Column: COMMON SENSE

Weiner should resign

As I write this column, the big political question in Brooklyn,New York State, and for the matter the United States is When orwill Congressman Anthony Weiner resign from office?

The case against Anthony Weiner remaining in office isoverwhelming.

The married congressmember engaged in inappropriate behaviorthat is known as sexting which resulted in a number of womenreceiving unwanted text correspondence from him of a sexual nature.At least one of the texts was a frontal nude photo and its textingcould constitute a crime.

When asked by the media about the texts, he repeatedly lied bymaking up an elaborate story that he expanded upon as the daysadvanced.

He only confessed to his actions when it became impossible tokeep up the ruse. In other words, he came clean only after he wascaught.

A formal and official investigation has been launched byCongress to determine if any laws were broken.

Congressmember Anthony Weiner has lost all credibility torepresent his district in Congress. Butts of jokes make poorrepresentatives. Any leadership authority he may have had thatemanated from his high office has been lost.

Like State Senator Carl Kruger who represents many of the sameconstituents in Brooklyn, the Congressmember is just buying time,collecting his check and avoiding contact with the press or, forthat matter, the public.

Unless he is convicted of crimes, no one can actually makeAnthony Weiner resign. Nevertheless, if he has any shred of respectleft for himself or concern for his family, he will take the adviceof many Democrats and Republicans and re invent himself outside theworld of public service.

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The residents of Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights should be proud ofthe efforts of Community Board 10 in assessing the pros and cons ofa proposal to close seven blocks (82nd to 89th Streets) of ThirdAvenue for six hours several Friday evenings in the summer,creating a temporary pedestrian mall.

Their Transportation and Traffic Committee held a well-attendedpublic hearing on a very hot evening that had the feel of a NewEngland-style town hall. They heard a presentation by State SenatorMarty Golden and Councilmember Vincent Gentile on the overallconcept and vision. Both the senator and councilmember’s officeshad been meeting with merchants, community leaders and governmentagencies in the hope of determining interest and feasibility. Atthe public hearing, there were many questions and statements fromcommunity residents, merchants and civic leaders.

As one would expect, the proposal had its supporters anddetractors. This went on for approximately two hours, when thepublic part of the hearing came to an end. The committeedeliberated for some time and thoughtfully concluded that the ideadid indeed have merit, but there were additional questions thatneeded to be answered which were soon after shipped off to SenatorGolden and Councilmember Gentile. I suspect they will quickly turnaround their responses in hopes that in late July we could have ourfirst Friday night closure complete with culturals, restaurants andother businesses taking advantage of evening avenue strollers.

Elected officials making proposals to the community that resultin thoughtful give-and-take that is followed by deliberation andfollow-up is classic democracy. Regardless of the outcome of theThird Avenue proposal, we should all be pleased with the processthat reviewed it.