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Friday, July 15, 2022
Vol. 10, No. 28
SCHOOLS & EDUCATION
SUOZZI ENDORSES LAFAZAN
MANGANO SENTENCING DELAYED
PAGES 23-26
PAGE 2
PAGE 9
DeSena asks for audit of building dept. Supervisor ‘willing to consider every possible way’ to fix issues BY B R A N D ON D U FF Y North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena announced Monday that she has sent a letter requesting an audit into the town’s “broken” Building Department to Nassau Comptroller Elaine Philips. “The Building Department has been an ineffectual mess for more than 15 years now,” DeSena said Monday at a news conference in front of the town’s Building Department. “It’s time we finally stopped paying lip service to the problem. Instead, we must be willing to consider every possible way to fix the problem.” DeSena, elected as a Republican, was joined by Democratic Councilmembers Mariann Dalimonte and Veronica Lurvey, who voiced their support for fixing and reviewing the Building Department. “I welcome the county comptroller’s fiscal audit and look forward to the fiscal audit team’s financial findings,” Lurvey said. On July 8, DeSena sent a letter to Philips asking for a full audit of the Building Department. “I believe that the results of this audit will deliver us a roadmap detailing what is ailing the department and the best way forward to implement
meaningful change,” DeSena wrote. Philips’ office confirmed receipt of the letter in a statement. “The Comptroller’s Office has a process in place for the independent review of requests for audits and has commenced this process,” the office said. DeSena said whether the audit is financial or operational, its scope if conducted is determined by the Comptroller’s Office. In 2017, Nassau Supreme Court Justice Roy Mahon ruled that then Comptroller George Maragos exceeded his authority when seeking to conduct a performance audit in the Hempstead Town Animal Shelter, Newsday reported. Maragos issued subpoenas that went beyond the shelter’s budget and financials and were quashed, Newsday reported. The town’s Building Department has been a focal point for the town and was one of the major issues DeSena campaigned on last year. In April, DeSena proposed a resolution mandating the town’s Building Department commissioner, John Niewender, to make a decision on expedited permits within seven days and removing the Town Board’s ability to Continued on Page 39
PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTHWELL HEALTH/GETTY IMAGES
Sandra Lindsay receiving her Medal of Honor from President Joe Biden. Lindsay was the first American to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
LIJ nurse, Port resident given Presidential Medal of Freedom BY ST E V E N K E E H N E R Sandra Lindsay, a Northwell Health nurse and Port Washington resident, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Thursday. Lindsay was the first American to receive the FDA-approved COVID-19
vaccine on Dec. 14, 2020, at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center. At the White House ceremony, President Joe Biden praised her efforts throughout the pandemic. “Sandra, as I told you before, if there are any angels in heaven, they are all nurses,” he said. “Sandra’s
vaccination card, hospital scrubs and badge are part of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s exhibit on COVID-19 and today she receives our nation’s highest civilian honor.” The Presidential Medal of FreeContinued on Page 39
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