Lynbrook/East Rockaway Herald 03-09-2023

Tireless efforts to help the hungry

Also serving Bay Park

Terrific season comes to an end

Racing toward better education

Foundation hosts 7th annual 5K, to raise money for school grants

By BEN FIEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com

When the clock strikes 8:30 a.m. on March 25, Hewlett Bay will be a beautiful backdrop for participants as they take off on an annual 5K run across East Rockaway for a good cause.

Gallagher said she hoped there would be a high turnout for this year’s run to provide EREF with funds to present to the East Rockaway Public Schools.

Courtesy EastRockawayedFoundation.org

The East Rockaway Education Foundation is hosting its seventh annual 5K, which will start and finish at 130 Hewlett Point Ave. For the first time, Elitefeats will time the run, which will also be available to those who want to participate virtually. EREF Director Vera

“We provide grants for teachers and staff so that they can have a positive impact on students in the district,” Gallagher said. The EREF is a 501c nonprofit, and raises funds that get redistributed back into the school district. The organization, however, is a separate entity, not directly affiliated with the district.

Continued on page 20

Lynbrook schools propose budget to avoid ‘financial cliff’

By BEN FIEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com

The 2023-24 proposed $101.8 million Lynbrook School District budget was created to soften the blow of the eventual loss in financial aid from New York state over the next few years.

Paul Lynch, the district’s assistant superintendent for finance, presented the proposed spending plan at a budget work session on March 1. The Lynbrook Board of Education was there with Lynch to publicly deliberate the proposed budget and vote to remove or add certain items if need be.

The district’s proposed $101.8

million spending plan is 5.1 percent larger than this year’s $96.9 million budget.

The increase in the tax levy — the amount that the district can raise in revenue through property taxes — will fall under the state’s allowable limit by about $1.5 million. The estimated tax levy increase is 2.6 percent, which technically exceeds the state cap of 2 percent, but the proposed budget has multiple exclusions that will allow it to be approved with a simple majority.

According to Lynch, state aid will drop considerably next year. He is not only focusing on next year’s budget, but is hoping to alleviate the financial burdens

“There is so much in this budget, and so many mistakes that could be made at this juncture with the budget, that it’s kind of scary.”

The spending plan is large because of aid from the federal government and the state due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“All of that is about to end,” Lynch said. “The board has done

a three-year plan to make sure that financial cliff in 2025 does not happen.”

With a projected increase of 24 percent, or $19 million, state aid greatly influenced this proposed budget. State aid helped the school integrate multiple programs in the budget. “The wonderful Owl Success Acade -

Continued on page 7

in future budgets. This is why the 2023-24 budget is nearly $5 million more than the current year’s.

“This is the single most important budget that I have prepared in 10 years,” Lynch said.

SEAN ANd THERESA Lynch running in the 2017 Education Foundation 5K. This year’s race is March 25.

T his is the single most important budget that I have prepared in 10 years.

PAul

Coach Realtors merges with Howard Hanna

Two family-owned real estate firms that opened their doors in the 1950s with eyes to serve their immediate neighbors are now joining forces some 70 years later.

Coach Realtors — based in Northport, but with offices across Long Island — has merged with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services out of Pittsburgh. The partnership of “two industry powerhouses” will “transform into even more amazing opportunities for our agents and clients,” said Howard “Hoby” Hanna IV, president of Howard Hanna, in a release.

“Our combined strength, talents and resources will be such an advantage in the industry.”

Howard Hanna first opened in Pittsburgh in 1957, not long after Coach Realtors set up shop in 1954. For Coach, that start began with a friendship founded during World War II that became a business partnership, according to the company’s history.

Since then, however, the two homegrown firms have expanded to become heavy hitters in the national real estate market. Howard Hanna has grown its presence in New York over the last seven years, and describes itself as the largest real estate firm in the state, based on units sold.

“We are thrilled to joined forces with Howard Hanna,” said Whitney Finn LaCosta, broker and owner of Coach Realtors, in a release. “We’re still the same Coach Realtors people have come to know and love, and you can expect the same top-quality service from our team. We just have a stronger real estate network for our clients now.”

As part of the merger, Coach Realtors will retain its

existing leadership and direction, with Finn LaCosta becoming chief executive of the newly combined Howard Hannah | Coach Realtors.

Coach agents gain an expanded referral network across 13 states, and will grow the overall network to

more than 15,000 agents and staff members.

“This partnership allows us to take Coach Realtors to the next level,” LaCosta said. “I’m looking forward to working with Howard Hanna and continuing our legacy of excellence.”

Courtesy Howard Hanna | Coach Realtors

Career Week puts students’ futures in focus

East Rockaway Junior and Senior High School gave students a first-hand look at the wide variety of post-secondary options that are available for them as they consider life after high school.

The weeklong series of interactive programs began with faculty-led presentations. These presentations highlighted career opportunities in student’s content areas, including science, foreign language, arts, and athletics.

On Feb. 15, the school welcomed representatives from over 40 businesses and organizations for “Career Day.” This gave students the opportunity to gain insight and interact directly with professionals in a variety of fields. The day started with motivational keynote speakers who focused on overcoming obstacles and adversities.

The career presentations took place in the classroom setting where presenters discussed education requirements, job details, and answered questions from the students. The day ended with seniors joining the professionals for a luncheon, which gave them the chance to meet and talk in a casual setting.

On Feb. 17, the program concluded with “Future Fair”, which was a first-time event for seventh to twelfth graders and their parents. They learned about certificate programs, trade opportunities, military enlistment, and more. This well-attended program included representatives from community and technical colleges, trade unions, local and federal law enforcement, public utilities, and others.

east rockaway students learning about technology and career opportunities from members of the U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit during Career Day.

adelphi representative and ERHS Class of 2020 Salutatorian Gianna Wayar at the Future Fair on Feb. 17 with brother Jorge, who is a ERHS junior.

students interested in a career in sports gained valuable knowledge from Dominick Vulpis, who is the assistant director of Section VIII Athletics.

east rockaway students visit Future Fair booths to learn about careers in architecture and law enforcement.

Photos courtesy East Rockaway School District Motivational speaker and Executive Organizational Development Coach Dailisha Rodriguez address East Rockaway students as they kick off Career Day on Feb. 15.

E.R. students shine in production of ‘Peter Pan’

Students from across the East Rockaway School District delighted audiences as they joined together to stage an incredible production of the classic musical “Peter Pan.”

The acting, singing, and choreography by the students, ranging from elementary to high school, was superb. The colorful stage design set the mood and the live orchestra performed each song with energy and technical precision.

Each of the three performances brought the packed house to their feet, leaving them wanting more of Peter Pan’s childish charm.

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The lynbrook/East Rockaway Herald USPS 323040, is published every Thursday by Richner Communications, Inc., 2 Endo Blvd. Garden City, NY 11530. Periodicals postage paid at Garden City, NY 11530 and additional mailing offices. Postmaster send address changes to Lynbrook/East Rockaway Herald, 2 Endo Blvd. Garden City, NY 11530. Newsstand Price: $1. Subscription rates: $60 for 1 year. Annual Subscription Rates, $9.75 per quarter auto-pay or $50 one-time payment within Nassau County or $60 outside of Nassau County. Copyright © 2023 Richner Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. HERALD lynbrook/east rockaway 333 Atlantic Avenue, East Rockaway, N,Y. 11518 Tel: (516) 593-2521 / Fax:(516) 825-6380 email: donzafuneralhome@aol.com Visit us a@ www.donzafuneralhome.com It’s about honoring the individual. “His great swing... If your father was an avid golfer, then we encourage you to share his greatest stories at the service. Guy

East Rockaway studEnts performing the musical “Peter Pan” on stage at East Rockaway Jr. /Sr. High School in February.

HOW

The ‘People’s Food Drive’ draws support

By ANDRE SILVA asilva@liherald.com

Robert Hallam, 61, of north Lynbrook, is organizing the 12th annual People’s Food Drive, in coordination with the Long Island Council of Churches Food Pantry, to help families in need in Nassau County fight food insecurity.

The council is collecting monetary and food donations to feed families in nearby Malverne and other South Shore communities, with additional help from an online GoFundMe campaign that began on Feb. 3.

“Sometimes people think the needy are homeless and downtrodden people,” Hallam said. “The people we help are really the ‘working poor’ — they have homes, but they live paycheck to paycheck.”

Inflation and rising food costs, he added, are driving more Long Islanders to the food pantry. “Everybody is aware of food prices going through the roof,” Hallam said. “When eggs go from $2.50 to $8 a dozen, it puts an imbalance in their paychecks.”

The food drive, he explained, is not designed to sustain families, but rather to give them a chance to temporarily ease the burden created by the cost of food.

Hallam, a member of Malverne’s Community Presbyterian Church, said the drive started as an offshoot of the church’s annual food collection in 2011, when he began placing donation boxes around his community.

“In our first year, we collected 984 donated items,” he recalled. “Now we’re in the range of 25,000 donated items each year.”

Hallam said that he and his wife, Mary, put out

the first donation boxes at his workplace, Nassau Door and Window, in Lynbrook, and at Jeremy’s Ale House, in Freeport. Since then, the initiative has grown dramatically.

“It’s not just the church anymore — it’s not just me and my wife anymore,” Hallam said. “This is how we came up with the name the People’s Food Drive. Everybody involved in the drive is a member, and plays their part to give back to the community.”

For a month now, donated food items have been filling up the living and dining rooms of the Hallams’ Lynbrook home, where they are being divided into boxes that will be transported to the Freeport pantry on Hanse Avenue in three weeks. “My house is completely filled with boxes,” Robert said, “from floor to ceiling.”

March 25 is Move the Food Day, when the Hallams and other volunteers will load the food boxes into a truck donated by Nassau Door and Window for the short trip east.

“Around 60 people will line up, starting in my living room, down the front steps, and all the way out to the truck,” Hallam said, “and start a human conveyor belt of boxes to load the truck.”

When they arrive at the pantry, he added, they will reassemble and do the process in reverse, conveying the boxes from truck to pantry. Last year, he said, some 200 volunteers helped out.

Hallam said he would be collecting food and monetary donations up until Move the Food Day. To donate, to volunteer for the move or to learn more about the People’s Food Drive, go to Facebook.com/ThePeoplesFoodDrive or tinyurl. com/2023PeoplesFoodDrive, or contact Hallam at (516) 315-3036.

RoBERt HALLAm, cENtER, is organizing the 12th annual People’s Food Drive with the Long Island Council of Churches Food Pantry, to help needy South Shore families fight food insecurity. With him were his wife, Mary, and their son, Robert Hallam Jr.

Courtesy Robert Hallam

Lynbrook denied crown by Manhasset

By ANDREW COEN sports@liherald.com

A breakthrough season for Lynbrook girls’ basketball fell just short of the program’s first county title in 45 years.

The Owls (20-3) trailed almost the entirety of last Saturday’s Nassau County Class A championship game and were never able to get over the hump after cutting an 11-point deficit to one in a 53-38 loss to top-seeded Manhasset at Hofstra’s Mack Sports Complex.

“Today we didn’t have our best day, but I wouldn’t take anything away from how well our kids played and how hard they played,” Lynbrook head coach Stephen LoCicero said moments after his team’s hard-fought defeat in the school’s first county finals appearance since the 2011-12 campaign. “Sometimes in life the day is not yours for whatever reason.”

Lynbrook, which held its only lead at 2-0, fell behind 24-13 late in the second quarter before closing the half in a 7-0 run. Senior point guard Kaelynn O’Brien accounted for six of the seven points including a late bucket in the final seconds that cut the deficit to 24-20 at the half.

An O’Brien three-pointer midway through the third quarter brought Lynbrook to within one at 30-29 before Manhasset regained control with an 8-0 run. Manhasset won the fourth quarter 19-9 which included a 7-0 run down the stretch after Lynbrook had drawn within five at 40-35 with 3:20 left.

O’Brien led Lynbrook with 11 points. Caityblu Cavassa and Tyla Vuotto scored

seven apiece and Kate Benedit tallied six points for the Owls. Sophomore Brooke Mazzei, who scored 24 in a 63-39 semifinal victory against Floral Park at Hofstra on Feb. 27, was limited to four points by a stifling Manhasset defense that held Lynbrook to its lowest scoring output of the season.

“Lynbrook is a great team with some incredible shooters,” Manhasset head coach Lauren Sadeh said. “We stuck to the game plan and withstood their run at the end of the first half. Our 1-3-1 defense has been our bread-and-butter all season and was strong again today.”

Manhasset was led by 13 points from Mia LoPinto, 12 by Ali McIntyre and 11 apiece from Caitlin Barrett and Nicoletta Tsiamis.

The county crown marked the first for Manhasset since 1993 and sends the Indians to the Long Island Class A finals against Shoreham-Wading River at Farmingdale State College this Saturday.

Saturday’s game marked a rematch of last year’s Class A quarterfinals where Lynbrook as the No. 9-seed upset top-seeded Manhasset,75-64, before the Owls dropped an overtime heartbreaker to Floral Park in the semis. Lynbrook graduates senior leaders O’Brien, Cavassa and Vuotto, but LoCicero is excited about the winning foundation they helped establish.

“We haven’t been in this game since 2012 and we haven’t won it since 1978 so this is a pretty special moment for these girls and they worked really hard in order to get here,” LoCicero said. “That shouldn’t be lost in just one game whether that game is a win or a loss. The season is more important than just one game.”

Media Origin Inc./Herald photos

HEAD COACH StEpHEN LoCicero guided the Owls to 20 victories this season and within a game of their first county title in 45 years.

tylA VuOttO, pARt of an outstanding senior class for Lynbrook, scored seven points in last Saturday’s Nassau Class A final loss to Manhasset.

Spending plan maintains programs, staff members

edemy was done on grant money and it’s now successfully integrated into the budget,” Lynch said.

Along with the Owl Success Academy, other programs like social work and mental health support, Sound-Write and Itchy’s Alphabet are part of the budget.

New courses have also been introduced in the budget including a course about drones, AP pre-calculus, business law, woodworking at Lynbrook High School, and a health class for the fifth grade. The last two programmatic priorities in the budget are an increase in funding for assemblies and field trip transportation as well as an introduction of an elementary lunch program.

Lynch also integrated federally funded staff into the school budget. “The guidance counselor at the high school remains fully integrated into the budget,” Lynch said. “The special education teacher at Marion Street is now fully integrated into the budget. The second half of the full time social worker that we started last year is now fully integrated into the budget. Same thing with the psychologist. Same thing with the reading teacher. Same thing with the speech teacher.”

The proposal also accounts for seven new teacher aides, two teacher assistants, and an occupational therapist fully dedicated to students’ needs. Also, 12 security guards are integrated into the budget to account for their presence for both during school and for after-school activities.

Increases to the athletics and health budget will lead to “more kids moving more often,” Lynch explained. The weight

training room and equipment will be open to students every day of the week. Additions of several coaches were proposed, including an assistant varsity football coach, an assistant varsity cheerleading coach, and coaches for the new middle school programs of boys’ volleyball, girls’ gymnastics, and girls’ flag football.

Capital improvement projects include the renovation of two classrooms at Marion Street and two classrooms at West End. Also in the capital projects budget is $500,000 toward the renovation of the elementary schools’ cafeterias to accommodate an integrated lunch program.

“So the cafeteria improvement project would involve buying cafeteria equipment, hot and cold serving tables for all of the elementary schools and the kindergarten center,” Lynch said.

Along with this proposed budget, voters will also vote on additional propositions. These include a $464,179 expenditure from the Technology Reserve, which will fund the completion of new wiring at West End and Marion Street. This has no impact on the upcoming levy.

Proposition 4, a $1.8 million expenditure from the Facilities Reserves, will fund replacements of the doors at Marion Street and West End, the high school elevator, and the South Middle bathroom and blacktop. This will also have no impact on the upcoming levy.

The budget will be adopted during the March 8 Lynbrook Board of Education meeting. A budget hearing will take place on May 3 before the final budget vote on May 16.

Herald file photos

The budgeT’s ProPosiTion 4 will fund door replacements at Marion Street School.

suPerinTendenT Melissa burak introduced the school budget for the last time as leader of the district.

continued

State test questions called anti-Semitic

By HERNESTO GALDAMEZ hgaldamez@liherald.com

On Feb. 2, nine members of New York’s congressional delegation sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul and Education Commissioner Betty Rosa, urging them to launch an investigation into the creation of alleged anti-Semitic questions on the New York State Global History exam. U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito was part of the group that sent the letter.

“The inclusion of the anti-Semitic question in the New York State Regents Exam in Global History and Geography is

unsettling, and demonstrates a startling lack of oversight by the New York State Education Department in reviewing their testing materials,” D’Esposito said in a statement to the Herald. “Sadly, proponents of anti-Semitism continue to use all tools at their disposal to advance their hate-filled ideology as is evidenced by the anti-Israel verbiage included in this winter’s statewide Global History and Geography test.”

In response to the letter, the State Education Department said that a diverse group of state social studies teachers prepare, select and review the exam ques -

tions to ensure that they meet the learning standards.

Assemblyman Ari Brown — who represents Bay Park — considers two questions on a New York state Regents exam anti-Semitic, and wants an investigation.

“These are questions that deserve to be answered,” Brown stated in a news release. “And I am calling on Inspector General [Lucy] Lang to investigate them immediately to see that justice is served and we have answers.”

The questions are from the Global History and Geography Regents II Exam, which asks students about the creation of

the State of Israel. For the questions Brown focuses on, students are presented with three images of maps, and asked about changes in Israel’s territorial borders in 1947, 1949 and 2017. The first question asks, “Which historical event most directly influenced the development of the 1947 plan shown on Map A?”

The correct answer, according to the test, is the Holocaust.

The second question asks, “Which group benefitted the most from the changes shown on these maps? According to the test, the correct answer is Zionists and Jewish immigrants.

“It’s an abhorrent reality that antisemitism still exists in any facet of society,” Brown said in the release.

Hochul signed a Holocaust education bill last year that requires state schools to review their teaching methods and to teach students the true history of the Holocaust.

Research conducted by the Anti-Defamation League last fall found that 21 percent of young adults believe more antiIsrael statements than older adults. And according to the ADL, belief in antisemitic tropes — misrepresentations or fabrications that are defamatory toward Judaism — has risen nearly 25 percent since 2019.

It’s Your MoneY

By Jonathan Wolfsohn MBA, CFP, EA, ATA

OPTIONS FOR TAXPAYERS WHO NEED HELP PAYING THEIR TAX BILL:

PArt I

Taxpayers who can’t pay the full amount of federal taxes they owe should file their tax return on time and pay as much as possible. This will help reduce penalties and interest. If they can’t pay their full bill, they have some other options.

Get a loan: in many cases, loan costs may be lower than the combination of interest and penalties the IRS must charge under federal law. Normally, the late-payment penalty is 0.5% per month, not to exceed 25% of unpaid taxes. The interest rate, adjusted quarterly, is currently 4% per year, compounded daily. If a taxpayer can’t get a loan, the IRS offers other options.

Online payment plans: most individual taxpayers qualify to set up an online payment plan on IRS.gov, and it only takes a few minutes to apply. Applicants are notified immediately if their request is approved. Taxpayers who owe but cannot pay in full by the deadline don’t have to wait for a tax bill to request a payment plan. There is no need for them to contact the IRS for a payment plan or an installment agreement. The agency generally processes online payment plans quicker than requests made with electronically filed tax returns. If a taxpayer just filed their return and they know they’ll owe a balance, they may be able to set up a payment plan online before they even receive a notice or bill.

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.

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.

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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.

STEPPING OUT

STEPPING OUT

Creative advocacy

A sweet time awaits at the Surrounded by confections

By Karen Bloom

change

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.

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 is led by Long Island’s Cara Butler and the Pilatzke Brothers, Jon and Nathan. All three are longtime touring members of the acclaimed The Chieftains. The StepCrew boasts Celtic and World music from three world-class fiddle players backed by a five-piece ensemble, featuring three dance styles — Irish, Tap, and Ottawa Valley step dance. Tickets start at $55, with discounts available to seniors, students, Adelphi alumni and employees. Adelphi University Performing Arts Center, 1 South Ave., Garden City. (516) 8774000 or Adelphi.edu/pac.

26 March 9, 2023 — LYNBROOK/EAST ROCKAWAY HERALD 16

Lynbrook Kiwanis Fundraiser

April

Lynbrook Kiwanis holds a fundraiser, Friday, March 10, 7 p.m., to benefit the Mended Little Hearts Foundation, at the Tally-Ho Engine Co., 81 Horton Ave. With DJ and bingo. One full table of 10 people is $360. Tickets are $40. For more information,

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.

Team Jade’s Jules Brunch Fundraiser

Visit Prime 39, Sunday, March 26, 1 to 5:30 p.m., to raise money for Jade, contestant in the Brooklyn Alumnae Chapter’s Jabberwock Cotillion. With DJ. Ticket prices for a table vary from $50 to $150. Purchase tickets at AllEvents.In/Lynbrook. For more information, call (516) 837-3939.

PRESENTS

Willie Nile

RVC Homemakers

Learn crafts, cooking, canasta and more while doing community service for local hospitals, veterans, women and children. RVC Homemakers meets every Tuesday at 10 a.m., at the Recreation Center, 111 North Long Beach Road, Rockville Centre. For more information call Karen Alterson at (516) 318-6771.

East Rockaway Education Foundation 5K Run/ Walk

Come run or walk at the East Rockaway Education Foundation’s 5K, Saturday, March 25 , 8:30 a.m. The run starts at Hewlett Point Beach. Register at Events. EliteFeats.Com/23Eref. The first 300 registrants get a drawstring backpack. For more information, email eastrockawayedfoundation. org.

Having an event?

On stage

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

Car Seat Check

Lynbrook Police Department trains parents/caregivers on proper installation of child safety seats, Wednesday, March 13, 5 to 5:30 p.m., 81 Wright Ave. Schedule only one car seat per time slot. For more information, call (516) 599-2900.

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.

March 14

Leadership Workshop

Learn how innovation, customer service and overall leadership can corner the market in troubled times, Tuesday, March 14, 5 to 8:30 p.m. Kevin Costigan, Auto Damage Director at GEICO, will show you how to manage your team and lead them to top level customer service, which always leads to higher profits, at Daikin Comfort Design Center, 817 Sunrise Highway. Dinner is included compliments of Daikin. Two members per company is free with your chamber membership. Additional attendees are $20 per person. Register on Eventbrite. com.

East Rockaway Education Foundation 5K Run/ Walk

Come run or walk at the East Rockaway Education Foundation’s 5K, Saturday, March 25 , 8:30 a.m., starting at Hewlett Point Beach. Register at Events.EliteFeats.Com/23Eref. The first 300 registrants get a drawstring back. For more information, email eastrockawayedfoundation.org.

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.

‘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.

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 44

516-341-0547 • www.CraftLynbrook.com

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

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

One of the best. Once again. Right here in Oceanside.

High Performing in Nine Areas of Care

Raising money for East Rockaway schools

According to Gallagher, sponsors contribute some of the funds to the 5K. “Veolia is a major sponsor for us,” Gallagher said. “But also businesses that associate with the school district do support the foundation and provide some funds as sponsors.” Participants pay $30 to participate in the run and all proceeds go directly to the EREF.

According to the EREF website, over $25,000 was raised since this event started in 2016.

Annually, EREF raises money for programs, projects, and equipment for the East Rockaway schools. The EREF grant program has funded several projects, with a focus on STEAM and STEM, in the East Rockaway schools.

“We helped raise money for books,” Gallagher said. “We also do a lot of digital or tech type of grants, such as a 3D printer.” Other EREF grants funded culinary classes, smartboards, robotics, author visits, and science lab equipment.

Gallagher attributes the foundation’s success to its board members. “The directors and the board of the foundation itself is a dynamic group,” she said. “They look to motivate each other as well as residents to continue to help students to do fundraising and provide grants.”

Gallagher is excited to have Elitefeats at the event to time the runners. “People who run and want to get to a certain level of competing want to know what their time is,” Gallagher said. “So we could have just done a fun-run, but the foundation stepped it up this year.”

Participation has been high for previous runs, but this year Gallagher’s goal is to push the number of participants even higher. “We’re looking to expand the numbers of runners for this annual event,” Galla-

Run starts at Hewlett Point Beach in East Rockaway at 8:30 a.m. on March 25. This event is rain or shine. You can register on Events. EliteFeats.com/23EREF. The first 300 registrants get a drawstring bag. It is $30 for both in-person and virtual runs. Virtual races go until April 2. For additional support to EREF, you can donate money on the registration site.

–Ben Fiebert

gher said.

Besides raising money for the foundation, Gallagher mentioned that EREF is continuing this run for its health benefits. “People are looking to get outside and be healthier so this is a great way for them to do that,” she said.

The start and finish location is also something that Gallagher is looking forward to.

“It’s a nice spot and it’s kind of unique,” Gallagher said about the race starting and ending on Hewlett Point Avenue. “It’s within the village and we have access to the bay.” According to Gallagher, the trail is flat and is suitable for all ages.

“People and families can come, they can walk, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a running event,” Gallagher said. She added that people could do the run virtually on their “Peloton or workout room.” The main takeaway Gallagher wanted to convey about this event is that people can contribute in many different ways.

Courtesy EastRockawayedFoundation.org Randi O’MOORe, One of the directors and the treasurer of the Education Foundation, running in the 2017 race.

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MARIA P. CONZATTI

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CFO, VP for Financial Affairs & Treasurer

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School of Business Adelphi University

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President

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Marketing Manager

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Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE

INCORPORATED VILLAGE OF EAST ROCKAWAY PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to the provisions of Article 14, Real Property Tax Law of the State of New York, and a resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of East Rockaway, Nassau County, duly adopted at the Regular Meeting of such Board held on February 6, 2023, I, the undersigned Treasurer of the said Village, will sell at Public Auction in the manner provided by law on the 15th day of March, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. in the Public Meeting Room of the Board of Trustees in the Village Hall, 376 Atlantic Avenue, East Rockaway, New York, so much of each of the following parcels of real estate upon which Village Taxes for the year 2022/23 remain unpaid as will be sufficient to discharge the tax, fees, interest and charges which may be due thereon at the time of such sale and shall conduct the same from day to day until the sale is completed.

The Purchaser or Purchasers at such Tax Sale will be required to pay the amount of their respective bids to the undersigned Treasurer within ten (10) days after the sale pursuant to the provisions the Real Property Tax Law of the State of New York.

The following is a statement of the real estate hereinbefore mentioned as shown and described on the Official Tax Map of the Incorporated Village of East Rockaway, New York, duly adopted, approved and filed as provided by law, a copy of which is on file and available for inspection in the Office of the Village Clerk of said Village upon which taxes are unpaid together with the amount of tax, fees, interest and charges to March 15th, 2023.

NAME OF OWNER OR DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY AMOUNT OF TAX, OCCUPANT AS IT AS IT APPEARS ON THE FEES, INTEREST APPEARS ON OFFICIAL TAX MAP AND CHARGES

LEGAL NOTICE

2023 VILLAGE ELECTION NOTICE

TO THE ELECTORS OF THE INC. VILLAGE OF LYNBROOK, NEW YORK

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the following is a true and correct listing of the nominated candidates, as indicated on the nominating petitions filed with the Village Election Officer, for the offices to be filled at the Village Election to be held on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, pursuant to the provisions of the New York State Election

Law:

NAME OF CANDIDATE PUBLIC OFFICE PLACE OF RESIDENCE (4 YEAR TERM)

LYNBROOK NEW VISION PARTY

EMBLEM: STAR

Alan C. Beach Mayor 80 Smith Street

Robert Boccio Trustee 134 Rocklyn Avenue

Ann Marie Reardon Trustee 290 Vincent Avenue

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN THAT the sole polling place, at the Lynbrook Recreation Center shall be open for voting at 7:00 A.M. and closed at 9:00 P.M.

JOHN GIORDANO, VILLAGE ELECTION OFFICER

LYNBROOK, NEW YORK

137868

LEGAL NOTICE

AVISO ELECTORAL DEL PUEBLO DE 2023

A LOS ELECTORES DE LA ALDEA INC. DE LYNBROOK, NUEVA YORK

NOTIFICACIÓN SE DA, que la siguiente es una lista verdadera y correcta de los candidatos nominados, como se indica en las peticiones de nominación presentadas ante el Oficial Electoral del Pueblo, para que las oficinas se llenen en la Elección del Pueblo que se llevará a cabo el martes 21 de marzo de 2023, de conformidad con las disposiciones de la Ley Electoral del Estado de Nueva York:

NOMBRE DEL CANDIDATO CARGO PÚBLICO LUGAR DE RESIDENCIA (PLAZO DE 4 AÑOS)

LYNBROOK NEW VISION PARTY

EMBLEM: STAR

Alan C. Beach Alcalde del Pueblo 80 Smith Street

Robert Boccio Fiduciario 134 Rocklyn Avenue

Ann Marie Reardon Fiduciario 290 Vincent Avenue

AVISO SE DA ADEMÁS QUE el único lugar de votación, en el Lynbrook

El Centro Recreativo estará abierto a votación a las 7:00 A.M. y cerrará a las 9:00 P.m.

JOHN GIORDANO, OFICIAL ELECTORAL DEL PUEBLO

LYNBROOK, NEW YORK

137869

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC D/B/A CHAMPION MORTGAGE COMPANY, Plaintiff AGAINST SUSAN ROSINO INDIVIDUALLY AND AS SURVIVING SPOUSE OF ALBERT ROSINO, JR., ET AL., Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered September 23, 2016, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on April 11, 2023 at 2:00PM, premises known as 48 WASHINGTON AVENUE, LYNBROOK, NY 11563. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being In the Incorporated Village of Lynbrook, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 38, Block 85, Lot 116, 117. Approximate amount of judgment $309,111.06 plus interest and costs.

situate, lying and being in the Incorporated Village of East Rockaway, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of New York. Approximate Amount of Judgment is $506,696.52 plus interest, fees, and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 605202/2019. The foreclosure sale will be conducted in accordance with 10th Judicial District’s Covid-19 Policies and foreclosure auction rules. The Referee shall enforce any rules in place regarding facial coverings and social distancing. If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, then the Court Appointed Referee shall cancel the foreclosure auction. Foreclosure Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine.”

Jane P. Shrenkel, Esq., Referee CSLN004 137828

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES of the Incorporated Village of East Rockaway, NY Patricia Renner Village Clerk-Treasurer

LEGAL NOTICE INCORPORATED VILLAGE OF EAST ROCKAWAY NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a public hearing will be held by the Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of East Rockaway on Monday, April 10, 2023 at 7:00 P.M. at Village Hall, 376 Atlantic Avenue, East Rockaway, New York, for the purpose of approving the Application for the NCBG Year 49th requesting funding.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES of the Incorporated Village of East Rockaway, New York.

Patricia Renner Village Clerk-Treasurer

Published: March 9, 2023 137827

LEGAL NOTICE INCORPORATED VILLAGE OF EAST ROCKAWAY NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of East Rockaway, Nassau County, New York, will hold a public hearing at Village Hall, 376 Atlantic Avenue, East Rockaway, New York, on Monday, April 10, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. to consider the Tentative budget for Fiscal Year 2023/2024 and Monday, April 24, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. to review and adopt the 2023/2024 Fiscal Year Budget.

All interested persons will be given the opportunity to be heard at the times and place herein stated.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES of the Incorporated Village of East Rockaway, New York.

Patricia Renner Village Clerk-Treasurer

DATED: March 09, 2023 137825

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of East Rockaway will hold a public hearing at Village Hall, 376 Atlantic Avenue, East Rockaway, New York, on Monday, April 10, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. for the purpose of considering the adoption of the Village of East Rockaway Annual Storm Water report. The report is also available to the Village residents for inspection until the date of the public hearing hereby scheduled. All interested persons will be given the opportunity to be heard at the time and place herein stated.

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES of the Incorporated Village of East Rockaway, New York.

Patricia Renner Village Clerk-Treasurer

DATED: March 09, 2023 137826

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #008332/2015. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the NASSAU County COVID-19 mitigation protocols and as such all persons must comply with social distancing, wearing masks and screening practices in effect at the time of this foreclosure sale. 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. Foreclosure Auctions will be held “Rain or Shine”. Jane Shrenkel, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 15-003177 75087 137783

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT

NASSAU COUNTY COLONIAL SAVINGS, F.A., Plaintiff against TARA M. ELIAS, et al

Defendant(s)

Attorney for Plaintiff(s)

Fein Such & Crane, LLP, 28 East Main Street, Suite 1800, Rochester, NY 14614. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered November 17, 2022, I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at North Side Steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on April 11, 2023 at 2:30 PM. Premises known as 25 Davis Street, East Rockaway, NY 11518. Sec 42 Block 2 Lot 13. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land,

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR STRUCTURED ASSET INVESTMENT LOAN TRUST, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-3, Plaintiff, vs. LUIS A. DIAZ, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to an Order Consolidating Actions, Amending Caption and Confirming Referee Report and for a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on October 3, 2019 and an Order Appointing Substitute Referee duly entered on May 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 on April 11, 2023 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 439 Ocean Avenue, Lynbrook, NY 11563. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 38, Block 444 and Lots 114 & 115. Approximate amount of judgment is $713,693.19 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #000355/2013. 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.

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 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

College union continues push for ‘fair contracts’

By andre siLva asilva@liherald.com

The Nassau Community College Full Time Faculty union gathered last month to voice its need for “fair contracts.”

The union was there in full view of the Nassau Community College trustees, who had gathered for their monthly board meeting at the Nassau Community College Tower. They walked straight into the crowd of college faculty and students on the 11th floor, ready to share their support for a new contract that they say would better favor educators.

Higher wages are especially important now with inflation so high, according to union secretary Suzanne Kaebnick. Also soaring are housing and transportation costs, which years of wage freezes or slight increases cannot even begin to cover.

Faculty wages, Kaebnick said, simply have not kept up with the cost of living in Nassau County.

Union president Faren Siminoff said full-time faculty has made sacrifices for the better part of a decade now.

“It’s time the college acknowledges this, and it starts by giving us a fair contract,” Siminoff said. “Some speakers (at the meeting) emphasized the plight of ‘junior’ faculty, those hired after 2014.

Their first-year salaries are below $60,000.”

Add in mandatory contributions into pensions and health insurance premiums, would cost an additional $10,000 for family coverage in the New York State Health Insurance Program Empire Plan — and even more if the faculty member is enrolled in the Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance plan.

Low starting salaries lead to difficulty attracting qualified applicants, the union said.

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.

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

Courtesy Suzanne Kaebnick tHe nassau Community College Full Time Faculty union gathered at the college’s trustees board meeting to voice their need for ‘fair contracts’ last month at the Nassau Community College Tower.

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

DRIVERS WANTED

Full Time and Part Time Positions Available!

MOTOR VEHICLE CLERK FT

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.

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

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

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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.

OPEN HOUSES SUNday, 3/12/23 HEWLETT

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

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

A Steal! $599,000

257 Willard Dr, 12-1:30, Spacious 5 BR, 3

W/Thermdore St Steel

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

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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.

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.

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

Results t hat Move You

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Freeport $760,000

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Valley Stream $651,000

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

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Announcements

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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.

LYNBROOK/EAST

Lynbrook News, Lynbrook USA

Mark NolaN Editor

BeN FieBert Reporter

rhoNda GlickMaN

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.

HERALD

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