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Letters to the editor No more British tribute Little Britain! Regarding comparisons to Little Italy and Chinatown: Neither came into being through a publicity scheme to increase tourism. Seems to me that we have already paid tribute to our British settlers by naming a large part of the country after them: It’s called New England. Jonathan Greenberg is irresponsible in his writing and actions about Washington Square Park. He is just a divisive element in the community who confuses being loud and confrontational with offering leadership. He has lost all perspective in his pursuit of publicity. His claim that the New York State Appellate Division would make a decision on a relatively small project, such as the renovation of Washington Square Park, on political basis is really quite a stretch. To claim it “resembles a political fix” is just irresponsible. It is clear to me that over the past two years Jonathan Greenberg has been busy positioning himself to run for City Council. He obviously wants to replace Alan Gerson when term limits end Gerson’s painful and incompetent stay as our City Council representative. Jonathan seems to think that being a vocal opponent to renovating the park, and attacking New York University and the Parks Department, will win him support in the community as the spokesperson for the citizens of Greenwich Village. I think you can always gain support by attacking N.Y.U. They represent the Evil Empire to most Village residents. However, I think Community Board 2 members, the numerous Democratic clubs and most political insiders in the Village have lost sight of the goal. We have a major park that is an international tourist attraction in terrible physical condition. It is a disgrace. Most parents and residents of Greenwich Village want it renovated as soon as possible. Most people don’t really care about the location of the fountain. What they want is more grass, more plants and, over all, a nicer park experience. So to all the blowhards of the Village political establishment, I ask that you finally accept defeat. Stop the complaining, withdraw your silly lawsuits and do something positive for the Village. No one is listening to your constant complaining about the plans for Washington Square Park. You are not offering leadership or solutions. You’re just promoting your personal careers. How about this for a plan: Let the city Parks Department renovate Washington Square Park. If it is not acceptable, let’s all join together and fight for changes in the next campaign to rebuild the park. But this time, let’s not wait 40 years. As a neighborhood resident extremely disturbed by the proposed Washington Square Park “redesign,” I would like to thank Jonathan Greenberg for his passionate championing of our community interests in seeing the park retain its historic and user-friendly character. I thank him for his coherent exposé of the Appellate Division’s blunderous decision reinstating the Parks Department’s offensive folly. It is truly unsettling that the city would, once again, advance the interests of N.Y.U. above those of the residents — flattening the fountain equals more chairs at overcrowded N.Y.U. graduation. What a waste of tens of thousands of our hard-earned taxpayer dollars to move the fountain a couple of feet just to humor Mr. Vellonakis’s frivolous desire to align it with the arch. The recent closing of the newsstand at the corner of Thompson and W. Third Sts. by the Department of Consumer Affairs for absolutely no rational reason is also deeply troubling. The two lovely brothers who ran the newsstand, each with a wife and two small children to support, have suddenly lost their livelihood and now may be forced to apply for welfare as a result of the city’s capricious muscle-flex in closing the newsstand. And no one can understand why Consumer Affairs arbitrarily refuses to allow the brothers to even file a new application for a license in their own names, so they may continue to operate their business as they have for the last five years. The brothers did no one harm and, in fact, served the community in a number of ways, not the least of which was providing needed and additional security for the neighborhood: Within two months of the newsstand’s being shut by the city agency after more than 80 years of continuous operation, there have been two separate instances of criminal activity in the adjoining building. The city would be such a better place if only someone like Jonathan Greenberg was mayor. I pray the Court of Appeals will see the obvious merit of reviewing the First Department’s flawed and seemingly political decision. How else to explain their transmogrified interpretation of the facts to support their ill-advised conclusion. Unfortunately, justice sometimes takes an inordinate amount of energy. So keep popping those vitamins, Jonathan, and thank you and your legal team again for all your hard work. He erroneously invokes the First Amendment and Bill of Rights to rationalize illegal activities and his own twisted viewpoint, not realizing that the Supreme Court has ruled that commercial speech is not awarded the same protection as individuals’ free speech. Also, his ignorance of local zoning laws regulating billboards is patent. Perhaps this is because the letter-writer lives in Great Neck. Yes, that’s right! Great Neck, Long Island! Do you think this hypocrite has to look out at a giant billboard on his neighbor’s manicured lawn every morning? This individual, whom I won’t give the satisfaction of naming, is a pathetic publicity seeker who seems to have nothing better to do with his life than to make a career of writing letters to every newspaper in town, constantly lecturing us from his suburban haven about what is wrong with New York City. Surely Chelsea Now is not so needy for letters that it will continue to waste good newsprint and precious trees on this silly suburbanite’s hobby.
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