The streets of Merrick were flooded with red, white and blue as the community celebrated Memorial Day. Angelo, 11, Valentina, 9, Guiliana, 8, and Dominic, 6, waved their flags and cheered on the parade participants. Story, more photos, Page 10.
‘Pop-N-Drop’ for the environment
Nonprofit organization Balloon Mission continues advocacy work
By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com
When Cynthia Seibold founded Balloon Mission, a nonprofit organization dedicated to balloon waste and environmental education in January 2023, she never could’ve imagined how much the organization would grow in just over two-and-a-half years.
Through partnerships with fellow organizations — big and small — dozens of libraries around Long Island and environmental groups, Balloon Mission has collected and recycled nearly 55,000 balloons and counting on Long Island and in Queens.
Ron Segev talks mental health at MJC
By JoSEPH D’AlESSANDRo jdalessandro@liherald.com
Ron Segev attended the Nova Music Festival in Israel with friends and family on Oct. 7, 2023, when gunfire erupted. For hours, Segev, 39, and his brother carefully avoided death before he noticed his friends were left behind, so he turned back to rescue them. He came all the way from Tel Aviv to the Merrick Jewish Centre on May 14 to share his story of ongoing trauma recovery at before an audience of 100 local residents.
Since the Hamas-led massacre during the festival, Segev has become an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness, inspired by his own experiences with post-traumatic stress disorder and mental health.
According to Rabbi Dorsch, the Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,200 civilians was “transformational in really terrible ways, but really powerful ways, and it says something about us.”
“Ron’s story is so compelling and so powerful, and it really highlights the fact that October 7 really just wasn’t one terrible thing,” he said. “It really had a lasting impact and effect on all of Israel and all of the Jewish community.”
Segev’s discussion at the synagogue in Merrick focused on his mental health journey, as well as the mental health of survivors of traumatic experiences.
In an interview on the heels of the height of the coronavirus pandemic, she explained that she spent a lot of time outdoors, and among all of the litter in various parks, preserves and beaches, one item stood out: balloons. She found and collected their strings and whatever was left of their plastic or rubber bodies, impacting trees, plants, and of course, wildlife — animals that could easily mistake balloon pieces for food.
The pandemic, she said, created a surge of helium-intensive events, as people found different ways to share birthdays, graduations, and retirements, among other celebrations.
“Balloons are a leading cause of pollution in
“We’re honored to have invited Ron to come back and speak with us tonight, to speak not just about his mental health journey as a result of his experience on Oct. 7, but that of all of Israel,” the Jewish centre’s rabbi, Josh Dorsch, said.
“After Oct. 7, there was chaos in Israel,” Segev said. “No one knew what was going on. No one really took responsibility for the survivors that needed therapy.”
Segev described the common symptoms of trauma, including denial, disbelief, confusion, difficulty concentrating, anger, mood swings, anxiety, guilt and shame, as well as social isola -
Continued on page 2
Holden Leeds/Herald
Honor and serve: Students recognize Memorial Day
Students at Martin Avenue Elementary School in the North Bellmore School District gathered inside the school’s gymnasium for the annual Memorial Day ceremony. Dressed in red, white and blue and waving miniature flags, they sang patriotic songs and listened to remarks honoring those who gave their lives in service to the country.
In front of the lectern was a White
Table, which is set up in many mess halls at military bases as a tribute to service members who are fallen, missing or held captive. The halls were lined with student-made American flag art, including grade-level flags and a collaborative quilt near the cafeteria, symbolizing unity and pride in American values.
— Jordan Vallone
Holden Leeds/Herald photos
The gymnasium of Martin Avenue Elementary School was packed with students for a patriotic celebration in recognition of Memorial Day.
Luna Searsovellette was ready to take part in the Memorial Day ceremony.
Yvonne Francolini, an Air Force veteran and Martin Avenue’s librarian spoke about
Fleet Week celebrated in Nassau County
By JORDAN VALLONE jvallone@liherald.com
There was no better weekend for Nassau County to celebrate Fleet Week 2025 than Memorial Day weekend. In Eisenhower Park’s Field 2 on May 24, a combined team from the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard brought helicopters to the park. The event featured fast rope demonstrations, performances by the Navy Band Northeast and Navy Ceremonial Guard, military displays and much more.
Comfortable weather and clear skies made for a perfect day to celebrate the United States’ military organizations. In the U.S., Fleet Week is a Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard tradition in which active military ships recently deployed in overseas operations dock in a variety of major cities for one week.
Events typically include ship tours, military demonstrations, parades and air shows featuring performances by the Blue Angels or other military flight demonstration teams. The purpose of Fleet Week is to celebrate the naval services and to allow the public to interact with and learn more about the military.
The origins of the celebration date back to 1935, when it was first celebrated in San Diego. It’s evolved in many ways over the years, and today it serves multiple purposes including public engagement, because it allows the public to interact with service members; recruitment, because the event showcases the opportunities and experiences available in participating military branches; and community relations, because it strengthens the relationship between the military and local communities.
The event in Eisenhower Park included all the things communities around the country have come to love about Fleet Week events. It also featured a WWII Armor parade — vehicles were set up at Eisenhower’s Parking Field 5 for attendees to view prior to a parade which ran from the field to the park’s administration building and back, much to the excitement of those viewing it.
On a weekend when the U.S. remembers and honors those who’ve died in the line of duty, Nassau County’s Fleet Week activities drew a substantial crowd of residents.
Brittany Krilov/Herald photos
A U.S. Navy helicopter landed in Eisenhower Park on Saturday, part of Fleet Week celebrations.
Peter Costas, with recreation, marched in the Armor Parade.
A WWII-era tank rolled through Eisenhower Park.
Families met an interacted with members of the military as well as helicopters that landed in the park and other vehicles during Fleet Week.
Along with Fleet Week festivities, there was also a WWII Armor Parade in the park in recognition of Memorial Day.
Fleet Week is a U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard tradition in which military ships dock in major cities. Naval Aviator Hogan and Roman Docyk, 7. .
Temple activities aim to help those in need
tion and disconnection. He detailed his experience with post-traumatic stress disorder, resulting in depression and recurring nightmares.
“I keep waking up, sweaty, afraid, scared,” he said. “I lost confidence in myself that I can really heal, and part of my therapy was to deal with those thoughts and slowly go back to positive thoughts and not try to limit my mind.”
Over the past few years, Segev has been able to speak in favor of therapeutic treatments for trauma victims in Israel, and has seen his symptoms improve.
“I want to say that I’m still in the process,” he said. “It’s not over, and it will take many years to completely heal. There are many ups and downs when you go through something like this.”
Segev has received more than 50 treatments with psychologists. He added that he views Israel’s small number of therapists as a barrier to taking care of the mental health crisis connected to the war in Gaza.
“There are so many ways to deal with trauma, but they all begin with going to psychologists and start the therapy,” he said.
ron Segev survived the attack in israel on oct. 7, 2023. now, he speaks out in favor of mental health awareness for people with trauma.
As an honorary member of the Merrick Jewish Centre, Segev told the Herald he wants to take this opportunity to encourage people to take care of their mental health.
“We brought him in to speak last June,” Allison Sussman, the synagogue’s executive vice president and acting president, has told the Herald. “He shared his full testimony last June at the Merrick Jewish Centre. We had about 250 people there to see him and
hear him. Everyone was inspired by his story and by his heroism.”
Sussman is part of the centre’s Israel Connection Committee, which supports initiatives for Israel and helps congregants to connect with Israel.
“It’s our duty, our obligation to support our brothers and sisters in Israel,”
Advantages of Using Trusts” on Wednesday, June 4 at 7 pm or Wednesday, July 9 at 7 pm. Kindly register on our website, trustlaw.com
Clients often ask whether the home should be deeded to the client’s adult children, while retaining a life estate in the parent or whether the Medicaid Asset Protection Trust should be used to protect the asset.
While the deed with a life estate will be less costly to the client, in most cases it offers significant disadvantages when compared to the trust. First, if the home is sold prior to the death of the Medicaid recipient, the life estate value of the home will be required to be paid towards their care. If the house is rented, the net rents are payable to the nursing facility since they belong to the life tenant. Finally, the client loses a significant portion of their capital gains tax exclusion for the sale of their primary residence as they will only be entitled to a pro rata share based on the value of the life estate to the home as a whole. Nevertheless, a life estate deed makes sense for a vacation home that is intended to stay in the family.
Sussman said. “We need to be loud, we need to advocate for them, and we also need to advocate for our safety and our freedom as Jews.”
All of the foregoing may lead to a situation where the family finds they must maintain a vacant home for many years. Conversely, a properly drafted MAPT preserves the full capital gains tax exclusion on the sale of the primary residence and the home may be sold by the trust without obligation to make payment of any of the principal towards the client’s care, assuming we have passed the look-back period for facility care of five years.
It should be noted here that both the life estate and the MAPT will preserve the stepped-up basis in the property provided it is sold after the death of the parent who was the owner or grantor. Upon the death of the parent, the basis for calculating the capital gains tax is stepped up from what the parent paid, plus any improvements, to what it was worth on the parent’s date of death. This effectively eliminates payment of capital gains taxes on the sale of appreciated property, such as the home, after the parent dies. Editor’s note: Please join Michael Ettinger’s live Zoom
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Joseph D’Alessandro/Herald ron Segev, a survivor of the nova music festival massacre in israel, returned to the merrick Jewish Centre to share his experiences with mental health on may 14.
Danger of Southern State is constant concern
‘Blood Alley’ stretch lives up to its name on roadway with grim total of over 3,000 crashes per year
By BRIAN NORMAN bnorman@liherald.com
Third in a series on the Southern State Parkway.
The 23.5 miles of the Southern State Parkway, which stretches from the Queens-Nassau border to Heckscher State Park in East Islip, has daily traffic congestion and frequent accidents, so numerous that one portion is called “Blood Alley.”
There have been over 3,000 accidents a year on the parkway since 2021, a majority of which occurred in Nassau County, according to New York State Police. Last year, 15 of those crashes were fatal, the highest number in recent years.
The section of parkway between exits 17 and 32 is widely referred to as Blood Alley due to its high accident rates, which include several fatalities. The road’s narrow lanes, sharp turns and poor lighting have all contributed to its dubious distinction as one of the most dangerous roadways in the country.
Elmont resident Winston Waters said that he has lived in the area for 40 years, and has often found himself having to plan his day around the congestion of the parkway.
“I work around it as much as I can,” Waters said. “There are times when I have to leave early to get to work — you know, I’ve got to deal with that — but I try to work around it. I try and leave very early, after rush hour, before rush hour, those kinds of things.”
Waters said his backyard once resembled a national park, with thick trees that helped muffle the sound of the nearby parkway. But since the trees were removed because of their age, the noise has become a growing issue, and the constant congestion is beginning to spill into the community, disrupting daily life.
see the roadway.
And despite the noise, she is not a fan of the huge sound walls erected on other roadways, such as the Long Island Expressway. “The walls are kind of ugly, Kordulak said.
“I personally didn’t want to see that much traffic in the area,” he added, “because it (creates) a lot of congestion, particularly if there’s an accident or there’s in the morning, rush hour — you have a lot of people that come through, come off the exit and then they want to maneuver through the side streets, which decreases the quality of life.”
Blood Alley lived up to its name in January, when a car overturned near Exit 29 in North Massapequa, killing two people and seriously injuring two others. The driver was speeding and weaving in and out of traffic before losing control and crashing into a tree, police reported.
South Park Drive, in North Massapequa, sits within sight of the parkway and Sharyn Kordulak can see vehicles whizzing by from the front of her house.
“You get used to all the noise, the drone of the traffic,” Kordulak said, noting that some neighbors have blocked out portions of the cyclone fence on the opposite side of the street so they don’t
Valley Stream resident Patrick Goin, who has been an advocate for safer conditions along the highway, specifically near Exit 13 in Valley Stream, said that he is hopeful that the myriad complaints about the parkway complaints will be addressed.
“I’m the one who spoke with Carrié for something to be done about that intersection, because my uncle had a severe car accident where he almost died and his car was totaled,” Goin said, referring to Nassau County Legislator Carrié Solages. “There’s been a few accidents. My uncle wasn’t the first, so that’s being addressed.”
Goin added that he lives right near Exit 13, and that speeding by motorists coming on and off of the parkway has become a recent issue for him and his neighbors when they try to leave their homes.
Exit 13, which serves both Central Avenue south and Linden Boulevard north in Valley Stream, is one of the more widely reviled entry and exit points along the highway, with residents calling for fixes for several years.
In 2018, Valley Stream resident Nayyer Zubair created a petition that documented residents’ concerns about safety. The petition, which currently has 672 signatures, calls for the addition of leftturn lanes and signals on Central Avenue to facilitate safer turns onto Stuart Avenue; lighting upgrades to enhance
Osmar Vasquez was killed in 2023 when the driver of the car in which he was a passenger apparently lost control and crashed between exits 36 and 37.
pedestrian visibility and safety; and the addition of traffic cameras to deter redlight violations and other dangerous driving behaviors.
The state Department of Transportation unveiled a plan on May 8 to reconstruct eastbound Exit 13, with construction set to begin in the spring of 2027. The project aims to create safer conditions for drivers entering and exiting the parkway.
However, some residents questioned the need to reconstruct the entire exit.
Valley Stream resident Dayle Cohen said she recognized the issues that occur at the exit, but questioned how a massive project like this could affect the community even more.
“I drive this route often,” Cohen said. “I know a lot of people run the stop sign when you’re getting up (the ramp to) the highway. People coming from the Linden (Boulevard) side always struggle to make their right lane on Stuart. But I really haven’t noticed any (bigger)
issues. I’m not an expert — I don’t know the traffic patterns. I don’t know the statistics, and my only concern was people run the stop sign, but then you wait a minute and it’s no big deal. I’m not sure about the price tag and how it will affect people who actually live right here, but I personally didn’t see a need for it.”
In Islip Terrace, not far from the Southern State’s eastern terminus, Jo Borda has lived off Spur Drive South, on Juniper Street, for 33 years, and though the parkway is wider there than in its western portion, accidents still occur.
“All times of the day, people are turning too fast off the exit and crashing on the turn,” Borda said. “Once right into the corner house.”
The former Franklin Square resident had advice for motorists. “People just need to slow down,” Borda said.
Additional reporting by Jeffrey Bessen. Next installment: Engineering challenges, infrastructure needs.
Jeffrey Bessen/Herald photos
One of many makeshift memorials that dot the Southern State Parkway landscape memorializes Ciara Hare, who was one of three people killed in a 2022 crash near Exit 32, at the end of what is called “Blood Alley.”
HERALD SPORTS
Calhoun strong in Class AA runner-up finish
By BRIAN KACHARABA sports@liherald.com
Everything was lining up right again for the Calhoun girls’ track and field team this spring. They extended their meet winning streak to 113 en route to an eighth straight conference championship and was one event away from successfully defending their county title, but a rival school swooped in and stole it away.
The Colts placed second at the Section 8 Class AA Championships with 65 points at Hewlett May 19 after the host team surpassed them in the pole vault to finish with 73 and the county title. Calhoun captured the program’s firstever spring county title last year.
“They absolutely were disappointed because they lost, but they ran their hearts out,” Colts coach Dave Hendler said. “Most of them had their best times or their best jumps. They really did everything they had to do to win, they just fell short.”
Calhoun headed into the pole vault tied with Manhasset with 61 points and had just one entrant in senior Lauren
Rosario, who was also competing in the high jump and long jump almost simultaneously. A very game Rosario cleared eight feet on her second attempt to place fourth, but three Hewlett competitors finished first, second, and fifth for a total of 20 points and Manhasset only mustered a half point among its three athletes, which proved to be the difference.
“She was going back and forth from the pole vault to the long jump and she was just high jumping, so her legs by the time she was pole vaulting were dead,” Hendler explained.
Rosario’s season-best leap of five feet in the high jump was good for second place and she was third in the long jump when she reached 15 feet, 10.25 inches on her sixth and final attempt.
Senior Dana Wauchope was Cal-
shot put earlier in the meet.
“She wanted to win,” Hendler said. “She got fourth in the shot put, and she was a little bit unhappy with that. She saw her first three [discus] throws she was unhappy with. I said nothing to her. She knows what she has to do. She took care of business.”
Senior Milan Alexander had a season-best leap of 33-8.5 to finish second in the triple jump and freshman Jenny Gasparello showed early signs of being a future star by setting personal records in the long, triple, and high jumps.
In the running events, senior Kaitlyn Stibritz finished third in the 1,500meter run with a personal-best time of
Stamp Out Hunger initiative hits the road
Powered by volunteers, Island Harvest’s largest one-day food drive collects 335,000 pounds of food
By RENEE DeLORENZO rdelorenzo@liherald.com
Island Harvest hosted Long Island’s largest one-day food drive of the year, Stamp Out Hunger, on May 10, collecting more than 335,000 pounds of food — and counting.
The donations will stock over 300 food pantries across Long Island, ensuring they have enough supplies to feed children who face food insecurity and lose access to meals once school is out for the summer.
The event, now in its 33rd year, is organized nationwide by the National Association of Letter Carriers, the union representing the U.S. Postal Service’s letter carriers. Since its inception in 1993, the drive has collected more than 1.9 billion pounds of food across the country.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as a householdlevel economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.
According to Island Harvest, more than 240,000 Long Island residents — over 8 percent of the population — faced food insecurity in 2023, a 10 percent increase over the previous year.
Tom Siesto, executive vice president of NALC Branch 6000, said he has helped coordinate the local drive since it began in 1993. Based in New Hyde Park, Siesto organizes the delivery of more than 865,000 postcards each spring, notifying residents about the collection date, the second Saturday in May. On that day, letter carriers collect nonperishable food donations left on doorsteps.
“We take pride in this,” Siesto said. “Our letter carriers take pride in picking up the food because they know it’s helping their neighbors and communities.”
He emphasized that many people in need on Long Island go unnoticed. “It’s people living paycheck to paycheck,” Siesto said. “It comes down to whether they’re going to put food on the table, buy medication or buy clothing for their children.”
Amanda Chirco, Island Harvest’s director of development, said that donations are initially dropped off at the nonprofit’s Islandia warehouse. Staff and volunteers then sort the food into large mixed bins. The food is later repacked into boxes that are placed on pallets for shipping.
Chirco said that Island Harvest relies heavily on volunteers, including drivers from companies like Amazon and College Hunks, to help transport the food. Three days are dedicated to sorting — Saturday, Monday and Tuesday — and this year, more than 500 pallets were filled and prepared for delivery.
Each pallet holds 550 to 700 pounds of food. Once packed, they are moved with forklifts to a weighing station, where volunteers record the weight in black marker before loading the bins onto trucks. Any remaining food is stored at Island Harvest’s Melville warehouse for
later distribution.
Food pantries across the region are reporting an uptick in first-time visitors, Chirco said, which aligns with Feeding America’s data showing a continued rise in food insecurity.
“These are people who are just one car accident, one flat tire or one medical emergency away from depleting their savings and needing support,” she said. “They’re doing OK until one major thing happens, and then they’re not.”
Federal funding cuts have also affected Island Harvest’s operations. Millions of dollars in government aid were eliminated this year, Chirco said, resulting in over a million fewer meals for local fam-
ilies. Potential cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits could worsen the situation, she said. Many Long Islanders in need don’t qualify for those benefits, she said, because their income exceeds eligibility thresholds — even if it isn’t nearly enough to cover Long Island’s high cost of living.
The Economic Policy Institute estimates that a single adult must earn over $68,000 annually to maintain a modest but adequate standard of living on Long Island. A family of four, with two incomes, needs to earn around $161,000. In contrast, the minimum wage on Long Island is $16.50 an hour — just over
$34,000 annually for full-time work.
“Someone might not be considered in poverty because of their total income,” Chirco said. “But they still can’t afford to live on Long Island.”
Despite the challenges, Island Harvest is on track to distribute more than 20 million pounds of food this year — nearly double its pre-pandemic output.
For Martin Feinstein, a longtime donor who now volunteers for the organization, the scale of need became clear when he visited a local food pantry.
“I couldn’t even find parking,” Feinstein recounted. “I just kind of scratched my head and said, ‘I’ve never really seen that.’”
Now retired, Feinstein volunteers weekly with his wife, helping load food for seniors and pantries across Long Island.
“I want to help,” Feinstein said. “I want to be part of it. I wasn’t part of it for all these years even though I wanted to be, and this is the way to do it.”
Rob Schepis, senior vice president at Flushing Bank, also volunteered at the event alongside three of his employees Rob Albino, Raymond Ok and Michelle Posada. It was the bank’s second year of supporting Stamp Out Hunger through both service and donations.
“When I found out how many people were food insecure, I was shocked,” Schepis said. “It wakes you up to recognizing how fortunate we are.”
Chirco said that Island Harvest’s most pressing need is funding, which supports its food programs, nutrition education and logistics. She encouraged more community partners — businesses, schools and local leaders — to get involved.
Volunteers can register for events at IslandHarvest.org, where they can find dates, instructions and contact information for each one. “Everybody can play a role in some way,” Chirco said.
Renee DeLorenzo/Herald photos
Flushing Bank staff members Raymond Ok, far left, Rob Albino, Michelle Posada and Rob Schepis volunteered for a three-hour shift to sort food during the Stamp Out Hunger event, hosted by Island Harvest in its Islandia warehouse.
Hundreds of pounds of donated nonperishables sat in large bins at Island Harvest’s warehouse, waiting to be sorted and shipped to local food pantries.
Amanda Chirco, Island Harvest’s director of development, took a final tally of the food collected at the completion of sorting on May 13.
Budgets pass in Bellmore-Merrick districts
By Jordan Vallone jvallone@liherald.com
Voters in Bellmore, North Bellmore, Merrick, North Merrick, and the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District approved their respective 2025–26 school budgets on May 20. All spending plans remain within the state’s tax levy cap and include strategic investments in curriculum, student wellness, technology, and infrastructure.
In Bellmore, the approved $42.1 million budget, which earned 361 votes, supports continued innovation through instructional enhancements and technology upgrades. Incumbent board members Maryann Kelly and Janet Goller were re-elected unopposed. North Bellmore’s $70.3 million budget, which earned 1,063 votes, includes investments in facility upgrades and student development, with voters also approving a second proposition to use capital reserve funds for accessibility improvements. Incumbents Rosemarie Coreless and Christopher Nardo retained their seats.
Merrick voters approved a $62.1 million budget, with 626 votes, that maintains all current programs and supports roof repairs at two elementary schools, without additional cost to taxpayers. Incumbents Gina Piskin and Jennifer Schatzman were re-elected. North Merrick’s $42.6 million budget, which earned 374 votes, advances core academic initiatives and expands mental health supports, alongside voter-backed propositions for future capital planning. Megan Ryan, Will Luciani, and Steve Enella were all re-elected to the board.
Following these local elections, appointed representatives from the elementary districts will serve on the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District Board, which also saw its comprehensive, student-centered $204 million budget pass with strong community support.
Merrick community recognizes Memorial Day
The streets of Merrick were abuzz for the annual Memorial Day Parade on May 26, honoring fallen members of the United States Armed Forces, who have made the ultimate sacrifice in war.
The parade, hosted annually by American Legion Post No. 1282 began at the intersection of Merrick Avenue and Broadcast Plaza near the Merrick Long Island Rail Road station, and departed north on Merrick Avenue, ending at the Merrick Veterans Memorial in North Merrick.
Along the streets of Merrick, members of the community donning red, white and blue spirit wear, celebrated the holiday, and paid tribute to those who have died.
Dozens of Merrick-based organizations, including the Merrick and North Merrick Fire Departments, and members of the American Legion took part in the day’s festivities. School bands from area’s districts marched along the streets as well, playing patriotic tunes.
A ceremony followed the parade at the memorial.
—Jordan Vallone
Holden Leeds/Herald photos
The American Legion Post No. 1050 rolled into the Merrick Memorial Day Parade in style.
Lena Burrolino, 5, showed her support by waving an American Flag.
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 1310 walked in the parade.
The Merrick School District band was part of the parade.
The North Merrick School District marching band played patriotic tunes.
Dems push to reduce ‘unfair’ licensing fees
By MOHAMMAD RAFIQ mrafiq@liherald.com
At All American Cleaners in Bellmore on May 22, Nassau County Legislator Seth Koslow, accompanied by Democratic colleagues Delia DeRiggi-Whitton and Olena Nicks, unveiled legislation aimed at reducing business licensing fees across Nassau County.
“The fees that people are paying in Nassau County are multiple times higher than Suffolk County, and it’s just not fair,” Koslow, the Democratic candidate for county executive, said at a news conference. “These small businesses drive our economy, and they have to pay $650 a year just to get their license, when in Suffolk County they’re paying $110.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Nassau is home to over 200,000 small businesses, which employ the majority of the county’s workforce. The proposed legislation targets more than 30 categories of business licenses, including dry cleaners, locksmiths, doggroomers, second-hand gem dealers, appliance replacement services and more.
Asked why there was a difference between the license fees in Suffolk and Nassau counties, Koslow laid responsibility at the feet of County Executive Bruce Blakeman, saying, “Blakeman just keeps raising fees to pay for all his celebrations and his photo ops, and he’s not really worried about taking care of the people here that drive our business.”
“I, unfortunately, don’t anticipate it’ll get much traction because of Bruce Blakeman and the Republican majority,” Koslow added of the legislative proposal. “But this is one of those things that is important to our community, and we should do on a bipartisan level.”
DeRiggi-Whitton echoed Koslow’s sentiments.
“Many of these fees came in under the Mangano administration,” she said, referring to former County Executive Edward Mangano. “And many of them, at that point, we thought, were completely ridiculous, and our caucus voted against them. However, the Republican majority passed them.
“They are arduous,” DeRiggi-Whitton added. “They are something that would make someone decide whether or not they want to come to Nassau County, and that’s the last thing we need.”
Marc Tolchinsky, owner of All American Cleaners, was asked about the impact that licensing fees have on businesses’ ability to stay afloat, and the difference
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Nassau County Democrats decried high business licensing fees and announced legislation to cut fees for small businesses on May 22. In Bellmore, from far left, were County Legislators Olena Nicks and Seth Koslow; Marc Tolchinsky, owner of All American Cleaners; and Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton.
that the proposed cuts would make.
“We’ve already been hurt so badly by Covid and the working from home, so all these things that they’re coming up now with, it impacts us,” Tolchinsky said. “You know, we’re running on less revenue, less volume, and anything will help.”
In statement to the Herald, Blakeman rejected the claim that he was responsible for the fees. “These fees were sustained and supported by a Democrat administration with acquiescence from Democrat legislators,” the statement read. “I am happy to cut the fees provided Democrats come up with matching cuts to spending.”
HERALD — May 29, 2025
Mohammad Rafiq/Herald
MERRICK
Thomas L. Kearns
Car show drives back into Point Lookout
The Spring Dust-Off Car Show, Long Island’s largest celebration of unique cars, horsepower, bold design and automotive artistry returned to Town Park in Point Lookout on May 18, filling the park with tons of fancy and fun rides.
The event is more than just a car show, it’s a fullthrottle experience featuring hundreds of competitively judged cars, live entertainment, a touch-atruck exhibit, a kids’ zone, movie cars, a beer garden and dozens of vendors offering everything from auto accessories to delicious eats.
The Spring Dust-Off Car Show is one of the most exciting events of the year.
ship,” Town Supervisor Don Clavin said. “It’s a celebration of craftsmanship, community, and classic Americana – all set against the beautiful backdrop of our South Shore beaches.”
There were special guests as well, including nationally renowned car celebrities like Joe Martin, Richard Rawlings, Dave Kindig, and Chip Foose, giving fans the chance to meet the legends behind the builds.
Don Clavin Town Supervisor
“The Spring Dust-Off Car Show is one of the most exciting events of the year here in America’s largest town-
“Whether you’re a diehard car enthusiast or just looking for a fun day with the family, this event has something for everyone,” Clavin said.
—Brendan Carpenter
Tim Baker/Herald photos
Lillian, 5, and Colton Woessner, 12, of Wantagh, enjoyed all the cool cars.
Mathew Garcia, of Oceanside, with his 1979 Lincoln Continental Mark 5 and 1941 Chevrolet Master Deluxe.
RichnerLive, Herald donate $2,000 to Hair We Share at women’s celebration
The Herald and RichnerLIVE hosted the Premier Business Women of Long Island Awards at the Heritage Club in Bethpage on March 19.
Hair We Share, a Jericho-based nonprofit that was created by Dean Riskin and Suzanne Chimera, provides free wigs to people experiencing hair loss brought on by medical treatments. It was the evening’s charity beneficiary, and received a $2,000 donation in support of its mission.
Tim Baker/Herald
Holding the facsimile check were, from left, Herald publisher and CEO Stuart Richner; RichnerLive Executive Director Amy Amato; Dean Riskin, CEO and co-founder of Hair We Share; and RichnerLive’s Lori Pedone.
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