Letters to the Editor: East Rockaway/Lynbrook

Feeling the meter squeeze

To the Editor:
One has to be amazed at municipalities that still aggressively ticket motorists to generate revenue as East Rockaway does.
It’s a proven failure time and time again as visitors to town decline, business dries up, and people associate the town with aggravation and harassment. If the village of East Rockaway is that keen to squeeze revenue out of visitors by an over-vigilant ticketing policy, it will find out quickly that people will choose to spend their money elsewhere.

Ticketing policy is about ensuring good order in town — that’s it.  When policy is for meter readers to stand around in the rain waiting for meters to run out, pen at the ready, a town has utterly failed in its basic job — and that is to serve its citizens.
We had heard others mention that East Rockaway was known for this, but had not yet experienced it ourselves until recently. Towns often learn from their business owners, their diminishing tax base, and declining home prices what happens when a locale gains a reputation for revenue-generation through petty law enforcement. And it takes a very long time to reverse that kind of perception.
East Rockaway has $35 for a fine, and 50 cents meter money from of us. I don’t think it will be as profitable as some may imagine. I hope the village rethinks its enforcement policy to encourage both good order and thriving commerce at the same time.  

Scott Salvato, Valley Stream

The patronage continues

To the Editor:
Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano tells us that times are bad. He went as far as to lay off over 200 county workers, and more than 175 from Nassau University Medical Center. But times are not bad for all. In fact, it seems to the patronage mill, times are better.
How could former County Legislator John Ciotti not miss one paycheck and land a job that fast at Nassau University Medical Center? A job that is paying $300,000 a year, $40,000 more than his predecessor. The Republicans were even kind enough to find John’s staff jobs. Mangano tells us that we need to do more with less. Shouldn’t that philosophy apply to everyone? Was it necessary for the taxpayers to pay Mr. Ciotti $40,000 more for the same job? Couldn’t we have saved money by either cutting the salary in half or eliminating that position?
Someone has to show the hypocrisy of the Republicans and Mangano. After hurting all of those workers and rewarding their friends, how do they sleep at night? 

Patrick Nicolosi, Elmont