Friday, July 20, 2018
Vol. 78, No. 29
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SERVING PLAINVIEW, HICKSVILLE, AND LEVITTOWN
Trial date set for former Hicksville resident
SHOOTOUT FOR SOLDIERS
BY GARY SIMEONE
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino (center) recently attended the Shootout for Soldiers 24-Hour Lacrosse Benefit Game in Massapequa, where more than $178,000 was raised for veterans and active duty military personnel.
Schools super. elected to state council BY GARY SIMEONE
Dr Lorna Lewis, school superintendent in the Plainview-Old Bethpage district, was recently sworn in as president of the New York State Council of School Superintendents for the 2018-19 school year. She will be the first woman of color to serve as the head of the organization. “I joined the Council’s executive board nine years ago, and I pretty much knew that I would be elected president of the organization,” said Dr Lewis, who has served as superintendent in the Plainview-Old Bethpage district for six years. “I went through all
the necessary steps to get to this position.” Dr Lewis will serve as a council president for one year after serving as an officer, treasurer, and vice president of the organization. “You serve for a year in each position, so the election was really four years ago when I became a treasurer of the Council of School Superintendents.” As president, Dr Lewis will have many responsibilities, including being the face of the organization and representing the superintendent’s voice in the State Legislature. “Some of my main responsibil-
ities will include running workshops for the superintendents, attending monthly meetings with the state commissioner, and performing quite a bit of legislative action throughout the state,” said Dr Lewis. She added that the Superintendent’s Council is an important organization to all superintendents in the state because of the benefits it provides to them. “Almost every superintendent joins this so they can collaborate and share ideas with one another and work to solve problems at the legislative level.”
The trial date for a decadelong Oyster Bay Town code enforcement case has been set after deliberations by Town officials. The date, which involves a lawsuit against the Town brought forth by a former Hicksville resident, has been set for September 10th, 2018. In 2007, Darren Thomas, a U.S. postal supervisor, and then Hicksville resident, filed a lawsuit regarding the legality of a two-family home he had purchased. At the time, he alleged that he was singled out for selective prosecution because he was black. The lawsuit spawned a series of state and federal lawsuits by the former resident. According to Town documents, the basis behind the multiple lawsuits filed by Thomas was that he had written proof and sworn testimony from the home’s previous owners saying that the house was a two-family home for decades. “The difference between those former owners who were not prosecuted and Mr. Thomas is that the earlier owners were white,” said
Harry Kutner Jr, Thomas’s attorney. “They refuse to let my client walk in peace and live in peace. It’s just abhorrent to the sense of human decency.” A Town spokesperson said the racial issue is a moot point and that the case concerns violations of the Town zoning code. “This concerns violations of the Town zoning code as it relates to use and occupancy of a single-family home,” said the spokesperson. The September 10th trial date, which will take place at First District Court in Hempstead, will focus on violations of sections of the Town’s code, requiring a certificate of occupancy and a special use permit for a two-family home. Misdemeanor charges have been filed against Thomas in the case, as the Town prosecutes code violations as criminal charges. In a Town Board meeting last Tuesday, a resolution was passed to retain the services of Garden City based attorney, Christopher Kendrick in the case. The Town has authorized a legal fee of $25,000 to retain Mr Kendrick’s services.
Bethpage Board holds reorganization PAGE 3 Abbey Lane shines light on Flag Day PAGE 4