Friday, December 2, 2016 Vol. 91, No. 49
THE PULSE OF THE PENINSULA
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U EG
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL PREVIEW
REC CENTER TALKS HIT SNAG
NIFA REJECTS COUNTY BUDGET
PAGES 29-36, 53-60
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BAKING FOR A CAUSE
How politicians give millions to local projects State legislators in majority have power to hand out grants BY N O A H MANSKAR
Teenagers from Lake Success Chabad made various Thanksgiving foods and treats for the needy. See story on page 68.
A new scoreboard for Williston Park’s Little League baseball ďŹ eld. Resurfaced tennis courts in New Hyde Park. A power generator for a theater in East Hills. Performances for children at Landmark on Main Street in Port Washington. These projects and initiatives, along with 102 others on the North Shore, have received money from state grant programs through members of the Assembly and Senate. The lawmakers often promote them with news releases and appear at ribbon-cuttings when they’re complete — sometimes as they run campaigns for re-election or for another oďŹƒce. Those lawmakers have discretion over who receives hun-
dreds of millions of dollars in grants each year through three programs: the State and Municipal Facilities Program, the Community Projects Fund and supplemental grants to school districts and libraries known as “bullet aid,â€? according to state legislators, their aides and publicly available documents. More than $1.5 billion has been appropriated for the State and Municipal Facilities Program alone since its inception. North Shore municipalities and nonproďŹ t groups have been designated to receive at least 109 grants worth nearly $6.9 million since 2014, according to lists published by the Senate and Assembly. Ranging in size from $5,000 to $350,000, they are meant to pay for projects from afterschool programs to road repairs
and major construction work at public parks. Local oďŹƒcials have praised lawmakers for obtaining the grants, saying they provide funding for needed projects for which small municipalities could not otherwise pay. “Communities rightfully expect their legislators to ďŹ ght for them and bring home as much state aid as possible, because every additional dollar in aid from Albany is one that doesn’t have to be raised locally,â€? Chris Schneider, a spokesman for state Sen. Jack Martins (R-Old Westbury), wrote in an email. But government watchdogs say the grants come from opaque piles of money that are subject to political forces and that lack clear criteria for who can and should receive them. Continued on Page 74
Voters to pick 1 of 7 for G.N. school board Great Neck Board of Education. Nine candidates initially Voters will go to the polls stepped forward to run for the Tuesday to decide which of seven chance to serve the remainder candidates will replace former of Bloom’s term until 2019, but Trustee Monique Bloom on the two, Mariana Ristea and Michael
BY J OE N I K I C
Darvish, withdrew their candidacies on Nov. 10 and Nov. 29, respectively. The seven candidates for the seat include Donald Panetta, Josh Ratner, Nikolas Kron, Nicholas Toumbekis, Lori Beth Schwartz, Donna Peirez and Grant Toch. Bloom resigned in September because of her corporate travel commitments. School district oďŹƒcials
said since Darvish withdrew after the Nov. 28 deadline to ďŹ le nominating petitions, the district did not need to further extend the deadline. His name will still be on the ballot, however, as ballots have already gone to print. Panetta, a 30-year New Hyde Park resident, said he is running because he loves being involved in the community and saw an opportunity with the open seat. He said that although he
does not have education experience, his wife and son are both teachers in New York City and he often speaks with them about the problems they are facing as teachers and problems with the education system. “I can bring fresh ideas. As a total outsider, if somebody were to say ‘hey, let’s do something,’ my ďŹ rst impulse is ‘let’s look into it,’â€? he said. “Whereas someone Continued on Page 69
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