By The TimesLedger
One of the most painful consequences of the city’s budget crisis is the proposal to close the Queens Zoo. It is hard to fault City Hall on this decision without coming up with an alternative way to cut spending. How can you tell a mayor who feels forced to close fire houses that the zoo should be off the table?
The mayor estimates that closing the zoos in Queens and Brooklyn will save the city about $8 million. But Queens officials say it will cost the city at least $1 million dollars just to close the Queens Zoo and relocate the wildlife. And no one is saying what will happen to the Children’s Petting Zoo and the other buildings and fenced-in areas if the zoo closes. If these are torn down, it is unlikely that the Queens Zoo will ever reopen. And if they are left standing, they will be vandalized and will serve as a constant reminder of the city’s financial crisis, a symbol of financial failure.
There has to be a better way. It’s a long shot, but we’d like to see a grassroots effort mounted to save the zoo. Before they cart away the wildlife that has brought so much joy to so many families, we should first find out if the people are willing to make a small sacrifice to keep the zoo open. Why not put Save the Zoo boxes in every convenience store and in every school? In a borough that is home to more than $2 million people, it may be possible to raise the money needed to keep the Queens Zoo open.
The borough president should start first with the Mets and the USTA, two business that share Flushing Meadows with the zoo. She should also explore the possibility of corporate sponsorships. Would anyone really mind if they called it the “Nike Zoo” or the “Reebok Zoo” if the children of Queens would still have the chance to come nose to nose with a cow or feed a sheep?
We urge borough officials to seek out creative ways to keep the zoo open. There is still time, although not much, to save the Queens Zoo.
State Sen. Ada Smith (D-Jamaica) has a lot of explaining to do. It was reported last month that Smith refused to show her senate ID to an attendant when she drove her publicly funded Crown Victoria into the senate parking garage in Albany. A state trooper witnessed the confrontation and demanded to see the ID. After letting loose with a string of obscenities, Smith reportedly blew by the security checkpoint nearly hitting the two men.
Smith has offered a number of excuses for her behavior, but none of them hold water. If what we have heard is true, the trooper should have arrested the senator on the spot and should have taken her away in handcuffs.
People from Smith’s district died on 9/11. She should understand the need to take extraordinary measures to protect public facilities from another terrorist attack. She should have been grateful that the garage attendant took his job seriously and that a state trooper was assigned to protect the parking garage that she uses every day.
As a public figure the senator should set the example for others, even if it involves some inconvenience and a blow to her ego. It’s simple, Ada, if a state trooper says “Stop!,” you stop, even if you think you are very important. People who write the laws should be the first to obey them.
As far as we know, Smith has yet to apologize for her behavior. Officials say at word Smith may get a traffic ticket and may lose her parking privileges at the Capitol garage. If that is all that happen, she should consider herself lucky. Her constituents in Queens and Brooklyn are decidedly less fortunate.
Next Election Day New York City voters may have the opportunity to voice their opinion on the most important ballot question since the people voted to impose term limits. The Charter Revision Commission has been holding public forums to debate the possibility of taking party affiliation out of city elections.
The city’s elected officials, most of them Democrats, are bitterly opposed. Reformers and political activists say this would open up the political process and open the door for true democracy. They say this would take local government out of the hands of powerful political machines and put it where it belongs, in the hands of the voters.
For all practical purposes, New York City is a one-party town. Out of 51 council members, only four are Republicans. Primaries are rare and the candidate approved by the party leadership almost always wins.
There is a lot of wisdom in allowing candidates to run on their own merits. Party officials say the parties play an important role in getting out the vote. That’s true. On the other hand, people might feel more inclined to vote if there was a real contest.
In a nonpartisan election, there would be no need for a primary. Any candidate with enough names on a petition could get his or her name on the ballot. In most elections there would be a runoff between the top two candidates.
If this measure is placed on the ballot and wins approval, it will change forever the political landscape of New York City. There may be compelling reasons for not changing the system. But there is no reason for not debating the issue and eventually allowing the voters to decide.
