letters to the editor
A traffic proposal In light of the congestion pricing talk and ways to cut down traffic, I have an observation and thought.
On my daily walk to the gym, I go up 90th St. between Second and Third Aves. and I often see at least a third to half of the parking spaces on that block taken up by cars with out-of-state license plates.
Why are out of towners able to park on our streets for free, taking up spaces local residents should be using? And bringing their cars which we are trying to curtail, to clog our streets? This has been bugging me for years and I have mentioned it to some of our elected officials with not much enthusiasm on their part.
If we are going to allow this, there should be a simple mechanism to charge out-of-state drivers for a parking pass to allow them to park on the streets. With today’s technology, there would be ways for drivers to go online, pay for, let’s say, a 24-hour parking pass or 48 hours/weekly/monthly/annually. They could download a sticker or something to put in the window as they do today with parking meters.
One could argue that these are visitors to NYC who spend money in the city while they are here. But at what cost to the city and neighborhoods? We are missing out on a big revenue source that could go towards improving our subways.
One could also argue that drivers pay to get into Manhattan via our bridges and tunnels. But that fee should not include being able to park for free on our streets.
If the city is going to consider congestion pricing in Manhattan, they should also consider charging out of state cars for street parking in all of Manhattan’s neighborhoods and earmarking those funds for subway improvements.
Nancy Ploeger Upper East Side
Abolish the public advocate Any public opinion poll can tell you that the average citizen believes taxpayers would be better off if the useless Office of Public Advocate was abolished. It has only provided temporary employment for past Public Advocates Mark Green, Betsy Gotbaum, Bill de Blasio and most recently, Letitia James. All engaged in a non-stop series of press conferences, news releases, letters to the editor, guest columns in newspapers and publicity stunts for years. All of this was at taxpayers’ expense to raise their name identification with voters and grease the wheels for running for another public office.
NYC will have a $92 billion budget in fiscal year 2019 with over 230,000 employees. This is greater than most states and many nations. Members of 59 community planning boards, their district managers along with every municipal agency provide better customer service to residents that any public advocate does. The same is true for NYC Council members, borough presidents and city comptroller who also periodically conduct audits of municipal agencies. The Office of Public Advocate just duplicates these functions, with taxpayers paying twice for the same services. No one would notice if the Office of Public Advocate was abolished. Funding for the Office of Public Advocate would be better spent on more critical municipal services such as transportation, police, fire, sanitation or education.
Larry Penner Great Neck, NY
Linda fairstein and hunter collegeSince 1878 Hunter College has been a shining beacon in secondary and higher education, community involvement, and providing NYC with the finest teachers, lawyers and doctors.
Unfortunately that light dims when Linda Fairstein is set to anchor a series of writer seminars at this wonderful institution. For those too young to know, she achieved her claim to fame by prosecuting the Central Park Five in the notorious jogger case. As the chief sex crimes prosecutor for the Manhattan DA, Fairstein turned an ambiguous mound of evidence into an outcome that sent five young men of color (ages 15 to 18) to jail for many years. The documentary “The Central Park Jogger” reveals how poorly the case was developed, using draconian techniques to coerce confessions from these teenagers. The film also reveals how the five defendants were vindicated by evidence that should have been brought to light at the time.
Now the reinvented Fairstein is going to be celebrated as a great author. I believe that every artist should have a platform for her art. But in this case she attained fame and fortune in large part from her previous career.
As a proud graduate of the CUNY system, I ask for Hunter College to rescind this invitation for cause. And those concerned about justice should protest if they do not.
Steve Urevith Upper East Side