Category Archives: Local Government-Rockaway Peninsula & Broad Channel
With Apologies to Gordon Lightfoot…
Jill Weber, administrator of Rockaway Parks, recently retired from that position, to work for Hempstead, Long Island parks. She will be greatly missed. The timing of her departure is somewhat unfortunate. In my opinion, Jill ranked very near the top … Continue reading
Floor Space Only, as Beach Rebuild Plans Aired at CB 14
I bet that former New York City Parks Commissioner Robert Moses (a fitness maven himself) would have enjoyed the scene. It resembled a gym class at the still-closed Beach Channel High School, except that there were adults in the floor … Continue reading
Celebrate Book Month by Rattling the Skeletons in Rockaway’s Closet!
The Rockaway Peninsula is a land of mystery. Did you ever wonder why we have a yacht club without a dock, and a graffiti-covered concrete box perched on a deserted stretch of bay front beach? And why there is a … Continue reading
Wisdom and Folly in Action
James A. Garfield, who served as U.S. President for six months in 1881, once said: “all free governments are managed by the combined wisdom and folly of the people.” This week’s vote on Participatory Budgeting projects in the 32nd Council … Continue reading
Is Independence a Fiction in Bloombergville?
Independence Day is one of those American holidays celebrated with disparate emotions among the populace. Are you part of the investor class or a wage earner? Wage earners live for the weekends, particularly the three-day ones. Those of us who … Continue reading
Sinners and Saints–Your Choice This Week!
In case you’re not a fan of beer drinking, here’s a novel way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day—by reading a great book about the history of Ireland. “How The Irish Saved Civilization,” the first title in Thomas Cahill’s “Hinges of … Continue reading
Election Day Jitters for RAA Board Candidates
They are not running for President of the United States, but being a board member of the Rockaway Artists Alliance is a pretty prestigious slot. Over the past few weeks, the politicking within the arts community on the Rock has intensified–it’s starting to look … Continue reading
Is There a Democrat in the House? And Could Somebody Get Me a Pair of Scissors?
How appropriate–Weiner’s standing on the far left, Turner’s on the far right! It got downright unruly over there at the Bungalow Bar on Thursday, October 21. The candidates for U.S. Congress, Weiner and Turner, were invited to speak at a … Continue reading
Facades of Democracy–With or Without The Graffiti
The November election feels close now. Lawn signs for Republican candidates are proliferating like dandelions all over the west end. I even saw two bright green Audrey Pheffer campaign signs in the window of Elegante Pizza in Rockaway Beach. Still … Continue reading
Rockaway’s a Food Desert, Reclaiming the Waterfront and Other Misleading Notions
“Please look closely at real cities. While you are looking, you might as well also listen, linger and think about what you see.” Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities. I was idling at the traffic light … Continue reading
Oy Vey Rockaway 