Feedback 12/11 

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CITY welcomes your comments. Send them to [email protected] with your name, your address, and your daytime phone number for verification. Only your name and city, town, or village in which you live will be published along with your letter. Your phone number and address will not be published. Comments of fewer than 500 words have a greater chance of being published, and we do edit selections for publication in print. We don't publish comments sent to other media.

Wegmans isn't our only supermarket

A simple way to overcome the problem of "discomwegmanation" ("Wegnesia. Wegmentia. Discomwegmanated. It's a Rochester thing," December 4) is to shop at other grocery stores sometimes, for gosh sakes.

It's simply not true that any or all of the Wegmans have "everything a visitor needs," as David Andreatta's column suggested. That's why my wife and I often shop at Abundance, Trader Joe's, Red Bird Market in Fairport, R's Market in Brighton, and Price-Rite, to name a few. Even poor old Tops is occasionally worth a stop.

We do shop at Wegmans, but the piece, while amusing, is another contribution to the over-idealization of Wegmans that is rife in our community.  This does not do justice to the alternatives or help Wegmans to maintain or improve its quality.

WAYNE WILLIS, ROCHESTER

Praise, criticism for CABLE Act coverage

Thank you for your piece on the "Cabal Act" ("Let's call it what it was: The Cabal Act of 2019," November 20).

I was outraged when the Republican legislative leadership and Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo announced it. Under the guise of "transparency," it seems they sought to punish Adam Bello for winning the election for county executive. Dirty politics.

Keep up your watchful eye on future shenanigans by the self-serving Republicans in the County Legislature.

ELLIOT FIX, BRIGHTON

While David Andreatta's opinion on the CABLE Act was well written, I thought some information was missing, as is the case in most print media today.

In particular, there was no mention of a progressive vow to impeach President Donald Trump within weeks of elections, and the large number of reasons since created to justify the impeachment hearings. (Yes, he's a jerk, but he's attempting immigration and trade changes I approve of.) Nor was there any mention of Gov. "Arrogant Andy" Cuomo and his use of a message of necessity to bully through gun control legislation in the middle of the night, or at least out of public view.

In general, I find CITY's offering pretty one-sided. Yeah, I'll stay tuned.

ROGER MILLER, WEBSTER

CITY: Fortunately, our readers help us maintain balance.

Why bother signing the police 'harassment' law?

The news that both the Monroe County Sheriff's Office and the Rochester Police Department will not enforce the first responders "harassment" bill signed by outgoing County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo leaves one to wonder, "Why sign the bill in the first place?" This law, designed to protect first responders, was roundly rejected by first responders ("Monroe County's top cops shun police 'annoyance law,' December 4).

The law is a clear violation of the First Amendment and has racist implications, as it will likely disproportionately affect people of color. But that did not stop the so-called "party of freedom" from passing it. The bill passed the county Legislature along party lines, with all the Republicans, who hold the majority, voting in favor, and all the Democrats in opposition.

This law is another example of why Dinolfo was voted out of power and why two county Legislature seats were flipped to Democratic control. This county wants a new direction but with this law and the recently recalled CABLE Act, it seems clear the GOP only wants to stymie progress. Shame on them.

DONALD MARTELL, ROCHESTER

Is the art of letter writing dead?

We at CITY don't want to believe the art of letter writing is dead. But when we consider the waning contributions to our Feedback page, we can't help but wonder.

The Feedback page is a platform for readers like you to respond to the stories we publish, sound off on matters close to your heart and home, and to educate each other on what's happening in your neighborhoods.

Too few readers seem to want to take advantage of the offer, though. Some weeks, our Feedback inbox is empty. Loyal readers may have noticed that some CITY editions in recent months haven't featured a Feedback page. That's because there weren't enough letters to fill one, or even half of one.

We understand your world is a busy one. We also understand that it may be much more convenient nowadays to post your thoughts on a social media channel. Indeed, we encourage you to do that — especially CITY's social media networks. We live for robust conversation, especially about local issues.

But if the Feedback page is a feature of CITY that readers value, it is up to readers to make it thrive. Letters-to-the-editor have been part of printed newspapers for centuries, and we'd like to keep it that way in CITY. If the Feedback page cannot be sustained, however, we'll find another use for the space.

In the meantime, consider this a sincere invitation to share your thoughts with us about what you read in the pages of CITY, or don't read. We encourage a diversity of voices. We can accommodate letters up to 500 words long, a length more generous that you'll find in almost any other newspaper. But we accept shorter letters, too.

There are really no hard-and-fast rules to contributing to Feedback except this: Contributions must include your name, address, and phone number. Only your name and city, town, or village in which you live will be published with your letter. Your address and phone number will not be published. They are simply so CITY can verify who you are and, if need be, the facts outlined in your letter. Oh, and, keep it civil, please.

We prefer letters be sent to [email protected]. But if old habits die hard and you're accustomed to contacting us through our general email inbox at [email protected], then feel free to continue doing so. We'll receive it. You can also write to any one of our staff writers and editors, whose email addresses are affixed to the bottom of every story they author.

Lastly, if you really want to keep it old-school, you can put pen to paper and stamp to envelope and send your letter to: CITY Newspaper, 280 State St., Rochester, NY 14614.

We look forward to hearing from you.

THE CITY STAFF, ROCHESTER