Concerns have been raised about anonymous donors backing an organization opposed to the construction of a waste transfer facility on the waterfront in College Point.
Friends of LaGuardia Airport Inc. is seeking to put the brakes on the North Shore Marine Transfer Station, a proposed garbage collection point for Queens, with good reason.
Part of College Point is less than 5,000 feet from the runways at LaGuardia. Garbage trucks would drop off refuse at the facility, which would then be packed onto barges. The opponents of the plan say the garbage will attract seagulls and other birds which pose a risk to planes taking off from and landing at LaGuardia.
The city says the garbage will be containerized and not attract birds. We don’t believe that and neither do the Friends of LaGuardia. If there is a bird strike on a plane taking off from LaGuardia, the kind that forced an airliner to land in the Hudson River, there is a possibility that plane will land in College Point and kill people.
Nevertheless, we think the Friends of LaGuardia should be upfront about where the money is coming from. Why should the donors list be anonymous?
Ken Paskar, the head of Friends of LaGuardia, said the policy of cloaking donors’ identities is designed to protect contributors from potential retribution from the Federal Aviation Administration or the city government.
The policy has led to speculation that some of the donors may have ulterior motives related to real estate.
The best way to silence that kind of talk is to publish a complete list of donors. That way, the fight against the transfer station will remain above board.
Dress Code Makes Sense
Elected officials led by state Assemblyman David Weprin are trying to force the NYPD to reform its dress code to allow Sikh employees to wear turbans and beards in accordance with their religious faith.
Weprin introduced a bill in Albany that would “prohibit discrimination” against uniformed employees who wear religious dress.
We resent Weprin asking Albany to micromanage the NYPD. Uniformed services require uniforms for good reason. It’s not discrimination, it’s common sense.
