Thomas Ziegler Selling out
The following concerns
were prompted by our local
elected offi cials on city, statewide
and national matters.
Statement from Speaker
Carl E. Heastie on being selected
Speaker again... “It is
truly an honor to have been
chosen by my colleagues in the
Assembly Majority to serve as
speaker of the People’s House.
I am thankful for their continued
support as well as their
unwavering commitment to
putting New York families
fi rst. It gives me a great sense
.......AS STATED
of pride to lead one of the most
diverse legislative bodies in
the country. In the year ahead,
we will continue to build on
our achievements and reaffi
rm our state’s reputation as
a progressive leader.
All across the state, from
small towns to big cities, New
Yorkers yearn for many of the
same things: a quality education
for our children, access to
higher education and affordable
health care, and good jobs.
We will continue to make these
among our top priorities.
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, D 12 ECEMBER 21-27, 2018 BTR
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BRONX TIMES PUBLISHER
Laura Guerriero
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John Collazzi
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Grateful for
the coverage
The following letter was
sent to Bronx Times publisher
Laura Guerriero.
The Soundview Drug-Free
Coalition continues to be
grateful to the Bronx Times
for their coverage of the coalition’s
activities over the past
couple of years. As drug-free
coordinator for the coalition,
I have been working to educate
the coalition and the community
regarding some of the
Not my
vision
Dear editor,
It’s typical NYC Department
of Transportation
agenda to stifl e traffi c in the
hope that people will use mass
transit.
I have been in contact and
met numerous DOT offi cials
throughout the city. They do
listen, but turn a blind eye. I
have traveled Morris Park Avenue
and I never found a major
problem. An occasional double
parker, but nothing worth
spending millions to change.
The city’s ‘Vision Zero’ plan is
backwards.
DOT is looking to push
traffi c away from pedestrians,
when it should be pushing
pedestrians away from
traffi c. As DOT adds islands
Free for all
bus travel
Dear editor,
I was one of about 30 people
awaiting a Bx40 bus in
Westchester Square at 1:30
p.m. on Wednesday, December
12. When the bus arrived
I was one of three people who
actually paid the fare with
the other 27 entering through
the rear doors thereby avoiding
the fare of $2.75. That is
$74.25 lost at one stop on one
bus line.
How about enforcing the
law and force all to pay, perhaps
you could actually put
clean busses on the road.
the Bronx
Dear editor,
Centers and CenterLight
are two familiar names in
Bronx healthcare. You may
see them advertise their ‘5-
star’ nursing homes - but it’s
time to learn the truth.
In 2016, CenterLight healthcare
(formerly known as Beth
Abraham) was found guilty by
the NYS Attorney General of
$47 million in Medicaid fraud.
To recoup their money and
avoid bankruptcy they sold
off many of their properties in
the Allerton community.
The Beth Abraham building
at 612 Allerton Avenue
(seen as you exit the Bronx
River Parkway) was sold to
the for-profi t company Centers
Healthcare. As soon as Centers
took over last year they
began fi ring and intimidating
SEIU nurses, seeking benefi t
cuts and outsourcing staff to
workers making just $11.50/
hour. Basic supplies run low
and community members are
now suing for negligence because
of the poor care that has
resulted in loss of life.
CenterLight also owned
numerous houses in Allerton,
including the two-story
structure now home to Neighborhood
Initiatives Development
Corp., which advocates
for tenants and runs local afterschool
programs. These 15
plus houses they owned were
sold in early 2018, and these
community residents were
told they have until early
2019 to leave. Many already
have. Can you say ‘displacement’?
So, next time you read
about Centers’ or Center-
Light’s donation to a community
event, or holiday lights,
know that’s it just a marketing
scheme to hide what’s truly going
on - greed, corruption and
selling out.
Raphael Schweizer
latest substance-related challenges
impacting our young
people.
By the way, the photographer
you send to all our meeting,
Silvio, has been a jewel
for the Coalition. He attends,
he listens, he contributes and,
of course, he takes great pictures.
Thank you for assigning
him to us.
José A. Rivera, J.D.
Soundview Drug Free
coordinator
and extends the curbs at intersections,
pedestrians end up
standing farther out into moving
traffi c. I have a UTube
channel ‘city dot’ where you
can view numerous examples
of the horrors of commercial
driving.
East 138th Street and
Bruckner Boulevard is a disaster
after DOT ‘improvements’.
Adding 1,000 square
feet of safe haven for pedestrians
and eliminating three
lanes of traffi c, pedestrians
still stand on the curb’s edge
or jaywalk.
If this administration is really
concerned about safety,
jaywalkers should be ticketed.
Raymond Klein
HAPPY HOLIDAYS! FROM
THE STAFF OF THE
BRONX TIMES REPORTER
We will also continue to
fi ght for equality, justice and a
brighter future for every New
Yorker.I look forward to tackling
our state’s toughest issues
with my colleagues in the Assembly
Majority and our new
partners in the Senate Democratic
Majority. Like New
Yorkers, we share many of the
same goals. Together, we will
help move New York forward
by putting families fi rst.
A statement by Assemblyman
Michael Blake on the
ruling regarding the Affordable
Care Act....The Affordable
Care Act, which I was honored
to work on as an aide to President
Obama, has helped more
than 20 million Americans
nationwide see a doctor when
they are sick. This includes
more than 887,000 New Yorkers
who can rest easy knowing
they have an opportunity
for health care.
For years, Republicans in
Congress have inhumanely
and cruelly tried to repeal or
modify it, upwards of 70 times.
Each time, they failed.
Last night, a federal judge
in Texas ruled that the ACA’s
individual mandate - the section
of the law that requires
people to pay a penalty if they
don’t sign up for insurance - is
unconstitutional.
Thankfully, because the
judge declined to enter an injunction,
his ruling did not
block the continued operation
of the ACA, which would have
wreaked havoc on our nation’s
healthcare system.
Millions of Americans will
continue have access to affordable
healthcare. We are confi -
dent that this decision will be
overturned on appeal. Just as
we all did earlier this year, let
us be ready to raise our voices
and fi ght back to ensure that
health care is a right not a
privilege.
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