been a longtime passion of both my husband, former Senator Leonard Stavisky and me. My advocacy for gun safety began when we took on the NRA in the late ‘60s and I have continued that legacy by sponsoring and passing legislation to keep guns out of the hands of violent felons. As a proponent for gun control, I am concerned by President Trump’s recent address to the National Rifl e Association. The president made it clear that the federal government will stop eff orts to curb gun violence and roll back the clock on common sense restrictions and protections. We cannot go backwards. We, as New Yorkers, must remain committed to stopping atrocities committed with firearms. Unfortunately, with the Republican/IDC Coalition in control of the State Senate, we’ve already seen attempts to weaken the New York SAFE Act in the 2017-2018 State Budget. We will have to work harder to protect the laws already in place. My colleagues and I cannot stand idly by, allowing the Trump platform to pick away at the many progressive pillars put in place by President Obama and other Democratic leaders. That why last week we introduced a legislative package on gun control as part of our ever-growing Resistance Agenda. The bills included in this package will: Limit the sale of guns to an individual to one weapon per 30 days. Create a comprehensive 10-day waiting period during which a background check for purchase of fi rearms will be performed Prohibit someone convicted of a hate crime from buying or owning a gun Allow families victimized by gun violence to sue manufacturers. Create the Children’s Weapons Prevention Act, which mandates that gun owners store their fi rearms at home in a locked box. Create a center for research into fi rearm-related violence. Require gun dealers to sell only child-proof weapons, such as fi rearms that cannot readily/easily be used by children under 6. I stand proudly with my colleagues in support of these commonsense measures to keep New York a safe place to live, work and raise a family. I will continue to advance pro-safety legislation and will lead the resistance to President Trump, his dangerous polices and anyone who tries to enable those polices in Washington and Albany . LETTERS AND COMMENTS A LOOK BACK Memorial Day is less than two weeks away, and a number of communities across Queens will be hosting parades celebrating those who gave their lives in defense of our country. This 1970 photo from the Ridgewood Times archives shows the St. Matthias Blue Max Band marching in the Ridgewood- Glendale Memorial Day Parade, one of the oldest marches of its kind in the entire borough, along Myrtle Avenue. Send us your historic photos of Queens by email to [email protected] or by traditional mail to A Look Back, ℅ The Queens Courier, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361. All mailed pictures will be carefully returned to you.


RT05182017
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