Pol Position: Queens Surrogate Election Gets A Bit Lighter

Courtesy the Law Office of Donna Furey 

Political insiders in Queens are stirring about the upcoming election for the Surrogate judge, a spot that comes up for election every 16-years. Judge Peter Kelly is the outgoing judge and the court, with about 50 employees, takes care of the disposition of wills and estates. Donna Furey, the Astoria attorney and civic leader is considered the one candidate with experience in this type of law. This week she abruptly suspended her campaign for the post. No word on why, but insiders opine that votes for her would now go to Queens Democratic Party favorite Cassandra Johnson. “These kinds of things happen all the time,” said one judicial insider we spoke with Monday evening. “The party leaders need to continue to maintain control of that court. There was possibly some kind of agreement which made her and the ‘party’ happy,” the insider said.

Cassandra Johnson, a Supreme Court Judge since January, might just have an easy path to victory. Wendy Lee, a Manhattan judge, put up by Hiram Monserrate’s camp, has been working community boards this past month. She showed up at the Middle Village Community Board meeting to introduce herself. People at the meeting were certainly confused as to why she was allowed to speak as she did not say that she was running for any position. “ I just wanted to introduce myself,” she said.

Rules for running for a position of judge are quite different than what’s allowed when running for political office. But records show she has raised almost two hundred thousands of dollars. Johnson has about a tenth of that.

Pol Position: Trolling & Adams/Heastie

After we posted about our Roosevelt Avenue, Jackson Heights walk with Assembly candidate Hiram Monserrate last week, we got some sparking comments on social media about why we would give this guy any press at all. 

When we sat down with Hiram, he wanted to clear the air about his reputation and questioned a recent article from the Ledger which referred to his past legal troubles. After explaining that our readers are savvy and leaving it out could signify that we were trying to hide his past, he talked about his new life with a wife and young child. He also showed us that the part of his past life that has not changed is his love and fighting spirit for his community. And we will tell you something that is only talked about in the highest of Queens political circles: Monserrate is ‘relevant’ and he has a following which many in the democratic clubs fear fractures Queens democratic politics. He is running for Jeff Aubry’s seat. Larinda Hooks, who is well known at Elmcore, is the choice of county — and Aubry. Stay tuned for that race.

Internet trollers who minimize the message from our reporting about the sex workers and child labor tragedy going on in his neighborhood should focus on the message: that area needs attention. It doesn’t need a sweep once every six months. The illegal activity is rampant and for those living near Roosevelt Avenue, to have a reasonable quality of life shouldn’t be asking too much.

By the way another nugget he suggested is that the MTA should be an agency, not an authority, which doesn’t have the oversight and agency, would. Not a bad thought.

Carl Heastie, the leader of the NY State Assembly is doubling down on his notion on not recognizing that people who loot and harm retail workers should not be considered felons. Mayor Adams disagrees. But the power the Assembly Speaker wields means it goes nowhere. The missing piece in Heastie’s stance is that cops continue to lose the ability to perform their job. It means workers at these retail stores don’t pursue shoplifters. It means that what we continue to witness in drug stores all over the city the lawlessness of looting will not change. Don’t wonder why we will see store after store have simple everyday items behind locked glass shelves. It takes ten minutes to track down a store worker to open the glass showcase to get a bottle of aspirin… if you can even find a drug store within walking distance from your home anymore.

We don’t think reformers of criminal justice had this in mind. If criminal justice is truly to be reformed, laws and procedures like this have to be rolled back. The ‘new common sense’ goes too far when real criminality is not dealt with in a true ‘common sense’ manner.



Editorial: Willets Point Casino Poll …. Really?

Let’s do a neighborhood poll to see if people want legal cannabis shops on their main street. How about a community poll to see if residents agree to a homeless shelter in their neighborhood? We’ll bet the results wildly surpass the ‘75% against’ results of the State Senator Jessica Ramos’ Willets Point Casino poll for Corona. In fact we might see both our polls show 95% or-more against legal cannabis and homeless shelter. To base your decision to support a project on a neighborhood poll is careless. 

Jessica happens to be a solid representative for the district. As chair of the Senate labor committee she has been a champion for the rights of workers, fair pay and equality. Her district is in the transit hub of New York. Jackson Heights, Corona and Elmhurst bustle with trains and busses 24/7. As a member of the Senate transportation committee it’s quite important that Jessica represent us. 

But right under her nose, sex workers, illegal food vendors and cannabis shops are so rampant, it’s impossible to walk Roosevelt Avenue (like we did last week) without gasping in fright for the ‘neighbors’ who live within blocks of the avenue from 82nd to104th.  We have multiple brothels, dozens of ‘street meat’ vendors and dozens of little kids hawking everything from candy to eggs to iphone chargers. Where’s the interest in labor there?

We’re not calling her out. We know the police are present on Roosevelt. We know that she spends time in the district and it’s an enforcement problem, but it seems we all turn a blind eye and blame someone else for the problem. We talked to cops on patrol that night. We talked to Sanitation enforcement. They admit there is little they have the power to do. “These people doing illegal business don’t carry ID, so how are we going to summons them?” one official told us. Police and sanitation have to be given the tools to work together and do consistent sweeps. The neighbors deserve it.

We got the invitation from Hiram Monserrate to walk Roosevelt with him. We took it. Jessica, we would love to walk Roosevelt with you in the coming weeks. See what’s there. Polls and Town Halls are great, but decisions about the future of the neighborhood are never made by polls. People don’t want change. Many of us don’t understand change. Yet the City and the State, regardless of polls institute congestion pricing, open homeless shelters and license cannabis shops.

It happens to be true that people and organizations who have come out in favor of the casino there have either been given money or promised money from the Steve Cohen treasure chest. Well we haven’t been promised anything, nor have we gotten any money and we can safely say that a casino and all the entertainment and food amenities that come with it will make Queens better.  Having a developer with deep pockets, who has shown that he gives back, is key. Signing a deal which will enhance the Willets Point transit hub, provide jobs, provide real shows and a deal that awards money for community improvement near the casino is a winner.

Addabbo: Think before you decide to purchase a pet as a holiday gift this year

By New York State Senator Joseph Addabbo

As the holidays approach and people are thinking of what types of presents to get for their loved ones, I feel it is important for people to know the significance of buying a pet as a gift for their family members or friends.

We have all seen the heartwarming commercials where a kitten or dog is the big, surprise holiday gift.

While I really like the idea of an appropriate pet as a present, the gifted animal can come with unexpected care, procedures and costs.

Any pet — whether a cat, dog, bird, fish or reptile — are a true responsibility, so it is vital to find out if the recipient actually wants a pet and has the adequate resources to provide it with the care it needs.

Owning a pet is a long-term commitment, and giving an unexpected or unwanted animal for a present can lead to great heartbreak for both the recipient and the animal itself. To prevent such unhappy circumstances, I suggest:

– When considering whether to buy a pet for someone, first make certain the person actually wants one. If you are not confident that someone wants a pet as a gift, the best thing to do is ask. Find out what type of pet they would like and what type of pet they can handle.

– Be sure potential recipients can handle the varied costs and responsibilities associated with a new pet. There will be veterinarian bills, food costs, grooming, walks, the need for accessories and toys and much more. Depending on the animal and its needs, annual costs may be upwards of $1,000 a year. If the person appears unable to shoulder these costs and responsibilities, or may not have adequate time to dedicate to the animal, it may be best to consider a different gift.

Surprising someone with a pet can be a very bad idea. Taking in a pet means taking in a new family member, and it is a commitment that can last for many years.

The new pet owner must be ready and able to accept that responsibility.

In addition to my thoughts on the subject, the ASPCA’s official position on giving pets as gifts states that they should only be given to those who have expressed interest in owning one, and who have the ability to care for it adequately and responsibly.

If you do decide to get someone on your list the pet they have always wanted, make sure to get the animals from shelters and responsible breeders.

There are many wonderful and reputable animal shelters and rescue organizations right here in Queens, where the perfect pet can be adopted, and they are also always in need of volunteers and donations – another great avenue for improving the lives of animals this holiday season.

Making the right choice of whether to give a pet as a Holiday gift should make someone very happy for many years and give an animal the proper caring home.

Rumors of Cryptocurrency’s Death Greatly Exaggerated

Elon Musk is a man of many skills. He didn’t just make electric cars sexy, he sent one to space. Perhaps chief among his talents is the ability to roil markets by running his mouth. Lately, he’s aimed that talent at cryptocurrency.
In February, one of Musk’s companies, Tesla, announced that it had purchased $1.5 billion worth of Bitcoin. In March, he announced that Tesla would accept Bitcoin for purchases of its cars.
Then, in mid-May, Musk announced that Tesla was suspending vehicle purchases in Bitcoin over “increasing use of fossil fuels for Bitcoin mining and transactions,” while mentioning that “we are also looking at other cryptocurrencies that use less than 1 percent of Bitcoin’s energy transaction.”
Naturally, the price of Bitcoin in dollars crashed back to the terrible old level of February, only twice what it was worth in December.
And, naturally, the cryptocurrency naysayer chorus emerged from its groundhog hole to yell “told ya so,” just like they’ve been doing every other week since May 22, 2010, when Laszlo Hanyecz paid 10,000 Bitcoins (current value, nearly a half- billion dollars) for two pizzas.
Sorry guys, Bitcoin’s probably not going away, and cryptocurrency in general certainly isn’t.
Yes, Bitcoin mining, the computer activity involved in processing transactions, is energy-intensive.
No, not all Bitcoin is mined using fossil fuels. In fact, many serious mining outfits specifically look for locations with cheap, plentiful hydroelectric power.
And no, not all cryptocurrency mining is nearly as energy-intensive as Bitcoin mining.
So what’s Musk up to? Is he just having fun upsetting apple carts? Or is there business method behind his madness?
Financier and former Trump White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci thinks he knows. Scaramucci suggests, with a small hypothetical wager of 1/200th of a Bitcoin, that Musk’s next big cryptocurrency play will be to send Tesla’s energy subsidiary into “super clean” Bitcoin mining.
That would be a smart move from both directions. It would reduce the financial and environmental costs of mining, while giving solar and wind power a boost in their fight to displace fossil fuels generally.
The technology underlying cryptocurrency is sound. It will survive, and it will become dominant. The only question is whether it will completely displace, or be at least partially co-opted by, government monetary schemes.
Hopefully the former. Getting government out of the money business would be a gigantic leap for human freedom and prosperity, and maybe even a step toward getting government out of business entirely.

Thomas L. Knapp is director and senior news analyst at the William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism.

Fill the Form for Events, Advertisement or Business Listing