The Great Neck News, Friday, June 10, 2016
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DeMartin drops out of Assembly race
Continued from Page 1 its convention. D’Urso, 76, of Port Washington, served as North Hempstead town councilman from 1992 through 2005. DeMartin said he was “shocked” when he found out that D’Urso had entered the race. “I’ve always shown a streak of independency and that necessarily is not what they’re looking for in this particular thing, as they’ve reached out and grabbed another candidate that I would say is not going to be as independent a thinker as I am,” he said. DeMartin also said that he suspects there was a “higher-up” in the committee or someone with strong political influence who made the choice. “My personality probably does not agree with North Hempstead leadership,” he said. “I don’t step in line for anybody. I’m more about the people.” DeMartin said that both North Hempstead Democratic Party leader John Ryan and Nassau Democratic Party Chairman
Jay Jacobs were supportive of him until the party selected D’Urso. He said that the fact he is an “independent thinker” may have discouraged the party from choosing him. Efforts to reach Ryan for comment were unavailing. While working at the town, DeMartin said he did not have major differences in ideas from Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth and her administration, but they had a difference in “styles.” He said he was more “upfront” and preferred to “move in a rapid direction,” while the town was not on the same page. “I think they’re very cautious in the way they move and proceed,” DeMartin said. “I think it’s a slow-paced type of government that doesn’t necessarily move in a progressive manner.” While he described Bosworth as a “beautiful person,” he said that he did not “love” Town Attorney Elizabeth Botwin “in any way, shape or form.” DeMartin said that Botwin was the prime force behind most of the town’s de-
In terms of the town’s recent ethics reforms after a Newsday report revealed in late January that Gerard Terry, the North Hempstead Democratic party leader, carried a $1.4 million state and federal tax debt while earning more than $200,000 a year in six government jobs, he said that the town was “doing fine,” but thought it could have lessened the impact the report had on its employees. “There’s a way to do that too and not necessarily hurt people,” DeMartin said. “I think there was a lack of thought on the human aspect of how that affects people.” DeMartin, who now runs his own emergency management consulting business, AJD Security and Development, said while D’Urso was a “fine gentleman,” he would not vote for him nor the Republican candidate for the 16th Assembly District, Andrew DeMartin Matt Varvaro. cisions and that she was more difficult to “I don’t think we should be sending work with while Bosworth was easy to get just fine gentleman to Albany,” he said. “I along with. think we need to send people to Albany Both Bosworth and Botwin declined to that have tenacity and are willing to make comment. changes and be brave.”
Americana creates fun place to shop
Continued from Page 19 him. His limited edition tee shirts are all sold out but what they are doing now is making fun and playful handbags with that Peewee Herman Funhouse dinosaur Rexy on them. This is the brainstorm of Coach’s new creative director Stuart Vevers who knows something about branding. I can see that the idea of fun is penetrated high fashion. It seems to me that Louis Vuitton started this trend twenty years ago when they hired Takashi Murakami the Japanese artist who started the flat art movement and cartooning. My next stop was the Louis Vuitton store where I chatted with two customers, a father and son from Hewlett. The
son had just returned from a year abroad in Paris and when I asked them why they drove up here to the Gold Coast from Hewlett they said “The shopping is just as good here as on Madison Avenue and it’s a lot closer to get to.” I finished my shopping day with a quick stop at Bandier the high end sportswear shop and then had my glasses adjusted at Morganthal Frederic. I was home within 10 minutes. I started by saying that shopping ought to be educational and a pleasure. Anyone can appreciate the pleasure of Americana Manhasset with its architecture, its flowering landscape, its luxury items and its Manhattan style restaurants. But how is all this high-end luxury shopping an education? Can shopping be
considered adult education? Here’s my answer. We are beginning to see a fashion trend in full swing where designers are using cute fun playful images on clothing and bags. Murakamis cartoons on Louis Vuitton bags. Rexy the dinosaur on Coach Bags. The Burberry bee on their stuff. Limited edition Jason Baseman cartoons on high end tee shirts. The list goes on and on. All these creative directors in charge of branding watch trends and watch what sells. And what is selling is cartoon fun playful stuff fused to high-end luxury. This is the perfect response to the American dilemma. Whether you happen to be a one percenter or a fifty percenter we are all in the same boat. And the name of that boat is overwork. Americans are
by far the most industrious and hardworking people on earth. We take fewer vacation days than any other civilized country. What every American needs is some play time, some free time, some fun time. So let me thank Frank Castagna and Frank Marino and all those fun artists like Gary Baseman and Takashi Murakami and even Peewee Herman for combining beauty and play together in such a luscious way. Who knew that luxury fashion could carry hidden messages but it can. The message is that life is tough so it makes sense to smile a little and have a little fun every day. Hello Kitty gives big business a hug! Who could have predicted that one?
Kings Point Park bill opposed by G.N. resident Continued from Page 1 land.” The legislation would allow the village to avoid the demolition of the public works facility as required under a 2014 state Court of Appeals ruling that found the village had violated state law in building it there in 1946. The state Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed a state Supreme Court’s 2011 ruling that the Village of King Point’s plan to raze 5.45 acres of Kings Point Park for a department of public works building violated state law, and ordered the removal of a village salt shed on the property. Village of Great Neck residents Capruso, Alan Berkower, Elizabeth Allen and Julian Kane, filed the lawsuit in 2009 to block Kings Point’s plan to construct a new public works building on the parkland. The court said the salt shed is a “con-
tinuing wrong” and should be removed immediately. The seven-judge panel said in its ruling that the western corner of the park was “parkland” and that any plan to use the parcel for “non-park” use had to be “authorized by the state Legislature.” Last June, Schimel introduced a separate bill that would designate 1.56 acres of a 5.45-acre piece of land in Kings Point Park for public works facilities. Both Martins and Schimel said the new bill for a 1.1-acre parcel would “balance” the needs of the community. “This protects residents’ quality of life and reduces the amount of land currently used by the village in Kings Point Park while ensuring the village can continue providing important services to residents,” Martins said. Schimel said the two legislators walked through Kings Point Park numerous times to better inform themselves
when making a decision. “We came up with what we think is somewhat of a solution,” she said. “I don’t know if everyone is going to be happy, but I know I’m satisfied.” The village has been using about three acres of parkland for DPW facilities for the past 70 years. “Along with my colleagues on the board of trustees, we are appreciative of the ongoing efforts of our state lawmakers regarding this matter,” Village of Kings Point Mayor Michael Kalnick said. “The 1.1 acres of land being set aside, which has been reduced dramatically from the area the village has been using for the past 70 years, will allow us to provide critical services to the residents of Kings Point.” Martins and Schimel said their proposed legislation would eliminate the need for widespread tree razing. Capruso said the legislation doesn’t
“save forest,” but instead destroys .5 acres of it. To use the area for non-park functions, the village must also designate another area of the village as parkland, the bill reads. The bill calls for a 6.64-acre parcel of land on lower Manhasset Bay along East Shore Road to be the substitute parkland. Some 1.57 acres of this land is above mean high water. Capruso criticized the proposed substituted parkland because the village does not own that property – it would have to purchase it – and because it already owns some additional land on Sunset Road, where the village currently has a DPW facility. “Using eminent domain to seize privately owned land to swap for forested parkland, so that existing municipal land can be sold for private residential development is wrong,” Capruso said.