Democratic Congressman-elect
Max Rose — a U.S. Army veteran
and former health-care executive
— ousted New York City’s only
House Republican, Rep. Dan Donovan
(R–Bay Ridge), in a Nov. 6 upset,
winning more than 52 percent
of the votes to represent the city’s
11th congressional district, which
covers Bay Ridge, Bath Beach,
Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Gravesend,
Sheepshead Bay, and all
of Staten Island. The incoming
congressman recently talked to us
about how he will hit the ground
running in Washington, DC, come
January, sharing plans to push
for an infrastructure bill to improve
his constituents’ commutes,
ensure the most vulnerable residents
of his ethnically diverse district
are represented, and mitigate
the effects of climate change in the
area (Checkin’ in with ... Congressman
elect Max Rose,” by Julianne
McShane, online Dec. 14).
Readers voiced their thoughts:
Max Rose is nothing more than an
outsider and an interloper in NY District
11. He has no connection to the
district or even to his fellow democrats
in the district.
He moved into an apartment in
St. George, SI only last year but reportedly
still lives in Park Slope. He
raised most of his dirty money from
outside NY-11. I’d like to hear him
explain his opposition to the Constitutional
travel ban to the families of
Staten Islanders murdered by Muslims
on 9-11. https://www.silive.com/
september-11. s.i. voter
from oakwood, SI
Max is a breath of fresh air; a
practical centrist who cares about
the needs of his constituents and the
national interest, not ideology. His
approach is rarely seen on the left or
the right these days. Politicians like
Max are very rare now, and he deserves
our support. John
from Bay Ridge
John, what approach? He is a
brand-new, never-been-a-politicianbefore
so-has-no-voting-record, congressman
elect! We have no clue if he
is left, right, center, or whatever —
other that what he claims to be … because
there is no voting record from
him ANYWHERE! Having worked
for two politicians previously does
not make him a known entity. We
will just have to wait, see, and hope
he does right by NY-11. JD
from Gravesend
He will fall in line when he gets to
DC and do what he’s told. He belongs
to The Party, and will be told what to
think. Mustfa Khant
from Atlantic Ave
To the Editor,
I need to thank you for following
up on the missing dog story (“Dillightful!
Lost dog, Pickles, rescued
after three-month search,” by Colin
Mixson, online Nov. 28). You made
my day. I had seen the “lost dog”
posters in Sheepshead Bay and Marine
Park, and wrote down the phone
number and kept it in my bag. I recall
the female lost dog also.
Recently, I saw probably the last
poster left, and was saddened thinking
the dog was never found, and how
far could he have gone?
Then, I got the Courier on my
porch in Marine Park. God bless
your work! Mrs. Marshall
Marine Park
To the Editor,
What goes on at PS 231 in Brooklyn?
A female student claims she was
harassed by another student riding
on the school bus and no one did
anything about this. Can you imagine
that the claim was made that
the child exposed himself to her?
Where are the bus matrons? It is also
claimed that an assistant principal at
the school tried to cover the entire situation
up. How about the latter doing
something? After all, she should be
grateful to be out of the classroom.
If these accusations are true, the
accused child does not belong in a
public school. When are we going to
bring back the 600-school concept for
the unruly? Where are the rights of
children who come to school to learn,
but can’t because of what is occurring
in the classroom? Why are we
so afraid to admit the problem exists
and to do something about it?
Stop pouring money into a broken
system that our elected officials refuse
to do anything about. As always,
we hear nothing from the United
COURIER LIFE, D 34 EC. 28, 2018–JAN. 3, 2019 M B G
Federation of Teachers about this
and similar situations. They’re probably
still celebrating that 87 percent
of a gullible membership voted for a
contract that says NOTHING about
class sizes and school discipline. We
know very well that our elected officials
would never send their children
to such schools.
The mayor and our other so-called
education leaders should report back
and do some classroom teaching and
see for themselves the conditions
they have helped to create. Let them
do this when their respective terms
end. Ed Greenspan
Sheepshead Bay
To the Editor,
With all of the recent talk of raising
the bus and subway fare, the question
appears to be “to raise or not to
raise,” but by how much.
My solution is lower it to zero. If
the mass-transit system is considered
a public good, such as a park,
then government should cover the
cost using the same method as a park,
through budgeted funds, and not on
daily use basis. Furthermore, government
gets its money from taxes
and fees, and the fare is just a fee for
the privilege of riding the buses and
trains.
The idea is to replace the daily fee
with three different taxes. The first
would be a percentage of income to
the New York City annual tax return.
The second would be to reinstitute the
commuter tax, and the third would
be a surcharge on hotel rooms for
tourists based on the number of people
in the room and number of days.
My idea would eliminate the need for
catching fare beaters, no need for fair
fares, no need for congestion pricing,
no costs for MetroCards, no cost for
developing the cashless system, and
riders can go through all doors legally
without paying, speeding up
the trips. All of these reasons would
be included in the three collection
methods above. Samuel Pam
Sheepshead Bay
To the Editor,
Hurry-Hurry-HURRY! Step right
up and see the magnificent MTA
management merry-go-round. Now
don’t be afraid, ladies and gentlemen,
get closer to watch the upper managers
swinging on and off and back on
again with the greatest of ease!
Sounds silly, doesn’t it? But this
seems to be normal operations in
the upper echelons for more than the
past 30 or so years. My fellow historian
Larry Penner, and other transit
historians I am familiar with,
plainly see what problems the system
faces and what is dearly needed to
straighten things out.
The first thing is getting the politicians
to cease their constant meddling
in areas they know little about.
Joe Lhota, it seems, after barely a
few months back on the job, packed
it in as Metropolitan Transportation
Authority chairman to head back to
sectors that truly appreciate and embrace
his knowledge and dedication
to getting the job done. Now they’ve
installed a life-long politician as interim
chairman, and we all know
how well that is going to work. Meanwhile,
the new transit president, Byford,
is probably watching the clock
tick down to his ultimate return to
mother England.
Stability is something that is
sorely needed. We need to get back to
hiring transportation professionals
that will dedicate five-plus years of
their expertise to really bring things
back up to snuff. The last good ones
like Kiley and Gunn, along with Reuter
and Hoffmann, pulled things back
from the brink and started these
agencies running on the right track.
This can only again be accomplished
if the Govern-Mayor and the present
presence infesting City Hall take
a hands-off approach and let these
managers do what they are hired to
do — MANAGE!
Robert W. Lobenstein
Marine Park
To the Editor,
Gov. Cuomo’s overnight tour of
the Canarsie L line tunnel was just
another in a series of publicity stunts.
As usual, he brings no additional
funding to pay for the obvious.
Why has it taken the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority seven
years after superstorm Sandy to begin
work on the tunnel (scheduled to
start in April 2019)? What guarantee
is there that it will be completed
within 15 months, by June 2020 (or
eight years after the initial damage)?
The MTA has an army of experienced
engineers and engineering
consultant firms. Why does Cuomo
second guess his own management
team by bringing in his own transportation
experts? Larry Penner
Great Neck
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