Franklin Square/Elmont Herald 03-09-2023

Head in the game

Sewanhaka H.S. district proposes $244M budget

By ANA BoRRUTo aborruto@liherald.com

The Sewanhaka Central High School board has unveiled a proposed $244 million budget for 2023-24, which includes the implementation of new courses and several improvement projects across all five schools in the district.

Kevin O’Brien, assistant superintendent for finance and operations, detailed the budget’s plans during a public Board of Education meeting on Feb. 28. The 2023-24 spending plan is about $17 million larger than the current school year’s $227 million budget, O’Brien said.

The state aid projection for

next year is more than $72 million, roughly $14 million more than what was offered this academic year. O’Brien added that there will be a 2.4 percent increase in the tax levy, which falls below the district’s tax cap.

“We’ve initiated a lot of programs with the additional federal funds that we’ve received,”

Superintendent James Grossane said. “This way we can start transferring costs from the federal funds into our general budgets so programs that we put in place for students can be maintained. This large infusion from the state we’re very grateful for, because that will enable us to do that.”

The executive budget is typiContinued on page 11

South Asian community opens up about pressing issues

By ANA BoRRUTo aborruto@liherald.com

The first-ever South Asian Advisory Group Town Hall was a night of promoting unity and tackling critical issues impacting the South Asian community on Long Island, such as domestic violence, hate crimes and discrimination.

In partnership with the Muslim Entrepreneur Association, New York Grows Together and the Khalsa Community Patrol, Nassau County Legislator Carrié Solages and Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages hosted a public forum on March 2 at the Elmont Memorial Library with

the goal of sparking a dialogue about the needs of South Asian people. Attendees also learned about economic opportunities, as well as helpful federal and local resources at their disposal.

Abdul Rahman, co-host of the town hall, founder of the Muslim Entrepreneur Association and director of New York Grows Together, said the purpose of the town hall was to allow attendees to speak openly about matters they believe need to be addressed.

“These things we usually sweep under the rug,” Rahman said. “We don’t talk about domestic violence, we don’t talk about mental health issues — until it

becomes a problem. That’s when we talk about it, but we have to talk about prevention.”

Dozens of speakers of various ethnic backgrounds — Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, IndoCaribbean and others — stepped up to the microphone to share their personal experiences and concerns.

Nafiah Ikram, 23, of Elmont was assaulted on the evening of March 17, 2021 in her driveway when she and her mother returned to their home after shopping. Once her mother was inside the house, an unidentified man came up from behind Ikram and threw acid in her face. To this day, she suffers from both

physical and emotional pain from the incident, she said.

According to the Acid Survivors Foundation, a vast majority of acid attacks are committed against women between the ages of 13 and 35, with 99 percent of the attackers being men. The Acid Survivors Trust International organization said 1,500 acid attacks occur annually and

80 percent target women, with 60 percent going unreported.

Ikram said acid is easily accessible and affordable, and she wants to push for a ban on over-the-counter and online sales of these harmful chemicals.

“I really want to try to use my experience to help other people in any way, shape or form,”

Continued on page 4

Tim Baker/Herald

Jacob Reid, 12, of Elmont heads down the court during a Klinic Kids basketball game. Story, more photos, Page 3.

Hometown Heroes banner program returns Applications due to the Franklin Square Civic Association by March 15

By ANA BORRUTO aborruto@liherald.com

The Franklin Square Civic Association is celebrating local veterans and heroes for a fifth year with its special banner initiative.

Adrienne McKenna, project coordinator, said the program originally launched with the idea of honoring military personnel from Franklin Square only. When the Covid-19 pandemic first happened, the program expanded to shine the spotlight on health care workers and first responders.

“We felt we could expand it to honor and recognize those heroes,” McKenna said. “We also had always gotten questions from people who live in Franklin Square, but their parent might not have, so technically, they were not eligible — the committee met and we decided to expand it again a little bit.”

Applications for the 2023 Hometown Heroes Banner Program are due by Wednesday, March 15 and there are two offerings: the Franklin Square Hometown Hero banner and the Franklin Square Honored Hero.

The Hometown Heroes are reserved for the contributions of Franklin Square residents, while the Honored Hero banners are available to current Franklin Square residents who would like to give recognition to a military or first responder hero who is not from the town.

For example, Frank Culmone, president of the Franklin Square Civic Association, has lived in Franklin Square for over 50 years now, but his father and father-inlaw who were in the service did not, McKenna said. When the program expanded last year, Culmone was able to honor his relatives with the Honored Heroes banner.

The plan is to place the banners at the VFW Post 2718 on Lincoln Road or at Rath Park from Memorial Day on May 29 through Veteran’s Day on Nov. 11. Each banner costs $135 and must be paid by the banner sponsor.

Once they are taken down after Veteran’s Day, the banners will be returned to the sponsors in the late fall, as a keepsake. McKenna said there are over 20 banners from last year’s event the civic association plans on rehanging with the new submissions.

Those who do not have a specific hero to sponsor, but are still interested in contributing to the program, can do so by filling out an application and selecting “Sponsor Only.”

McKenna said the civic association is appreciative to the VFW Post 2718 for allowing the organization to display the banners around the building and in the park.

“We felt it was only fair that we should honor the people who live in Franklin Square that have contributed to our freedoms, our world, our safety and our health,” McKenna said. “It’s just a project near and dear to the whole civic association’s heart and it’s something we’re very proud of.”

For any additional questions or information about how to apply for a banner, email the FSCA Hometown Heroes Program Coordinator at hometownheroes@fsqcivic.org or call Adrienne McKenna at (516) 592-3405.

Basketball pros help students improve skills

Some of the most knowledgeable, talented and experienced basketball coaches took to Elmont Memorial High School’s court on Feb. 25 to help students enhance their skills, self-confidence and overall personal growth through friendly competition.

Roughly 75 students ages seven to 14 participated in the Klinic Kids one-day event at the Elmont high school where they engaged in drills, skills training, agility tests and fun competitions.

The Klinic Kids is a non-profit organization focused on providing professional level basketball development by bringing in the top coaches and trainers from all over the world.

The program also incorporates wellness techniques to strengthen the children’s mental health through individualized drills, team building activities, social emotional learning, positive affirmations, wellness breaks, health snack stations and small group instruction.

–Ana Borruto

Roughly 75 students ages 7 to 14 participated in the Klinic Kids program hosted on Feb. 25 at Elmont Memorial High School where they tested their skills through various drills lead by professional trainers and coaches.

the young playeRs took part in some friendly competition on the Elmont High School Spartan basketball court.

Tim Baker/Herald photos

Many of the coaches who volunteered in the Klinic Kids program in Elmont are former college and professional basketball players.

Kashif haMeed, pRogRaM organizer, former basketball player for Iona University and Harlem School principal, brought the clinic to Elmont to help kids and teens not only improve their basketball abilities, but also their mental wellness and self esteem.

Unity could lead to reduction in hate crimes

Ikram said. “What are the next steps we could take to prevent this from happening, aside from just catching the person, because it may be someone else that comes up with this idea?”

Other topics discussed included discrimination in the workplace and the rise of hate crimes against South Asians — especially since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Sikh men are increasingly targeted because they are often mistaken for Muslim Americans, organizers said.

Their turbans — which religiously symbolize spirituality and holiness and are also a sign of honor in the Punjabi culture — are often associated by people with terrorism and 9/11, according to the Sikh Coalition.

Domestic violence is also prevalent in the South Asian community, and some women in the audience brought up the need for more culturally sensitive shelters in Nassau County.

Language barriers often add to the difficulty of these situations, community members said, along with a lack of awareness of the resources that are out there. Particularly vulnerable are the elderly, women and children in need, they said.

“We have to make sure that government is working for you. There are so many resources available on the state, even on the federal and local level,” said Assemblywoman Solages. “It’s important that we have forums such as this where we can talk it out.”

Members of the Indo-Caribbean community expressed feeling disregarded and isolated from others in the South Asian population. They have Indian ancestry but are from West Caribbean countries such as Trinidad, Jamaica, Guyana and Grenada.

However, local Indo-Caribbean leaders said these town halls create a sense of unity between people with similar

Gurpreet SinGh, far left, Daler Singh, Japneet Singh, Chitinderpal Singh, Gurjot Singh and Harmanpreet Singh are leaders in the Sikh community of Richmond Hill, Queens, who participated in the South Asian Town Hall at Elmont Memorial Public Library. One of their organizations, the Khalsa Community Patrol, strives to make the neighborhood safer for those impacted by the rise in hate crimes in the area.

struggles and who are fighting for the same solutions. Some audience members expressed a strong interest in volunteering for local organizations or government initiatives.

Some solutions Carrié Solages and Michaelle Solages are working on at the county and state levels include introducing halal food in school meal plans, making Eid

al-Adha and Diwali official holidays, implementing a community center in the third legislative district, pushing for more multilingual translators in police departments and expanding the number of beds in local shelters.

“There’s a power when we come together and just be there for each other,” said Japneet Singh, co-director of New York Grows Together.

County LeGiSLator Carrié Solages, far left, co-host Abdul Rahman and Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages collaborated on the first-ever South Asian Advisory Group Town Hall on March 2. The elected officials discussed hosting more forums in the future.

HOW TO REACH US

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Ana Borruto/Herald photos

Joined by opposition to Hochul’s housing plan

More than two dozen Long Island elected officials teamed up to show a united front against Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposal for high density housing in single-family neighborhoods on Long Island last week at the Port Washington Train Station.

In addition to Town of Hempstead Supervisor Don Clavin, Town Clerk Kate Murray, and four members of the Town Board, Nassau County Legislators Howard Kopel and John Giuffre, and Village of Lynbrook Mayor Alan Beach joined the group to protest what they called an attack on the suburbs.

“Governor Kathy Hochul does not know what is best for Long Island and is openly infringing on municipal control of zoning regulations,” Clavin said in a release.

“We will not be quiet in the face of overdevelopment. We will take the fight to Albany and continue to advocate for Long Island neighbors.”

Officials announced that they would be taking the fight to the steps of the New York State Legislature in Albany later this month to call on Hochul to remove the housing legislation from her state budget proposal.

“This plan is simply not realistic for Nassau County,” state Senator Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick said in a release. “I will continue to oppose this budget so long as this policy of forcible rezoning remains part of it.”

Key elements of the plan include:

■ Increasing housing growth 3 percent over three years;

■ Creating a “Fast Track Approval” program;

■ Override the authority of local zoning law;

■ Increase housing units in Nassau County by an estimated 14,340 new units in three years;

■ Add stress to Nassau’s roads, schools, and local infrastructure;

■ Rezoning areas within a half-mile radius of Long

Island Rail Road stations;

■ Expedited environmental review process.

“Residents want to be involved in the decision-making process to ensure any development fits the character of their neighborhoods, and the Governor’s plan would

Hempstead town supervisor Don Clavin holds a sign that sums up the sentiments of dozens of officials all over Long Island.

strip them of those rights,” said Assemblyman Brian Curran in a release.

“This high-density housing plan is completely out of touch with our suburban quality of life here on Long Island.”

–Mark Nolan

Courtesy Town of Hempstead

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EDUCATION

MARIA P. CONZATTI

Interim President

Nassau Community College

BARBARA J. HOLAHAN

CFO, VP for Financial Affairs & Treasurer

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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

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JOSEPHINE FITZPATRICK

Nutrition & Weight Loss Specialist

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Partner Russo Law Group, P.C.

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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.

Herald sports

South Side defeats Elmont in semifinals

By TONY BELLISSIMO tbellissimo@liherald.com

With its nine-point halftime lead reduced to the slimmest of margins in the final minute of the third quarter of a Nassau Class A boys’ basketball semifinal Feb. 28, South Side found another gear against a familiar foe.

Seniors Josh Garelle and Chris Vanco drained clutch three-pointers, with the latter just beating the buzzer, to reenergize the second-seeded Cyclones and they pulled away for a 49-35 victory over No. 3 Elmont at Farmingdale State College.

“It got a little too close for comfort, but those backto-back threes were big and gave us back the momentum,” said Garelle, who had 14 points. “We knew it was going to be a tough game because we know how hard it is to beat a team three times.”

South Side, which knocked off Elmont twice during the regular season on the way to capturing the Conference A2 title, won its 21st consecutive game and advanced to face top-seeded Manhasset, the defending New York State Class A champions, in the county final.

Senior Robert Pericolosi scored a game-high 15 points and senior James Murphy added 14 for the Cyclones, who will look to avenge last year’s semifinal playoff defeat to the Indians. Elmont was led by junior Cassius Moore’s 13 points, all of which came after halftime.

“We knew Elmont would be a tough out and credit

to them for how they fought back,” South Side head coach Jerry D’Angelo said. “I loved how well we defended in the first half and held them to 12 points, but we were too stationary on offense and didn’t really take advantage of the college-size court.

“We were able to create more space in the second half and took advantage of certain mismatches and hit our free throws,” he added.

Pericolosi scored nine of the last 11 points of a fastpaced opening quarter to help the Cyclones build a 13-7 advantage. It was 21-12 at intermission after Murphy beat the buzzer with a layup.

“South Side’s an incredible team that plays well together and executes well,” Elmont head coach Ryan Straub said. “I thought we played just a tough and left it all on the floor. Our shots weren’t falling in the first half and we weren’t able to penetrate as well as we like, but we put up a good fight.”

Moore, who helped lead the Spartans to playoff victories over Calhoun and Sewanhaka, was held off the scoresheet in the first half but was the biggest reason they made South Side sweat in the third quarter. He scored 11 points in the frame and brought Elmont to within 26-25 with 1:47 remaining before the Cyclones answered back.

“We definitely weren’t overconfident just because we beat them twice before,” said Murphy, who had nine points in the fourth quarter including a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 42-29 with just over three minutes remaining.

Media Origin Inc./Herald

ELMONT’S GIrELL FrIaS-WaLSh eyed the rim during the Spartans’ Class A semifinal playoff loss to South Side on Feb. 28.

Capital improvement projects planned

cally split into three parts: administrative, program and capital. Administrative consists of funds for the Board of Education, district clerk, superintendent’s office, the curriculum department, legal department and several other offices. The current administrative budget stands at $28.5 million and under the proposed budget, it would jump to $29.7 million for next year.

The program budget includes funding for extracurricular activities, transportation, library media centers, school lunch, health services and several other areas.

According to the Feb. 28 presentation, the total funds set aside for programs will be roughly $185.9 million — a 7.75 percent hike from this year.

O’Brien said an estimated $28.9 million, or a roughly $2.7 million increase, has been reserved for the capital portion — which encompasses buildings and grounds, security, debt service and transfer to capital projects.

School officials also outlined the capital improvement projects planned for each of the five buildings, with all of the schools slated to upgrade their auditorium projections, lights and sound systems.

Other capital improvement plans include renovating Elmont High School’s main office and restoring Sewanhaka High School’s clock tower. Officials said they plan to upgrade security cameras district-wide as well.

Grossane discussed the new courses

listed in the 2023-24 budget, such as the expansion of the school research programs throughout the district, implementation of human body systems and AP computer science elective courses, and the enhancement of the current real estate and investment course, leading students to take the real estate license exam.

Beginning next year, all ninth-graders will be required to enroll in a new financial literacy course.

“This is pretty much a national movement and we are a little ahead of the curve there,” Grossane said. “It’s not yet required by New York State, but we heard from our students that they felt this was a very valuable tool for them to learn.”

Last year, Grossane said the district hired several new guidance counselors, social workers and psychologists to help students with their social and emotional needs as they returned to school during

the Covid-19 pandemic.

He added it was money “well invested” because many students were struggling, and school district officials continue to support them as best they can.

Also up for a vote on the May 16 ballot is a proposition to expend funds from the capital reserve, O’Brien said. Grossane explained that the district is desperately in need of some repairs, including improvements to the cafeteria and kitchen at Elmont, Floral Park, H. Frank Carey and New Hyde Park high schools.

School officials also want to expand the career and technical education program and fix up some of the interiors of the buildings.

Grossane said the capital reserve is the schools’ accumulated savings over multiple years and these funds are designed for building maintenance. The capital reserve allocation has no impact on taxes, the superintendent added.

“When we see the CTE program facility expansion, we will be adding another structure on the grounds here at Sewanhaka High School, which will house our cosmetology program,” Grossane said. “Something more modern, it hasn’t been redone in over 30 years and it also frees up some classroom space.”

The full budget presentation from Feb. 28 is available for the public to view on the Sewanhaka Central High School district website. To find out more, visit Bit. Ly/3ZoBbAf.

Christina Daly/Herald file

The Sewanhaka CenTral High School District released its first presentation of the 2023-24 executive budget last month. Superintendent James Grossane and Kevin O’Brien, assistant superintendent for finance and operations, discussed the new curriculum additions and capital projects planned for next year.

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.”

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.

Michael Malaszczyk/Herald

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

The Ugly Duckling

• 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.

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

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. 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) 8774000 or Adelphi.edu/pac.

Sons and Daughters of Italy meeting

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.

Civic Association Meeting

The next Franklin Square Civic Association general meeting is set for Wednesday, March 22, 7 to 9 p.m., at the Franklin Square Public Library, 19 Lincoln Road.

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.

The Order of Sons and Daughters of Italy in America meets, Wednesday, March 15, 7:30 p.m. Meetings are at Franklin Square VFW Hall, 68 Lincoln Road, Franklin Square. All general meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month. All are welcome. For more information, contact Andrew Monteleone,

My Furry Valentine

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, all pet adoptions at the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter are free through Friday, March 31. For more information, contact the shelter at (516) 785-5220 or visit 3320 Beltagh Ave. in Wantagh.

Willie Nile

March 15 Diversity Fair

Hometown Heroes

Franklin Square Civic Association is running its 2023 Hometown Hero Banner Program this spring. The banners will be displayed from Memorial Day through Veterans Day at the VFW Post 2718 on Lincoln Road or at Rath Park in Franklin Square. Applications are due by March 15. For additional information call Adrienne McKenna at (516) 592-3405 or email hometownheroes@fsqcivic.org.

In concert

March 15

Singersongwriters

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.

Over 32 Nassau County school districts will discuss hiring at the Nassau BOCES Diversity Fair, Saturday, March 11, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the rear gym at Career Preparatory High School, 111 Cantiague Rock Road, Westbury. Certified administrators and teachers are invited to attend. Fill out an application to attend online at olasjobs.org/nassaudiversityfair.

Dance at Saint Catherine’s Church

Enjoy a night of dancing, raffles, traditional Irish and Italian food at Saint Catherine of Sienna’s Dinner Dance in celebration of Saint Patrick and Saint Joseph, Saturday, March 18, 7 to 10:30 p.m. 990 Holzheimer St, Franklin Square. $60 adults, $15 ages 12 and under. Tickets are on sale after Sunday masses at Saint Catherine’s; the last day to purchase tickets is Sunday, March 5. For more information, call Ray Diaz at (516) 491-1162 or John Balestrieri at (516) 4852845.

Having an event?

On stage

Mo Willems’ popular character

The Pigeon comes alive on the Long Island Children’s Museum stage, Saturday, March 11, 11:30 a.m.; Thursday and Friday, March 16-17, 10:15 a.m. and noon. Pigeon is eager to try anything, with the audience part of the action. $9 with museum admission ($7 members), $12 theater only. Long Island Children’s Museum, Museum Row, Garden City. (516) 2245800 or LICM.org.

Supermarket Bingo

Valley Stream North High School

PTSA holds a bingo fundraiser, Friday, March 10, 7 p.m., 750 Herman Ave., Franklin Square. Contact Deborah Kalb at (516) 644-1557 or email disp25@ optonline.net with questions.

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.

Craft Kitchen & Tap House

St. Patrick's Week Menu

2023

Beef Barle y Soup 10

Appetizer s

Chef Patrick was influenced as a young man by his Grandmother 's kitchen, and that's where he saw that cooking can feed peoples souls.

Patrick attended and excelled at the culinary schools he attended. His first stop was at Sullivan College. His journey started at the Garden City Hotel, in the La Cote d' dining room with master Chef Patrick Pino, who shaped his philosophy of cooking. Patrick then headed to New York City to expand his culinary repertoire at the Ritz Carlton Hotel. That's where he met Three Star Michelin Chef Gunther Serger Chef Serger instilled in him the elegance of simplicity, artistry of balance and the appreciation of the ingredients. Patrick moved south to Atlanta and worked with renowned chef and author Marcella Hazan who instilled the purity and quality of the products that they used. A short stint with Chef Emeril Lagasse exposed Patrick to southern flares and flavors as well.

Patrick felt he had found his culinary voice and headed home to Long Island. That's when he found local farms and fishermen that worked with sustainable practices. Over the years Patrick has instilled balance in the blends of ingredients in his cuisine, still striving for the fulfillment of his culinary soul. Craft Kitchen & Taphouse are so excited to have Chef Patrick heading to the Lynbrook team. His weekly specials are a "must try" and will be changing the seasonal menu this May, making it a great Spring Summer destination whether you dine inside or out at Craft.

Irish Nachos

Potato Chips, Cor ned Beef, Sour Cream, Scallions, Swiss Cheese Sauce 15

Kilkenny Ste w Beef, Potatoes & Veggies, Over Egg Noodles 22

Beer Battered Fish & Chips

Cole Slaw, Hand Cut Fries 22

Cor ned Beef & Cabbage

Boiled Potatoes 25

Dublin Eggrolls

Cor ned Beef, Cabbage, Swiss Cheese 15

Entrées

She pherd's Pie

Ground Beef, Car rot & Pea Casserole, Topped W/ Mashed Potatoes 22

Done gal Tidbits

Cor ned Beef, Swiss Cheese, Fries 18

Reuben Sandwich

Cor ned Beef, Swiss Cheese, Sauerkraut, Russian Dressing, Fries 17

CB Sandwich

Cor ned Beef, Rye Bread, Fries 16

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.

The story, “College union continues push for ‘fair contracts’,” edited by Andre Silva and published on March 2, 2023, omitted a quote from Nassau Community College’s attorney John Gross.

NCC attorney John Gross told the Herald that employee contributions to health insurance premiums are a common structure at colleges, businesses and municipalities throughout the nation.

“The college and the faculty union agreed some time ago that if health insurance premiums increase during negotiations, the cost is passed along to those enjoying coverage,” Gross said.

Gross maintains that a provision in the union’s previous contract allows increases in health insurance costs to be passed on to educators if they go up while no contract is in place.

That leaves it up to the union members to shoulder those additional costs through payroll deductions.

Gross maintains that a provision in the union’s previous contract allows increases in health insurance costs to be passed on to educators if they go up while no contract is in place. That leaves it up to the union members to shoulder those additional costs through payroll deductions.

News brief

Looking out for a future with abundant water

Nearly 50 local irrigation contractors as well as representatives from area water providers gathered at the Merrick Golf Course clubhouse to explore ways to conserve water with Hempstead town supervisor Don Clavin, the town’s water department, Liberty New York Water, and the Irrigation Association of New York.

“Reducing the amount of water we use on our irrigation systems is important as it will help preserve our environment, benefit our drinking water infrastructure, and reduce costs for both us and our residents,” Clavin said, in a release. “The technology displayed during this event was astounding, and its wider utilization will play a significant role in reducing the amount of water we use on our lawns without sacrificing their health and beauty.”

Presentations focused on water conservation, especially when it comes to lawn irrigation. That can be especially problematic at the peak of summer, creating water pressure issues that could affect homes, businesses and especially first responders, as there may not be enough water available to fight fires.

Different technology is available that can limit water usage to only what’s needed to maintain lawns — both saving water, and saving money.

“Partnering with irrigation contractors allows us to make a greater impact on conservation,” said Shannen McDonald, water efficiency program manager for Liberty said, in a release. “Together, we can educate customers and make a true impact in the area of conservation.”

Courtesy Town of Hempstead

Hempstead town supervisor Don Clavin joins Irrigation Association of New York trustee Mike Dwyer to learn more about the irrigation technology offered by Rain Bird. The company was one of nearly 50 that attended a water conservation conference hosted by the Hempstead town officials in Merrick last month.

It all started the moment she raised

By MALLORY WILSON mwilson@liherald.com

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.

Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU

DEUTSCHE BANK

NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR MORGAN STANLEY ABS CAPITAL I INC. TRUST 2007-HE2

MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES

2007-HE2, Plaintiff, AGAINST JACQUELINE TODD, et al.

Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a judgment of foreclosure and sale duly entered on February 22, 2019.

I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at the North Side Steps of the Nassau Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on March 16, 2023 at 2:00 PM premises known as 1 Catherine Court, Elmont, NY 11003.

Please take notice that this foreclosure auction shall be conducted in compliance with the Foreclosure Auction Rules for the Tenth Judicial District, Nassau County, and the COVID 19 Health Emergency Rules, including proper use of masks and social distancing.

All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being at Elmont, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York. Section 32, Block C02 and Lot 0016. Approximate amount of judgment $861,722.42 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment. Index #008051/2014.

Salvatore Puccio, Esq., Referee, Aldridge Pite, LLPAttorneys for Plaintiff - 40 Marcus Drive, Suite 200, Melville, NY 11747

137328

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT: NASSAU COUNTY.

MTGLQ INVESTORS, L.P., Pltf. vs. MICHELE

SPANO, FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF OMAHA, Defts. Index #003111/13.

Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered January 5, 2023, I will sell at public auction on the north side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY on March 29, 2023 at 2:30 p.m., prem. k/a 396 Bly Court, Franklin Square, NY a/k/a Section 35, Block 485, Lot 23. Said property lying and being at Franklin Square, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of NY known and designated as and by the Lot No. 23 in Block 485 on a certain map entitled “Map of Glen Oaks Homes, Inc., Section 1, located at Franklin Square, Nassau

County, New York, surveyed August 1945, William E. DeBruin, Civil Engineer, Hempstead, N.Y.” and filed in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Nassau on March 21, 1946 as Map No. 4307. Approx. amt. of judgment is $ 595,190.20 plus costs and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale. Foreclosure auction will be held “rain or shine.” If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the court appointed referee will cancel the auction.

ANTHONY RATTOBALLI, Referee. HILL WALLACK LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 261 Madison Avenue, 9th Floor, Ste. 940-941, New York, NY. File No. 20292-1431- #100100 137472

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, DITECH FINANCIAL LLC F/K/A GREEN TREE SERVICING LLC, Plaintiff, vs. WILIAN A. PORTILLO and ROBER W. PALMA, ET AL., Defendants.

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on November 30, 2017, and an Order Appointing Substitute Referee entered August 19, 2022, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Nassau County Supreme Court, North Side steps, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, New York 11501 on March 27, 2023 at 2:00 P.M., premises known as 30 HARRIET AVENUE, HEMPSTEAD, NY 11550. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Incorporated Village of Hempstead, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section: 34, Block: 254, Lot: 360 & 361. Approximate amount of judgment is $562,316.60 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 021801/2008.

If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Mortgagee’s attorney, or the Referee.

BRIAN J. DAVIS, Esq.,

Referee

Roach & Lin, P.C., 6851 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 185, Syosset, New York 11791, Attorneys for Plaintiff 137476

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURTCOUNTY OF NASSAU US BANK NA, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE FOR THE RMAC TRUST, SERIES 2016-CTT, Plaintiff, AGAINST ERROL JAMES AKA

ERROL A. JAMES AKA

ERROL A.T. JAMES, et al.

Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a judgment of foreclosure and sale duly entered on June 13, 2022.

I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at the North Side Steps of the Nassau Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on March 23, 2023 at 2:00 PM premises known as 136 Heathcote Road AKA 136 Heathcote, Elmont, NY 11003.

Please take notice that this foreclosure auction shall be conducted in compliance with the Foreclosure Auction Rules for Nassau County and the COVID 19 Health Emergency Rules, including proper use of masks and social distancing.

All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being at Elmont, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York. Section 32, Block 399 and Lot 83, 84, 85.

Approximate amount of judgment $940,245.40 plus interest and costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment. Index #005280/2015.

Philip Debellis, Esq., Referee, Aldridge Pite, LLPAttorneys for Plaintiff - 40 Marcus Drive, Suite 200, Melville, NY 11747 137449

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU

Carrington Mortgage Services, LLC, Plaintiff AGAINST

Henry Barreto; Vincent Cecere a/k/a Vincent A. Cecere; Danielle Cecere; et al., Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale

duly entered October 26, 2022 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 275 Ribbon Street, Franklin Square, NY 11010. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in Franklin Square, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York, Section: 35 Block: 564 Lot: 28.

Approximate amount of judgment $620,919.88

plus interest and costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 616876/2019. 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.”

Mark Ricciardi, 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 6, 2023

137458

LEGAL NOTICE

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

COUNTY OF NASSAU

THE BANK OF NEW YORK

MELLON, F/K/A THE BANK OF NEW YORK AS TRUSTEE FOR REGISTERED HOLDERS OF CWABS, INC., ASSETBACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2004-13, Plaintiff,

v.

Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP

Plaintiff’s Attorney

500 Bausch & Lomb Place Rochester, NY 14604

Tel.: 855-227-5072 137653

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE OF SALE

VINCENT MCPHERSON, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ESTATE OF LAVERN

MCPHERSON A/K/A

LAVERN VERONICA

MCPHERSON A/K/A

LAVERN DACOSTA A/K/A LAVERN DACOSTAMCPHERSON, ET AL, Defendant. NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE PLEASE TAKE NOTICE

THAT

In pursuance of a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the Office of the County Clerk of Nassau County on December 16, 2022, I, Mark S. Ricciardi, Esq. the Referee named in said Judgment, will sell in one parcel at public auction on April 4, 2023 at The North Side Steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501, County of Nassau, State of New York, at 2:00 PM the premises described as follows: 168 Freeman Avenue Elmont, NY 11003 SBL No: 37-371-285

ALL THAT TRACT OR PARCEL OF LAND situate in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York.

The premises are sold subject to the provisions of the filed judgment, Index No. 613803/2018 in the amount of $497,953.24 plus interest and costs.

Foreclosure Auctions will be held Rain or Shine. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the Court Appointed Referee will cancel the foreclosure auction.

Richard S. Mullen

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE OF MFRA TRUST 2015-1, Plaintiff, vs. DINORAH CABEZAS TORRES A/K/A DINORAH CABEZAS A/K/A DINORAH TORRES, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on December 19, 2022, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on April 4, 2023 at 2:30 p.m., premises known as 1601-16 Johnson Avenue, Elmont, NY 11003. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being at Elmont, in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 32, Block 470 and Lot 24. Approximate amount of judgment is $579,657.62 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 613751/2018. This foreclosure sale will be held on the north side steps of the Courthouse, rain or shine. COVID-19 safety protocols will be followed at the foreclosure sale. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the Court Appointed Referee will cancel the sale.

Harold F. Damm, Esq., Referee Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Firm File No: 193110-1

137651

LEGAL NOTICE

VEHICLE BID

NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN, that the Board of Fire Commissioners of the Franklin Square and Munson Fire District is accepting sealed bids with a minimum bid of $ 30,000.00 for the sale of a 2015 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD. Sale of vehicle is “as is”. To obtain additional vehicle information please email: engineer@fsmfd.com

Bids will be accepted in person or by mail to the Secretary at Franklin Square & Munson Fire District, Attn: Vehicle Bid, 833 Hempstead Tpke. Franklin Square, NY 11010 no later than 4:00 pm on March 27, 2023 and will be opened at the March 28, 2023 regular monthly meeting. Full payment in the form of a bank check or money order made payable to Franklin Square and Munson Fire District and the removal of said vehicle must take place no later than April 7, 2023. The Board of Fire Commissioners reserves the right to decline any and all bids as it deems to be in the best interest of the Franklin Square and Munson Fire District. BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS FRANKLIN SQUARE AND MUNSON FIRE DISTRICT

FRANKLIN SQUARE & MUNSON FIRE DISTRICT TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD

Attest: Kerry Santina District Secretary

February 28, 2023 137818

Printed

This notice is only for new cases in Elmont & Franklin Square 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 a t 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

TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD

ATTEST: Kerry Santina District Secretary February 28, 2023 137817

LEGAL NOTICE

TO THE TAXPAYERS of the Franklin Square & Munson Fire District, Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York:

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a resolution was adopted by the Board of Fire Commissioners, Franklin Square & Munson Fire District, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York at a special meeting thereof held on February 28, 2023 subject to Permissive Referendum as provided by Town Law. An abstract of the resolution is as follows:

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Board of Fire Commissioners of the Franklin Square & Munson Fire District, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, shall expend monies for the purchase of emergency extrication air bags and associated accessories in an amount not to exceed, fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000.00). Said funds to be expended from Capital Reserve for Equipment Repair and Replacement as authorized by Section 6-g of the General Municipal Law. This resolution shall take effect 30 days from the date hereof, unless within 30 days a valid petition, as provided for in the Town Law is filed with the Fire District Secretary requesting a Permissive Referendum.

BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS

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. & 2:00 P.M. to consider the following applications and appeals:

THE FOLLOWING CASES WILL BE CALLED STARTING AT 9:30 A.M. 178/23. - 179/23.

ELMONT - Bertrand Batista, Mother/daughter Res. (2nd kitchen); Variances, lot area occupied, front yard average setback, construct 2nd story addition with wood deck open below and roofed over porch all attached to dwelling., N/s Russell St., 50’ E/o Litchfield Ave., a/k/a 1250 Russell St. 181/23.

FRANKLIN SQUARE - Judie & Landrey Cherenfant, Variance, side yard, maintain cellar entrance attached to dwelling., S/s Doughty Ave., 92’ E/o Hewlett St., a/k/a 829 Doughty Ave. THE FOLLOWING CASES WILL BE CALLED STARTING AT 2:00 P.M. 192/23. - 193/23.

FRANKLIN SQUARE - Dina Mancini f/k/a Dina A. Marigliano, Mother/Daughter Res. (2nd kitchen); Variance, side yard, maintain a/c unit attached to dwelling., E/s Hemlock St., 280.34’ S/o Willow Rd., a/k/a 833 Hemlock 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.

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.

137808

LEGAL NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY

GIVEN, that a resolution was duly adopted by the Board of Fire Commissioners of the Franklin Square and Munson Fire District on the 28th day of February 2023, subject to permissive referendum as provided for by the Town Law.

An extract of the resolution is as follows:

The Franklin Square and Munson Fire District shall sell the following vehicles: One (1) 2015 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD no longer necessary for the District’s uses and purposes valued at least twenty-thousand ($20,000.00) dollars but less than one-hundredthousand ($100,000.00) dollars in accordance with the authority vested in the Board of Fire Commissioners under section 176 subdivision 23 of the Town Law with the actual price of the sale to be based upon market forces.

Sale of said vehicle is subject to permissive referendum as required under section 176 subdivision 23 of the Town Law and in accordance with procedures for permissive referendum as described in the GML.

BOARD OF FIRE COMMISSIONERS

FRANKLIN SQUARE AND MUNSON FIRE DISTRICT

TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD

ATTEST:

PUBLIC AND PUBLIC AND LEGAL NOTICES… Printed in this publication can be found online. To search by publication name, go to: www.newyorkpublicnotices.com TO PLACE AND AD CALL 516-569-4000 x 232 www.liherald.com Legal Notices are everyone’s business READ THEM

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 our Digital, Events, Sponsorships.

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 experience is a plus and heavy lifting is required.

HomesHERALD

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

Lido Beach

New Construction

The architect planned one thing, and the plumber did another

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.

Stunning 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

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

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A Steal!

$599,000

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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

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1608 Ridgeway Dr, BA, Move Right Into This Completely Gut Renovated 4 BR, 3.5 Bth

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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

Ask The Architect Monte Leeper

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.

Most of the officials I speak to would never consciously let that happen, but at least three or four times a week, work passes an inspection when the plans don’t match. What should happen is that the owner should be communicated with about any change, and instead of fearing extra cost to get the architect or engineer involved, should pick up the phone, text or email to get the issue resolved quickly. You need to speak up, immediately, to take care of this before moving on. Good luck!

© 2022 Monte Leeper

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.

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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.

Established 1998

Incorporating the Franklin Square/Elmont Record

AnA Borruto

Senior Reporter

rhondA GlickmAn Vice President - Sales office 2 Endo Boulevard Garden City, NY 11530

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 KELLY Rockville Centre

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

OK, Santos lied.

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

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

Hochul’s budget takes aim at smoking

To the Editor:

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 2024 Executive Budget includes critical tobacco-control policies that, if passed, will reduce youth tobacco initiation rates and adult smoking rates, thus ensuring a tobacco-free generation. The elimination of flavored tobacco products from retail shelves is a common-sense action that will greatly improve the health of New Yorkers who continue to use tobacco products.

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in New York. Every year, approximately 4,300 New Yorkers under 18 become daily smokers, with 80 percent of young smokers starting with a flavored tobacco product. Flavored products, including menthol, are enticing to young smokers, and make it more difficult for them to quit once they are addicted to nicotine.

In addition, menthol tobacco products have been disproportionately marketed to Black communities for decades. As a

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.

result, the tobacco industry has profited from the creation of generations of longterm nicotine addiction and devastating health consequences.

Now is the time to take action against Big Tobacco’s shrewd and manipulative marketing tactics. I urge the State Legis-

lature to pass the proposed budget and protect young New Yorkers from tobaccorelated death and disease.

MAUREEN KENNEY Division director, American Lung Association Hauppauge

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.

ronaLd J. rosenBerG

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