NUMC politics, U.S. Open ticket prices
Iga Swiatek, of Poland, returns a shot to Ena Shibahara, of Japan, at the U.S. Open tennis championships Thursday in Queens. Credit: AP/Julia Nikhinson
NUMC is like this, thanks to GOP
It’s becoming apparent that Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and his fellow Republicans are continuing to reaffirm placing politics above governance “Work together to save NUMC,” Editorial, Aug. 18].
The Nassau University Medical Center is in shambles. Blakeman helped create this when he was majority leader of the Nassau County Legislature and achieved mostly accounting chicanery.
Former County Executive Tom Suozzi placed Arthur Gianelli in charge of the hospital in an attempt to stop the financial hemorrhaging and the threat it placed upon county finances. The editorial correctly cites Gianelli as one of “the best of today’s hospital leaders.”
As county executive, Blakeman appointed as chairman Matthew Bruderman, whose only qualifications were being a campaign contributor to the Nassau Republican Party.
Ultimately, Nassau County taxpayers will bear the weight of higher taxes, diminished services or both for handing the reins of power to the underachieving team that put them into this predicament in the first place.
— Michael J. Vicchiarelli, Eastport
Shame on tennis for high ticket prices
It’s disingenuous that United States Tennis Association spokesman Brendan McIntyre claims ticket prices are “very similar to last year” [“U.S. Open ticket prices up,” News, Aug. 27]. He fails to mention that last year’s prices were the highest in years.
While I understand the USTA can set prices at whatever amount it chooses due to high demand, the bigger issue is the troubling practice of allowing the resale of much of the ticket pool on Ticketmaster.
This leads to even higher prices as opportunists buy tickets to resell at inflated rates, forcing genuine tennis fans to pay exorbitant resale fees or miss the event in person altogether. Neither option is fair or desirable.
Shame on Ticketmaster and the USTA for allowing this shameful, greedy practice.
— Michael Scaturro, Garden City South
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