Affordable housing at the expense of homeowners
Staten Island: The City of Yes zoning plan was approved by key committees last week. I’m hoping the full City Council sees this legislation for what it is: a pro-development initiative dressed as housing policy.
The Daily News Editorial Board stated its support for this legislation this summer (“Say yes to the Yes,” editorial, July 12). The presumption is that we must build more everywhere, now. I find this argument shortsighted. While I believe the city can assist in getting more affordable housing built, the answer is not to scrap a zoning resolution that has for decades protected the safety, character and charm of neighborhoods. The Board also argued that some will claim the bill will impact middle-class homeowners and renters, specifically communities of color. I agree! It discounts middle-class homeowners’ lifelong investment in our communities and undervalues our hard work, saving for years in most cases and paying premium cost to live in nicer areas. The editorial further stated: If you want the suburbs, move.
There are multiple options short of a wholesale change to zoning: up-zoning in areas that make logical sense, maybe converting commercial space to residential in an easier manner, allowing single-room occupancy construction again, easing industrial-to-residential rezoning, downsizing Housing Authority units and ensuring that minimum low-income units are always allotted as part of the construction approval process. I’m sure there are many more ideas that could work.
If the Editorial Board is unhappy with the diversified, multiple-income neighborhoods this city provides, to use your own words, there are plenty of places “east, west and north of here.” John Conry
Bring it home
Manhattan: Re “Adams gets a big ‘yes,’ ” (Nov. 22): The proposal advanced by the City Council represents monumental progress toward a future with abundant affordable housing. Far too many New Yorkers have never been able to afford stable housing, yet this is the foundation upon which stable lives are built. As one of the city’s largest homeless services providers, we see the consequences of the failure to provide sufficient housing every day. Housing instability is deeply intertwined with other challenges like mental illness, substance use disorders and criminal justice involvement. Passing City of Yes is exactly the bold, decisive action New Yorkers need to create hopeful futures. Eric Rosenbaum, president and CEO, Project Renewal
Anti-senior pail policy
Bronx: I absolutely hate the new trash container rules. I and others on my block are plus and minus 90 years old. How in God’s world are we supposed to go out at 8 p.m. to put trash out? It is dark and we all have at least 12 steps to go down from our doors. A pail with wheels is too tall for me to lift over my picket fence. As for the rats, I have seen two in this neighborhood in all the years I have lived here. One was dying in a neighbor’s yard and the other ran out when a water main was being replaced up the block. We keep our block clean! How about the City Council, the rat czar and the mayor figure out a solution for us? Suppose we get “senior garbage” labels for our pails so we can put them out in daylight? Connie Saddlier
Repping PR
Bronx: Dear Rep. Ritchie Torres: Words backed up by enthusiastic advocacy for the 3.1 million U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico is contagious. Well done. I hope it will inspire others across the political aisle and within the Democratic Party. Gene Roman
Isolated superpower
San Mateo, Calif.: Are we suffering from foreign policy dementia? This may have less to do with presidents or their mental condition than it does with our foreign policy establishment and its condition after some 240 years of existence. Recently, we used our veto four times in the UN Security Council to defeat calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza genocide and the related battles with Lebanon and Yemen. That vote was 14 in favor and only the U.S. against. We could compare that to the recent UN General Assembly vote to end the embargo against Cuba (60 years and ongoing) for the sake of interest. That was 187 to 2. Yes, the United States appears to be drifting toward irrelevance or worse with its continued inability to get with the rest of the planet’s human population on common-sense policies. Is there a doctor in the house? Mike Caggiano
He said what?
Staten Island: To Voicer Andrew Toulonis: Just when was it that God confided in you that he wanted to use pandemics to control population? God gave man the ability to think, thus allowing man to use that ability to prevent disease through the use of vaccines. Incidentally, even Robert F. Kennedy Jr. does not espouse your ridiculous idea that God wanted to use pandemics to control population. Although science has proved otherwise, Kennedy believes vaccines cause autism. Eileen Zanelli
Thanks, but no thanks
Chicago: Typically this time of year, your readers are asked to submit letters expressing their gratefulness for family, friends and country. However, in light of the recent election, it’s not easy for me to be generous with my gratitude considering that our newly elected leader has repeatedly betrayed the true spirit of Thanksgiving. And while he did succeed in getting reelected, the question remains: At what cost to our nation and its treasured traditions? So, please forgive me for not being more grateful, but I’m just too tired and much too afraid to be anything else. Bob Ory
Huffing and puffing
Yonkers: To Voicer Douglas Clifford: Your disdain for our soon-to-be 47th president (whether you like it or not — and JD Vance for eight years after that) is so profound that I suggest you request permission to participate in the Thanksgiving Day Parade this week as a new addition to the procession of hot air balloons. Ralph A. Manente
Unlikely to listen
Brooklyn: One of the reasons Kamala Harris lost is because the Democrats have lost the ability to reach out to groups they disagree with. In that vein, nobody was and is still critical of Donald Trump than “Morning Joe” Scarborough and his staff. That is why the criticism of his meeting with Trump is certainly disturbing. Like it or not, Trump was elected president, and ignoring him is not helpful. “Morning Joe” is following the maxim of the late, great Winston Churchill: It is better to jaw-jaw than war-war. It is always better to try to present differing viewpoints to our leaders. However, unfortunately, I doubt that Trump will listen to any viewpoint that differs with his own. Alan Podhaizer
Close indeed
Bronx: I don’t blame Voicer Lester Simon for claiming the polls were wrong in saying the race was neck-and-neck. I blame the Daily News. Why have you not reported that the popular vote between Trump and Harris was 50.3% to 48.1%? Why was my letter on this not printed? Harris received more than 6 million fewer votes than Biden got in 2020. Why were Democrats, who in 2016 were willing to vote for horrible Hillary Clinton — even against a good candidate, Bernie Sanders — unwilling to vote for Harris? She was far from perfect, but still much better than Clinton or Trump. How come you build up Trump as charismatic? In the past, charisma was John Wayne and Elvis Presley. Today, there’s Denzel Washington and The Rock. Trump? People who follow him and in the past, Hitler, are the reason they were more than just nuts ranting on a street corner. Richard Warren
Fraud flip-flop
Madisonville, Pa.: So, the MAGA Republicans want us to accept the outcome of the election and rally behind the winner. You mean just like they did after the last election? Funny how the only fair and unstolen elections are the ones they win. Tom Mielczarek
A better place
Manhattan: Re “Class act to the end” (Nov. 22): A true leader has courage in the face of adversity and grace. Daniel Jones has both. I wish him the best and hope he soon lands with an NFL team whose management supports him. Susan A. Stark
