I agree with your March 8 editorial “Cops’ Pay Is Shameful.” The recent salary increase passed by New York City Council Speaker Quinn and her colleagues of $22,000 per year is almost equal to the $25,000 starting salary of a new police officer.
Salary increases for civil servants and private sector employees are based on the principles of merit, performance, quality of service along with an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work. Some New Yorkers would agree that any police officer is worth more than any or all 51 City Councilmembers combined.
Between the new Councilmember base salary of $112,500 supplemented by lulus ranging from $4,000 to $28,000 - their average salary for a part time job is now $125,000 or five times that of a rookie police officer!
Many Councilmembers have outside jobs but police officers have no time for outside jobs.
I would ask each I would ask each Councilmember to donate part or all of their salary increases to police officers. Next time you need a cop and none are available, call your local City Councilmember and see what they can do to help take a bite out of crime instead of your wallet!
Larry Penner
Great Neck
Traffic Light Needed
Why doesn’t the Department of Transportation install a traffic light at Ascan Avenue and Kessel Street in Forest Hills? The distance from Greenway South to Metropolitan Avenue is over 1/3 of a mile. That strip is ideal for drag racing because there are only two crossover streets. Does a fatal injury have to occur before a traffic light is put up?
Michael Albert
Forest Hills
Editor’s Note: Getting a new traffic light installed is not easy. To determine whether an intersection warrants a stoplight, officials must study the factors, including the volume of traffic over the busiest eight- and four-hour periods of the day, peak hour, pedestrian volume, nearby school crossings, and previous accident reports, according to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, put out by the Federal Highway Administration (FHA).
Pet Owners Are Responsible
I would like to commend you for the editorial ‘Set the Dogs Free.’ I am the President of the Sunnyside United Dog Society and we have been utilizing off leash “courtesy” hours in our local park since fall 2001.
At that time, we noticed the park was being misused by other visitors. Public urination, broken glass, and garbage thrown on the ground and the selling of drugs and alcohol were some of the most offensive abuses. Our group took it upon ourselves to clean up the park, doing such a great job that Queens Community Board 2 approved us for an enclosed dog run by a 35-4 vote. It is because of dog groups such as SUDS that many city parks are safer and cleaner.
Off leash hours benefit all the different neighborhoods of the city. At the Health and Parks Departments hearings many experts, and scores of New Yorkers, spoke on how exercised and socialized dogs benefit the city.
The small anti-off leash contingent would have you believe that our parks are rife with dog attacks. This could not be further from the truth. The proof? Dog bites are at historic lows in the city, with just 2.2 percent taking place in the city parks.
The Health and Parks Departments listened to both sides at the public hearing, and decided to continue to allow off leash activity in city parks. It is now up to all New Yorkers, especially dog owners, to let people know the rules, where and when off leash activity can take place and to remind people to pick up after their pets.
Rick Duro, President,
Sunnyside United Dog Society
Proud Of Sunnyside Parade
I was proud to take part in the 8th annual Queens St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Sunnyside held on Sunday March 4. Hundreds of people - from citywide elected officials like Mayor Bloomberg and Comptroller Bill Thompson to newcomers to our borough - marched in unison to proudly pay tribute to Irish heritage and honor St. Patrick’s Day.
Unfortunately, the streets were pockmarked by a few protestors hoisting gay-baiting signs and heckling the participants. It was a dismaying site, given that the parade drew not just gay but straight marchers and displayed a true representation of Queens and New York City.
Organizers Brendan Fay and Barbara Mohr deserve our praise and admiration for initiating what has evolved into an important moment each year for people to realize that our differences should not set us apart but bring us together. Each year, when the parade steps off, the weather may be chilly but the atmosphere is warm.
I watched as friends from Jackson Heights, Forest Hills, Sunnyside, Woodside and Astoria all proudly help flags from Ireland and banners emblazoned with names of cultural, civic, political and community groups.
While some parades pretend to be inclusive but shut out members of our city, this parade was a sterling example of what is good about our city - people with heart who deeply care about improving the future for the next generation.
Alfonso Quiroz
Jackson Heights
