Your printing of the outrageous and totally incorrect editorial that appeared in the Daily News was most unfortunate. Since you printed this in its entirety perhaps you would consider printing the attached communications which contradicts the very essence of this editorial. Specifically, enclosed is a letter from Dr. Edwin F. Simpser, M.D., Chief Operation Officer of St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children. I draw your attention to a sentence in the second paragraph… “We certainly do not now, nor have we ever, interpreted our differences as a lack of concern for the children we serve.” During my entire tenure, I have been most helpful to St. Mary’s which is why I was honored by them as ‘Man of the Year.’
Since you are predisposed to reprint in its entirety articles from the Daily News, I would urge you to reprint the attached column by one of its respected writers, Denis Hamill. Unfortunately, neither you nor the editorial writers of the Daily News paid any attention to this article, which I find rather strange.
Finally, when you are in the business of reprinting communications in their entirety, you might also consider sharing with your readers the enclosed letter from Dr. Blanche Felton which indicates that for thirty years there was an open neighborhood relationship with St. Mary’s wherein homeowners volunteered and supported health care for the children. I would also urge you to state quite clearly that communications from myself and Assemblywoman Carrozza simply asked for a postponement of the February 7 review in order to allow an opportunity for the hospital and the community to fully understand the details of this 105 million dollar expansion.
I look forward to your next issue and hopefully everything that I have enclosed be reprinted.
Frank Padavan
State Senator
In support of St. Mary’s
After reading about the vile and nasty people who live around St. Mary’s Childrens Hospital, I am embarrassed to say I have lived here all my life. How could you all as human beings complain about the hospital trying to make quality of life more comfortable for these sick and dying children?
I am also ashamed at the two politicians who support these hateful people. I assume none of you has ever had the need of the services at St. Mary’s as you’ve all enjoyed healthy children and grandchildren. I give generously to the hospital and thank you for my healthy college age daughter.
Genea Anne Natale
North Flushing
‘Kudos’ for our editorial!
I have just read your issue on January 24 and front page title, “Congestion pricing detour to disaster.” I found it quite informative and I was impressed with your points against Congestion Pricing.
In your editorial, I think you nailed it down by saying, “Do not allow us to become stuck in a quagmire of bureaucracy that is ill-conceived and poorly-planned.”As you mentioned - we must fix mass transit first.
We are in an economic slow down and it is a bad idea to charge people more money to travel into the city, many of whom can least afford to do so. Now for example I work for Northeast Plumbing and we sell plumbing supplies and our salesman have to travel into the city and if congestion pricing takes place that would be a burden on the company.
In addition to that, we have to pay private truckers to bring our goods in who in turn would charge us more money. The result is that we would have to pass on the cost in terms of higher prices to our customers. This is not a good thing and I think congestion pricing should not go forward. The Queens Courier has gotten it right again and for that I say, “Kudos.”
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.
Bellerose
Zoning orphans in danger
As you may be aware, Queens is under assault by builders looking to make their profit in a real estate market that has been up until recently, unstoppable. The City Planning Commission headed by Amanda Burden and John Young (in Queens) rezoned several areas in Queens but have left certain communities wide open for these unscrupulous builders.
One of these communities is North Flushing. Because much of Northeast Queens has been rezoned, we are now the main target of every builder in the area. Amanda Burden wrote in a letter to me that stated, “The City of New York is very privileged to have such a vital and unique neighborhood as North Flushing.” If that is the case, then why not preserve it?
City Planning was supposed to rezone our area two years ago! They are constantly making excuses and telling us that we are next on the list, all in a concerted effort to stall us.
Parking problems are now widespread and we are experiencing congestion like never before. Queens has also suffered unprecedented flooding problems recently. Imagine when a single-family home turns into a four-family home. Builders have now resorted to paving over the front yards for parking! Everyone has seen how unsightly this is.
North Flushing is a vital and unique neighborhood that must be protected and not destroyed.
Rose Forkan
Flushing
A matter of access?
In mid-January, Mikhail Mallayev, the alleged killer of a Russian orthodontist in Forest Hills last October, was charged with second-degree murder and was ordered to be held without bail.
According to information provided to the public, this murder case was solved because the fingerprints left on the silencer matched the prints obtained by the police after Mallayev was arrested in 1994 on a subway fare beating charge.
However, suppose that Mallayev was not arrested in 1994. Could the police have used his fingerprints provided to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Services upon his entry into this country, applying for a “green card” or his naturalization?
Apparently, the NYPD does not have access to the Immigration Services fingerprints databank.
But remember that the 9/11 attack could have become possible because of lack of communication among several government agencies…
So what lessons have we learned after 9/11?
Victor Maltsev
Rego Park
Letters To The Editor
Email us your letters to editorial@ queenscourier.com for publication in The Queens Courier or send them to The Queens Courier, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361, attention: Editorial Department. Please include name and contact information.
