Dear Chuck Otey
Mr. Otey,
One of the great things about the Internet is that people like me can share the truth in our neighborhood just as easily as writers who want to hide the truth from us.
To those who view my blog regularly, I woke up to a comment left on my blog from Mr. Chuck Otey. Mr. Otey wanted to tell me that I hide behind anonymity. There’s nothing anonymous about me anymore – every single one of you know who I am, where I live and what I do. The last time Chuck Otey visited my blog, he said the same thing. I don’t know if he forgot that he wrote to me or if he just likes to bang the pot with the same issue. But I will respond to him the same way. I started this blog over 11 years ago and I just wrote for my family and friends. I am a middle school teacher and I didn’t want my students to be influenced by my religious views, when their family’s views should be more important. Middle schoolers are curious and they search for their teachers online. Friends recommended I call the blog a nickname they had given to me years before as I am a MCSE: Queen of the Click.
When I moved to Bay Ridge, people asked me about the process of buying a home, so I shared that on my blog in a way that people could easily understand. I started sharing local events because the information isn’t easily available in our community. When I was denied assistance from Senator Marty Golden’s office, I shared that online and found many others had experienced the same. And when our local government failed to represent the community and deliberately represented people outside the community, I couldn’t remain silent WHILE OUR LOCAL REPORTERS & NEWSPAPERS DID. The truth is out there, if you want to read it.
Mr. Otey, there’s a lot more people like me in our neighborhood. We don’t need fancy words to tell us that our politicians are owned by developers and outsiders. We were raised by people who taught us that integrity is the most valuable thing you own. We value truth and honesty, even if it isn’t as pretty as making politicians look like heroes in local newspapers. We have never forgotten our immigrant roots and we appreciate all the diversity this neighborhood offers because of the residents.
Chuck, let’s face it – I’m not going to link to Paula’s nonsense article about Staten Island Bob. The time for press release politics is over. How’s that for an idea? We have plenty of men and women in Bay Ridge that can run for city council, we don’t need a man from Staten Island coming over the bridge and pretending that he has been here all these years. Capano doesn’t even know that the Assembly members that represent Bay Ridge are female! If you think the bag tax is an important issue, you need to open your eyes! A lot more things are happening in the background and the bag tax is just a facade. Chuck, you can leave me all the comments you like. I welcome you to come over and say hello to me when you see me. Maybe you will be able to look me in the eyes and tell me it’s okay to print press releases, but I doubt you will. I’ve become used to strangers coming up to me and asking me, “Are you the Queen of the Click?” When I nod and say that I am, they tell me that they read my blog because the newspapers aren’t telling the whole story. They are the reason I keep writing.
In love with Bay Ridge,
The Queen of the Click
Hugs,
marlene
Topics: Bay Ridge, Brooklyn | No Comments »