Merrick Herald 02-02-2023

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Vol. 26 No. 6

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FEBRUARY 2 - 8, 2023

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Chamber gets ready for the year

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Calhoun spreads ‘Hope Project’ across the district Students raise $3,800 over several month Project beginnings

BY JoRDAN VAlloNE

Nickolas Mascary, a junior and a club officer, came up with When Sanford H. Calhoun the idea for the project last sumHigh School’s Racial Equity mer, and brought it to the rest of Club began the Hope Project to the club. Mascary is of Haitian benefit Haiti last September, at descent, and having traveled to the beginning of the country several the school year, times when he was one thing was younger, he was clear: Despite the inspired to help its fact that the projpeople, who have ect kicked off at been severely testCalhoun, students ed by years of nathoped and planned ural disasters and for it to gain political unrest. enough momen“I saw how resiltum to become a ient the country districtwide effort. is,” Mascary, 16, On the heels of told the Herald in a 111-day long eduOctober, “because cational fundraiser Jill GRoSSBERG they bounced back that officially con- Junior, from these situacluded in early tions, and they still January, project Calhoun High School manage to have a participants happireally cool, amazly point out that their project did ing culture.” just that. Thanks to a collaboraInitial fundraising efforts tive effort involving every school began quickly, he explained, in the Bellmore-Merrick Central with several events in SeptemHigh School District, the Hope ber and October. In November, Project raised over $3,800 for the the Equity Club visited Merrick nonprofit Hope for Haiti. Those Avenue Middle School, where who took part, club members they discussed the project and, said, came out of the experience with a stranded-on-a-desertwith a deeper understanding of island exercise, helped students Haitian culture and values.

Continued on page 12

jvallone@liherald.com

i

Courtesy Jessica Brewer

SYDNEY BREwER with, from left, Kennedy High Assistant Principal Daniel Jantzen, Principal Gerard Owenburg and Assistant Principal Jeff Cronk at the school’s civics fair, where Brewer presented her ‘Stop the Bleed’ project idea.

How one Kennedy High junior wants to ‘Stop the Bleed’ Sydney Brewer has a mission to keep schools safe

BY JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com

Even as a child, Sydney Brewer realized that the threat of a tragedy taking place in a school could become a reality for anyone.

Now just a few days shy of turning 17, she’s the same age as the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting survivors.

She recalls seeing the news about the horrific event that claimed 26 lives in Newtown, Connecticut, when she was in first grade.

Now a junior at John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, Brewer, of Merrick, wants to make sure that students, teachers and administrators are prepared for a worst-case scenario situation.

Her fundraiser to purchase Stop the Bleed kits will do just that.

At Kennedy, Brewer is enrolled in the leadership program. Students who are part of the program begin taking leadership classes as sophomores, and they are followed by two more classes in their junior and senior years.

Continued on page 5

t just really surprised me how much we were able to do with little preparation.

February 2, 2023 — MERRICK HERALD

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Peter King debuts new opinion column Former congressman has no intention of slowing down in retirement

By MICHAEL HINMAN mhinman@liherald.com

Not even retirement can slow down Peter King. After 28 years in the U.S. House — including a two-year stint as chair of the House Homeland Security Committee — as well as more than two decades serving on both the Hempstead town council and as Nassau County comptroller, King finds himself busier than ever.

He’s working with a Washington law firm, and does consulting work for Northwell Health. He makes regular appearances on the Newsmax cable channel, as well as John Catsimatidis’s 77WABC radio station.

But now King is adding one more job to that list as a new regular columnist for Herald Community Newspapers. The former congressman’s first official piece appears in this week’s Opinions pages.

“It’s not like I have to catch a plane to get to Washington, or I’m at the whim of what’s the last vote going to be on Thursday night or Friday night,” King said. “I pretty much plan my own schedule. And the best feeling I had — and it took me about a month to get used to — is waking up in the morning and knowing I can go back to sleep if I want to.”

These days, King finds himself solely

Jack Healy/Herald file

FORMER U.S. REP. Peter King has kept himself busy since retiring from Congress in 2021, from his regular appearance on 77WABC radio, to now becoming a regular opinion columnist for Herald Community Newspapers. His first official piece — singing the praises of freshman U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito — can be found in this week’s Opinions section. focused on life here at home. But for nearly three decades, the congressman was caught between the two worlds of Washington and his district back in New York.

The trick in the beginning was making

sure he never lost sight of why he was on the House floor in the first place.

“When you’re in Washington, you’re still responsible for a lot of local issues, because the local mayors and supervisors

and town boards — they’re going to be calling you and reaching out for help,” King said. “I think with a number of members of Congress, they’re so concerned with the international and national aspects of it, they forget the guy living down the block.

“The guy that lives in Highland Park.

The guy that lives in Seaford. That’s where you base comes from. So, really, the challenge is to keep all of those things in your mind, and be able to sort through them all.”

King has made no secret about his support of U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, whose congressional district covers much of what King’s did back in the day. In fact, his first column focuses on the high hopes King has of his protégé, and how the sky’s the limit for the former town councilman.

“I mean, Anthony, we talk several times a week,” King said. “I don’t want to sound like I am telling him what to do, or giving him some great advice. But maybe one thing I can be most helpful on is telling him early on which members of Congress you can pay attention to, and which others to just ignore.

“Some of them you try to take seriously, but then you realize after a month or two that these guys are cranks, and nobody else is listening to them, except you.”

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New nonprofit is already making waves in the community, setting up collection boxes

BALLOON MiSSiON, Which was founded last year by North Merrick resident Cynthia Seibold, has started its work in the Bellmore-Merrick community to educate people on the dangers of balloons and how they can effect wildlife.

Seibold has connected with local schools, hosting assemblies with her daughter, Jillian, to facilitate the mission of the group.

By JORDAN VALLONE jvallone@liherald.com

T

he Balloon Mission, a nonprofit founded at the end of last year by North Merrick resident Cynthia Seibold, has launched several initiatives across Bellmore-Merrick, with high hopes for the future.

Seibold, who has a background in insurance underwriting, told the Herald last December that during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, she spent a lot of time outdoors, and noticed the accumulation of debris from helium balloons at many of Long Island’s parks and beaches.

Recognizing that this was a problem, she set out to see what could be done. A few years later, the Balloon Mission was formed, with a goal to educate the community of the damage balloons can have on the environment, and offer solutions for the future.

“Our program is to collect balloons before they end up on the land and in oceans, reducing our carbon footprint and the harmful microplastics that are generated from balloons,” Seibold said.

“And for every balloon that is sold and responsibly collected, we feel it’s going to be one less piece of litter that’s harming our wildlife.”

Seibold told the Herald last week that while the nonprofit doesn’t necessarily support balloon usage, change takes time, and as an environmental organization, they understand that. “It is more important to message why balloons are harmful and to raise awareness for alternatives for celebrating,” she added. “Providing a balloon collection program is a real way to bring people together towards real change for the environment.”

One of Seibold’s goals last year was to get into local schools, and start spreading the message of her organization to younger generations. Her children are graduates of the North Merrick School Union Free School District, and the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District, and that was the perfect place for her to start.

“We’ve proudly launched our balloon collection program,” she said, adding that collection bins would be placed in North Merrick’s elementary schools, and the middles schools and high schools of the Central District. “Both school districts and their superintendents were excited about the Balloon Mission and supporting the environment.

“We’re excited to be sharing our message, and raising awareness among thousands of students and families.”

Seibold and her daughter, Jillian, a recent graduate of Sanford H. Calhoun High School, took time this month to visit local elementary schools for an assembly.

“Our audiences were totally engaged and responsive throughout the 25-minute program,” she explained. “There was a collective ‘wow’ when we showed all the

Photos courtesy Balloon Mission

Want to be a ‘Pop-n-Drop’ site?

Local businesses, balloon retailers or children’s event spaces interested in becoming a collection site for discarded balloons can email info@balloonmission.org.

SEiBOLD, OutSiDE Of Harold D. Fayette School in the North Merrick Union Free School District. The nonprofit is partnering with North Merrick schools and the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District, for their schools to be places in the community where the public can safely discard balloons. places balloons could travel to and where they ended up.

“They gasped in horror when we showed them turtles and birds tangled in balloon ribbons — we gently, and with great empathy, showed why these animals don’t survive when they encounter balloons.”

Seibold said the support of her daughter has been tremendous. An alum of Calhoun’s On Tour specialty drama program, Seibold said her daughter’s experience on stage has helped her get out of her comfort zone, and face audiences of

over 400 students.

Some things taught to the students included how they could safely and quietly pop discarded balloons with safety scissors, and to understand that not everyone may be ready to join the Balloon Mission. Seibold also said in general, it was emphasized that picking up litter is a great way to help the environment.

Seibold is building a relationship with the Long Island Children’s Museum, and its new Environmental Task Force, she said. She’s also set for a radio interview

with Nassau Community College’s station, sometime in March.

“People are really responding to the mission,” Seibold said, “and we couldn’t be happier.”

Seibold said the nonprofit is looking to partner with children’s event spaces and balloon sellers or designers, to join the effort and become a “Pop-n-Drop” balloon collection site. Any business that participates will be listed on Balloon Mission’s website as an organization that is partnering with the nonprofit to be sustainable and green.

The Balloon Mission’s partner, ACDS, formerly known as the Association for Children with Down Syndrome, is also collecting deflated balloons at their Merrick and Plainview locations, and will repurpose them responsibly.

Any questions for Seibold, or to host a bin, email info@balloonmission.org.

MERRICK HERALD — February 2, 2023

What’s ‘up’ with the Balloon Mission?

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A great time had by all at chamber installation

February 2, 2023 — MERRICK HERALD

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AssemblymAn DAve mcDonough, chamber board members Joe Baker and Douglas Mills, and chamber president Ira Reiter honored Man of the Year, Al Belbol.

he Merrick Chamber of Commerce kicked off a new year of business and community connections at its 2023 Installation Dinner last week. At a special ceremony held at Mio Pisto, an Italian restaurant in the heart of Merrick, this year’s officers and board of directors were reinstalled for another year of work ahead.

The chamber welcomed back its president, Ira Reiter, its two vice presidents, Margaret Mueller and Sharon Davis, its secretary, Margaret Biegelman, and treasurer, Andrew Nachamie. Its immediate past president, Femy Aziz, and presidential advisor, Assemblyman Dave McDonough, took part in the ceremonies.

Al Belbol, the former Assistant Commissioner of Sanitation in the Town of Hempstead, known colloquially as the “Mayor of Merrick,” was honored as the chamber’s Man of the Year. Brooke Jones

and Jill Levine, both known for their extensive work within the greater Bellmore-Merrick community through several organizations, were named Women of the Year.

A Community Partnership Award, commemorating 100 years of education in the Merricks, was presented to Dominick Palma, superintendent of the Merrick School District, and Cynthia Seniuk, superintendent of the North Merrick Union Free School District.

The chamber’s honorary advisory board includes Ilene Dixel, Erin Donohue, Susan Helsinger and Salvatore Vassalo, and its administrative assistant is Christine Mooney. The Board of Directors, including Joe Baker, Lori Berger, Marian Fraker-Gutin, Arlene Gregory, Matt Kryder, Julie Marchesella, Douglas Mills, Randy Scotland, and Nelson Tso were all reinstalled.

mcDonough swore in Reiter for his new term as president.

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A third party trust is usually set up by a parent or grandparent, using their own money. Here, no “payback” provision is required because it was not the child’s own money that funded the trust and the parent or grandparent had no obligation to leave any assets to the child. On the death of the child beneficiary, the balance of the trust is paid out to named beneficiaries.

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The reasoning behind these Special Needs Trusts is simple — prior to the protection now afforded by these trusts, parents would simply disinherit their disabled children rather than see them lose their benefits. Since the state wasn’t getting the inheritance monies anyway, why not allow it to go to the disabled child for his or her extra needs, above and beyond what the state supplies.

These trusts, however, offer traps for the unwary. Since payments to the child will generally reduce their SSI payments dollar for dollar, trustees of such trusts should be advised to make payments directly to the providers of goods and services. Preserving SSI benefits is crucial since eligibility for SSI determines eligibility for Medicaid.

In other words, if SSI is lost the recipient also loses their Medicaid benefits. In addition, any benefits previously paid by Medicaid may be recovered. As such, one also has to be mindful of bequests from well-meaning grandparents.

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Joe Abate/Herald photos

both the merrick and North Merrick School Districts were honored at the installation.

North Merrick Superintendent Cynthia Seniuk accepted the award from the Chamber. _________________

bellmore ________________

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Inspired by tragedy, teen sets out to make a change what’s in an iThrive Stop the Bleed kit?

Some of the potentially lifesaving items found in the kits Sydney Brewer is purchasing include a tourniquet, two pairs of gloves, trauma shears, sterile gauze, an Israeli pressure bandage and a card with instructions.

Courtesy Jessica Brewer

Sydney Brewer’S fundraiSing efforts will help Kennedy High School purchase 60 ‘Stop the Bleed’ emergency kits. recently had a pretzel sale, and would be donating all of the proceeds to her cause. North Star Auto Body, in Bellmore, also donated $300. The rest of the money, the Brewers hope, will be collected at comedy-night fundraiser at the Brokerage in Bellmore. Tickets for the show, on Feb. 9, at 8 p.m., are on sale for $20, and must be purchased ahead of time. Attendees must be 16 or older. For more info, visit Govs.com or call (516) 7815233.

There’s more to Brewer’s mission than simply raising funds, though. “I’m actually going to get doctors from Northwell Health to come into Kennedy,” she said, “and teach students how to use the kits, and how to act in an emergency situation.”

Jessica Brewer stressed that her daughter became

aware of school tragedies at a young age because of Sandy Hook. “I think that was when she learned about school shootings, and it kind of got real,” Jessica noted.

“So many people have supported (Sydney’s efforts), because the reality of it is, this is such an amazing cause.”

In her civics project proposal, which Brewer shared with the Herald, she wrote, “While mass shootings are unpredictable there are measures that we can take to help wounded students and staff, and be as educated as possible.”

Since she’s still raising money, there is no set date or time for her Stop the Bleed training, but she hopes to have more information soon. If the arrangement with Northwell Health is successful, Brewer would like the training class to become a yearly event, offered to all incoming Kennedy students.

“As a student in our school and community leadership program, Sydney has put her leadership skills and compassion for others to work with a plan to place Stop the Bleed kits in every classroom of our building,” Owenburg said. “Sydney’s project has the ability to not only save lives, but is also a wonderful example of altruism for other students.”

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Through several projects and initiatives, they are encouraged to emerge as young leaders in the BellmoreMerrick community.

Brewer is enrolled in the second installment of the program, and had to plan and execute a civics project — something that would give her a voice in school or community issues.

“I was thinking, ‘What can I do?’” she recalled. “I wanted to help people here so I could actually see the change, and (make) that impact myself.”

Brewer came across a Stop the Bleed website, and learned about training in which people learn how to stop bleeding in an emergency. “There’s these kits that have essential things in them — like a tourniquet, gauze, trauma sheers — that if, God forbid, there’s ever any type of emergency, someone can be saved,” she said.

The school had some items on hand, but Brewer wanted to make sure that every class could be fully stocked with essential, potentially life-saving materials.

After discussing her idea with Kennedy administrators and the school nurse, Brewer determined that 60 additional kits would need to be purchased.

“Over the past several years, our school has made it a top priority to train staff and students in various emergency procedures,” Principal Gerard Owenburg said, “including CPR (and) AED, first aid, and Stop the Bleed training.”

She connected with the company iThrive, which supplies the kits. At a price of $50 per kit, Brewer needed to raise $3,000. Working with Kennedy’s student government, in which she’s also involved, she started a raffle, offering people a chance to win a new Apple Watch.

From the raffle alone she raised $1,500.

Sydney’s mother, Jessica, added that Kennedy’s PTA

MERRICK HERALD — February 2, 2023

continued from front page

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Bringing local sports home every week

spotlight athlete

Herald sports Elmont stays hot, tops Kennedy By toNY BellissiMo tbellissimo@liherald.com

BeNJaMiN VelasQUeZ

MacArthur Senior Wrestling a CoUNtY seMiFiNalist last winter and eventual third-place finisher in the 189-pound weight class, Velasquez is looking to cap his high school career with a Nassau wrestling crown. Heading into this Saturday’s county qualifier tournament at Bellmore-JFK, he is ranked No. 1 in the county at 215 pounds. After winning 21 of 30 matches last winter, his record this season stands at 36-3.

gaMes to WatCh thursday, Feb. 2

Girls Basketball: Carey at Roosevelt........................... 5 p.m.

Girls Basketball: Mineola at Wantagh ........................ 5 p.m.

Girls Basketball: Syosset at Freeport.......................... 7 p.m.

Girls Basketball: West Hemp at East Rockaway ......... 7 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 3

Boys Basketball: South Side at Kennedy ..............4:30 p.m.

Boys Basketball: G.N. South at Calhoun .................... 5 p.m.

Boys Basketball: V.S. Central at East Meadow ........... 5 p.m.

Boys Basketball: East Rockaway at West Hemp ......... 5 p.m.

Girls Basketball: Port Washington at Oceanside......... 5 p.m.

Girls Basketball: MacArthur at Long Beach................ 5 p.m.

Boys Basketball: Locust Valley at Seaford .................. 7 p.m.

Girls Basketball: North Shore at Clarke ...................... 7 p.m.

Girls Basketball: Jericho at Mepham.......................... 7 p.m.

Boys Basketball: Westbury at Baldwin ....................... 7 p.m.

saturday, Feb. 4

Wrestling: Nassau County Division 1 Qualifying Tournaments hosted by Long Beach, Hewlett, Bellmore-JFK, Plainedge and Uniondale......................................9:30 a.m.

Girls Basketball: Lynbrook at Mineola ...................... 12 p.m.

Girls Basketball: Kennedy at South Side.................. 12 p.m.

Boys Basketball: Clarke at North Shore ................... 12 p.m.

Boys Basketball: Long Beach at MacArthur ............. 12 p.m.

Juggling the lineup has been a constant for Elmont girls’ basketball head coach Pete Lawson, who was forced to make another adjustment prior to last Friday’s Conference A2 clash with Kennedy after leading scorer and rebounder Charlotte Hines went down with an injury in the previous game.

However, the Spartans still managed to win for the fifth time in six games and stayed mathematically alive for the conference title by completing a season sweep of the Cougars, 42-32. Senior Taylah Farquharson netted a game-high 14 points and senior Chi Chi Chukuezi stepped up for the missing Hines and tied a season high with 12 points and helped Elmont (11-6 overall, 7-2 in A1) dominate the boards.

Gianna Costaro, one of two seniors on Kennedy’s roster, posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Jolie Yablon added 9 points for the Cougars, who slipped to 4-12 overall and 2-6 in A1.

“Our play has been a little up and down but we’ve lost to some strong teams,” Lawson said. “I don’t want to put the blame on absences because every team deals with injuries. We’re just trying to survive and take it game by game.

“The nice thing is we had some girls return recently and we’ve got a deep roster,” he added. “Everyone has given us quality minutes.”

Hines, a sophomore forward who according to Lawson is out indefinitely after suffering an injury late in a 55-38 win over Sewanhaka Jan. 21 following a 19-point effort, would’ve been the focus of Kennedy’s defensive game plan, head coach Mallory Freely said.

“She had a big game against us the first time and we worked on some things in practice to stop her, but she didn’t play,” Freely said of Hines, who scored 15 points in Elmont’s come-from-behind 46-39 win in the first meeting Dec. 20.

“We’re very young and competing every game,” she added. “Scoring has been an issue. We’ve been right there in a bunch of games but just couldn’t close them out.”

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OC1283_RunningMan_Herald_Strip_10.25x2.5_Basketball.indd 1

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seNior giaNNa Costaro, left, scored 11 points and pulled down 11 rebounds last Friday in Kennedy’s 42-32 loss at Elmont.

The Cougars struggled offensively in the first half last Friday and dug a 20-9 halftime deficit. Chukuezi got involved early and often for the hosts, scoring 7 points in the opening quarter and 4 more in the second to account for more than half of Elmont’s points.

Farquharson and classmate Anaise Novembre helped the Spartans extend their lead in the third quarter, combining for 12 points with the former scoring 8.

Kennedy countered with some smooth free throws from sophomore Tristan Montalbano, who poured in 20 points to lead a recent victory over Roslyn.

“We’ve shown glimpses of what we’re capable of,” Freely said. “The Roslyn game was wonderful. We hit 11 three-pointers.”

The Cougars were also shorthanded as promising sophomore center Ashley St. Surin, who averages 7.5 points and leads the effort on the glass along with Costaro, was unable to play. She’ll be back this week to take on Great Neck North and South Side.

Elmont welcomed Kyla Moore, a sophomore who missed 14 games, and junior Cassidy Grannum, back into the rotation.

“It would be nice to go into the playoffs with a full lineup,” Lawson said.

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February 2, 2023 — MERRICK HERALD

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MERRICK HERALD — February 2, 2023

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All aboard for Grand Central Madison Limited — and temporary —Long Island Rail Road shuttle service from Jamaica opens

By JUAN LASSO jlasso@liherald.com

To the casual observer, it was just any other day at Jamaica’s Long Island Rail Road station.

But just after 10 a.m., commuters rushed aboard a shuttle train destined for Manhattan, the familiar busy choreography of squeezing through, wedging past, running in to nab a seat.

Families holding their kids in tow.

Couples and solo riders clutching their baggage. All of them packed into train cars, filling the aisle seats within minutes. Other late arrivals stood standing.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

But the air — even for a late-morning train ride — was unusually abuzz with chatter. Some kept conversation below a whisper. Others, not so much. But everyone was alive with a quiet knowing that this was no ordinary train ride. Instead, taking place, was a moment in history.

A history that was finally connecting Long island with Manhattan’s East Side.

For the better part of a century, for as long as anyone can remember, LIRR commuters relied on Penn Station to get them into the heart of New York City. So long in fact, it seemed the day for an alternative would never come.

But within the span of 22 minutes, that would all become history.

As the train came to its final stop 150 feet below ground in the bedrock of Midtown Manhattan, the low rattling of the train cars stopped, followed by silence.

No one dared to move. Breaking the stillness was the sound of the cheery conductor’s voice coming over the loudspeaker whose five words said it all: “Welcome to Grand Central Madison” Applause erupted from the train cars.

It was a watershed moment for the MTA as passengers set foot for the very first time on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Manhattan East Side station. A moment that encapsulated six decades of planning, nearly 20 years of construction, and roughly $11.6 billion.

The opening came after a month of delays caused by a faulty ventilation fan.

Yet, despite the acknowledged roadblocks, delays and missteps along the way, Grand Central Madison is finally here.

“Grand Central will dramatically change the transpor tation of the region,” said Janno Lieber, the MTA’s chair and chief executive. “It’s going to benefit Long Islanders with shorter commutes, 40 percent more service, and help Long Island business recruit people from the city with reverse commuting.”

And for Niurka Maldonado of Queens —riding with daughters Nora and Paulina — the prospect of having faster access to Manhattan’s East Side is nothing short of exciting.

“We have several friends that work in that area, and I love some of the restaurants in there,” she said. “So, we’re going to definitely be doing more trips to Grand Central and everything around there.”

Grand Central Madison direct LIRR schedule For roughly three weeks, shuttle service trains between Jamaica and Grand Central Madison are running every 30 minutes during off-peak hours and on weekends, and once per hour during peak times.

Service runs between 6:15 a.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays, and between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. on weekends.

Long Island Rail Road riders looking to Grand Central Madison can use their Penn Station tickets, which are the same price.

Juan Lasso/Herald photos

COMMUTERS, ENVELOPED UNDER a glass ceiling, take the roughly 3,000-foot escalator between the Long Island Rail Road concourse and the mezzanine at Grand Central Madison station on opening day of service that will eventually create a direct link between Manhattan’s East Side and Long Island.

COMMUTERS FROM JAMAICA station boarded the first passenger Long Island Rail Road train to Grand Central Madison — inaugurating the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s long-awaited East Side access that will soon provide LIRR service out of Grand Central Terminal.

Phyllis Levine, pounced on the chance to hop on the shuttle train to Grand Central if it meant saving time getting to her pharmacology appointment.

“I’m not a subway person, and I gen-

erally like to drive everywhere,” the Queens resident said. “But the easiest way to get to Manhattan from Queens is the express bus or the Long Island Rail Road. So, I figured I should try the ride to Grand Central. See how it goes.”

It will likely be a month before full service comes online, replacing the simple commuter trains. For now, riders looking for a fast way between Jamaica and Manhattan’s East Side can find trains every 30 minutes during off-peak hours, and every 60 during peak times.

“I just want to see if it saves me time going to my office on the East Side,” said Francesco Giovannetti of Glen Head.

“I’m hoping to save about 20 to 30 minutes being two blocks away from Grand Central. I want to get acclimated to the station.”

Then there was Ruthanne Terrero of Malverne, sitting placidly with her tote bag in hand, taking in the significance of the moment of new train service to Manhattan.

“It’s just really glorious to see that we have something really beautiful,” Terrero said. “I think a lot of people work on the East Side, and I think it’s also really important that people see that New York is progressing.”

And more progress is still to come.

Whether this project was worth its price tag, worth the commuting disruption, and worth the extended wait will be up to the riders themselves. Some have already taken to social media to point out certain mishaps like escalators shutting down midway, and some finding trouble making their way into the LIRR concourse at Grand Central.

It is no doubt looking to be a work in progress.

But Mitchell Schwartz and brother Steven — two young MTA train enthusiasts from Roslyn — wouldn’t have wanted this once-in-a-lifetime moment any other way.

“Just try wrapping your head around the fact that we are the first of millions to ride a train toward something that has been proposed for over half a century,” Mitchell said. “It’s just an amazing occasion.”

Additional reporting by Andre Silva.

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D’Esposito gets to work on Capitol Hill

By ANA BORRUTO aborruto@liherald.com

It’s certainly been an interesting process getting acclimated to Washington, and his new role as a congressman. But U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito is happy to finally get to settle down and tackle his new role on Capitol Hill.

From police officer to detective in the New York Police Department. An 18-year-old volunteer firefighter to fire chief. And now Hempstead town councilman to congressman, the 40-year-old Island Park native describes looking back at his journey as a surreal experience.

Orientation for incoming congressional members like D’Esposito began the Sunday after Election Day — a point where some candidates were still waiting for their races to be called. Still, freshmen members of the House undergo a two-week icebreaker period where they get to know one another and learn how everything we see on C-SPAN operates.

“In politics in general — but specifically in Washington — you look at where people sit on the (House) floor, and it’s literally divided by an aisle,” D’Esposito said.

“When we went to orientation, you walked into the hotel or you walked into different events, everyone just had a nametag on.”

It said who they were and where they were from, but there was no “D” or “R” labelling them as Democrats or Republicans.

“I think it gave (us) the opportunity to really meet people with an open mind,” he said.

D’Esposito is now almost a month into office, serving on three House committees: Homeland Security, Transportation and Infrastructure and House Administration.

When it comes to homeland security, the congressman believes the biggest issue the country faces is taking

Tim Baker/Herald

WITH THE HELP of his 3-year-old niece Sailor, U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito takes the oath of office from former U.S. Sen. Alfonse D’Amato. The congressman finds himself on three House committees, including one for homeland security that requires him to get top-secret clearance. place at the U.S.-Mexico border. There have been a large number of migrants coming to the United States seeking asylum, or at least a better life. While D’Esposito believes everyone should have the opportunity to come to America, it still must be “done correctly.”

That means more funding for border patrol agents and the resources they need to keep the country’s borders safe.

Getting onto the Homeland Security Community meant earning a top-secret security clearance. Before leaving the NYPD in his previous life, D’Esposito was in

the process of transferring to the department’s joint terrorist task force.

“In addition to my 20 or so years as a first responder, I think having someone from Long Island and New York on Homeland Security is super important,” D’Esposito said. “We need to carry that mantle of Peter King, who was the chair of Homeland Security following 9/11. And we need to make sure we are able to provide the resources that we need to our local law enforcement agencies — not only here, but throughout the country.”

D’Esposito’s responsibilities with the Committee of House Administration include overseeing management of House operations, federal elections, key congressional offices, and Capitol Complex security — which extends to supervising the U.S. Capitol Police and its management.

The former police officer expressed his excitement in the opportunity to utilize his law enforcement experience when collaborating with officers sworn to protect one of the nation’s three branches of government.

But even with all that work on his plate, D’Esposito still finds himself talking about one of his fellow freshman colleagues from a neighboring congressional district — U.S. Rep. George Santos, and the ongoing reports and investigations into his past and how he raised money for his campaign.

D’Esposito won’t back down on his calls for Santos to resign, and is prepared to provide whatever services constituents in Santos’ district might need, but not comfortable approaching the embattled congressman about.

“People voted for a George Santos that they don’t even know — they voted for the George Santos that George created,” D’Esposito said. “You call, you’re looking for help, regardless of where you live, regardless of where you’re from, what you look like or what party you’re affiliated with — we’re here to help you.”

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Supporting Haiti, across Central District were able to do with little preparation.”

Alexandra Levitt, 17, a member of Kennedy’s Diversity Equity Inclusion Club, said it was a joy for them to help spread what started in Calhoun. “It was so powerful to see everyone wearing their pride, with the bracelets students sold that said ‘Stronger Together,’” Levitt said. “We are so grateful for the Kennedy High School faculty and staff for their support in bringing this program into our school, and to the rest of the district for allowing us to be involved with such a worthy organization.”

continued from front page appreciate how many Haitians lack the basics for survival. They visited Grand Avenue Middle School in Bellmore in December.

At Calhoun, “Jean Day,” in November, was popular among the teaching staff.

“Any teacher was able to donate $5 in order to dress down — or wear jeans for the day,” Mascary said. “So many teachers were involved with that, and they loved it so much.”

Spreading beyond Calhoun

The Equity Club wanted not only to involve schools in the Central District, but also to educate Bellmore-Merrick’s elementary districts. On Nov. 23, club members visit all three North Merrick schools, where they talked with students about gratitude and leadership, and about Haiti.

Ayana Mascary, Nickolas’s twin sister, said she believed the elementary program was a great success. “They were very engaged in the conversation,” she said of the students. “Most of them wanted to answer questions, and basically have that conversation with us.

“We had to sugarcoat it a little bit, since they are in elementary school — it couldn’t be too harsh,” Ayana added. “We read them a book, and most of them wanted to understand what Haiti was like.”

“When we were in elementary school, we didn’t cover topics like that — we

What’s next?

Courtesy Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District

What Started in Calhoun quickly spread across the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District: Students at Mepham High sold baked goods to support the project. didn’t cover Haiti at all,” Jill Grossberg, 16, a club member, said. “It was an extra lesson they wouldn’t have had if we didn’t have the opportunity to speak to them, which I think is really great.”

Just after Thanksgiving, Nickolas said, the club had its largest fundraiser, Hope Day, collecting over $900. There were bake sales in every school in the Central District, under the leadership of student groups similar to the Equity Club — Kennedy High’s Diversity Equity Inclusion Club, Mepham High’s Equity Alliance, Grand Avenue’s International Culture

Club, and Merrick Avenue’s International Buddy Club. In addition to the bake sale, everyone was encouraged to wear the blue, the color of the Hope for Haiti cause.

Mascary explained that Robyn Einbinder, the social studies chair at Mepham, helped facilitate the connections across the district, and supported the Equity Club’s efforts.

“I was very happy when our message got spread to the whole school, and then to all the high schools, middle schools and the elementary schools,” Grossberg said.

“It just really surprised me how much we

BREAKING DOWN BOUNDARIES WITH CANCER BREAKTHROUGHS

All of the money collected at the various fundraisers was donated directly to Hope for Haiti, a nonprofit whose mission is to improve the quality of life for Haitian people.

Though the Equity Club was founded four years ago, Grossberg said she thinks the Hope Project really helped put it on the map. “The traction started building, with more and more people getting involved and donating and coming to the club,” she explained. “It really got into people’s brains like, oh, I should help.”

Grossberg said that the club’s adviser, Beth Finneran, was extremely helpful, but was also happy to see how studentrun most of the club’s efforts were. “I think it shows how much power kids have,” Grossberg added. “Kids can really do so much if they put their minds to it.”

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STEPPING OUT on

Score big on Super Sunday

By Karen Bloom

It’s the biggest sports day of the year. Classic commercials, historic plays and friends are all quintessential elements of the perfect game-day get-together.

Whether your gang includes football fanatics or just a few fans, the big game — on Feb. 12 — is a great excuse for casual winter entertaining.

And while there may be a game on the big screen, a lot of the action takes place around the table — keeping everyone well-fed is a sport in itself!

• 1/4 tsp. onion powder • 1 tsp. smoked paprika • 1 cup hummus Whisk first seven ingredients together (vinegar through paprika).

Add hummus and combine thoroughly.

Be creative with your dipping options. Potato and tortilla chips go hand-in-hand with tailgating festivities, but beyond these standards is a whole world of other dipping options. For a Mediterranean touch, go with flatbread, pita bread or pita chips. Or opt for more texture with multi-grain crackers that include raw flax, chia or sesame seeds. Or go for double the Buffalo wing flavor by dipping your wing, instead of the traditional blue cheese.

Darlene Love Darlene Love is always a welcome stage presence. For more than 50 years, she’s been making rock and roll’s world go ‘round. Since the early ‘60s, as part of Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound hit factory, this songstress has done it all — from movies like the ‘Lethal Weapon’ series to Broadway hits like ‘Hairspray’ and ‘Grease.’ She even starred as herself in ‘Leader of the Pack,’ credited as Broadway’s first ‘jukebox musical.’ Love’s career and legacy reached new heights, as a result of being featured in 2013’s acclaimed documentary ‘20 Feet from Stardom,’ when she became the best known ‘unknown”’ in rock history. She continues to captivate audiences with her warm, gracious persona and dynamic performances. Her timeless, soaring voice remains as powerful as ever. Rolling Stone magazine has proclaimed Love to be ‘one of the greatest singers of all time,’ and that certainly rings true, but perhaps Paul Shaffer says it even more concisely: ‘Darlene Love is rock and roll!”

Friday, Feb. 10, 8 p.m. $88, $78, $68. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 767-6444 or LandmarkOnMainStreet.org.

Cajun Buffalo Chicken Wings Here’s a zesty take on the football-watching favorite.

• 2-1/2 pounds chicken wing pieces • 1/2 cup any flavor Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wings Sauce • 1/3 cup ketchup • 2 tsp. Cajun seasoned spice blend Bake wings in foil-lined pan at 500° F on lowest oven rack for 20 to 25 minutes until crispy, turning once.

Mix buffalo wings sauce, ketchup and spice blend.

Toss wings in sauce to coat.

Tip: You may substitute 1/2 cup red hot sauce mixed with 1/3 cup melted butter for the Wings Sauce.

Alternate cooking directions: Deep-fry at 375° F for 10 minutes, or broil 6 inches from heat 15 to 20 minutes turning once.

Hummus Buffalo Wing Dip A warm batch of Buffalo wings pairs well with this smoky and spicy dip.

• 1 tsp. red wine vinegar • 1 tsp. olive oil • 1 tbsp. tomato paste • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Lviv National Philharmonic Touchdown Italian Sausage Chili

• 1 package (19.76 ounces) Italian sausage links • 1 cup onion, chopped • 3 celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces • 1 large sweet red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces • 1 tbsp. garlic, minced • 3 tbsp. olive oil • 1 large yellow pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces • 1 large green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces • 3 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) Italian recipe stewed tomatoes • 1 can (16 ounces) dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained • 1 can (15 ounces) butter beans, rinsed and drained • 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste • 3/4 cup black olives, sliced • 1/4 cup cream sherry (optional) • 1 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped • 1 1/2 tsp. baking cocoa • 1/2 to 1 tsp. pepper Cook sausage according to package directions; cut into half moon slices and set aside.

In soup kettle, saute onion, celery, sweet pepper and garlic in oil until tender. Add sausage and remaining ingredients; bring to boil.

Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until flavors are blended.

Sprinkle chili with grated asiago, romano, parmesan cheese — or any cheese of your choice — before serving.

Makes 12 servings.

The National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine was established in Lviv in1902, a city known as one of the great cultural centers of eastern Europe, The orchestra has evolved over the years to become one of that nation’s largest and most internationally known ensembles, now under the baton of principal guest conductor Theodore Kuchar.

It reminds us of how music can bridge cultures and bring people together. Their 2023 American tour is a testament to the power of music to overcome adversity. Their program for this powerful concert includes: Ukrainian composer Yevhen Stankovych’s Chamber Symphony No. 3 for Flute and String Orchestra; Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16; and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92. Pianist Oksana Rapita is the featured soloist.

Saturday, Feb. 16, 8 p.m.; with 6:45 p.m. Arts Insider preperformance preview. $79, $59, $44. Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville.

(516) 299-3100 or TillesCenter. org..

MERRICK HERALD — February 2, 2023

Get your

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Your Neighborhood

THE

February 2, 2023 — MERRICK HERALD

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SCENE

Art talk Grab your lunch and join Nassau County Museum of Art Docent Riva Ettus for her popular “Brown Bag Lecture” live, via Zoom, Thursday, Feb. 23, 1 p.m. She’ll discuss the current exhibition, “The Big Picture: Photography Now.” Participants are invited to ask questions at the end of the program. Register at least 24 hours in advance to receive the program Zoom link. Also Feb. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Dr., Roslyn Harbor. (516) 484-9337 or NassauMuseum.org.

All-Star Comedy Show Governor’s Comedy Club and GovsRadio.com offer a showcase of the finest comedy acts from Long Island, New York City and beyond, Thursday, Feb. 16, doors open 6 p.m. This is a rare opportunity to see the best comics in one, big show. Tickets are $14. Must be 16 and older to attend, 2 item minimum per table. 2792 Merrick Road, Bellmore. Call (516) 781-5233.

Gotcha Covered Musiscal duo Gotcha Covered performs at the North Merrick Library, Sunday, Feb. 19, 1:30 p.m. Enjoy tunes from the 70s through the 2000s, including rock and folk hits of the last 50 years. 1691 Meadowbrook Road, North Merrick. Call (516) 378-7474 for more information.

On stage

Feb. 17

Zoë Keating

Cellist and composer Zoë Keating visits the Landmark stage, Friday, Feb. 17, 8 p.m. Considered a “one woman orchestra,” she uses a cello and a foot-controlled laptop to loop layer upon layer of cello, creating intricate, haunting, and compelling music; Keating has spent the last 20 years exploring the landscape of sounds a string instrument can make.

She coaxes sounds out of the very edges of her cello, adeptly layering them into “swoon inducing” (San Francisco Weekly) music that is unclassifiable yet “a distinctive mix of old and new” (National Public Radio). She is known for her use of technology — which she uses to record and sample her cello onstage and in the studio – and for her DIY approach — composing, recording and producing her works on her own terms, without the help of a record label. $41, $35, $27. Jeanne Rimsky Theater at Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington. (516) 767-6444 or LandmarkOnMainStreet.org.

Mo Willems’ popular The Pigeon comes alive on the Long Island Children’s Museum stage, Saturday, Feb. 11, 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.; Sunday, Feb.12, 2 p.m.; Wednesday through Friday, Feb. 15-17, 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.

Eric Neumann Eric Neumann, a rising standup comic who made his debut on The Tonight Show, performs at the Brokerage in Bellmore, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 24-25. Doors open at 6 p.m., show starts at 8 p.m. Friday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday. $25. Must be 16 and older to attend, 2 item minimum per table. 2792 Merrick Road, Bellmore. Call (516) 781-5233.

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Transportation requests

Smart Driver inperson workshop Visit North Merrick Library to learn and discover the safety benefits of new car technology, in a special class offered by AARP, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 1:30 p.m., 1691 Meadowbrook Road, North Merrick. Advance registration required. Call (877) 805-0548 or email drive@aarp.org.

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Feb. 3 In perfect harmony

On exhibit Photography’s ascent in the art world is an international phenomenon. Nassau County Museum of Art’s star-studded exhibition spans the historical roots of the medium. View works by Ansel Adams and his generation and the thrilling, large-format color works of such contemporary masters as Cindy Sherman, Thomas Struth, James Casebere and Gregory Crewdson, among others.

From the documentary to the painterly, images bear witness to the times. On view through March 5. Nassau County Museum of Art, 1 Museum Drive, Roslyn Harbor. (516) 4849337 or NassauMuseum.org.

The SingStrong A Cappella Festival returns to the New York area, hosted by Adelphi University, Friday through Sunday, Feb. 3-5. Professional a cappella groups perform along with collegiate and high school ensembles. A variety of musical genres are represented, including re-imaginings of barbershop, pop, R&B, jazz, and more. Adelphi University Performing Arts Center, 1 South Ave., Garden City. (516) 8774000 or Adelphi.edu/pac.

Psychic readings at Off The Brook Enjoy an evening of dinner and readings by psychic medium Robert Hanson at Off The Brook Bistro & Cocktails, Monday, Feb. 6, 6 p.m. $62 per person, with tax and gratuity. Call the restaurant at (516) 608-6543 to reserve or visit OffTheBrook.com.1810 Merrick Road, Merrick.

Having an event?

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.

See the romantic comedy about what happens when an African American and a Latina college student fall in love, presented by Nassau Community College Theater and Dance Department and the Africana Studies Department, Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 7-11, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 12, 2 p.m. Also Feb. 16-19, with talkback session with playwright David Lamb, immediately following final performance. Threaded by the culture of hip-hop, the lovers defend their relationship, as friends and family learn that this “food fight” calls for fusion instead of feud. Nassau Community College’s Mainstage Theatre, Garden City. Tickets $10; NCC students free with valid ID; $8 veterans, alumni, seniors 60+, students and NCC employees. For tickets/information, visit NCC.edu or call (516) 572-7676.

MERRICK HERALD — February 2, 2023

Requests for transportation to private or parochial schools outside of the North Merrick Union Free School District must be received by April 1. Children must be registered in the North Merrick District first before submitting an application.

Families moving into the district after April 1 have 30 days to submit a request.

Transportation is not provided to those older than 6th grade, children who will not be 5 by Dec. 1, 2023, to schools located further than 15 miles from a child’s home, or to schools located less than 2 miles from a child’s home. All requests must be sent to 1057 Merrick Ave., North Merrick. Applications can be picked up at Fayette School, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday to Friday. Students in middle school or high school should contact the BellmoreMerrick Central High School District. Call (516) 282-3696.

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Pat McGann Pat McGann, quickly rising as one of the sharpest standups on the comedy scene, appears at The Paramount, Saturday, Feb. 11, 8 p.m. A relative latecomer to comedy, he began doing stand-up at age 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, his 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 sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden. $40, $35, $30, $25.

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(From left to right) Jodi Turk, event, marketing and brand strategist, and Amy Amato, executive director of corporate relations and events, visited the Barasch & McGarry office to deliver a check to John Feal, founder and president of the FealGood Foundation, and Sara Director, partner at Barasch & McGarry who handles 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) claims and a Top Lawyer Honoree. RichnerLIVE donated a portion of ticket proceeds from the Herald Top Lawyers of Long Island Awards Gala to the foundation.

The FealGood Foundation protects and assists all emergency personnel injured on the job or in their personal lives through offering financial aid, basic home utilities, medicine and more. On Sept. 12, 2001, Feal was called to assist in the cleanup of ground zero when his foot was crushed and forced to be amputated. After dealing with the hurdles that came with the accident, he decided that no one should struggle after helping with ground zero.

Visit www.FealGoodFoundation.com for more information on the organization and how you can help.

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PHOTOS BY MATTHEW MURPHY 1200717

Photo Courtesy of Barasch & McGarry

February 2, 2023 — MERRICK HERALD

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Town redistricting falls short of new map Recommendation not enough, civic groups say

By ANA BORRUTO & JUAN LASSO of the Herald

After several rounds of blistering public hearings and politically pressurized back-and-forths, a temporary redistricting commission’s efforts to explore how new political lines should be drawn for the Town of Hempstead ended last month with its final recommendation.

Their choice? Nothing.

After weighing the options between a preliminary map pitched by Hempstead town officials, or alternatives by local civic and law groups, the three-member commission officially urged town lawmakers to produce a final map that keeps communities of interest intact. Still, it stopped short of putting forward an actual map for the town to consider.

“We really sat, each one of us, and it truly was a hearing,” comMIMI PIERREm i s s i o n ch a i r JOHNSON Gary Hudes told founder, the audience. “We listened.

Elmont Cultural “I think, in Center both cases, there is a common thread we are seeing, and that is the idea of keeping communities whole and making them more compact.”

The move was met with a sharp uproar from the small crowd, dashing expectations for a final green light for a town council map.

Mimi Pierre-Johnson, the founder of the Elmont Cultural Center, felt the commission had turned a corner by formally acknowledging the faults of the town’s proposal. But they fell short when they did not deliver on a solid recommendation.

“Our hopes (were) snatched by the fact that they refused to stand behind one of the proposed alternative maps and tweak it as needed,” Pierre-Johnson said. “The resolution is not enough to satisfy everything the public raised a concern to.”

Since the first day of the redistricting process, concerns raised by voters and community activist groups circle back to a single theme: District lines should be redrawn to have a more balanced demographic representation of up to three “minority-majority” districts, and compact historically and culturally whole communities. This is something the Elmont Cultural Center and Legal Defense Fund said they ensured with their five alternative maps.

Commission members admitted that not a single proposed map addressed all the issues people have put forth at various meetings, but claimed the recommendation was enough to communicate the gist of everyone’s concerns.

As it stands, the current map produced

T

he resolution is not enough to satisfy everything the public raised a concern to.

Ana Borruto/Herald photos

THE PROPOSED MAP from Hempstead town officials showing where town council districts will be placed was created by Skyline Consulting.

It has drawn criticism from civic groups and law experts for what they claim violate federal and state voting rights protections, saying the map fails to keep communities whole, and continues to crack minority neighborhoods into multiple districts.

THE ELMONT CULTURAL Center’s ‘Blue Bird Plan’ keeps Elmont and Valley Stream in one minoritymajority district when it comes to representation on the Hempstead town council, while maps proposed by Hempstead town officials do not. by the town-hired Skyline Demographic Consultants ensures the town’s 22 villages — with the exception of the Village of Hempstead — remain whole in accordance with the municipal “home rule” law. And communities such as East Meadow, Franklin Square, North Valley Stream, Baldwin, Uniondale and Woodmere each contain portions of two council districts, while West Hempstead contains portions of three.

Critics, however, raised doubts about the map’s compliance with federal and state voting rights protections — specifically the Voting Rights Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York,

signed last summer by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Michael Pernick of the Legal Defense Fund, civil rights attorney Frederick Brewington, Randolph McLaughlin and LatinoJustice PRLDEF argued splitting the Black and Latino communities in Elmont and Valley Stream into two separate majority-white districts dilutes minority voting power.

“Over 38 percent of the population in the Town of Hempstead is Black or Latino,” the law professionals wrote in a letter to the commission. “But this demographic can only elect the candidate of their choice in one out of the six districts.”

Pernick and Brewington warned that

if Hempstead finalizes the current map as it stands, it could expose the town to costly litigation — all at taxpayers’ expense.

A statement released by the commission acknowledged the Skyline proposal was “problematic in that it splits Hempstead and Uniondale, Baldwin, East Meadow, Franklin Square, West Hempstead and North Valley Stream. It fails to keep the communities of North Valley Stream and Elmont together, and fails to put the communities of Merrick and North Merrick into a single district.

“It is not sufficiently compact, and compactness is an important redistricting criteria under the ‘home rule’ message.”

17

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rs 35 Yeagrity e Of Int

February 2, 2023 — MERRICK HERALD

18

Tim Baker/Herald photos

MEMBERS OF THE Nassau Community College Federation of Teachers, an educators union supporting the school’s full-time faculty, gathered at the Nassau County Legislature to demand fair contracts after learning their health care insurance premiums were going up.

NCC union rallies after health care costs rise ing the board to charge faculty members working under an expired contract with increased health insurance premiums.

Demanding fair contracts with afford- The insurance increases, Siminioff said, able health care costs, dozens of Nassau could cost faculty members between Community College faculty members ral- $2,500 and $5,000 — effectively acting like lied outside of the county legislature last a pay cut. week.

“So, we’re not getting we’re not getting They were part of a broader protest a wage increase. Our promotions have all from the Nassau Community been frozen. We’re not getCollege Federation of Teachting our sabbaticals. We’re ers, an educators union reprenot getting anything. But senting NCC’s full-time faculthey’re imposing this on us,” ty, speaking out against highSiminioff said. “I think this er health care insurance preprovision has been there for mium costs. They gathered on 30 years and they have never the steps of the county legisinvoked it. They want to punlature carrying signs like ish the faculty and force us “We’d rather be teaching through economic strongright now,” demanding better arming.” wages and fair contracts, tarJohn Gross, an Ingerman geting both the Nassau ComSmith attorney representing munity College Board of Nassau Community College, Trustees and the county itself. said the New York State They weren’t out on the FAREN Health Insurance Plan — steps long before some of the which provides insurance to union members were ushered SIMINIOFF all college employees — inside the Mineola building president, raised premiums on Jan. 1 by with a chance to state their Nassau Community 15 percent for family covercase with county legislators. age. That’s about $5,000 each College Federation The educators union and year. Individual coverage trustees board have been of Teachers rose more than 12 percent, negotiating full-time faculty which could cost upward of contracts since last July, hoping to work $4,000 over the next 12 months. out a deal before their contracts expired A provision in NCC’s full-time faculty in August. The union has rallied multiple labor contract states if the cost of health times since then, expressing frustration insurance premiums increases after a with the negotiation process. contract expires, Gross said, it’s up to the As recently as Dec. 13, Siminioff and individual employees to shoulder those the union asked the trustees to include costs through payroll deductions. salary increases to keep up with rising “The union knew it was in the labor inflation, as well as include paid sabbati- contract because one of the proposals in cals. But then, last week, health insurance our current negotiations is to remove the premium costs jumped for full-time facul- clause,” Gross said. “The board didn’t ty at NCC. wake up one day and said, ‘You know The increase came about thanks to the what? We’re going to impose these trustees enacting an old clause in their increases on the union.’” contracts — written decades ago — allowSiminioff said many faculty members

By ANDRE SILVA asilva@liherald.com

T

hey want to punish the faculty and force us through economic strong-arming.

FAREN SIMINIOFF, PRESIDENT of the Nassau Community College Federation of Teachers union, gathered protesters outside the Nassau County Legislature, demanding better wages and fair contracts from the Nassau Community College board and the county. feel the college has strained them to their limits, and has not properly supported them financially. Aside from the imposed health insurance premiums, NCC’s faculty has experienced an average wage increase just over 1 percent in the past decade.

“The starting salary for an instructional faculty member is approximately $60,800, and the starting salary for a noninstructional faculty member is $55,900,” Siminioff said. “According to the MIT wage calculator, a middle-class family of three needs about $96,000 to be middle class in Nassau County.”

Faculty members are teaching more students in larger classes over the past few years, Siminioff said. When she first

started teaching at NCC some 25 years ago, she taught an average of 110 students each semester. Now, professors are being asked to educate an average of 160 students each semester — which Siminioff feels is unfair.

Aside from low starting wages, it typically takes 15 to 18 years for someone on the faculty to start earning $100,000, Siminioff said. Anyone hired now would earn $55,000, taking 15 years to climb to $100,000.

“By the time you get 15 years of employment, it’s still not enough to live middle class in Nassau County,” Siminioff said. “So, they’re condemning college faculty to never being middle class.

That’s the bottom line.”

19

Neighbors iN the News

MERRICK HERALD — February 2, 2023

Courtesy North Merrick Public Library

The NorTh Merrick Public Library recently installed an electric vehicle charging station in the rear parking lot of the library

New charging stations open at library The North Merrick Public Library recently installed an electric vehicle charging station in the rear parking lot of the library.

Library trustee,= Mark Davis said it was a great opportunity for the Library to lead by example as libraries strive to be more environmentally friendly. “Electric vehicle sales are increasing,” he said, “and the library is prepared to meet the need for charging options for the commu-

N O R T H A M ER I CA’S

nity. I have been honored to serve as a library trustee for nearly 20 years and proud of the Board’s vision of building sustainability with environmentally friendly improvements for the community to use.”

The ChargePoint EV Station has a Level 2 Charger and can accommodate two cars. Charging is $1 an hour for the first two hours. Stop by the library or visit NMerrickLibrary.org to learn more.

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Public Notices

LEGAL NOTICE AD FOR BID REQUESTS DOORS, WINDOWS, ACCESS CONTROL AND PANIC BUTTONS A non-profit religious organization located in Merrick, NY is seeking sealed bids for sales and installation of security related enhancements.

The project includes obtaining and installation of: 1. New solid interior doors with new frames and automatic closing and locking hardware to replace selected interior doors.

2. New double pane locking security windows with shatterproof glass & limited opening hardware 3. Video intercom and physical access control equipment, including remote lock release capability that is compatible with our current systems for selected interior doors.

4. Acquire and install panic buttons in selected areas of the building Selection criteria will be based on knowledge of doors, door installation, security windows & installation, and security systems. Experience and specific knowledge of all or some of items 1, 2, 3 & 4 listed above, adherence to projected work schedules, prior experience, references, and cost. Bids will be accepted for either individual items listed above or any combination of those items.

Specifications and bid requirements can be obtained by contacting us a t bidstbame@gmail.com.

All firms who intend to bid and are interested in receiving the bid requirements must provide the following information in your email request: firm name, owners’ names, business address, primary contact, telephone, fax, and email address by no later than 5:00pm Friday February 24, 2023.

Bids will be accepted until 5:00pm on Friday March 17, 2023. Work is to commence by Monday April 24, 2023 and be completed by August 15, 2023 137033 PUBLIC AND LEGAL NOTICES… Printed in this publication can be found online. To search by publication name, go to: www.newyorkpublicnotices.com

LEGAL NOTICE Notice of formation of Lily J. Sweets, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York SSNY on 11/5/2022. Office: Nassau County. SSNY has been designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of any process served against the LLC, Legal Zoom.com, Inc., 7014 13th Avenue, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY, 11228. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

137059

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, NRP MORTGAGE TRUST I, Plaintiff, vs.

1480 JERUSALEM LLC, ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to an Order Confirming Referee Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on November 22, 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 11501 on March 8, 2023 at 2:00 p.m., premises known as 1480 Jerusalem Avenue, North Merrick, NY 11566.

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 55, Block 540 and Lot 68.

Approximate amount of judgment is $685,781.26 plus interest and costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 612453/2021.

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.

Oscar A. Prieto, Esq., Referee Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff Firm File No. 211568-1 137066

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE OF THE RESIDENTIAL ASSET SECURITIZATION TRUST 2006-A1, MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES 2006-A UNDER THE POOLING AND SERVICING AGREEMENT DATED FEBRUARY 1, 2006 Plaintiff, Against JOSPEH NOTO A/K/A JOSEPH D. NOTO, DIANN NOTO, ET AL. Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly entered 10/25/2017, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction, on the North Side steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court located at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, N.Y. 11501. This Auction will be held rain or shine on 2/16/2023 at 2:00 PM, premises known as 2394 Merrick Avenue, Merrick, New York 11566, And Described As Follows:

ALL that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being In Merrick, Town Of Hempstead, County Of Nassau, State Of New York.

Section 55 Block 523 Lot 351 The approximate amount of the current Judgment lien is $685,788.99 plus interest and costs. The Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the aforesaid Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale; Index # 12-007631 If proper social distancing cannot be maintained or there are other health or safety concerns, the then Court Appointed Referee will cancel the Foreclosure Auction.

David Woycik, Esq., Referee.

McCabe, Weisberg & Conway, LLC, 10 Midland Avenue, Suite 205, Port Chester, NY 10573 Dated: 1/9/2023 File Number: 272-8951 LD 136638

Place a notice by phone at 516-569-4000 x232 or email: legalnotices@liherald.com

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A., AS TRUSTEE FOR OPTION ONE MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST 2003-3, ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2003-3, Plaintiff, v. KEVIN P. MURPHY A/K/A KEVIN MURPHY, et al., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale After Inquest and Appointment of Referee duly entered on January 31, 2017, 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 11501 on February 23, 2023 at 2:30 p.m., premises known as 1811 Bedford Avenue, Merrick, NY 11566. 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 55, Block 123 and Lots 61, 62, 63 & 108.

Approximate amount of judgment is $251,553.91 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 12-007487.

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.

George P. Esernio, Esq., Referee

Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff Firm File No. 180558-1 136726

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., Plaintiff AGAINST Alys Balbes; et al., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered November 5, 2018 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the North Side Steps of the Nassau County Supreme Court at 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on February 28, 2023 at 2:30PM, premises known as 2599 Orr Street, Merrick, NY 11566-4745.

All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau, State of NY, Section 63 Block 135 Lot 861. Approximate amount of judgment $588,637.31 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 014715/2013.

Irene Villacci, Esq., Referee LOGS Legal Group LLP f/k/a Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792 Dated: December 16, 2022 136926 LEGAL NOTICE Notice is hereby given that an On Premises Restaurant Wine license, Serial #1356080 has been applied for by Red Door Deli Inc to sell beer, wine and cider at retail in an Restaurant.

For on premise consumption under the ABC Law at 241 Smith St Merrick NY 11566.

136904 Place a notice by phone at 516-569-4000 x232 or email: legalnotices@liherald.com

LEGAL NOTICE PUBLIC NOTICE OF NASSAU COUNTY TREASURER’S SALE OF TAX LIENS ON REAL ESTATE Notice is hereby given that commencing on February 21st, 2023, will sell at public on-line auction the tax liens on certain real estate, unless the owner, mortgagee, occupant of or any other party in interest in such real estate shall have paid to the County Treasurer

by February 16th, 2023 the total amount of such unpaid taxes or assessments with the interest, penalties and other expenses and charges against the property.

www.liherald.com

20

Such tax liens will be sold at the lowest rate of interest, not exceeding 10 percent per six-month period, for which any person or persons shall offer to take the total amount of such unpaid taxes as defined in Section 5-37.0 of the Nassau County Administrative Code.

Effective with the February 2019 lien sale Ordinance No. 175-2015 requires a $175.00 per day registration fee for each person who intends to bid at the tax lien sale.

Ordinance No. 175-2015 also requires that upon the issuance of the Lien Certificate there is due from the lien buyer a Tax Certificate Issue Fee of $20.00 per lien purchased. Pursuant to the provisions of the Nassau County Administrative Code at the discretion of the Nassau County Treasurer the auction will be conducted online. Further information concerning the procedures for the auction is available at the website of the Nassau County Treasurer at: https://www.nassaucount y n y. g o v / 5 2 6 / C o u n t y Treasurer Should the Treasurer determine that an inperson auction shall be held, same will commence on the 21st day of February 2023 at the Office of The County Treasurer 1 West Street, Mineola or at some other location to be determined by the Treasurer.

A list of all real estate in Nassau County on which tax liens are to be sold is available at the website of the Nassau County Treasurer at: https://www.nassaucount yny.gov/527/Annual-TaxLien-Sale A list of local properties upon which tax liens are to be sold will be advertised in this publication on or before February 08th, 2023.

Nassau County does not discriminate on the basis of disability in admission to or access to, or treatment or employment in, its services, programs, or activities.

Upon request, accommodations such as those required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to participate in all services, programs, activities and public

hearings and events conducted by the Treasurer’s Office. Upon request, information can be made available in Braille, large print, audiotape or other alternative formats. For additional information, please call (516) 571-2090 ext.

1-3715.

Dated: January 25, 2023 THE NASSAU COUNTY TREASURER Mineola, NewYork ___________________ TERMS OF SALE Such tax liens shall be sold subject to any and all superior tax liens of sovereignties and other municipalities and to all claims of record which the County may have thereon and subject to the provisions of the Federal and State Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Acts.

However, such tax liens shall have priority over the County’s Differential Interest Lien, representing the excess, if any, of the interest and penalty borne at the maximum rate over the interest and penalty borne at the rate at which the lien is purchased.

The Purchaser acknowledges that the tax lien(s) sold pursuant to these Terms of Sale may be subject to pending bankruptcy proceedings and/or may become subject to such proceedings which may be commenced during the period in which a tax lien is held by a successful bidder or the assignee of same, which may modify a Purchaser’s rights with respect to the lien(s) and the property securing same. Such bankruptcy proceedings shall not affect the validity of the tax lien. In addition to being subject to pending bankruptcy proceedings and/or the Federal and State Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Acts, said purchaser’s right of foreclosure may be affected by the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act(FIRREA),12 U.S.C. ss 1811 et.seq., with regard to real property under Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation(FDIC) receivership.

The County Treasurer reserves the right, without further notice and at any time, to withdraw from sale any of the parcels of land or

premises herein listed.

The Nassau County Treasurer reserves the right to intervene in any bankruptcy case/litigation where the property affected by the tax liens sold by the Treasurer is part of the bankruptcy estate. However, it is the sole responsibility of all tax lien purchasers to protect their legal interests in any bankruptcy case affecting their purchased tax lien, including but not limited to the filing of a proof of claim on their behalf, covering their investment in said tax lien. The Nassau County Treasurer and Nassau County and its agencies, assumes no responsibility for any legal representation of any tax lien purchaser in any legal proceeding including but not limited to a bankruptcy case where the purchased tax lien is at risk.

The rate of interest and penalty at which any person purchases the tax lien shall be established by his bid.

Each purchaser, immediately after the sale thereof, shall pay to the County Treasurer ten per cent of the amount for which the tax liens have been sold and the remaining ninety per cent within thirty days after such sale. If the purchaser at the tax sale shall fail to pay the remaining ninety per cent within ten days after he has been notified by the County Treasurer that the certificates of sale are ready for delivery, then all amounts deposited with the County Treasurer including but not limited to the ten per cent theretofore paid by him shall, without further notice or demand, be irrevocably forfeited by the purchaser and shall be retained by the County Treasurer as liquidated damages and the agreement to purchase shall be of no further effect. Time is of the essence in this sale. This sale is held pursuant to the Nassau County Administrative Code and interested parties are referred to such Code for additional information as to terms of the sale, rights of purchasers, maximum rates of interest and other legal incidents of the sale.

Furthermore, as to the bidding, 1. The bidder(s) agree

that they will not work with any other bidder(s) to increase, maintain or stabilize interest rates or collaborate with any other bidder(s) to gain an unfair competitive advantage in the random number generator in the event of a tie bid(s) on a tax certificate. Bidder(s) further agree not to employ any bidding strategy designed to create an unfair competitive advantage in the tiebreaking process in the upcoming tax sale nor work with any other bidder(s) to engage in any bidding strategy that will result in a rotational award of tax certificates.

2. The tax certificate(s) the Bidder will bid upon, and the interest rate(s) bid, will be arrived at independently and without direct or indirect consultation, communication or agreement with any other bidder and that the tax certificate(s) the Bidder will bid upon, and the interest rate(s) to be bid, have not been disclosed, directly or indirectly, to any other bidder, and will not be disclosed, directly or indirectly, to any other bidder prior to the close of bidding. No attempt has been made or will be made to, directly or indirectly, induce any other bidder to refrain from bidding on any tax certificate, to submit complementary bids, or to submit bids at specific interest rates.

3. The bids to be placed by the Bidder will be made in good faith and not pursuant to any direct or indirect, agreement or discussion with, or inducement from, any other bidder to submit a complementary or other noncompetitive bid.

4. If it is determined that the bidder(s) have violated any of these bid requirements then their bid shall be voided and if they were the successful bidder the lien and any deposits made in connection with said bid shall be forfeited.

Dated: January 25, 2023 THE NASSAU COUNTY TREASURER Mineola, New York 136839 PUBLIC AND LEGAL NOTICES… Printed in this publication can be found online. To search by publication name, go to: www.newyorkpublicnotices.com

Legal Notices are everyone’s business

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21

H1 02/02

Employment

CLASSIFIED

Fax your ad to: 516-622-7460 E-mail your ad to: ereynolds@liherald.com E-mail Finds Under $100 to: sales@liherald.com DEADLINE: Monday, 11:00 am for all classified ads.

To pLACE your AD CALL 516-569-4000 - press 5

Every effort is made to insure the accuracy of your ad. Please check your ad at the first insertion. Credit will be made only for the first insertion. Credit given for errors in ads is limited to the printed space involved. Publisher reserves right to reject, cancel or correctly classify an ad.

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wait staff THE CHEF'S TABLE LYNBROOK is Seeking Part Time Experienced Servers, Bartender, Seasoned Line Cook for Upscale Italian Restaurant.

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1202804

• Receptionist • Reporter/editor • sales • multi media coordinator • Drivers • pressman/press Helper

HERALD

Homes Real estate

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

IN BRIEF V.I.Properties Welcomes Erit Gridnev

Erit Gridnev is a savvy real estate agent with over 15 years of experience in marketing and sales. Specializing in relocations, she understands the importance of finding the perfect property for her clients. Because she knows that moving to a new house is a very big change, Erit takes the time to get to know her clients and their specific needs. With a B.A in Human Services, she is able to provide valuable insight into community life and what to expect from different neighborhoods. Her wit and humor make her an enjoyable person to work with, and her expertise ensures that her clients are always satisfied with their purchase. Contact Erit at 510-584-6350 or by email eritg@vipropertiesny.com Realtors are encouraged to send briefs and photographs to: Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd.., Garden City, NY 11530.

REAL ESTATE Open Houses CEDARHURST BA, 332B Peninsula Blvd, Move Right Into This Updated 3 Br, 2 . 5 B t h C o o p Tow n h o u s e. L R , D R , Gran/Wood Kit w/ Stainless Steel Appl.

Trex Deck Off LR.Primary Ste Features Updtd Bth & WIC. Att Gar Plus 1 Pkg Spot incl in Maintenance. W/D in Unit.Pull Down Attic.SD#15. Convenient to Shops, Trans & Houses of Worship...$449,00 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299 HEWLETT 257 WILLARD Dr SUNDAY, 2/5, 12-1:30, REDUCED!! Spacious 5 BR, 3 Bth Exp Ranch With Open Layout.Main Floor Mstr Ste Plus Potential Mstr Ste on 2nd Flr.LR/Fpl, FDR, EIK & Sundrenched Family Rm w/ Doors to Deck. Fin Bsmt. Att Gar. Loads of Updates!! SD#20(Lynbrook)No Flood Insurance Req. MUST SEE THIS!..$1,025,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299

Open Houses WOODMERE BA, 29 Woodmere Blvd, #3B, New To Market! Move Right Into This Sunny, Renovated 2 BR Coop Apt in Heathcote Bldg. Updtd Gran/Wood Kit w/ Stainless Steel Appl, LR w/Coffered Ceiling, Dining Area, Spacious Primary BR, Updtd Bth & 2nd BR. 9' Ceilings. HW Flrs.

Washer/Dryer in Unit. Large WIC.Parking Spot, Storage. SD#14. Maint Incl Taxes, Heat & Water..$315,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-4299 WOODSBURGH BA, 155 Willow Rd, NEW!! Beautiful & Grand 4500 Sq ft CH Col, 4/5 BR, 4.5 Bth on Deep .6 Acre Private Prop. Large Gran/Wood EIK with Center Island Opens Into Family Rm w/ Skylit Vaulted Ceiling/Fpl,Large Formal Dining Room & Living Room. Primary Ste Boasts Gran Bth w/ Jacuzzi & Steam Plus XL WIC. 4 Spacious Bedrooms on 2nd Level. Fin Bsmt w/ Recreation Rm & Loads of Storage. 2 Car Att Garage. SD#14.

Great Location! Won't Last!....$1,995,000 R o n n i e G e r b e r, D o u g l a s E l l i m a n 516-238-4299

Apartments For Rent HEWLETT BA, 1608 Ridgeway Dr, Drastic Reduction! 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 Htd Flrs. Full Fin Bsmt. 2 Car Att Gar. MUST SEE!! SD#20...$1,469,000 Ronnie Gerber, Douglas Elliman 516-238-429

CEDARHURST NO FEE Pr ivate Entrance, Modern 1BR, 2BR, 3BR, CAC, W/D, Storage, Wall To Wall Carpeting, Indoor Parking Space. Starting At $1450 For O n e B e d r o o m W h e n Ava i l a bl e.

(516)860-6889/ (516)852-5135/ (516)582-9978

MERRICK HERALD — February 2, 2023

HERALD

H2 02/02

Homes

HERALD

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

HOME Of tHE WEEK

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

Long Beach

My pickup truck has damaged the garage floor Q. Can you solve a debate I have been having with my contractor about replacing the cracked floor in my garage? The problem is that I want to have steel bars in the slab and make it extra thick, since the existing slab is cracked and damaged from my heavy pickup truck, sometimes filled with heavy construction items. The concrete guy keeps telling me it’s overkill and that just the concrete, 5 inches thick, with a rollout wire mesh, is enough. Can you explain which one I need, and why he keeps telling me that the driveway is concrete, not cement? I want to do this job as soon as it warms up.

Rare Rooftop Aqua Penthouse

A

rare, one of a Kind “AQUA PH.” This penthouse features private elevator to stone floor foyer, magnificent views of the city and Atlantic Ocean from expansive windows. This home boasts utility room with washer/dryer and laundry sink, recessed lighting, hardwood floors in great room and hallways, fire protection sprinkler system, individually controlled high efficiency air-conditioning and heating system, re-circulating hot water system, cable television and telephone outlets. The custom kitchen features European hardwood cabinetry with custom hardware, Quartzite stone floor, distinctive granite countertops and mosaic glass tile backsplash, Wolf gas stove, Sub-Zero refrigerator and wine cooler, Miele dishwasher, Dacor microwave, Undermount kitchen sink with dual compartments, under cabinet lighting. The luxurious master bedroom suite features spacious walk-in closet and terrace, designer Kohler bathroom fixtures including whirlpool tub, walk-in shower with mosaic tile accents, marble appointments, European hardwood cabinetry with custom hardware. There are two parking spots “covered” with bike room and storage. You will enjoy spending a relaxing time in the Hot Tub.

A. The first problem to solve is who should be designing the correct slab.

Yes, we all know it’s just a slab, but you’ve already seen what happens when someone unfamiliar with the engineering design of even the simplest concrete slab doesn’t apply the correct preventive details.

Concrete is very strong in compression, meaning you can press on it to extremes before it even shows small signs of failure. onte eeper Unfortunately, concrete has no tensile strength. Zero.

Tom Tripodi Zip. This means you can Tripodi | Shemtov Team easily pull it apart, or bend it to the point of cracking Douglas Elliman Real Estate 30A West Park Avenue, without much force.

Long Beach Structural engineers and architects, to a lesser 516-902-3497 extent, are trained to apply specific formulas that predict the success (and failure) of even a slab of formed Ronnie Gerber concrete. Knowing how a slab fails allows profession516-238-4299 For Rent: als to apply the right reinforcement in the right places.

OPEN HOUSES SUNday, 2/5/23 Otherwise you’re just guessing.

3 Room Office Suite WOOdSBURGH There’s a difference in the description of the slab, 155 Willow Rd, BA, NEW!! Beautiful & Grand 4500 Sq ft CH Col, 4/5 BR, 4.5 Bth With Concierge Service on Deep .6 Acre Private Prop. Large Gran/Wood EIK with Center Island Opens Into which is made up of several materials, such as sand, For Rent: Family Rm w/ Skylit Vaulted Ceiling/Fpl, Large Formal Dining Room & Living Room.

Primary Ste Boasts Gran Bth w/ Jacuzzi & Steam Plus XL WIC. 4 Spacious Bedrooms lime, and something called “Portland cement.” Portland For Rent: For Rent: 112 Merrick Road, Lynbrook ROAD, LYNBROOK on 2nd Level. Fin Bsmt w/ Recreation Rm & Loads of Storage. 2 Car Att Garage.

3 Room Office Suite For Rent: MERRICK Cement is a mixture of mined calcium silicates and a SD#14. Great Location! Won’t Last! ............................................................. $1,995,000 3 Room Office 3 Room Suite Office Suitelesser amount of calcium aluminates that form a chemi• Available Immediately WOOdMERE With Concierge Service Suite • Furnished 1,500 Sq. Ft. 29 Woodmere Blvd, #3B, BA, New To Market! Move Right Into This Sunny,3 Room Office With Concierge Service Servicereaction in the presence of water. The chemical reacWith Concierge Renovated 2 BR Coop Apt in Heathcote Bldg. Updtd Gran/Wood Kit w/ Stainless Steel 112 Merrick Road, Lynbrook cal • 24Service Hour Access With Full Security Appl, LR w/Coffered Ceiling, Dining Area, Spacious Primary BR, Updtd BthWith & 2nd BR.Concierge tion causes the mixture to harden and give off heat, 112 Merrick Lynbrook 112Road, Merrick Road, Lynbrook 9' Ceilings. HW Flrs. Washer/Dryer in Unit. Large WIC. Parking Spot, Storage. SD#14.

Concierge Services called the heat of hydration. It was patented in England Merrick •Road, Lynbrook Maint Incl Taxes, Heat & Water ........................................................................112 $315,000 HEWLETT in 1824 by bricklayer Joseph Aspdin, and got the name 257 Willard Dr, 12-1:30, Spacious 5 BR, 3 Bth Exp Ranch With Open Layout. Main Contact (516)599-1100 ext.

141 Portland because when it hardened, it appeared to look Floor Mstr Ste Plus Potential Mstr Ste on 2nd Flr. LR/Fpl, FDR, EIK & Sundrenched Family Rm w/ Doors to Deck. Fin Bsmt. Att Gar. Loads of Updates!! SD#20 very similar to the white Portland stone quarried along (Lynbrook) No Flood Insurance Req. MUST SEE THIS! ...........REDUCED!! $1,025,000 the Portland Isle coast of Dorset in southern England.

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 Contact Broker/Owner Sorry, Oregon, you get no credit here.

Contact (516)599-1100 ext.

141 Porch. Radiant Heated Flrs. Full Fin Bsmt. 2 Car Att Gar. MUST SEE!!

When Contact (516)599-1100 Contact (516)599-1100 ext.

141 ext. other 141 silicates, such as sand or different sizes SD#20 ....................................................................DRASTIC REDUCTION! $1,469,000 Contact (516)599-1100 ext. 141 1534 Broadway #103, BA, Magnificent New Renovation! One of a Kind Ranch Style of stone, are added, the characteristics change, and the Living in Luxurious Jonathan Hall Condominium with Doorman & Elevator. Just Move setting times and strength change as well. Ash has into This Gut Rvated, Spacious 2 BR, 2 Bath Apt with Open Layout.Large Designer Eat in Kitchen with Sep Pantry & Laundry Rm.Master BR Boasts Gorgeous Bth & Walk in been added in some mixes, and glass fibers, another This Robin won’t rest until Closet. Terrace Faces into Courtyard. Garage Parking Incl ...........REDUCED $699,000 form of silica, have made our latest bridge and road1534 Broadway #205, BA, Extra Large 2000 Sq Ft, 2 Bedroom(Originally 3 BR), you are in your new NEST! 2 Bath Condo in Prestigious Jonathan Hall with Doorman & Elevator. Updtd Wood/ way construction projects extremely long-lasting and Quartz Kit, LR & DR. Washer/Dryer in Unit. Underground Pkg. Loads of Closets.

How’s the market?? Please contact me for your stronger.

Terrace Faces Back. Easy Ranch Style Living ..................BIG REDUCTION!! $699,000 free market report and personalized service!

CEdaRHURST Portland cement can be a part of concrete. To deter332B Peninsula Blvd, BA, Move Right Into This Updated 3 Br, 2.5 Bth Coop Townmine the reinforcing, the loads need to be applied to Robin Reiss house. LR, DR, Gran/Wood Kit w/ Stainless Steel Appl. Trex Deck Off LR. Primary Ste Licensed Real Estate Salesperson Features Updtd Bth & WIC. Att Gar Plus 1 Pkg Spot incl in Maintenance. W/D, Pull formulas, along with the amount of time and other Cell: 516.510.6484 Down Attic, SD#15. Convenient to Shops, Trans & Houses of Worship ......... $449,000 forces, such as expansion and contraction (due to temOffice: 516.623.4500 FaR ROCKaWay Robin.Reiss@elliman.com 33-47 Bay Ct, BA, Enjoy The Waterviews in This Bayswater 4 BR, 1.5 Bth Split Tucked perature changes), support material strength, shrinkAway in Cul de Sac. Fin Bsmt. Att Gar. O/S Resortlike Yard on the Bay. Opportunity to age and internal stress — in other words, it would be Make This Your Dream Home! ...................................................... REDUCED! $675,000 Results that Move You irresponsible to throw some guess at you without knowing more. Keep in mind, more concrete is not betMoneyTo Lend ter. Good luck! through the Herald and © 2022 Monte Leeper PrimeTime Classified section. Call ARE YOU BEHIND $10k OR MORE ON Readers are encouraged to send questions to YOUR TAXES? Stop wage & bank levies, yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the us for our great *specials. 516-569liens & audits, unfiled tax returns, payroll subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., issues, & resolve tax debt FAST. Call 4000, press 5 for Classified Dept.

888-869-5361 (Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-5pm Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper, architect. *(private party only) 1202330

Ask The Architect

M

L

Ditch the LIRR, Rent Local.

OFFICE SPACE Ditch the LIRR, Rent Local.

Ditch Ditch the LIRR, the LIRR, Rent Local.

Rent Local.

FOR RENT Ditch the LIRR, Rent Local.

1201457

1203124

516-599-1100 Ext. 113

1101985

1203126

February 2, 2023 — MERRICK HERALD

22

Rent Your Apartment

PST)

23

H3 02/02

Market Place • •

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

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

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

Dave marlOWe Plumbing, inC.

Make 2023 The Year You Get Organized!

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MERRICK HERALD — February 2, 2023

HERALD

February 2, 2023 — MERRICK HERALD

24

HERALD

Stuff

To place an ad call 516-569-4000 press 5 MERCHANDISE MART Antiques/Collectibles We Buy Antiques, Fine Art & Jewelry Same Day Service, Free In-Home Evaluations, 45 Year Family Business. Licensed and Bonded, Immediate Cash Paid.

SYL-LEE ANTIQUES www.syl-leeantiques.com 516-671-6464

FINDS UNDER $100 Finds Under $100 COLE HAAN MEN'S Chelsea Boots Black Leather, 7W. Excellent $90 516-320-1906 HEALYS WHEELED SNEAKERS Boys size 7 black and yellow new in box $18.

(516) 462-2656

SERVICES Cleaning Services M A R I N A ' S C L E A N I N G S E RV I C E S : Cleaning Homes, Apartments, Condos, Offices. Experienced. FREE Estimates. Serving Long Island. 516-670-7764

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Services/Repairs. Violations Removed.

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Handyman

ONE RECTANGULAR GLASS coffee table and two glass/brass octagon end tables, good cond. $99.99. 516-623-5696

ALL HOUSEHOLD REPAIRS Interior and Exterior Services Painting, Plumbing, Carpentry, Electrical, Tile work, Pressure Washing, Flat Screen TV Installation Others Services Available Call 516 578 6980

STATIONARY EXERCISE BICYCLE -good condition -- $30. 516-826-3727 TWIN BEDROOM SET: Excellent Condition, Blonde Modern Headboard, 3 Dressers, Corner Piece. $99. 516-840-6081 TWIN WOOD TRUNDLE bed excellent condition $99 call/ text for pictures (516) 462-2656

Finds $100-$350 TREADMILL PROFORM GYM SIZE Great Condition. $300 516 668 8877

H4 02/02

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

Tree Services

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 866-393-3636

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Answers

to todAy’s puzzle

25

opINIoNS

’ll bet very few readers remember television shows like “Dr. Kildare” and “Marcus Welby.” Those popular shows featured physicians who made house calls and performed miracles of all kinds. There may be a few of these doctors left, but it’s only a matter of time until such dedicated physicians are no longer in existence. Like it or not, the business of medicine is changing rapidly, and not for the benefit of the average patient.

I recently experienced this sea change in medicine, when two of JERRY my doctors announced their KREMER retirement. One was my internal medicine doctor, who served me faithfully for 32 years, and the other was a neurologist who had monitored me for about five years. It was obvious from our parting conversations that they were exhausted and tired of the day-to-day stresses of serving patients.

If you visit almost any doctor’s office, you’ll notice that there are walls and

walls of files on display. They may signify how many patients your doctor serves, but they are also evidence of the amount of paperwork the average doctor must do to get paid by an insurance company.

Once upon a time, insurance companies gave doctors an appropriate amount of money for the services they performed, but not anymore.

If you’re a doctor in New York City, you may get $1,000 for a medical procedure. But if you practice in, say, Smithtown, you may get paid $180, if you’re lucky. Geography makes a difference in reimbursement, and no rational observer of medicine will defend such an abominable system. These days, doctors need experienced staff members who have to deal with endless piles of documents, many of which are for small reimbursements.

The daily practice of medicine isn’t a 9-to-5 operation. Many doctors take their charts home, to review medical histories and also to protect themselves from malpractice litigation. The business of suing doctors is a major enterprise, and the volume of litigation forces doctors to pay

I

outrageous fees for malpractice coverage. I’ve heard quite a few stories about doctors who quit the practice because they simply couldn’t afford the high premiums.

One way that a doctor can avoid some of these headaches is to become an employee of a hospital. That spares you the high insurance premiums, but life isn’t a bowl of cherries for the employed doctor, either. Large hospitals have rules upon rules, and they can mean plenty of paperwork, and having to handle a much larger caseload of patients then you ever had when you were on your own. One of my longtime, highly respected doctors has taken a leave of absence, because he’s now in his 80s and just can’t handle the caseload he’s been given. But hospitals are businesses, and they have every right to demand a high level of activity of their doctors.

There are many dedicated, newly minted doctors graduating from medical schools, but quite a few of them approach medicine much differently today than their forebears. Many young

t was obvious from chats with my retiring doctors that they were exhausted.

doctors would prefer to work five days a week, with no weekend duty. They are willing to take less compensation and have more time for family, golf and vacations. They may be brilliant practitioners, but they don’t want to be so many Marcus Welbys.

And when we talk about medicine, we can’t forget about nurses. The recent strike at some major city hospitals was no surprise. I was in an ER recently, and found out that my nurse had 15 patients assigned to her. She was on the verge of a physical breakdown, but soldiered on, handling all of them with grace and patience. No doubt, she will get a large pay increase and a smaller patient workload, but it’s only fair to give her those benefits.

Like it or not, medicine is changing dramatically. In the next 10 years, we will see changes that we never dreamt of.

Some will be good, and others bad. Let’s hope there are more good than bad.

Jerry Kremer was an assemblyman for 23 years, and chaired the Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee for 12 years. He now heads Empire Government Strategies, a business development and legislative strategy firm. Comments about this column? jkremer@liherald.com.

Folks scramble as the price of eggs soars nationwide

Y

ou can believe the hype. Last week, a boutique grocery on Manhattan’s Upper East Side was selling eggs for $17.99 a dozen. They weren’t Faberge eggs, dripping in diamonds and gilt. They were ordinary chicken-hatched, single-yolk, large “organic” eggs.

This news flash is courtesy of The Guardian newspaper in England, which loves to point out the crass and the crazy in American culture. It is given to gloating through stiff upper lips. Still, it has a point.

RANDI Egg prices are KREISS heating up due to inflation, a surging avian flu epidemic and, some say, price gouging.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one year ago you could buy a dozen eggs for $1.72. Now, nationwide, the price averages $3.59. In some states like California, the average price is more than $7. Apparently in Manhattan, consumers have jumped from the frying pan into the fire. No more cheap, go-to weekday omelet dinners.

The current epidemic of avian flu is

the worst in history, according to NBC News. More than 53 million birds have died of the virus or been put to death.

As so-far survivors of the coronavirus pandemic, we must wonder how vulnerable we humans are to this flu.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we’re probably safe. That’s not totally reassuring, but the avian flu has jumped to humans in only rare instances, and has passed from an infected person to other people in only extremely rare cases. Those who’ve contracted the flu after working around infected birds generally experienced mild symptoms, but the disease has been serious in a few people.

Somehow, I want to believe human beings should be OK, but after the waves of half-information and misinformation informing our health decisions in the midst of Covid, I want to keep an eye on this H5N1 virus. Even though it might seem cost-effective now to start raising chickens in our backyards, nah, it’s probably not a good idea.

Last week it was widely reported that dealers have been running eggs out

I

of Mexico to the U.S. I don’t know if it’s a Sinaloa cartel operation, but really?

Smugglers in competition with the Easter Bunny?

I take my eggs very seriously.

Omelets are a regular dinner in my home. I eat an egg every single day, over well, yolk broken. Lillybee the dog gets half a yolk.

I had to give up eggs recently and temporarily (for a month) after my friend cracked an egg and discovered a tiny, blackened mini-chicken inside. So gross! I didn’t actually see the monstrosity, but I can’t get the image out of my head. She was so traumatized by the visitation that she gave up eggs forever.

We move on. The most expensive egg product I ever purchased was a painted $25 ostrich eggshell I brought back from South Africa to present to my granddaughter on her 13th birthday. I was feeling quite high-minded about the symbolism of feminism and new beginnings and eternal life. But she sat on it, and that was that.

Two weeks ago, I cracked an egg and discovered it was a double yolker.

According to Cackle Hatchery, double yolks are quite rare. They hardly ever

nflation?

Avian flu?

Price gouging?

No more cheap, go-to weekday omelet dinners.

result in two chickens being born, because the eggshell can’t accommodate twins. Still, they are prized for eating. Some boutique chicken farmers specialize in double yolkers, the source of which is a genetic mutation. You can hold a candle to an egg and see what’s inside if you really need to know. If you really want to know.

Hardboiled eggs are worth a book of their own. I always have a few hardcooked eggs in my fridge, you know, in case of nuclear attack or tornado strike.

I read about an 83-year-old hiker years ago who hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine, eating hardboiled eggs he cooked on a tiny camping stove.

In the 1967 movie “Cool Hand Luke,” an outrageously defiant prisoner played

by Paul Newman choked down 50 hardboiled eggs on a dare. A few people in real life tried to imitate the feat, and one died. But Joey Chestnut, the renowned competitive eater, consumed 141 eggs in eight minutes in a contest.

Miki Sudo broke the women’s world record, eating 104 eggs.

Chestnut, who, remarkably, is still alive — I checked — took home a $1,500 grand prize, which seems not nearly enough.

Copyright 2023 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.

MERRICK HERALD — February 2, 2023

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The era of ‘Marcus Welby, M.D.’ is over

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Herald editorial

Merrick

February 2, 2023 — MERRICK HERALD

HERALD and Merrick Herald News Established 1994

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The tricky balance of fear and openness

t was like having security cameras in every room of a house but one. That’s how Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone described to reporters the decentralized, hodgepodge security infrastructure of the county’s computer network, which more than 10,000 government employees, in dozens of departments, depended on.

It was a single unguarded entryway that let hackers in last September, essentially shutting down all operations and reportedly costing Suffolk millions of dollars.

Such an intrusion is enough to scare any business or government entity into fortifying defenses. But is there such a thing as being too scared?

In the days following Suffolk’s revelation that it had been hacked, Bellone’s counterpart, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, bent over backward to ensure that the same thing won’t happen here. Or at least we think he has, given that the details of those efforts are a closely held secret.

What we do know is that the Legislature has hired a cybersecurity consultant.

And that’s about it. Who that consultant is, what they have to offer — and, most important, how much it’s going to cost taxpayers — is information only a very select few know.

Revealing too many details about the new cybersecurity efforts could be troublesome, of course. The more information hackers have, the more likely they can

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letters Offner was on the mark To the Editor: Re Daniel Offner’s column last week, “We must remember — and teach — the Holocaust”: Offner’s description of his grandmother, “When she was liberated by American troops from Dachau in May 1945, she weighed 45 pounds,” brought back an old memory to me. I remember my dad speaking of two cousins, who somehow made it to America after surviving one of those Nazi killing centers in Poland. He described them as two young guys, each over six feet tall and weighing 200 pounds — combined.

They didn’t last much longer than a year here. The Nazis killed them; they just didn’t die immediately.

And now we have Holocaust deniers, in spite of the films, photos and documents that exist, in addition to the survivors, and the living veterans who aided in their liberation and survival. We also have politicians in both parties telling us lies daily. Now we even have to be aware of a “journalist’s” political affiliations, agenda and beliefs.

Sadly, as Offner pointed out, the same goes

find ways to slip past Nassau’s defenses.

Yet county officials refuse to say how revealing simple bits of information — like who the vendor is, and how much they’re charging — would help these cyber menaces. And they aren’t budging.

As well, the Herald learned last week that a closed-doors executive session called by the Legislature produced an emergency cybersecurity declaration — its mere existence classified.

It’s perfectly understandable why county officials are on edge, and they should be commended for acting quickly to build Nassau’s technological defenses. And while many of those details should be kept secret, not all of them should be.

There is a reason why who our government does business with — and at what cost — should be out in the open, for all to see. We bear the financial cost of that business, and have every right to ensure that every dollar is being spent appropriately.

Everything about the county’s contract with this mystery cybersecurity firm could be perfectly fine. And it most likely is. But the taxpayers’ right is absolute assurance, not a preponderance of confidence. We have the right — by law — to make sure the Legislature is doing an arm’s-length deal with the right company for the right price.

How was the firm chosen? How was its compensation negotiated? What is the county getting in return? Even if we can’t have specifics, there’s no reason we can’t be clued in on at least some general

aspects.

Shoshanah Bewlay, executive director of the state-funded Committee on Open Government, shared in an advisory opinion last month that details of the contract — like information technology schematics, blueprints, pricing or systems methodologies, and the types of IT monitoring or remediation — can indeed be kept quiet. “However, in our view,” Bewlay added, “it is not clear how the disclosure of other information contained within the contract — such as the name of the selected vendor, or value of the executed contract — would enable a person to adversely impact an agency’s electronic information or IT systems.”

Don’t get us wrong — we honestly believe there is no ill intention on the county’s part to withhold this information. Officials are scared that revealing any of it — even if it’s deemed safe — could upend all their efforts to protect the network. But they have to lift the cloak just enough to let the taxpayers — their true bosses — get a peek to assure themselves that all of this is on the up-and-up.

Nassau County is letting all of its hard work to build these defenses get obscured by this simple request to know who it is working with, and how much they are being paid for that work. That’s basic information that taxpayers shouldn’t even have to ask for.

But they are asking for it, and the county must do the right thing and provide the answer.

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opinions

arlier this month I had the privilege of speaking at the ceremonial swearing-in of newly elected U.S. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito.

Sitting on the stage that evening, I thought back to when I was first sworn in 30 years ago, and how different this night was from that one, and how different the world had become.

This ceremonial event was held at the Nassau County police training center, in East Garden City, instead of in Washington, D.C., and the oath was administered by peter former Senator Al D’Amato instead kinG of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

D’Esposito had been officially sworn in by McCarthy the week before, but that was at 2 a.m. on Jan. 7, following over four days and 15 ballots of voting in the most acrimonious contest for speaker since the 1850s, the decade preceding the Civil War. During my 28 years in Congress, I cast 14 ballots for speaker — one every two years.

D’Esposito exceeded that total in his very first week in Congress!

This rancor and chaos is a sign of what Congress has become, and what D’Esposito must work through. Don’t get me wrong — Congress wasn’t all peace, love and harmony when I was elected.

Soon-to-be House Speaker Newt Gingrich and President Bill Clinton were firing political rockets at each other, and fiery cable news shows were emerging. But there wasn’t this level of intra-party disunity.

Nonetheless, D’Esposito’s situation isn’t entirely different from what I faced. We have several things in common. We both won close, hard-fought races. I won by 8,000 votes, a margin of 3 percent; D’Esposito by 10,000, or 3.9 percent. The bulk of my district was in the Town of Hempstead and Long Beach. D’Esposito’s district is entirely within those boundaries. And the challenges he will confront are similar to what I faced during my latter 20 years in Congress: preventing another Sept. 11, and fighting to get New York and Long Island their fair share of revenue. Fortunately, D’Esposito’s committee assignments — Homeland Security and Transportation & Infrastructure — position him well for the struggles

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newcomer to Congress has two solid committee assignments.

Letters for our educational institutions.

I was lucky. The U.S. Navy took me to dozens of foreign nations. If you were born here, count your blessings.

There are many tougher places to g row up in. Our most precious resource is America’s children. If we give them our honest best, freedom will reign.

JOHN SCHULTz Oceanside

It’s Santos, for better or worse To the Editor: At a news event on Jan. 11, a parade of Nassau County Republicans took the extraordinarily courageous step of calling on their colleague, U.S. Rep. George Santos, to resign. They suggested that he was not welcome at either their headquarters or their events.

They indicated that their other congressional representatives would take it upon themselves to provide representation to the people of the 3rd District — the people Santos was elected to represent.

On Jan. 18, I received an email from my old friend Rep. Andrew Garbarino, who represents the 2nd District, in Suffolk County, advising me that I was one of his “new constituents” and assuring me that I could rely on his office’s

ahead.

The Homeland Security Committee was created in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 to coordinate federal, state and local counterterrorism efforts, and to provide necessary funding to areas at highest risk. Every threat analysis showed the New York City-Long Island region as the highestranked terrorist target in the country. Yet we had to fight off other states, which had zero threat levels, for every penny. As a former New York City police detective and Island Park fire chief, D’Esposito has the credentials and the gravitas to win those funding fights, and also to ensure that the committee’s legitimate concern about border control and illegal immigration doesn’t distract attention from the still very serious terrorist threat.

He will have similar struggles on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, to get fair and necessary funding for Long Island’s roads, highways, beaches and waterways.

Over the years, New York has been consistently shortchanged in federal funding, sending far more money to Washington than we get back. My short-

resources. Along with everyone else in northern Nassau and Queens, I live in Santos’s district. I am not officially a constituent of Garbarino’s.

In response, I emailed Andy Garbarino, “While I appreciate you reaching out, you are not my Congressional representative and I am not your ‘new constituent.’ George Santos, with whom and for whom you campaigned, is my Congressional representative. That fact is truly shameful. Thanks again and wishing you well.”

So, to Congressman Garbarino, with whom I worked in the Assembly before he was elected to the House of Representatives, I simply say, “Thanks but no thanks.” For better or worse, Santos is our congressman, and I expect him, perhaps unrealistically, to make some effort to try to live up to his responsibilities.

I am not inclined to reach out to the same Republican politicians who offer assistance but are simply attempting to shield themselves from criticism. As the old saying goes, once bitten, twice shy.

Should Santos be unresponsive to any requests I may have for assistance to the people I represent, I will reach out to Senators Chuck Schumer or Kirsten Gillibrand, or to any number of Democratic congressional representatives.

CHARLES LAvINE Assemblyman, 13th District

hand political analysis for this inequity was that Democrats took New York for granted and Republicans felt they couldn’t win it, so our hard-earned tax dollars were disbursed elsewhere — most notably, and disproportionately, to southern states. This shortfall in turn increased our state and local tax burden, which was exacerbated when a Republican Congress voted to dramatically reduce our SALT income tax deduction.

D’Esposito has pledged to fight hard to restore that deduction.

Besides Homeland Security, infrastructure funding and restoring the SALT deduction, he will have to deal with countless other issues, including senior citizen and veterans benefits, 9/11 health care, tax relief for hardworking middle-income families and supporting law enforcement.

Being a member of Congress, and representing the people of Long Island and addressing their needs and challenges, was the experience of a lifetime for me.

No one is more connected to his constituents than Anthony D’Esposito, and I know he will take their thoughts and concerns to the halls of Congress and get the job done. Good luck, Congressman.

Peter King is a former congressman, and a former chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

Framework by Tim Baker

In a normal winter, this would be a skating rink — East Rockaway

MERRICK HERALD — February 2, 2023

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D’Esposito will get the job done in Washington

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