The TIMES of Smithtown
Volume 28, No. 39
SERVING SMITHTOWN • ST. JAMES • NESCONSET • COMMACK • HAUPPAUGE • KINGS PARK • FORT SALONGA November 26, 2015
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INSIDE
Photo by Samantha Cuomo
NOT SO LITTLE: A production of ‘The Little Mermaid’ is making a splash in Smithtown this week. Read the full story on page B4.
Legislation will give homes to North Shore veterans BY VICTORIA ESPINOZA
Secretary Wolke says goodbye
Assistant to Smithtown supervisor retires after decades in Town Hall
PAGE A3
One North Shore lawmaker’s proposal to provide housing to homeless veterans is now being used as a model for a federal bill. U.S. Rep. Steve Israel (DHuntington)introduced the Housing Our Heroes Act this month, which creates a three-year federal pilot program that provides grants to purchase and renovate zombie homes for veterans use. That proposal reflects similar sentiments expressed in legislation Suffolk County Legislator Steve Stern (D-Dix Hills) drafted last year. The Housing Our Homeless Heroes Act, signed by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) in December 2014, allows for “zombie homes,” or tax-defaulted properties, in Suffolk County to be distributed to veterans. “No soldier who has ever worn the uniform of our great nation and gone off to
protect the ground we stand on should ever have to come home to sleep on it,” Stern said in a statement. Israel’s legislation is an expansion on an act from Stern, who serves as chairman of the Legislature’s Veterans and Seniors Committee. “My legislation will not only put a roof over our heroes’ heads, it will also transform unsightly zombie homes into renovated properties that will revitalize housing markets in many of our Long Island communities,” Israel said in a statement. “Whenever we get the opportunity to eliminate two problems with one sustainable solution, we should act on it.” Israel’s proposal would make grants available to veteran service organizations, non-governmental organizations and homeless organizations. It is intended to not only house homeless veterans but also eliminate blight from neighborhoods, the
Photo from Amanda Lindner
Suffolk County Legislator Steve Stern joins Congressman Steve Israel at the site of a zombie home in Dix Hills.
lawmaker said. Stern praised Israel’s legislation for helping to ensure “that our military heroes have a place to call home while turning blighted properties into houses fit for heroes.” According to Stern, he and Israel always saw his act as a model to use at the federal level.
“I’m proud to say we implemented it at a local level,” Stern said in a phone interview. “What we started here is serving as a national model.” One of the big differences between Stern and Israel’s acts is the funding. Stern said that, at the local VETS continued on page A7