Week of November 16 – November 22, 2019 • EAGLE NEWS MEDIA— A SECTION OF HOME REPORTER AND BROOKLYN SPECTATOR • 5
OPINION
PUT IT IN THE BOOKS
T
his past Tuesday’s elections in New York State generally had a positive outcome for the Conservative and Republican Parties. Without any election being certified, it would appear that the Democratic Party was swept out of office in the Nassau County town of Hempstead, the largest town in the nation with a population of 770,000 people. The GOP/Conservative alliance solidly held the town of Oyster Bay, with the end result being 75 percent of local government in Nassau is under GOP/Conservative leadership. There were other larger towns and cities such as Yorktown in Westchester County and the city of Canandaigua in upstate Ontario County that also saw entire Democratically-controlled governments completely flip. There are important too-close-to-call elections
in places like the town of Colonie in Albany County and the District Attorney’s Office in Ulster County. The county government in Clinton County flipped Republican and the same is likely to happen in Cayuga County when the recount is completed. It is also worth noting that in many places including Dutchess County, Broome County (Binghamton) and Onondaga County (Syracuse), the Republican/ Conservative GOP control was renewed. Even in the city, the GOP and Conservatives won a Civil Court seat on the Democratic majority North Shore of Staten Island. I suspect the newly elected Democratic County leader Assemblymember Michael Cusick was not expecting to start his tenure with such a loss. This is not to say the Democratic Party was shut out. It held important county
executive offices against fierce competition in Suffolk and Erie County, plus, for only the second time in over 80 years, it won the county executive spot in Monroe County. Early voting was generally successful although it is expensive. There are some bugs that need to be worked out — all easily correctable. One interesting outcome of early voting will likely be permanent absentee ballots and military ballots making up a greater percentage of the post-election votes counted. These have in the past leaned Republican. If that remains the case, the GOP will have the advantage on very close races. I have one other takeaway. High taxes and the liberal concessions made this past year in an effort to reform the criminal justice system hurt the Democratic Party. In elections for district attorney where it was
COMMON SENSE BY JERRY KASSAR
High taxes and the liberal concessions made this past year in an effort to reform the criminal justice system hurt the Democratic Party. thought the GOP incumbent or challenger would lose, it now appears that the GOP candidate won. I suspect the heavy media coverage of the state releasing 900 jailed individuals and the mayor giving them free Mets tickets did not go unnoticed in these races. In Hempstead, Democrats and Republicans both agree that high property taxes were the issue. Turnout, even with early voting, was incredibly low
WHETHER PERMITTED?
T
his past week, a video of a churro vendor being put in handcuffs inside a subway station went viral, eliciting criticism of the response by many, followed by criticism of that criticism by others. State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, in a tweet, questioned the priorities of the MTA in focusing on this as a problem while so many outer-borough residents deal with service issues on a daily basis. Some then engaged in discussions about regular MTA commuting troubles, while others alleged that the senator hates all cops, despite having never mentioned the NYPD in comments focused on MTA priorities. There were comments that the MTA’s prioritization of service and this policing action have nothing to do with each other, but they are, in fact, closely related. MTA subways are private
property and they coordinate with the NYPD’s Transit Bureau on enforcement priorities. Gov. Cuomo plans to add 500 new transit police officers to the subways to combat quality-of-life issues. The cost of these additional officers will be $50 million per year at a time when crime statistics for the subways show levels that are falling and the system is in dire need of service investments that would benefit millions of riders. Many of the same people who dismiss concerns about the cost of these additional, unneeded officers also frequently bemoan how much money our government spends. Similarly, there seems to be a correlation between those who feel Elsa the churro vendor deserved being arrested and those who are offended if they receive a school zone speed camera citation in the mail,
complaining that it’s all just a money grab. Speed cameras are simply enforcing a law, and one that affects public safety, for that matter, with a $50 summons that is far less than what drivers receive from actual officers, which can run hundreds of dollars. Someone selling churros Someone selling churros is far less of a risk to public safety than a speeding driver.
is far less of a risk to public safety than a speeding driver. Public health concerns over unregulated food vendors are a consideration, but this raises questions about how to approach this matter in a reasonable manner that doesn’t clearly demonstrate unequal enforcement. What about kids selling candy for fundraisers or lemonade stands or bake sales?
in New York City. It’s true that there was very little on the ballot. Arguably, the five propositions should have garnered more attention inasmuch as they will have a substantial effect on city governance. If you looked at the proposals beforehand, they appeared very confusing as a result of many seemingly unrelated issues being combined. That could have been a turnoff. Then again, I do not believe there is ever an excuse for not voting. As Howie Rose is famous for saying at the conclusion of each Mets game, “Put it in the books.” The 2019 election is behind us. There is no doubt in my mind that turnout will not be an issue in 2020, but issues as well as character will be, in the literally thousands of major
elections that will be taking place across the nation. *** I heard Dr. Ben Carson speak at a New York State GOP event held last week at the Union League Club in Manhattan. Without going into detail, I would recommend, if you have an opportunity to hear him, take advantage. He is very inspiring. The housing secretary did not speak about housing nor did he give an overtly political talk. Instead, he related current events and issues to his own experiences. He has seen a great deal and done a great deal in his life. His medical, political and governmental careers are filled with notations that he was the first in so many areas. A life well lived is how I would sum up Dr. Carson.
MATTER OF FACT BY JAY BROWN
There are broader solutions to address some of these issues in systemic ways that can help prevent these occurrences from happening in the first place. New York City laws for street vendors have not changed since they were first implemented during the Koch administration. Though there are an estimated 12,000 street vendors currently, the city still only grants the same 4,000 street cart permits it did more than 30 years ago and the vast majority of those who hold the $200 two-year permits now sell them on the black market for as much as $25,000. There have been different pieces of legislation in the City Council the past
several years to address this in different ways, but each time the vocal opposition of Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Real Estate Board of New York, and chambers of commerce have seemingly derailed them. A currently pending bill would offer about 4,000 new permits over the course of a decade and require each holder be the person who operates the cart, thus eliminating the black market. A year ago, Los Angeles legalized street vending without any limit on the number of permits; however, there are various rules and restrictions to ensure public safety. Vendors must obtain business licenses and food permits, and maintain clean areas around their carts, while permits are only granted for locations that
do not impede pedestrian activity. Almost all New York City street vendors are struggling with artificially inflated permit costs or the perils of operating illegally, which can result in summonses, fines, confiscation of belongings and, apparently now, arrest. In a system in which a churro vendor could obtain a permit for a reasonable cost to sell her goods in a location that is permitted while meeting health code standards, not only would we avoid any rationale for the police needing to take away people like Elsa in cuffs, but we would enable hard-working people to come out of the shadows as the entrepreneurs they are attempting to be.
FOR MORE NEWS, VISIT WWW.BROOKLYNREPORTER.COM