Weingarten’s Dislike

I almost choked on my coffee when I read Randi Weingarten’s statement “I dislike to my core that there is a connection between politics and schools” in Julia Levy’s article “Weingarten Stepping Up Effort to Secure a Contract” [Page 1, June 1, 2005]. Ms. Weingarten is one of the most partisan politicians in New York City.

She openly supports the liberal agenda. She’s right that the connection between politics and schools should be frowned upon, but she’s the one who incorporates it. The past has shown that Ms. Weingarten chooses politics over accountability and is unwilling to negotiate a fair contract that helps our children.

RAQUEL LACOMBA WALKER
Flushing, N.Y.

‘GOP Battles’

Amity Shlaes, in her article “GOP Battles Hinge on Judicial Fight,” [Opinion, May 24, 2005] argues that the Republicans should be expending their energy on changing Senate rules regarding the filibuster, rather than on behalf of other less notable concerns. For example, in her highly charged metaphorical remark that “they are the ones who go over the Niagara Falls in a barrel for the tax cause,” it seems there is an obfuscation. Drastic reform of the current tax laws made for a good Republican campaign slogan, but the issue appears now to engage their interest about as much as a barely leaking faucet.

When, since his election, has the president or his cohorts barnstormed the country to arouse public opinion on behalf of reforming, or better yet, trashing our broken revenue system? Our so-called graduated tax now includes “more than 14,000 amendments tacked to the 1986 income tax reform law, so no matter what, no one can keep within the law,” chided Lizon Sonders, a member of President Bush’s Advisory on Income Taxes.

THEODORE FETTMAN
Bronx

New Dreams in SoHo

James Gardner’s article on the new architecture in SoHo, “New Dreams Go Up in Soho,” [Arts & Letters, May 31, 2005,] failed to acknowledge the contribution by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission in the design, massing, and materials of two of the buildings of two of the buildings praised in the article. 19-35 and 55 West Houston St. are within the SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District and were reviewed and approved by the LPC. It would be nice if critics recognized the contribution of the LPC to the quality of the urban environment. This contribution occurs in the preservation of the city’s historic and architectural past as well as in the new buildings that are reviewed, modified, and approved by the Commission.

The fact is that most of the best architecture in the city in the past decade has been designed in partnership with the LPC, including Jean Nouvel’s and Aldo Rossi’s new buildings in SoHo, Norman Foster’s addition to the Hearst Building near Columbus Circle, James Polshek’s new Hayden Planetarium, Richard Cook’s new building in the Ladies Mile Historic District, and Renzo Piano’s additions to the Morgan Library.

As for Mr. Gardner’s criticism of the LPC’s decision to preserve a contributing 19th-century row house next door to the Whitney, it seems weak – not withstanding the rhetoric – when considered in light of the LPC’s approval of architect Renzo Piano’s 15-story addition to the museum.

MARK A. SILBERMAN
General counsel
Landmarks Preservation Commission
Manhattan

‘Chairman Shortell’

Re: “Chairman Shortell,” Editorial, May 18, 2005. One may not agree with the positions of Professor Timothy Shortell, chairman elect of Brooklyn College’s sociology department, on religion, or with those who practice it, but he is, at present, guaranteed by our Constitution the right to express his beliefs. For those not closely following the controversy, his views were posted on a nonacademic, non-university Web site.

The question of Professor Shortell’s administrative performance has yet to be field-tested. For CUNY to permit what Hugo Son calls a “fire storm” – a fire storm that, I must add, has “erupted” only because of people like him – to render a liability Mr. Shortell’s chairmanship even before his term commences on July 1, is to encourage the kind of climate that existed on university campuses and in government more than 50 years ago when Senator Joseph McCarthy began his heinous investigations into “un-American” activities.

Under the wise guidance of Provost Roberta Matthews, the current chairmen of Brooklyn College, at their last retreat (May 19, 2005), recommended ending the practice of including a chairman’s “confidential evaluations” in a candidate’s tenure or promotion file. We believe that except for the letters of external evaluators, customarily held in confidence, the evaluations in the file written by the chair or the chair’s representatives should be shared with the candidate.

ELLEN TREMPER
Chair
English Department
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn

---

Please address letters intended for publication to the Editor of The New York Sun. Letters may be sent by e-mail to editor@nysun.com, facsimile to 212-608-7348, or post to 105 Chambers Street, New York City 10007. Please include a return address and daytime telephone number. Letters may be edited.