_______ Malverne/West HeMpstead ______
Former Malverne mayor turns 90
Red Cross aids in downed tree
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Vol. 31 No. 5
JANUARY 25 - 31, 2024
1239576
HERALD $1.00
Capri Motor Inn may be subject to eminent domain By NIColE FoRMISANo nformisano@liherald.com
Courtesy Town of Hempstead
Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin, along with Councilman Tom Muscarella, left, and Nassau County legislators Bill Gaylor and John Giuffré, call for the Capri Motor Inn in West Hempstead to be closed. To do that, however, Muscarella’s colleagues on the town board first had to declare the Hempstead Turnpike inn a public nuisance.
Could Hempstead town officials have broke their own laws declaring Capri Motor Inn a public nuisance? But that might not matter, as those same officials are now moving forward with plans to take the Hempstead Turnpike business away from its property owners through eminent domain. In that process, government can take control of property so long as it’s for a public use, and that officials provide “just compensation” to the property owners. A meeting is set for Tuesday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m., to discuss that possibility. The Capri Motor Inn was shuttered immediately following a surprise fire marshal inspection last August triggered by town officials and the Nassau County Police Department. The inspection reportedly found faults with the fire and carbon monoxide alarm systems, as well as unsafe electrical cords — but “nothing out of the ordinary,” Assistant Fire Marshal James Hickman told the Herald at the time. CoNTINueD oN paGe 2
Hochul’s budget proposal gets praise from leaders By BERNADETTE GIACoMAZZo bgiacomazzo@liherald.com
Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled her recommendations for the fiscal year 2025 budget on Jan. 16. Boasting a plan to improve economic development while addressing the migrant crisis and focusing on “people first” p o l i c i e s , H o c h u l ’s o f f i c e claimed that her spending recommendations would result in dramatic quality-of-life improvements for state residents. “This budget makes it clear that fiscal discipline can coexist with progressive, people-
driven policies,” the governor said in a statement. “I am committed to fight the right fights on behalf of New Yorkers, and to pursue the common good with common sense — by seeking common ground.” The balanced budget proposal includes record investments in such things as infrastructure — with more than $435 million allocated for flood recovery and “resiliency projects” alone — and education. There is $35.3 billion for school aid, up $825 million from last year, making it the highest investment in state education in New York history. Most notably, though, there
is no proposed increase in property taxes, which pleases Ashley Ranslow, the state director of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the nation’s leading small-business advocacy association. Ranslow is keenly aware that small- to medium-sized businesses, or SMBs, can find themselves in a precarious position when taxes of any kind are increased, and she said she was pleased that Hochul’s proposal stabilizes property taxes for those who have home-based businesses. “NFIB applauds Governor Kathy Hochul for standing by her pledge to not increase
income taxes to balance New York State’s Budget,” Ranslow said in a statement. “Facing a $4.5 billion budget deficit, there have been calls to increase income taxes, an incredibly misguided approach that would hurt the state’s economy, small business owners, and exacerbate the outmigration of New Yorkers and their tax dollars.
The Governor’s rejection of income tax increases is the prudent and responsible course of managing the state’s finances.” All-funds spending in the proposed budget would be $233 billion, growing 4.5 percent. Hochul prioritized bolstering the state’s reserves, which currently sit at just over 15 percent CoNTINueD oN paGe 9