Commentary: Congestion pricing is a shakedown of commuters

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As the supervisor of the town of Hempstead, home to nearly 800,000 residents, I have steadfastly opposed the misguided and poorly conceived congestion pricing plan since its inception. I am not alone in this: I have heard about it directly from residents from every walk of life. When I’m in line at the deli, when I’m at my daughter’s field hockey game and at plenty of local community gatherings, residents can’t stop talking about how vehemently opposed to congestion pricing they are.

Although framed as an altruistic endeavor intended to help greenhouse gas emissions, it’s been incredibly clear since day one that this was just another shakedown of Long Islanders and other commuters who are just trying to get to work in New York City each day.

When Gov. Kathy Hochul “indefinitely paused” the implementation of........

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