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Science at Giblyn and Bayview
MSSN polls for Covid attitudes
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Vol. 87 No. 5
JANUARY 27 - FEBRUARY 2, 2022
Freeport schools keep mask mandate By REiNE BEthANY rbethany@liherald.com
Christina Daly/Herald
NASSAU CoUNtY lEGiSlAtoR Steve Rhoads, left, joined County Executive Bruce Blakeman on Tuesday as he announced support for a ruling against Gov. Kathy Hochul’s state mask mandate. Behind them are members of local school boards who oppose the mask mandate.
Freeport Schools Superintendent Dr. Kishore Kuncham announced Monday on the district website that students and staff would continue to wear masks in schools according to the New York state mask mandate. The mandate was issued on Dec. 10 by Gov. Kathy Hochul, based on a directive from the State Department of Health. Kuncham’s announcement was posted in response to Monday’s ruling by State Supreme Court Judge Thomas Rade-
maker that, according to the state constitution, the mandate was not legally enforceable. County Executive Bruce Blakeman held a news conference Tuesday on the steps of the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building in Mineola to call on Hochul to accept Rademaker’s ruling. The state immediately filed an appeal, and a state appeals court issued a stay of Rademaker’s ruling, meaning that, for now, the mask mandate will remain in place until the Continued on page 16
A chat with Village of Freeport government officials By REiNE BEthANY rbethany@liherald.com
An informal interview with Mayor Robert Kennedy and the village trustees after Monday’s village board meeting evoked a listing of triumphs and continuing improvement in finances, infrastructure, safety, and fostering connections between residents and village government. The trustees present were Deputy Mayor Ronald J. Ellerbe, Jorge A. Martinez, and Evette Sanchez. Trustee Christopher L. Squeri was unable to attend that particular meeting. Village financial reserves are holding steady at $24 million,
Kennedy said. When he took every year, but every one of office in 2013, the reserves stood those has been absorbed in our budget for the past at $1.2 million and nine years, and we village debt at $160 haven’t had a tax million. The debt is increase in nine now $80 million, a years.” positive trend, espeKeeping the vilcially in light of rislage budget from baling budget costs that looning requires cannot be avoided, close work between he noted. the village govern“We’ve absorbed ment and the 15 vilevery increase in lage departments. workman’s compenRobert t. Kennedy “It’s very collecsation, liability, distive,” said Kennedy. ability, medical and “We look at every retirement,” Kennedy said. “If you look at medical, item on the agenda and discuss it’s gone up probably 7 percent the best way to approach the every year, retirement’s gone up issue, whether it’s economic
development, whether it’s police . . . you saw the budget that we approved, $79 million, and every one of these trustees sat down with every department head and reviewed every ounce they were spending, reviewed every budget – you don’t need this, you don’t need this.” Infrastructure can be a major budget and logistics headache
for a waterfront community, but the village is systematic. The Department of Public Works maintains the village’s 14 water wells, underground piping, and overground pumping stations, for 14,000 residential and commercial properties. DPW also maintains its own storm and sewer drains, rather than turnContinued on page 9