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Lynbrook/East Rockaway Herald 07-27-2023

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Page 2 Vol. 30 No. 31

JUlY 27 - AUGUST 2, 2023

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Lynbrook welcomes new village trustee By NIColE FoRMISANo nformisano@liherald.com

Michael Habert has always called Lynbrook home. It was where he was born, as were his two children, and that’s why, as a new village trustee, he wants to help keep Lynbrook the best it can be. “I care about this town,” he said. “It’s part of me.” Habert, sworn in on July 17, added that by becoming a trustee, he is able to give back to the town that raised him. He is no stranger to service. He was a police officer with the NYPD in Brooklyn for 26 years, the last 14 as a homicide detective. Working directly with families — often during highly sensitive times — helped him develop a knack for listening to people, and furthered his drive to represent and protect their interests. “Those are the people that you interact

with the most,” Habert said of his police experience. “You’re not dealing with the governor or the president — you’re dealing with your town people, your village people.” Habert is bringing those skills to make sure the people of Lynbrook have a voice in the village’s direction. “My neighbors, my family are here, lifelong friends own businesses here,” he said. “So I hear them, I talk to them, and I can bring those things — what their concerns are, and my experiences — to the board, to the table and work with them.” Habert said that public safety is a huge priority of his — and that goes beyond crime. To him, public safety means education on issues like the dangers of drug use and driving under the influence. Habert wants to promote joint efforts among families, police, fire departments, and schools to protect young CoNtiNued oN pAge 20

Courtesy Village of Lynbrook

Newly appointed trustee Michael Habert, left, with Mayor Alan Beach. Habert was sworn in at a July 17 village meeting.

Train ride to the city is going to cost more now Lynbrook residents have mixed opinions on first fare hike in four years By JUAN lASSo & NIColE FoRMISANo of the Lynbrook/East Rockaway Herald

Starting on or around Aug. 20, Long Island Rail Road riders can expect a modest uptick — roughly 4.3 percent — in the price of their weekly and monthly tickets. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the LIRR’s parent company, voted unanimously to raise the base fare prices for LIRR train trips earlier this month for the first time in four years. The price increase translates to a few extra cents for each ticket. A one-way peak ticket from Long Beach to Manhattan, for

example, will cost an extra 50 cents, increasing from $14 to $14.50, and will rise from $10.25 to $10.75 during non-peak hours. While the agency customarily raises fares every two years, MTA officials held off on an anticipated round of fare increases in 2021 for fear that it would drive commuters away from using mass transit at a time when winning them back was key. It also still had billions of dollars in federal relief from the coronavirus pandemic it could tap into. The situation came to a head earlier this year, when the MTA said it faced a projected budget gap of $2.5 billion by 2025. The

o

ne 50 cents is not a lot, but after weeks and weeks that adds up. Fifty cents goes a long way.

MATThEw TRoChE frequent commuter agency has since managed to stave off financial ruin and avoid making drastic service cuts after Gov. Kathy Hochul and lawmakers promised to pump millions of dollars in added funding.

“We have to face the harsh reality of MTA’s fiscal cliff,” Hochul noted in her 2024 executive budget address. “A problem that was created by almost the complete cessation of ridership during the pandemic — except for emergency workers, first responders, and health care workers.” Critics and observers, however, argue that the MTA’s budget-

a r y p ro bl e m s re a ch b a ck decades, and that its fiscal troubles are the result of shabby budget practices that have left expenses outpacing revenue. The current fare bump — and those still on the way — are part of the roughly $1.3 billion bailout deal struck between the transit agency and Albany, MTA chair and chief executive Janno CoNtiNued oN pAge 22


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Lynbrook/East Rockaway Herald 07-27-2023 by Richner Communications, Inc - Issuu