Thank you, city workers, for fast storm cleanup
Woodside: Last week’s rainstorm caused widespread flash flooding across all the boroughs of New York City and most folks had to deal with the impacts in some form or another. Sadly, two lives were lost in the flooding, and property damage from downed trees was rampant all over.
Where I live in Queens, a huge tree snapped, blocking the sidewalk completely and spilling onto the road’s bicycle path, too. This happened last Friday, early afternoon. The sidewalk is used extensively by pedestrians and school children. Luckily, no one was hurt. With the city parks workers busy doing the citywide damage control, given the magnitude of damages, I only expected the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation crew to remove the tree by Tuesday or Wednesday.
However, on Monday morning, I observed that the tree mess had been completely cleaned up, with a notice of the damaged tree removal for Tuesday stuck on the tree. I’m in full admiration of the efficiency of the Parks Department for what it has demonstrated through its speedy action within 72 hours, with the weekend factored in.
While mayors and political appointees come and go every quadrennial, these dedicated New Yorkers remain the lifeline of our city, and they are steering it smoothly, even during emergencies and natural calamities. Kudos and respect to all the city parks workers, utility and sanitation crews, emergency personnel, first-aid responders, paramedics, FDNY, NYPD and hospitals for always working selflessly 24/7! Atul Karnik
Poised for action
Fresh Meadows: I couldn’t agree more with “The next mayor needs to be thinking about climate” (op-ed, Nov. 5). Climate damage is expensive and inequitable, and we need to face it head-on. The poorest communities are the most vulnerable and most ignored. Zohran Mamdani pledged to make the city livable and affordable. Addressing climate is a necessary means to meet that pledge. There’s a tremendous amount Mamdani can do, especially in conjunction with the City Council, to improve New York’s resilience, from helping buildings meet Local Law 97 to making nature-based flood control happen. The state’s All-Electric Building Act will help by requiring most new construction to be built without gas connections — if Gov. Hochul doesn’t delay it. Battery energy storage systems already exist throughout the city. Mamdani will need a close relationship with Hochul, as the state controls the permitting process for clean energy and grid improvements. Sara Rebecca Storch
Questions remain
Sunnyside: Local Law 97 is a worthy goal. However, there are certain practical questions that need answering prior to implementing it citywide. Where is the prototype for a multi-unit dwelling of 100 or more units with brick walls built circa 1940s or 1950s? How many months/years does it actually take to complete the work? How much does it cost and where is funding coming from? During the work, where will the residents live? Will the brick walls support the exterior units? Where is the completed prototype? Simon Cohen
Dawn of doom
Bronx: What was that strange, rumbling sound I heard Wednesday morning? Could it be an earthquake? No, wait — I know what it was: the brilliant founders of our country spinning in their graves after learning the results of Tuesday’s elections! Mamdani, mayor of NYC? No way. The once-greatest city in the world being taken over by radical left-wing loonies? Yes way. New York is going down the toilet, and an ignorant electorate is responsible. Shame on all of you! Marion Friedman
Equally rigged
Nyack, N.Y.: One thing that drove me nuts during the mayoral race was how often Mamdani was called a communist or socialist. Simply put, the most humane, sharing and decent form of government is socialism. For this reason, it is the go-to Trojan Horse for despots wishing to create a dictatorship. I assure you, a communist government is as far from socialist as you can get. Now that America has relinquished the crown of being the most important civilization on Earth under Trump, I suggest that democratic socialists are the finest people on the planet (see The Netherlands, Ireland, England, New Zealand, etc.). In a communist government, all money and power flow to party leaders at the top. In our capitalist system, all money and power flow to Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk at the top — the same damn thing as being a damn commie, in my view. Stephen Boyle
Seek wise counsel
Bronx: My wish is for Zohran Mamdani to transition from very smart to very wise. He has the ear of Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, Jamie Dimon — all wise consultants. I also would love to see him ask Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa to join his administration as deputy mayor and head of the planned Department of Community Safety, respectively. Why not? They all love New York City. Maria Bonsanti
Prepare for the worst
Margate, Fla.: Re “Zohran Mamdani and antisemitism” (editorial, Nov. 6): The editorial is a pipe dream. Adolf Hitler did not change his virulent antisemitism after he was elected. He put the Jew-hating pedal to the metal. So will Mamdani. He now has the power to persecute Jews — his life’s dream. That is why he got into politics. Fostering antisemitism is his raison d’être. Wake up, Editorial Board! January 1933 in Germany is now playing out in NYC in November 2025! The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. predicted with great prescience Mamdani’s Jew-hatred in October 1967 in Cambridge, Mass., when he said, “When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You’re talking antisemitism.” Richard Sherman
Concocted conflation
Bronx: You guys really are jerks. Criticism of Israel is not antisemitism any more than criticism of Russia is hate of the Russian people. The mayor’s opinion of Israel has nothing to do with governing the city. Richie Nagan
Hard turn
Sunnyside: On Sept. 12, 2001, New York and the U.S. said they would “Never forget!” Well, they have forgotten. Patrick E. Rudden
Misreading past & present
Staten Island: It is so deliciously ironic to hear the MAGA community trying to warn us that people supported Vladimir Lenin and Hitler, and just look at the results. Are you kidding me? Now you’re gonna wake up and try to read history? You don’t need a history book. All you need to do is look around and see what’s happening now, all around you. Tearing apart the White House is a fitting metaphor for what the felon is doing to the country as a whole. When the fall comes — and make no mistake, it is coming — the noise will be thunderous. History will not be kind to the felon, nor to any of his backers. As long as you’re going to warn us about Lenin and Hitler, keep in mind how they came to an end. Victor R. Stanwick
Abdication omen
Manhattan: I believe that the resounding victory of N.J. Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill is the beginning of the end for the reign of President Trump. The Comrade’s mouthpiece, the N.Y. Post, had it at a 1-point square-off in the polls. She won by 14 points. This was a message from the people that his rule has started to crumble. What better sign for the 2026 congressional elections, our 250th national birthday, that there will be an ouster of another king? Win the House and follow up with a Senate takeover later. His legacy will be the hat trick — a third but successful excommunication. Michael Malewich
Stand strong
Manhattan: While my fellow Democrats, and all who value democracy, are understandably elated by the blue-wave results of Tuesday’s elections, this is no time to rest on our laurels. It’s also no time to give ground to the oligarch-supporting GOP. Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries have admirably held the line during the shutdown, refusing to back off their demand that cuts to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid be restored. Allowing millions of Americans to lose their health care is not acceptable, and I hope they continue standing strong against the MAGA GOP’s pressure to drop that demand. This is especially important as House Speaker Mike Johnson continues to keep his members on paid vacation (notably, Democrats are not accepting pay while federal workers go without theirs) in order to keep the essential work of government at a standstill. Francesca Fortunato
