_______________ east meadow ______________
HERALD Helping to feed the community
Vets take flight to Washington
learning about Jones Beach
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Vol. 22 No. 35
AUGUST 25 - 31, 2022
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Gillen set to face off against D’Esposito By KYlE CHiN kchin@liherald.com
Courtesy Scott Eckers
EAST MEAdoW rESidENT Scott Eckers has been holding on to a big piece of Catskills history in his garage for the past eight years. Now the large neon sign is heading to a museum.
Big, bright, and neon yellow: a piece of history in East Meadow By MAllorY WilSoN mwilson@liherald.com
N
ot many people can say they have a museum-worthy piece of history in their garage. East Meadow resident Scott Eckers can. His garage was home to a giant neon “Kutsher’s” sign, from one of the most wellknown resorts in the so-called Borscht Belt,” an area in the Catskill Mountains that had over 500 hotels. Kutsher’s Hotel and Country Club closed in 2013. Eckers, along with his friend
Michelle Conrad, bought the sign at auction a year later for $1,000, and spent another $1,400 to have it removed and brought to East Meadow. “I didn’t know what I was going to do with it,” Eckers, 42, admitted. “But I had to have it, because it was a great piece of my Catskills collection, but now it’ll be part of the museum collection.” The sign was picked up on Aug. 19 so that it can be part of a planned Catskills resort museum designed to educate the public about the Borscht Belt-era hotels and the experience of a family vacation dur-
ing that time. The sign was extra important to Eckers — who wears many hats, including East Meadow Board of Education trustee, social studies teacher at Great Neck High School, and vocalist. He was the last singer to perform at the iconic hotel resort. Eckers, who has been singing in places like hotels for fun since he was 19, said that when he heard Kutsher’s was closing, he told the manager that he needed to be the last act there. “I spent a long time singing in these hotels, and they closed Continued on page 18
Laura Gillen is a step closer to claiming the open U.S. House seat left vacant by Kathleen Rice. The former Hempstead town supervisor was projected to win the Democratic primary for the 4th Congressional District on Tuesday, with nearly 67 percent of the vote in early returns. “Tonight, voters spoke loud and clear that they want a representative who will fight tooth and nail against GOP politicians in Washington,” Gillen said in a statement following the win. She also decried Re publicans “who want to pass a national a b o r t i o n b a n lAUrA without excep- GillEN tions to rape, WoN the incest, or even if Democratic the woman’s life primary for is in danger.” “Health care the 4th d e c i s i o n s — Congressional including basic District. birth control — are between a woman and her doctor, not by Washington politicians trying to score political points with their extremist base.” The 52-year-old Rockville Centre resident had been a favorite to win, endorsed by Rice as well as a number of major Democratic Party figures, including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer
and House Democratic Caucus chair Hakeem Jeffries. She now faces Hempstead town councilman Anthony D’Esposito in the Nov. 8 general election. He ran unopposed on the Republican ticket. Gillen has stated that repealing restrictions to state and local tax deductions passed in 2017 is one of her immediate priorities. She also voiced support for universal background checks on gun purchases to help curb crime and violence, while calling for expanded voting rights. Early results showed Nassau County Legislator Carrié Solages in second with 16 percent of votes. Solages advocated for an aggressive foreign policy, tax incentives for small businesses, and expanding protections for women. Keith Corbett had 14 percent of the vote. The Malverne mayor called for expansions to reproductive and voting rights while touting his experience in village planning and infrastructure. Finally, physician Muzib Huq from Elmont captured a little more than 1 percent of the vote. He had campaigned on improving the American health care system, championing racial and religious tolerance, and investing in anemic local and national infrastructure. While the fourth district is forecasted to safely lean Democrat by some, other pollsters — like McLaughlin & Associates — say D’Esposito had the best chance of claiming the seat if Gillen was his opponent.