Readers sound off on James Dolan, candidate proposals and open records reform

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a day ago

Brooklyn: The New York Knicks fired their coach, Tom Thibodeau, last week. The basketball world and most fans were surprised — some thought it was a joke. In five years Thibodeau had a regular season record of 226-174. In the five years before Thibodeau, all Knicks coaches combined had a record of 147-329.
Nowhere in any of the stories did we see that statistic or hear about it from the Knicks front office. It wasn't the coach who traded the five draft picks for Karl Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges; it was the front office. These two couldn't keep themselves on the court for a full season, yet the Knicks made it to the Eastern Conference finals, beating the defending champ Boston Celtics along the way.
The real issue, in my opinion, is owner James Dolan. He's clueless. Just look at what he did with the Rangers a few years ago. He fired both the general manager and head coach, and look what happened. It took two years, but they went from winning the President's Cup for best regular season record to not making the playoffs. Dolan's answer: Fire the coach of two years.
All Madison Square Garden had left was the Knicks, and now we might not even have that anymore. Leave it to Dolan to ruin a good thing. The Knicks were the last good thing about the Garden, and now we wait to see if the joke will be on Dolan. John De Angelo
Manalapan, N.J.: Under the new agreement with China, the people of the U.S. will have to pay a 55% tax to import goods from China while the people of China will pay only a 10% tax to buy U.S. goods. Looks like 'The Art of the Deal' was written in Mandarin. Joe Fontanelli
Garden City, L.I.: Is it going to take another Kent State before someone can put a leash on this vicious, vindictive man-child in the White House? Hundreds of armed, unnecessary military and peaceful demonstrators. It's only a matter of time. Paul Falabella
Milford, Pa.: It's amazing that President Trump calls in the National Guard and the U.S. Marines for a demonstration in L.A. but not for an attempted coup on Jan. 6. Can anyone explain that? Robert K. Greco
Briarwood: Welcome to fascist America! U.S. Marines, trained to kill foreign enemies in war, are stationed on the streets of Los Angeles, ostensibly in response to an 'insurrection' of 'animals,' per Trump's words; military parades in honor of Trump's birthday, which are vaguely reminiscent of Hitler's and Mussolini's public antics; unconstitutional orders that usurp the powers of Congress proliferate; genocidal war sponsored by Trump against the Palestinians for Trump's Riviera in Gaza plan; essential social services for the poor, the sick and seniors abolished as oligarchs get tax benefits in Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill.' Insurrection? Trump is delusional. The only insurrection would be one fought by the likes of the late Dr. Ernesto 'Che' Guevara of the Cuban Revolution. One-hundred years of American imperialism in Latin America caused poverty and the migrant influx into America, and now there's forcible racist deportation of primarily Hispanic Catholic migrants and legal immigrants by Trump. Joseph N. Manago
East Meadow, L.I.: Who will Trump's special guest be at his birthday parade? Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, or will the Elon Musk bromance make up in time? Maybe Trump can arrange a pay-per-view vote show to collect royalties. Jeff Tuck
Brooklyn: To Voicer Joe Schulok: Yes, I do suffer from TDS, the same way you are under the Jim Jones spell. Keep drinking the Kool-Aid and watching Fox News. I see no need to defend my comments because just about everything you said in your letter is a lying talking point from your cult leader. Stay in your cocoon and I'll stay in mine. June Lowe
Bronxville, N.Y.: Tough guy Andrew Cuomo is guaranteeing to fight Trump. Perhaps he should see if he can get Trump to help with the issues of the day. Cuomo's act is old, and he should remember why he resigned. This narcissist's thirst for power needs to end. Peter Cooper
Manhattan: Has anyone at the Daily News spent any time looking into the proposals advanced by the NYC mayoral candidates? Take Zohran Mamdani's proposal for free buses, one of his signature ideas. If you go to his website's link to an article in The Nation, there is not one reference to an analysis of what this would cost or what equipment, personnel, etc. it would take to implement. Clearly, free buses would attract more passengers and create overcrowding, which would precipitate the purchase of more buses, hiring drivers and mechanics, etc. — not accomplished overnight. This sounds like something Bill de Blasio thought up, but I'd be interested to learn what the Daily News is able to find out. Democracy is at its best when voters are informed, so I am asking The News to help us out. David Moretti
Yonkers: To Voicer Lisa Flanzraich, who criticized Zohran Mamdani on Medicare Advantage: I looked at Mamdani's website, given his endorsement by AOC. In it, he is against Medicare Advantage plans, wants to retain traditional Medicare for retirees and wants to eliminate co-pays for active employees and non-Medicare retirees. I endorse his platform. Thomas Schechter
Brooklyn: Sadly, a 2-year-old little boy is no longer alive. Why, people ask, was it necessary to kill this innocent child? It was done to hurt those who loved and cared for him. Split custody was what helped cause this baby's death. It does not happen all the time. I know of a young couple who, even though they are no longer together, love their child. You can see it when they come and drop off and pick up their child. What should have happened did not. As for split/joint custody, it could be a great thing. For this boy, it is no longer an option. How about coming up with a law in his name about custody? The situation should have been taken more seriously. In this little angel's name, let us help make a change. In memory of Montrell Williams, I implore lawmakers to make a strong law. Sharon Cesario
Hyde Park, N.Y.: Just like Voicer Enrico Mango, I too am 'incredulous.' But that's where our similarities end. I am consistently amazed that Catholics, and in this case a Catholic physician, just can't wrap their minds around the fact that there are actually (a lot of!) people out there who don't give a damn about their church and personal beliefs. I've been an atheist for more than 40 years. I believe that assisted suicide is an idea that has taken too long to come into law. I'm sure in his 40 years of practicing medicine, Mango has come across at least a few people who could've benefited greatly from not dying a slow, agonizing death. I sure don't want to go that way! And as far as anybody needing 'forgiveness for this heinous act,' I feel the exact opposite. Jack Cregan
Manhattan: The Daily News is right, Albany must reform the Freedom of Information Law ('Public access to public records,' editorial, June 11). But don't forget about NYC, where the public can wait months (or years!) for city agencies to provide records they requested. About 15% of FOIL requests submitted in 2024 are still open. Despite improvements with the OpenRecords Portal a decade ago, city agencies are not keeping up with requests, and in some cases not using the portal at all. I've been into government transparency for a long time. As a City Council staffer in the 1980s, I typed lists of government contacts and gave them out to people. As a City Council member in 2012, I passed NYC's first open data law to mandate that all public data be made available online. And in April, I introduced legislation to overhaul the city's FOIL process. Transparency and accountability are not optional in government. Gale A. Brewer