New York Post, Sunday, November 15, 2020nypost.comcelerate the time frame to 2022, the
new mayor’s first year on the job.
3) SHRINK RETAIL “FOR
RENT” SIGNS. We’ve had too many
empty storefronts since before
COVID. But things look even more
dire thanks to the plague of gigantic
“PRIME RETAIL AVAILABLE” post-
ers which seem to announce a city on
its last legs. Once relatively discrete,
they now fill entire windows. Many
an ordinary corner proclaims itself a
WORLD FLAGSHIP OPPORTUNITY
even if the last tenant was a discount
shoe store.
The eyesores serve mainly as free
ads for retail brokers. Tenants already
know exactly what’s available by
searching online. The mayor should
nudge the council to limit signs to a
tidy four square feet. Those interested
can come close enough to read.
4) BOOT THE BARRICADES.
The demoralized NYPD came up with
a cheap new tool to supposedly pre-
vent mayhem and deter terrorists:
street and sidewalk barriers that as of-
ten as not are plunked down without
rhyme or reason.
They send a message that we’re all
about to be shot or stampeded. There
are metal ones that look like bike
racks; scary concrete slabs; and water-
and sand-filled plastic curiosities that
would not inconvenience a ladybug.
They pop up in front of buildings,
along curbs and even in the middle of
sidewalks. The blight in Midtown got
so bad that Manhattan Community
Board 6 and Borough President Gale
Brewer mounted a campaign against
them in September.
The new mayor should read his
commissioner the riot act. Replace the
barriers with the only crime deterrent
that works — more cops on the beat.
5) TAME THE ASPHALT
GRAPHIC JUNGLE. The MTA con-
trols the buses, but the city controls
our streets. You wouldn’t know it,
though, from bus-lane markings that
blur after a few rains — or from the
zoo of painted arrows, left-turn lane
markings and mid-street parking-
space indicators.
The unintelligible graphics make
life more hellish for motorists who
must also struggle with driving lanes
shrunken to make room for bike rid-
ers, the Department of Transporta-
tion’s favorite pets. The agency needs
a ride to the woodshed. And the next
mayor needs a DOT commissioner
who’s attuned to the needs of the
whole city more than to the minority
whims of cyclists.[email protected]Post your comments
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The Editor, The New
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unverifiable letter will be
published. The Post reserves the
right to edit all letters.Chatter
Final Jeopardy
As a long-time “Jeopardy”
watcher and a true lover of the
show since the days of Art Flem-
ing, I am greatly saddened at the
death of Alex Trebek (“No ques-
tion: Trebek was ace,” Nov. 12).
Trebek was truly the perfect
host of the best game show of
all time. A combination of
charm, wit, good looks, intelli-
gence and gentility that was al-
most impossible to replace.
There is someone out there
who would be terrific as the
new host. Without a doubt it
should be Alec Baldwin. He
would be the perfect replace-
ment.Perry Greenberg, BrooklynAnti-Don crusade
For the most part, The Post’s
editorial illustrates President
Trump’s positive effects on the
economy, foreign policy, trade
and the working class (“The
Trump Legacy,” Nov. 8).
You also mention Trump’s
“bitter opposition” all too
briefly! The Post believes he
should be “behaving with dig-
nity in the face of likely defeat.”
While reading the plea that
Trump behave, my mind’s eye
was viewing Rep. Nancy Pelosi
tearing up his last State of the
Union speech while he was de-
livering it. I was picturing
“journalists” pushing for
Trump’s impeachment, while
special counsel Robert Mueller
spent years supplying chum for
the anti-Trump crusade.
In light of the headwind of
nonstop poison since he de-scended the stairs in Trump
Tower, Trump should pursue all
legal means to investigate
whether legal votes suffered at
the expense of illegal voting and
illegal postal and state activity.Francis Figliola, HartsdaleLeft’s policy pulls
In his latest column, Rich
Lowry has the audacity to
claim that the left’s agenda is
unpopular (“Leftist Dems De-
livered a Blue Trickle,” Post-
Opinion, Nov. 12).
Talk about the cat calling the
dog obstreperous. This asser-
tion is insane. Policy proposals
like raising the minimum wage,
Medicare for All and tuition-
free state colleges enjoy major-
ity support in almost every poll.
Meanwhile, what is the right
pushing? Tax cuts and the end
of abortion? Neither of those
positions are remotely popular.Adam Jacobs, Denver, Colo.No-cop fantasy
Chirlane McCray’s proposed
program is a misuse of govern-
ment bureaucracy (“Chirlane to
‘de-cop’ mental-health calls,”
Nov. 11).
It lays bare the central theme
of this mayoralty: good inten-
tions mired by incompetence
and lack of accountability.
What McCray doesn’t ac-
count for is the intersection of
mental health and public safety.
What happens when a mental-
health challenge becomes a
public-safety emergency result-
ing in physical harm? Those
with mental-health challenges
may be unpredictable and a riskto those around them.
This program not only wor-
sens the budgetary crisis, sully-
ing the city’s future prospects,
but also represents an attempt
to decrease NYPD reports of
crime statistics.Stan Arden, NYC Council
Candidate District 24, QueensCuo’s pot shot
Gov. Cuomo has decided to
plug the holes in his budgets by
making the sale and taxation of
marijuana legal (“We need the
‘green,’ ” Nov. 6).
He changed his stance from
“marijuana is a gateway drug” to
“we need the money.” With fu-
ture deficits in the billions, what
would a few hundred million in
additional tax revenue do?
Why not make sound funda-
mental spending changes in-
stead of getting everyone
stoned? This governor’s leader-
ship should be questioned and
soundly rejected.Joe Solo, Queens
5 ways the next mayor canmake NYC great again
— that have nothing
to do with COVID
Gregory P. Mango