Stacy Driks/Herald John Schneider, left, worked on Wall Street, a job that was waiting for him when he came home from Vietnam in 1967. Tony Sparaco graduated from Freeport High School in 1966, and two years later, he was drafted and went to Pace College, where he didn’t graduate due to complications of the war.
By STACY DRIKS sdriks@liherald.com
Eighth graders at Lawrence Road Middle School in the Uniondale School District recently found themselves shaking hands with three Vietnam War veterans, thanking them for their service.
During the May 21 event, the veterans, John Schneider, 76, Tony Sparaco, 77, and Francisco Muñiz III, 83, all from Nassau County, stood in front of the students, sharing their stories and honoring those veterans who were lost — which the vets thought was the hardest part.
The three men are determined veteran advocates and members of the Vietnam Veterans of America. They were drafted by the U.S. Army and served with honor — each
with different stories and experiences.
Students listened to their stories, and the eight-grade class asked them several questions, including what memories they hold of Vietnam, what the terrain was like and what they might have learned from their experience.
The students learned that U.S. citizens who were drafted in the Army served two years and volunteers served four years.
“One of the first things I learned was respect,” Sparaco said.
During the Vietnam War, they employed the military code of justice, which everyone had to learn and study.
During one mission, Sparaco and his new commander were making their way back through the rice paddies, he said. During wars like the Vietnam and Korean Wars, rice
By STACY DRIKS sdriks@liherald.com
The Town of Hempstead is moving forward with a proposed rezoning of the Nassau Coliseum site, originally sought by Las Vegas Sands for a now-withdrawn casino project, which could nearly double in price from the original $4 to $7.6 billion based on a recently unveiled environmental impact study.
The costs for construction, labor and materials, along with traffic mitigation upgrades and fees related to construction financing the state application for a gaming license have also risen since last estimated.
In April, the Las Vegas Sands Corporation pulled out of a plan to transform the 72-acre site into a resort complex that included a casino, hotel and restaurants.
M
y group, personally, we’re baffled and frustrated that they’re moving forward with this, getting all the approvals without an owner — Sands walked away.” ALLISON O’BRIEN SILVA Say No to the Casino
“We are reviewing a massive FEIS” — final environmental impact study — “for a project that currently has no sponsor, no operator, and no valid lease,” Ed Finneran, the mayor of Garden City, said.
On May 19, the Nassau County Legislature voted unanimously to release the environmental study that the Sands undertook. On Tuesday, the town held two public hearing sessions concerning its possible rezoning to allow for gaming and a casino.
Any new development would likely carry higher costs due to tariffs and labor expenses.
“My group, personally, we’re baffled and frustrated that they’re moving forward with this, getting all the approvals without an owner — Sands walked away,” Allison O’Brien Silva, a member of Say No to the Casino, said.
“We believe Sands and the county are looking for a partner that is willing to just drop in and
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
accept everything,” Silva said. “Because that is what’s written into these environmental documents, and if they change anything again, they have to start over again.”
The Nassau Coliseum falls under a special zoning district, meaning the project must either receive approval for changes to existing zoning laws or agree to a new zoning district, the Mitchel Field Integrated Resort District, which is still under discussion.
Public opinion in Nassau County has been mixed. While Silva said she welcomes the prospect of new jobs and economic stimulus, she and Russ Comeau, president of the South Shore Audubon Society, share concerns about potential negative impacts of development on the Coliseum site including increased traffic, noise and environmental degradation.
“We have a long, well-documented history of environmental achievements and excellence across our worldwide properties,” a Sands spokesperson told the Herald in January.
Last November, Sands submitted a 28,000-page draft environmental impact statement, detailing plans to mitigate potential environmental harm as it developed the property. Nonetheless, local environmental groups argue that stronger safeguards are necessary to protect the Hempstead Plains — a rare, 100-acre natural habitat adjacent to the Coliseum site known for its diverse wildlife and native plant species.
This area is one of Long Island’s last remaining undisturbed ecosystems. Environmental organizations are actively engaging with county officials and Sands representatives to address the development’s potential effects on the plains, which have shrunk dramatically over time.
Comeau recalls receiving a late-night email from Sands, which he described as “very, very advocacy, very
Las Vegas Sands pulled out of a plan to build a $7.6 billion casino but the Town of Hempstead is aiming to have the area around the Nassau Coliseum rezoned. Members of the Say No to the Casino Civic Association protested outside a legislative session in July 2024.
bullish.” The tone of the message surprised him. His organization subsequently compiled a comprehensive 30-page set of environmental impact comments to submit for review.
Comeau’s particular concern lies with the plains. “My goal has been to preserve this last fragment,” he said, “by setting it aside as a protected space, similar to a botanical garden.”
Neither Legislator Olena Nicks, who represents the area, nor Sands responded to requests for comment. Residents have until Friday at 5 p.m. to submit comments to sandscomments@nassaucounty.org.
Have an opinion on the Sands controversy? Send a letter to sdrik@liherald.com.
By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com
A coalition of lawmakers, parents, and community advocates gathered at Mirschel Park in the Village of Hemp‑ stead to call out Nassau County’s refusal to help fund a long‑overdue renovation of the crumbling, weed‑infested park, despite numerous requests dating back to 2023.
Standing against a backdrop of cracked basketball courts and broken playground equipment, Nassau County Legislators Scott Davis and Seth Koslow, joined by Village officials and local par ents, condemned what they described as blatant political discrimination that has left Democratic‑led communities without resources while similar projects in Republican districts receive millions in county funds.
“We’ve got mailers with Bruce’s face all over them—each costing $150,000,” Legislator Seth Koslow said. “Just one of those mailers would get this park done. Just one of those mailers would give kids a place to play, and would beautify our neighborhoods. But instead of giving that money to districts represented by Democrats, Bruce Blakeman had to send his face out to all of you.”
The $9 million renovation plan for Mirschel Park includes essential upgrades to create a safe, vibrant space for families and children. But those plans remain in limbo.
“Stop wasting our funding,” Koslow said. “Stop hurting our children. Let’s clean up our communities together, and let’s get this done.”
Koslow highlighted two proposals submitted by the Freeport Union Free School District in December 2023: a $350,000 plan to convert the Columbus Avenue School courtyard into a usable outdoor space, and a $100,000 request for a community bus that would serve stu dents and seniors. Neither project has been funded more than a year later.
Legislators claimed 32 Republican dis‑ trict projects have been approved, while 34 Democratic district projects remain stalled. Legislator Olena Nicks empha‑ sized the broader pattern of neglect affecting schools, libraries, and youth programs in communities of color.
“For over a year now, funding has been denied to our Uniondale School Dis‑ trict,” Nicks said. “The Uniondale
What Nassau County has funded in Hempstead village
According to figures from Blake‑ man’s office, since January 2022, Nassau County has committed:
$1.20 million for water remedia‑ tion
$100,000 toward a new fire truck
$49,706 for portable radios & life‑saving rope kits
$357,876 for license‑plate readers
$1,754,335 in ambulance & medi‑ cal equipment
$400,000 in direct grants to the African American History Museum
library has asked for funding to repair the basement. Libraries are one of the few places you can go and not spend a dime. If our communities can’t even fund libraries, what do we do?”
Legislator Debra Mulé, who repre‑ sents the sixth district, which includes Roosevelt, explained how Community Revitalization Project (CRP) funding, which each legislator is allocated as part of the county’s capital plan, is being withheld.
“That money has been stalled at the level of the County Executive, “ Mule said, citing a $40,000 request for an elec‑ tronic sign to improve school‑to‑parent communications that has sat in limbo for six months. “There’s no reason for it. It’s blatantly political,”
Legislators warned that these delays are not isolated incidents, but part of a growing pattern in which the County Executive has fast‑tracked projects in Republican‑held areas while allowing funding requests in Democratic commu‑ nities to sit untouched for months or years.
“Everyone pays taxes,” Mule said. “ All of our areas pay taxes. There’s just no way you can only represent the Republi‑ can‑held districts. Even after Democrats joined a successful bond vote to fund first responders, “five or six new CRP projects for Republican districts were quietly approved afterward, while Demo‑ cratic projects remain untouched.”
Speaking separately at a county‑spon‑ sored youth event, County Executive Bruce Blakeman rejected the charge that he’s starved Hempstead of funds.
“That’s completely ridiculous,” Blake‑ man said to the legislator’s claims. “In the Village of Hempstead, we’ve given them close to $3 million in the last three years from the county and CRPs, and also outright grants for things like redo‑ ing parks—$400,000 for the African American Museum, over a million dol‑
Larry Gore, a lifelong resident of Terrace Avenue in Hempstead Village, founded the Town Elite, where kids are empowered through sports and mentoring. The safe summer basketball tournament takes place each year at Mirschel Park, at the northern end of Terrace Avenue. The conditions of the courts have slowly deteriorated over the years.
lars for water treatment to make sure there’s safe water in Hempstead. So they’re trying to pick on us because we’re holding a $150,000 request when we’ve already given $3 million to the Vil‑ lage of Hempstead. It’s totally ludicrous. They have nothing good to say. They only have bad things to say. I think what they should say is, thank you.”
Blakeman went on to argue that Mirschel Park is a village facility, not a county park, pointing to nearby Eisen‑ hower Park.
“We spend a lot of money on our parks,” he said. “This is not our park. This is a village park.”
Lifelong Hempstead resident and mentor Larry Gore has been a Hemp‑ stead sports coach for 15 years. For three decades, his Town Elite Organization has run a free summer basketball tour‑ nament at Mirschel Park—complete with food, music, school supplies, and
mentorship—despite the park’s deterio rated condition.
“This park has not been in playing condition for the last 30 years,” Gore said. “We have to do so many things just to hold our tournament. But the kids love it so much. We keep them off the streets. They deserve a safe place. We deserve to see our neighborhood have nice things, too.”
As the press conference concluded, community leaders vowed to press on.
“We’re not asking for favors,” Davis said. “We’re asking for fairness—and our money.”
With summer and the next youth tournament approaching, Hempstead advocates hope their united voice will finally move Nassau County to fund Mirschel Park’s revitalization.
“We can have nice things too,” Gore said. “We don’t have to go outside our neighborhood to have nice things.
Parade-goers lined Uniondale Avenue on Monday for the annual Memorial Day Parade. Blue skies and warm temperatures made for the perfect parade weather.
Marchers gathered near the top of Uniondale Avenue for the trek to Uniondale Park, a little over a mile away.
Marchers from American Legion Post 1487 led the way, followed by middle and high school marching bands, junior ROTC, and the Uniondale fire departments. A long line of fire and rescue vehicles made their way down the avenue, blowing their sirens and honking their horns.
Once everyone was gathered at Uniondale Park, David Sweet, presiding elder of Grace Cathedral and a U.S. Army veteran, gave the invocation. This was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Michael Capillo, Post Commander of American Legion Post #1487 and a U. S. Army veteran. The Uniondale High School Chorus sang the National anthem, and then the Memorial Day address was given by the parade marshal, Major Anthony Telesca. Telesca, the senior army instructor
for the Uniondale Junior ROTC, reminded the crowd that Memorial Day is “a day filled with solemn reflection and gratitude and the opportunity to honor the brave souls who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.”
Telesca said that those who served in the military share a common bond: “a sense of duty and unwavering commitment to protect our dear freedom.”
He encouraged everyone there to take a moment to think about the sacrifice of those who had given their lives in service, and what it has afforded us here at home.
Capillo, who is serving his first year as the Post Commander, said, “Anytime that there’s any recognition for the men and women that perished in any battle it’s so important.”
Sweet, who has been attending Memorial Day events since the early 1990s and is also a member of the American Legion, expressed gratitude for the members of the military who gave the ultimate sacrifice. He said, “They didn’t come home so that we could enjoy home.”
— Janet Prete
‘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
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.
paddies — flooded fields used to grow rice — were key battlegrounds that challenged soldiers with difficult terrain and were often targeted to disrupt enemy food supplies
Sparaco and the commander, new to the infantry and formerly from the artillery unit, ignored a key rule: to never walk on the dikes — the narrow, elevated paths bordering the rice fields, which were often booby-trapped.
“I didn’t really want to do it,” he recalled, “but I had to be a good soldier. I had to obey the order. I could fight it later.”
A few seconds later, he stepped on a grenade. The blast seriously wounded him and slightly injured the commander. Both were airlifted to the hospital. Decades later, in early 2025, the commander died from exposure to Agent Orange — a chemical used during the Vietnam War.
The chemical contained dioxin, a toxic substance known to cause cancer. Many veterans who were exposed to it have developed bladder cancer and other serious health problems. Sparaco learned he would be diagnosed with the same cancer too, which he is now clear from he said before the class started clapping for congratulations.
“It’s an honor for us to do this, sometimes we talk about tough things that make you feel better and let it out,” Schneider said about the May 21 meet-and-greet. “Our families don’t know most of these stories, they just couldn’t even relate to that because frankly, you figure a lot of people don’t understand, they never experienced combat that we were in.”
All three men didn’t know each other during the war, serving at different times, but they all had something in common. Their stories were hardly, if ever, shared with their families. Muñiz said he never talks
to his family about his experience in Vietnam because it’s still too painful. “I can’t face my children,” he explained.
“When we came home — we were silent,” Schneider added.
The veterans said that when they returned home, many weren’t met with respect. The war sparked widespread protests after 1965 — fueled by public discontent with the escalating war and the draft.
Protests escalated because the unpopular war played out on TV sets across the country, with every moment documented, as Americans watched it unfold from their living rooms. Journalists were embedded in Vietnam, and the coverage often focused on blood, death and destruction.
The troops kept in touch with their families and took lots of pictures documenting their personal expe-
rience with the friends they made.
Schneider said his family sent him a Polaroid camera, which was dropped into the jungle from a helicopter. Sparaco physically brought with him a flashcube — a small portable and affordable flash unit popular in the 60s and 70s.
Communication during the war was extremely limited, the veterans said. Most contact with family was through mail, even though Sparaco recalled managing to make two phone calls. The first was to his mother, using a military radio. Because of the setup, he had to teach her how to say “over” after each sentence so their conversation could be properly relayed. The second call was made from Tokyo, Japan, where he was able to contact his fiancée while he was on leave.
“The experience — it never leaves you, you’re always thinking of what happened when you were there, especially when you’re losing friends, and it’s something you just don’t get over,” Schneider said. “But thank God the VA was able to help me and many other people get through it.”
The middle school students later learned that their principal, Mark McCaw, served proudly in the U.S. Army during the Gulf War in the early 1990s.
tony Sparaco graduated from freeport High School in 1966. francisco muñiz iii served in 1966 and went to CW post Liu, John Schneider didn’t attend college but had a job secured for him on Wall Street.
— Stacy Driks
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.
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 Suf folk 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.
