Editorial

Finally, Scooter Sanity
If there is a certain measure that Mayor Bloomberg is out of touch on a particular issue, it is when all 51 members of the City Council vote for something that he opposes.

This happened recently when the Council voted unanimously to override the mayor’s veto of legislation to ban city sales of motorized scooters. 

Maybe they were less prevalent in the mayor’s toney Upper East Side neighborhood, but scooters plagued virtually every other community in the city last summer. 

The mayor said that a law already on the books to prevent scooter use on public property was sufficient. 

It is true that local cops did, to their great credit, confiscate dozens of scooters over the summer, but all that effort expended on the scooter beat means less manpower available for more serious crimes in our already understaffed 52nd Precinct.

The scooters, which have been a problem in many cities across the country, are also extremely dangerous. They are responsible for thousands of emergency room visits annually because they ride so low to the ground where drivers can’t see them and because people who ride them tend not to wear helmets. And, since they run on gasoline and are often illegally stored in apartments, the scooters are a serious fire hazard. 

We commend the Council for truly representing their constituents and standing up to Mayor Bloomberg on this issue. 

Think Local, Shop Local
Once again, we urge our readers to shop locally this holiday season wherever possible.

Sure, we have a selfish interest in thriving local business districts; this newspaper wouldn’t exist without them. But we all should care about keeping our commercial areas healthy. When they are, it’s a good sign that our neighborhoods are in good shape, too. 

Even if you might save a couple of bucks on a toy or bottle of perfume at a mall in Westchester or Manhattan — and in most cases you’ll get a better buy in your own backyard — spending money here is an investment in your community. 

We ask you to particularly pay attention to the advertisers in this newspaper who are themselves investing in better neighborhoods by supporting our work. 
We look forward to seeing you on the checkout line!

Soldiers, Get Home Safe
In this issue, we report on a National Guard unit based at the Kingsbridge Armory that will soon be headed for Iraq. 

If the Iraq war seemed far away for any of us, it is no longer. These are people from our city, our borough and our neighborhoods who are going to a very dangerous place that sadly seems to get more violent with each passing day. 

We will be thinking of these brave men and women and we wish each of them a safe tour and a speedy return home to their loved ones.

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