Continued on

Continued from Page 2 Association Unit 7555, said during the public portion of the meeting he had evaluated the budget codes and identifi ed funds to cover transfers during a personnel resolution passed at the last meeting that moved fi ve employees out of the supervisor’s offi ce.

McDonough said he found $336,621.83 from salaries in other departments that have been eliminated to cover the budget amendments. Specifi cally, McDonough said one position where the funds came from was a union position in the tax receiver’s offi ce.

“We used to have a full-time benefi ts coordinator in the H.R. department, now we have a part-time one,” McDonough said. “Do our employees not deserve a full-time benefi ts person? That answers questions about our health benefi ts, workman’s compensation or any other benefi ts we have.”

No one on the Town Board responded to McDonough’s statements.

A few residents spoke about the optics of the Town Board and the tone set with the new administration.

Rebecca Hughes Parker, of Port Washington, said she has a lot of optimism about the new board but referred to DeSena’s speech when she was sworn in and promised to keep politics out of Town Hall. Parker referred to comments DeSena has made about the budget, the resources she said she has available to her as well as comments made by her offi ce.

“It seems like we are inserting politics into the conversation here, not removing it as we were promised,” Parker said.

DeSena responded with much of what she has consistently said since taking offi ce. She referred to the number of employees that report to her in the supervisor’s offi ce being shrunk compared with former Supervisor Judi Bosworth’s administration.

“That has changed and it changed because of the election,” she said.

Toward the latter half of the threehour meeting, the board tabled a resolution to appoint Harry Weed, the acting highway superintendent since 2021, to the job on a permanent basis so it can be determined whether he lives in the town, as required.

DeSena said she would have preferred to discuss the matter before the public meeting, but said the board does not meet prior to creating the agenda.

After the 48th and fi nal resolution on the evening’s agenda was passed, Charles McQuair, special counsel to the supervisor’s offi ce, approached the board and called for unity.

McQuair said that party caucuses are unproductive. He said that the resolution on Weed’s appointment should have been discussed in executive session before Thursday night but that did not happen due to partisan politics.

“I’m here to work with the supervisor and all of you in terms of moving the ball forward, and I don’t see how we can do that in the future without having a unifi ed group,” McQuair said.

In response, Councilman Robert Troiano, a Democrat, asked what McQuair’s role and responsibilities are and how they diff ered from John Chiara, the town attorney.

The two discussed the Open Meetings Law, which Chiara brought up, and how caucusing may or may not violate that.

“The caucus meets with a quorum. You may have issues here with regard to the Open Meetings Law,” McQuiar said.

“The danger here is that people watching and listening may be of the opinion that we are violating the Open Meetings Law and I can’t allow you to put a question about the integrity of the process into people’s minds,” Troiano responded.

Party caucuses are exempt from the Open Meetings Law.

The next Town Board meeting will take place Thursday, Feb. 17.

Mineola’s Vaz, WWII vet, dies at 97 “As luck would have it, the U.S. Army was organizing everything and helping everyone get through the pro-

Continued from Page 3 wald. After spending weeks there helping the survivors get fed and relocated, he would sometimes break into tears thinking about it when asked or wake up in the middle of the night from nightmares based on his experiences.

Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Vaz came to Mineola when he was three months old. His father, Antonio Vaz, was one of the founders and builders of the Mineola Portuguese Club.

When Vaz returned to Mineola after the war, Vaz-Salesi said, his family said he could take time before fully getting onto his feet. One of the jobs he had was helping build the Northern State Parkway before ultimately fi nding a career selling kitchen appliances.

A moment of silence was held for him at the Jan. 20 North Hempstead Town Board meeting, where Councilman Dennis Walsh, a former Mineola trustee, spoke about him.

“Ray was a true American hero,” Walsh said of his friend. “He did many great things in the Mineola community.”

Similar sentiments were shared by Tony Lubrano, owner of Piccola Bussola on Jericho Turnpike and former president of the Mineola Chamber of Commerce.

Lubrano got to know Vaz and other veterans in the area while hosting meetings and celebrations from Mineola’s VFW Post 1305 and through his work with Warriors for a Cause, of which he is chairman.

The restaurant owner shared a story involving his staff members when during a holiday party for the post on a December Sunday, he overheard talk about which football player was the toughest. Lubrano decided to introduce them to Vaz, which befuddled some of them because they thought they were only looking at an older man.

“I said to them ‘let me show you someone who’s the toughest person you’re ever going to meet,’” Lubrano said. “He was not exactly a tall, muscular fellow now or even in his younger years, but after he described for us what he did for this country they thanked him for his service, shook his hand and said what an honor it was to meet him.”

More recently, Vaz was able to get a COVID-19 vaccination earlier than most as a veteran in his mid-90s. Vaz-Salesi commented how much of a challenge it was going to be to transport him to the Javits Center in Manhattan, which was where he was designated to go.

Lubrano reached out to his network and was able to help organize transportation for Vaz to the center, where he saw the veteran treated like a hero. cess of getting their shots,” Lubrano said. “His daughter Caryl called me almost in awe of the way he was treated upon seeing him enter in a wheelchair, donning his Army jacket and hat. She said that they saluted him and took him almost literally by the hand and walked him through the day to make sure he was OK.”

Lubrano said that Vaz, along with every veteran, should be treated the way he was that day.

“Mr. Vaz had a debt that we cannot repay,” Lubrano said. “He deserves anything we can do to help.”

A mass for Vaz was held Monday at Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church in Mineola and interment was in Pinelawn Cemetery in Farmingdale.

Vaz was predeceased by his wife of 68 years, Ann. He is survived by his children, Caryl, Anthony and Suzzanne, seven grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren.

Roslyn’s Youn Regeneron finalist

Continued from Page 1 each year by the Society for Science and the Public, with the goal of fi nding solutions to the world’s challenges from budding young scientists.

Youn’s research explored voting trends and the responsibility for people to cast their ballots. The research resulted in her paper being published in the Journal of Political Sciences and Public Aff airs and her winning second place in the WAC Lighting Research Association Fair.

“It’s extremely exciting and unexpected!” Youn said. “At fi rst, I couldn’t believe it. I’m looking forward to joining this community of young scientists.”

Roslyn school district offi cials lauded Youn for the hard work and dedication that led her to being one of 40 fi nalists in the prestigious competition.

“Congratulations to Hailee for this momentous achievement,” Roslyn Superintendent Allison Brown said in a statement. “We are so proud of her and very excited for her to receive such well-deserved recognition for her research.”

“We are bursting with pride that one of our wonderful Roslyn High School seniors has earned such an extraordinary honor,” Roslyn Board of Education President Meryl Waxman Ben-Levy said. “Congratulations to Hailee! We wish her continued success when she participates in the fi nal competition in March.”

“Hailee is amazing in that she can think on multiple levels simultaneously; she can see both the big picture and the smallest details and weave them together seamlessly,” Roslyn’s coordinator of secondary research, Allyson Weseley, said. “She is a top-notch researcher and a wonderful and generous collaborator, who works to improve the research of her peers.”

After winning a $2,000 award for being one of the semifi nalists, Youn will take part in a weeklong competition from March 9 to 16 with the fi nalists competing for more than $1.8 million in awards. Each fi nalist will be awarded at least $25,000, with the top 10 awards ranging from $40,000 to $250,000, contest offi cials said.

A total of 39 students on Long Island and 14 in North Shore school districts were named semifi nalists in 2021, with Lucy Zha, a former student of the Wheatley School in Old Westbury, being the North Shore’s lone fi nalist.