The March/April issue of the Juniper Berry (you should make sure you subscribe) published a Letter to the Editor from a person signing as “Anthony D.”

Anthony starts by telling readers that we are amusing. He then concludes by expressing disappointment with us.

He’s amused because he says we are “trying to destroy the name and livelihood of Councilman Dennis Gallagher.” How we would accomplish that remains a mystery; only Gallagher can destroy his own name, which is about his only successful accomplishment. As for his livelihood, he’s holding a part-time municipal job paying over $112,000 annually. In this job, he has accomplished: NADA! Except for the destruction of his own name.

His other livelihood, pursued full-time in all his spare time, consists of extraction. He extracts dollars from the developers, covering for their destruction of this community, betraying his constituents.

For example, the property surrounding Saint Saviour’s Church cries out for conversion into a park with a historical theme. The people in that part of Maspeth have suffered from years and years of neglect because it was long ago forgotten, and the residents written off as “Little People” who can be ignored. After all, the residents (taxpayers) in this neighborhood never hold cocktail parties that Bloomberg or Gallagher would ever attend.

These are people easily betrayed; easily snubbed, and who don’t complain about their plight. They are tough. They are smart, and they are now fed up with being used as a dumpsite so the likes of Gallagher can make a buck.

Anthony D then asks: “Why all this fuss about Tony Nunziato being taken off the Community Board? After all, he is a florist with a big mouth and political aspirations.” That’s the written flatulence the title refers to. What was Gallagher before he was a council member, Anthony? He was a gofer – a lickspittle lackey for City Council Member Tom Ognibene. He had no original or creative thoughts. He did the bidding of Tom Ognibene. Anthony, this is the Gallagher who is one of the “brightest, smartest, and sincerest politicians you have known?” In any event, after serving as lackey, and Ognibene’s term was complete, did Gallagher have these horrible “political aspirations”?

Why was it good that Gallagher had political aspirations, but bad that Tony Nunziato might have had some? You see, Anthony, when you start to write flatulence, the results are smelly, and indefensible.

How exactly has Gallagher “fought for our neighborhood for as long as he has been in office?”

You ask: “Why have you betrayed Gallagher and flipped so badly on him?” Now for your civics lesson, Anthony: it is an impossibility for constituents to betray an elected municipal employee. Try thinking that answer all the way through. We, the taxpayers, foot the bill to permit him in office. He’s been paid. Every payday, he’s there depositing his hefty check for his part-time municipal job. But, Gallagher long ago turned on his employers by devoting his time and efforts to scratching money from the pockets of the very destructive developers who you want to build a skyscraper on the property of Saint Saviour’s. Like Gallagher (your lap dance partner) you believe that the homeowners and residents in the neighborhood of Saint Saviour’s have no right to any opinion on their neighborhood if it interferes with Gallagher’s earnings.

Here’s a question that you need to have Gallagher answer: Why did he betray the youngsters in the Juniper Juniors? What did they ever do to him to deserve his cheesy turncoat decision to prevent these good youngsters from participating in his graffiti cleanup? Do you believe that these youngsters had some “political aspirations” that threatened Gallagher? Do you believe that they belonged to the wrong political party?

Because Gallagher believes in “guilt by association”? That, since the Juniper Juniors is a committee of the Juniper Park Civic Association, they were to be cut out of participating in a taxpayer funded, but a publicity generating function?

Do you believe that Gallagher was right to cheat the youngsters out of contributing to their community? Feel free to write. But, no more flatulence!

You want us to “concentrate on the things that matter, and not on some moot issues that make us look like fools.” Things that matter to whom? Who decides what matters vs. what does not matter? You and Gallagher? Are you both the issues arbiters? Or, is Gallagher supposed to represent the opinions of the constituents?

And, what are these “moot” issues that make us look like fools? Who decided that the issues are moot? Gallagher? You? The community? How do you know? More written flatulence – do you even know what the word “moot” means?

Next time Gallagher asks you to sign one of his letters, at least read it first and make some changes so that you are not left holding his bags.