Was Tainted Right or Wrong Adjective?
To the Editor:
Re “Gayle Horwitz resigns as B.P.C.A. president” (news article, Sept. 19):
I was pleased to see the editor’s acknowledgement that the headline calling Gayle Horwitz’s record “tainted” was inaccurate. However, I believe that substituting “tainted” with “mixed” has the similar effect of misrepresenting Ms. Horwitz’s record as the Battery Park City Authority’s president and chief executive officer.
Ms. Horwitz is a rare public servant who served the community well. I have seen a lot of government officials in my time, and Ms. Horwitz has been among the most conscientious. She saved taxpayers a huge amount of dollars and is among the Cuomo administration’s appointments that are at the vanguard of fiscal responsibility. I hope for similarly wise spending in these difficult financial times.
Bob Townley
Executive Director, Manhattan Youth Downtown Community Center
To the Editor:
Re Letter to the Editor in response to the Sept. 19 news article, “Gayle Horwitz resigns as B.P.C.A. president”:
Ms. Horwitz, formerly of the Battery Park City Authority, should not have vetoed the lion artwork after Community Board 1 voted 5-to-1 in favor of the project.
In answer to Lisa Gilroy and Chi Mo of Flushing: I am a compassionate and dedicated vegan, but I also understand exactly what type of message it sends to our children to accept a person’s deepest and heartfelt apology — especially when the person demonstrates his remorse through action. It is much harder to forgive than to throw stones — and that is a true lesson of compassion for our children.
Tom Goodkind
Battery Park City resident
To the Editor:
Re “Residents, politicians rally against L.E.S. Pathmark closure” (web article, Oct. 10):
A&P/Pathmark executives should have the decency to meet face-to-face with community residents, since according to the Lo-Down, the company will receive at least $87 million for the lease.
A&P is controlled by Ron Burkle (founder and current chair of private-equity holdings firm Yucaipa Companies), whose worth exceeds $30 billion and who contributes million of dollars every year to the Democratic Party.
Since the Dems claim to represent us lower-income folks, surely A&P can come up with an alternative site, or provide free bus service across the Manhattan Bridge to the Atlantic Avenue Pathmark in Brooklyn. According to store employees, that Pathmark grosses more than $1 million each week!
Sam Martin
To the Editor:
Re “Chinatown BID relaunches clean streets initiative” (web article, Oct. 10):
It seems that this company, Block by Block, is quite large and national and has some bases and experiences in New York and elsewhere on the East Coast. I appreciate their respect and intention to hire locals.
Louie Wong
To the Editor:
Re “Chinatown BID relaunches clean streets initiative” (news article, Oct. 10):
Take note of this quote from Mr. Louie: “Chinatown isn’t just for Chinese food anymore. We want to be able to guide visitors about where to eat, drink, shop and bank. This is just the first step for us — our larger goal is to help Chinatown’s small businesses.”
What this is all about is the destruction of the character of Chinatown. It is a real estate, interests-driven initiative to deny the traditional flavor of Chinatown by destroying it. Greedy, envious people who want to turn Chinatown into a neighborhood like Soho or Nolita are behind this. The whole mantra about cleaning up the sidewalks is a smoke screen. They aren’t going to help small businesses, they’re going to root them out and replace them.
Subway Sam
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