By The Times-Ledger
The three rebels, Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn (D-Fresh Meadows), Assemblyman Tony Seminerio (D-Richmond Hill) and Assemblywoman Barbara Clark (D-Queens Village) have been removed from leadership positions. Seminerio was relieved of his position as assistant majority leader, Clark was removed as the chairwoman of the Committee on Aging and Mayersohn was replaced as the chairwoman of the House Operations Committee. Each will lose thousands of dollars in stipends that come with these positions.
Make no mistake about it. This is a slap in the face to the people of Queens. We have enormous respect for the three legislators who have been chastised by Silver. And thus far, we have found little or no reason to respect Silver. He has repeatedly shown indifference to the issues that are important to the people of Queens. Most notably he has failed to secure proper funding of New York City schools.
We can think of no one more deserving of a leadership position than Mayersohn. She repeatedly has shown the courage to take tough stands, even when, like now, the political price is very high. When Mayersohn was fighting a bitter battle to get the Baby AIDS bill onto the assembly floor, she got no support from Silver who appeared to be afraid of offending Manhattan's radical special interest groups. It is very possible that babies needlessly suffered painful deaths because of the two-year delay in passing this bill.
Like Mayersohn, Clark and Seminerio are enormously popular in their home districts and well-respected by their colleagues on both sides of the aisle. They have worked hard for their districts and they deserve to be in a leadership positions.
Visit Richmond Hill, Mr. Speaker, and you'll see how popular Seminerio is among his constituents.
While Silver was taking his revenge, where was the rest of the Queens delegation? Mayersohn, Seminerio and Clark are dedicated public servants and their colleagues know it. And yet, these colleagues stood by in silence. There is a general acceptance that Silver is just playing the game the way it has always been played. He has the power to remove members from leadership position and he is using it. But the speaker should use that power for the sake of the people of New York, not for his own self-interest.
This beheading is just one more reason why Sheldon Silver is the wrong man to head the state Assembly. We applaud the courage of those who stood against him. Better luck next time.
No room for special ed?
The parents, at least some of them, at PS 173 in Fresh Meadows say it is time to go for the special education students who have been using their school. The students are part of District 75, the special education district, and they come from all over Queens. The school is operating at capacity and the parents say they want the special ed classrooms back for the “normal” kids who live in District 26.
The parents are wrong to take out their frustration on special ed kids. We must not turn our backs on children with disabilities. District 75 is charged with providing appropriate educational services for children with special needs. Those who don't understand the complexity of this challenge should have the good sense and decency to get out of the way.
Friends in the swamp
Who cares about “Snake Road?” Most New Yorkers, even most residents of Queens, don't even know that his undeveloped wetland exists on the border of Kennedy Airport.
The city is going forward with plans to build a 500,000-square-foot warehouse complex in Springfield Gardens on Brookville Boulevard or, as the locals call it, Snake Road. Those with expertise in the aviation industry say the additional cargo storage space is desperately needed if Kennedy Airport is going to keep pace. In addition, the warehouses are expected to create more than 1,000 permanent jobs.
But what about Snake Road? In our view, this area is a potential treasure for future generations. The wetlands here are home to migrating waterfowl and other wildlife. Drive along the one-mile stretch of Snake Road and, for a moment, one can forget that he or she is living in one of the world's largest and busiest cities.
In September, Community Board 13 voted unanimously against rezoning this space for manufacturing use because it said the city did not provide an environmental impact statement. There should be room for compromise here. Despite its potential, the wetlands here have been badly abused. Mental midgets have used this area as a dumping ground for tires cars, beer bottles and other trash. As the city builds the warehouse complex, it should also make a commitment to cleaning and preserving the nearby wetlands.
Hopefully, long years from now, families will drive along Snake Road and marvel at the beauty of the wetlands.
