Think LaGuardia, not Columbus, in this election
Manhattan: As a proud Italian American, I must oppose the view that Italian Americans should not vote for Zahran Mamdani because he does not see Christopher Columbus as a hero, and support Andrew Cuomo instead (“Columbus Should Be a Hero for Mayor,” op-ed, October 13). Columbus did not “discover” America. Was Native Americans are here. We know that their genocide began at that time. He was not the first person from Europe to come to America. The Scandinavians came and settled at the beginning of the eighth century. Criticism of Columbus vacationing in America is not anti-Italian. She supports Native Americans who are being insulted.
Mamdani’s campaign reminds me of our city’s greatest mayor and true Italian-American hero, Fiorello LaGuardia. He campaigned and won, calling for free college education that became CUNY, the creation of NYCHA public housing, the construction of high schools, and a fair civil service system for city employees to replace corrupt cronyism. He began the city’s highway system and built many of the bridges and tunnels through which we now travel. He built hundreds of playgrounds in areas that did not have space for children or families. Mamdani’s vision for improving the lives of New Yorkers mirrors LaGuardia’s vision. Ordinary Italian Americans in this city would be better off if he became mayor.
When I was at Staten Island Community College, I voted for Italian American student government because of my ethnicity, thinking I would have better representation. I learned that the person I voted for had policies and beliefs completely opposite to what I held. A person should get my vote for what they want to achieve, not their race. And maybe we need to change Columbus Day to LaGuardia Day! Ralph Palladino
Fat chance
MANHATTAN: If you’re voting for Mamdani, you should consider his promise of free buses. I wonder how that can happen when the MTA is raising fares because they need the money. Post a comment or promise to get your votes. Mary Longobardi
Skilled debater
Kew Gardens: After watching the mayoral debate, one thing was clear when the debate ended: Mamdani survived and left unharmed. He has proven to be a verbal escape artist, evading and weaving, able to avoid a fatal blow. Neither his opponents nor his supervisors could throw a gauntlet at him. He’s witty, friendly, eloquent, and able to smile at the worst things you can throw at him. With a little training, he’ll be an agile pickpocket. He would bump into you on the street, apologize profusely, smile and then leave with your wallet. So, New Yorkers, you have been warned. The rest is up to you on Election Day. Phil Serpico
Opportunities abroad?
Briarwood: “Mayor Adams’ 3 dream job offers” – where could they be? He recently went on a “business” trip to Albania. I wonder could this be the answer? Patricia Nuzzi
Solar energy should be safer
Brooklyn: New York City encourages “green” initiatives, such as rooftop solar panels, to reduce carbon emissions under Local Law 97. However, are these safe? The recent tragic death of a senior citizen due to a solar panel flying off a roof near 3000 Ocean Pkwy. A warning should be raised. In 2023, when the garage at 57 Ann Street in Lower Manhattan collapsed, a citywide inspection of all parking structures led to several facilities being evacuated due to unsafe conditions. In February 2024, after a fire in a high-rise building in Harlem, a citywide inspection of all self-closing doors was conducted. The entire façade inspection program (Local Law No. 11), which every building over six stories tall must undergo every five years, stemmed from a single incident in 1979, when a piece of clay fell and killed a young Barnard student. The New York City Department of Buildings promotes solar energy but does not guarantee safety. Igor Oberman, general manager of Trump West Village
We can’t afford it
Brooklyn: We’ve reached a record level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere because we keep burning coal, oil and gas, causing climate chaos (“UN agency warns of rising carbon dioxide level,” Oct. 16). We may have reached a tipping point when the natural carbon cycle is permanently disrupted – worse droughts, killing heat, and floods affecting wider areas. Insurance companies realized this and stopped offering flood insurance. People are stuck with the cost of rebuilding or moving. Ten of New York City’s top lawmakers, including Reps. Jerry Nadler, Dan Goldman, Ritchie Torres, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, recognized the crisis and publicly rebuked Governor Hochul for accepting the three-times-vetoed Williams Pipeline, a project that leaks methane gas that would harm water quality and cause untold environmental damage. Infinite and increases gas emissions. Hochul talks about affordability. New York City can’t withstand climate change, and neither can its residents. Hoechul, do the right thing and reject the pipeline. Becky Platos
A room for dancing
KEARNEY, NJ: When President Trump met with architects to design the White House’s new ballroom, he kept saying, “I want it bigger, much bigger!” After four weeks of persistent pressure from Trump, she relented. They finally realized that Trump has big balls! Kevin Dell
Make the rich richer
Manhattan: Hello, fellow NY/NJ taxpayers! Trump just allocated $20 billion to bail out his fellow billionaires who bet badly on the Argentine economy, but he said he canceled the $16 billion legally committed for the Hudson River Tunnel! These are our hard-earned tax dollars. This is supposed to be a democracy. Who prefers billionaire companions to passengers? Republicans have the power to stop Trump, but they are either weak or agree to whatever he does at the behest of billionaires while hurting everyday working families. Len Cpl
Peace in pieces
Philadelphia: With only 23 Palestinians killed in Gaza as of Friday after a peace deal negotiated between Israel and Hamas, 10,000 US troops primed and ready to land on the shores of Venezuela, and more innocent fishermen being sent to the afterlife by US warships in the Caribbean recently — including two victims of the Trump-ordered attack being citizens of the most peaceful countries in the world, Trinidad. And Tobago – not to mention the heavily armed and masked ICE agents terrorizing neighborhoods in Democrat-run cities, it should be clear to everyone that Trump is ramping up his efforts to win the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. I hope Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, will be the first to nominate Trump is a deserving candidate for the long-awaited award. Diane Doberman
Fringe theology
Manhattan: Voter Frank Sterle Jr. praises “moral courage” of anti-Zionist Jews. Take, for example, the Neturei Karta group, which translates to “guardians of the gates” of Jerusalem. These fanatics, whether they live in Jerusalem or Brooklyn, have the same morals as the terrorists in Gaza who committed the October 7 atrocities and their fellow jihadists in Yemen, Syria, and Iran. They are fringe agitators who oppose the Jewish state, but not because they scream hell for the Palestinians. In their misguided messianic zeal, they believe that only the Jewish Messiah has the authority from God to establish a third Jewish commonwealth to rule all of biblical Israel, including Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, and much of southern Lebanon. They have outliers, including their idea that they will be rewarded from heaven with final judgment on the Jews, Arabs, and others of various faiths who inhabit their concept of a third Jewish commonwealth. Ephraim Savit
Accepting injuries
Manhattan: To Commentator Jim Carney: There is no moral equivalence between deaths caused by a terrorist organization that intentionally targets civilians and the unfortunate unintended deaths of civilians in war. I wonder, does the death toll in Gaza now include the people we just saw being horribly executed in the streets by Hamas? Israel issues advance warnings when it intends to attack an area with a large civilian population, giving them the opportunity to leave before fighting begins. What other country does this? Just for comparison, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, we suffered 2,403 deaths (2,335 military and 68 civilians), while the US retaliatory bombing of Japan is estimated to have killed over 500,000 civilians. No one criticized us for ruthlessly pursuing our attacker or told us how many Japanese were killed, including innocent civilians caught in the crossfire, which would be an acceptable number. Shanna Schwartz