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HALF HOLLOW HILLS Copyright © 2010 Long Islander Newspapers, LLC.
Online at www.LongIslanderNews.com VOLUME THIRTEEN, ISSUE 15
LONG ISLANDER NEWSPAPERS TELECOMMUNICATIONS/MEDIA BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
N E W S P A P E R
24 PAGES
THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2010
TOWN OF HUNTINGTON
Levy’s GOP Run For Governor Ends Former congressman Rick Lazio prevails at convention as Huntington delegates split vote Half Hollow Hills photo/Archives
By Danny Schrafel dschrafel@longislandernews.com
A monumental political gamble for Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy and his supporters may have failed, but leaders of the Suffolk County Republican Committee called the state convention one of their most successful ever. In two votes on June 2 in Manhattan, Levy, who switched parties in March, failed to become the Republican nominee for New York’s top office or earn the right to primary Rick Lazio, the party’s preferred candidate. In Huntington’s 9th and 10th Assembly districts, the vote between Lazio and Levy was split. In each district, the local Republican committeeperson voted for Lazio, while the state committeeperson voted for Levy. The county executive said he has no regrets. “It was a great experience and I’m very glad I did it,” he said. “I would have been kicking myself for 20 years after if I didn’t.” Levy called the process fair and said he was about one big county – either Erie or Nassau, for example – to tipping the race.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy lost his bid for the Republican gubernatorial nod, but doesn’t regret running. “We thought Erie would vote for us because it would be in the best interest for Carl Palladino to have a three-way primary,” Levy said of the businessman who challenged both he and Lazio in a longshot effort. Larry Cregan, a Huntington Republi-
can committeeman who served as campaign manager for the Republican Town Board ticket last November, voted for Lazio. “[Levy] needed to get 51 percent to get authorization to run in the primary, and he didn’t come close,” he said. “That was
it. He was a dead man walking.” Cregan said he voted for Lazio because he is a lifelong Republican, a “good candidate, an honorable, decent man” who would be a good governor. Tepe argued that Lazio is the man to bring New York out of the “fiscal chaos” it currently experiences. For his part, the former legislator, prosecutor and four-term congressman said he felt validation and relief when he went over the top – proof that his campaign’s work paid off. “It was a bottoms-up win,” Lazio said. “It was, in many ways, a victory over the Republican political establishment and it built a confidence level that we can take this in Albany and win.” Lazio framed the campaign as more of a political movement to overthrow an out-of-touch state government. “People are really fed up with a government that promises one thing and does another,” he said. “Over the last four years, people think this is the worst four years of government in the history of New York.” Lazio vowed to frame his decisionmaking in generational terms as he cuts (Continued on page A19)
HALF HOLLOW HILLS
Community Takes Steps Against Cancer Fourth annual Relay For Life event at West Hollow Middle brings in $70,000 for research info@longislandernews.com
The Half Hollow Hills community raised more than $70,000 for cancer research through this year’s Relay For Life, for a total of $750,000 in the past four years. Purple ribbons covered the Hills community this week advertising Sunday’s fourth annual Relay at West Hollow Middle School. The track was covered with numerous cancer survivors, caretakers, family and friends playing carnival games and walking laps. “This event has a beautiful meaning. There is no price tag on providing hope, and this day gives people going through cancer lots of hope. It motivates them to keep fighting so they can continue to wear the purple survivor shirt year by year,” Joy DeDonato, senior director of
Youth Initiatives for the American Cancer Society (ACS), said. DeDonato said the event’s executive directors decided to try something new at this year’s Relay, electing to have teams walking from 12-6 p.m. instead of overnight. “We wanted to try something new,” DeDonato said. “It’s important to adapt to the needs of the community. Also, we wanted to show kids that no matter how young you are, you can always make a difference,” she said. Many students in the Hills community enjoyed participating in Sunday’s Relay. Eliana Jerez-Givre and Lindsay Sperin, 16-year old friends at Half Hollow Hills East, were constantly busy the day of the event as they helped their mothers, two of the event’s executive coordinators, set up and organize the track. Both Jerez-Givre (Continued on page A19)
Half Hollow Hills photo/Jennifer Rosenthal
By Jennifer Rosenthal
Survivors pose in their purple shirts/sashes before the survivor lap kicked off Saturday’s event.
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