_________________ FREEPORT _________________
HERALD $1.00
A young Freeport entrepreneur
l.I. wind energy possibilities
Free mammogram at the rec center
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Vol. 87 No. 21
MAY 19 - 25, 2022
Freeporters meet officers at Open House By REINE BETHANY rbethany@liherald.com
Courtesy Freeport Public Relations
K-9 UNIT PolIcE Officer Scott Panzarino, far left, and Chief Michael Smith introduced Panzarino’s canine partner, Steel, to Miguel Lopez, Ingrid Ortiz and their children, 18-month-old Katya and 3-year-old Brando, at the Freeport Police Department Open House last Saturday.
The Freeport Police Department’s Open House last Saturday was an opportunity for residents to meet peace officers and see the department’s methods for keeping the village safe. At the event, on the grounds of the department’s headquarters at Freeport Village Hall, the Police Benevolent Association offered tables full of informational literature and toys for visiting children. Near the PBA tent, Officer Scott Panzarino stroked the head of his K-9 Unit partner, a
6-year-old male German shepherd named Steel, one of eight working K-9s in the department. “They’re all patrol-trained,” Panzarino said, “meaning that they’re trained to track human scent.” The dogs might track a suspect who has fled, or a person with dementia who has wandered from home. The residue of human scent also leads the dogs to stolen property that a suspect has tossed while running. The dogs are also trained to detect narcotics, bombs and even stolen electronic equipContinued on page 10
School budget passes, and Jordan-Awalom is re-elected By REINE BETHANY rbethany@liherald.com
A heated race for two Freeport school board seats ended with board President Maria Jordan-Awalom recapturing her spot, while the seat left vacant by departing board Vice President Gabriela Castillo went to 23-yearold Shuron Jackson. Meanwhile, the school budget passed handily, with 1,269 voting in favor and 542 opposed. Totaling just under $209.73 million, the spending plan includes increases for instructional technology equipment, professional development, hiring of more guidance staff, and capital
improvements. The tax levy, however, will decrease by .12 percent. Federal and state aid will make up the difference. Proposition 2 also passed, 1,476 to 301. It authorizes the district to spend $2.5 million of its capital reserves for upgrades in school building infrastructure and schoolyards that have been on the drawing board for some time. The races for the contested school board seats were close. Running mates Jordan-Awalom and Shuron Jackson garnered 910 and 856 votes, respectively. But both Jacques Butler, with 819 votes, and Ben Jackson, with 810, made respectable showings.
Both seats are for three-year terms, starting July 1, which meant that the stakes were perceived as high, and the turnout was strong. Voters were still trailing into the gym of Caroline G. Atkinson School, on Seaman Avenue, as t h e 9 p. m . c l o s i n g h o u r approached, including Ladonna Taylor, the recently appointed executive director of Nassau County Youth Services, and her husband, Thomas, the deputy commissioner of the Town of Hempstead Highway Department. Sam Pardo, one of the six poll inspectors signing people in to vote at Atkinson, has sat at the
sign-in table for numerous school board elections. “Probably we’ve had between 1,500 and 2,000 votes throughout the district, which is higher than normal,” Pardo said at 8:50. “People come in saying that they’re here to support the schools, make sure that the kids are taken care of.” After the polls closed, school board trustees and officials gath-
ered in the Atkinson cafeteria to certify the results. About 70 residents sat on folding chairs. Butler and Ben Jackson chatted quietly on one side of the room. Shuron Jackson took a seat in the back, and got a big hug from Jordan-Awalom before she took her place behind the long table with the other trustees. Continued on page 5