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November 18, 2021
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VOL. 123 NO. 47
Covid doesn’t stop YOLO foundation
Helping the food insecure in Haiti
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NOVEMBER 19 - 25, 2021
Vets ceremony honors 13 killed in Afghanistan BY LAURA LANE llane@liherald.com
Laura Lane/Herald
MARINE VETERAN TONY Congero, of Bayville, said he found it sobering to look over the names and photos of the 13 service members killed in Afghanistan on Aug. 28.
At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, the Great War — World War I — ended. Veterans Day commemorates that day across the United States. Each year, members of the Bayville Robert H. Spittel Post 1285 American Legion hold a ceremony outside Village Hall. Traditionally, there is a short observance to remember and honor living and dead service members, but this year the post decided to do something different. In August, shortly after 13 U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan, the post had a meeting and decided to honor those who died that day on Veterans Day. The 11 Marines, a Navy hospital corpsman and an Army staff sergeant were helping Afghans trying to flee Taliban rule at a Kabul airport gate on Aug. 28 when a suicide bomber detonated explosives, days before the deadline CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
Legislator Lafazan keeps his seat after ballot count BY LAURA LANE llane@lihreald.com
Josh Lafazan, 27, who began his career in the Nassau County Legislature when he was 23, the body’s youngest member ever, has unofficially won his bid for a third term. After absentee ballots were counted on Monday, Lafazan, an Independent, was ahead by 220 votes over political newcomer Paolo Pironi, 33, a Republican from Brookville. Lafazan had been behind in the count on election night. Democratic Board of Elections Commissioner James Schuereman said the race would be certified this week, but he
does not expect any changes. “We’re feeling really good,” an exuberant Lafazan said. “It was a crazy 13 days. I’m grateful to have this job. I love my job.” Lafazan, of Woodbury, who caucuses with the Democrats in the Legislature, represents District 18, which includes Oyster Bay, Bayville and Locust Valley. Democrat Arnold Drucker, 64, of Plainview, who was also losing initially, won as well. Elected to the Legislature in a special election in 2016, Drucker, who represents part of the North Shore, including Plainview, Old Bethpage, Jericho, Syosset, Woodbury, Hicksville, Old West-
I
t was a crazy 13 days. I’m grateful to have this job. I love my job. JOSH LAFAZAN
Nassau County legislator bury, and Roslyn Heights, won by 406 votes. The outcome of Lafazan’s and Drucker’s races was important, because if one had lost, Republicans would have had a supermajority in the Legislature, with at least 13 votes. That would enable Republicans to override a veto
by the county executive. With the updated results, the Republicans will have an 11-8 majority. Legislator Delia DeRiggiWhitton, a Democrat from Glen Cove who won handily, said she knew early on that there was a problem. “On Election Day morning, I knew there was some kind of pushback,” she said. “Basically, Republicans came out
to vote early and the Democrats stayed home. By noon it was like 23 percent Democrats voting and over 50 percent Republicans. We just never caught up.” But the Democrats cast 13,022 absentee ballots, Schuereman said, with only 6,655 sent in by Republicans. The remining 2,978 were cast by conservatives, CONTINUED ON PAGE 5