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Oceanside/island park
Vol. 56 No. 8
Law firm seeks to probe commissioner people, both online and in-person.” In a text message to the HerOceanside Sanitation District ald on Monday, Graff said that a No. 7 Commissioner Ryan Hems- meeting had not yet taken place. ley has yet to meet with the law He said after the Feb. 4 meeting firm that was hired to investi- that Hemsley said he was absent gate claims that he was behind from the session because he had racist, homophobic and anti- to be at his regular job as a Semitic Facebook posts, despite sheetmetal worker in Queens. the firm’s attempts Graff held the to conduct the meeting with Coprobe. ch a i r m a n Jo h n At the Feb. 4 Mannone and meeting of the Commissioner Joe Board of CommisSamoles. sioners, which Though Graff Hemsley and Comand the board inimissioner Pat tially said they Doherty did not would conduct the attend, Chairman investigation in Austin Graff said o r d e r t o s av e Hemsley had not money, Hemsley yet met with anysaid he preferred one from the firm. to have an indepenAUStiN GRAFF T h e V a l l e y Sanitation chairman dent firm take on Stream-based the case. He did not C h a n d l e r L aw respond to a Firm is conducting the investi- request for comment about why gation. Calls to the firm request- he missed the board meeting ing comment were not returned and had not yet met with the as of press time. attorneys. “The interview has not been Hemsley has missed several scheduled yet, despite the attor- meetings since October, when neys’ attempts,” Graff said. “At old, controversial posts attached this point, he hasn’t sat for an to his Facebook profile were interview, so that’s the status of that. I’ve been asked by a lot of Continued on page 12
By MikE SMolliNS msmollins@liherald.com
Courtesy Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
DESPitE thE CoViD-19 pandemic, the Oceanside United Soccer Club hosted the 54th annual Rudy Lamonica soccer tournament, honoring a former Oceanside High School standout athlete who died of cancer at age 17.
Oceanside goes forward with Lamonica soccer tourney By toM CARRozzA tcarrozza@liherald.com
For months, the inability to hold large gatherings because of the coronavirus pandemic meant sports were off the table. After a year of learning and adapting, and a little help from Coleman Country Day Camp in Merrick, the Oceanside United Soccer Club hosted an unusual but successful iteration of the annual Rudy Lamonica indoor tournament.
The 54th Rudy Lamonica Tournament, held this year on Jan. 30 and 31, is among the oldest continuously run youth indoor soccer tournaments in the country. The tournament was named for Oceanside High School’s leading goal scorer in the 1968 and 1969 seasons, when the Sailors were Long Island champions. Lamonica scored more than half the team’s goals during those two seasons, and played in the tournament that now bears his
name until his death from bone cancer in 1970, at age 17. The tournament’s legacy and longevity are due in large part to Rudy’s mother, the late Bessie Lamonica, who spearheaded fundraising efforts and was a fixture in Ocean- side soccer before her death last June. She is considered the club’s matriarch by its current leadership, and helped form the first girls’ soccer team in Oceanside. Continued on page 12
t
he interview has not been scheduled yet, despite the attorney’s attempts.