Eng leaves LIRR better; more to do
Cocktails bottled for to-go sales. A proposal by Gov. Hochul would update regulations that were enacted during the Prohibition era. Credit: Yvonne Albinowski
Eng leaves LIRR better; more to do
Phillip Eng will be missed ["Eng steps down as LIRR chief, successor has LI ties," News, Feb. 11]. He seemed to truly care about the Long Island Rail Road and left it in noticeably better condition than he found it.
The LIRR, though, still needs a lot of help, starting in these areas:
- Repairs to seats to make them comfortable.
- Schedules that reflect the Third Track project’s increase in capacity after completion.
- Accurate arrival times and announcements, not plus or minus six minutes at a mystery location.
- Enough platform signs so all passengers can see them without needing to walk to the platform end.
- Meaningful progress reports on LIRR projects.
— Ron Troy, East Northport
Don’t pay rail thief’s padded pension
Thomas Caputo, a retired Metropolitan Transportation Authority employee, received an eight-month prison sentence for $344,000 in overtime fraud against the LIRR ["8 months for fraudulent OT ‘feeding frenzy,’ " News, Feb. 5]. However, he has to pay back only $19,000, and his pension was padded by the illegal overtime.
Why is he allowed to keep his pension? He’s a felon who will get rewarded for his crime every time a pension check is issued to him.
And who ultimately pays the price? All of us taxpayers who don’t have a say in any of this. What a disgrace to the legal system.
— Linda Durnan, Wading River
There has been justifiable outrage expressed over LIRR overtime fraud and the sentencing of Thomas Caputo ["LIRR guy wins ‘Let’s Make a Deal,’ " Letters, Feb. 9]. However, what is missing from all the reporting and reactions are the questions of how it was allowed to happen and who oversees the payroll operations of the LIRR.
Anyone who runs even the smallest business knows that there must be internal controls over expenses, and I am sure that the LIRR has policies and procedures in place for this purpose.
So who was responsible for approving overtime pay, and who was watching the payroll expenses and investigating excessive overtime claims? They have to be held accountable and punished for enabling this fraud to occur.
It is disgraceful that this abuse was not discovered after the first pay period when it occurred, and it should have been stopped immediately.
— Neville Grusd, Great Neck
Readers are upset that Thomas Caputo would be keeping $325,000 of fraudulently earned pay. They failed to point out that he isn’t really keeping all of it.
Ask him what his legal bills were.
— Craig Gardy, Dix Hills
Solution needed, not stop and frisk
A reader suggests three words will "halt these senseless killings and crime in all communities: stop and frisk" ["Cops’ deaths should ignite movement," Letters, Feb. 4].
People won’t wear a mask to slow a pandemic, but allowing police to grab and grope random allegedly suspicious people is OK? The man who shot those police officers was in a residence, not a random person walking the streets.
I hope the way domestic calls and the mentally ill are handled is being reevaluated. The current way is not working out well for anyone.
— Tiffanie Kempf, Remsenburg
Good idea: Modernize outdated liquor laws
The drinks-to-go debate is just one example of how New York’s arcane Alcoholic Beverage Control Law is hurting restaurants and liquor stores ["Drinks to go the way to go," Editorial, Jan. 13].
The governor’s drinks-to-go proposal is a shining example of how taking measured action to modernize outdated laws will not only benefit the restaurant and liquor industries but generate revenue and create jobs as we build back from the pandemic.
The conversation can’t end at alcohol-to-go — this is our chance to examine the many outdated laws that have a stranglehold on the industry.
Self-interested players have quietly made changes to the laws that benefit a select group but draw the line at reforms that would decrease wait times for licenses, extend hours of operation, or make reforms that would enhance consumer access to wine and distilled spirits.
These players also play loosely with the truth about real alcoholic beverage policy reform, often making claims without factual basis.
We cannot keep letting Prohibition-era regulations impede the growth and success of this industry. New York is one of the largest U.S. producers of wine and spirits. It’s time to bring our laws into the 21st century.
— Paul Zuber, Albany
The writer is executive vice president of The Business Council of New York State.
