44 THE QUEENS COURIER • OCTOBER 12, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
44 The Queens Courier • OCTOBER 12, 2017 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, ANTHONY GIUDICE, ANGELA MATUA
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
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THE GREAT PUMPKIN IN LONG ISLAND CITY // PHOTO VIA INSTAGRAM @sophie_frenchie_nyc
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Keep shameless ex-cons off the ballot
Elections have consequences.
Th at’s a phrase you might have heard in recent months. It’s a reminder
that we must be careful of whom we vote for in an election, because regardless
of the candidate we choose, we will all be impacted by the winner’s success
or failure.
Too oft en, in recent years, the choices we’ve made at the ballot box have
come back to bite us. Take, for example, the case of former state Senator
Hiram Monserrate of Queens, who wound up being convicted twice: once
for assaulting his former girlfriend, and the other time for embezzling campaign
funds.
Th en there’s former Congressman Michael Grimm of Brooklyn and Staten
Island, who once threatened to throw a reporter off the Capitol Hill rotunda
balcony because he didn’t like the question asked of him. Grimm was later
convicted of tax evasion charges.
What do Monserrate and Grimm have in common? Despite facing the consequences
of their illegal actions — despite bringing shame to their own constituents
— they both can’t stay away from the lure of politics.
Monserrate has made two failed attempts at mounting a post-penal political
comeback. In 2016, he very narrowly lost a Democratic district leader
race, with just 57 votes separating him from the winner. Th en, earlier this
year, he came way too close to reclaiming the 21st Council District seat he
previously held; fortunately, the voters chose Assemblyman Francisco Moya
over Monserrate, who wound up losing by about 500 votes in a low-turnout
election.
Grimm, meanwhile, is now mounting a challenge against a member
of his own party — Republican Congressman Dan Donovan — for the
Congressional seat he once occupied. He seems to be in denial that he was
truly convicted; in an MSNBC interview, Grimm claimed that the tax evasion
case, in which he pleaded guilty, was politically motivated, thus making
it okay (in his eyes) for him to run for public offi ce again.
Why are these ex-cons permitted to run for public offi ce in New York
State? Th ey were found guilty of betraying the public trust. If elections have
consequences, so should the criminal convictions of disgraced lawmakers.
In recent years, we’ve seen too many public offi cials in New York State get
walked into a courtroom in handcuff s for one misdeed or another. If our state
government is serious about reform, it should start by enacting a law barring
convicted former public offi cials from seeking elected offi ce again.
We’re all for redemption, but there are better ways for disgraced lawmakers
to redeem themselves than by campaigning for public offi ce. Our choices
on Election Day should be between good citizens looking to improve our
lives, not self-serving grandstanders attempting to pull the limelight away.
STORY: Eight more ‘johns’ caught trying to pay for sex at
Ridgewood’s prostitution hotbed
SUMMARY: Cops rounded up another group of eight “johns” looking
for a good time at Ridgewood’s known prostitution hot spot last
month.
REACH: 11,111 people (as of 10/5/17)
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, Anthony Giudice, 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.