Bellmore Herald 03-09-2023

Giangregorio wins open seat

Autism awareness advocate elected in county’s District 19

By MICHAEl MAlASZCZYK mmalaszczyk@liherald.com

Michael Giangregorio has spent years working with local politicians on improving the lives of families affected by autism. Now he will get the chance to continue this work — and improve the lives of all of his constituents — as Nassau County’s newest legislator.

Purim fun for all

Bella Dashefsky, left, and Madison Wattel got balloon animals with State Sen. Steve Rhoads at the 28th Annual Mel Polay Purim Carnival last Sunday. Story, more photos, Page 5.

Exploring the night sky is easy, with a telescope from the library

By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com

Tom Lynch can distinctly remember the day he saw a photo of one of NASA’s Gemini capsules on the front page of a newspaper, when he was just 10. He’s now 66, and that moment, he said, sparked his interest in outer space.

Since 2015, Lynch has been sharing that passion with Nassau County libraries, helping them purchase and maintain simple and easy-to-use telescopes that are lent out to cardholders just like books.

A self-described amateur astronomer, Lynch is a

retired accountant from Lynbrook, and works with the International Library Telescope Program. The program started small, he said, after it was founded in 2008 by Marc Stowbridge and the New Hampshire Astronomical Society. Its popularity spread, however, and caught on in other states and countries.

Lynch, who’s a member of some local astronomical organizations, decided to join the initiative, and help libraries in Nassau obtain telescopes.

“I thought, wow, what a great idea, to put a telescope in the hands of somebody who’s never used a telescope before,” he said, “or to a family, you

Giangregorio defeated Robert Miles for the vacant seat in the 19th Legislative District in a special election on Feb. 28. The seat became vacant when former Legislator Steve Rhoads won election to the newly drawn State Senate’s Fifth District by defeating John Brooks in November.

“To pass the torch to such a qualified, hardworking and passionate legislator who has common sense and deep roots in our community feels great,” Sen. Rhoads said. “I know my constituents will be well served with Michael as their legislator. I look forward to working together and fighting to deliver tax relief and

safe communities for Nassau South Shore families.”

In addition to an ally in Rhoads at the state level, Giangregorio also could count on an ally at the Town of Hempstead in Councilman Christopher Carini.

“I am excited and looking forward to working with Mike to improve the quality of life of the communities we serve by standing up to the governor’s plan to end local zoning that will allow up to 50 units per acre, supporting our law enforcement, and making our streets safe by demanding the repeal of cashless bail,” Carini said. “Our constituents want the same thing — a safe, affordable place to work and raise a family. We will work together to accomplish this goal.”

Giangregorio and Carini have already worked together on a number of initiatives, including removing graffiti from public areas.

Miles, an attorney for the legislature’s minority caucus, con-

Continued on page 4

Tim Baker/Herald

Amateur astronomer has kids looking up

know, where the parents are going to show their kids stuff. All that — it just sounded like a great idea.”

In 2015, Lynch helped the Lynbrook Public Library buy a telescope, the first one in any library on Long Island. Over the past eight years, he has helped 15 more county libraries obtain telescopes — including the Bellmore Memorial Library and the North Bellmore Public Library.

Lynch’s telescope of choice is the Orion StarBlast, which he said is easy to operate and perfect for beginners. Depending on a library’s preference and budget, additional attachments are available, to enhance a user’s experience.

“It’s a very good, relatively inexpensive, beginner telescope — it’s very sturdy,” Lynch said. “There’s a lot of telescopes that are out there, that you can buy for less money than this, or even more money than this, that are very unstable.”

Once a library purchases the telescope with Lynch’s help, he makes modifications to it to ensure that pieces don’t detach.

“The whole concept of this telescope is that it’s a single piece — everything is attached,” he explained. “There’s no adding things or taking things off. You can’t lose anything.”

Lynch also hosts staff training, so those dealing with the telescope can become familiar with it, and understand how it works and how to maintain it. He

often runs astronomy-themed classes for the children and families at the libraries he works with.

Lynch said he gets a lot of joy from teaching kids how to use a telescope, and it’s something he wishes every child had a chance to do. “I tell people, I can teach a motivated 10-year-old how to use this telescope in 10 minutes,” he said. “These kids that are into it — they really get into it.

“And it’s really just amazing to see sometimes,” he added. “When they get it, their faces just light up.”

At the Bellmore Memorial Library, adults in good standing can sign out a telescope for up to two weeks at a time. The facility’s children’s librarian, Pam Pagones, said the library has two telescopes, and each comes with an instruction manual, a planisphere — a type of star chart — and some additional guides.

“Tom Lynch has been incredibly helpful and supportive in ensuring that the library telescope program at the Bellmore Memorial Library is successful,” Pagones said, “by providing telescope maintenance, facilitating programs to patrons, and offering to conduct staff trainings.”

She added that the program had become so popular that the library now offers other unique items that can be borrowed, including a cake pop maker, a metal detector and a Cricut Joy, a crafting machine.

Those interested in borrowing a telescope from Bellmore Memorial can do so

online, by visiting the library’s catalog at BellmoreLibrary.org, or by calling the reference desk at (516) 785-2990.

In North Bellmore, one telescope circulates for a week at a time, and comes with a kit including several guides and a planisphere as well. Similar to Bellmore Memorial, the North Bellmore library has other items that can be reserved, including American Girl dolls, multi-use charging cords and portable Wi-Fi hotspots. To borrow the telescope, visit NorthBellmoreLibrary.org/libraryofthings.

Rosemary DeFrancisci, North Bellmore’s media librarian, said Lynch was a wonderful friend of the library. “The telescope has been thoughtfully customized by volunteer Tom Lynch,” she said, “whose enthusiasm, knowledge and devotion are a true lifeline for this program.”

Lynch said his goal is to get telescopes into as many libraries as possible across Long Island, and he’s part of a Library Telescope Taskforce that is dedicated to doing just that.

And as of now, he has no plans to introduce any harder-to-use equipment. “The more complicated it is, the more problems you’re going to have,” Lynch said. “The beauty of this (telescope) is the simplicity of it, the ease of transportation and the ease of use. And that’s what makes it really a unique experience.”

For the past eight years, Tom Lynch, an amateur astronomer, has been working with Nassau County libraries to help them purchase and maintain easy-to-use telescopes. At both of Bellmore’s libraries, cardholders in good standing can sign one out — just like a book — and explore the night sky at home.

Courtesy Tom Lynch

Upgrades planned for Newbridge Road Park

By ROKSANA AMID ramid@liherald.com

Over the next few months, Bellmore and Merrick residents can expect a lot of upgrades coming to parks in the Town of Hempstead, including some additional renovations to Newbridge Road Park.

The park is located in the southern half of Bellmore, at the very end of Newbridge Road. It boasts several multiuse fields, walking paths with views of the bays, a large pool and hockey arena, a playground, and a beloved dog park.

While much of the park is used and enjoyed on a regular basis, the Town began updating aspects of it last year, including installing a brand new playground, which opened last spring.

“Hempstead Town offers some of the finest parks and recreational facilities in the nation,” Supervisor Don Clavin said, “and we are working hard to make them even better.”

Town Councilman Chris Carini, who represents parts of Bellmore and Merrick, said the renovations at the park were possible, thanks to the town’s good finances. “We got bond upgrades, which means we are able to get bonds at a lower rate,” he told the Herald in Dec. 2021. “We decid-

ed to add $10 million in updates to town parks — this is part of that capital.”

This year, Newbridge Road Park will receive a new turf baseball field, backstop and bleachers. It’s also getting new basketball, tennis and pickleball courts with new fencing. A state-of-the-art splash pad, similar to one at Veteran’s Memorial Park in East Meadow, will be installed right next to Newbridge’s pool. A new irrigation system is in the works to serve the

multipurpose field.

Construction on the baseball field began the week of March 5. The splash pad will be completed by Father’s Day.

Nearby, Forest City Park in Wantagh will receive a new tennis court as well. In Baldwin, an additional turf baseball field is in the works for Baldwin Park, while a splash pad is planned for Coes Neck Park. The town also said a new playground will be built at Camp Anchor.

what’s in the works?

■ Turf baseball field, backstop and bleachers

■ Basketball, tennis and pickleball courts with updated fencing

■ State-of-the-art splash pad at the pool

■ New irrigation system for multiuse field

Since improvements first began in the park in 2021, Carini said that he is looking forward to seeing the smiling faces of children in the community.

“I am confident that residents will be very impressed with the improvements and enhancements at Town of Hempstead parks,” he noted. “This was made possible due to a recent bond upgrade and strong financial outlook for the Town of Hempstead. Our bond rating is now the highest in the state. These upgrades will be done in time to enjoy this summer.”

the teNNIS cOuRtS, near left, are set to be renovated, and pickleball courts will be installed.

tOwN

cOuNcIlMAN

chRIS Carini said a new turf baseball field, backstop and bleachers, far left, are in the works to replace the current set up. Work began the week of March 5.

Tim Baker/Herald photos

AfteR NewBRIDge ROAD Park in South Bellmore got some upgrades last year, including a new playground, the Town of Hempstead, who maintains the recreational facility, announced more renovations are on the way. The new play area, above, opened for public use last spring.

the BASKetBAll cOuRtS, above, will be redone. The fencing around the courts will be upgraded.

Legislator to succeed Rhoads in county politics

ceded shortly after the results were in on the evening of Feb. 28 and congratulated Giangregorio on a well-run, issuefocused race.

Giangregorio has been a community advocate for many years. When his son, Nicholas, was diagnosed with autism, Giangregorio and his wife, Allison, realized that the autism support system was severely insufficient, particularly when diagnosed individuals reach adulthood.

Giangregorio hosted walks at Jones Beach to raise money for autism awareness and was even able to get a state bill passed in 2011 requiring New York-based health insurance companies to fund treatments.

For his autism advocacy, Giangregorio was chosen as the Merrick Herald’s Person of the Year in 2014. And while Giangregorio intends to take some of that activism with him to the legislature, he said he wants to help create a better support system for all of his constituents.

“I am certainly not a one-issue candidate because I have very strong feelings on everything that affects Nassau County,” Giangregorio told the Herald in his roundtable interview prior to the election. “We

want to make sure that Nassau County is accessible to all.”

Giangregorio has described himself as a “quality-of-life” politician, focusing his efforts on fighting crime, making sure housing projects are zoned properly, and looking for the answer to the tax assessment system.

A native of Queens, Giangregorio said that while he loved Queens, he moved to Long Island seeking a quiet, suburban life-

style. As Nassau County grows increasingly urban, Giangregorio said he wants residents to continue to look at Nassau County as a place to live and raise a family.

“I am honored to have been selected by the voters in the 19th Legislative District to represent them in Mineola,” Giangregorio said. “I am committed to delivering on the promises of tax relief, safe communities, and protecting our suburban quality-of-life.”

Michael GianGreGorio, seventh

was elected to succeed State Sen. Steve Rhoads in the Nassau County Legislature’s 19th District in a special election on Feb. 28. He defeated Democrat Rob Miles, and will assume office as soon as the vote is certified.

in a roundtable interview with the Herald, above, Giangregorio emphasized his desire to maintain Nassau County’s high quality of life, which he sought when he moved from Queens.

The Five Steps to an Elder Law Estate Plan

Elder law estate planning provides for (1) your care in the event you become disabled as you age, and who will be in charge of that care, and (2) the passing of your assets on death to whom you want, when you want, the way you want, with the least amount of taxes and legal fees possible. These are the five steps to creating such a plan.

Step One: Understanding the Family Dynamics. Clients often overlook the inestimable value of getting to know the family dynamic. We are firm believers that the social goes first and the legal should serve the social. Too often it is the other way around. Once we understand who’s who and everyone’s interpersonal relations with each other, we are far better able to craft a plan that will work socially as well as legally. The failure to address the social aspects has led to many a plan tearing the family apart.

Step Two: Reviewing the Client’s Assets. IRA’s and other “qualified” assets (i.e. tax deferred) are treated quite differently, on death or disability, from “non-qualified” assets. The determination of the amount and value of all assets, who owns them, and whether they have named beneficiaries are of the utmost importance in planning correctly,

including saving legal fees and taxes.

Step Three: Reviewing Existing Estate Planning Documents. Not having been prepared by an elder law attorney, clients’ documents rarely have adequate provisions to take advantage of the many benefits the law provides for our elderly population. Wills instead of trusts have often been prepared either because the client was considerably younger and a trust was not needed or a trust was needed but the general practice lawyer was unfamiliar with the specifics of preparing a trust.

Step Four: Developing the Elder Law Estate Plan. We are now in a position to determine which persons are best suited to handle your legal, financial and medical affairs on disability or death, what type of plan should be used and how the estate should be distributed — keeping in mind the preservation of harmony in the family.

Step Five: Executing and Maintaining the Plan. Legal documents are explained and executed, assets are retitled and beneficiaries on assets changed in keeping with planning objectives. The client is called in to the law firm every three years to ensure the plan meets the client’s current wishes and conforms with any law changes.

Mohamed Farghaly/Herald

Michael Malaszczyk/Herald file

from left,

Costumes and carnivals, all for Purim

By JORDAN VALLONE jvallone@liherald.com

Sunday was a great day for the Jewish community of BellmoreMerrick to celebrate Purim, at the 28th Annual Mel Polay Purim Carnival. Founded by Evelyn Polay, a member of Congregation Beth Ohr in Bellmore, in honor of her late husband, Mel, the Purim celebration has been a fixture in the community for years.

About five years ago, Congregation Beth Ohr merged with Temple Israel of South Merrick. Temple Israel’s former location on Clubhouse Road is now Beth Ohr’s Merrick annex, and has served as the perfect spot for the carnival since the merger. Though Purim did not technically begin until Monday at sundown, children and families gathered early to celebrate what many carnival goers deemed an especially fun holiday.

Purim celebrates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, an official of the First Persian Empire, who was planning to have all of Persia’s Jewish subjects killed. Queen Esther, the Jewish wife of the Persian King Xerxes is credited as the heroine, alongside her cousin Mordecai, for saving the Jewish people. Today, the holiday is celebrated by reading the Book of Esther — or the Megillah — and by completing 5 mitzvot, or commandments.

According to Beth Ohr’s cantor, Joshua

Diamond, these mitzvot include attending a Megillah reading during the evening on the day Purim begins, and attending a second reading the following morning.

“It’s very important you hear it both times,” he noted.

The additional mitzvot include giving gifts to the poor, doing the same for friends and family members, and enjoy-

ing a traditional Purim feast.

During readings of the Megillah, which is a large scroll, and can take about a half hour to listen to in full, Diamond said, it’s tradition to try and “block out” the name “Haman,” every time it is read, which can make for a fun time for families and children.

Beth Ohr’s Purim readings took place

on Monday evening, the start of the holiday, and again on Tuesday morning.

Around the carnival, staple games such a ring toss and basketball throw were set up, with countless other activities. Children were able to win prizes, enjoy sweet treats and get caricature’s by an attending artist.

Polay, who was a congregant at Temple Israel before the merger with Beth Ohr, told the Herald, that many years ago, after her husband died, the men’s club at the temple wanted to do something in his honor, and raised $20,000. The carnival has take place every year since, in Mel’s name.

Purim is often celebrated by dressing in costume, evident around the carnival. To those unfamiliar with the holiday, it somewhat resembles Halloween. But costumes are worn for a couple of reasons, Diamond explained at last year’s carnival.

“God is not present in all of the Purim story, whereas in the books of the Bible, God is present,” he said. “Many Jews, they dress up and they hide their faces on Purim because of that. Another explanation is that the Jews would dress up and pretend they weren’t Jews, so they wouldn’t be killed.”

“It’s a fun day — a day to party,” Joseph Weisbord, Congregation Beth Ohr’s president said last year. “We just want everyone to have a fun time, and we are very happy to have the community participate in this celebration.”

Tim Baker/Herald

Around the carnival, Jenna Sack tested her luck at the basketball toss.

DIANE

BANKING & FINANCE

ANDIE PERLMUTTER

COO, Associate General Agent Forest Hills Financial Group

DAVI TSERPELIS

SVP Business Banking Manager City National Bank

ADVERTISING, MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS

SANDRA BRENNAN

CEO & Founder Senior Living Renaissance, LLC

VALENTINA JANEK

Founder Long Island Breakfast Club & Show

JESIKA KALIKA

Marketing Communications & Business Development Consultant

LISA MIRABILE

President & Founder

Vertigo Media Group

EDUCATION

MARIA P. CONZATTI

Interim President

Nassau Community College

BARBARA J. HOLAHAN

CFO, VP for Financial Affairs & Treasurer

New York Institute of Technology

MARYANNE HYLAND

Dean of the Robert B. Willumstad

School of Business Adelphi University

MAURIE McINNIS

President

Stony Brook University

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JENNIFER HAYEN

Director of Communications

Long Island Power Authority

MICHELLE D. SOMERS

Marketing Manager

PSEG Long Island

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JOSEPHINE FITZPATRICK

Nutrition & Weight Loss Specialist

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ELLEN PELLEGRINO

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MTN Matchmaking

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LISA M. BLACK

Chief Deputy County Executive

Office of the Suffolk County Executive

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MELANIE BASILE

Chief Growth Officer

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DR. MICHELLE A. CHESTER

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THERESA DILLMAN, DNP (C), MSN, MHA, RN, NE-BC

Associate Executive Director and Chief Nursing Officer Glen Cove Hospital, Northwell Health System

DR. ODETTE R. HALL

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Suffolk County Office of the Medical Examiner

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Clinical Director

New Horizon Counseling Center - Valley Stream

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Theralympic Speech

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Health & Welfare Council of Long Island

JULIE WEXLER

Director of Business Development

The Bristal Assisted Living

HUMAN RESOURCES

ELIZABETH MARIE SAITTA

Executive Director

SHRM Long Island Chapter

INSURANCE

CATIA ALATI

Vice President

Lockton Companies

LEGAL

PAULA PARRINO, ESQ.

Chief Administrative Officer & Vice President of Operations

Nationwide Court Services, Inc.

STEPHANIE A. CLARK, ESQ.

Lead Attorney

Law Offices of Stephanie A. Clark

ERIKA L. CONTI, ESQ.

Partner Sahn Ward Braff Koblenz PLLC

DEANNA M. EBLE, ESQ.

Partner

Russo Law Group, P.C.

LAUREL R. KRETZING

Partner

Jaspan Schlesinger Narendran LLP

KAREN J. TENENBAUM, ESQ.

Tax Attorney

Tenenbaum Law, P.C.

DINA L. VESPIA, ESQ.

Partner

Cullen and Dykman LLP

NICOLE L. WEINGARTNER

Director of State Government Affairs

Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP

MEDIA

DANA ARSCHIN KRASLOW

2x Emmy-Winning Journalist

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The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County (HMTC)

MIMI BISHOP & JACKIE GHEDINE

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Emmy® Award-winning reporter

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TERRI ALESSI-MICELI

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NEXT GENERATION: UNDER 30

KATHLEEN DONNELLY

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Long Island’s top real estate pros honored

Hundreds attend annual Real Estate Achievement and Leadership Awards

By ANA BORRUTO aborruto@liherald.com

The job of someone in real estate goes beyond just helping clients buy, sell or rent properties. For many professionals, it is about the rewarding feeling of finding a person or family’s “forever” home, and seeing their faces light up as they walk through the door.

Individuals in the industry often strive to offer listings or create developments with the goal of enhancing a community and providing potential homebuyers with a lifestyle they have always dreamed of.

The importance of community involvement and advocacy could not ring more true in the room of hundreds of real estate titans and visionaries at RichnerLive’s second annual Real Estate Achievement and Leadership Awards last week at The Heritage Club at Bethpage in Farmingdale.

Turn the page for all the winners, and more photos!

“Real estate in my blood,” said Kevin Law, partner and executive vice president of Tritec Real Estate, and the keynote speaker of the evening. “I care about this island — I am hoping that the things I do can make a difference, and make this region a little bit better to live, work and play.”

This year’s REAL Awards honored dozens of professionals in residential and commercial real estate, with some proceeds from the event supporting Habitat for Humanity Long Island — a global non-profit organization whose mission is to bring people together to build affordable, environmentally stable homes for those in need.

Jennie Katz, president and owner of Blue Island Homes, said in her 27 years in the business, the room for creativity is what she finds the most exciting as a broker. For example, she and her business partner, Mark Stempel, are planning to collaborate with interior designers and decorators to stage a truck with all of Blue Island Homes’s listings.

“I started my own business with Mark 10 months ago, and it was about being creative and doing something different,” Katz said. “It’s about passion. It’s about working really hard and being honest.”

Michael Stanco, a licensed real estate broker for the Stanco Misiti team at Compass, talked about his special project, The Residences at Glen Harbor, which received a residential REAL Award at the event.

In the ever-changing housing market, Stanco said it is crucial to provide people with unique living opportunities such as The Residences at Glen Harbor — an alternative option to typical single-family homes.

Anthony Bartone, managing partner of Terwilliger and Bartone Properties, expressed a similar sentiment and discussed his philosophy of mindfulness when introducing projects to Long Island neighborhoods — specifically the environmental impact.

For example, Bartone’s organization pledged to only use native plantings in their developments because of the harmful risk invasive plants pose to the soil.

“It’s important that we set all this up to the extent we can for our next generation,” Bartone said.

The REAL Awards trailblazer Deidre O’Connell — chief executive of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty — grabbed the audience’s attention with her inspirational speech about Realtors pushing through pandemic obstacles these last few years.

She also shared some wisdom for the next generation of homebuyers who may feel a bit anxious when it comes to the prospect of living on Long Island. Statistically, people who buy homes accumulate more money at the end — money they would not have if they put it into renting a place, where there is no return.

“You got to get in the game,” O’Connell said. “Young people have to start at the bottom if their income isn’t going to get them in at the top. Once you’re in the game, you appreciate with the market.”

The major sponsors of the night included Easy Tax Credits, Tenantbase and Maidenbaum. Blue Island Homes, Coldwell Banker American Homes and E.W. Howell were gold sponsors of the evening.

Silver sponsors included Ackerman Law, Breslin Realty Development Corp., Coldwell Banker Distinctive Homes, Cronin & Cronin Law Firm, Cushman & Wakefield, Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty, Douglas Elliman, GLS, Habitat Abstract, Hayduk Engineering, Heatherwood, Japan Schlesinger Narendran, Lipsky Construction, Long Island Board of Realtors, M&T Bank, Property Shark, R&M Engineering, Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, Sahn Ward Braff Koblenz,

SMR, Stanco Misiti Team at Compass, Terwilliger & Bartone Properties, The Gitto Group, Valley Bank, Weatherstone Mortgage Corp.

“Our second annual REAL awards was another huge success,” exclaimed Stuart Richner, chief executive of Richner Communications, which created the REAL Awards. “Where else can you find so many individuals and organizations that fuel our local economy? The award recipients are staples in our communities, and their recognition is well-deserved. I am excited to see all that the future holds for

Long Island.”

Tim Baker/Herald photos MARk STeMple, ceO of Blue Island Homes, accepts his REAL Award with company president Jennie Katz and Herald Community Media publisher Stuart Richner.

DeiRDRe O’cONNell, ceO of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty, shared her experiences as a trailblazer at the REAL Awards at The Heritage Club at Bethpage in Farmingdale.

keviN lAw, pARTNeR and executive vice president of Tritec Real Estate, delivers the keynote address at the REAL Awards.

FAthER/ dAughtER

tEAm giLbERt and Tiffany Balanoff, above, were recognized for Gilbert’s work with The Law Offices of Gilbert Balanoff, and Tiffany’s job as a licensed real estate agent at Douglas Elliman.

miRiAm hAgEndoRn gEts her REAL Award from Stuart Richner, at left, for her work as a licensed real estate salesperson a Serhant.

2023 Real Estate Achievement and Leadership Award winners

Residential

The Residences at Glen Harbor

Michael W. Stanco

Stanco Misiti Team at Compass

Gina Marie Bettenhauser

Coldwell Banker Distinctive Homes Long Island Board of Realtors

Hilary Becker Becker Realty Services Inc.

Molly Deegan Branch Real Estate Group

John & Barbara Gandolfo

Coldwell Banker American Homes

Kevin Leatherman Leatherman Homes

Donna O’Reilly Einemann

Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Luciane Serifovic Luxian International Realty

Shawn Steinmuller

Shawn Michael Realty

Mark Stempel & Jennie Katz Blue Island Homes

Helena Veloso

Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Malka Asch Coach Realtors

Miriam Hagendorn Serhant

Ricki Noto Coldwell Banker American Homes

Scott Wallace

Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty

David Kasner Coldwell Banker American Homes

Commercial

Thomas DeLuca Cushman & Wakefield of Long Island

Anthony Bartone

Terwilliger & Bartone Properties LLC

Kenneth Breslin, Esq. Breslin Realty Development Corp.

Christopher Capece

Heatherwood

Rob Gitto

The Gitto Group

Mark Meisner

The Birch Group

E.W. Howell Construction Group

Special Awards

Michael Maturo

RXR Realty

Martin Lomazow CBRE

Michael S. Ackerman Ackerman Law PLLC

John D. Chillemi

Ruskin Moscou Faltischek PC

Bryan P. McCrossen

Jaspan Schlesinger Narendran LLP

Christopher H. Palmer Cullen and Dykman LLP

Ellen N. Savino

Sahn Ward Braff Koblenz PLLC

Commercial Industrial Broker Society of Long Island

David Pennetta

Stephen A. Hayduk Hayduk Engineering LLC

Gilbert Balanoff

The Law Offices of Gilbert Balanoff PC

Tiffany Balanoff

Douglas Elliman Real Estate

Nicholas Ceccarini

Weatherstone Mortgage Corp.

Christine Curiale Valley Bank

Melissa Curtis Contour Mortgage

Michael Steinberg

Hedgestone Business Advisors

Alex Lipsky

Lipsky Construction

Sean M. Cronin, Esq. Cronin & Cronin Law Firm PLLC

Ryan J. Coyne Serhant

VincePropertyShark PropertyShark.com

Habitat Abstract

dAvid KAsnER, bRAnch manager of Coldwell Banker American Homes, at left, and Daniel Williams, president of E.W. Howell Construction Group, at right, get their awards from Stuart Richner.

Tim Baker/Herald photos

Tim Baker/Herald photos

Hundreds of Honorees, guests and sponsored enjoyed refreshments and conversation ahead of the second annual REAL Awards hosted by RichnerLive.

Bryan McCrossen, Center at top-left, a partner at Jaspan Schlesinger Narendran, joins strategic marketer and financial educator Jesika Kalika in the selfie booth.

JoHn frasCella, MaidenBauM’s residential property tax supervisor, was a major sponsor of the REAL Awards.

tHoMas deluCa, senior director and real estate broker at Cushman & Wakefield of Long Island — at left —enjoys a moment before receiving a REAL Award of his own.

Courtesy Le Selfie

Courtesy Le Selfie Helena Veloso, at center in pink, has fun with the rest of her Douglas Elliman Real Estate team at the selfie booth at the REAL Awards.

Blakeman claims a successful first year

By MICHAEL MALASZCZYK mmalaszczyk@liherald.com

It’s been a little more than a year since Bruce Blakeman officially took office as Nassau County executive. Since then, how much has life improved for the nearly 1.4 million people living under his administration?

Significantly. At least according to Blakeman, thanks to his work with the majority party in the Nassau County Legislature. Triumphs Blakeman shared as part of his Feb. 28 State of the County address.

And there was a lot on Blakeman’s plate, after taking over for Laura Curran — not all that could be handled at the county level. Inflation. Catalytic converter theft. Support for local businesses. Bringing Nassau out of the Covid-19 era. And challenging some proposals that had made their way down from Albany.

“Our administration increased the boost (of the) Nassau Main Street grants program by an additional $10 million to support small businesses and keep family-owned businesses in Nassau County,” Blakeman said. He also met with professionals and entrepreneurs from a number of communities to begin work on expanding opportunities “for all people so that every community in every person — Black, white, Asian, Hispanic and Latino — share in our county’s prosperity.”

It is important to invest in local business because Nassau is bigger than 10 states by population, and has a higher gross domestic product than 145 countries, Blakeman said. And there is something in the works that could shake this up even more — the proposed plan to bring a Las Vegas Sands casino to the Nassau Coliseum.

“We are considering this proposal, and I have consistently stated that we would keep an open mind,” Blakeman said. But there are conditions.

“It must be world-class, with a luxury hotel and entertainment component,” he said. “It must bring significant

In HIS StAtE of the County speech on Feb. 28, Nassau executive Bruce Blakeman praised what he described as a successful first year in office, giving credit to law enforcement and the county legislature for working with him on a number of initiatives to help bring some of his campaign promises to fruition.

revenue to the county and surrounding areas, including construction and permanent jobs. And third, it must have the support of the community.”

A cornerstone of the Blakeman administration has been tackling the mass thefts of catalytic converters in Nassau. Some of that concluded in December with “Operation Cat-Track,” partnering with Nassau County Police Department commissioner Patrick Ryder to recover $7 million worth of stolen converters. The operation, Blakeman added, put a significant dent on an organized crime ring responsible for the thefts.

“I especially want to thank Sen. Chuck Schumer for

asking the Department of Justice to help us and send a special response team to mobilize and to help crack down on these thefts,” Blakeman said.

While the Republican executive crossed party lines to praise Schumer, he still had some harsh words for Joe Biden, blaming the president’s border policies for the current fentanyl crisis.

Democrats closer to home — in his county legislature took issue with some of what Blakeman said, specifically where the credit should go for the positive direction in the last year.

“While we got off to a very rocky start when the county executive first took office, there has been some progress,” County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton said as part of the Democratic response. “I am glad to report that minority-led proposals have been adopted, including a gas tax holiday, (and) tax relief for eligible seniors and disabled homeowners. And just this Monday, property tax exemptions for volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers.”

However, DeRiggi-Whitton hit Blakeman over the ongoing county tax assessment issue, which remains frozen. Blakeman maintained in the speech that much of the issue with tax assessment is still the fault of the Curran administration, which froze it during the pandemic.

As for fentanyl? DeRiggi-Whitton agreed the crisis must be addressed, but isn’t spending time pointing fingers.

“With fentanyl overdoses posing such a major threat, the Minority Caucus has introduced a law which would require low-cost fentanyl detecting strips to be included in every Narcan kit distributed by a county agency,” she said of the packages used to help save lives of those suffering opioid overdoses.

“Even though we have seen the potential of this approach in towns, cities and states across the United States, there has been no action by the majority on our proposal to date.”

Michael Malaszczyk/Herald

Student completes entry-level career training program with Nassau Boces

Julia Castela, of Bellmore, has successfully completed the Nassau Boces Entry-Level Career Training Program, part of the agency’s Adult Education Program. She earned a Certificate of Achievement in Maintenance by administrators from the Adult Education Program during a recent ceremony. The program is housed at the Joseph M. Barry Career and Technical Education Center in Westbury.

The goal of the career-training program is to prepare students for employment in their chosen fields. Courses incorporate intensive training in a variety of essential trades including automotive technology, building maintenance, food service, pet care, stock and inventory, and direct care. Each course includes a component in employability skills training. Job placement specialists work closely with students throughout the semester to arrange appropriate job placement and provide support services.

“Perseverance is the word that comes to mind when I think of this cohort of graduates,” Adult Education Assistant Principal Brad Slepian said. “This group has worked extremely hard

herald schools

Grand Avenue’s Yorker Club embarks on annual city trip

The Yorker Club at Grand Avenue Middle School took their activities to new heights Feb. 17 as they embarked on an annual trip to the Empire State Building in New York City.

“Mother Nature cooperated with epic views of the city skyline,” club faculty co-advisor Dominik Bargiel said, “including the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Chrysler and Flat Iron buildings.”

“Students were also shown how this iconic structure was built and the storied history of the building,” added Daniel Rummenie, the club’s other faculty co-adviser.

to complete their respective courses and are now career ready for jobs in their selected fields. We’re really proud of them.”

The Yorker Club studies and plans visits to historical sites and participates in community service projects. The trip to New York City is just one of the things the club does yearly.

Courtesy Nassau Boces Julia Castela, of Bellmore, with her certificate of successful completion of the Nassau BOCES Adult Education on his completion of the Maintenance course.

Courtesy Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District the Yorker Club at Grand Avenue Middle School in the Bellmore-Merrick Central School District took their activities to new heights Feb. 17 as they embarked on an annual trip to the Empire State Building.

By MALLORY WILSON mwilson@liherald.com

It all started the moment she raised her hand HistoRy MontH WOMEN’S HistoRy MontH WOMEN’S

When Randi Shubin Dresner was 8, she raised her hand during a school assembly — and that one action shaped the course of her life.

The assembly, at McVey Elementary School in East Meadow, was focused on the March of Dimes, an organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies. Representatives were there to talk about an upcoming walk-a-thon, and they asked students if they wanted to serve as school representatives for the event. Shubin Dresner didn’t hesitate to raise her hand.

“I raised my hand at 8 years old, and I never put it down again,” she said. “I volunteered through my entire childhood at the March of Dimes, as well as a couple of other organizations.”

Shubin Dresner, now 62, is the president and chief executive officer of Island Harvest, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization, based in Melville. The food bank has a wide variety of programs to help feed those in need, from children to seniors and veterans.

She started there in 2001, after meeting longtime Island Harvest board member Stuart Richner, chief executive of Richner Communications and publisher of the Heralds, in an elevator at a networking event. At the time, Shubin Dresner was working at the Heckscher Museum of Art. She talked to Richner about the possibility of sponsoring an event the museum was having.

“In the time it took to go from one floor to the next, I introduced myself, told him about the organization that I worked with, and almost got him to become a sponsor of the event,” she recalled. “He is and was a board member at Island Harvest, and went back to the organization and said, ‘I just met this person — you better call her and recruit her to come to Island Harvest.’”

Shubin Dresner said that she turned the job down more

than once before deciding to make the switch to the food bank. “It was an interesting mission that I could relate to, and it was a very small organization at the time,” she said.

“I was encouraged by the fact that the board recognized that there was a lot of growth potential, and the board put a lot of trust in me and my vision for the organization.”

Island Harvest wasn’t the first time she explored her potential as a leader. Shubin Dresner has been in the nonprofit sector her whole life. In middle school, she started her own March of Dimes chapter in her basement, and recruited her friends.

“I just liked what they were talking about,” she recalled.

“I liked their enthusiasm, and their excitement about the work they were doing, and I wanted to be part of it.”

At 17, she became a full-time employee at March of Dimes. And from there, she never looked back. Before landing at Island Harvest, she spent time at the Viscardi Center, in Albertson, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, among other organizations. At the National MS Society, she served as executive director of the Nassau County chapter, and at just 23, she transformed it from a failing organization to an award-winning chapter.

“I knew from an early age that this was going to be my career,” Shubin Dresner said. “I loved doing fundraising, I loved presenting and talking at groups, and giving back to the community, and creating programs that support that community.”

Many of her early career years were shaped by her time at the March of Dimes and the role models she met there — especially the organization’s executive director at the time, Lottie Seligman.

“In the mid- to late ’60s, there weren’t a lot of women in business,” Shubin Dresner said. “I watched (Seligman) and tried to model her in my early years of building my career. The women who were the directors and managers at the organization really taught me a lot. I had really incredible women models in my career.”

Now, at Island Harvest, she prides herself on the relationship she has with the board of directors, and how much she’s been able to involve her family in her lifelong mission of helping others.

“I’m honored to be in this work,” she said. “I’m honored to have this opportunity to work at organizations for an entire career that has an impact on changing lives.”

Herald file photo

RANdI ShuBIN dReSNeR, chief executive and president of Island Harvest, has worked in nonprofits since she was a child.

STEPPING OUT

STEPPING OUT

Creative advocacy

A sweet time awaits at the Surrounded by confections

By Karen Bloom

Smitten by chocolate, and so much more. Temptations await at the Chocolate Expo’s latest edition, ready to entice everyone on March 12.

By Karen Bloom

The popular event is back on Long Island to delight chocoholics at its new location — Hofstra University’s David S. Mack Sports & Exhibition Complex in Hempstead, for a day-long foodie paradise. More than 80 vendors — representing Long Island, New England and elsewhere, even international purveyors — will share their sweet and savory wares during this unique foodcentric festival.

WHERE WHEN

Pat McGann

Expo

• Saturday and Sunday, noon-4 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

• Sunday, March 12, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Tickets are $20 adult, $15 ages 5-12 or $30 adult, $15 ages 5-12 at door; available from TheChocolateExpo.com

• Emily Lowe Hall Gallery, South Campus, Hempstead. For information and to RSVP, call (516) 463-5672, or visit Hofstra.edu/museum

• Hofstra University, David S. Mack Sports & Exhibition Complex, Hempstead

Stand,” Hofstra University Museum of Art’s new exhibition, examines power of the arts in society.

Alexandra Giordano — the museum’s assistant director of exhibition and exhibit underscores artists’ civic responsibility and influence. the vital role that artists have in activating democratic values that and freedom, encouraging civic engagement, and cultivating unity,” “Artists often lead the charge and expose truths that may otherwise be in this exhibition take a stand and call out injustices through their art issues such as immigration, gender, reproductive rights, mass incarceration, bias, gun violence, and promises unfulfilled. They all combine the making service that has a grassroots approach in the hope of mobilizing their the nation to ignite movement, create awareness, and inspire others to which runs through July 28, is in conjunction with Hofstra’s conference on the Barack Obama presidency coming up in April. interested in the idea that the artist has a civic responsibility,” says Karen Albert. “The initial idea for this exhibition was inspired by Administration White House briefing that took place on May 12, 2009, 60 artists and creative organizers met with administration officials to collective power of the arts to build community, create change, and chart national recovery in the areas of social justice, civic participation and unlike other recent exhibits that showcased the museum’s collection, Giordano reached out to contemporary artists who loaned selected works. Some 36 pieces are on view — representing Emma Amos, Molly Crabapple and the Equal Justice Initiative, Miguel Luciano, Michele Pred, Hank Willis Thomas, and Sophia climate is now, this exhibit could not be more timely than Albert adds. highlights, she points to the series of prints from the Freedoms. Their four large scale photos are based on 1943 oil paintings inspired by President Franklin D. State of the Union address that outlined what he essential four democratic values freedom of speech, worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. For interpreted these iconic works for our era. composition,” Albert says. “From 1940s America, what America is today, our diversity and what we look museum offers additional enhance the exhibit experience. include an artist panel on Feb. 23, the role of the artist as activist, and a Alexandra Giordano, March 16.

Founder Marvin Baum says this year’s event includes many first-time vendors as well as a diversity of offerings — even some for your beloved pooch. As Baum puts it: “People take care of themselves with special treats, so why not let your pet enjoy some, too?

Visitors can celebrate and indulge in gourmet chocolates, baked goods, specialty items, cheeses, wines, spirits, hard ciders, craft sodas, and much more. Of course tasting is very much a part of it all — starting from the moment you enter. Guests are greeted by fountains overflowing with dark, white and milk chocolates, in which a selection of fresh fruit, marshmallows pretzels and Rice Krispies treats can be deliciously drenched.

“When you go to these festivals, you remember something you tried that you can’t get elsewhere,” Baum says. “That’s what we try to do with this.”

Participating chocolatiers offer chocolate bonbons, chocolate bars,

raw chocolate, hot chocolate, chocolate fudge, chocolate novelties, chocolate barks and chocolate-covered goodies, chocolatecovered soft pretzels, even chocolatecovered bacon. Cupcakes, brownies, doughnuts, and assorted cakes are showcased along with other gluten-free offerings and other baked goods, while hot cocoa, wine, and hard ciders, and even chocolate moonshine, will be among the craft beverages available for tasting and purchase.

Pat McGann is quickly rising as one of the sharpest stand-ups on the comedy scene. A relative latecomer to comedy, he began doing standup at 31 after realizing he was not very good at selling packaging. He hustled his way to become the house emcee at Zanies Chicago, where he distinguished himself as especially adept at working the crowd. A husband and father of three young children, McGann’s appeal stems from his quick wit and relatable take on family life and marriage. In 2017, McGann began touring as the opening act for Sebastian Maniscalco, moving with him from clubs to theater, to arenas, including four soldout shows at Madison Square Garden. McGann’s relatively short, but impressive resume, includes Montreal’s famed Just For Laughs Festival, Gilda’s LaughFest, The Great American Comedy Festival, and more. McGann still calls Chicago home.

Saturday, Feb. 11, 8 p.m. $40, $35, $30, $25. The Paramount, 370 New York Ave., Huntington. (800) 745-3000 or Ticketmaster.com or ParamountNY.com.

The Ugly Duckling

Lightwire Theater brings a classic tale to the modern stage. Since bursting to national acclaim after appearing as semi-finalists on ‘America’s Got Talent’ and winning the top honors on truTV’s ‘Fake Off,’ Lightwire has gone on to enthrall audiences worldwide with their unique combination of skill and grace as told through the technological innovations of moving light characters. In this unforgettable theatrical experience — created with electroluminescent wire — the beloved story of ‘The Ugly Duckling’ plays out through a cutting-edge blend of puppetry, technology and dance. Ideally suited to kids through Grade 6, all ages will enjoy this innovative re-imagining of the beloved tale, with its dazzling visuals, poignant choreography and creative use of music ranging from classical to pop.

Saturday, March 11, 11 a.m. $28.

Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 767-6444 or LandmarkOnMainStreet.org.

Yarn/Wire

“We’re really excited to be here,” Baum says, noting that his chocolate-fest has emerged from the pandemic renewed and reinvigorated. “We love to work with local vendors and support new businesses by introducing people to them.”

These include: The Best Goody Bag, a Valley Stream baker of custom birthday cakes and other birthday-related treats; Peace Love & Hot Chocolate, a purveyor of gourmet hot chocolate kits, based in Island Park; Uncle Jeff’s Pecan Pies, a Wantagh baker, who’s all about pie — pecan pie that defies imagination; and West Hempstead’s Sunflower Bake Shop, which specializes in kosher and vegan baked goods.

If your palate reaches sensory overload, take a break for a while and check out some of the many activities that round out the day. Magician Eric Wilzig, of “America’s Got Talent” fame, performs two high-energy “extreme” magic shows on the Expo stage. Actor Paris Themmen — who starred as Mike TeeVee in the original “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory” film — is on the scene to greet guests from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., plus he does an interview noon, followed by audience Q&A.

Also appearing is chef Francis Legge, a winner of Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay” and a contestant on Netflix’s “Snack vs. Chef,” who will do an on-stage demonstration, while Long Island’s DJ Chef, who won Food Network’s “Cuthroat Kitchen,” does his “Beats & Sweets Interactive Cooking Show,” combining his passions for food and music. Kids will enjoy face painting and balloon twisting activities in the Kidz Zone, along with chocolate-themed crafts.

Now in its 18th year, Adelphi University’s ‘new music’ series welcomes Yarn/Wire. The intrepid New York-based piano-percussion quartet has forged a singular path with endlessly inventive collaborations, commissions and performances that have made a significant contribution to the canon of experimental works. The quartet features founding member Laura Barger and Julia Den Boer on piano and Russell Greenberg, also a founding member, and Sae Hashimoto playing percussion. Barger is a frequent guest with many top American contemporary ensembles. French-American Den Boer performs internationally as a soloist and chamber musician. Greenberg is in demand with varied ensembles. Hashimoto, the newest member, contributes a unique approach to performance cultivated by her intensive classical training .

Friday, Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m. $30 with discounts available to seniors, students, alumni and employees. Adelphi University Performing Arts Center, 1 South Ave., Garden City. (516) 877-4000 or Adelphi.edu/pac.

The Sicilian Tenors

The Sicilian Tenors bring their dynamic sound to Tilles Center, ready to put their spin on the classics, and so much more. The three classically trained tenors sing their own interpretations of some of the world’s best music in this lively evening. It’s a journey from Hollywood to Broadway to Italy as these operatic voices perform a wide selection of beloved songs. Combined with light-hearted fun, Aaron Caruso, Elio Scaccio and Sam Vitale put on an appealing show for everyone — all ages and musical tastes. They are a fresh and accessible take on the great Italian musical tradition. Always in demand, their special blend of classic opera and Broadway hits, along with Rat Pack-type shenanigans is a consistent crowdpleaser.

Saturday, March 18, 8 p.m. $52, $42, $32. Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Boulevard, Brookville. (516) 299-3100 or TillesCenter.org.

Photos courtesy Chuck Fishman Take your pick. This year’s Chocolate Expo is a showcase of scrumptious bites.

change the world? It’s a question been at the focus of our collective centuries. Now as society the complexities of modern life, path for social change is at the of artistic expression.

Courtesy Hofstra Universally Museum of Art Rockwell’s celebrated ‘Four Freedoms’ are reinHank Willis Thomas and Emily Shur in Gottesman and the Wyatt Gallery.

Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. Thomas, ‘Lives of Others,’ 2014, made resin and standing 57 inches tall

THE SCENE

S.T.O.P. Collection

Bellmore and Merrick residents can dispose hazardous materials such as antifreeze, drain cleaners, pesticides, fluorescent bulbs and oilbased paints at the Town of Hempstead’s collection, Saturday, May 13. The collection will take place at 2600 Newbridge Road, South Bellmore, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit HempsteadNY.gov for more information.

March 11

StepCrew

StepCrew brings their Celtic flair to the Adelphi University Performing Arts Center stage, Saturday, March 11, 7:30 p.m. The talented cast of dancers and musicians is led by Long Island’s Cara Butler and the Pilatzke Brothers, Jon and Nathan. All three are longtime touring members of the acclaimed The Chieftains. The StepCrew boasts Celtic and World music from three world-class fiddle players backed by a five-piece ensemble, featuring three dance styles — Irish, Tap, and Ottawa Valley step dance. Tickets start at $55, with discounts available to seniors, students, Adelphi alumni and employees. Adelphi University Performing Arts Center, 1 South Ave., Garden City. (516) 877-4000 or Adelphi.edu/pac.

CPR Training

The singer-songwriter visits the Landmark stage, Saturday, April 1, 8 p.m. Nestled somewhere between power-pop and American folk you will find Willie Nile strumming his guitar. A true believer in rock n’ roll, over the years Nile has made admirers out of Bruce Springsteen and Pete Townshend who personally requested him to tour with The Who, among others who sing his praises. The New York Times called him “one of the most gifted singer-songwriters to emerge from the New York scene in years.” Nile shares the stage with James Maddock; their pairing results in an exciting evening of roots rock. $42, $36, $31. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 767-6444 or LandmarkOnMainStreet.org.

On stage

Mo Willems’ popular The Pigeon comes alive on the Long Island Children’s Museum stage, Saturday, March 11, 11:30 a.m.; Thursday and Friday, March 1617, 10:15 a.m. and noon. Pigeon is eager to try anything, with the audience part of the action. Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 224-5800 or LICM.org.

The Robbie Levine Foundation and the North Merrick Fire Department are hosting a free CPR training on Saturday, March 25, 9 a.m.-noon. Open to anyone interested in learning CPR. It will take place at the fire department’s headquarters, 2095 Camp Ave., North Merrick. No experience or equipment is necessary. To register, email rblforever9@optonline.net.

Willie Nile

Easter Bunny Class

The Nesting Place is hosting an Easter-themed parent and me class with circle time, movement and crafts, Saturday, April 8, 1:30 and 3 p.m. The class, for ages 1.5 to 5, will include crafts and a juice box, and end with a visit from the Easter Bunny. $4,. 2150 Merrick Ave., Merrick. Visit TheNestingPlaceLI.com for more information.

In concert

Singer-songwriters Kala

Farnham and Lara Herscovitch share the bill and swap songs during the monthly Hard Luck Café series, co-presented by the Folk Music Society of Huntington and the Cinema Arts Centre, Wednesday, March 15, 7-10 p.m. An open mic precedes the concert, in Cinema’s Sky Room, 423 Park Ave., Huntington. $20. For tickets and information, visit CinemaArtsCentre.org.

N. Bellmore transportation information

North Bellmore Union Free School District provides transportation for students in kindergarten through third grade living a distance greater than a half mile up to 15 miles and in grades fourth through sixth living a distance greater than one mile up to 15 miles from the school they attend. Transportation to a day care is also provided under certain circumstances, also to private and parochial schools. Transportation requests to schools outside of the district must be made by April 1 — the child must be registered in the district. Applications are online at NorthBellmoreSchools.org or call 516) 992-3000 for info. Requests should be sent to 2616 Martin Ave., Bellmore.

Volunteer Opportunity

The Garden at St. Francis seeks volunteers, Saturdays, 10 a.m.noon, at the church’s Charity Crafting Circle. Email stfrancisec@ gmail.com for info or call (516) 679-1184. Church is located at 1692 Bellmore Ave., North Bellmore.

Having an event?

Breastfeeding Support Group

Mercy Hospital offers a peer to peer meeting for breastfeeding support and resources, facilitated by a certified breastfeeding counselor, every Thursday, 10:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Bring your baby (from newborn to 1 year) to the informal group setting. All new moms are welcome, regardless of delivering hospital. Registration required. Call breastfeeding counselor, Gabriella Gennaro, at (516) 705-2434 to secure you and your baby’s spot. Mercy Hospital, St. Anne’s Building, 1000 North Village Ave., Rockville Centre. For information visit CHSLI.org.

FSA Tax Assistance

Receive assistance with tax returns at Bellmore Memorial Library, Tuesday, March 28, with epresentatives from Bethpage Federal Credit Union and NYS Dept. of Taxation and Finance, 9;30 to 5 p.m. Visit BellmoreLibrary.org/calandar. 2288 Bedford Ave., Bellmore.

Items on The Scene page are listed free of charge. The Herald welcomes listings of upcoming events, community meetings and items of public interest. All submissions should include date, time and location of the event, cost, and a contact name and phone number. Submissions can be emailed to thescene@liherald.com.

‘Forever Plaid’

Plaza Theatrical is ready to spring forward with “Forever Plaid,” an affectionate musical homage to the close harmony guy groups that reached the height of their popularity during the ‘50s, Saturday, March 18, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, March 19, 2:30 p.m.; Thursday, March 23, 2 p.m. The show features such hits as “Three Coins in a Fountain,” “Heart and Soul,” “Catch a Falling Star,” and “Love is A Many Splendored Thing.” It’s performed at Plaza’s stage at the Elmont Library Theatre, 700 Hempstead Tpke., Elmont. $49, $45 seniors. Elmont. For tickets, call (516) 599-6870 or visit PlazaTheatrical.com.

Family theater

Everyone’s favorite cat comes to mischievous life in this theatrical adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic, presented Plaza Theatrical Productions, Saturday, March 11, 11 a.m.; Sunday, March 12, noon. See what goes on during that rainy day when two siblings are home alone with their pet fish while their parents are out of town, and the tall cat wearing a hat appears. Tickets are $15. Visit the Plaza stage at The Showplace at Bellmore Movies, 222 Pettit Avenue, Bellmore. For information/tickets, go to PlazaTheatrical.com or call (516) 599-6870.

County maps ‘not perfect,’ but still ‘fair’

New legislative districts approved along partisan lines

By ANA BORRUTO aborruto@liherald.com

After dozens of hearings, months of public input and several heated exchanges among Nassau County lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, a final district map drawing out borders for the 19 legislative districts for the next 10 years has finally passed.

All 11 Republicans of the majority voted for the map, while seven Democratic minority members voted in opposition. For those on the wrong side of the vote, it was a disappointing — but inevitable — end to community members and Democratic officials who have been vocal over their claims of partisan gerrymandering.

“Tomorrow morning, students in Nassau County are going to wake up to a snow day,” Democratic legislator Josh Lafazan said ahead of the region’s first real snowfall of the season. “This legislative body is going to wake up to a lawsuit.

“Our constituents lose tonight, and nobody wins.”

Before the evening vote, some members of the community gathered to express final pleas for the Nassau County Legislature to not approve the map. They claim the map fails to include five majority-minority districts, it violates state and federal voting laws, neglects to consider racial demographics, and dilutes minority votes in communities such as Lakeview and Freeport.

In fact, dozens of Lakeview residents turned up at a previous public hearing sharing stories of their fight for equality and fair representation.

The current map places Lakeview — a predominantly Black community of more than 6,200 people — in a district with predominantly white communities likeMalverne, Lynbrook, West Hempstead and East Rockaway.

Scottie Coads said the hearts of her Lakeview neighbor are “hurting” because of this decision.

“I almost went to tears when I saw our hard work being put into a district with Lynbrook and Malverne,” Coads said. “Those people don’t even want us there. They don’t even talk to us.”

Doris Hicks Newkirk, president of the Lakeview NAACP and former educator in the Malverne school district, said she knows of young Black students who have been told to “go back where they came from,” and called racial slurs.

Lisa Ortiz, one of the founding members of the Lakeview Civic Association, talked about how the Malverne district became the first in the state to be forced into desegregation — more than a decade after the national Brown v. Board of Education decision.

For more than 60 years, many representatives of Lakeview and the school district fought to have a street name of a Ku Klux Klan leader removed — only recently accomplishing this feat.

Fast forward to today, the redistricting process is another hurdle the Lakeview community is not backing down on.

“When we think about disenfranchis-

ing — when you think about gerrymandering — you think about making sure that you are silencing a community that has a very, very loud voice,” Ortiz said.

“That’s exactly what you’re doing.”

County legislature minority leader Kevan Abrahams called out his Republican colleagues for choosing secrecy over transparency during the redistricting process, especially when it came to the legal fees for the analysis provided by Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP.

“We have the power and the authority tonight to do the right thing,” Abrahams said. “Unfortunately, this map is going to go forward, and this body is choosing to vote for a map that is illegal. None of us want this. I’d rather things get worked out, because ultimately, the lawsuit is

going to cost taxpayers money.”

But presiding officer Richard Nicolello said numerous changes were made to the map to acknowledge this input. He also admitted not every request was addressed in the final proposal, but in the end, the district lines were considered fair and applicable to state and federal laws.

“Did we make every requested change? No. Is this map perfect? No. But perfection is impossible in redistricting,” Nicolello said. “This map is a fair map. It provides for equal representation for all our residents, and protects community interests as much as possible.”

sCOTTie COAds Of Lakeview expresses her anger over countywide district maps at several public hearings before Nassau County lawmakers ahead of them passing a final proposal late last month. For decades, Coads has fought for fair representation in Lakeview, a predominantly Black community placed in a district with Malverne, Lynbrook and East Rockaway.

NAssAU COUNTy LegisLATOR and Democratic minority leader Kevan Abrahams joined his political colleagues voting against a proposed countywide redistricting map last month. The votes weren’t enough, but Abrahams wanted to be on the record for his claims the map represented partisan gerrymandering while violating voting rights protections for minority communities.

Ana Borruto/Herald photos

NAssAU COUNTy LegisLATURe presiding officer Richard Nicolello shared heated exchanges with minority caucus leader Kevan Abrahams over the past few weeks over the new countywide district map. At the final meeting, Nicolello and 10 other Republican majority members voted in favor of their map, admitting that while it is not perfect, it is fair and protects community interests.

Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE

Notice of formation of RIDDIM ENHANCED LLC

Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York SSNY on JANUARY 20th, 2022. Office located in Nassau county. SSNY has been designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of any process served against the LLC 2032 Russell Street, Bellmore, NY 11710.

Purpose: any lawful purpose

137547

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT

COUNTY OF NASSAU

The Bank Of New York Mellon as Trustee for Home Equity Loan Trust 2007-FRE1, Plaintiff

AGAINST

Eduardo Escobedo; Dawn Escobedo a/k/a Dawn M. Escobedo; et al.,

Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered August 13, 2018 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side Steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on March 28, 2023 at 2:00PM, premises known as 2553 Washington Boulevard, North Bellmore, NY 11710. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in Bellmore, in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York, Section 56 Block 478 Lots 63, 64, 65, 66 & 198. Approximate amount of judgment

$968,521.76 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 009598/2014. The auction will be conducted pursuant to the COVID-19

Policies Concerning Public Auctions of Foreclosed Property established by the Tenth Judicial District. Foreclosure Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine.”

Brian J. Carmody, Esq., Referee

LOGS Legal Group LLP

f/k/a Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC

Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624

(877) 430-4792

Dated: February 1, 2023

137460

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC

HEARING BY THE BOARD OF APPEALS

Pursuant to New York State Town Law Article 16, New York State Public

Officers Law Article 7, and the Town of Hempstead Building Zone Ordinance, NOTICE is hereby given that the BOARD OF APPEALS of the Town of Hempstead will hold a public hearing in the Town Meeting

Pavilion, Town Hall Plaza, One Washington Street, Hempstead, New York on 3/15/23 at 9:30 A.M. to consider the following applications and appeals:

THE FOLLOWING CASES WILL BE CALLED

STARTING AT 9:30 A.M.

183/23. - 187/23. N.

BELLMORE - Joseph Lamonica, Install pool not permitted in side yard; Variance, side yard, maintain cellar entrance attached to dwelling; Special exception to maintain shed exceeding horizontal maximum & with less than required side & rear yard setbacks; Maintain 6’ high pool enclosure forward of the dwelling which may substantially obstruct line of sight; Variance, side yard, maintain a/c unit attached to dwelling., S/s Henry St., 157.03’ E/o Dewey Ave., a/k/a 2260

Henry St.

ALL PAPERS PERTAINING TO THE ABOVE HEARING ARE AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION AT THE BOARD OF APPEALS, TOWN HALL, 1 WASHINGTON STREET, HEMPSTEAD, NY 11550. This notice is only for new cases in North Bellmore within Town of Hempstead jurisdiction. There are additional cases in different hamlets, towns and villages on the Board of Appeals calendar. The full calendar is available at https://hempsteadny.gov/ 509/Board-of-Appeals

The internet address of the website streaming for this meeting is https://hempsteadny.gov/ 576/Live-Streaming-Video Interested parties may appear at the above time and place. At the call of the Chairman, the Board will consider decisions on the foregoing and those on the Reserve Decision calendar and such other matters as may properly come before it.

137809

LEGAL NOTICE

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NASSAU INDEX NO.: 612219/2022

DATE FILED: 9/14/2022

SUMMONS L&L ASSOCIATES HOLDING CORP., Plaintiff, -againstMARGARET DEVLIN, EDWARD DEVLIN, JAMES DEVLIN and MICHAEL DEVLIN, if they be living, if they be dead, their respective heirs-at-law, next of kin, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, devisees, legatees, assignees, lienors, creditors, and successors in interest, and generally all persons having or claiming under, by, or through MARGARET DEVLIN, EDWARD DEVLIN, JAMES DEVLIN and MICHAEL DEVLIN, if they be dead, whether by purchase, inheritance, lien or otherwise, including any right, title or interest in

and to the real property described in the complaint herein, all of who and whose names and places or residence are unknown to the plaintiff, NASSAU COUNTY TREASURER; BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE, “JOHN DOE #1” through “JOHN DOE #12”, the last twelve names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, the persons or parties intended being the tenants, occupants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises, described in the complaint, Defendants.

TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action, to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the complaint is not served with the summons, to serve notice of appearance, on the plaintiff’s attorney within twenty (20) days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the date of service (or within thirty (30) days after the service is complete if this summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York), and in case of failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint.

TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: The foregoing Summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an Order of the Hon. David P. Sullivan, a Justice of the Supreme Court, Nassau County, entered Feb. 23, 2023 and filed in the complaint and other papers in the Nassau County Clerk’s Office

THE OBJECT OF THE ACTION is to foreclose a tax lien and to recover the amount of the tax lien and all of the interest, penalties, additions and expenses thereon to premises known as Section 50, Block 298, Lots 52-53. Plaintiff designates Nassau County as the place of trial. The basis of venue is the location of the subject property.

NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME

If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the tax lien holder who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home.

Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for

further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to the tax lien holder will not stop this foreclosure action.

YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (TAX LIEN HOLDER) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT.

Dated: September 13, 2022

LEVY & LEVY Attorneys for Plaintiff 12 Tulip Drive Great Neck, NY 11021 (516) 487-6655 BY: JOSHUA LEVY, ESQ. #100187 137841

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SPECIAL DISTRICT MEETING OF THE BELLMORE MEMORIAL LIBRARY TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD COUNTY OF NASSAU, NEW YORK

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Special District Meeting of the qualified voters of the Bellmore Union Free School District, Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, will be held in the Bellmore Memorial Library, 2288 Bedford Avenue, Bellmore, New York, on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. prevailing time, for the purpose of voting, by paper ballot and ballot box, upon the following items:

(1) To adopt the Annual Budget of the Bellmore Memorial Library for the fiscal year 2023-2024, and to authorize the requisite portion thereof to be raised by taxation on the taxable property of the School District; and

(2) To elect one (1) Trustee to the Bellmore Memorial Library board to fill a five year term commencing July 1, 2023 and ending June 30, 2028.

FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that for the purpose of voting at such meeting on April 26, 2023 the polls will be open between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. prevailing time, and the voting will be held in the Bellmore Memorial Library, 2288 Bedford Avenue, Bellmore, New York; and

FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that a copy of the statement of the amount of money which will be required for the ensuing year for the Bellmore Memorial Library’s purposes, exclusive of public monies, may be obtained by any resident of the School District during the fourteen (14) days immediately preceding said meeting, except

Sunday, from the Library, located at 2288 Bedford Avenue, Bellmore, New York, during regular business hours; and

FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that petitions nominating candidates for the office of Trustee of the Bellmore Memorial Library shall be filed at the Bellmore U.F.S.D. District Office, 580 Winthrop Avenue, Bellmore, New York not later than 5:00 p.m. prevailing time Monday, March 27, 2023. Each petition must be directed to the District Clerk, must be signed by at least twenty-five (25) qualified voters of the District, and must state the residence of each signer and the name and residence of the candidate; and

FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that pursuant to the provisions of Education Law, personal registration of voters is required, and no person shall be entitled to vote at the meeting whose name does not appear on the register of the School District prepared thereof. All persons who shall have been previously registered for Annual or Special School District Meetings and who shall have voted at any such Annual or Special Meeting held or conducted at any time within the four (4) calendar years prior to April 26, 2023 shall be entitled to vote at this Special District Meeting. In addition, all those who are registered to vote with the Board of Elections of Nassau County pursuant to Article 5 of Election Law shall be entitled to vote at this Special District Meeting.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN, that absentee ballot applications for the Bellmore Memorial Library election and budget vote are to be completed on a form prescribed by the state board of elections by visiting the NYS Education Department’s website (http://www.counsel.nyse d.gov/common/counsel/fil es/absentee-ballotapplication-andinstructions-english.pdf, http://www.counsel.nysed .gov/common/counsel/file s/absentee-ballotapplication-andinstructions-spanish.pdf), the Bellmore UFSD website, (www.bellmoreschools.or g), or by contacting the District Clerk by email (ryee@bellmoreschools.or g) or phone (516-679-2910). Completed applications must be received at least seven (7) days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the applicant, or the day before the election if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the applicant or to his or her designated agent.

Absentee ballot applications will not be accepted by the District Clerk before March 27, 2023. A list of all persons to whom absentee ballots have been issued will be available in the District Clerk’s office on each of the five days prior to the election except Sunday, and by appointment only from 9:00 to 12:00 noon on the Saturday prior to the election.

NOTICE IS FURTHER

GIVEN, that military voters who are qualified voters of the Bellmore Memorial Library may request an application for a military ballot from the District Clerk by email (ryee@bellmoreschools.or g) or phone (516-679-2910). In such request, the military voter may indicate his/her preference for receiving the application by mail, fax or email. A military voter must return the original military ballot application by mail to the Office District Clerk at Bellmore Memorial Library. Military ballot applications received in accordance with the foregoing will be processed in the same manner as a non-military ballot application under Section 2018-b of the Education Law. The application for a military ballot should include the military voter’s preference for receipt of the military ballot by mail, fax or email.

FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that a military voter’s original military ballot must be returned by mail to the District Clerk, 580 Winthrop Avenue, Bellmore, New York Military ballots shall be canvassed if they are received by the District Clerk: (1) before the close of the polls of election day and showing a cancellation mark of the U.S. postal service or a foreign country’s postal service, or showing a dated endorsement of receipt by another agency of the U.S. government; or (2) not later than 5:00 p.m. on election day and signed and dated by the military voter and one witness thereto, with a date which is ascertained to be not later than the day before the election; and

FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a qualified voter whose ability to appear personally at the polling place is substantially impaired by reason of permanent illness or physical disability and whose registration record has been marked “permanently disabled” by the Board of Elections pursuant to the provisions of the Election Law, shall be entitled to receive an absentee ballot pursuant to the provisions of the Education Law without making separate application for such absentee ballot.

FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public information hearing will be held at the Bellmore Memorial Library, Bellmore, New York on Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. for the purpose of discussion of the expenditure of funds for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES BELLMORE MEMORIAL

LIBRARY

Randy Yee, District Clerk

DATED: March 2023 BELLMORE, NEW YORK 137672

LEGAL NOTICE

AVISO SOBRE LA REUNIÓN EXTRAORDINARIA DE DISTRITO SOBRE LA BIBLIOTECA BELLMORE MEMORIAL PUEBLO DE HEMPSTEAD CONDADO DE NASSAU, NUEVA YORK POR MEDIO DEL PRESENTE SE NOTIFICA que se realizará una reunión extraordinaria de distrito con los votantes calificados del Distrito Escolar Bellmore Union Free en el pueblo de Hempstead, condado de Nassau, Nueva York, en la biblioteca Bellmore Memorial, sita en 2288 Bedford Avenue, Bellmore, Nueva York, el miércoles 26 de abril de 2023 a la 1:00 p. m., hora en vigor, con el objetivo de votar, con boleta electoral impresa y urna, sobre los siguientes asuntos:

(1) Adoptar el presupuesto anual de la biblioteca Bellmore Memorial para el año fiscal 2023-2024 y autorizar que la parte requerida de este se recaude con impuestos sobre la propiedad sujeta a tributación del distrito escolar.

(2) Elegir un (1) fideicomisario para la junta de la biblioteca Bellmore Memorial a fin de que ocupe el cargo durante un período de cinco años, que comenzará el 1 de julio de 2023 y finalizará el 30 de junio de 2028.

POR EL PRESENTE TAMBIÉN SE NOTIFICA que, para la votación en dicha reunión el 26 de abril de 2023, las urnas estarán abiertas entre la 1:00 p. m. y las 8:00 p. m., hora en vigor, y que la votación se realizará en la biblioteca Bellmore Memorial, sita en 2288 Bedford Avenue, Bellmore, Nueva York.

ASIMISMO, SE NOTIFICA que cualquier residente del distrito escolar podrá obtener de la biblioteca, sita en 2288 Bedford Avenue, Bellmore, Nueva York y durante el horario de atención habitual, una copia de la declaración de la cantidad de dinero que será requerido por la biblioteca Bellmore Memorial para el año siguiente, exclusivamente a los fines de fondos públicos, durante los catorce (14) días inmediatamente anteriores a dicha reunión, excepto los domingos.

POR EL PRESENTE

TAMBIÉN SE NOTIFICA que las solicitudes para nominar candidatos para el cargo de fideicomisario de la biblioteca Bellmore Memorial se presentarán ante el UFSD de Bellmore, Oficina del Distrito, 580 Winthrop Avenue, Bellmore, Nueva York, antes de las 5:00 p. m., hora en vigor, del lunes 27 de marzo de 2023. Cada solicitud debe estar dirigida a la Secretaría del Distrito, contar con la firma de al menos veinticinco (25) votantes calificados del distrito e incluir la residencia de cada suscriptor y el nombre y la residencia del candidato. POR EL PRESENTE TAMBIÉN SE NOTIFICA que, en virtud de las disposiciones de la Ley de Educación, se requiere la inscripción personal de los votantes. A su vez, ninguna persona tendrá el derecho a votar en la reunión si su nombre no aparece en el registro del distrito escolar en el que se preparó. Todas las personas que se hayan inscrito anteriormente para alguna reunión anual o extraordinaria del distrito, y que hayan votado en una reunión anual o extraordinaria del distrito llevada a cabo en cualquier momento durante los cuatro (4) años calendario previos al 26 de abril de 2023, tendrán el derecho al voto en esta reunión extraordinaria del distrito. Además, todas las personas inscritas para votar en la Junta de Elecciones del condado de Nassau en virtud del artículo 5 de la Ley de Elecciones tendrán derecho a votar en dicha reunión extraordinaria del distrito.

POR MEDIO DEL PRESENTE, TAMBIÉN SE NOTIFICA que las solicitudes de boleta electoral por ausencia para la elección de la biblioteca Bellmore Memorial y el voto del presupuesto se deben completar en un formulario elaborado por la Junta Electoral de su estado, el cual se puede obtener en el sitio web del Departamento de Educación del estado de Nueva York (http://www.counsel. nysed.gov/common/ counsel/files/absenteeballot-application-andinstructions-english.pdf, http://www.counsel.nysed. gov/common/ counsel/files/absenteeballot-application-andinstructions-spanish. pdf), el sitio web del UFSD de Bellmore (www. bellmoreschools.org) o poniéndose en contacto con la Secretaría del Distrito por correo electrónico (ryee@ bellmoreschools.org) o por teléfono (516-6792910). Las solicitudes completas deben recibirse al menos siete (7) días antes de la elección si la boleta electoral se enviará por correo al solicitante o hasta el día anterior a la elección si la boleta electoral se entregará personalmente al

PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES

To place a notice here call us us at 516-569-4000 x232 or send an email to: legalnotices@liherald.com

Public Notices

solicitante o a la persona que designe. La Secretaría del Distrito no aceptará solicitudes de boleta electoral por ausencia antes del 27 de marzo de 2023. Habrá una lista de todas las personas para las que se emitieron boletas electorales por ausencia, que estará disponible en la oficina de la Secretaría del Distrito durante los cinco días previos a la elección, excepto el domingo, y únicamente con cita entre las 9:00 a. m. y las 12:00 p. m. del sábado anterior a la elección.

POR MEDIO DEL PRESENTE, TAMBIÉN SE NOTIFICA que los votantes militares que sean votantes calificados de la biblioteca Bellmore Memorial pueden pedirle una solicitud de boleta electoral militar a la Secretaría del Distrito de la biblioteca por correo electrónico (ryee@ bellmoreschools.org) o por teléfono (516-6792910). En dicha solicitud, el votante militar puede indicar su preferencia sobre la recepción de la solicitud por correo, fax o correo electrónico. El votante militar debe devolver la solicitud original de boleta electoral militar por correo a la oficina de la Secretaría del Distrito en la biblioteca Bellmore Memorial. Las solicitudes de boleta electoral militar recibidas conforme a lo mencionado anteriormente se procesarán de la misma manera que las solicitudes de boletas electorales no militares, en virtud de la sección 2018-b de la Ley de Educación. La solicitud de boleta electoral militar debe incluir la preferencia del votante militar de recibir dicha boleta por correo, fax o correo electrónico.

POR MEDIO DEL PRESENTE, TAMBIÉN SE NOTIFICA que la boleta electoral militar original de los votantes militares debe devolverse por correo a la Secretaría del Distrito de la biblioteca, sita en 580 Winthrop Avenue, Bellmore, Nueva York. Las boletas electorales militares se escrutarán si el secretario electoral de la biblioteca las recibe: (1) antes del cierre de las urnas el día de la elección y con una marca de cancelación del servicio postal de los Estados Unidos o de un país extranjero, o con un endoso fechado de recepción por otra agencia del gobierno de los Estados Unidos, o (2) antes de las 5:00 p. m. del día de la elección, firmadas y fechadas por el votante militar y un testigo del acto, con una fecha que comprueba que no son posteriores al día previo a la elección.

POR EL PRESENTE

TAMBIÉN SE NOTIFICA que, de conformidad con lo dispuesto por la Ley de Educación, los votantes calificados que se vean gravemente imposibilitados de comparecer

personalmente en el centro de votación debido a una enfermedad permanente o una discapacidad física, y cuya acta de registro incluya la designación “con discapacidad permanente” de la Junta Electoral, podrán recibir una boleta electoral por ausencia, de conformidad con las disposiciones de la Ley de Educación, sin necesidad de presentar una solicitud por separado para dicha boleta electoral por ausencia.

ASIMISMO, POR MEDIO DEL PRESENTE SE NOTIFICA que se llevará a cabo una audiencia pública informativa en la biblioteca Bellmore Memorial, sita en Bellmore, Nueva York, el martes 18 de abril de 2023 a las 7:00 p. m., con el objetivo de debatir el gasto de los fondos para el año fiscal 2023-2024.

POR ORDEN DE LA JUNTA DE FIDEICOMISARIOS

BIBLIOTECA BELLMORE MEMORIAL

Randy Yee, secretario del distrito

FECHADO: marzo de 2023

BELLMORE, NUEVA YORK 137674

LEGAL NOTICE AVISO DE JUNTA ESPECIAL DEL DISTRITO BIBLIOTECA PÚBLICA DEL NORTE DE BELMORE BELLMORE DEL NORTE CIUDAD DE HEMPSTEAD CONDADO DE NASSAU, NUEVA YORK

POR LA PRESENTE SE NOTIFICA que se llevará a cabo una Reunión Especial del Distrito de Bibliotecas y una Votación sobre la asignación de los fondos necesarios y la recaudación de impuestos para cubrir los gastos estimados de la Biblioteca Pública de North Bellmore para el año fiscal 2023-2024, y la elección de un Fideicomisario de la Biblioteca para un total de término de cinco años, al puesto que actualmente ocupa Laurie Henneborn, cuyo mandato expirará el 30 de junio de 2023 se llevará a cabo en la Biblioteca Pública de North Bellmore en 1551 Newbridge Road North Bellmore, NY 11710 el jueves 6 de abril de 1: 00 PM a 8:00 PM, y tanto tiempo como sea necesario para que todos los votantes presentes emitan su voto.

SE DA AVISO ADEMÁS DE QUE:

1. De conformidad con la Sección 2020 de la Ley de Educación, se requiere el registro personal de votantes y ninguna persona tendrá derecho a votar en dicha reunión y elección cuyo nombre no aparezca en el registro de dicha Biblioteca; y

2. Cualquier persona tendrá derecho a que su nombre se incluya en dicho registro siempre que la Junta de Registro sepa o demuestre que tiene derecho a votar en la reunión o elección para

la cual se prepara dicho registro para votar en las elecciones generales; y 3. Los votantes calificados pueden registrarse en la Biblioteca Pública de North Bellmore el martes 28 de marzo de 2023 de 1:00 p. m. a 8:00 p. m. Los votantes que se hayan registrado previamente para cualquier Elección o Reunión Anual o Especial de Biblioteca o Distrito Escolar, o que hayan votado en cualquier Reunión o Elección Anual o Especial celebrada o realizada en cualquier momento dentro de los últimos cuatro (4) años calendario antes de la preparación de el registro, o que están registrados para votar en cualquier elección general de conformidad con el Artículo 5 de la Ley Electoral del Estado de Nueva York se consideran registrados para votar. Dicho registro se archivará en la oficina del Director de la Biblioteca Pública de North Bellmore cinco (5) días antes de dicha Reunión Especial del Distrito y estará abierto para inspección por parte de cualquier votante calificado del Distrito durante dichos días entre las 10:00 a.m. AM y 4:00 PM.

4. De acuerdo con la Ley de Educación No. 2018-a, la solicitud de papeletas de voto en ausencia para la Reunión del Distrito Especial de la Biblioteca se puede solicitar en la Biblioteca. Dicha solicitud debe ser recibida por la Junta de Registro al menos siete (7) días antes de la elección si la boleta se enviará por correo al votante, o el día anterior a la elección, si la boleta se entregará personalmente al votante.

. La Junta de Registro hará una lista de todas las personas a las que se les hayan emitido boletas de voto en ausencia y la tendrá disponible durante el horario normal de oficina hasta el día de la elección. Dicha lista se colocará en el lugar de votación durante la elección. No se escrutará ninguna boleta de voto en ausencia a menos que se reciba a más tardar a las 5:00 p. m. del día de la elección.

PRESUPUESTO POR FAVOR TENGA EN CUENTA ADEMÁS que se llevará a cabo una Audiencia Pública el martes 28 de marzo de 2023 a las 7:00 p. m. en la Biblioteca Pública de North Bellmore con el propósito de discutir dichos gastos de fondos y el presupuesto de los mismos.

Las copias del presupuesto de la biblioteca propuesto para 2023-2024 estarán disponibles en la biblioteca de North Bellmore durante el horario habitual de la biblioteca (9 a. m. a 8 p.

m. los lunes, martes y jueves; 10:30 a. m. a 8 p. m. el miércoles; 9 a.domingo a las 5:00 p. m.) a partir de los catorce (14) días inmediatamente anteriores a la Reunión Especial del Distrito del 6 de abril de 2023 y en el lugar de votación el día de la Reunión Especial del Distrito.

POR FAVOR TENGA EN CUENTA ADEMÁS que los candidatos para el cargo de Síndico de la Biblioteca serán nominados por petición. Cada petición deberá estar dirigida a la Junta de Síndicos de la Biblioteca y deberá estar firmada por al menos veinticinco (25) votantes calificados del Distrito, deberá indicar la residencia de cada firmante y deberá indicar el nombre y la residencia del candidato y la vacante específica. para el cual se nomina un candidato, incluyendo al menos la duración del mandato y el nombre del último titular, si lo hubiere. En caso de que cualquiera de los nominados retire su candidatura antes de la elección, dicha persona no se considerará candidato a menos que se presente ante el Secretario de Estado una nueva petición nominando a dicha persona de la misma manera y con las mismas limitaciones aplicables a otros candidatos. el Patronato de la Biblioteca. Ninguna persona podrá ser nominada por petición para más de un cargo por separado. Cada petición se presentará ante la Junta de Síndicos de la Biblioteca Pública de North Bellmore entre las 10:00 a. m. y las 5:00 p. m., de lunes a viernes, a más tardar el trigésimo (30) día anterior al día de la elección, a saber: 7 de marzo de 2023 a las 17:00 horas.

POR ORDEN DE JUNTA DIRECTIVA BIBLIOTECA PÚBLICA DEL NORTE DE BELMORE 137878

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SPECIAL DISTRICT MEETING

NORTH BELLMORE PUBLIC LIBRARY NORTH BELLMORE TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD NASSAU COUNTY, NEW YORK

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Special Library District Meeting and Voting upon the appropriation of necessary funds and tax levy to meet the estimated expenditures of the North Bellmore Public Library for the fiscal year 2023-2024, and the election of one Library Trustee for a full five-year term, to the position currently encumbered by Laurie Henneborn, whose term of office will expire June 30, 2023 will be held at the North Bellmore Public Library at 1551 Newbridge Road

Town recognizes HTB Flag Football

Public Notices

North Bellmore, NY 11710 on Thursday, April 6 from 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM, and as much longer as may be necessary for all voters then present to cast their votes.

NOTICE IS FURTHER

GIVEN THAT:

1. Pursuant to Education Law Section 2020, personal registration of voters is required and no person shall be entitled to vote at said meeting and election whose name does not appear on the register of said Library; and

2. Any person shall be entitled to have his name placed upon such register provided he is known or proven to such Board of Registration to be entitled to vote at the meeting or election for which such registration is prepared to vote at general elections; and

3. Qualified voters may register at the North Bellmore Public Library on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 from 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

Voters having previously registered for any Annual or Special Library or School District Election or Meeting, or who shall have voted at any Annual or Special Meeting or Election held or conducted at any time

within the past four (4) calendar years prior to the preparation of the register, or who are registered to vote at any general election pursuant to Article 5 of the Election Law of the State of New York are considered registered to vote. Such register will be filed in the office of the Director of the North Bellmore Public Library five (5) days preceding such Special District Meeting and will be open for inspection by any qualified voter of the District during such days between the hours of 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM.

4. In accordance with Education Law No. 2018-a, application for absentee ballots for the Library Special District Meeting may be applied for at the Library. Such application must be received by the Board of Registration at least seven (7) days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or on the day before the election, if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter. The Board of Registration shall make a list of all persons to whom absentee voters’ ballots have been issued, and have it available during regular office hours until the day of election. Such list shall be posted at the polling

place during the election. No absentee vote ballot shall be canvassed unless it is received not later than 5:00 PM on the day of the election.

BUDGET

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that a Public Hearing will be held on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 7:00 PM at the North Bellmore Public Library for the purpose of discussion of the said expenditures of funds and the budget thereof.

Copies of the proposed 2023-2024 Library Budget will be available at the North Bellmore Library during regular library hours (9AM-8PM

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday; 10:30AM-8PM

Wednesday; 9AM-6PM Friday; 9AM-5PM Saturday; and 1PM-5PM Sunday) commencing fourteen (14) days immediately preceding the Special District Meeting of April 6, 2023 and at the polling place on the day of the Special District Meeting.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER

NOTICE that the candidates for the office of Library Trustee shall be nominated by petition. Each petition shall be directed to the Library Board of Trustees and shall be signed by at least twenty-five (25) qualified voters of the District, shall

state the residence of each signer and shall state the name and residence of the candidate and specific vacancy for which a candidate is nominated, including at least the length of the term of office and the name of the last incumbent, if any.

In the event that any such nominee shall withdraw his candidacy prior to the election, such person shall not be considered a candidate unless a new petition nominating such person in the same manner and with the same limitations applicable to other candidates is filed with the Secretary of the Library Board of Trustees. No person shall be nominated by petition for more than one separate office. Each petition shall be filed with the Board of Trustees of the North Bellmore Public Library between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, not later than the thirtieth (30th) day preceding the day of the election, to wit: March 7, 2023 at 5 PM.

BY ORDER OF BOARD OF TRUSTEES NORTH BELLMORE PUBLIC LIBRARY 137876

Courtesy Town of Hempstead

Wayne Russo of Bellmore and Roger Leahy of Seaford, representatives of the HTB Flag Football Leage, were recognized by Town Councilman Chris Carini, center. The recognition was part of Carini’s Small Business Spotlight.

EMPLOYMENT

Help Wanted

ACCOUNTING/BOOKKEEPING, AR/AP

Do you have accounting, bookkeeping, or AR/AP experience? Are you tired of being retired, or need a few days a week to keep your mind occupied? If so, please send us a quick email and we will call you to discuss more details. We are a Customs Broker looking for someone who can support our everyday accounting needs and who doesn’t necessarily need or want to work every day. We look forward to talking with you!!! Email: Jobs@agraservices.com

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT FT: RVC. Administrative Work, Answering Phones, Computer Skills – Microsoft, Excel, Outlook, Financial background helpful. No Health Beneifts. 516-763-9700 frances.difede@lpl.com

AUTO TECHNICIAN FT

Experienced And Reliable. NYSI A Plus. Busy Merrick Shop. Call 516-781-5641

AUTO TECHNICIAN WANTED

Gregoris Subaru, Valley Stream

Experience Needed, Own Tools NYSI License Necessary

All Skill Levels Welcome Salary Commensurate With Exp. Health Benefits, Union Call Steve H 516-872-9755 Ext.1 Email Steveh@gregorismotors.com

BOOKKEEPER P/T EXPERIENCED

5-10 Hours Per Week. Handle Real Estate Property Management, Personal Finances. Computer Skills Necessary. Can Work From Home Or Office. Lawrence. Call 516-375-9642

CIRCULATION ASSOCIATE Full Time/Part Time Richner Communications, publisher of Herald community newspapers has an excellent opportunity for a FT/PT Customer Service Clerk in our busy Circulation Department. Basic customer service and administrative responsibilities include: heavy computer work, answering phones, making phone calls, entering orders, faxing, filing, etc.

STRONG knowledge of EXCEL a must! Knowledge of DATABASE maintenance or postal regulations a big plus. Qualified Candidates must be computer literate, able to multitask, dependable, reliable, organized, energetic, detail oriented and able to work well under deadlines. For consideration, please send resume & salary requirements to: careers@liherald.com

Clinical Research Specialist sought by Mindful Care Ltd dba Mindful Urgent Care for West Hempstead, NY to manage & oversee the dvlpmt, implmtn & evaluation of a sleep study. Must have a Bach Deg in Biology, Health Sciences or Medical Technology + 1 yr exp in Clinical Research + special skills: RedCap, SPSS, CITI certification. Resumes to: Tamir Aldad, 510 Hempstead Turnpike, #203, West Hempstead, NY 11552. No calls.

DRIVERS WANTED

Full Time and Part Time Positions Available!

Busy Print Shop in Garden City is Hiring Immediately for Full Time and Part Time Drivers. Must Have a Clean License and BoxTruck Driving Experience. Hours Vary, Night Availability is a Must. Please Email Resume to careers@liherald.com or Call (516)569-4000 x239

DRIVING INSTRUCTORS WANTED

Will Certify And Train HS Diploma NYS License Clean 3 Years Call 516-731-3000

EDITOR/REPORTER

The award-winning Herald Community Newspapers group, covering Nassau County's North and South Shores with hard-hitting news stories and gracefully written features, seeks a motivated, energetic and creative editor/reporter to join our dynamic (and awesome) team! This education and general assignment reporting position offers a unique experience to learn from some of the best in the business. Historically, reporters who have launched their careers with us have gone on to The New York Times, Newsweek, Newsday, the New York Daily News, New York Post, CNN, BBC, NBC News and The Daily Mail, among many others. We look for excellent writers who are eager to learn, enhance their skills, and become well-established and respected journalists in our industry.

To apply: Send a brief summary in the form of a cover letter describing your career goals and what strengths you can bring to our newsroom, along with a resume and three writing samples to mhinman@liherald.com

INVESTIGATOR

Skip Tracer, Asset Locator. 3Yrs. Experience. Bi-lingual A Plus. Work From Home. mgal2@verizon.net 516-868-9888

MOTOR VEHICLE CLERK FT

Valley Stream Subaru Seeking Conscientious, Organized, Computer Literate. Reliable Individual. Will Train If Needed. Family Run Business With Small, Friendly Office Staff. Salary, 401K, Benefits. Ask For Richard Or Therese 516-825-8700

MULTI MEDIA ACCOUNT DEVELOPMENT

Inside Sales

Looking for an aggressive self starter who is great at making and maintaining relationships and loves to help businesses grow by marketing them on many different advertising platforms. You will source new sales opportunities through inbound lead follow-up and outbound cold calls. Must have the ability to understand customer needs and requirements and turn them in to positive advertising solutions. We are looking for a talented and competitive Inside Sales Representative that thrives in a quick sales cycle environment. We offer salary, commission, bonuses, health benefits, 401K and paid time off. Will consider part time. Please send cover letter and resume with salary requirements to ereynolds@liherald.com Call 516-569-4000 X286

OUTSIDE SALES

Richner Communications, One of the Fastest Growing Media, Event and Communications Companies on Long Island is Seeking a Sales/Marketing Candidate to Sell our Print Media Products and

PRESS-ROOM/WAREHOUSE HELP Long Island Herald has IMMEDIATE openings for a FULL-TIME Pressroom/warehouse helper in Garden City. We are a busy print shop looking for a motivated and reliable individuals to assist in various duties in the shop. Forklift

HomesHERALD

To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5 • To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5

Lido Beach

The architect planned one thing, and the plumber did another

HOME Of tHE WEEK

S

tunning brand-new Colonial. This grand home features a large living room, granite kitchen and baths, den with fireplace, sliding doors to a huge deck, 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, master suite with a double shower and tub along with large closets. There are hardwood floors throughout, central air, central vacuum and water heater on demand. You will love the 2-car garage, in-ground sprinklers, fenced yard and plenty of storage. This beauty is close to beach, school, shopping. It is a must see! Asking $1,350,000.Mazal Amram, Licensed Associate Broker Cell: (516) 782-6331

Office: (516) 889-6677

Email: jamram123@aol.com

Topper Realty 84 East Park Avenue Long Beach, NY 11561

Q. My basement is being finished, and we’re adding a bathroom with a shower. Our plumber just left, and I’m bewildered by the way things are going. The plumber says we passed the inspection, but we’re concerned that he persuaded us to move the door, and all of the fixtures are different than the plans show. Our architect lined up the toilet, the sink and the shower in a row so we could use just one “plumbing wall” for all the pipes, but the plumber moved the shower to a different wall, which left nothing but empty space in the corner beside the toilet. Then the plumber ran flexible hot and cold tubing along the ceiling, so now we have to add a drop-down ceiling around the pipes. Is this acceptable and normal to do, and why did the work pass inspection if it didn’t follow our plans? We spent a lot of time discussing and planning where everything would go with our architect, and now we wonder who’s in charge if it passes inspection.

A. You ultimately have the last word on what you accept. I always tell clients that we play by the Golden Rule in construction. The Golden Rule used to mean, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” It now means that he (or she) who has the gold rules.

OPEN HOUSES SUNday, 3/12/23 HEWLETT

1267 Peninsula Blvd, 2:00-3:30, NEW TO MARKET! 5 BR, 2 Bth Exp Cape in SD#14

(Hewlett-Woodmere) Living Room, DR & Updtd Gran/Wood EIK & Bths. Det 1.5 Gar & Driveway for 4/5 Cars. HW Floors. Gas Heat. Near LIRR, Shops, Trans & Schools.

A Steal! $599,000

257 Willard Dr, 12-1:30, Spacious 5 BR, 3 Bth Exp Ranch With Open Layout.Main Floor Mstr Ste Plus Potential Mstr Ste on 2nd Flr. LR/Fpl, FDR, EIK & Sundrenched Family Rm w/ Doors to Deck. Fin Bsmt. Att Gar. Loads of Updates!! SD#20 (Lynbrook) No Flood

Insurance Req. MUST SEE THIS! REDUCED!! $1,025,000

1193 E. Broadway # M23, BA, NEW TO MARKET! Move Right Into This Stunning

Gut Renovated 2 BR, 2 Bth Coop in Garden Town. Gourmet Kit W/Thermdore St Steel Appl Opens Into DR & LR. Primary BR w/Bth Plus Spac 2nd BR. W/D in Unit. New Self Controlled CAC. Oak Flrs, LED Lights. Near LIRR. Parking Avail. SD#14. You Don't Want to Miss This $379,000

1608 Ridgeway Dr, BA, Move Right Into This Completely Gut Renovated 4 BR, 3.5 Bth Col on 1/4 Acre Prop. New Kosher EIK, FDR, LR w/ Fpl, Den & Enclosed Porch. Radiant

Heated Flrs. Full Fin Bsmt. 2 Car Att Gar. MUST SEE!! SD#20 DRASTIC REDUCTION! MOTIVATED SELLER! $1,399,000 ALSO FOR RENT $6,500 per month

1534 Broadway #103, BA, Magnificent New Renovation! One of a Kind Ranch Style

Living in Luxurious Jonathan Hall Condominium with Doorman & Elevator. Just Move into This Gut Rvated, Spacious 2 BR, 2 Bath Apt with Open Layout.Large Designer Eat in Kitchen with Sep Pantry & Laundry Rm.Master BR Boasts Gorgeous Bth & Walk in Closet.

Terrace Faces into Courtyard. Garage Parking Incl REDUCED & MOTIVATED!! $699,000

1534 Broadway #205, BA, Extra Large 2000 Sq Ft, 2 Bedroom (Originally 3 BR), 2 Bath

Condo in Prestigious Jonathan Hall with Doorman & Elevator. Updtd Wood/Quartz Kit, LR & DR. Washer/Dryer in Unit. Underground Pkg. Loads of Closets. Terrace Faces Back.

CE da RHURST 332B Peninsula Blvd, BA, Move Right Into This Updated 3 Br, 2.5 Bth Coop Townhouse. LR, DR, Gran/Wood Kit w/ Stainless Steel Appl. Trex Deck Off LR. Primary Ste Features Updtd Bth & WIC. Att Gar Plus 1 Pkg Spot incl in Maintenance. W/D, Pull Down Attic, SD#15. Convenient to Shops, Trans & Houses of Worship $449,000 Fa R ROCK aWay 33-47 Bay Ct, BA, Enjoy The Waterviews in This Bayswater 4 BR, 1.5 Bth Split Tucked Away in Cul de Sac. Fin Bsmt. Att Gar. O/S Resortlike Yard on the Bay. Opportunity to Make This Your Dream Home! REDUCED! $675,000 Ronnie Gerber 516-238-4299 1207517 1207309 Rent Your Apartment through the Herald and PrimeTime Classified section. Call us for our great *specials. 516-5694000, press 5 for Classified Dept. *(private party only)

The Architect

Ask

As long as you haven’t paid yet, you still have some authority. Once you pay, the issue becomes unclear, since paying is a demonstration of satisfaction, and it’s hard to show you were dissatisfied when someone else, like a judge, has to determine if you really just changed your mind but were once satisfied. Situations like yours prompted me to put a clause in my agreements that often seems questionable to prospective customers. I write that I am not responsible for deviations from the plans by the contractor, subcontractor, plumber, electrician or any other party hired by the owner, of it they cut through building components and cause damage.

Many people are naïve to the fact that the workers you hire often deviate from the plans. The building owner really believes that people follow the plans. Sadly, the plans prepared by a design professional, architect or engineer are carefully scrutinized by building officials before a permit is granted, only to be ignored when the plans are then not followed and the inspection in the field passes.

Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.

Results t hat Move You

1202330

HELPING YOU ON YOUR REAL ESTATE JOURNEY

Rob Kolb Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

Tripodi Shemtov

This Robin won’t rest until you are in your new NEST!

REAL ESTATE

Real Estate

RETIRED NYC EMS fire lieutenant selling quarter to half acre lots in Palm Coast Florida. We pay closing costs. We have a travel program to buy call 1-386-437-7058

Open Houses

HEWLETT BA, 257 WILLARD Dr RE-

DUCED!! Spacious 5 BR, 3 Bth Exp Ranch

With Open Layout.Main Floor Mstr Ste Plus Potential Mstr Ste on 2nd Flr.LR/Fpl, FDR, EIK & Sundrenched Family Rm w/ Doors to Deck. Fin Bsmt. Att Gar. Loads of Updates!! SD#20(Lynbrook)No Flood Insurance Req. MUST SEE THIS!..$1,025,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman

516-238-4299

HEWLETT BA, 1534 Broadway #103, REDUCED AND MOTIVATED! Magnificent New Renovation! One of a Kind Ranch

Style Living in Luxurious Jonathan Hall Condominium with Doorman & Elevator.

Just Move into This Gut Renovated, Spacious 2 BR, 2 Bath Apt with Open Layout.Large Designer Eat in Kitchen with Sep Pantry & Laundry Rm.Master BR Boasts Gorgeous Bth & Walk in Closet. Terrace

Faces into Courtyard and the Garage

Parking is Incl..$699,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299

HEWLETT BA, 1608 Ridgeway Dr, Drastic Reduction! Move Right Into This Completely Gut Renovated 4 BR, 3.5 Bth Col on 1/4 Acre Prop. New Kosher EIK, FDR, LR w/ Fpl, Den & Enclosed Porch. Radiant Htd Flrs. Full Fin Bsmt. 2 Car Att Gar. MUST SEE!! SD#20...$1,469,000 RENTAL

$6500 PER MONTH Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-429

House For Sale

POINT LOOKOUT: WATERFRONT-

LARGEST Selection of Beach Homes, Sale/ Rent. Our Home Listings Sell FA$T! VIDEOS. HUG R.E. 516-431-8000 www.hugrealestate.com

Apartments For Rent

CEDARHURST NO FEE Private Entrance, Modern 1BR, 2BR, 3BR, CAC, W/D, Storage, Wall To Wall Carpeting, Indoor Parking Space. Starting At $1450 For One Bedroom When Available. (516)860-6889/ (516)852-5135/ (516)582-9978

Vacation Rentals/Prop

Apartments For Rent

EAST ELMONT: 1 BR Cottage, New Carpets/ Flooring. No Smoking/ Pets. $1400 Plus Utilities. 516-437-7608

WEST HEMPSTEAD: SPACIOUS Lower Level, All Included, Separate Entrance, Backyard, EIK, Fbth, Near All/ LIRR. $2100. 917-640-3028

Out Of Town/Real Estate

NINEVEH NY: 25 Acres With Cabin And Bluestone Quarry. Hunting, Farming, Mining. Below Market. Must Sell. $75,000. Ben 347-866-5619, 718-266-9700

MoneyTo Lend

ARE YOU BEHIND $10k OR MORE ON YOUR TAXES? Stop wage & bank levies, liens & audits, unfiled tax returns, payroll issues, & resolve tax debt FAST. Call 888-869-5361 (Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-5pm PST)

Cemetery Plots

CEMETERY PLOT FOR TWO For Sale: Pinelawn Cemetery. Garden Of Normandy North. Price Negotiable. 516-375-1905

Robin Reiss Licensed Real Estate Salesperson Cell: 516.510.6484 Office: 516.623.4500 Robin.Reiss@elliman.com

How’s the market?? Please contact me for your free market report and personalized service! 1207130

and home office.

Taxes: $11,716

Bellmore $700,000

Farmers Avenue. Colonial. 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Updated eat-in kitchen with quartz countertops and deck off kitchen. Open layout. Fireplace and cathedral ceiling. Updates include 2-zone heat and central air conditioning. Master bedroom with vaulted ceiling and skylight.

Taxes: $13,448.12

Cedarhurst $1,200,000

West Broadway. Colonial. 5 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms. Kosher eat-in kitchen with granite countertops and highend stainless steel appliances, including 2 ranges and 2 dishwashers, and island. Living room with custom built-ins. Formal dining room. Den/family room. Large rooms. Parklike backyard. Central air conditioning.

Taxes: $8,372

East Meadow $700,000

Francis Drive. Cape. 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Finished basement. New eat-in kitchen with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and porcelain flooring. Formal dining room. First floor master bedroom. Updates include windows and ductless air conditioning system.

Taxes: $11,754.12

East Rockaway $710,000

Alden Road. Cape. 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms. Finished basement. Eat-in kitchen with granite countertops. Formal dining room. Den/family room and home office. First floor bedroom. Security system.

Taxes: $17,764.30

Freeport $760,000

Maryland Avenue. Expanded Cape. 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms. Finished basement. Updated eat-in kitchen. Formal dining room. Den/family room. First floor master bedroom suite. Convenient location in heart of Sterns Park.

Taxes: $16,524.30

Long Beach $600,000

Lincoln Boulevard. Ranch. 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom. Updated open-concept eat-in kitchen with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. Den/family room. Many extras, including high hats, crown molding and closet systems. Large rooms. Central air conditioning.

Taxes: $10,661.35

Oceanside $590,000 Bayfield Boulevard. Split Level. 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Formal dining room. Den/family room. First floor master bedroom.

Taxes: $17,839.21

Valley Stream $651,000

Todd Road. Expanded Cape. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Partial finished basement. Updated eat-in kitchen with stainless steel appliances and walk-out to Trex deck. Formal dining room. Den/family room. Large rooms. Professional landscaping.

$11,872.36

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Announcements

THE LONG BEACH HISTORICAL SOCIETY 226 West Penn St, Long Beach Invites You To Shop Our Antique, Vintage & Treasures Sale Sat., March 18th, Sun., March 19th. 11am-5pm. Exciting Finds Throughout The Museum. For More Information: 516-432-1192.

MERCHANDISE MART

Antiques/Collectibles

We Buy Antiques, Fine Art & Jewelry Same Day Service, Free In-Home Evaluations, 45 Year Family Business. Licensed and Bonded, Immediate Cash Paid. SYL-LEE ANTIQUES www.syl-leeantiques.com 516-671-6464

FINDS UNDER $100

Finds Under $100

BATHROBE: UNISEX 100% Turkish Cotton, Garden City Hotel Embroidery, One Size. Tags On, $90. 516-320-1906

CRYSTAL STEMWARE (MACY'S). Gorgeous Wine , Water, Champagne. Brand new original boxes $95. 516-225-9191

DINING ROOM FURNITURE wood espresso color $99. (516) 462-2656

DOG CRATE, 24" x 20" x 22" tall, metal tray. $29. call 516-798-2098

Finds Under $100

FIREWOOD SEASONED MAPLE Cut Logs $40 S. Freeport 516 279 7696

FREE PIANO! IN good condition. You just have to transport. Call 516-596-1078

KID'S BEDROOM FURNITURE wood honey color $99. (516) 462-2656

LACROSSE BALLS,100, NEW and used, $70, 516-816-7383

PICTURE FRAMES, ALL shapes & sizes, wood, metal, etc. everything under $6. 516-225-9191

SEARS CRAFTSMAN PUSH Reel Lawnmower (old style), $30, Excellent Condition, 516-816-7383

VINTAGE SUNBEAM MIXMASTER Electric Mixer w/bowls, working, excellent, clean, $55. 516-798-2098.

SERVICES

Cleaning Services

MARINA'S CLEANING SERVICES: Cleaning Homes, Apartments, Condos, Offices. Experienced. FREE Estimates. Serving Long Island. 516-670-7764

Decks

DECKS DECKS Our Only Business

516-729-5859

Electricians

E-Z ELECTRIC SERVICES, INC. All

Types Residential/Commercial Wiring, Generators, Telephone/Data, Home Entertainment, Service Upgrades, Pools, Spas. Services/Repairs. Violations Removed. Free Estimates Low Rates. 516-785-0646 Lic/Ins.

Handyman

HANDYMAN

Repairs and Installations for the Household. Careful and Reliable and Vaccinated.

Home

Licensed / Insured. Free Estimates Nassau License. # H-0102710000 Call John - 516-852-9830

Miscellaneous BEST SATELLITE TV with 2 Year Price Guarantee! $59.99/mo with 190 channels and 3 months free premium movie channels! Free next day installation! Call 888-508-5313

Plumbing

PLUMBER! PLUMBER! PLUMBER! FREE ESTIMATES!

Heating, Repairs, Installations. $25 OFF New Customers. 24 Hour Emergency Response. 516-599-1011

Tree Services

T&M GREENCARE TREE SERVICE

DON'T PAY FOR Covered Home Repairs Again! American Residential Warranty covers ALL MAJOR SYSTEMS AND APPLIANCES. 30 DAY RISK FREE/ $100 OFF POPULAR PLANS. 833-398-0526 HANDY DANDY HOME IMPROVEMENTS

* Full Or Partial Kitchens/ Baths *Painting *Sheetrock *Taping/ Spackling *Installations Ceramic/ Vinyl Tile *Carpentry *Alterations *Repairs/ More. FREE ESTIMATES. Dan 516-342-0761

*Tree Removal *Stump Grinding *Pruning *Roof Line Clearing. Residential and Commercial. "We Beat All Competitors' Rates." Lowest Rates. *Senior Discount. Free Estimates. *516-223-4525, 631-586-3800 www.tmgreencare.com

Satellite/TV Equipment

DISH TV $64.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. Promo Expires 1/31/24. 1-866-595-6967

GET DIRECTV FOR $64.99/mo for 12 months with CHOICE Package. Save an additional $120 over 1st year. First 3 months of HBO Max, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz and Epix included! Directv is #1 in Customer Satisfaction (JD Power & Assoc.) Some restrictions apply. Call 1-888-534-6918

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Education

COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM! Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Grants and Scholarships available for certain programs for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details! 844-947-0192 (M-F 8am-6pm ET). Computer with internet is required.

Health & Fitness

VIAGRA AND CIALIS USERS! 50 Pills SPECIAL $99.00 FREE Shipping! 100% guaranteed. CALL NOW! 855-413-9574

AUTOMOBILE & MARINE

Autos For Sale

ACURA 2003, 3.2 CLS, 2 door, Silver, Black Interior, 160K Plus. Needs Battery. $1800 516-668-8877 runs great

JEEP 2012 LIBERTY: 79,000, Navy Blue, MUST SELL! As is $7500.00. 516 435 3461

Autos Wanted

***AAA*** AUTO BUYERS $Highest$

Ca$h Paid$. All Years/ Conditions! WE VISIT YOU! Or Donate, Tax Deduct + Ca$h. DMV

The shell game we like to call graduation rates

The good news for the New York State Education Department, and the sobering news for the rest of us, is that state taxpayers remain mostly blinded by educational obfuscations like the high school graduation rate.

The SED released 2022 graduation rates last month, and the percentage of students who collected diplomas on Long Island crept up slightly last year, to 92.6 percent.

Long Island has a higher graduation rate than almost any other region in America.

If we were a state, we would have the highest graduation rate in the nation.

“Wow!” you say.

“Long Island schools are second to none!”

Hold on to your mortarboard.

If the graduation rate helps rank schools and compare graduating classes, why complain? It’s an easy way to see if your high school did better or worse than last year. It also tells you how your school compares with others.

It’s also a remarkably misleading statistic that is sometimes abused for lessthan-ethical purposes.

On the surface, graduation rate is simple, determined by dividing the number of students who graduate by the total number of eligible students. But there are all sorts of inside-baseball statistics — such as cohort graduation vs. on-time graduation — that the Education Department, and superintendents around the state, jumble, mix and match in an effort to figure out how to get more diplomas in the hands of teens.

The statistics themselves aren’t insidious. Numbers are simply tools. It’s the use of the graduation rate to determine school rankings and state funding that makes it so odious. Even worse is what some educators will do to boost the rate.

Ask a high school teacher how many times he or she has been queried by an administrator:

“What does this kid need to graduate?”

“Can we give her extra credit?”

“How many points does he need?”

“He’s worked so hard all year — surely there must be something that can be done.”

It’s a confidence game. Nudge the numbers, appeal to a teacher’s good intentions, and the graduation rate ticks upward.

Floor grades are a neat trick. The

intent of a floor grade — a number that can’t dip below 55 or 45, depending on attendance — is to give students a fighting chance to pass a class.

Consider this scenario without a floor grade: A student fails the first two quarters of a class with abysmal grades of 12 and 15 — more common than you might think — so it becomes statistically impossible to pass for the year. The student realizes this, completely gives up, and becomes a discipline problem.

Giving the student a floor grade means that he or she only has to get a grade of 75 for each of the last two quarters to pass the class. The student sees light at the end of the tunnel, and becomes a model learner.

Alas, crafty students immediately figure out the floor-grade scam. Some students take it as a fall-quarter extension of summer break — while other students bemoan the benefit given to slackers. Floor grades reward laziness and diminish the quality of education needed to graduate.

Floor grades aren’t universally used or required, and there are no state or nationwide regulations. Some schools implement them at the end of the marking peri-

od. A grade of 32 miraculously jumps to 55. Other schools prohibit teachers from uploading any grade below 55 for any assignment. A student who does not a jot of work all of September still gets a 55.

See you on the podium in June, Jimmy!

Then there are credit-recovery programs — kids on Chromebooks after school for a few weeks, punching keys to earn class credits — and summer school. Ask a high school administrator what their summer school pass-fail rate is. Derelict students somehow evolve into scholars in the span of six weeks.

Obviously, not every student slacks, not every teacher fudges and not every administrator nudges. But let’s be honest about loopholes.

Graduation rate can’t measure rigor. Parents largely want their children’s diplomas to mean something more than a number. Graduation rate doesn’t emphasize philosophy, critical thinking or scientific theory.

So, by all means, toast the graduates this spring with a glass of sparkling cider — and a shot of reality. Not all diplomas are equal, and that graduation rate may be hiding some of your high school’s flaws.

Mark Nolan, the editor of the Lynbrook/ East Rockaway and Malverne/West Hempstead Heralds, taught high school English for 11 years.

Writers will tell the story of our times

In honor of National Reading Day on March 2, I reread Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.” Setting: America, in its earliest days. The settlers of Salem, in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, were religious and community-minded, good people who cared for their children and worked desperately to survive in a forbidding environment.

In 1692, these righteous citizens accused, tried and hanged 14 women, five men and two dogs for practicing witchcraft.

offered accounts of teenage girls dancing naked in the woods and reports of broomsticks found high in the trees. Daughters accused mothers and husbands accused wives. Once accused, you either confessed and implicated others, or you were hanged anyway for not telling the truth.

What finally shined a light on that dark summer of 1692, what pried the truth out of the cold foundations of old Salem, was “The Crucible,” Miller’s play, which he wrote more than 250 years after the fact.

RANDI KREISS

Some time ago, I also read Stacy Schiff’s “The Witches: Salem, 1692,” a nonfiction history of the time. It has been noted that no historian has ever fully explained what fever possessed the people of Salem. Even Schiff’s remarkable history does not answer the question of how the community’s paranoia achieved the critical mass that led to hangings.

You know where I’m going with this. We live now in a time of similar groupthink and communal delusion. (They nearly hanged Mike Pence!)

In Massachusetts Bay, “eyewitnesses”

In writing a work of fiction, Miller revealed the true hearts and minds of the accusers, victims and bystanders. He knew them because he knew human nature, and because he was living through a time of another witch hunt: the great Red Scare of the early 1950s.

Miller was one of the artists accused of ties with communism, and in an essay, “Why I wrote ‘The Crucible,’” he wrote, “The play was an act of desperation.” The accusations of Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities Committee, Miller wrote, had “paralyzed a whole generation and in a short time dried up the habits of trust and toleration in public discourse.”

He wrote, “In 1948-51, I had the sensation of being trapped inside a perverse work of art … in which it is impossible to make out whether a stairway is going up or down. Practically everyone I knew stood within the conventions of the political left of centre; one or two were Communist party members … I have never been able to believe in the reality of these people being actual or putative traitors any more than I could be, yet others like them were being fired from teaching or jobs in government or large corporations … The surreality of it all never left me … In today’s terms, the country had been delivered into the hands of the radical right … It is always with us, this anxiety, sometimes directed towards foreigners, Jews, Catholics, fluoridated water, aliens in space, masturbation, homosexuality, or the Internal Revenue Department … And if this seems crazy now, it seemed just as crazy then, but openly doubting it could cost you.”

Miller’s play became a metaphor, even a cliché of that era, when friends betrayed friends and people lost jobs and secret accusations could lead to public humiliation and worse. Miller said that he wrote “The Crucible” because it was what a

writer would do to get to the underlying truth of a moment in history. In writing about 1692, he was also writing about 1952.

And now, when we read his play, we are also reading about our time. Once again, America has lost its moorings, and no one can adequately explain or understand 2023, because we are treading water in the midst of it.

We won’t have a bead on our own time until the novelists and playwrights create the fictional works that reveal us to ourselves.

Read “The Crucible” again. It speaks to the currents of evil that can sweep away an entire community: irrational fear of “the other,” jealousy, fundamentalist religion, isolation, political manipulation. Miller was writing about Salem and the Red Scare, but he might as well have been writing about Stalin’s Russia or Pinochet’s Chile, Mao’s China or the Khmer Rouge. Or he might have been writing about America today, about QAnon or DeSantis or Trump or Marjorie Taylor Greene, about book bans and racist attacks and antisemitic resurgences.

It is America in 2023. We have run off the rails, again. We need to wait for the novelists and playwrights to find the truth of this moment and bring it to us.

Copyright 2023 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.

Arthur Miller’s 1953 play, ‘The Crucible,’ could have been written in 2023.

They’re misleading statistics that are sometimes unethically abused.

HERALD

We must keep government transparent

the middle of March is something many of us look forward to, because it means spring is just around the corner. But this coming week, March 12-18, is known as Sunshine Week. Associations, institutions and organizations connected to journalism will celebrate the initiative to promote open government, which was launched in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors, now the News Leaders Association.

The week coincides with March 16, National Freedom of Information Day, which honors a bill signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966, allowing members of the public and journalists access to government information in the interest of keeping our leadership transparent.

States across the country have since enacted similar laws, but why is this important? Why should you care?

Because government information is taxpayer-supported, public information, and it belongs to you. Whether it’s a public school district, a village, a town, a county, the state, or the nation’s highest governing entities, everything said, spent or done there impacts you.

In the midst of the Cold War, with the United States and the Soviet Union locking political horns after World War II, the American government appeared to be suppressing information. That wasn’t going to work for John Moss, a newly elected Republican congressman from California. Moss campaigned for increased transparency, but was continuously rebuffed by a government he viewed as acting secretly. People were fired from their jobs and blacklisted for being com-

letters

Peter King’s return to Washington

To the Editor:

Re Peter King’s column last week, “At the Capitol, it was almost as if I’d never left”: Mr. King’s “bittersweet” tour of his part-time “home” for 28 years is qualified by an expansive “almost.”

Since his departure in December 2020, we outsiders have seen members of Congress fleeing the Capitol, election-deniers elected, Marjorie Taylor Greene advocating secession and a national divorce, the meretricious McCarthy spectacle, the frantic shunning of George Santos and the Republican Party’s growing angst with its likely nominee. Mr. King apparently did not notice any of this. His visit was a lot like old times, we’re told.

Who knew this would be cause for nostalgia?

BRIAN

munists, many without a shred of real evidence.

Moss championed his caused by hosting hearings as chair of a House subcommittee on government information. Support was nonexistent from the majority GOP, but outside Congress, educators, journalists and scientists strongly supported Moss.

Not surrendering, Moss pushed his Freedom of Information Act for over 10 years until, finally, a fellow Republican, Donald Rumsfeld — then a young representative from Chicago — added his name. The act eventually passed in the House and the Senate, and then landed on the desk of Johnson, a Democrat who opposed some aspects of the bill, especially when it came to classified material. Still, LBJ signed the legislation into law on July 4, 1966, making the supposed greatest democracy on Earth the third country to create such a law.

“I sign this measure with a deep sense of pride that the United States is an open society in which the people’s right to know is cherished and guarded,” Johnson said.

You might live in an incorporated village with a government that includes a board of trustees. You might attend a board meeting at which those trustees vote to spend money to improve a playground. You want to know exactly how that money — your village taxes — will be spent.

You might ask a trustee. Maybe he or she answers your question. Maybe they do not. You want to know more. That is when you can file a Freedom of Information request — the process created by the Free-

dom of Information Act — to obtain that information.

Is it that easy? Usually, yes. Occasionally, however, it becomes a tug-of-war between the government and the party who “FOILs” for the information.

This is what Sunshine Week is about, and why it matters. The information that a government entity possesses does not belong to elected or appointed officials. It belongs to the people they represent.

You.

To promote the message of Sunshine Week, you can write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper — like this one — or help spread the message through social media.

Elected officials, doing their part, could review current public-access laws, introduce legislation to strengthen accessibility to public information, and encourage the training of government employees to help ensure compliance with existing open-record laws.

Grass-roots community organization might organize local forums, sponsor essay contests, or push elected representatives to spotlight the importance of open access to government information.

Teachers can use Sunshine Week to educate students on how government transparency improves their lives and creates stronger communities.

Government transparency was on the mind of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis when he told Harper’s Weekly in 1913 that “sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.” Increased openness should be the standard that all government entities strive for. It makes for good governance, and a strong and civil society.

The governor’s misguided affordable-housing plan

It appears that Gov. Kathy Hochul has made a conscious decision to declare political war on Long Island.

In her proposed statewide mandate to increase the number of affordable homes by 800,000 units over the next 10 years, Hochul seeks to override local zoning control that is directed, in large measure, by the people who live there. For Long Island, home rule defines our region just as much as Jones Beach and rush hour traffic on the LIE. Make no mistake: Hochul’s housing plan is taking aim at the Island by imposing a 3 percent increase in affordable housing one way or another.

In an effort to couch it in humanitarian terms, she told the State Legislature, “Housing is a human right.” That’s bold rhetoric, but in truth, there is nothing in the federal or state Constitutions stating that housing is a basic right guaranteed by government. On the other hand, our state Constitution says, “Effective local self-government” is one of the “purposes of the people of the state.” Thus, the governor’s intent to allow the state to override local zoning ordinances is contrary

to a basic tenet of our governing document.

If citizens in a democracy wish to support initiatives that provide subsidized housing, then government can invest in efforts such as the New York City Housing Authority. With broken elevators, poorly maintained boilers, lurking crime and other assorted issues, however, you have to admit that NYCHA has proven that government-subsidized housing isn’t exactly a panacea. That may help explain why over 30 percent of those renting from NYCHA didn’t pay their rent last year.

Hochul had a near-death political experience last fall, when Long Island did not give her a majority at the polls. There are a number of reasons for the Island’s antipathy toward her, but one was her earlier call to allow illegal two-family homes to become legal. Yet after retreating from blistering bipartisan opposition to that proposal, she has come back with yet another draconian housing “solution,” one driven more by ideology than market forces. Perhaps her call to dismantle local zoning is her punishment for a region where voters found her the lesser candidate.

Nevertheless, in the interest of building a coalition, Hochul has sent Ruth-

Letters

OK, Santos lied. So does everybody in D.C.

To the Editor:

I took offense to Rick Herman’s letter, “Randi takes on George Santos” (Feb. 23-March 1), asserting that 99.9 percent of the “cuckoos” are Republicans — and I guess he forgot to mention that we’re all deplorable and racist.

I feel sorry for Mr. Herman’s grandson, who will be influenced by a grandfather who believes that his views are the only ones that matter, and that someone who has a different opinion needs to be silenced and disparaged.

I’m not defending Santos, but politicians, the media, government agencies and the pharmaceutical companies lie to us on a daily basis, so why would Santos think it was a problem to “enhance” his resume? Thankfully, in his case no one died as a result of his lies. We can’t say that for some other people in Washington.

For weeks there have been articles in the Herald about Santos. Move on, already. There are a lot more important issues going on in this country (and throughout the world) than Santos lying on his resume. Next election, vote him out.

If you want to start kicking politicians out of office for lying, you might as well start closing the buildings in D.C. There

probably will only be a handful of honest ones left.

BARBARA HALL

Formerly of Glen Cove

Lessons learned from a three-week campaign

To the Editor:

My three-week campaign as the Democratic candidate in the special election in the Nassau County Legislature’s 19th District was an incredible, eye-opening experience.

As a municipal attorney tasked with appearing in front of the Legislature, interfacing with taxpayers and drafting policies and laws that impact the daily lives of county residents, I believed my experience would translate seamlessly to my campaign, but knowing the issues and succinctly describing your policy ideas to voters are two very different skill sets. I learned quickly that being able to explain the issues and your policies in a relatable way was just as important as knowing the subject matter.

What was even more valuable was listening to the voters and having a substantive dialogue with them. And not

Anne Visnauskas, commissioner of New York State Homes and Community Renewal, to meet with Long Islanders in the public and private sectors. In 2017, Visnauskas was appointed president and CEO of the New York State Housing Finance Agency, the State of New York Mortgage Agency and the State Affordable Housing Corporation. She previously served as Homes and Community Renewal’s executive deputy commissioner for Housing Development, the Mortgage Insurance Fund, the Office of Community Renewal and the Office of Faith-Based Community Development Services.

All that is fine, Commissioner, but welcome to Long Island.

Just in case you don’t believe our region is specifically targeted in the governor’s public agenda, consider the following. Hochul acknowledges that the majority of communities around the state are already hitting or close to achieving her arbitrary affordable-housing targets — except Long Island. For Nassau and Suffolk, she has set a goal of 38,218 new affordable housing units between 2023 and 2025.

This is not to say Long Island doesn’t have a housing problem. It does. Far too many municipalities here are shutting

down applications for next-generation housing, creating an unforced exodus of young people who will be needed to power the economy, pay the taxes and build the future. But Hochul’s proposed remedy is akin to being held hostage by an Albany now under progressive domination.

If it is passed, it is a certainty that there will be lawsuits, protests and, most important, a response at the voting booths that will jeopardize every elected official who supports the plan. And the political aftershocks will not stop with state and local officials. Much as the issue of crime drove Democrats to cross party lines and vote for Republicans last November, Hochul’s assault on the integrity of local zoning may move Long Island voters to overwhelmingly support the Republican who runs against Democratic U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

While Gillibrand seems to need a GPS to even find Long Island, she will be within reach of voters who intend to express their seething anger over a DemocraticProgressive agenda that destroys the integrity of suburban home rule. She will be another politician who ruefully discovers that you “don’t mess with the Island.”

Ronald J. Rosenberg has been an attorney for 42 years, concentrating in commercial litigation and transactions, and real estate, municipal, zoning and land use law. He founded the Garden City law firm Rosenberg Calica & Birney in 1999.

just one time, but consistently — knocking on door after door, making call after call, and Zoom meeting after Zoom meeting — because voters aren’t willing to give their trust away. And how can you blame them (or us), after seeing scandals, corruption and extremism take hold of the daily political discourse?

We can gain back the trust of our constituents to attack the issues of the day, such as tax reform, affordability, the opi-

oid epidemic, gun violence and climate change in a few ways. Listen. Have a dialogue. And don’t just say what you’re going to do — do it.

ROB MILES Merrick

Framework by Tim Baker

Everton Bailey leads the Instrumental Sounds of Praise Youth Ensemble — Hempstead

Hochul’s draconian housing ‘solution’ is driven more by ideology than market forces.

Miles, the Legislature’s minority caucus counsel, lost the special election in the 19th District on Feb. 28 to Republican Michael Giangregorio.

ronaLd J. rosenBerG

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