NUMC, justice system, Manganos, and girls sports
North Shore High School's Eliza Ritter was named one of Newsday's Top 100 girls lacrosse players. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
Get rid of NUMC's political patronage
If Nassau County really wants to make Nassau University Medical Center work, fire everyone with political connections and replace them with personnel who want to make the hospital work, instead of staffing it with political patronage people ["Comments on critics," News, March 27]. The latest nominee to head its board, Matthew Bruderman, just happened to contribute $200,000 to the Nassau Republican Committee.
Pay to play is right under our noses and is disgusting and expensive for those of us who live here. The way NUMC is run is nothing short of dysfunctional, just like Nassau government. Nothing will change till you get the politics out of it. It’s a hospital. Run it like one instead of like a political battlefield.
Anthony Tanzi, Mastic Beach
One thing became abundantly clear in the article: Matthew Bruderman should never be permitted to take office as head of NUMC. It is astounding to realize the scope of his ego. His style of intimidation and threats in governing is something we are still recovering from. I attempted to count the number of times he used “I” in the article, but eventually gave up. The last thing NUMC needs is a self-promoting bully. Nassau County deserves better, and County Executive Bruce Blakeman should rescind the offer.
Wendy Frischer, Rockville Centre
Don't leave criminal justice system alone
As I read the op-ed “Leave criminal justice reforms alone” [Opinion, March 28], I was shaking my head in disbelief — until I read that the writer, Donna Lieberman, was the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. She states that our lawmakers "must refuse to take us back to so-called 'tough on crime' policies from the Giuliani era," which she so incorrectly claims didn’t work. I guess she feels it’s better today, when the criminals are in charge of society and the police have their hands tied to protect us for the sake of accountability. It’s perplexing to me that she can feel safe living in this environment. I guess it’s all part of today’s progressive “woke” culture, which as usual is backward thinking to me.
William M. Fucci, Malverne
Bail reform and serious offenders
Your editorial "Polarizing debate over crime" states that bail reform "is used as an emotional but imprecise catchall in news reports and political campaigns to describe either a striving for more fairness and correction of racial disparities or a bad law enforcement policy that allows some serious offenders to walk free when they should not" [Opinion, March 27].
Bail reform does not allow “serious offenders to walk free.” “Bail reform” only applies to misdemeanor and nonviolent felony cases. If a judge says you are safe to be released on bail, why should a rich person who can afford bail walk out and poor person be stuck in jail? In both cases, the judge said you can leave if you post bail.
If you don’t want people leaving jail, change the law regarding when judges can offer release pending trial (bail). But make bail apply equally to rich and poor so everyone whom the judge says can leave can post bail with the amount of bail accounting for their financial means. I found the editorial to be misleading.
Karl J. Silverberg, Central Islip
Manganos have 'lost so much' — really?
A reader had me when he questioned the lengthy prison sentences proposed by federal prosecutors for former Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano and his wife, Linda ["Feds seek excessive Mangano sentences," Letters, March 22]. But he lost me when he wrote, “These people didn’t kill anyone and have suffered irrevocable great harm. They’ve lost so much.” Give me a break.
Thomas Turner, Ozone Park
Girl players should be treated just like boys
It was a great injustice to see the front page of your Sunday High School Sports section highlighting outstanding girls and boys lacrosse players with nearly a full page photo of the boy player and a small insert photo of the girl player ["Top 100 boys and girls lacrosse players," March 27]. Why wouldn’t you put equal-size photos of both players side by side to represent the best of Long Island's athletes? This type of inequity is representative of how girls and women are treated in all areas of sport and is damaging and unjust. The hard work required by both female and male athletes within any sport should be shown on equal footing.
Patrick J. Hackett, Garden City
