Ford out of tune with New York
To The Editor:
I was quite dismayed to learn that Harold Ford, Jr., is considering mounting a primary challenge to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. This challenge is both unnecessarily divisive to the Democratic Party and, more important, adverse to the best interests of New York and her citizens.
Senator Gillibrand has demonstrated that she is eminently capable of representing the interests of New Yorkers in the U.S. Senate. During her tenure, she has displayed the maturity and foresight to articulate and advocate for the progressive principles that most New Yorkers, including myself, hold dear, including reproductive freedom, healthcare and commonsense regulation aimed at the reduction of gun violence.
In contrast, Mr. Ford has voiced a worldview that is contrary to the needs of ordinary New Yorkers. His record is staunchly anti-choice, and he proudly bears the mantle of his anti-reproductive-freedom stance. He is a strong supporter of the weapons industry’s efforts to immunize themselves from the consequences of the irresponsible proliferation of firearms throughout our nation, including New York City.
Mr. Ford seems more in tune with the radical-fundamentalist Palin-Limbaugh wing of the Republican Party than with most segments of the Democratic Party.
I urge all New Yorkers to rebuff the attempts of Mr. Ford to usurp Senator Gillibrand, who has demonstrated herself to be the clearly better candidate. I urge New Yorkers to stand with the senator in her continuing efforts to defend the commonsense interests of all of us.
Jean Candiotte
Equinox and St. Vincent’s
To The Editor:
As a resident of W. 11th St. for 39 years and an architect with a longstanding commitment to the maintenance of historic, cultural and social fabric, I am delighted to see the prompt action taken by Community Board 2 and the equally prompt, albeit preliminary, responses from the Department of Buildings and the Landmarks Preservation Commission on the totally inappropriate signage recently applied to the Equinox Fitness Center.
However, this only highlights my distress at the failure to address the destruction to the Greenwich Village Historic District that will result if the current Rudin/St. Vincent’s proposal is allowed to proceed. The negative impact of the signage on the Equinox building will seem like a scratched fender compared to a high-speed, front-end collision if compared to the destruction of scale and
historic architecture that would result from the Rudin/St. Vincent’s plan. The irony of the situation is augmented by the fact that the Equinox building, which despite the signage is reasonably sized, faces directly what would be the greatest affront to the scale and texture of Greenwich Village since its designation as a historic district.
Carl Stein
Bike helmets save lives
To The Editor:
Re “Woman cyclist killed by bus” (news article, Jan. 6):
Lincoln Anderson quotes someone saying,
“…[H]er head had been crushed under one of the bus’s rear wheels.” Perhaps her life could have been saved if she was wearing a helmet? I’m assuming she was not wearing a helmet.
I have never understood why so many cyclists do not wear helmets, and do not use front and rear lights at night.
I do know that rearview mirrors of buses, trucks, cars, etc. have blind spots.
God bless my fellow bicyclists. But many of them are extremely reckless and impatient and endanger themselves and others. Just observe the speed and aggressiveness of cyclists entering and exiting the Williamsburg Bridge bike path on the Manhattan side.
Michael Gottlieb
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