Great Neck News 5.15.15 by The Island 360

Friday, may 15, 2015

tHe PULSe OF tHe PeNiNSULA

vol. 90, no. 20

ARt GUiLd PHOtO SUmmeR SHOWCASe

CHALLeNGe iN ViLLAGe OF G.N.

GOP BACKS mURRAy FOR dA

PAGe 27

PAGe 2

PAGe 6

Residents to vote on $216M school budget

bRidGe COnstRuCtiOn

Berkowitz, Ashkenase unopposed in bids for re-election to board from the $214,067,850 2014-15 budget. The $199,496,645 tax Residents of the Great Neck levy for the 2015-16 budget is a School District will vote on the 1.56 percent increase from the $216,697,754 2015-16 school $196,435,489 levy of the 2014budget Tuesday as well as two 2015 budget. About 73.9 percent of the budBoard of Education trustee posiget will be spent on instruction, tions. Board of Education President which includes teacher salaries, materials and Barbara Berkowitz and Trustee See related school and library textbooks. Some 10.72 percent Donald Ashkeelection coverage will go toward nase are seeking maintenance of re-election unpAgES 24 and 25 buildings and opposed. grounds, and Voting will 6.31 percent will go totake place in the mulward transportation. tipurpose room of E.M. Berkowitz, who has Baker School, at 69 E L E C T I O N 2 0 1 5 been board president Baker Hill Road, for votsince 2006, was apers north of the Long Island Rail Road station and the pointed to the board in 1992 after west gym of Great Neck South the death of former board Trustee High School, at 341 Lakeville Connie McNicol left a vacant seat, Road, for voters south of the LIRR. and then won an election in 1993. The budget, which the board She served as board vice president approved on April 21, calls for a from 2000 to 2003, and from 1993 1.23 percent increase in spending Continued on Page 24

By A dA m L i d G e t t

PHOTO BY MARTHA GORFEIN

Long Island Rail Road construction workers began prep work for the June demolition of the Colonial Road Bridge in the Village of Thomaston. See story on page 26.

Martins enters spotlight during Skelos debate By JA m eS G A L L O W Ay

down between state Sen. Jack Martins, an outspoken Skelos supporter, and a Queens DemoFormer state Senate Major- crat briefly stole the spotlight. Martins (R-Mineola) was ity Leader Dean Skelosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; arrest dominated state headlines last presiding over the Senate last week, but a contentious show- Wednesday when Democrats

staged a dramatic attempt to force a vote to oust Skelos (RRockville Centre), who faces federal corruption charges along with his son, Adam. Martins denied the vote on Continued on Page 61

For the latest news visit us at www.theislandnow.com D onâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to follow us on Twitter @Theislandnow and Facebook at facebook.com/theislandnow

The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

Consultant calls for Challenge in the Plaza parking changes Village of G.N. Recommends increasing meter rates, reducing time limits Former write-ins up against incumbents By A da m L i d g e t t

A slate of candidates who ran a write-in campaign two years ago in the Village of Great Neck will again challenge the incumbent mayor and two trustees in the June 16 village elections. Pedram Bral will challenge Mayor Ralph Kreitzman for his open seat, and Anne Mendelson and Christine Campbell will face off against incumbent trustees Mitch Beckerman and Jeff Bass, according to Village Clerk Joe Jeffrey Bass Gill. Sam Yellis, a Village School social studies teacher, will also A consultant hired by the Village of Great Neck Plaza trustees formally presented at a Wednesday challenge Beckerman and Bass trustees meeting his recommendations to improve village parking, which include reducing time limits for the position as trustee. in some spots and increase meter rates in others The Village of Lake Success and the Village of Kings Point will B y A d a m L i d g e t t to two hours in 65 out of the 90 a downtown space meant for also see trustee elections, but the Gussack Plaza Lot spaces and shoppers for most of the work races are uncontested. The final A consultant hired by the increase parking fees for all on- day for only about $1.25 per day to file nominating petitions Village of Great Neck Plaza trust- street metered spaces, the Gus- day, creating a disincentive for for candidacy is May 12. ees presented a plan Wednesday sack Plaza lot and the Grace Av- buying the $90 village parking Bral, Mendelson and Campto improve village parking that enue lot from 25 cents an hour permit, which lasts about three bell, all running on the Voice of months and translates to the em- the Village Party slate, were part included a call to reduce time to 50 cents. By decreasing the time limit ployee paying about $1.50 for of an under-the-radar write-in limits for some parking spots and increase meter rates in oth- on some spaces, Giosa said at parking per day. campaign in the 2013 elections, Rather than purchasing the which resulted in hundreds of the board’s regularly scheduled ers. Mitchell Beckerman “If we only had one kind meeting, more cars will be able permit, some employees feed residents lining around the block of parker to please it would be to come into the downtown area the meters in the morning and to vote for the challenger. Krean easy problem to solve,” said to park and shop. He said Pa- early afternoon, and then move itzman, Beckerman and Bass are Gerard Giosa of Level G Asso- tchogue reduced the time limit their cars to a parking garage af- all running on the Better Governciates, an Old Bethpage-based on some parking spaces, and ter 3 p.m., when parking is free ment Party ticket. parking consulting firm hired by that people there are “thrilled to on weekdays. Efforts to reach Bral and A 25-cent increase in cost Campbell were unavailing. Menthe village. “But we have park- have available spaces.” He said the main issues of parking for an hour, Giosa delson declined a request to be ers who want to pick up a pizza, who want to shop, who want to with parking in the Plaza are said, it would force employees interviewed for this story. go to a salon — we have a full employees of local businesses to buy a permit, and would also In 2013, Kreitzman defeated gamut of parkers who all have using parking spaces meant for increase revenue for the village, Bral 325 to 232. Beckerman took different needs we’ll try to ac- shoppers, not enough employee which can be funneled into re- 316 votes and Bass won 320 parking and not enough parking storing parking infrastructure. commodate.” votes, with opposition trustee Level G also recommends candidates Campbell and MenGiosa, who was hired by space turnover. “We know from code en- the village allow for $5 per 10- delson receiving 226 votes each. the village last summer, recommended reducing the time limit forcement there are a lot of hour parking at the Maple Drive The opposition campaign led of 92 Middle Neck Road park- abuses going on but we want to parking garage so employees in incumbents to rally for support Ralph Kreitzman ing spaces from two hours to 90 see what a professional consul- the north and west areas of the at the last minute. minutes, with the remaining 343 tant could find out,” Village of Plaza’s business district have Trustees stood for hours said at the time. on-street parking spaces staying Great Neck Plaza Jean Celender more access to 10-hour meters. In one instance, Kreitzman making phone calls outside the No action was taken by the polling station to residents to called former Congressman Gary said. at two hours. Giosa said downtown em- board on the recommendations, shore up support against the sur- Ackerman (D-Great Neck), who He also recommended reContinued on Page 61 prise challengers, officials had Continued on Page 48 ducing the four-hour time limit ployees can currently park at

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The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

JFK Kids honored for lighthouse support

Students raised $800 in small change to help refurbish the Stepping Stones Lighthouse By A da m L i d g e t t Coin by coin, the John F. Kennedy School students raised $800 over the past several months to help fundraising efforts to save the Stepping Stones Lighthouse. On Monday, Great Neck Historical Society president Alice Kasten and town and park district officials said thank you to the elementary school students at a special presentation at the school. “The kids have done so much to raise awareness for the lighthouse,” she said. “They certainly brought in their pennies.” Kasten also presented certificates to nearly 50 students who did projects on behalf of the lighthouse, such as poems and posters intended to persuade people in the community to help save the lighthouse. The top two winners in each grade also received a Stepping Stones Lighthouse T-shirt. Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth, who was also in attendance, said that by participating in the program,

Students from the John F. Kennedy School created projects to persuade people in the community to want to save the Stepping Stones Lighthouse. the students were not only helping raise funds to save the lighthouse but also learning about Great Neck’s history as well. “At one time school-aged children lived in the lighthouse,” Bosworth said. “It’s so fitting that 100 years later you all stepped up to help save the Stepping Stones Lighthouse and preserve

its history.” Bosworth said if the funds can’t be raised to save the lighthouse, it will be torn down and replaced with a beacon on a pole to guide ships. The Great Neck Park District, the Great Neck Historical Society and the Town of North Hempstead have all agreed to enter

into an inter-municipal agreement to raise funds to restore the lighthouse, Kasten said. The lighthouse, which was built in 1877, has been in disrepair for years. The efforts to raise funds to repair the lighthouse started in August when the park district and the historical society teamed

up with the town to repair the structure, after years of neglect had left it in need of $4 million in repairs. The National Park Service in 2012 threatened to take ownership of the lighthouse from the town, which was awarded stewardship of the structure in 2008 under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act, after repairs to the structure went undone. Kasten said the idea for JFK School students to raise money began when she and Great Neck Park District Commissioner Robert Lincoln were selling Stepping Stone Lighthouse T-shirts at the Village of Great Neck Plaza Street Fair and Auto Fest in September. She said JFK School Principal Ronald Gimondo approached her and Lincoln about helping to save the lighthouse. Gimondo said Monday that since he brought the idea of helping to save the lighthouse to the students, they have been debating what can be done. JFK School Assistant princiContinued on Page 61

The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

Levels teens show support for Mann By A da m L i d g e t t Great Neck Library Levels Teen Center members and alumni submitted a petition with more than 1,000 signatures to library Interim Director Chris Johnson on Wednesday, calling for Ethan Mann to be reinstated as director of Levels. “We were very surprised,” Michelle Geffner, a Levels teen, said of unconfirmed reports that Mann was fired by the library. “He had a pretty pristine reputation. He advanced the program and made it a much more popular arts program.” The teens, parents and Levels alumni arrived at the library board’s Director Search Committee meeting Wednesday at the library’s Station Branch at 40B Great Neck Road to deliver the petition. Although the meeting was closed to the public, Interim Library Director Chris Johnson accepted the petition outside the meeting room. But Johnson declined to comment on the petition or Mann’s status. Levels teens and their parents have been protesting since rumors began more than a week ago that Mann had been fired from the popular after-school program. Neither Mann nor any library

Teens from the Great Neck Library Levels Teen Center give Library Interim Director Chris Johnson a petition with more than 1,000 signatures to reinstate Ethan Mann as the director of the center, a position he is rumored to have been fired from. officials has confirmed that he has been fired. Johnson said last week that the library had a confidential discussion with Mann, but would not elaborate on the nature of the discussion. The signatures on the petition were gathered from a webpage called “Bring Ethan Back” created on change.org. Many of the petitioners were from Great Neck and other areas on the North Shore, but some had posted from as far as Wisconsin, Maryland and New Mexico. Some who posted on the peti-

tion website said that Mann’s firing was best for Levels, but most were in support of him. Many said that Mann was a mentor to them while they were struggling teens, that he was one of the most supportive people they have ever met and that he was trusted. Unlike a protest on April 27, there were no picket signs present Wednesday, but emotions remained high among those present, which included a Level alumnus who travelled from Manhattan to show support for Mann.

Jordan Hoyda, who works in real estate in Manhattan, said she started at Levels around the time Mann was first named its director 17 years ago. He said Mann taught him to be himself and be happy with himself. “I didn’t have that many friends when I was younger, and it was just a place to hang out,” Hoyda said. “He was more like a father figure than just the Levels director.” Geffner, a senior at Great Neck South High School, said she doubted that there was a legitimate reason for Mann’s firing. “We want to get answers — we want to know if there were any terminable offenses,” Geffner said. She said the board ignored those who asked about Mann. “The board is supposed to represent the community and they don’t respond to people’s questions,” Geffner said. “If a principal got fired, there would be an obligation of the school board to tell us why.” In August, about 100 teens and adults expressed concerns at a special board meeting that the library’s Main Branch renovation would result in drastic cuts to the Levels program. Trustees later said there would

be no staff cuts to the program during the renovation. Some resident who use the library have expressed their opposition to Mann in the past. On the Great Neck Library Watchdog website, criticism was directed at Mann for allegedly supporting Trustee Robert Schaufeld in his recent election to the library board. Schaufeld, who is president of Public Access Television, defeated former library Trustee Ralene Adler to replace retiring library Trustee Janet Nina Esagoff. “Though Levels has not been an issue, the Levels director, Ethan Mann, contrived [the issues of the Levels cuts] as an issue in an attempt to assure his job security. The word spread by Ethan Mann and a Levels parent, Amy Levinson, and [Great Neck News columnist] Karen Rubin, an opinionated hack, was that the Levels budget, salaries and ‘programs’ (no, that’s not a typo) were being cut, and that Ralene Adler was, and would be responsible,” the webpage reads. “The assertions were made, despite that there was no factual basis, and there are six other trustees who also get to vote,” the webpage continues.

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The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

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Town to weigh letting Nassau Republicans dogs in N.H. parks pick murray in dA race By B i LL SAN ANtONiO The North Hempstead Town Council set a June 2 public hearing on Tuesday to determine whether to begin allowing dogs at any of its 52 parks. If approved, the town would initiate a pilot program allowing dogs on leashes in parts of North Hempstead Beach Park in Port Washington, the Mary Jane Davies Green in Manhasset and Michael J. Tully Park in New Hyde Park. As part of the program, dogs would be allowed along the boardwalk at North Hempstead Beach Park, as well as sections of the Mary Jane Davies Green and Tully Park. The town would also provide bags with which residents would clean up after their dogs. In an interview with Blank Slate Media Thursday, North Hemsptead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth said the program was “a start to becoming a lot more dog-friendly.” When asked whether the town would consider implementing a full-run dog park, Bosworth said “it’s a construction issue” that would require community involvement and various building hearings.

“I’m a big believer in community input,” she said. “...We want to hear whether it’s a good idea, and if it’s not we’d want to hear that, too.” In other developments: • The council set a June 2 hearing to establish a full stop for westbound traffic at the intersection of Roslyn Road and Locust Lane in Roslyn Heights. That intersection is where two Mineola teens died in a car crash in March 2014 that resulted in several efforts from the town and Nassau County to fortify nearby residents who had said the site has been a frequent locale for accidents. The town, which controls Locust Lane, set a guardrail along the edge of the street, increased signage to reflect a curve in the roadway and decreased the speed limit to 30 miles per hour. Nassau County replaced speed limit signs, reinforced curbing along Roslyn Road, which it controls, and is investigating the feasibility of installing a traffic light at the intersection.

By A dA m L i d G e t t

The Nassau County Republican Committee pegged Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray as the party’s pick in the district attorney race during a nominating convention in Levittown last week and announced its slate of candidates for town and county positions also up for election in November. If Murray wins the nomination, she would face the winner of a Democratic primary that pits Acting District Attorney Madeline Singas against longtime prosecutor and Port Washington resident Michael Scotto. Though the county GOP is backing Town of Hempstead Councilman Anthony Santino to succeed Murray as Hempstead town supervisor, party leaders have not yet named a candidate to challenge North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth, a Democrat. Republican leaders also endorsed Nassau County legislators Vincent Muscarella (8th District-West Hempstead), Richard Nicolello (9th District-New Hyde Park), Laura Schaefer (14th District, Farmingdale), Dennis Dunne (15th District- Levittown), Rose Marie Walker Reach reporter Bill San Antonio by e- (17th District, Hicksville) and Donald MacKmail at bsanantonio@theislandnow.com, enzie (18th District-Glen Cove) in re-election by phone at 516.307.1045 x215 or on bids. The GOP has backed Felix Quayson in a Twitter @b_sanantonio. Also follow us on bid to unseat county Legislator Carrie Solages Facebook at facebook.com/theislandnow. (3rd District-Elmont), Lisa Benjamin to chal-

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lenge Ellen Birnbaum (10th District-Great Neck), Matthew Connolly, a former Nassau County District Attorney, to challenge Delia Deriggi-Whitton (11th District- Glen Cove) and Angel Cepeda, a former Plainview-Old Bethpage Board of Education trustee, to challenge Judy Jacobs (16th District-Woodbury). The Republicans also endorsed C. William Gaylor to run for the 6th District seat as Republican legislator Francis Becker, of Lynbrook, has said that he plans to retire from the Legislature, according to reports. Gaylor has twice run unsuccessfully for Nassau County District Court 2nd District judgship. Republicans also backed Henry Golis Jr. in a bid to unseat North Hempstead town 2nd District Councilman Peter Zuckerman (D-Roslyn) and MaryKatherine Barket to unseat Anna Kaplan (D-Great Neck) in the 4th District, according to published reports. They have also backed Dina DeGiorgio, of Port Washington, in a re-election bid for the 6th District. The county GOP backed Margaret C. Reilly to run for Surrogate’s Court judge, James Darcy to run for 2nd District Court judge, Frank A. Doddato to run for 3rd District Court judge and Paul Meli and Joseph Girardi to run for 4th District Court judge. They also backed Robert G. Bogle, Howard E. Sturim and Felice J. Muraca to run for County Court judges, according to reports.

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The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

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County Dems pick Singas for DA BY B I LL S A N A N TON I O

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The North Hempstead Democratic Committee on Monday announced its support for Acting Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas, one of two Democratic candidates in November’s race to formally succeed Kathleen Rice as the county’s top prosecutor. The announcement comes days after Singas, who prior to assuming the acting DA position in January was Rice’s top assistant, was endorsed by Teamsters Joint Council 16, a union representing about 120,000 workers in the downstate area. In a statement, an unnamed North Hempstead spokesman said Singas is “uniquely qualified to safeguard our communities and ensure a fair and impartial justice system.” Singas, of Manhasset, is running against Port Washington Democrat Michael A. Scotto. The Nassau County Republican party selected Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray as its choice for DA last week as well. “I am honored to stand alongside the North Hempstead Democrats, whose passion and dedication will be invaluable to winning this election,” Singas said. “They believe, as I do, that the Nassau County

district attorney must have a proven record of prosecuting dangerous criminals. I am grateful for their full support and I look forward to working with them in the months and years to come.” In its endorsement message, Teamsters Joint Council 16 officials said they support Singas’ “reputation as a tough prosecutor who believes no one is above the law.” “In her over-two decades-long career as a prosecutor, Madeline Singas has never been scared to take on the tough cases,” the union’s president, George Miranda, said. “I’m proud to endorse a candidate for district attorney who has extensive courtroom experience and a proven track record of prosecuting wage theft. We can count on Madeline to stop employment abuses and protect all Nassau County residents.” Singas announced her candidacy shortly after taking office in January. She told Blank Slate Media in February she would be tough on drug-related crimes and prioritize prosecuting offenses against women and children. Singas began her career as a prosecutor in Queens County in 1991 and was later promoted to a leadership position within its Domestic Violence bureau. She holds degrees from Columbia University and Fordham University Law School.

The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

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The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

Classic cars to come to Kings Point By A da m L i d g e t t The personal town car of Chrysler Corporation founder Walter Chrysler, a 1937 Chrysler Imperial C-15 LeBaron Town Car, will return to what was once its home this weekend — the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point. The town car, along with many other classic cars, will be on display this Sunday at the first Regimental Activities NAFI Auto Show at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. The midshipmen of the Kings Point Auto Club organized the show to bring the car back to where it was once owned by Chrysler, whose Kings Point home is now the academy’s Wiley Hall. “This has been a long process,” said Paul Styx, a midshipman at the academy and the Kings Point auto club president. “We’ve had a lot of hurdles with trying to have this at a federal institution, so the fact that it’s actually happening is exciting for us.” The first auto show — which is sponsored by the non-appropriated fund instrumentalities,

Town of North Hempstead Historian Howard Kroplick his 1937 Chrysler Imperial C-15 LeBaron Town Car (far right), once owned by Walter Chrysler himself, to the first ever Regimental Activities NAFI Auto Show at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy this weekend the association that financially supports midshipmen clubs at the academy — will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 17 at the academy, which is located at 300 Steamboat Road. The show is free to the public, but those who wish to enter their car as part of the show had to pay $20 and pre-register by Wednesday. A barbecue concession stand will also open at 11 a.m. While the show organizers

wanted to get up the 150 classic cars to the academy, Styx said “Chrysler’s Chrysler,” is the jewel of the show. The car is owned by Town of North Hempstead Historian Howard Kroplick, who bought it in 2012 from the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum, where the car had been sitting in storage since 1959. Kroplick had reached out to the academy’s public relations department in recent years, try-

ing unsuccessfully to get them to allow the Chrysler to be displayed at the academy. Once Styx and other club members discovered Kroplick’s Chrysler online, they reached out to him, eventually going to his house to see the car. “[The midshipmen] saw my car online and they knew my car,” Kroplick said. “They thought it’d be nice to have a reunion — to have the car coming home.”

Kroplick hopes to get about 1,000 spectators out to see the cars. He said he also plans to bring three other high-profile cars to the show — a 1909 Alco Black Beast Racer, a 1964 ½ Mustang III Prototype and a 1966 Shelby Mustang GT350H. This is the first time, he said, he will bring all four cars to the same show. Kroplich said his decision to bring all four cars was based on the midshipmen’s excitement. “The midshipmen came over to visit my garage and I was so impressed with their enthusiasm,” Kroplick said. On top of Kroplick’s collection, Styx said about 50 cars had been registered by Tuesday, including vintage Cadillacs and Ford Thunderbirds. Styx said the midshipmen have trouble connecting the academy to the community, and hopes this event will help promote the academy’s presence in Great Neck. “So many times people say ‘We didn’t even know you were here,’” Styx said. “It’s frustrating.”

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Town gets ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ funds BY B I LL S A N A N TON I O The Town of North Hempstead received approval last week from the White House to implement mentoring programs as part of the federal “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative, which officials said would help at-risk youth prepare to enter college and the workforce. During a sit-down interview with Blank Slate Media Thursday, North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth said the town would partner with the Manhasset and Westbury school districts on a pilot program beginning this fall. “The idea is to address the needs of the community on a small scale and then hopefully we’ll be able to expand it,” Bosworth said. Though the scope of North Hempstead’s program is still in its infancy stages, Bosworth said the town was among

the few municipalities in New York to apply to join the initiative. She said about 10 ninth grade students would be selected from each school district for the program, which would involve mentoring and potential internship opportunities with the town to expose them to a variety of possible career opportunities. “We’ve been kind of nursing it along and it’s just developing into something we think is doable,” Bosworth said. “It’s small enough so we’ll be able to really have an imprint on this and make a difference.” The “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative was introduced in February 2014 as a means of improving graduation rates and “expected life outcomes for boys and young men of color,” President Barack Obama wrote in a memorandum. “By focusing on the critical challenges, risk factors and opportunities for

Man gets max for Port hit-and-run BY B I LL S A N A N TON I O A Baldwin man who pleaded guilty to a hit-and-run incident in Port Washington last year that killed a Lynbrook man was given the maximum sentence Tuesday, Nassau County prosecutors said. Cosmin Florea, 34, will serve between 2 1/3 to seven years for causing the death of Donald Mooney, 49, whom he struck last August while driving his 2010 Ford Fusion under the influence of drugs and alcohol before leaving the scene, prosecutors said. In a statement, Acting Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said she urged the county Legislature increase the maximum sentence from five to 15 years, “so the law doesn’t work to encourage drivers to leave.” Florea pleaded guilty in March to felony charges of vehicular manslaughter

and leaving the scene of an accident without reporting as well as two misdemeanor counts of driving while intoxicated and a misdemeanor charge of driving while ability impaired by the combined use of alcohol and drugs. The crash took place at 11:57 p.m. on Aug. 15, 2014 on Main Street in Port Washington, where Mooney was walking west of South Bales Avenue. Mooney was taken to North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, where he later died from his injuries. Florea fled the scene and later told a police officer in Queens he hit a deer and sustained damage to his windshield, prosecutors said. He was arrested by Port Washington and Nassau County police. During his plea, Florea admitted to having a .13 blood alcohol content and active marijuana in his blood nearly three hours after the crash.

boys and young men of color at key life stages, we can improve their long-term outcomes and ability to contribute to the nation’s competitiveness, economic mobility and growth and civil society,” Obama wrote. “Unlocking their full potential will benefit not only them, but all Americans.” Last September, the town was among the approximately 100 municipalities in the United States to be named “early acceptors” of the initiative and hosted a summit of community leaders to discuss efforts to implement “My Brother’s Keeper” in North Hempstead.

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14 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

Opinion

Baltimore shows results No profiles in of city lacking justice OUR VIEWS

courage here

On Monday Dean Skelos stepped down from his position as the state Senate Majority Leader. Following his arrest last week on federal corruption charges that accused him of using his powerful position to steer $200,000 to his son Adam, Skelos saw the writing on the wall. His action saved his party from the painful decision to force him out. To say the least his supporters, including eight senators from Long Island, are not profiles in courage. In a letter release last week half of the 32 Republicans in the Senate said they continued to support him. These senators put loyalty to Skelos above the demands of integrity. They should be ashamed. Sen. Andrew Lanza of Staten Island was the only downstate Republican whose name did not appear on the letter. In their letter the spineless senators said, “(Skelos) has the leadership we need to move the Senate forward so that we can continue to do the people’s work and finish out this year’s session in a productive manner,” the letter said. In other words, even if he is corrupt, he has the “leadership” that the GOP needs to advance its political agenda. Incredibly state Sen. Martins reportedly said it should be up to Skelos to step down. He argued that the conference should not be expected to decide when it was time for Skelos to go. “I don’t think we should make that decision at this point because I don’t think he’s let anyone down,” The charges brought by the federal prosecutor involve multiple felonies and are well documented. What would a colleague need to be charged with for Martins to feel let down? In Albany moral ambivalence can be found in abundance in both parties. Gov. Cuomo called the charges against Skelos “deeply disturbing” but he added it was not his place to say who the party leaders in either house should be. Why not? But Cuomo has more at stake here. Skelos is accused of using his position, to pressure New Hyde Park-based real estate developer Glenwood Management into giving a lucrative job to his son. Cuomo said he will continue to accept campaign donations from Glenwood, which is also involved in the cases brought against Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Glen wood is run by Leonard Litwin, “a major political donor who through his companies has given Cuomo more than $1 million.” This is just one example of how companies are buying influence in state government, working both sides of the aisle. We have no reason to hope that either party will get serious about cleaning up corruption in state government. For that reason, we welcome U.S. Attorney for the Southern District Preet Bharara who has aggressively gone after corrupt elected officials in the highest places. We wish him continued success.

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READERS WRITE

quotation attributed to William Gladstone is that justice delayed is justice denied, but what happens when there is no justice at all? An answer was provided in Baltimore when protestors carried signs which read “No justice, no peace!” A democratic society relies upon justice being meted out fairly and swiftly. The 6th Amendment to the Constitution speaks of “the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury…” When this right is denied, our people are disillusioned and our democracy is diminished. It is important to note the word “impartial” because if the judge or jury has an interest in the case, it is unlikely that justice will be served. A classic example is the battle over the New York City, Civilian Complaint Review Board. A thumbnail sketch of that group’s history is instructive. Established in 1953, the board was composed of three Deputy Police Commissioners. In 1965, Mayor John Lindsay called for all civilian representation on the board. The president of the Patrolman’s Benevolent Association had a measure placed on the ballot restoring control to the police. It won overwhelmingly. In 1987, the Board was restructured with twelve members — six appointed by the mayor and six by the Police Commissioner. And in 1993, Mayor David Dinkins, the first black mayor of New York City, acting in conjunction with the City Council, restored it as an all civilian board. This back and forth wrangling reveals an important truth. No organization gives up power without a fight. The police resisted change

for years because they wanted to control the process. And, looking back, what has the result been? Tens of thousands of complaints have been successfully heard by the board with disciplinary action taken against thousands of police officers adjudicated guilty. While apologists for police malfeasance have not disappeared, the take-away lesson is that you can’t expect any group to police itself. An outside agency must be created which is objective when judging cases brought before it. Congress, hasn’t learned this lesson yet. If police brutality is a disgrace, what can be said about sexual misconduct in the U.S. armed forces? Last year, 20,000 instances of rape, sexual assault and unwanted sexual contact occurred in our military. According to a Department of Defense report, 76 percent of women say that sexual harassment is common or very common. There have been horrific tales of rape and even murder of victims. In many cases the military have ignored the facts and given the perpetrators a slap on the wrist. Why hasn’t the military acted on behalf of victims? Because they don’t have to. Military commanders are judge and jury and they protect their own. Again, we see the need for an outside arbiter who is not in the chain of command. A bill sponsored by Sen. Kristin Gillibrand of New York called the Military Justice Improvement Act would have taken the decision to prosecute out of the hands of company commanders. On March 6, 2014, the Senate voted 55 to 45 in favor, but

democracy was thwarted because a “supermajority” of 60 votes was needed for passage. This was a sad day for military women serving our country as well as for justice and democracy in our nation. George Santanyana wrote: “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” As citizens, it is incumbent upon us not only to know our history, but to learn its lessons. In the case of the Baltimore police and the Gillibrand bill, the lesson is simple. Do not expect justice when those meting it out have a vested interest in the outcome. Institutions are reluctant to change, especially when that change involves a loss of power. Decision-makers must be truly neutral and independent. Then, and only then, will justice be served. One other caveat. Ben Franklin correctly stated: “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” The Baltimore youth who set buildings on fire may not have read Franklin, but they were proving his point. Their actions turned Baltimore residents who were diffident into stakeholders, and forced the rest of us to have a conversation about the relationship between police and the persons they are sworn to protect. As to sexual assaults in the military, history is on the side of those calling for “zero tolerance.” Women’s rights suffered a serious setback when the Gillibrand bill was defeated, but while dormant, they are certainly not dead. Dr. Hal Sobel Great Neck

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The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

READERS WRITE

Labels unhelpful in talking immigration

ear Mr. Wren, Your letter in last week’s paper deserves responses in several respects. First, you exercised every citizen’s right to enter the market place of ideas, especially in our nation which is so distinguished by the First Amendment Second, you raised important questions about our current immigration system, and particularly about “illegal” immigrants. Those are matters of serious concern to you, and for other people in our country. Third, you describe me as demonizing fellow citizens when you write that D’Innocenzo “talks to us like we are Klan members who hate people of different races.” Those characterizations deeply sadden me because my goal during 55 years of teaching and community work is striving to build bridges to connect people, not barricades to separate us. I never give up on the process of seeking ways to connect with fellow humans regardless of our differences on politics, religion or any other matter. Decent and caring people can disagree about values and fundamental issues, but that does not justify unfair and unsubstantiated labeling. I challenge you (or anyone else) to give one specific example to back up the statement you have applied to me. I will try to elaborate on the first two matters regarding your letter that I raise above, but in a spirit of civility and community, I am glad to meet with you personally to consider this important immigration issue, to explore whether we might find common ground, reasonable compromises, and/or discover that we are not so removed from each other as your letter might suggest. We could meet for brunch (my treat) at one of our local spots (“Biscuits and Barbecue” in Mineola, or IHOP in Williston Park). If you are so inclined, please call me (516) 463-5606, or email at michael.dinnocenzo@hofstra.edu to offer a few options for days/times.

On the first point regarding your letter, I deeply believe that our democracy is best served when citizens are willing to engage in public discussion. No one of us has a monopoly of truth and wisdom (including me), and it is only through careful, factbased, deliberative discourse (sort of like our celebrated jury system) that we have a chance to reach informed public judgment (as Daniel Yankelovich, so eloquently argues in “Coming to Public Judgment” (among his other books, including “Wicked Problems” released this month in his 90th year). The immigration issue, as you and I both acknowledge, has been broken for a long time. All of our elected representatives also recognize that, but as you point out in your letter they have done nothing to fix it. It is important for us as citizens to try to understand why the system is broken and why it has not been fixed. Efforts to adopt effective legislation have come close on a few occasions (during President Bush’s 2nd term, and in 2013 when the Senate passed a “comprehensive” immigration bill); the House to this day has refused to address that bill or the issue itself. It is also important to emphasize that leaders in both parties have acknowledged the seriousness of the immigration problems, and they have expressed significant areas of agreement. All of this does not signify that you or I or national leaders or other citizens will have an easy time reaching common ground or compromise on what our policies should be; that is where the marketplace of ideas comes into play — listening to, and responding to, each other’s questions and concerns. You have not been my only critic concerning the writing I have done since the Hofstra/Long Island Wins Immigration Summit held on Feb. 26. Others, including some of my friends, have urged me to focus more quickly and sharply on today’s issues and on the particular challenges for Long Island. However, my goal is to try to address this issue for the long haul — as we seek effective new immigration policies, and also

as we seek to understand the centrality of immigration throughout our nation’s history. The facts that I grew up in an immigrant community and that I have studied (written about and taught) immigration for more than half a century do not convey automatic authority on me. But because I have made sincere quests for larger understandings, I hope that I can offer relevant perspectives on how we got to where we are, so we might use that knowledge to develop a better sense of where we want to go. I surmise that you might have judged that I was critical of you and others because I illustrated that there have been “haters” of immigrants. But my intent — and I believe my reality – was to show how that happened in the past, to illustrate that there were real “Klan members,” and that our nation sometimes fell woefully short of living up to its noble principles. That is the reason in last week’s column that I complimented the Ellis Island Foundation for its new exhibits that include contemporary immigrants and that show the 3 Rs of xenophobia. As the brilliant Jacob Bronowski wrote in “The Ascent of Man:” “Knowledge is our destiny.” We have a better chance to avoid becoming “prisoners of the present” if we have reliable data on the basis of which we can move from private opinions to informed public judgments. As I interpret your letter, two of your major points are: 1) that many leaders and others did not address the immigration issues because “they felt they all could profit from those illegals who broke the law.” That judgment certainly applies to some people who did indeed exploit immigrant labor, but the issue of immigration is vast and complex and cannot be reduced only to that conclusion. Your other major point is that “Around 15 million people did not want to wait in line; they broke the law and came here illegally.” Numbers of our fellow citizens share your view on this point.

Obviously, as Jeb Bush said last week, it is not good for a nation or for individuals when so many people “live in the shadows” (beyond the framework of the law). Here are some of my brief responses on the matter of “Illegals” — more extensive discussions will be coming because there are so many layers to this topic that it cannot be concluded simply. First, everyone (including those who arrived here “undocumented”) would value being part of our society of law. Second, as mentioned earlier, we need a better understanding of why and how we reached our current circumstances so that the immigrants themselves are not unfairly demonized. Third, as leaders of both parties acknowledge, many of the recent immigrants are part of a “humanitarian crisis” — they were people in flight from desperate situations, not merely seeking a better life in the U.S., but wanting to survive. My 4th point, and final one for now (continuations at brunch, and in later writings) goes beyond the opening sentence in your letter when you state, “We have a generous immigration system for people of all races who wait in line.” The U.S. generosity is even greater than you indicate: we often allow people to gain fast access to our nation as “refugees” and “asylees.” These special categories are for people in “flight” (aslyees are reviewed to receive status after they already arrived in the U.S., without prior legal approval). In my coming writings I will discuss how those special categories apply to our recent migrants. I will also consider views by Jefferson, Franklin, Paine and others that no human being should be labeled “illegal.” Michael D’Innocenzo Professor of History and The Harry H. Wachtel Distinguished Teaching Professor for the Study of Nonviolent Social Change Founding Member of the Hofstra Center for Civic Engagement Hofstra University, Hempstead

Traffic enforcement lacking in Plandome Manor

andates, rules and traffic signs are useless without enforcement. On Circle Drive at the intersection of Colonial Drive there is the village park which provides walking access for nearby residents to the LIRR platform and there are multiple village signs clearly and legally posted that state that our rules of no parking, no stopping and no standing in the area and the exact times that said rules are to apply to all. These signs were placed there to reduce the traffic flow of those [mostly from other villages] using the access as an alternative to the station but the other reason is that

in the morning there are school kids that are walking to the school bus pick up area. For the Shelter Rock bus pickup there are several kids, for the middle school there are more kids and there is a child is bussed to a private school. An additional benefit of the traffic rules is that those homeowners between Stoneytown Road and the village park are not subjected to cars racing up Circle Drive to catch a train or parked idling, radio blaring for a LIRR commuter pickup in the afternoon. There is an oddity here too, for some reason some commuters

seem to ascribe to the mistaken belief that by blowing their car horns aggressively the crew of the LIRR will keep the doors open for the late arrivals. The Village of Plandome Manor has an ‘enforcer’ whose job from time to time is to remind people that we expect compliance for our codes; however, this fellow has been scarce of late on Circle Drive. I am certain it is more lucrative for the village to issue citations to workers, craftsmen, contractors, and new home owners for building violations related to the myriad of newly minted building codes. The issue of the growing code

springs from building inspectors and code enforcement employees. This duo seeks to justify their jobs and to assure being well paid because only a building inspector or architect could navigate the grab bag of new codes they request each month at our village meetings. Their lifetime goal seems to be the end of common sense and a code for every possible event but that is another letter. The ‘village enforcer’ is not needed daily to address the traffic issues on Circle Drive but from time to time his appearance for several consecutive days has a real impact on excess traffic for weeks

afterward. It also has an impact on the village treasury as he can and should dispense tickets although not as pricey as building code violations. It is also helpful that the ‘enforcer’ can explain to one neighbor that there is not an exemption because they live on Circle Drive and seemed to believe they can drop off each morning or waiting idling each afternoon because they pay taxes. Taxes are also another letter! James A. Brodie Plandome Manor

16 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

A look o n the li g hter si d e

Don’t stress the dress for the prom

t’s prom-dress season, which means a panic-stricken parade of mothers and daughters pouring through local stores. Not only must they spend weeks finding the dress, but then there are the shoes, evening bag, belt, and jewelry to go with it… not to mention the perfect under-garments — which means magical constructions that will support without themselves being seen (much like the perfect spouse). Then follows a round of negotiations that would put the Iranian Nuclear talks to shame, all to ensure that no two girls show up in the same design — which would cause them both to go up in smoke, I assume. As the mother of boys, I’ve had it absurdly easy. All a guy has to do is decide to attend — say, the week before! — pay for the ticket, sign the contract, and drop by the tux rental place. Presto, he’s good to go. Honestly, if guys’ outfits were as much trouble as ours, I think the dress code for everything would be Tshirts and shorts. My own prom was pretty

simple, back in the day. My biggest problem was getting my father back down off the ceiling he’d exploded to, after learning my outfit would cost a massive FIFTY DOLLARS! I know that seems like a typo — that’s why I wrote it out — but then again, that was the Stone Age. It was a pink polyester pantsuit that got ruined in the first 30 minutes of the date, when the steamed lobster I was attempting to eat launched a pre-emptive strike, sliding off my plate and into my lap, splattering melted butter everywhere. But I’ve had no qualms eating lobster, since — as long as I’m wearing overalls and have a Sawzall handy. Actually, the closest I ever came to today’s prom-dress-fever was when I needed something for my oldest’s Bar Mitzvah. After outfitting two boys and their father in one short afternoon, I was still haunting Long Island’s dress shops for weeks, for myself. Finally, a friend of mine said, “You have no time to waste! This is a case for — “

Judy epstein

A Look on the Lighter Side “Superman?” “No, a Personal Shopper! You go to a big department store, ask for one and do whatever she says. It’s like having Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother.” The next day I set out. “I need something for a bar mitzvah,” I confessed. “No problem,” said the Shopper. What ‘look’ are you going for?” My answer was ready. “I want to look matronly,” I said. She actually recoiled. “You want what?” she managed to gasp.

“You know; I don’t want to look like I think I’m 13. I want to look like a grown-up.” “Oh. So… maybe a suit?” she said, regaining her breath. “Sounds perfect.” She collected various outfits to a special rack and wheeled it to a fitting room I’d never noticed before. As I started trying things on, she asked, “So when is the bar mitzvah?” “I’m afraid it’s in just a few weeks. I’ve been so busy getting my son and family ready, making arrangements, I’ve had no time to shop for myself.” This time the lady stopped dead in her tracks. “Wait a minute,” she said. “You mean, this is YOUR son’s Bar Mitzvah?” “Well, of course,” I said. “Why else would I care how I look? There will be pictures!” “Wait right here.” She whisked away the whole rack, soon to return with another. Before I knew what had happened, I was buying The Perfect Outfit…plus the perfect bra, the perfect earrings, the perfect shoes, and the perfect bag.

The price tag was only one perfect order of magnitude more than my very top limit. It is indeed just like Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother — except the wand is composed of cash. But maybe it’s worth it. I keep remembering the night I went to a “mixer” at college. My school had, until recently, been an all-boys’ school, and even though it was now coed, they still bussed girls in from other schools for the dances. For the first time that year, I put on a long dress, put my hair up, and put on some makeup. The boy who asked me to dance asked my name and what school was I from? “I’m from the same school as you,” I retorted. “We’ve both been assigned to the same dining hall all year!” “Oh, you’re THAT Judy!,” he said. “You look so good, I didn’t recognize you!” I never kissed him, so I’ll never know if he was a frog or a prince. But for sure he was no diplomat!

The wrong way to evaluate teachers

he furor over the Common Core has again reopened a discussion about the nation’s educational system. I was the recipient of what I consider was a superior secondary education at a public institution at a time when large numbers of immigrants were afforded the great privilege of a free college education. We were in the midst of the Great Depression of the 1930’s and yet our government must have considered this to be a priority. They must have done something right. Many Nobel Prize winners were the products and a whole generation saw a great value in it. Today, however, we are in the throes of concern about the ability of the richest nation in the world to educate our children to meet the challenges of the future. And they are many. We are not preparing our children for jobs that are going unfilled because our schools are not providing candidates.

That is perhaps a first priority. But beyond that, we do not care enough about the needs of everyone alive in this country to understand how to run our country, to attain the dignity of knowledge, to learn enough to manage their working and family lives. How can we call this the greatest nation if millions are in need of a good education? We have ample evidence of our failure. We regard as essential huge unnecessary expenditures on enough armor to blow the entire planet to oblivion. We enter wars that are proven to be for the benefit of huge corporations. We are under the delusion that we know how to turn the whole world around by destroying them, thus creating bitter enemies. It may be an oversimplification to blame many of our problems on the need to educate everyone properly. Can we accept the fact that an education that includes strong emphasis on critical thinking, a knowledge of history, serious

study in the sciences, an understanding that myth as an explanation for a lack of real information is to be rejected? Our only hope of salvation is to educate the future leaders of our country and to inspire the best motivated to choose politics as their professions. Our founding fathers, men of great classical education, joined together to write a constitution that they hoped would prepare us for a future that they could not foresee. The regrettable tendency of too many leaders is to regard narrow interpretation of that document, and the more regrettable tendency to study holy documents, written at a time when little was known of science, as the source of all knowledge, now retard progress. There are no easy answers to the dilemma we are faced with. The most recent example trying to evaluate our teachers has revealed that oversimplification is the wrong approach. Complete dedicated over-

haul, with a realization that many attitudes must change, is the real answer. Let us start by changing attitudes. Those who will have the responsibility of teaching our children should access to the best foundation, a strong, old-fashioned liberal education. Those who wish to enter the profession should be helped to afford to be educated at the finest teachers’ colleges we can fund. Let’s work on a system of mentoring by the most experienced master teachers we can discover, and human ways to evaluate them. Above, a free public education for all is paramount. Private alternatives and profit making enterprises must not dilute the power of the universal good. Considering the great responsibility we place on the shoulders of those who will spend much time with our children, let us try to understand their challenges. Perhaps

we have to spend some effort on educating parents. We can make them aware of goals, problems, something about approaches. As a former PTA president I understood that our mission was to educate parents. Of course we want parents to know what is going on, but we also need to encourage respect for teachers and their profession, and learn ways to work together to accomplish goals. Parents must realize that they put many kinds of children and the challenges in the hands of their teachers. It horrifies me to hear our leaders show extreme disrespect for teachers. Teachers, historically, in many communities, have been extremely vulnerable to criticism and expulsion. Perhaps the growth of their militancy is the result of their historical insecurity. Mutual respect and understanding is difficult. Esther Confino New Hyde Park, NY

The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

READERS WRITE

Freedom brings responsibilies

aving just reread “Our Views” in this 5-8-15 Williston Times, I agree with what is written. I would like to add that our freedoms do come with responsibilities. Yes! We do have the right to say what we wish but also the responsibility of knowing when not to. This is especially true here in the USA where we live as neighbors with the people of the world-each with equal rights. Again, I want to say that President Obama did what was correct considering his position in not attending the ‘forum’ in Paris after the massacre there. While I think of it, what did an ostrich say to another ostrich? Oops! I already said something like that. Anyway, our president represents all of the residents of our country equally. He really had no choice but to do as he did. I do feel a need to apologize for that we have Texas and some other places in our household. I lived my first 18 years in a part of our country where the

following multiple choice questionnaire would fit. Two choices: 1. Are you Protestant? 2. None of the above? While I am at it, we still need ‘none of the above’ on the presidential ballot until there is a candidate the public accepts and he or she is sure is not a chameleon who might betray the electorate or possibly damage the USA. I have lived my last 55 or so years either in New York City or on Long Island and have rubbed elbows with the peoples of this planet on a daily basis. I always look for the human being in each one. As a result, my years have gone smoothly and my life has been enriched. Years ago I read that there are 160 languages spoken in Queens County. Not long ago I read it to be 120. I consider that those who answer the 311 hotline have an idea how many. There are a very few nationalities in our country who willingly do not integrate well, who speak only one or two languages: Those who stick together to influence everything for their

behalf and also who call on the foreign country of their name to further aid their interests. As for we who speak the other 158 or 118 other languages or just English, we all know who they are. In other instances, there are and have been some who one would expect would have the highest ethics and integrity, etc. who have succeeded in pushing others around. An example of this by willful interests are the Cherokees who had lived where they were since who knows when and the aforementioned in effect said “We want that land and we are going to take it away from you.” They did and The Cherokees were decimated during their forced exodus. Our country has some black marks on it. Everyone seems to conveniently forget so quickly. Recently was the situation about Syria and chemical weapons. It can’t be forgotten how much Agent Orange was used in Vietnam, a conflict which should never have happened. Then

chemical weapons in Iraq. The UN inspectors combed every nook and cranny in the entire country and didn’t find any. Yet the Bush-Chaney team overode all reason and bombed Iraq to rubble. That should never have happened. Saddam was in effect under house arrest (contained) and there was then the no fly zone. Again, that should never have happened as it did. Look at the situation now. It came at a high price. We have to be very careful who gets into the White House. Change of subject. I found some interest in that the highest IQ levels are in Asia. One would think that Western Europe would have been at least equal. Perhaps centuries of stupid chivalry games had a damaging effect on the mind. Of course, the majority of the people (minds) then were relegated as worthless peons. I recently entered a T-Mobile store to learn something about my smart phone. The only attendant who was not busy was

a lady wearing her traditional head scarf (need I say more)? She knew her job well and I learned what I needed to know. She was a nice lady in the highest sense of the word. As I said, look for the human being in everyone. It was a good experience. Later I was thinking that she could have her driver’s license, own her car, buy her own insurance and drive it alone or with others any time day or night. That wouldn’t be possible in at least one other country from what I have heard. It would have been wrong to ask where she was from as if that was important. It was in the news that the Klu Klux Klan is coming back to life. There were some shown even in New York State wearing their dunce hats. It seems that insanity is breaking out all over the place. Charles Samek Mineola

Do you experience pain or discomfort during sex? It’s more common – and treatable – than you think.

Sexual pain, or dyspareunia, affects nearly three out of four women at some point in their lives. For some, the pain is temporary, while for others it is a long-term problem. Unfortunately, many people with sexual pain suffer silently. Sonia Bahlani, MD, a gynecologist at the Arthur Smith Institute for Urology, part of North Shore-LIJ Health System, discusses what you need to know about this condition.

What causes pain during sex? There are many causes of sexual pain in women. Many causes may be gynecologic in nature, while others may be secondary to systemic changes within the body. Infections, post-menopausal changes, neuropathic (nerve fiber) or muscular pain disorders, and dermatologic (hair/nails/skin) changes may all play into sexual pain. Pain during sex also may be caused by problems with sexual response, such as a lack of desire or a lack of arousal. It is important to seek help from a healthcare professional because many causes of sexual pain can be treated. Who experiences pain with sex? Anyone in any age group can have sexual pain. Hormonal changes can often cause changes in sexual function, but because many factors may come into play, an extensive workup — a physical, medical tests, a medical history review — is usually required.

Dyspareunia can get in the way of your relationships and overall quality of life — don’t wait to get help. If you have symptoms of sexual pain, call (516) 734-8500 today to make an appointment with one of our specialists. For more information, visit NorthShoreLIJ.com/Smith.

How is sexual pain treated? Because sexual pain may be caused by many factors — and patients can have varying ranges of symptoms — our pelvic pain experts at the Smith Institute for Urology will develop a unique and personalized plan for you. Your customized treatment plan could range from conservative forms of therapy to more aggressive management, depending on your symptoms. This variety of treatment approaches has significantly decreased sexual pain and improved quality of life for the vast majority of our patients.

18 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

READERS WRITE

Long Island is competing for MTA projects Long Island faces competition within the Metropolitan New York area for potentially $80 billion plus needed to fund major capital transportation improvements. Millions to billions more could be necessary by the time any project is completed and the true final costs are accounted for. Everyone has their own priority wish list which in many cases conflicts with others who have different agendas. One potential funding source for many of these projects would be the proposed MTA $32 billion 2015-2019 Five Year Capital Plan. The MTA faces a $15 billion dollar shortfall in the proposed MTA 2015-2019 Capital Plan. The respected independent New York City Citizens Budget Commission released a well documented report on March 24th “M.T.A. budget problems may be bigger then expected.” They reported even greater shortfalls of between $16.5 to $19 billion in the proposed MTA 2015-2019 Capital Plan. Current major capital construction projects under way include the Long Island Rail Road East Side Access project. This will provide riders a direct connection to Grand Central Terminal at a cost of $10 billion. Next, is the first of four segments for the new Second Avenue Subway consisting of three stations between 96th Street and 63rd Street at a cost of $4.5 billion. It will take several decades and easily up to $20 billion or more could be required if you include an express track for completion of the next three segments of the 2nd Avenue Subway north to 125th Street and south to Hanover Square downtown in the Financial District. Add another $20 billion for those who dream of extending the 2nd Avenue subway north into the Bronx and south into Brooklyn.. The current No. 7 New York City Transit subway extension from Times Square to the Javits Convention Center is under construction. The original cost of the overall project was $2.1 billion and is now $2.4 billion not counting the subway station that had to be dropped from the original scope of work along with additional subway cars necessary to provide revenue service on opening day. No one could find $500 million dollars to cover the proposed new subway station to be built at

42nd Street and 10th Avenue. This station was part of the original project scope. One trick used by transit managers to complete any project within budget, is to drop a portion of the original scope of work. This saves the necessary dollars which were not available to deliver 100 percent of what was originally promised. Start of revenue service has slipped from December 2013 to July 2015. The first phase of the Patrick Moynihan Penn Amtrak Station Farley Building project is under way. This will extend the existing Penn Station Eighth Avenue west concourse from track 13 to track 1. In addition, two entrances for Amtrak commuters will be created at 31st and 33rd Streets along with train platform expansions, stairs and escalators at a cost under $300 million. In the early 1990’s, total project cost was estimated to be $350 million. Politicians promised a beneficial use date around 2000. Fast forward to 2015 and the new overall project cost exceeds $1.5 billion. The existing 42nd Street Port Authority Bus Terminal is antiquated lacking sufficient capacity to deal with current and future needs. Thousands of buses use this facility on a daily basis. Upon completion of their morning rush hour trips, hundreds of buses have to dead head back to New Jersey for midday storage. They have to make another return trip in the afternoon back to New York City for outbound evening service. Costs could easily start at several hundred million for renovation and upgrading of the existing facility. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey just announced that up to $9 billion or more may be needed if you build a new facility at the same or new location on the west side in midtown Manhattan. Locally, there is the proposed $1.5 billion LIRR Main Line Third Track. This would provide additional rush hour and reverse service capacity in the mornings and evenings for those who live in New York City and either work or attend college on Long Island for several key LIRR branches including Port Jefferson, Huntington, Oyster Bay and Ronkonkama running between Floral Park and Hicksville stations. There is also a connection from Montauk, Speonk and Babylon via a spur between Babylon and Hicksville for access to this

corridor. Next, there is $450 million to complete double tracking on the LIRR Ronkonkama Line between Hicksville and Ronkonkoma. This was dropped in the 1980’s during electrification of this branch as a way to save money. It would have cost a lot less to complete this work decades ago rather than today. Earlier this year, some called for extending electrification of LIRR service on the Port Jefferson branch from Huntington to Port Jefferson, on the Ronkonkoma line from Ronkonkoma to Yaphank and on the Montauk line from Babylon to Speonk. All three combined could easily cost several hundred million dollars. Since 2005, there have been ongoing planning and environmental efforts to support a number of potential transportation improvements such as Bus Rapid Transit or Light Rail for the Nassau Hub. This might connect Roosevelt Field Mall, Hofstra University, Nassau Community College, Museum Row, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the County seat in Mineola, Garden City, Hempstead and Westbury. The cost could easily be several hundred million dollars depending upon the transportation mode and route selected. Then there is the $16 billion to fund Amtrak’s proposed “Gateway” project for construction of a new tunnel providing additional access to Penn Station from New Jersey for Amtrak and perhaps New Jersey Transit. How do we find $8 billion to $10 billion more for the No. 7 subway extension from the Javits Convention Center on the west side of Manhattan to New Jersey Transit’s Secaucus Junction station by Exit 15X on the New Jersey Turnpike? Ditto for $5 billion to build a alternative extension of the No. 7 subway to the PATH/New Jersey Transit Station in Hoboken, New Jersey. The proposed new Triboro X subway route starting from Yankee Stadium connecting the Bronx with Queens and terminating in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn would traverse dozens of neighborhoods impacting several hundred thousand people living nearby. No one knows how they will react to potential noise and visual impacts of a new elevated subway? There are serious legal and operational issues to be resolved with the Federal Rail Road Administration. They have regulatory jurisdiction over significant

portions of the proposed route which would run adjacent to existing active freight tracks. You have to deal with subway and freight trains coexisting on the same narrow corridor. Project costs will include a series of new stations with elevators and escalators. Add to that – new track, signals, power, power substations and several hundred new subway cars. This additional rolling stock may require construction of a new maintenance, operations and storage yard. There is also a potential serious conflict at the Bay Ridge, Brooklyn terminus. This is also a potential site for a connection to the proposed Cross Harbor Freight Tunnel. No one knows either the timetable for implementation or how many billions this project could cost. There is a new estimate of $3.9 billion for replacing the Tappan Zee Bridge. Gov. Cuomo has yet to identify how he will pay back a $3 billion federal loan used to finance this project. This could rise who knows how many billions at a later date based on previous estimates if you add either Bus Rapid Transit, Light Rail or Heavy Commuter Rail capacity. Then there is $8 billion to $10 billion for construction of a new Cross Harbor Freight Tunnel, which would put trucks on trains between New Jersey to either Brooklyn or Queens through to Long Island. The proposed Metro North Rail Road access to Penn Station via the Amtrak Hell Gate Bridge which would include construction of several new stations in the East Bronx could easily cost over $1 billion. Several hundred million more would be needed to provide new service from Riverdale and the West Bronx using Amtrak’s Empire Hudson line corridor which already provides service into Penn Station. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey recently announced a project to extend PATH from its current terminus in Newark, New Jersey 2 1/2 miles to Newark Airport. Who knows if the estimated cost of $1.7 billion and 2024 revenue service date will hold. Others are revisiting an old idea periodically discussed for decades of direct access to LaGuardia Airport. One concept is to extend the N & Q subway lines from their current Queens terminus at Astoria/Ditmars Blvd to LaGuardia

Airport. Another option is via Sunnyside Yards. Gov. Cuomo’s proposal to build an Air Train with connections to Mets Willets Point subway and Long Island Rail Road Station could easily cost a $1 billion or more rather than the $500 million he suggested. $600 million to restore service along the LIRR Rockaway Beach branch, also known as the White Pot Junction Line that was abandoned in the 1950s. This route started off as a spur from the LIRR mainline east of Woodside at Rego Park running to Ozone Park connecting to the “A” line subway near Aqueduct Racetrack and on to the actual Rockaways. $500 million for restoration of the old Staten Island North Shore Rail line abandoned in the 1950’s which provided direct service to the St. George, Staten Island Ferry Terminal. Another alternative is to extend the existing New Jersey Transit Hudson/Bergen Light Rail line from the current 8th Street Station terminus to continue southward across the Bayonne Bridge to Staten Island. $200 million to construct the Woodhaven Blvd. Queens Bus Rapid Transit system. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio under his recently released “One NYC” Master Plan called for construction of the Utica Avenue subway. He has asked the MTA to initiate a feasibility study for this proposal. The concept originally proposed in 1910 would construct extensions for both the #3 & #4 original IRT subway lines in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. It would be built along Utica Avenue from Eastern Parkway to Avenue U. Costs for both the first phase of Second Avenue & No. 7 subway line extension averaged $2 billion plus per mile. One can only imagine how many billions would be required to do the same along Utica Avenue. Many of the estimated costs for these proposed projects are based upon planning feasibility studies and or environmental documents with little design and engineering efforts necessary to validate any actual construction costs. They will be refined as projects progress beyond the planning and environmental phases into real and final design efforts. Value engineering which is a process used to reduce costs will be used during the final design phase. Continued on Page 56

The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

REAdERS WRITE

Geller flushed out enemy in our midst

hen Adolf Hitler published “Mein Kampf” in 1926, he spelled out his vision for Germany’s domination of the world and annihilation of the Jews. Germany would not have lost WWI, he wrote, “if 12,000 or 15,000 of these Hebrew corrupters of the people had been held under poison gas.” In 1933, Hitler’s Nazis took power. The few people who had read Hitler’s manifesto and took him seriously fled in time to save their lives. But most — including most Jews — didn’t. Comfortable, often prominent, and fully accepted, they believed in German society and could not fathom that a madman actually meant what he said and intended to fully carry out his malevolent vision. Even as things grew increasingly menacing — through Kristallnacht, book burnings, the stultifying restriction of civil liberties, the expulsion of Jewish children from schools, the construction of Dachau, Auschwitz, Treblinka, and other death camps — there were Jews and others who downplayed Hitler’s ominous threat. Worse, they derided and vilified those who took him seriously, calling them fear-mongers and haters and liars. Sound familiar? Today, the entire world faces the threat of galloping Islamic terrorism. We see this every day in every newscast — grisly individual and mass beheadings, people chained in cages and set on fire, hundreds of schoolgirls kidnapped, raped, and worse; Christian churches burned to the

ground with their desperate congregants locked inside; innocent cartoonists shot dead and their colleagues gravely injured in France, Jewish babies murdered in their cribs and strollers. Increasingly, we see “honor killings” in the United States, as well as other freedom-smothering manifestations of Sharia law. What happened in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s is happening in America today, except the assault on our system is not coming from Nazism, but rather from radical Islam. The mullahs in Iran and their surrogates around the world stand at podiums and declare boldly: Death to America, Death to Israel! They tell us outright that their goal is to create a caliphate in which Sharia law is the law of the land, in which all infidels — anyone who does not practice or has not converted to Islam — are relegated to secondclass citizenship, draconian taxes, and groveling servitude, if not outright enslavement. Some of our own elected officials echo their words. All of them, like Hitler, rely on apologists who flagrantly lie about this escalating threat. Shame on them! During WWII, Winston Churchill was the proverbial canary in the coal mine, repeatedly issuing the earliest warnings to the Western world of Hitler’s psychotic megalomania and evil intentions. Again, few listened, while prominent, educated, and sanctimonious types derided and vilified Churchill and called him a fear-monger and a hater and a

liar. Sound familiar? Since 2004, when she founded the Atlas Shrugs website (now PamelaGeller.com), Pamela Geller has been our Winston Churchill, warning of the increasingly aggressive actions of radical Islamists, the terrifying acts they commit, and their fervent goal to eviscerate our Constitution and Bill of Rights — you know, those little documents that afford us spoiled Americans the right to say what we want, be it in speech, drawings, art, movies, and music, without fear of being murdered! That is why, as journalist Jonah Goldberg points, out, the First Amendment applies to things that people find offensive, for instance Andreas Serrano’s “Piss Christ,” in which the “artist” urinated in a glass and then placed a plastic icon of Jesus on the cross into it, or the Brooklyn Museum of Art’s exhibition of a portrait of the Virgin Mary, which was partly comprised of pornographic pictures and elephant dung. (I don’t remember an editorial in this newspaper decrying those things or attacking the sponsors). That is also why people who cherish the First Amendment agreed that it was okay to have a loathsome Nazi contingent walk the streets of Skokie, Illinois (with its formidable Jewish population) in the mid 1970s, and why other protest movements have been so powerful and important: for instance Patrick Henry’s bold declaration, “Give me liberty or give me death;” the Yo No rebellion in Cuba against its repressive government; the Boston Tea Party’s “no taxation

without representation” protest; Susan B. Anthony’s “illegal” vote for women’s suffrage; Henry Thoreau’s demonstrations against slavery; the history-changing actions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks against racial discrimination...the list of heroic people sounding the alarms is endless. Throughout history, all of these crusaders for freedom have been insulted by the cowardly accommodators among us, the appeasers, the apologists, and the deluded masses who thought, as Churchill said, that “the crocodile [of tyranny, fascism, murder, even genocide] would eat them last.” Pamela Geller succeeded in literally flushing out the enemy within, two of the many jihadists in our midst. Only days after their failed assassination attempt, ISIS claimed credit for the attack and embarrassed our Homeland Security Department into increasing security conditions at U.S. military bases and elevating the threat level in the U.S. to BRAVO — not the highest level, but pretty damn high! But instead of praising Geller for her foresight and courage, cowards and apologists on both the left and right used the tactics of radical Saul Alinsky (described in his own manifesto, “Rules for Radicals”), which are to: “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.” Hurling gratuitous epithets and insults and lying are also in their repertoire. Exhibit No. 1: The editorial in “The Great Neck News” — “Geller takes her hate to Texas” — which

was riddled with leftist bias and factual inaccuracies. In the very first paragraph, we read that, “Gellers’s obsession with mocking the Islamic faith ended in two extremists being killed...” Extremists? How about describing the men who advertised their desire to commit mass murder by their rightful names: terrorists? ” In the second paragraph, Geller is said to have sponsored an event “...in which people were invited to send in cartoons mocking the prophet Mohammad.” Completely untrue...fabricated out of whole cloth, and intended, malevolently, to influence readers to loathe America’s Churchill (i.e., Ms. Geller). In fact, Geller sponsored a simple “Draw Mohammed” contest, and that is what got her death threats from “the religion of peace.” But in spite of it all, Geller is not intimidated, because like Churchill she has truth on her side! She awarded first place to a graphic artist who left Islam for the freedom that the First Amendment offers. Will this newspaper’s next editorial state that it would have been better for him to remain under Sharia law than to be free? As journalist and author Mark Steyn reminds us, “…all the nice respectable people – including, it appears, the editorial writer(s) at The Great Neck News — are now telling us” what Mohammed Atta told the passengers on 9/11: “Stay quiet and you’ll be okay.” Joan Swirsky Great Neck

Re-elect three Roslyn incumbents

eing a school board trustee is, at its core, a fiduciary responsibility. The Roslyn School District’s proposed budget is $103 million. Financial oversight for a budget of this size needs to be taken seriously. I’m thrilled to see that Adam Haber, David Seinfeld, and David Dubner, all currently on the board of trustees in Roslyn, are willing to run again. This board has done an excellent job overseeing the spending of our community’s tax dollars.

Since Gov. Cuomo imposed a 2 percent tax cap, many districts have struggled to make ends meet. Some have been unable to come in under the tax cap, forcing them to go over. Others were forced to cut teachers and increase class sizes to come in under the tax cap. In Roslyn, we’ve seen none of that. We haven’t lost one program. We haven’t lost one teacher. Instead, we’ve come in under the tax cap each year, added programs, and our housing market is stronger than ever.

Whether you have students in the district, or you’re an empty nester, Roslyn has held strong in every measure. You can’t dispute that kind of success. On May 19<x-apple-datadetectors://8>th<x-apple-datadetectors://8>, I’m voting to re-elect incumbents Adam Haber, David Seinfeld and David Dubner to the Roslyn Board of Education. I strongly encourage you to do the same. Allen Rothpearl, MD Roslyn

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20 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

READERS WRITE

I can’t understand Obama supporters

just don’t understand what makes all you Obama-lovers tick. Is there anything Barack Obama could possibly do or say, that would change your opinion of him? And I mean anything? What spell does he have over you? Is any failure ever his own fault? What is it about this guy that makes you accept mediocre results? I used to think it was because any criticism would label you a racist. But, it’s been seven long years now. Enough already! Does your extreme dislike for Republicans excuse any Democratic shenanigans? Why can’t you apply the same set of standards to everyone, and not always give your own people a pass? I just don’t understand why lying is accepted? Here are some examples: 1 - “Food stamps create jobs.” Nancy Pelosi. The truth is that under Obama, there are 46 million people on food stamps, yet there are still 8.6 million Americans unemployed. 2 - “We must pass the bill (Obamacare) before we will find out what’s in it” How could you vote for any congressman who voted for a 3,000 page bill, turning the greatest health-care system in the world into governmentrun, socialized medicine, without reading it first? 3 - “If we like our doctor, we could keep our doctor,”. (Barack Obama, mentioned this in 23 speeches.) The truth is that we would keep our doctor only if we continued with the same insurance plan and our doctor is still a listed provider. From the beginning, the whole point of Obamacare was that you would change to

a cheaper plan and thus you would lose your doctor. Aren’t you angry with this Democratic “bait and switch” maneuver? 4 - “Your insurance premiums will be reduced by $1,500 per family”. The truth is based on a simple concept. Premiums skyrocketed because in socialized medicine, everyone pays for all benefits, even those you never use. Under Obamacare, a 64 year old male is paying for a policy with Ob-Gyn coverage. 5 - “Obamacare will not raise your taxes”. According to Obama’s legal team, Obamacare is constitutional, because it is a tax. 6 - “Obamacare was going to cost us only $875 billion dollars for the first 10 years”. The truth is that they knew from the very beginning that it would cost $2 trillion! They lied to pass the bill. 7 - “Obamacare will never force anyone to violate their own religious beliefs” Tell that to Chick-Fil-A . 8 - “The IRS will never target conservatives or tea party members”. Does the name Lois Lerner ring a bell? 9 - “The Benghazi massacre was a response to an anti-Muslim video.” It took one week to retract this lie, but Obama still can’t call them Muslim terrorists. 10 - “ISIS is on the run and is a minor league player”. Obama has never retracted this ridiculous assertion but he used it to justify pulling our troops from the region and watching as terrorists groups reclaim thousands of miles of mid-east territory. 11 - “Israeli PM Netenyahu should not speak before congress because he is running for

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office”. Obama lied because he didn’t want anyone to speak against his absurd nuclear treaty. Will many liberal Jewish voters ever wake up? I’m beginning to doubt it. 12 - “We never call anyone who disagrees with our policies racists!”. “Opposition to Obama’s policy (Obamacare) is like opposing civil rights”. Attorney General Eric Holder If that’s not racist, I don’t know what is. 13 - “Out of the 30,000 emails on her personal computer, Secretary of State Clinton decided for herself, which personal emails she would delete.” Does it bother anyone that Clinton’s ex-boss on the Watergate Investigation Committee fired the then 27-year-old Hillary Clinton for being a “liar and unethical”? ( that was his words, not mine.)Some things never change. 14 - “We must immediately pass Obamacare because patients are dying in our emergency rooms because they have no medical coverage.” I was on staff at LIJ-North Shore Hospital for 20 years. I must have missed all those dead bodies. 15 - “When the Senate refuses to approve my policies, I am constitutionally allowed to circumvent their powers through executive orders.” Barack Obama, constitutional expert. 16 - “’The Keystone pipeline must be vetoed because it has not been studied long enough.” I guess three years of study by federal, state and local authorities does not count. Come on all you employed liberal’s. How about those estimated 30,000 high salaried, full time

jobs it would have produced? 17 -”I only have one iPhone,” Hillary Clinton Photos of her revealed her using a Blackberry and an iPad as well. 18 - “Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has not paid his taxes in the last few years.” (D) Harry Reed, Senate Majority Leader, could only make this blatantly false accusation from the floor of the senate, where he is exempt from any prosecution for liable. 19 - “There are 35 million people without health insurance.” According to the government’s own statistics, there were only 12 million ! Maybe we should not have turned our health-care system upside down for this much smaller number of uninsured people. 20 - “We must re-train New York’s racist police departments.” Over one half of New York City’s entire police force are minorities. It’s the highest percent of minorities in the country. 21 - “I was to busy and had other more important commitments, so I couldn’t march in the Charlie Hebdo anti-terrorist parade in Paris.” Golf and fundraising were on his agenda that week. 22 - “Aborting an eight month old fetus who could live outside the womb, is not infanticide, but a woman’s right.” Is there anyone on the planet who agrees with Barack Obama and his Planned Parenthood supporters on this one? 23 - “The Republicans are the Party of no.” You do know that it was Harry Reid who prevented 275 Republican bills from being brought to the floor for a vote. 24 - “Obamacare is not

government-run medicine.” Really? If that were true, how come Obama put the IRS in charge of implementing the entire program. Everyone must indicate the name of your insurance carrier on your federal income tax return. The IRS collects the penalty if you do not have any insurance and can subtract it from any tax refund you are due or even garnish your wages. That’s “as government-run” as you can get. 25 - “Sarah Palin is a right wing fanatic. There is no such thing as death panels”. Barack Obama The truth is that Obamacare does includes a committee, composed of government bureaucrats, who determines what treatment elderly patients will receive and at what age they will stop receiving them. Call it what you want. Some elderly patients will not receive some life saving treatment because they are to old or because the treatment is to expensive. 26- “ I have a Cherokee heritage.” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Democratic presidential hopeful. Only many years of criticism for this claim, did she finally “amend it”. The list is endless. Don’t any of you Democrats feel a bit uncomfortable with all these lies? Please don’t answer that “The Republicans do it also “. In some cases you may be right. But, that still doesn’t excuse this behavior. Does it? Dr Stephen Morris DDS North Hills

Senators’ support of Skelos unforgivable Why is [state Sen.] Jack Martins defending Dean Skelos time and again? It’s offensive enough that Skelos has been using his office for his family’s financial benefit, but that he was going to “punish”

his own struggling county if it didn’t pay up is beyond the pale. I guess we don’t know jack about Senator Martins after all. The unwavering support Jack Martins and the rest of Long Island’s senate delegation have

given him is unforgivable. Skelos needs to go, and anyone that won’t hold the door wide open for him should be pushed out with him. Tammie Williams Elmont

The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

READERS WRITE

Manhasset budget merits support

he Citizens’ Advisory Committee for Finance (CACF) is comprised of the undersigned residents of Manhasset selected by the Manhasset Board of Education to be broadly representative of the community, and it serves as an independent liaison between the community and the board regarding the annual operating budget for the school district. We have appreciated the extensive and open process that the Board has engaged in again this year to educate and to solicit and be responsive to input from our committee and from the community at large as the proposed budget was being formulated.

Despite an increase in student enrollment by 7.5 percent over the last seven years and numerous fixed expenses that the board and the district cannot affect, the proposed budget falls within the allowable tax levy cap — with an increase of 2.52 percent over the prior year. The average tax levy increase is only 1.9 percent over the last seven years and budgeted expenses increased 1.7 percent over that same period. Most importantly, this proposed budget maintains the school system’s highlyregarded offerings for our children and restores and rebuilds some of the effects of prior years’ cuts. For example, the proposed budget an-

ticipates that, unlike 13-14 and 14-15, all elementary class sections will be within the stated class size guidelines, and provides the high school the ability to add sections to existing courses as well as new course offerings, which will allow the district to maintain its competitive standing with neighboring school districts. Further, extracurricular activities ranging from music, art, intramural and varsity level athletic programs and current club activities were either added or maintained for our children to enjoy. Having been part of the process, we feel that the district is now well-positioned financially for the coming years. We commend the board for all of its

efforts on behalf of our children and the community. The members of the CACF unanimously support the proposed budget for the next school year. Vlassi Baktidy Eileen Bauer David Cielusniak Michael Hastava Pedro Jimeniz Brian Loughlin Spiros Maliagros John McCusker Peter Nikakis Members of the CACF

Manhasset budget restores losses

he Manhasset school board’s proposed 2015-16 budget — which is within the allowable tax cap — presents an important opportunity to rebuild and restore many educational opportunities lost during the 2013-14 budget votes. Among other things, the new budget would achieve similar or lower class sizes, K-12, despite growth at the high school; add an additional math specialist at the elementary schools, offer a wide variety of new courses at the high school level including Advanced Creative Writ-

ing, Journalism, Mandarin, Multivariable Calculus, Accounting and AP Computer Science; create additional sections for support classes while maintaining the high school inclusion model; restructure the middle school inclusion model to better meet Common Core standards; add English as a New Language teachers, K-12, as mandated by the state; purchase Chromebooks in conjunction with the Tower Foundation’s “Digitizing the English Classroom Experience”; create a new middle school intramural athletic program; and support the Manhasset Co-

alition Against Substance Abuse and the Parent Child Home Program. These are extraordinarily important opportunities for our students and the district. Please vote yes on Tuesday, May 19 between 6:30 a.m. and 10 p.m. at the high school gym. Evan and Valli Rajah-Mandery Christine Monterosso and Marc DeLeeuw Peggy and Mark Attanasio Beth and Mike Miller

Gary and Rosa Stein Rich and Lucy Puma Jeanne and Will Sylvia Stephen Cash Sam and Paula Gaccione Marirose Merola Mimi Donohue Anthony and Jen Johnston Jack and Laura Zaffiro Joy and Liam Sargent Mike and Kristen Ryan Patrick and Ann Hance Terri and John Larre Bruce and Christine Arella

Village tries to sway school election A Board of Education election is one of the truly down to earth, down home events in our country. A fully volunteer position, yet requiring the approval of the voters. Few people are willing and able to take on the monumental task of educating our youth, protecting our taxpayers and doing it without compensation. It is truly the epitome of a thankless job. As I have been watching this year’s campaign for Mineola School Board Trustee, it has become evident that the stakes have become much more than the education of our youth. Two candidates have suddenly appeared, with no prior attention to or participation with the Board of Education. They have openly admitted they were convinced to run by a Mineola Village official, (which has been denied by no one since I first revealed this). They stand for tax-exempt apartments and opting out of testing, that the vast majority of our communities oppose, yet they attempt to be victorious via a wall-

papering of our villages with more signs than a congressional candidate would be comfortable planting. Our small community is used to Board of Education campaigns. Most involve a modest amount of signs, 30-50 ending up on supporters front lawns. This year we see signs everywhere. Major street corners, the public strips of land between the street and sidewalk (a violation of village code) on church fences, public fences, roadways. All of these signs that violate code would normally be removed by our village as they are seen, but this year it seems a blind eye is being turned. The support is obvious but what is the goal? The goal is 856 apartments, no taxes paid for 20 years, an entire generation of new students. $24 million+ in “incentives” paid to the village and $30 million lost by the school district taxpayers. The impact on a Mineola Village taxpayer will be severe. The impact on a Williston Park, Albertson, Roslyn Heights and Garden City

Park district taxpayer will be even worse. These signs represent everything that is wrong with a small town school board election. It all became about big money and big buildings. It became about retribution and punishment of a school board who dared to question the financial impact the Mineola village board, which was unilaterally deciding while openly admitting they had no responsibility to their neighbors to the north. This same village board demanded civility yet showed none to its neighbors or the Mineola school board. These signs that litter our public grounds, in clear violation of Mineola village code, yet allowed to conveniently remain, are what is wrong with this year’s election. Two dedicated candidates, Christine Napolitano and Brian Widman, are up against the deep-pocket financing for two uninterested, uninformed and unengaged individuals who are running against them. I have little doubt the IRS filings of campaign spending and contributors will bear this out. Certainly they cannot file a

sub $500 affidavit. Our children deserve much, much better and I would be derelict in my duty to this community to not say so. Who can buy the most signs should never be considered a best choice. This year has made that abundantly clear. Our communities have become littered with signs which have no value or message. Only two names in the hopes people won’t pay attention to the issues and will only remember a name. We’re better than that. Please show up to the polls on Tuesday, May 19, 2015 and pull the levers of Napolitano and Widman. They have spent their years improving our schools, educating our children and protecting our taxpayers...... not a few days covering our villages with signs. Artie Barnett, President Mineola Board of Education The above is my opinion and should not be construed as that of any other entity’s.

22 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

READERS WRITE

Widman insensitive at Candidates forum

n Monday, May 4, I attended the Meet the Candidates Night at Mineola High School. I was expecting a professional forum where the potential candidates would state their views on specific topics. In my opinion, I witnessed the ugliest and most unethical display of character by Brian Widman and Christine Napolitano. I was shocked and dismayed by the nasty look on Ms. Napolitano’s face several times when Joy Renner and Mark Swensen spoke, but her partner, Widman, went even lower.

He spoke about a young child, who had the courage to speak at a board meeting in March. He spoke about my 11-year-old daughter, Haley. She spoke of her disapproval with the Common Core Curriculum and standardized testing. She spoke of how the testing, caused her anxiety and why she would not participate. It took a lot of courage for her to do this. Widman stated that Haley wasn’t worried about anxiety when she spoke at the meeting, insinuating that the state assessments shouldn’t have caused her such

stress. Obviously, Mr. Widman is not aware of the “Save Public Education” movement. There have been numerous children who have spoken up against the testing. Look on YouTube. My daughter was proud to take a stand for what she believes in. How can Mr. Widman compare a two-minute, child-created speech to 18 hours of developmentally inappropriate, no value testing? Do you feel proud of yourself? Do you really feel that a parent and a child speaking at meet-

ing, should be ridiculed at Meet the Candidate Night? Is that the respect you have for myself, a taxpayer? Is this the message you want to send to Mineola parents? Maybe I am mistaken, but I thought that parents voices were important in Mineola. I was under the impression, that if we spoke, and if our children spoke, we would at least be shown respect. I was not shown that at the meeting, and Monday, you went too far Mr. Widman. You crossed the line to make it personal. You spoke about my

daughter. How dare you. How dare you say that people who opt their children out of testing are using them as pawns? All she did was speak from her heart. All I heard from Napalitano and Widman was how wonderful they are for attending the board meetings, and how we should vote for them because they’ve been there so long. I’m sorry, that is not enough for me to vote for anyone. I vote for someone with integrity and values. Mary Goodfellow Mineola

Mineola schools in need of new direction

hristineNapolitano closed the meet the candidate night by speaking about the direction of the school board. She said “that’s exactly what I’m afraid of a new direction” . I would point out to Mrs. Napolitano that a new direction is exactly what this school district needs. It needs to move in a direction that advances technology at

a pace that shows well thought out implementation. Such that the teachers are taught new initiatives at times that do not impact instruction to our children. The Board of Education needs to be operated in a manner that is beyond reproach. The way to do this is be sure what is put before the board is looked at with due diligence. That important questions are asked, and those that are implementing these new initiatives

have answers for tough questions. Is this initiative financially sound? Has it been tested in other districts and if so, to what results? Is this technology going to move toward our goal of college ready children? When capital project bids come in more than a million dollars over our engineers estimates, someone needs to account to the district and the taxpayers for this failure.

A million dollars seems like a little more than a mistake. It indicates poor planning at best and incompetence at worst and needs to be examined further publicly. If PILOTs are so detrimental to this district then the board needs to work with the proper legislators to amend these laws. They also need to publicly answer to why they failed to hold anyone accountable for missing these meetings.

If due diligence, accountability and fiscal responsibility is the direction that Mrs. Napolitano fears than the voters have no other logical choice than to remove her from office on May 19th by voting for Joy Renner and Mark Swensen. Dr. Nancy Giordano, Ed.D., WNP Mineola

Napolitano helped make schools better

ver the past six years, Christine Napolitano has proven to be an invaluable member of the Board of Education. Christine has been an integral part of many positive changes in the Mineola School District, including improved educational programming, cutting-edge technology for our students, lo-

cal and national awards for the district, and continued fiscal responsibility. Christine shows great enthusiasm and consideration for all of Mineola’s students, parents, and teachers. She is generous with her time, exhibits strong leadership, and is a true asset to our community. We will be lucky to have her

on the Board of Education for three more years. I met Brian Widman in the audience of the Board of Education meetings where he is one of very few consistent attendees. Brian has observed firsthand how the Board of Education functions and has acquired comprehensive knowledge of district happenings and issues.

He asks important questions and gives thoughtful and constructive suggestions. Brian is a devoted father and PTA volunteer who enjoys assisting at various school events. He is approachable, committed, and trustworthy. Brian will be a strong addition to the Mineola Board of Education. Christine Napolitano and

Brian Widman are people of integrity who embody the true spirit of volunteerism and dedication to the entire Mineola School District community. Please join me in voting for Napolitano and Widman on May 19, 2015. Debbie Tobar Mineola

Renner, Swenson offer needed skills

ny successful program is run by a team of experts, Joy Renner is the education expert and Mark Swenson is the financial expert. They are new voices to the board of education that will ask questions, are approachable, and fiscally responsible. With two new board members, the Mineola School District will benefit from a much needed breath of fresh air and new vision that will work to improve upon the many positive things that the current board has put in place, while making sure the decision-makers are held accountable. Public education is at a crossroads and Joy lives it everyday as a teacher. She is knowledgeable of the

pros and cons in education and will be able to advocate for the students of Mineola. There are many educational decisions that need to be made by a board of education and I can’t think of a better person than someone who is in the trenches and understands children. Maureen and I help run the MAA and know sacrificing your personal time will help lead to any organization’s success. We appreciate the work that all volunteers give for the better of the community and our children. We have been lucky enough to be friends with Joy Renner for the past six years, and have seen first hand the commitment she has to her three amazing boys, her children’s schools through fundraisers she has

organized, to the MAA, to the Mineola Chiefs, and the list goes on. Commitment, dedication and making sure the job gets done is exactly what Joy Renner has shown she can do and will be ready to do, with-

out hesitation, once she is elected. done so with the likes of Mark SwJoy knows that surrounding yourself ensen, which is why we are endorswith people that are hard-working, ing Joy Renner and Mark. passionate, and who put their perMike and Maureen Duda sonal agendas aside will make for Mineola a great team, and she has certainly

Widman offer character, vision, interest in children’s education

t is with much enthusiasm that I write to endorse Brian Widman for the Mineola Schools Board of Education. I have known Brian Widman for the past eight years and throughout these times I have seen his eagerness and interest in chil-

dren’s education and well being in the schools in our vast district. He is a man of vision with a great character coupled with leadership and ability to fulfill his duties. His honesty is unquestionable. For him every student matters. If elected, it would be in the best in-

terest of each and every student in our district. For that, I hope you join me in giving him your vote on Election Day. David Danialian Mineola Travel Soccer Coach

The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

24 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

Long Islanders Choose

G.N school budget, trustees up for vote they were promised. The increase in state aid to the district to 2006, on the board’s Policy Committee, was part of a $1.6 billion increase in eduwhich writes and reviews policy recom- cation aid statewide that was negotiated mendations. as part of the $150 billion state budget She also founded the Family Math and approved earlier this month. Outreach Programs at E.M. Baker School Gov. Andrew Cuomo had initially and Good Ideas For Teens, a commit- proposed a $1.1 billion increase in edutee that explored teen activities in Great cation aid in exchange for the Legislature Neck, she said. agreeing to pass a series Ashkenase was first of reforms, including tyelected to the board ing teacher evaluations in 1982 and served as more closely to stuboard president from E L E C T I O N 2 0 1 5 dents’ state test scores, 1985 to 1987 and vice making it more difficult president from 1984 to for teachers to receive 1985. tenure and allowing A public health professional, he cur- the state to take over low-performing rently serves as an adjunct assistant pro- schools. fessor at the Columbia University School After intense political opposition, of Public Health. He got his bachelor of sci- Cuomo later agreed to a $1.6 billion ence degree in accounting from Brooklyn increase in education in exchange for College and his MBA in hospital adminis- establishing parameters for teacher tration from Wagner Colevaluations that would lege. result in a more rigorous He has served as chief evaluation system. The financial officer at both changes are to be left to the Long Island Jewish the State Education DeMedical Center and the partment to work out. New York City Health and Residents will also Hospitals Corporation. vote to establish a capital The school district is reserve fund, which will set to receive $8,472,067 have a maximum value in state aid for the next of $19 million, to finance school year, a 11.94 perfuture infrastructure imcent increase from the provements. $7,568,390 it received for Residents will vote 2014-15. Of the $903,677 this year to establish the Barbara Berkowitz increase in state aid, the fund, the length of the district only plans to use fund — July 2016 to June about $700,000, with the 2025 — where the monextra $200,000 going into ey in the fund will come a fund for future use. from and what types of Of that $700,000 to projects will be financed be spent, about $200,000 by the reserve, Powell will go toward increases said. to the budget trustees reOn May 17, 2016, quested at a March budschool district residents get hearing. Included in will vote on the list and that $200,000 is an adcost of the projects the ditional $50,000 for legal fund will finance, if the costs, $1,000 more for fund passes this May, translating school district Powell said. Donald Ashkenase messages, $107,000 for Powell said the moniPad leases, $25,000 for ey in the capital reserve non-instructional personnel and $17,000 fund would come from accumulated for student events, which could include funds in other reserves the school district funding students to go to national compe- has, including a retirement contribution titions, district Assistant Superintendent reserve, workers compensation reserve for Business John Powell has said. and unemployment reserve. The other $500,000 in increased state During the 2014-2015 school year, aid will be used to reduce the amount there were 6,399 registered students of money the district initially planned to among the 10 schools in the district. The withdraw from a reserve fund to pay for district projects that 6,398 students will retirement contributions, workers com- register for the 2015-16 school year. pensation and unemployment insurance, The schools in the district include Powell has said. Great Neck North High School, Great Board Vice President Larry Gross has Neck South High School, the Village said the budget was developed with the School, Great Neck North Middle School, assumption that the district would not Great Neck South Middle School, the receive all the funding it was originally E.M. Baker School, the John F. Kennedy promised. He said in the past the district School, Lakeville School, Saddle Rock has gotten less money from the state than School and Parkville School. Continued from Page 1

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ELECTION 2015

$9.6M library budget up for vote by A da m L i d g e t t Residents in the Great Neck Library system will vote Tuesday to approve the library’s $9,647,200 budget for the 201516 fiscal year. Voting will take place in the multipurpose room of E.M. Baker School, at 69 Baker Hill Road the west gym of Great Neck South High School, at 341 Lakeville Road. The budget, which calls for a $36,700 increase in spending

over last year, calls for no increase in the tax levy. The total levy is budgeted at $9,375,000. The budget calls for $5,640,700 to be spent on employee salaries and benefits, $891,800 to be spent on library materials and programs and $350,900 on operations, which includes legal fees, postage and computer supplies. Also included in the budget plan is a $315,000 reserve for construction, which will be used to handle payments for the

Main Branch renovation project. The library will use the reserve to front construction costs, for which they will be reimbursed the following month from bond proceeds, Neil Zitofsky, Great Neck Library business manager, has said. The Main Branch, located at 159 Bayview Ave., will be closed for a year during an extensive renovation of the building. The improvements will be funded by a $10.4 million bond approved by voters in 2013.

The $315,000 reserve for construction will come from a $1,115,000 operating surplus the library has as a result of the Main Branch being closed for renovations. “That’s coming from the fact that Main is closed for a year so we have savings as a result of reduced utilities,” Zitofksy said. “We also have reduced staff for a year.” An additional $110,000 from the surplus is set to pay for possible repairs at the library’s

other branches — Lakeville, Parkville and Station — which have received increased traffic as a result of Main Branch being closed. The budget also calls for $250,000 to be taken from the surplus to buy new computers at all four library branches, Zitofsky said. Some $440,000 of the surplus will be spent on a new sprinkler system at Main Branch, he said.

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26 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

LIRR preps for bridge demolition

By A da m L i d g e t t Long Island Rail Road workers continued preparing the Colonial Road Bridge in the Village of Thomaston this past weekend for the bridge’s June demolition, removing lead paint from the bridge and starting work on a new retaining wall and drainage improvements. The weekend work caused a suspension of LIRR service between Port Washington and Great Neck on Saturday. MTA LIRR Spokesman Salvatore Arena said this past weekend was the last weekend service will be changed as a result of construction until the weekend of June 20 and June 21 when the bridge is scheduled to be demolished. Arena said construction workers will be doing additional prep work until the demolition weekend. “They’ll do whatever they can do in the interim,” Arena said of the construction workers. “The bridge demolition is the first major step — [the workers] may not be there every day but work will continue.” The 115-year-old Colonial Road Bridge, which is located at the intersection of Colonial Road and Grace Avenue, has been closed to vehicular traf-

fic since March 30, and will remain closed for a year. After the demolition, the MTA will spend the next year building a new bridge as part of a $24.9 project that includes making track-level drainage improvements, building a retaining wall and extending an existing pocket track used to turn trains around. The MTA has said the replacement of the bridge is essential to the East Side Access project, which will bring the LIRR straight into Grand Central Station in Manhattan. The project, which the MTA says is still about seven years away, will cut the travel time of commuters who work on Manhattan’s east side by 20 to 30 minutes when completed. Village of Thomaston Mayor Steven Weinberg said the LIRR is communicating with the village as construction moves forward, keeping them updated on its progress. To allow for a construction staging area, Weinberg said, trees were removed along Grace Avenue, making construction more visible from some homes. “The railroad does have a vegetation plan for replanting the trees but that’s one to two years from now,” Weinberg said. “In the interim, it’s going to be a huge discomfort.”

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The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

bLAnK SLATE MEdIA May 15, 2015

The Art Guild invites the public to view the 2015 Members Showcase Exhibit and enjoy the beautiful grounds of Elderfields Historic Preserve at a Garden Party Reception and Awards Ceremony on Sunday May 17, from 3 to 5 p.m. Awards of merit and the annual Terry Shkuda Award for Broadening Creative Pursuits will be presented and there will be an acoustic music performance by Chris Kinnear. This annual exhibit will showcase 50 artworks – with a wide range of varied styles – by members of the Art Guild. Watercolor, oils, acrylic, pastel, drawing, mixed media, collage, photography, encaustic, and prints (i.e., etching, silkscreen, lithographs, monotypes) are all represented. The juror-of-awards for this exhibit is Gregg Kreutz, an award-winning painter and author of the classic artist’s guide,

“Problem Solving for Oil Painters.” After graduating from NYU, Kreutz pursued his training as a painter at the Art Students League of New York, winning a merit scholarship. He studied with Frank Mason, Robert Beverly Hale and, most significantly, David Leffel. Kreutz teaches drawing and painting at the Art Students League as well as workshops throughout the country and around the world, including The Art of the Still Life at The Art Guild in September. The show will be on view at 200 Port Washington Blvd., Manhasset, from Saturday, May 16 through Sunday, June 28, 2015. Gallery hours are Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. or by appointment. For more information please call (516) 304-5797 or visit www.TheArtGuild.org. The Art Guild is a not-for-profit 501c3 organization.

Clockwise from top: Two Cups, oil; Aleta Crawford Liv, oil, Shelley Holtzman; Red Tulips, oil, Piper Lyman.

28 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

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Don Rickles Saturday, May 16, 8 p.m. Don Rickles NYCB Theatre at Westbury 960 Brush Hollow Road, Westbury. (516) 247-5200 www.thetheatreatwestbury.com With a gleam in his eye and a surprising spring in his step, Rickles has entertained audiences with his acerbic wit and acid-tongue for more than 55 years. No one is safe from this comedic giant, who brazenly pokes fun at all ethnicities, religions and walks of life. The 88 year-old comedian recalls his glory days and infuses his shows with a genuine warmth - a perfect juxtaposition to his outrageous brand of insult comedy.

Sunday, May 17, 3 p.m. Perfectly Frank The Madison Theatre at Molloy College 1000 Hempstead Ave., Rockville Centre. (5176) 323-4444 http://madisontheatreny.org. Including hits such as “Come Fly with Me”, “The Way You Look Tonight”, “My Way”, “Fly Me to the Moon”, and “New York, New York,” this afternoon of music - starring Sal Viviano - will pay tribute of the incredible legacy of the incomparable Frank Sinatra that is 100 years in the making. Don’t miss this opportunity to pay homage to one of the world’s greatest musicians – come experience the legend of Sinatra for yourself. Monday, May 18, 8:30 p.m. Jane’s Addiction The Paramount 370 New York Ave., Huntington (631) 673-7300 ext. 303 www.paramountny.com Led by core original members Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro and Stephen Perkins, Jane’s Addiction - originally formed in 1985 in Los Angeles - is still going strong. An influential and ground-breaking alternative rock band that helped lay the groundwork for the grunge movement of the 1990s, Jane’s Addiction boast “Jane Says,” “Mountain Song,” “Been Caught Stealing” and “Stop!” among their most popular songs. Tuesday, May 19, 8 p.m. Jason Isbell The Space at Westbury 250 Post Ave., Westbury (516) 283.5566 www.thespaceatwestbury.com Formerly a member of the Drive By Truckers, Isbell released his first solo album, “Sirens of the Ditch,” in 2007, followed by “Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit” two years later and “Here We Rest” in 2011. His latest offering “Southeastern” came out in 2013 for which he won the 2014 Americana Music Awards Album of the Year, Song of the Year for “Cover Me Up” and Artist of the Year. Craig Finn will be the opening act. Wednesday, May 20, 7:30 p.m. The Who Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 1255 Hempstead Turnpike, Uniondale (516) 794-9300 http://www.nassaucoliseum.com Legendary British rockers The Who invade Hempstead Wednesday for the Long Island stop of their 50th anniversary tour. With original members Roger Daltry and Pete Townsend at the helm, the Who’s massive back catalogue will be harvested for a night of classic rock, including such timeless classics as “My Generation,” “Pinball Wizard,” “Baba O’Reilly” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” The band also swings through Queens and Brooklyn later this month.

The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

30 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

THE CULINARY ARCHITECT

Recipes for cooking Morel Mushrooms From mid-April to the beginning of June, Morel Mushrooms grow throughout the United States. These nutty steak-like flavored spores are prized by mushroom hunters every where. Their delectable flavor and easy to recognize shape make them choice prey for beginner and expert foragers. Trying to find these fresh flavorful mushrooms for sale is no easy task. After calling more than ten local “gourmet stores”, and searching on line, I found SOS Chefs, located at 104 Avenue B in New York Cit, 212-505-5813 on the web at www. sos-chefs.com. Right now they are selling fresh morels from Oregon by the pound at 60.00 per pound plus shipping and they are worth every cent! If you have time and patience, a google search yielded several fresh morel purveyors in the United States that sell by mail order. Morels, or as they are called in France, Morilles, are so flavorful that preparation is very simple. The most important part of preparing morels, is removing the dirt and grit. Because morels are so delicious, I recommend eating them on

their own, or on a white bread toast point, or as a topping to a sauteed chicken breast. If you are feeling very decadent, pair the morels with steamed asparagus and hollandaise sauce If you have never eaten morels, make this simple dish and I guarantee you will be looking to eat them every Spring. Menu Sauteed Morels Toast Points Pasta* Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce* Sauteed Chicken Breast *Recipe Not Given How To Clean Morels This is the most important part of morel preparation. Because morel mushrooms are wild and grown in dirt, they are very gritty. Immediately before preparation, clean them. This cannot be done ahead of time because mushrooms are sponges and they will soak up much too much water. 1. Place morels in a colander and “wack them about”. This will dislodge some, but not all of the

to DRY WELL!!!!) 2 tbsp. sweet butter 1 shallot, finely chopped 1/2 cup beef stock 1/4 cup Madeira 1 cup heavy cream Black Pepper to taste Chopped Chives (optional garnish)

ALEXANDRA TROY The Culinary Architect

dirt. Do this a few times. 2. Place a large bowl in your sink. Fill with cold water. 3. Place morels in bowl and swish, dislodging as much dirt as possible. (If necessary, trim the dirty stems from the mushrooms.) 4. If dirt persists, run each mushroom under cold water, until all dirt is removed. 5. Once clean, dry mushrooms. You are now ready to proceed with morel preparation. Sauteed Morels 1 lb. Morels, cleaned (See above. Remember

1. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat and sweat shallots. When soft, and translucent, add morels and saute until soft, approximately 10 minutes. 2. Add Madeira and beef stock and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Add cream, and continue boiling for 8 minutes, stirring frequently. 3. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. 4. Serve over toast points, pasta of your choice, sauteed chicken breasts or just by itself. Garnish, if you wish. Toast Points 4 slices of high quality white bread, crusts removed, cut in half on the diagonal 1. Lightly toast bread. Serve as a base to soak up morels and cream sauce.

Foolproof Sauteed Chicken Breasts 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 4 6-oz. Boneless chicken breast halves, cleaned and dried well!!! Sea Salt Ground Pepper 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 2. In a large oven proof skillet (I use cast iron), heat oil over medium high heat. 3. Sprinkle both sides of chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place chicken in pan skin side down and cook for 3 minutes. Flip and cook for 3 minutes more. 4. Place chicken in the oven and cook until chicken is 155 degrees (approximately 6 minutes). 5. Serve with Morel Sauce on top. Alexandra Troy is owner of Culinary Architect Catering, a 32-year old Greenvale-based company, specializing in private, corporate and promotional parties. For more photos and presentation ideas, follow Culinary Architect Catering on Facebook.

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The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

5/31/15.

32 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

EAST WOODS SPRING FAIR CARNIVAL

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The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

LEO’S

Arts & Entertainment Calendar FRIDAY, MAY 15TH • 9:30PM

LANDMARK ON MAIN STREET 232 Main Street, Suite 1 Port Washington (516) 767-1384 ext. 101 www.landmarkonmainstreet. org Saturday, May 16, 8 p.m. Megan Hilty Sunday, May 31, 8 p.m. Suzanne Vega Saturday, June 13, 8 p.m. Jessie Mueller and Jarrod Spector

The Space at Westbury 250 Post Ave., Westbury (516) 283.5566 www.thespaceatwestbury. com Friday, May 15, 8 p.m. Saturday, May 16, 8 p.m. Dark Star Ochestra Tuesday, May 19, 8 p.m. Jason Isbell and Special Guest Craig Finn Friday, May 29, 8 p.m. Get The Led Out Friday, June 12, 8 p.m. Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue Saturday, June 13, 8 p.m. Music Made On Long Island

Tuesday, June 16, 8 p.m. Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band and Jonny Lang Friday, June 26, 7:30 & 10:30 p.m. Jim Jefferies

NASSAU VETERANS MEMORIAL COLISEUM 1255 Hempstead Turnpike, Uniondale (516) 794-9300 • http:// www.nassaucoliseum.com Friday, May 15, 7:30 p.m. Nitro Circus Live Wednesday, May 20, 7:30 p.m. The Who Hits 50! Monday, May 25, 7:30 p.m. WWE Monday Night RAW Saturday, May 30, 10 a.m. New York Pet Spectacular & Expo Saturday, June 20, 7:30 p.m. New Kids On The Block with special guests TLC and Nelly Wednesday, July 1, 7:30 p.m. Shania Twain NYCB THeatre at Westbury 960 Brush Hollow Road, Westbury.

(516) 247-5200 www.thetheatreatwestbury. com Saturday, May 16, 8 p.m. Don Rickles Saturday, May 30, 8 p.m. 70’s Soul Jam Friday, June 5, 8 p.m. Glays Knight Saturday, June 13, 8 p.m. Peter Cetera Friday, June 19, 8 p.m. The Midtown Men Friday, June 27, 8 p.m. Happy Together Tour Saturday, July 11, 8 p.m. Dion Sunday, July 12, 7:30 p.m. The Princess Bride: An Inconceivable Evening With Cary Elwes Friday, July 17, 8 p.m. Rock The Yacht Tour Friday, July 24, 8 p.m. Josh Turner Monday, July 27, 8 p.m Whitesnake Friday, Aug. 7, 8 p.m. Joel McHale Saturday, Aug. 8, 8 p.m. Air Supply Saturday, Aug. 15, 8 p.m. Neil Sedaka

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34 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

Museum program to teach bird watching

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The Science Museum of Long Island, located on the Leeds Pond Preserve in Plandome Manor, will be the site of a new program, “Introduction to Bird Watching,” beginning on Saturday, May 30, and concluding on Saturday, June 20. Led by a noted ornithologist and cosponsored by CERCOM and Molloy College, the series will begin at 9 a.m. in the Visitor Center, where coffee and light refreshments will be served. Following a short talk and orientation, participants will venture outside for the “field work” portion of the session. The first morning will conclude with a recap of the morning’s discoveries and lunch. The following three Saturdays will be-

gin at 7:30 a.m. Coffee and a continental breakfast will be served at the start of those subsequent Saturday sessions, but participants will be on their own for lunch. This series of walk ‘n’ talks is limited to 25 participants of all ages and levels of experience. Participants are encouraged to bring binoculars, a small notebook and pen, and to apply plenty of sunscreen prior to arrival. A field guide is helpful, especially for novice birders, but is not required. Registration, however, is required! The fee for the series (payable by check or in cash at the first session) is $65 for adults, $35 for students, ages 10-17. Register no later than Friday, May 22, by calling (516) 627-9400, ext. 10.

Fine art and craft fair on may 30, 31 The Art League of Long Island’s Art in the Park Fine Art & Craft Fair returns to the scenic Heckscher Park in Huntington on Saturday May 30 and Sunday May 31. Now in its 48th year, this juried fair attracts thousands of discerning art lovers from the metropolitan area. More than 70 artists and craftspeople will show and sell original works of art and handmade crafts such as paintings, photographs, ceramics, jewelry, sculpture, woodwork, glasswork, wearable art, and more. Prizes will be awarded to artists and craftspeople for superior artistry and craftsmanship. The event will also feature live art dem-

onstrations by Art League instructors, familyfriendly hands-on activities, live music by guitarist Kenny Pascual, and magic performance by Corey Martin. A raffle will run throughout the weekend, winner to be announced Sunday afternoon. Proceeds will benefit the Art League of Long Island, a not-for-profit organization serving the community since 1955. This rain or shine event will be open to the public 10 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. both days. Admission is free for the entire family. For more information call (631) 462-5400 x222 or visit www.artleagueli.org.

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Community Calendar PROJeCt indePendenCe suPPORt & sOCiAL GROuP the town of North Hempstead’s Project independence would like to remind residents that they offer free support and social groups. Call 311 or (516) 869-6311 for more information. FRee LeGAL COnsuLtAtiOn CLiniC FOR seniOR CitiZens the Nassau County Bar Association provides free monthly legal consultation clinics for Nassau County residents 65 or older. Seniors have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with an attorney who volunteers to provide a

half-hour private consultation on any topic of concern. the next Senior Citizen Free Legal Consultation Clinic will be held tuesday, may 19, 9:30 to 11 a.m. at NCBA, 15th and West Streets, mineola. this popular free program regularly fills up quickly. Registration is required by calling (516) 747-4070.

FOR tRiViA LOVeRs At 7 p.m. two Wednesday nights each month at Page One Restaurant, 90 School St. Glen Cove. Call (516) 6258804 for information. sinGLes AssOCiAtiOn OF

LOnG isLAnd For information on events, please call (516) 825-0633 or (516) 333-2851 or e-mail singlesassociationofli@yahoo. com. yOuR WidOWed sOCiAL GROuP the group meets on the third Wednesday of the each month (except July and August) from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at St. Joseph’s R.C. Church on Franklin Ave. and Fifth Street, Garden City. there is a $5 fee for members and a $8 fee for non-members. For additional information, please call (516) 481-9280.

The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

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36 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

Chamber Orchestra of N.Y. to play Adelphi The acclaimed Chamber Orchestra of New York will make its debut performance at Adelphi University’s Performing Arts Center (AUPAC) Concert Hall on Saturday, May 16, at 7:30 p.m. with an all Ralph Vaughan Williams program. Under the baton of its music director, Salvatore Di Vittorio, the orchestra’s program features two U.S. premieres of firstedition publications of Vaughan Williams’ early works by publisher Oxford University Press, in collaboration with the Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust. The Solent will serve as an introduction to the Fantasia for Piano and Orchestra, showcasing German pianist Sina Klole. The evening will conclude with the masterwork The Lark Ascending, featuring British violinist Jennifer Pike. The music throughout the program is filled with Vaughan Williams ever-present sensibilities for folk song and evocative pas-

toral landscapes. The Chamber Orchestra of New York, established in 2006 in honor of the preeminent early 20th century Italian composer Ottorino Respighi, is dedicated to presenting the great orchestral repertoire alongside undiscovered

or rarely performed gems that complement and extend the classical tradition. Modelled after European-style young professional orchestras, it is one of the first auditioned orchestras in the history of New York to feature leading young musicians.

The orchestra provides performance opportunities for young musicians exiting music conservatories, as well as those in the early phases of their careers. Its musicians are students and graduates of The Julliard School, Manhattan School of Music and Mannes College of Music, as well as other music schools in the tri-state area. Adelphi University’s Performing Arts Center (AUPAC) is located at One South Avenue, Garden City. Tickets are currently on sale and are priced at $30, with discounts available to seniors, students and alumni. For more information about all events at AUPAC and to purchase tickets, visit aupac. adelphi.edu. Information is available at The Lucia and Steven N. Fischer Box Office at (516) 877-4000 or boxoffice@adelphi.edu. Regular box office hours are Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 6 p.m. The box office is also open two hours before most scheduled performances.

Muttontown Preserve to host nature walk May 17 The Muttontown Preserve will host a guided Nature Walk entitled, “Woodland Wildflowers,” on Sunday, May 17 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The “Woodland Wildflowers” nature walk is a three-mile walk through the wooded trails and meadows of the preserve. Participants will be able to enjoy flow-

ers and trees in bloom, including Snowdrops and many more. Kettle Pond will also be on the walk and hikers will get a chance to see the pond’s inhabitants. The walk will begin at the Bill Paterson Nature Center. Comprising 550 acres of fields, woodlands, ponds and estate grounds, Mutton-

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town is Nassau County’s largest nature preserve and one of the most beautiful settings on Long Island. The preserve includes miles of marked nature trails with local wildflowers, trees, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. Muttontown also has several structures, including the renovated Chelsea estate, which is listed on the National Reg-

ister of Historic Places. The walk is $5 and begins at the Bill Paterson Nature Center on the preserve. Enrollment is limited and pre-registration is required. Muttontown Preserve is located on Muttontown Lane, south of 25A, in East Norwich. For more information please call (516) 571-8500.

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The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

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The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

N. Hills mayor, trustees run unopposed

From left: Trustee Phyllis Lentini, Deputy Mayor Dennis Sgambati, Mayor Marvin Natiss, Trustee Gail Cohen & Trustee Elliott Arnold. By Ja m es G allowa y Village of North Hills Mayor Marvin Natiss, trustees Dennis Sgambati and Gail Cohen and Village Justice Sigmund Semon will appear on the ballot this June unopposed, a village official said Wednesday. Tuesday evening was the deadline to submit petitions for

a spot on the ballot for the June 16 election. The four incumbents plan to run a joint re-election campaign as members of the Homeowners party, Natiss said. Natiss has served as mayor since 2003, and prior to that he was village justice. He said he hopes to oversee the completion of the large construction projects in the vil-

lage, including the Ritz-Carlton Residences and the proposed 46-home development on the former grounds of the St. Ignatius Retreat House off Searingtown Road. “Those are major projects that we want to see to completion and it might take another two or three years,” Natiss said. Natiss, an attorney, touted North Hills’ tax rate, which he

called the lowest of 64 villages in Nassau County, and the establishment of a shuttle service from Village Hall to the Manhasset train station as among his largest accomplishments so far in office. “We’ve kept the village taxes low. We’ve stayed on budget; no elected officials have seen any increases, no appointed officials have seen any increases,”

he said. “We try to run a tight ship, and that’s how the village tax stays low.” He said the village would look to maintain the shuttle service, which has departures between 6:35 a.m. to 9 a.m. to the train station and return trips between 4:55 p.m. and 8 p.m. each weekday.

comm u n i t y n e w s

Town brings back Caps Back Contest The Town of North Hempstead will once again hold its popular Caps Back Contest, the first initiative of its kind in the United States. In partnership with Estee Lauder, the town is encouraging participating schools in North Hempstead to collect as many bottle caps as they can. These caps are difficult to recycle and usually end up in landfills, on beaches or as litter. In 2013, the schools saved more than 800 pounds of caps from being thrown away, in just one month. Schools that want to participate, or those looking for more information, should contact 311 or (516) 869-6311.

Grow your garden at Clark Botanic The Town of North Hempstead announced that starting this summer, the North Hempstead community can rent their very own plot of land at Clark Botanic Gardens to grow their own vegetables and plants. The individualized plant beds will allow North Hempstead residents who may not have enough space to grow their gardens at home to share the experience of gardening with their children. The beds, which are offered for $100, are available from May 22 through October 2. Those who tend to a bed not only receive their venerable piece of vegetable real-estate, but they also have access to instructors

who will share eco-friendly garden techniques and the assistance of a trained horticulturist. All of the produce harvested can be consumed for personal use, or it can be donated to a local food kitchen. The 12-acre Clark Botanic Garden, an accredited arboretum, is the jewel of the North Hempstead Parks system and features a staff of highly trained horticulturists and other landscape professionals who provide a unique park experience for residents. For more information on this program please call 311 or (516) 869-6311 or visit www.northhempsteadny.gov

40 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

Great Neck Library Budget Vote for Great Neck Library 2015/16 Budget The Budget Vote for the Great Neck Library 2015/16 Budget will be held on Tuesday, May 19, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Where to Vote: Residents living SOUTH of the L.I.R.R. vote at the South High School, 341 Lakeville Road (south of the L.I.E.). Residents living NORTH of the L.I.R.R. vote at the E.M. Baker School, 69 Baker Hill Road. The proposed 2015/16 Library Budget was adopted on April 14, 2015 by the Board of Trustees. Author Talk/Book Signing with Andrew Sparberg at Station Branch From a Nickel to a Token Meet Andrew Sparberg when he presents a fascinating micro-history of New York’s transit system on Saturday, May 16 at 11 a.m. at the Station Branch Library, 26 Great Neck Road (2nd level), Gardens at Great Neck shopping

center. Andrew Sparberg examines twenty specific events between 1940 and 1968, book-ended by subway unification and the MTA’s creation. From a Nickel to a Token depicts a potpourri of well-remembered, partially forgotten, and totally obscure happenings drawn from the historical tapestry of New York mass transit. Sparberg captures five boroughs of grit, chaos, and emotion grappling with a massive and unwieldy transit system. Andrew J. Sparberg has spent forty years in the transportation field, starting at Tri-State Regional Planning Commission, and then for twenty-five years at the Long Island Railroad. Since retiring from the LIRR he has worked on transportation’s academic side, most recently at St. John’s University and the City University of New York. He was technical editor of Long Island Rail Road, a 2007 history

by author Stan Fischler. For more than twenty years, Mr. Sparberg has conducted tours as a volunteer for the New York Transit Museum. Books will be available for purchase at the event. The New York World’s Fairs: 1939 and 1964 presented by Ronald Marzlock Great Neck Library presentation hosted by Temple Beth-El of Great Neck Join noted historian Ronald Marzlock when he presents The New York World’s Fairs: 1939 and 1964, a slide presentation/ talk and book signing on Sunday, May 17 at 2:00 p.m. at Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, 5 Old Mill Road, Great Neck, 11023. More people attended each of the two New York World’s Fairs than attended Woodstock, and the Fairs created lasting memories for generations of New Yorkers. Ronald Marzlock, author of The

New York World’s Fairs: 1939 and 1964, along with commentary and personal anecdotes, presents an exciting PowerPoint presentation of 200 images of the Fairs, many taken behind the scenes and never before seen. Take a trip down memory lane and learn things about the Fairs that you never knew. Ronald Marzlock has a weekly local history column, “I Have Often Walked” in the Queens Chronicle for over 17 years. He launched Icon Archives in 1996, his library of local New York history images which have appeared in television documentaries, magazines, and books. Books will be available for purchase at the event. Temple parking is on Old Mill Road adjacent to the side entrance. Film at Station Branch All film matinees are now held at the Station Branch while the Main Library

prepares for renovations. The next film will be shown on Thursday, May 21 at 2 p.m. at the Station Branch, The Gardens at Great Neck, 26 Great Neck Road, 2nd level (above Waldbaum’s). Refer to the Library Newsletter, film brochure or website for information on the films scheduled. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. Arrive early as seating is limited. Priority seating is given to Great Neck School District residents. Please bring your Library card, driver’s license or other ID showing your Great Neck School District address. Seeking Prospective Candidates Library Board of Trustees and Nominating Committee The Nominating Committee of the Great Neck Library will begin its search for prospective candidates for openings that will occur in January 2016 on the Board of Trustees and the Nominating Committee. At the end of January

2016, terms will expire for one four-year seat on the Board of Trustees currently held by Francine Ferrante Krupski, and two three-year seats on the Nominating Committee currently held by Stacee Bernstein and Andrew Dorf. Interested persons must be at least eighteen years of age or older and a resident of the Great Neck School District, and either have a valid Great Neck Library card or be a registered voter with the Nassau County Board of Elections by the Record Date of Monday, Oct. 5, 2015. If you wish to be considered as a candidate for any of the above seats, please send a letter and resume so stating by Friday, June 19, 2015 to: The Chair of the Nominating Committee, c/o The Great Neck Library, Station Branch, 26 Great Neck Road (2nd level), Great Neck, NY 11021.

Great Neck Park District “Get Active” in Allenwood Park Sunday, May 17, Allenwood Park all Park District residents are welcome to join us at the special family “Get Active” event between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Activities will include the very special “Monkey Motion”, Rock Wall Climbing, Tennis Demos, Sports, Face Painting, Disc Golf, Ga-Ga Games, Arts & Crafts and more! It will be fun for the whole family. For more information call (516) 482-0355. There is no rain date for this event. In the event of rain please check cancellations.com. Limited events will be moved to Great Neck House. Sunday @ 3 Series Compton Maddux will be performing at Great Neck House on Sunday, May 17 at 3 p.m. Mr. Maddux brings a mix of Americana, country and rock music to the stage. He has featured artists such as John Leventhal, Richie Havens, Lucy Kaplansky, Jeff Golub and Jim Lauderdale on his albums. A park card is required for admission to Great Neck House. Weekend Movie at Great Neck House Selma (2014) will be shown at Great Neck House Friday, May 15 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, May 16 at 5 & 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m.

The film is directed by Ava DuVernay and stars David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo andTim Roth. A chronicle of Martin Luther King’s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. The film is rated PG-13 and runs 128 minutes. Admission requires a park card. Parkwood Pool Membership Parkwood Family Aquatic Center opens Memorial Day weekend! It remains the best bang for your buck. You can register for membership at Great Neck House during regular registration hours or visit www.greatneckparks. com. Park Card Renewals Park cards can be obtained or renewed at Great Neck House. It is necessary to have a current park card in order to participate in Park District programs. All family members, including children, must be entered into the computer prior to registration for any course, car permit, daily/ monthly parking tickets, summer play group/camp, pool membership, indoor tennis time or tennis lessons. Proof of residence required, even for renewals. Call Great Neck House for further information regarding proof of residence: (516) 482-0355.

ParkWatch Now that the weather is warmer, there is more activity outside. The ParkWatch program is composed of observant residents willing to report vandalism and suspicious behavior occurring in the parks after dark. Please help to keep your parks and facilities in top shape by calling and reporting such activity to park security at 504-GNPD (504-4673). (For emergencies and to report a crime in progress, residents should still call 911.) Defensive Driving Classes at Great Neck House Great Neck House continues to offer Empire Safety Council Defensive Driving Classes. There next class is Saturday, June 7 from 9:30 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. To sign up for a class or for more information, call Great Neck House at (516) 482-0355. Moorings at Steppingstone Park Moorings are still available at Steppingstone Park Marina. Located directly on the Long Island Sound for easy access to City Island restaurants, New York Harbor, eastern Long Island and convenient launch service hours are available. First-come, first-served

Join us in Allenwood Park for Get Active! There’s something for the whole family to enjoy!

Compton Maddux will perform at Great Neck House this weekend.

The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

Vote to support library, schools

The Great Neck Union Free Public School District is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year - a remarkable event that marks our district as one of the oldest public school systems in the United States. Back in 1812, when New York State passed legislation enabling localities to establish public school districts, they were designed to be funded by local property taxes — and it is the source of local control. Whereas municipalities have other sources of revenue — a plethora of taxes, fees, fines - schools were designed to be funded through property taxes. Over the years, recognizing the detrimental differences in opportunities for youngsters based on whether they grew up in “have” or “have not” communities, local funding was supplemented by state aid, funded through the state income tax, which should have compensated for the rich/poor differentials of different communities. And in fact, school districts like New York City and Hempstead get 40-50 percent of their school budgets funded through state aid, while Great Neck gets less than 5 percent of its budget funded through state and federal aid. That means that Great Neck schools depend for 95 percent of its operating revenue on property taxes. Local control has been eroded — for good and for ill — by state mandates and, since 2001, by the Bush era No Child Left Behind (ironic that Bush opposed federal standards proposed by President Clinton when Bush was governor of Texas), which inserted federal control to an unprecedented degree. The Obama Administration’s Race to

the Top made compliance with new Com- evaluations. There is an impossible squeeze at both mon Core standards more “voluntary” but hitched federal aid to implementing the ends — in imposing higher costs on one new standards, measured through tests, end, but restricting the ability to raise revalong with “accountability” measures for enue on the other — that has to compromise the quality of education that public teachers. schools can deliver The federal mandates, There is no one in our which basically impose community who disputes a whole new orientation the quality of education toward high-stakes testwe receive — and not ing, are only one source of just “school-age children”. control. Our public school district State mandates — provides education quite everything from testing literally from the cradle regimens, auditing, and to whatever age a person requiring calculators in is and wants to continue math classes, to how learning — with early much public money needs childhood education, to be redirected to forKAREN RUBIN home visits, and adult profit charter schools, not Pulse of the Peninsula education. Anyone who to mention how much wants to take advantage each district needs to set aside for retirement and health benefits — of our public schools can. And we get tremendous “bang” for our are now in concert with property tax caps that restrict how much money localities education buck. Indeed, critics of school taxes like to can raise - and spend - on public schools. One new mandate this year would take the budget and simply divide the total pay much of the salary of a new teacher: expenditures by the number of enrolled, it requires the school district to conduct in-district students, to get a “tuition” its budget vote with the electronic vot- equivalent to an Ivy League college. But that is not at all accurate, because ing machines, rather than the lever-machines, with each ballot costing $1, almost the total expenditures do not take into account the 1,500 Great Neck students who $30,000 expense. The requirement for multiple layers of attend private and parochial schools, for whom our district is responsible to provide auditors adds about $150,000. Another new mandate requires a dif- public transportation, textbooks, nursing ferent approach to English Language care and other expenses. Out of $10.5 million spent on contract Learners (replacing “English as a Second Language”). And of course, there are now transportation, $4.5 million goes to transa battery of new requirements for teacher port Great Neck students to private and

parochial schools. “We are proud to say these are our children also, and taxpayers,” board President Barbara Berkowitz said at the budget review. It doesn’t include the many programs and services offered by the Great Neck Public Schools that are fee-based and revenue neutral (some even net a gain for the district): including the summer recreation and enrichment programs, adult education (serving some 10,000 people) and GED programs, and tuition paid by other districts for their students to attend special programs offered in Great Neck. Great Neck Public Schools are far more that K-12 education. In our community, the mission is to engender a love of learning for a lifetime. Even those of us whose children have graduated and gone on to make lives of their own (so many having had that gigantic step up because of the foundation built in our public schools) still benefit from our schools. I also list as the “benefits” of our public schools the sensational cultural offerings provided by our schools (South High is the only public high school that presents a fully staged, orchestrated opera in its original language) that save you a trip to Broadway, Lincoln Center or Carnegie Hall. And then again, there is the most crass, fiscal calculation: how well our schools perform is how much our house rises in value. Public education is truly an investment. But it is an investment, as well, in our society. The mission of our schools and liContinued on Page 49

Great Neck Community Calendar FREE ESL/CITIZENSHIP CLASSES Free access to legal counsel at St. Aloysius R. C. Church, 592 Middle Neck Rd. Great Neck. Classes run on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. To register, please call (516) 867-3580. RED CROSS SEEKS BLOOD DONORS The American Red Cross asks eligible donors to help ensure blood is available for patients in need by giving blood May 30 from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., at Harley DavidsonMiracle Mile, 215 Northern Blvd. Donors of all blood types – especially those with types O negative, A negative and B negative – are needed. To make an appointment to give blood, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800733-2767). TUESDAY WITH REAP REAP, retired, energetic, active people, meets Tuesday, May 19, at the Cumberland

School, 30 Cumberland Ave., Great Neck. At 9 a.m. various members of the group will discuss Significant Issues. At 10:30 a.m. the Business Meeting takes place. Carl Davis will present “My Opinion.” Speaker for the day is Lisa Scandaliato who will present the topic, “Understanding Abstract Art.” We break for lunch at 12:30 p.m.. Please bring your lunch and join us. Following lunch there is a roundtable discussion of current events to be led by Joan Wiener. Coffee, tea and refreshments are served. Economics and Science clubs meet at 1 p.m. We also have a book club and a short story group. SINGLES CONNECTION 45+ Brunch With Cooking Demo Singles Connection 45+ Sunday, May 17 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. $20/person. Learn how to create a best date ever. Make connections and have a fabulous time. Check for $20 payable to Temple Israel Of Great Neck. Mail to

Temple Israel of Great Neck, Singles Connections, 108 Old Mill Road, Great Neck, NY 11023. RSVP by Tuesday, May 12. For Information call Cindy or Estelle at (516) 482-7800. Dietary laws observed. MAN OF LA MANCHA Saturday, May 16 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets: $35 per adult; $20 per child ( age 15 and younger). Presented by Plaza Theatrical Productions at St. Aloysius Parish Center Gym (second floor), 592 Middle Neck Rd. Great Neck. Free parking and refreshments at intermission. Fundraiser to benefit all ministries at St. Aloysius. Please make checks payable to : “St. Aloysius Church.” RSVP by May 8. Please indicate number of adult and child tickets. Contact Person: Gayle Yorizzo (516) 487-0374. WOMANSPACE A discussion group devoted to issues concerning women. Weekly meetings are held

every Wednesday from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Great Neck Senior Center, at 80 Grace Ave, Great Neck. New members welcome. For more info call Joan Keppler at (516) 487-5844. STEPPING ON FALL PREVENTION PROGRAM Learn simple and fun balance and strengthening exercises to prevent falls. Guest speakers include physical therapists, a vision expert, a pharmacist and an expert on getting around your community safely. Please join us at the Great Neck Social Center, 80 Grace Avenue, Great Neck on Monday, May 18 and June 1, 8 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Registration is required, please call 311 or (516) 8696311 to register. LIONS CLUB HEARING AID PROGRAM The Great Neck Lions Club is pleased to announce their participation in “Lions Lend An Ear,” a program of the Nassau County district of

Lions Clubs International. The program provides hearing aids and related products and services at no cost to hearing impaired individuals who qualify based on financial need and communication need. Great Neck Lions Club is asking the local places that accept donated eyeglasses to accept used hearing aids as well. Note: The hearing aids should be placed in the eyeglass collection boxes located in all the Great Neck Libraries as well as offices of the Village of Russell Gardens, Village of Great Neck Plaza and the Village Hall on Baker Hill Road. FREE EXERCISE CLASSES Ongoing Program - FREE Silver Sneakers Exercise Classes For All Levels: Balance, agility, strengthening, endurance and osteoporosis for eligible seniors. Monday through Saturday. Garden City, Roslyn and Great Neck. Call for more details, including seeing if

you are eligible and class times, (516) 745-8050. LIONS CLUB OF GREAT NECK Lions Club of Great Neck meets the first Monday of each month at Pearl East Restaurant, 1190 Northern Blvd., Manhasset at 12 p.m. If you would like to attend a meeting and learn more about our club, please contact fernweiss@aol.com or call (516) 829-5192. ROTARY CLUB MEETINGS The Rotary Club of Great Neck currently meets every Wednesday from 8 to 9 a.m. in the boardroom of TD Bank, 2 Great Neck Road. Community residents and business members are welcome to visit Club meetings and discover how meaningful and satisfying it is to give back service to the community while networking through Rotary. For further information please see: www.clubrunner.ca/ greatneck/ or call (516) 487-9392.

42 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

C omm u n i t y n e w s

PATV offers Lithuania travel program

Producer/writer/host Phyllis Sternemann, brings a new program of her travels to Lithuania called of “Where’s Lithuania?” on PATV Channels 20 (Cablevision) and 37 (Verizon). Lithuania is the southernmost Baltic State and became independent in 1991. Watch this new program and view the current beauty of land and nature while exploring the fascinating history and centuries old architecture. Please check ourt PATV Great Neck – North Shore on Facebook,visit www.patv.org or follow them on Twitter @ infopatv. From left: statue of Grand Duke Gediminas in Lithuania and PATV producer/writer/host and Manhasset resident Phyllis Sternemann in the PATV studio.

G reat N eck lions C L U B

Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth met with the members of the Great Neck Lions Club on May 4 at Pearl East Restaurant in Manhasset. She spoke about open and transparent government, the town’s budget, the town’s Veterans Advisory Committee, the Building Department, our water supply and the Jamaica Wells project as well as upcoming Capital Plan projects and waterfront visioning. From Left: Silana Falana, Barbara Leopold, North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth, Barry Lisak, Pat Trester, Rebecca Mostel, Great Neck Lions Secretary Leslie Barshop, Ann Finlelstein Great Neck Lions President Fern Weiss, Cathleen Pinnella and John Pinnella at a Great Neck Lions Club meeting.

C omm u n i t y n e w s

The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

Environmental health forum to be held The Sephardic Heritage Alliance is inviting the public to attend its fourth environmental forum, The Power of Knowledge: An Environmental Health Forum at 7:30 p.m. May 21 at Great Neck House. “We are pleased to present a panel of experts to talk about what you can do to make your home and our community safer,” said Environmental chairman Michael Harounian. “We all want to make smart choices for healthier families.” The panelists will be: Laura Weinberg, president, Great Neck Breast Cancer Coalition - Weinberg has been honored for her advocacy work by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and most recently as a Nas-

sau County Trailblazer. Weinberg will focus on the toxins that you can avoid and the scientific research that supports such a strategy. Nicole Lalezarzadeh, students and science intern scholar - An outstanding senior at Great Neck North, Lalezarzadeh has done cancer research at Tufts University Medical School sponsored by the Great Neck Breast Cancer Coalition and has independently reviewed the data on cosmetic and personal care products. She will be discussing chemicals to avoid in products that are harmful for your family and for the environment. Patti Wood, executive director Grassroots Environmental Education

- Wood lectures on the environment and related health issues in the School of Nursing at Adelphi University. She will be discussing growing health concerns about wireless meters being installed by utility companies and their effects on young children and other sensitive populations. Erin Reilly, Town of North Hempstead, chief sustainability officer - With a Masters in Environmental Policy and Sustainability, Reilly oversaw the $100 million Nassau County Environmental Programs Act prior to her current position. She leads the town’s sustainability and environmental education programs. Her focus will be on what you can do to protect your community from environ-

mental hazards. Carol Frank will be the moderator. Frank is an environmental journalist. She currently serves as a director, representing the Town of North Hempstead, on the Water Authority of Great Neck North. SHAI is a multi-faceted organization that focuses on keeping the Persian community’s sense of heritage alive. In addition, the organization has reached out to form partnerships with other community organizations to promote alliances for the common good of all people living in Great Neck. Environmental forums in the past have focused on water quality and energy conservation.

Grand Opening of Ielpi Firefighters Park PHOTO BY Michele Siegel

Wednesday, May 6 at 6:30 p.m., fire trucks lined the street on the corner of Grace Avenue and Park Place at the Jonathan Ielpi Firefighters Park. Alert, Vigilant and Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Chiefs, firefighters, volunteers, Great Neck Park District staff and residents were there to celebrate the grand opening of the new playground installed at the park. Ielpi family members attended the celebration in honor of the late Jonathan L. Ielpi, for whom the park is named. John was a brave firefighter who perished on September 11, 2001. For all who came out, it was a lovely night for a celebration. The children who attended received fire hats and tattoos, and of course, enjoyed playing on the new playground! Come visit the Jonathan L. Ielpi Firefighters Park with the family and have a great time. Clockwise from top left: As the ribbon is cut, the playground is officially open. (From left) Great Neck Park District Commissioner Daniel M. Nachmanoff, Commissioner Frank S. Cilluffo, Great Neck Alert Fire Chief, James E. Neubert; Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Chief, Scott Garrigan; Great Neck Vigilant Fire Chief Joshua Forst, Commissioner Robert A. Lincoln, Jr. cutting the ribbon, Superintendent Peter M. Renick and Deputy Superintendent Lisa Goldberg; children enjoying the new playground; Anne Ielpi, mother of the late Jonathan L. Ielpi, watches her grandchildren Olivia and Jonathan as they stand close to the statue of their uncle.

44 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

s chool n e w s

North High Artfest to be held throughout May North High School’s annual Artfest, a celebration of the school’s fine and performing arts, will be held on three evenings this month—Thursday, May 14; Monday, May 18; and Thursday, May 21, at the school, 35 Polo Road. Event descriptions and times follow. All events are free and the public is warmly welcomed to attend. Repertory Theater Repertory Theater opens Artfest at 7 p.m. on May 14, with its production of The Survivor, under the guidance of director/drama teacher Jonathan Gellert. Information about this performance appeared in an earlier edition of this newspaper. Concerto Concert The Concerto Concert, which begins at 7:30 p.m., on May 18, features soloists accompanied by the Chamber Symphony with concertos by Chaminade, D’Indy, Rimsky-Korsakov, Dragonetti, Mendelssohn, von Weber, Marcello, Karl Stamitz, Ozvaldo Golijov, Mozart, Elgar and SaintSaens. Concerto soloists include: Flutists Cordelia Ding and Liza Sakhaie; Oboist

Chris Peter Angelidis; Trombonist Richard Khalily; Bassist Benjamin Lesser; Violinists David Elyaho and Leerone Hakami; Violist Harley Centner; Bass Clarinetist Solomon Elyaho; Trumpeter Andrew Samuel; Clarinetist Jonathan Zuckerbrod; and Cellist Emily Gold. Art Exhibit Artfest on Thursday, May 21, begins at 6 p.m., with the Art Exhibit. The Exhibit is the culminating display of work from all fine art classes including: Advanced Placement and Advanced Art, Sculpture & Ceramics, Digital Photography, Digital Design, Fashion, Architecture, and Studio Art. The artwork on display reflects the students’ talent and commitment, as well as their joy in expressing themselves. Art teachers are: Joseph Giacalone (lead teacher), Christine Hakanjin, and Emily Man. Artfest Concert The Artfest Concert, also on May 21, begins at 7:20 p.m. The Concert theme is: “Across the Channel from the British Side,” featuring the Chorus, Long Island Sound, Symphonic Band, and Symphony

Orchestra performing works from renowned British composers Just prior to the event, Concert-goers will be greeted by a Chamber Ensemble and a Jazz Ensemble performing music by the “Fab Four” (The Beatles). The Long Island Sound will perform an ensemble piece by Gilbert and Sullivan, “Three Little Maids from School,” from The Mikado, featuring Gabriella Burgos, Meira Ferster, Mhaya Polacco, Sophie Suess, and Yunyi (Anita) Zhang. The Chorus will perform “My Bonnie Lass,” a madrigal by Thomas Morley, and selections from Gilbert and Sullivan productions, including “The Flowers that Bloom in the Spring,” from The Mikado; “O Better Far to Live and Die,” from Pirates of Penzance; from H.M.S. Pinafore: “I Am Little Buttercup,” “With Cat-like Tread, When a Felon’s Not Engaged in His Employment” (featuring Spencer Berman and Jason Lavian), “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General” (featuring Zachary Lee), and “I Am the Captain of the Pinafore” (featuring a very special guest soloist); and “If You Want a Receipt

for that Popular Mystery,” from Patience. The Symphonic Band will perform Vaughan Williams’ “English Folksong Suite”; Eric Coate’s “The Dam Busters March” (conducted by Patrick Kennedy, student teacher); Ron Goodwin’s “633 Squadron” and “Where Eagles Dare”; and Selections from Sweeney Todd, by Stephen Soundheim. The Symphony Orchestra will perform Benjamin Britten’s “Simple Symphony”; Elgar’s “Nimrod,” from Enigma Variations; and “Mars,” “Venus,” and “Jupiter,” from Gustav Holst’s The Planets. The combined Chorus and Symphony Orchestra will close the Concert with Sondheim’s “Ballad of Sweeney Todd.” Vocal students will be under the direction of Dr. Janine Robinson. Instrumental students will be under the direction of Joseph Rutkowski. For more information on Artfest, please contact Neil Saggerson, North High School’s fine and performing arts department head, at nsaggerson@greatneck.k12.ny.us

Spring concert to be held at South High The South High School Spring Concert I, featuring the Jazz Band, String Orchestra and Concert Band will take place at 7:30 p.m. on May 20 in the school auditorium, 341 Lakeville Road. The entire community is invited to this evening of outstanding music. The Concert will be dedicated to the memory of Adana Taranis, Class of 2014, who died in a

recent car accident. The evening will open with Jazz Band performing “Return Of the Cheetah,” “It Had To be You,” and “Jumpin’ at The Woodside.” Jazz Band will be conducted by Michael Schwartz, performing arts department head/instrumental music director. The String Orchestra will perform “Radetzky March, Opus 228”; “And So It Goes”; “Plink,

Plank, Plunk!”; “The Red Pony (1. Morning on the Ranch, 2. Dream March, 3. Walk To The Bunkhouse, 4. Happy Ending)”; “America,” from West Side Story; and “Finale,” from Symphony No. 41 (“Jupiter”). String Orchestra will be conducted by Mr. Schwartz. The Concert Band will close out the evening with “Among The Clouds,” “Spirit Of The Pioneers,”

“March Diabolique,” and Disney At The Movies (“Zip-A Dee DooDah,” “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes,” “Never Smile At A Crocodile,” “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” “The Bare Necessities,” “Under the Sea,” “Beauty And The Beast,” “Be Our Guest,” “Friend Like Me,” “A Whole New World,” “This Land,” “Circle of Life,” “Can You Feel The Love Tonight,” “Colors Of

The Wind”). Concert Band will be conducted by Mark Boschen, concert band/instrumental music director. For more information about the May 20 Concert or other South High School music activities, please contact Mr. Schwartz at (516) 441-4851, or at mschwartz@greatneck.k12. ny.us.

Winning T-SHirt

Great Neck South High School students recently participated in the Health Occupations Students of America state conference where many won medals and a chance to compete on the national level. In addition, Ramya Kumar’s (second from left) T-shirt design was chosen as the official shirt design for the state convention. The design was also made into a button to represent NYS at the national convention in June. Joining Ramya, who is the treasurer of South High’s HOSA Chapter, are, from left: Faculty Advisor Dr. Steven Tringali, Principal Susan Elliott, Chapter President Emily Bae, Vice President Marilyn La, Secretary Vivian Lim, and Treasurer Tooba Alwani.

Jazz choir at Carnegie Hall

North High School’s specially auditioned Jazz Choir, a select group of the school’s chorus, joined with other high school vocalists (shown here in performance) at Carnegie Hall, in April, to perform Wynton Marsalis’ Abyssinian Mass. Mr. Marsalis was in the audience during the performance. Jazz Choir members: Gabriella Burgos, Sophia Eliassi, Meira Ferster, Juyeon (Heather) Han, Julia Lahren, Julia Lesser, Peri Litt, Sofia Notar Francesco, Polina Pittell, Eliana Smooha, Adi Sragovich, Brenda Tehrani, Evita Toubiyan, Katie TroppLevy, Kejia (Mady) Wang, Arleigh Wasserman, and Cecilia Yang. North High vocal teacher is Dr. Janine Robinson, instrumental teacher is Joseph Rutkowski, and Neil Saggerson is fine & performing arts department head. North High musicians have been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall over a dozen times since 1997

s chool n e w s

The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

G.N. North High student wins marketing award Nicholas D. ReisGerzog, a senior at Great Neck North High School, was awarded third place in the Sports and Entertainment Marketing category at the 2015 DECA-ICDC international tournament, recently held in Orlando, Florida. This marks the first time in the history of the DECA-ICDC tournament that a Great Neck North student has placed in any category. DECA, previously known as Distributive Education Clubs of America, is an international association of high school and college students and teachers of marketing, management and entrepreneurship in business, finance,

hospitality and marketing sales and service. The organization prepares leaders and entrepreneurs for careers and education in these and other business areas. Membership includes more than 220,000 students and advisers throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Guam, The People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Germany, Spain and Turkey. The International Career Development Conference (ICDC) is open to all DECA members; 17,000 members, advisors, and business professionals attend. In order to qualify for the international competition, participants

must place at state, regional and national competitions. The competitions consist of a written exam and two role-playing scenarios, in which competitors are given a fact pattern, and after only fifteen minutes of preparation, must present a marketing plan to volunteer judges from Fortune 500 companies. This was the third year in a row in which ReisGerzog qualified to compete at the ICDC. ReisGerzog, also a two time All Nassau County soccer player, will attend SUNY Binghamton in the fall. Faculty advisers for the DECA program at Great Neck North are Richard Marchese, Paul Rodriguez and Cara Burger.

Nicholas D. ReisGerzog

Tour of New York houses of worship offered Great Neck Public Schools Community Education offers a unique day trip to diverse houses of worship on June 18. Historian and author, Art Zuckerman, will provide in-depth background as we visit a Hindu Temple, Buddhist Temple, Islamic Cultural Center and Mosque, and Cathedral of St. John the Divine (Epis-

copal). The most prominent Hindu Temple in New York City is based in Flushing. The Temple’s architecture and rituals follow South Indian tradition. The Mahayana Buddhist Temple in Chinatown is the largest in New York City and home to a 16-foot golden statue of the

Buddha sitting on a lotus. The Islamic Cultural Center and Mosque, located on 96th Street in New York City, is a striking blend of ancient Islamic tradition and contemporary designs and materials. The last stop will be the world-renowned Cathedral of St. John the Divine. It is not only

the oldest building in Morningside Heights, built in 1892, but also one of the most fascinating. Its restoration is still underway. During the day, enjoy a three-course lunch at Café Espanol, with a glass of beer, wine, sangria, or soda, coffee and tea. Estelle Berg will lead this trip. Trip departs from, and re-

turns to the Cumberland Adult Center, 30 Cumberland Ave. Depart at 9 a.m.; anticipated return 6 p.m. Fee: $99 (includes tour, lunch, transportation, and gratuities). To register, please call the Community Ed office at (516) 441-4949.

board commends north middle students

Photo by Irwin Mendlinger

Sixty-seven North Middle School students (shown here) were recently recognized by the Board of Education for contributing to the quality of life at their school. Student honorees, in alphabetical order, are: Vanessa Anderson, Sophia Askari, Jason Beeferman, Michaela Ben-Sorek, Erica Bonheur, Samuel Calto, Natasha Castro, Benjamin Cohen, Nataly Cohen, Michael Cohenmehr, Lior Cole, Rayna Cooke, Liorah Felorian, Xena Fouladi, Liza Friedland, Nilesh Ganguli, Aaron Geula, Michelle Goh, Lily Guggenheimer, Laura Hakakian, Natascha Hakim, Noah Hakim, Noah Hanover, Yoel Hawa, Allison Hope, Daniel Itzkowitz. Chloe Kalimian, Sasha Kashanian, Shi-In (Daniel) Kim, Claire Kivelowitz, Zoe Lampione, Daniele Lee, Timothy Lee, Ayden Levine, Claire Lewis, Shannon Liu, Christopher Lu, Limor Makhani, Molli Mamiye, Sari Mamiye, Isabella Mirro, David Mollon II, Daniella Nakash, Alexis Namdar, Samuel Ohebshalom, Julia Otruba, Liraz Pirouzian, Bob Qian, Maya Ran, Eric Rosenbaum, Ariel Roshan, Joshua Rothbaum, Sabrina Sakhai, Rachel Schlusselberg, Kalli Schwartz, Ilana Sedaka, Nathaniel Sehati, Lauren Seidman, Amanda Shirazi, Alexander Smooha, Rachel Stone, Alexander Sum, Sarah Tang, Joshua Wigler, Lucien Wostenholme, Cody Yam, and Emma Young. Joining them were Board of Education members (President Barbara Berkowitz, Vice President Lawrence Gross, and Trustees Donald Ashkenase and Susan Healy), and school and district administrators. Missing from photo: Board Trustee Monique Bloom.

46 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

Congregation Student accepted to awards grants all Ivy’s picks Yale BY B I LL S A N A N TON I O

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock will award $100,000 as part of its annual Large Grants Program to each of six non-profit organizations, including two based on Long Island, the congregation announced Tuesday. The Family Service League of Huntington and S.T.R.O.N.G Youth of Uniondale, which support individuals with mental illnesses and at-risk youth, were approved during a May 3 vote by the congregation’s board of trustees, along with four others that seek to improve the environment and spread Unitarian Universalist ideology. “In the spirit of generosity and commitment to action, we collectively seek to provide funding for worthy organizations that align with our vision of building a more just world for all human beings,” said Nancy Chen Baldwin, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock’s president, in a statement. The congregation put out a request for proposal in January for organizations that match the unitarian mission, a nondenominational faith that places impor-

tance on inclusiveness and social justice initiatives. Created in 2007, Shelter Rock’s Large Grants program received 24 proposals, which congregation leaders narrowed down to six for which to provide funding. The Family Service League plans to use the funds toward its Assertive Community Treatment program, which offers therapeutic and rehabilitative services to people diagnosed with mental illnesses, while S.T.R.O.N.G Youth will focus its grant toward services to improve the lives of young people within the criminal justice system. The Oakland, Calif.-based Climate Justice Alliance and the Cambridge, Mass.based UU Service Committee will receive funds toward environmentally-friendly economic initiatives. Two other organizations, the Boston, Mass.-based Church of the Larger Fellowship and the Sherborn, Mass.based No Limits Media will focus their grants on promoting the Unitarian Universalist movement on social media and in the community as well as in larger media projects that seek to increase congregational awareness.

comm u n i t y n e w s

From left: Alexis Siegel, Janice Ashley, Andrew Malekoff, John Grillo, Amy Cantor, Edie Magnus

Luncheon raises $50K for Center

The North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center hosted a new event – a luncheon featuring games, vendor boutiques and a powerful engaging keynote speaker, on April 23. With more than 175 guests in attendance, the event raised more than $50,000 to support the programs and services of the Guidance Center. The keynote speaker was award-winning journalist Edie Magnus. Magnus is the executive producer of the PBS documentary, “Cry for Help,” and is currently the executive director of Media & Innovation at Mercy College. Janice Ashley of Signature Bank, Amy Cantor and Alexis Siegel, all members of the Guidance Center’s Board of Direc-

tors, co-chaired the luncheon. Sponsors included Nancy Lane, Baker Tilly, RFC Fine, Alexis Siegel, Nanci Roth, Jill Berman, Amy Cantor, Fara Copell, Ruth Ann Drucker, Joan Grant, Andrea Leeds, Nawrocki Smith LLP, North Shore LIJ Health Systems and Raich Ende Malter Co. LLP. North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center is the pre-eminent not-forprofit children’s mental health agency on Long Island, leading the way in diagnosis, treatment, prevention, training, parent education, research and advocacy. To learn more, visit: www.northshorechildguidance.org/events.html or call (516) 626 1971 ext. 310.

Harold Ekeh is seated (center) alongside his parents, Roseline and Paul Ekeh. Standing (l-r): Elmont Memorial guidance counselor Sean O’Brien, teacher Nkenge Gilliam, Principal John Capozzi, Sewanhaka Central High School District Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ralph Ferrie and Board of Education President David Fowler. B y J a m e s G allowa y Harold Ekeh, who faced the tantalizing decision of choosing between eight Ivy League schools and MIT, has now narrowed the field to one: Yale. “I am both incredibly humbled and excited to say that I am officially a part of the Yale University Class of 2019,” the Elmont High School senior said. In total, Ekeh went 13-for-13 in college admissions, including to all eight Ivy League Schools and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Ekeh said in a recent interview that he was initially leaning toward Yale after being inspired by a school trip there. “I visited Yale with my school’s Model UN team and I loved how passionate the people were,” he said. Born in Nigeria, Ekeh moved to Queens at age eight and then to Elmont for the schools. In his admissions essay, he described his experience coming to America and his initial struggles to adapt. “I spoke English, but with a really heavy accent. But I watched my parents persevere — despite closed doors, they were very persistent,” Ekeh said. “U.S. history was very challenging for me because I never learned that. I decided to face my challenges, to never give up and to tackle the challenge head on.” Though his family lived “a very comfortable life” in Nigeria, he said his parents decided to move to the United States to offer him and his siblings more opportunity. He remembers the small one-bedroom apartment his family lived in when they first came to America, and the jobs his parents worked — at Walmart, Target and a soup shop — “just to provide for our food and housing.” “I witnessed my parents struggling,” he said. “I really appreciate their sacrifice for us.” Ekeh, who had a grade point average of 100.51 and an SAT score of 2270, said he plans to study biology and neurobiology

and hopes to become a neurosurgeon. “I’d always say that I want to know what’s inside the human body,” he said. “I’ve been interested in the brain itself.” In January, he was named a semifinalist in the prestigious Intel STS competition for his original research on Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. In his project — succinctly titled, “The role of PARP-1 in MeHginduced dopaminergic dysfunction and mitochondrial DNA depletion” — Ekeh found that certain toxins cause degradation of motor skills and lead to the diseases. He said his grandmother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease when he was 11, inspired his research. “If there is any way I can work to prevent this I want to,” Ekeh said. After Ekeh won the Intel distinction, Elmont High School principal John Capozzi said Ekeh “really represents Elmont Memorial High School.” “No one is more determined than Harold,” he said. Ekeh demonstrated that determination in his search for a lab to conduct his research, saying he applied to “maybe 80” different labs. “After 80, I finally got accepted,” he said. Behind Ekeh’s decision to go to Yale were the people he interacted with, he said. “I met world scholars, outstanding educators and global leaders in their respective fields. The students were so inviting and helpful,” Ekeh said. “Through my conversations with current Yale students, I was inspired by their passion for learning for learning’s sake.” And now, he says, Ekeh is ready for the next phase of his life. “Yale embodies everything I am looking for in a university: a strong undergraduate focus, close interaction with professors and a solid support system,” he said. “I look forward to the next phase of life, the friends I will make and all the new opportunities that await me.”

The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

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Challenge in Village of G.N. elections Continued from Page 2 put out a robocall to encourage supporters to re-elect Kreitzman, Beckerman and Bass. Ackerman had said he made the call as a gesture of support for Kreitzman’s governmental record. Community activist Rebecca Gilliar, who helped organize the opposition campaign, submitted a letter to the Village of Great Neck Board of Trustees after the election asking the board to seek review of the election results by the state attorney general, citing voting irregularities. The board swore in its reelected members at a meeting following the election without considering the letter, saying that it was submitted after the village’s deadline for agenda items. Voting will take place from 12 p.m.-9 p.m. at Great Neck House at 14 Arrandale Ave. The Village of Great Neck Mayor is paid $10,000 a year and trustees are each paid $4,800. Sam Yellis, a Village School social studies teacher, is running as the lone candidate on the Bridge Party ticket. He has said

he is running because of his unhappiness with decisions made by the village trustees in recent years, including the rezoning of Middle Neck Road and Steamboat Road. Yellis said he objected to the reduction to the village’s business district along Middle Neck Road and an increase in residential properties along parts of Middle Neck and Steamboat roads in the rezoning plan. “You don’t save it by shrinking it,” Yellis has said of the business district. Kreitzman responded by saying many people in the village were in favor of the rezoning. “We probably had a dozen public meetings,” Kreitzman said. “There was no outcry that we were wrong. If elected, Yellis has said he would try to get town, county, state and federal funding to bring in five electric shuttle buses to bring people into the village to shop. Yellis said he is not seeking campaign donations, and that he is only campaigning through word of mouth.

Kreitzman was elected as a Village of Great Neck trustee in 2001, and as mayor in 2007. Before he became trustee he served on the villages’ Architectural Review Board and on the Planning Board. He said he and the trustees running for re-election have the experience to run the village. There are many projects, Kreitzman said, that the village board has started and he would like to see finished, including the rezoning of Middle Neck Road and Steamboat Road various measures to calm traffic and increase pedestrian safety. “We’re moving in the right direction and we want to continue that momentum,” Kreitzman said. If re-elected Bass has said he wants to continue the work he has been doing as Village of Great Neck trustee, including making Middle Neck Road more walkable and ensure the quality of life in the village. He also said he works closely to make sure the village’s storm water is as clean as it can be, as it eventually flows in Manhasset Bay.

Bass, who is CEO of Executive Strategies Group LLC, a strategic advisor to business owners and executive management, was first elected to be a Village of Great Neck trustee in 2007. He had previously served on the village’s planning board from 2000 to 2002 and the village’s zoning board of appeals from 2002 to 2007. Bass began his career as a transportation planner in New Jersey during the early 1970s. He returned to New York and became the first district manager appointed by Community Board 11 in Queens where he supervised the delivery of municipal services to the area. He then worked in the Ed Koch administration as the director of the Bureau of Management Analysis in the Department of Sanitation. He is the chairman emeritus of the Long Island Capital Alliance, a member of the Manhasset Bay Protection Committee and on the Board of Governors for the American Jewish Committee. Beckerman, first elected as

trustee in 2001 said he is running for re-election because he is committed to making the village a better place to live. Beckerman, a certified public accountant, has also pointed to village plans to move Village Hall from its current location at 61 Baker Hill Road at 265 East Shore Road and upgrade the village’s computer system. In Lake Success, trustees Adam Hoffman, Gene Kaplan and David Milner will all run unopposed, Village of Lake Success Deputy Clerk Pat Pilla said. Trustees are paid $1,800 a year, Pilla said. Voting will take place from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Lake Success Village Hall, located at 318 Lakeville Road. Village of Kings Point trustees Ron Horowitz and Hooshang Nematzadeh will also run unopposed, Village of Kings Point Clerk Gomie Persaud said. Kings Point trustees are not paid, Persaud said. Voting will take place from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Kings Point 32 Steppingstone Lane.

C O M M UNITY n e w s

Retirement in focus at next business seminar The Town of North Hempstead, in partnership with the Town’s Business and Tourism Development Corporation (BTDC) will be hosting the latest in an ongoing series of seminars helping North Hempstead’s business community on May 28, at the Harbor Links Club House at 8 a.m. This seminar, “The Myths & Truths of Employer Retirement Plans: What Every Business & Non-Profit Should Know” offers local businesses the opportunity to interact with experts in the retirement planning industry who will offer suggestions about pensions, senior retirement funds, investment strategies, the law and how to navigate the often tricky ins-and-outs of 401(K)s, 403(B)s, SEPs, SIMPLE IRAs and Cash Balance plans. “North Hempstead offers an exceptional business environment and we continue to work to ensure that local businesses not only survive here in North Hempstead, but thrive,” said town Supervisor Judi Bosworth. “Our local businesses are so important to keeping our economy healthy, and we are proud to

help them however we can.” Bosworth also serves as the Chair of the BTDC. Speakers include Gary Thayer, counsel at Archer, Byington, Glennon & Levine; Paul Carmichael, strategist at United Pension Benefits; William Schories, vice president of Senior Retirement Consultant at Oppenheimer Funds; Jeffery Isaac, managing director of MassMutual Retirement Services; Peter Janowsky and John Ryan of the Ryan-Janowsky Wealth Management Group. The seminar is free and all business owners are welcome to attend. A free continental breakfast is included with registration. Pre-registration is required. To register, call 311 or (516) 8696311, or visit www.btdc.biz/onlineregistration.asp. Please note, for those seeking CPE Credits or Human Resource HRCI Credits, the seminar will offer two CPE credits and two HRCI credits. “The retirement landscape for small business owners continually changes. It is tricky and often not clear which retirement options are best,” said BTDC

Above: Attendees look on at a BTDC seminar last year. At Right: Supervisor Bosworth addresses the crowd at a BTDC seminar last year. Executive Director Kim Kaiman. “This seminar will help business owners decide which type of retirement plan will build significant equity for their and their employees’ future.”

The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

Vote to support G.N. schools, library

Continued from Page 41 braries, borne out with how our tax dollars are spent, is to enable every individual child to fulfill their potential, whatever that might be. According to the statemandated fiscal accountability summary, Great Neck spends $104,425,959 on general instruction for 5,826 pupils, or $17,924 per student; and $40,959,283 for 837 special needs students, or $48,936 per student. Is this a lot? I think it is just right, and worth every penny. Budget Process: An Open Book For anyone who questions the size of the budget or the amounts spent, the budget is quite literally an open book: the budget — which percolates up, starting with the schools and departments — is published line by line, and this district (I would venture one of the few), hosts a public Budget Review when the board literally looks at every single item, from the largest to the smallest, with notes as to the reason for changes. Anyone is welcome to question expenditures and receive an explanation. And anyone who wants a clear view of the values and priorities that propel this district, listen to the discussion of spending: for example, there was discussion about $1,000 spent on translation services - and how that has to be improved because every notice (such as emergency school closings) has to go out in some 15 languages so that parents and guardians will understand them - Danish, Farsi, Hindi, Italian, Russian, etc. “At 4:30 a.m., we may have to send out 16,000 phone calls and 12,000 emails,” Superintendent of Schools Tom Dolan said at the Saturday budget meeting. “Each time we close the school, the message is a bit different. Now we rely on Google Translate-which is not great. This year, for the first time, we had this year had early dismissal, something never done before — never done that before — message was quickly translated — funny translations back Here you will see how much is spent on testing, scoring, on mandated academic intervention services, on legal services. The proposed school budget in the amount of $216,697,754 for the 2015–16 school year. The increase over this year’s budget is 1.23 percent. The increase in the amount to be raised by real property tax is 1.56 percent. Nearly all of the $2.63 million increase can be attributed to hiring additional instructional staff to support the Common Core, contractual salary increases for

existing staff, Consumer Price Index increases in transportation contracts, and higher health-insurance costs. “Once again we are faced with maintaining a challenging fiscal balance. We are continuing the programs we cherish, ranging from school preparedness in Pre-K all the way up through our diverse offerings in Adult Education,” Berkowitz said. “We are also able to maintain small class sizes in our elementary schools, while closely monitoring our slowly increasing enrollment.” “One of the things we’ve always done in Great Neck is provide a vast variety of programs at both the academic and extracurricular levels,” Board Vice President Lawrence Gross said. “These diverse offerings can be adjusted to meet the needs of our students, and that’s what makes this a special community. We want our students to leave our schools well-prepared for college and for life.” This year, the school district got a bit of a reprieve because of significant reductions in mandated allocations for the Teachers Retirement System and health benefits - a $2.4 million reduction, but, this is after rising $4.6 million from the 2013-4 budget, which in the past basically sucked up so much of the allowed “increase” under the property tax cap. “When we are facing state mandated maximum expenditure of 1.1 percent and the pension and health benefits in a two-year period goes up 2.3%, $4.6 million, it is really an issue that worries me and confronts the district administration and community,” board Trustee Don Ashkenase commented. “Continuing to present the program we do — one thing Great Neck always done is provide a vast, vast diversity of programs both academic and extracurricular. In the end, we want our kids to leave school well prepared for college but well prepared for life – that diversity, ability for a child’s school program to be adjusted to their needs is what makes this a special community. This may be a reprieve, but this is after rising $4.6 million over period of 2 years.” “More difficult cuts that threaten the quality of education,” said Ashkenase. “This year, we funded 23.5 additional teaching positions to allow us to preserve quality of education. We don’t know what will happen going forward.” “This is the first year we’re not in as much pain as in the past, but still have to look, scrutinize and see what we most value, and certainly when talk about staff, that’s our #1 priority – helps us

maintain small class size of which we are most proud,” Gross said. There are some changes to the budget as a result of Gov. Andrew Cuomo extorting the Legislature to give into his so-called “education reforms” - really permission to attack teachers and shift resources to privatized facilities. (Merryl Tisch, the Regents Chancellor, has family ties to the privatized education industry: her brother-in-law, Andrew Tisch, heads the board of K12 Inc., a leading on-line education company and it is not a coincidence that the direction the state is pushing public education is toward computer-based models (rather than actual teachers). Another major operator is News Corp’s education division, Amplify, headed by former New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein). On the surface, it would appear the district is getting an extra $903,000 increase, but the state rarely comes through with the amount it says. Last year, state aid was supposed to be $7,118,000, but in the end, the district got $6,914,000 or $200,000 less. What is more, the “increase” only gives back one-third of the GEA — the amount of state aid pulled back from school districts eight years ago to plug its own budget hole, and has never replaced. The school district is being conservative in where they are allocating the $703,000 (they aren’t even expecting the full $903,000 because of the vagaries in the way it is being calculated): $256,000 will go to putting in items that “we needed to add in,” and the difference, with the exception of $200,000, is being applied to reduce the amount of reserves that was applied to reduce the impact of expenditure budget on the taxpayer (that is, to keep the budget within the property tax increase so not to be penalized by the state which has attached all sorts of incentives to taxpayers to defeat a budget that goes over the cap.) As a result, total spending will increase 1.23 percent (versus 1.11 percent in original), and the increase in the tax rate will be 1.56 percent — falling within the state’s property tax cap. It warrants noting that even before the property tax cap was fully implemented, this school district kept the increases in the amount of the budget funded through property taxes below the 2 percent level, being incredibly sensitive to the economic hardship that Great Neck, like the rest of America, was undergoing. But as Board member Lawrence Gross said, that is an unsus-

tainable rate. “If this type of funding is continued,. it looks like ‘California, here we come’ - a reference to the dramatic decline in the quality of California public schools after the state enacted Proposition 13 in 2005, a property tax cap measure. “We can’t continue to fund your schools forever on those type of increases.” So far, Great Neck public schools - because of our board (particularly Ashkenase and Gross on the Finance Committee), our administration, the faculty and engaged parents - have been ingenious in figuring ways to maintain the quality of programming (and most specifically, low-class size levels) while staying within the cap. Other districts on Long Island and throughout the state have not managed to avoid cannibalizing their programs in order to pay for mandated increases while keeping within the cap. That has produced a steady erosion of programs and services other school districts have had to cut out music, art, theater, clubs, sports, Model UN and Model Congress until there is nothing left but what is absolutely mandated. And then the only place to go is cut staff so that classes become larger and larger. This school district has managed to preserve its programming and keep to its mission of providing the best education for each child. Essential to that mission has been low-class size — which is why during this year, the district had to add 13 teachers and will add 11.5 more for next year. “It was a large expenditure, but administration could find funds and insure we could add the teachers we needed to meet our promised commitments — needed for any number of reason — including low class size, which is very important commitment by this board. Impact of High-Stakes Testing Gov. Cuomo agreed to the increases in education funding by forcing his so-called reforms — chief of which is the controversial use of high-stakes test to represent 50 percent of a teacher’s evaluation, putting even more pressure and stress into the process. But in response, many parents across the street have joined an “opt-out” movement - raising questions about how valid the test results would be, and therefore, how could they possibly be used to evaluate teachers, let alone children. In response to a parent concerned that students who opt out will not receive the academic intervention services they need, Kelly Newman, assistant superinten-

dent for elementary education, said, “We don’t use the test as a factor. We use so many other assessments, so many other factors, we know who those children are, they are receiving services well before they take the test. We don’t rely on the test, a measure we don’t trust — it doesn’t give valid information to make the decisions. We have plenty of things in place – particularly our own teachers, who male very careful day to day observations that allow us to make decisions about providing services,” she said, receiving applause. “That’s why we want small class size, so teachers can work with students.” This is the system that has served our community so well now, for 200 years. Voting for the school budget and to return Berkowitz and Ashkenase, both champions of the pre-eminent values of the school district, is to affirm our community’s commitment to the mission: enable each child to fulfill their own potential There is a second proposition on the ballot, which would establish a capital reserve fund to finance future building improvements, construction projects, and possible replacement of existing facilities and property, to be funded from the district’s reserves, rather than through a bond. This basically returns the district to its practice of each year setting aside money for its capital fund, which was upset after the property-tax cap was implemented. “We’re proposing to take $19 million out of our reserves and put it into a fund so that we’ll have the ability in future years to improve our facilities,” Ashkenase said. “We are fortunate that we don’t have to go out for a bond issue, so we won’t have to pay interest on a continual basis. We are in an extraordinarily strong position.” The school budget and our public schools deserve our support. Voting on the Proposed 2015– 16 Budget, as well as the election of Berkowitz and Ashkenase to the board, and the library budget, will be held on Tuesday, May 19, 7 a.m.–10 p.m., Registered voters who live north of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) vote at E. M. Baker Elementary School; those who live south of the LIRR vote at William A. Shine-South High School. For details about the budget, capital reserve fund, voter registration, absentee ballots, and voting, call 441-4020; the preliminary budget is also online at www.greatneck.k12.ny.us.

50 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

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HOME CARE INSURANCE Protect Assets

Who Will Take Care Of You?

LLC

Long-Term Care SPECIALISTS

MCLTC.NET / MCLTC@optimum.net

516-877-2704 FREE QUOTES

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Have The Biggest Risk

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ADVERTISE HERE

SINGLE WOMEN

Care In Your Home

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* FREE QUOTES

Unable to Travel for Physical Therapy? “We’ll Come to YOU!” • Services are Covered by Medicare! • Schedule with a Geriatric Specialist near you!

ADVERTISE HERE 516.307.1045

516.307.1045

516-399-0051

Contact: help@jim-kaplan.com 347-673-1785

ADVERTISE HERE

Call Today:

Jim Kaplan

516.307.1045

physical therapy t

computer training t

family therapist t

ADVERTISE HERE

www.AdvanceAtHomePT.com

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piano lessons t

516.307.1045

ADVERTISE HERE insurance t

INSURANCE

Home • Auto • Business • Life

Insurance Timothy Donahue CBS COVERAGE a division of Assured SKCG, Inc.

(516) 394-7552

516.307.1045

podiatrist t

Dr. Maryanne Alongi Dr. Michael Cassano BOARD CERTIFIED PODIATRISTS ABPM

226 Seveneth Street #105 Garden City, NY 11530 (516) 248-9680 (516) Fax 248-9683

68-35 Fresh Pond Road Ridgewood, NY 11385 (718) 366-8988 (718) Fax 366-9145

369 E. Main St. #7 East Islip, NY 11730 (631) 277-1700 (631) Fax 277-1707

ADVERTISE HERE 516.307.1045

T:4.313”

The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

professional guide ▼ tutoring t

English Tutor Diane Gottlieb

English Tutor M.Ed., M.S.W.

SAT/ACT, College Essays AP, Regents, ELA Test Prep

Reading Comprehension and Writing Proficiency

Phone: 917-599-8007 E-mail: dianegot@gmail.com LongIslandEnglishTutor.com Providing one-on-one professional support to build confidence, knowledge, and skills in every student

tutor t One on One Learning at Home

Affordable Summer Learning All Grades & Subjects Certified Teachers, Core Curriculum Regents/GED/SAT/ACT/LSAT College Planning, College, Adult

FREE IN HOME CONSULTATION

516-578-2106

tutoring t

Who insures you doesn’t matter.

Until it does.

tutor t

MATH • SAT • ACT

TI-84 TI-89

Algebra NYS Licensed Geometry Grades 7-12 Algebra 2 + Trig Pre-Calc AP Calculus

hiram cohen & son, inc. Insurance Since 1919 Bill Spitalnick 486 Willis Avenue, Williston Park, NY 11596 516.535.3561 • Fax: 516.742.7209 A 2013 Chubb Personal Cornerstone Elite Agency

NORM: 625-3314

ENGLISH • ACT • SAT ing ritical Read C 25+ Years Writing Experience Grammar Essays

LYNNE: 6 2 5 - 3 3 1 4

Financial Strength and Exceptional Claim Service Property | Liability | Executive Protection | Workers Compensation | Marine | Surety Homeowners | Auto | Yacht | Jewelry | Antiques | Accident & Health Chubb Group of Insurance Companies (“Chubb”) is the marketing name used to refer to the insurance subsidiaries of The Chubb Corporation. For a list of these subsidiaries, please visit our website at www.chubb.com. Actual coverage is subject to the language of the policies as issued. Chubb, Box 1615, Warren, NJ 07061-1615. ©2013 Chubb & Son, a division of Federal Insurance Company.

54 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

buyer’s guide ▼ antiques

antiques

$$ Top Cash Paid $$

We Buy Asian Antiques

HIGH END ANTIQUES HIGH CASH PAiD

516.472.0500

www.ComputerRepairForce.com 39 Great Neck Rd., Great Neck Open 7 Days • Patient & Friendly

advertise with us

SYL-LEE ANTIQUES

718-598-3045 or 516-270-2128

Marion Rizzo and Gary Zimmerman www.Syl-LeeAntiques.com 516-671-6464 or 516-692-3850

AntiqueAssets.com

Immediate Cash Paid

CALL JOSEPH OR

• Home Tutoring • Computer Repair • Virus Removal • iPhone/iPad Repair • iMac/MacBooks Fixed www.computerteach.net

Oil Paintings, Mid-Century Accessories 1950s/60s, Porcelain, Costume Jewelry, Sterling Silver, Gold, Furniture, Objects of Art, etc. • 1 Pc.or entire estates • Premium prices paid for Tiffany, Damaged Meissen Porcelain, Bronzes, Quality Pieces Marble, etc. also

wanted

computers

RUTH

Family Business for over 40 years

Buying and Selling over 40 Years / Member New England Appraisers Association

auto recycling

Cleaning

place your ad with us!

To place your ad, call 516.307.1045 or fax 516.307.1046 home improvement

home improvement

DEVLIN BUILDERS Since 1979

We do all types of improvements including HANDYMAN REPAIRS No job too small

Bob Devlin @

516-365-6685 Insured, License # H18C730000

cleaning

home improvement

STRONG ARM CLEANING

Elegant Touch Remodeling

Residential and Commercial Cleaning Specialist • Post construction clean ups • Stripping, waxing floors • Move Ins and Move Outs

Free estimates / Bonded Insured

516-538-1125 www.strongarmcleaningny.com

“Quality Construction with a Personal Touch” Deal direct with owner - Serving li over 25 years

• • • •

All Types of Home Improvements Free Estimates • Free design service extensions • Kitchens dormers • bathrooms decks • siding

631.281.7033 Licence #H18H2680000

home improvement

LAMPS FIXED $ 65 In Home Service Handy Howard 646-996-7628

The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

buyer’s guide ▼ Homeheating Heating Oil home oil

interior design

Sage Oil

place your ad

advertise ad with us!

516 485-3900

To place your ad, call 516.307.1045 or fax 516.307.1046

Quality Oil at a Great Price Since 1960

No Fee For Visa/MC/Discovery or Debit Cards junk removal

jewelry buying

COMPLETE JUNK REMOVAL/DEMOLITION

WE BUY ANTIQUES, COSTUME JEWELRY & GOLD

lawn sprinklers LAWN SPRINKLERS

• • • • •

Fall Drain Outs Backflow Device Tests Free Estimates Installation Service/Repairs

Joe Barbato (516) 775-1199

moving & storage

• We haul anything & everything • Entire contents of home and/or office • We clean it up and take it away Residential - Commercial Bonded Insured / Free Estimates

STRONG ARM CONTRACTING, INC.

N.Y.D.O.T.#10405

MOVING & STORAGE INC.

Long Island and New York State Specialists

Syl-Lee Antiques Marion Rizzo and Gary Zimmerman Visit our website at www.Syl-LeeAntiques.com

516-538-1125

516-671-6464 516-692-3850

landscaping

Painting & finishes

• Residential • Commercial • Piano & Organ Experts • Boxes Available FREE ESTIMATES www.ajmoving.com

516-741-2657

114 Jericho Tpke. Mineola, NY 11501

PAINTING/POWERWASHING

resd/Comm cleaning

STRONG ARM CLEANING

Residential and Commercial Cleaning Specialist • Post construction clean ups • Stripping, waxing floors • Move ins and move outs

Free estimates / Bonded Insured

516-538-1125

www.strongarmcleaningny.com

56 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

buyer’s guide ▼ PAINTING/CARPENTRY/POWER WASHING painting, carpentry & powerwashing

tree service

SWEENEY

PAINTING and CARPENTRY Interior/Exterior B. Moore Paints Wallpaper Faux Finishes

Renovations New Mouldings Doors Windows

Licensed & Insured

516-884-4016 roofing

KEN’S SPRINKLER

SERVICE & REPAIR, INC,

Spring Special $50 Backflow Test

516-779-3860

advertise with us

place your ad with us! To place your ad, call 516.307.1045 or fax 516.307.1046 window repairs

631-385-7975

WINDOW REPAIRS & RESTORATIONS

Outdated Hardware • Skylights •Andersen Sashes • New Storm Windows • Wood Windows • Chain/Rope Repairs • Falling Windows • Fogged Panes • Mechanical Repairs • Wood Repairs

ALL BRANDS

W W W. S K YC L E A RW I N D OW. CO M Call Mr. Fagan • 32 Years Experience Lic. # H080600000 Nassau

L.I vies for MTA dollars Continued from Page 56

sprinkler service SPRINKLER SERVICE

• Sprinkler System Installations • Spring Turn On • Winterization • Service Contracts • Landscape Lighting • NYS Certified Backflow Tester

READERS WRITE

tree service

OLD VILLAGE TREE SERVICE 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE Owner Operated Since 1989 Licensed & Insured

FREE ESTIMATES

Member L.I. Arborist Assoc.

516-466-9220 place your ad

Advertise with us! To place your ad, call 516.307.1045 or fax 516.307.1046

Unfortunately, history has shown that estimated costs for construction usually trend upwards as projects mature toward 100 percent final design. Progression of final design refines the detailed scope of work necessary to support construction. The anticipated final potential cost for many of these projects will never be known until completion. Costs will be further refined by award of construction contracts followed by any unforeseen site conditions and change orders to the base contracts during the course of construction. History has told us that construction of most major new transportation system expansion projects has taken decades until completion of feasibility studies, environmental reviews, planning, design, engineering, real estate acquisition, permits, procurements, construction, budgeting, identifying and securing funding to pay for all of the above. Construction for the 2nd Avenue subway began in the 1960s. (Bond money intended for this project in the 1950s was spent elsewhere). The latest completion date for the first segment of three stations between 63rd and 96th Streets on the upper east side of Manhattan has slipped to 2016. Construction for the original tunnel to support bringing the Long Island Rail Road from Queens into Grand Central Terminal began in the 1960’s. In 1999, the estimated cost was $3.5 billion for completion followed by beneficial use forecast by 2011. The previous revised opening day revenue service date of 2019 was recently changed once again this time to 2023. It is difficult for anyone at this point to really predict when we will see a shovel in the ground for many of these other new proposals, followed years later by beneficial use of projects supporting opening day service or the final price tag to taxpayers. Clearly our region needs to prioritize the order for implementation of these projects based upon realistic assumptions for available funding. Larry Penner Great Neck

nassau

The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

COMMUNITY CLASSIFIEDS to advertise call: 516.307.1045

▼ Employment, Marketplace To Place Your Ad Call Phone:

516.307.1045

Fax:

516.307.1046

e-mail:

hblank@theislandnow.com

In Person:

105 Hillside Avenue Williston Park, NY 11598

We’re Open:

Mon–Thurs: 9am-5:30pm Fri: 9am-6pm

Deadlines

Tuesday 11:00am: Classified Advertising Tuesday 1:00pm: Legal Notices/ Name Changes Friday 5:00pm Buyers’s Guide Error Responsibility All ads placed by telephone are read back for verification of copy context. In the event of an error of Blank Slate Media LLC we are not responsible for the first incorrect insertion. We assume no responsiblity for an error in and beyond the cost of the ad. Cancellation Policy Ads must be cancelled the Monday before the first Thursday publication. All cancellations must be received in writing by fax at: 516.307.1046 Any verbal cancellations must be approved by a supervisor. There are no refunds on cancelled advertising. An advertising credit only will be issued.

• Great Neck News • Williston Times • New Hyde Park Herald Courier • Manhasset Times • Roslyn Times • Garden City News • Bethpage Newsgram • Jericho Syosset News Journal • Mid Island Times • Syosset Advance

Employment

Help Wanted

NURSERY SCHOOL DIRECTOR:

Modern Cooperative Nursery School seeks progressive director to lead the collaborative process with the Board of Directors, staff and parents. Director will drive all areas of the educational philosophy and long range planning. Ideal candidate will have certification in early childhood education or it’s equivalent and must have classroom experience. Interested candidates should submit their resume to: gcns50@gmail.com

Situation Wanted

NEW YEAR-NEW CAREER GROUP SALES REPRESENTATIVE Fortune 500 company, voted top 30 places to start a career in USA by Business Week magazine, looking for individuals to grow with the largest provider of voluntary employee benefits in the country. Must be enthusiastic and have strong work ethic. Sales experience is welcome but not necessary. Extensive management opportunities available. Unlimited earnings potential. Office located in Garden City. Call Bill Whicher 516-574-1064

CAREGIVER AVAILABLE Experienced woman seeks full time position to care for your sick or elderly loved one. Live in. Very reliable, non driver, references available. Call May 516-292-2662

ELDER CARE: AIDE/COMPANION with 15 years experience available to care for elderly. Days, nights, weekends. Own car. Excellent references. Call 516-353-1626

CERTIFIED HOME HEALTH AIDE: looking for immediate full or part time work caring or the elderly 5 or 7 days per week. References available, valid driver’s license. Anita 347-729-9875 or 954-260-1588

HOME HEALTH AIDE / CNA Certified CNA seeking full time, live in or live out position to care for elderly. 25 yrs experience. Administer medications, light house keeping, cooking, laundry. Will work flexible hours. Please call 347-707-3498

TO ALL EMPLOYERS We offer the following services: Companions, Home Health Aides/Elder Care Nights, Days Child Care and Housekeeping Live In or Live Out Laborers, Housekeepers No Fee to Employers Evons Employment & Services 516-505-5510

OFFICE HELP: Part time position available for Inc. Village of Williston Park, detail oriented person needed with good customer relations and excellent computer skills. Hours 19.5 per week/afternoons. Please send resume to: jkain@villageofwillistonpark.org WANTED! Female driver who lives in Great Neck to do local errands 2 or 3 afternoons a week. ALSO WANTED, a cleaning lady, 1 day a week. Driver and cleaning lady must have own car. Call 516-487-5117. Let phone ring until answering machine picks up and leave a message.

DENTAL ASSISTANT: New Hyde Park. Full time, evenings & Saturdays required. Experience not necessary. Please call 516-358-4683 or email LandLDental@gmail.com FULL TIME NANNY WANTED: In Garden City (near train) in June 7:15am to 6:30 pm Mon-Fri for 3 school age girls (4, 9 & 10). Driving required (family car available daily). Light housekeeping a plus. Email Amy at schroederhearon@ aol.com or call/text 917-576-9754 JEWISH LEARNING CENTER is looking or a student willing to give class to a group of 6-8 kids (ages 4 to 6) every Saturday morning from 10am-12pm $20/hr. Location: 3 Grace Ave, 2nd floor, Great Neck. Contact Philippe 917-499-2452

A NURSING AIDE/COMPANION SEEKING position to take care of your elderly loved one. Experience and very good references. Live in or out. Driver. Light housekeeping, shopping, doctor appointments, etc. 516-353-9686, 347-257-4084 BABYSITTER AVAILABLE FT/ PT: Experienced with children of all ages. A very responsible, caring, loving, punctual and nurturing caregiver. Clean driver’s license and has a car. Excellent references. Long term or just summer babysitting. Please contact me at 516-509-6994 CARE GIVER: NEED A COMPANION or nursing assistant for your loved ones? Fear of your loved ones being alone? Need overnight companion care at home or a health care facility? Call 516-410-9943 NY State certified nursing assistant.

MAY 23RD & 24TH

www.hudsonberkshirewinefestival.com

DONATE YOUR CAR Wheels For Wishes benefiting

x % Ta 100 tible uc Ded *Free Vehicle/Boat Pickup ANYWHERE *We Accept All Vehicles Running or Not *100% Tax Deductible

WheelsForWishes.org

Suffolk County

Call: (631) 317-2014

Metro New York

Call: (631) 317-2014

CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT with over 20 years experience available for long term care or the elderly with dementia, alzheimer’s. Medication reminders, doctor visits, activities of daily living. Excellent references, flexible hours. Call Ms. Daley 516-2043655, Ms. Henry 516-850-4258 or Ms. McCallum 516-232-0620 CLEANING / BABYSITTING SERVICES: 2 women available for cleaning homes, apartments, offices. Own supplies, own transportation. Also available for babysitting. Available 7 days a week, flexible hours. Please call 516-424-3740 or 516-240-3000 CLEANING LADY AVAILABLE Cleans, organizes. English speaking, honest, reliable. excellent references. Own transportation. Call 516-225-8544 DOMESTIC HELP: House, Office, Apartment Cleaning Available. Monday through Saturday. Experience and references. Own transportation. English speaking. Please call 516-445-2901 or 631524-9996 please leave message ELDER CARE GIVER seeking live in or live out job. Flexible hours. Excellent references. 10 yrs experience. Call Maria: 516-732-2189

HOME HEALTH AIDE Experienced woman with excellent references seeks FT live in position to take care of your sick or elderly. References available. Call Claudette 347-595-5491 HOUSE CLEANER AVAILABLE Good references. MondaySaturday. Experienced. Own car. Will provide own supplies. Free estimates. 516-485-3543, cell 516661-5282 HOUSECLEANING Young Ukranian woman seeking cleaning/ housekeeping jobs. Years of experience. References available. Call Svitlana 516-567-5003 HOUSEKEEPING, ELDERLY CARE OR BABYSITTING: Full time or weekends, 18 years experience. Please call 516-2361711 or 718-506-7529 MOTHER’S HELPER/BABYSITTER AVAILABLE Garden City HS student available to help with your young or school aged children. Games, activities, pool, etc. Available anytime. Also available for pet sitting and pet walking. Please call Amanda 516-741-9669

Career Training ATTEND AVIATION COLLEGE Get FAA approved Aviation Maintenance training. Financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. Call AIM or free information 866-296-7093

marketplace ELECTRICAL CORPORATION CLOSING DOWN & SELLING SUPPLIES !! In addition to misc electrical equipment, also selling Chevy 2008 van, Ferrari 1985 car, power washer, snow blower and more !! Please contact 516-325-5153 GARAGE SALE GARDEN CITY May 23 9am-3pm rain or shine 61 Roxbury Rd (1 block south of Nassau Blvd train station) Clawfoot tub, dining chairs, toys, incandescent bulbs, more! NEW HYDE PARK GARAGE SALE HUGE Multi-Family Sale May 16 9am-3pm Lawrence Street (East of New Hyde Park Rd) Something for Everyone ! Rain date May 30 PRIVACY HEDGE SPRING BLOW OUT SALE. 6’ Arborvitae (cedar) reg. $129 NOW $59. FREE installation/ delivery. Call TODAY. Limited supply 518-5361367. www.lowcosttrees.com

Manorhaven Red Devils Swim Team Coach We are looking for someone with swimming and/or swim coach experience to be the head coach for a team that swims in the Nassau Municipal Swim Conference, Division II. Candidates must have current Nassau County Lifeguard Certification and CPR Certification (copies of certifications must be included with cover letter and resume). Anyone interested in applying for this position should send a cover letter and resume to: careers@northhempsteadny.gov.

Lifeguards The Town of North Hempstead is gearing up for SUMMER! How would you like to help us make this our safest season yet? The Town of North Hempstead is looking to hire Lifeguards for our Pools and Beaches. Full-time, Part-Time, Weekdays and Weekends are available! So if you have your lifeguard certification it’s time to get your feet wet! Get paid while giving back to your community! Remember interested applicants must be Nassau County certified and have current CPR for the Professional Rescuer (CPR Pro). To fill out an application stop by: Michael J Tully Park, 2nd Floor 1801 Evergreen Ave., New Hyde Park, N.Y. 11040 Applicants may call Jennifer Costantino at (516) 739-3129 or (516) 300-0260 or email at costantinoj@northhempsteadny.gov

58 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

t rEaL EsTaTE, sErvICE dIrECTOry auCTIONs

Tag saLE

ONLINE AUCTION W/ BID CENTER, Historic Stewart-HawleyMalloy House and 5.17+/Acres & all personal prop, Laurinburg, NC in Scotland Co., Real Estate sale ends May 27th at 2pm, Bid Center: Hampton Inn, Laurinburg, NC, personal sale ends June 4th at 3pm. Online only, 800-997-2248, NCAL3936, ironhorseauction.com

AUCTIONS, TAG SALES & CONSIGNMENTS INVITED SALES by TRACY JORDAN Live and Online Auction House, Estate Sales, Appraisals and Consignment Shoppe. 839 Stewart Avenue Garden City 11530 516-279-6378 www.invitedsales.com Mon-Fri 10-6pm Sat 10-5pm, Sun 12-5pm Located next to the La Quinta and behind the Garden Gourmet Deli. Live Auctions Monthly! Free walk-in evaluations for items to be considered for Live Auction every Tuesday and Thursday 10am-2pm. No appointment necessary. Auctions are live every Wednesday from 8am-8pm and pre-bids are accepted at anytime. Visit www.invitedsales. com and click on the online auctions tab. Visit www.invitedsales. com to see pictures and information regarding our upcoming tag sales and estate sales. Our 50% off room is open everyday and includes items that have been in our shoppe for more than 60 days. To receive discount coupons and promotional information, join our email list. Text “invited” to 22828 and enter your email address when prompted. Consignments are taken by appointment to provide you with the best service. Please call the shoppe at 516-279-6378 to schedule an appointment or email pictures of your items to info@invitedsales. com. We can provide fair market values on any item that you may want to sell, consign or enter into auction. If you need advice on hosting a sale, selling an item or liquidating an estate, please call Tracy Jordan at the shoppe or directly at 516-567-2960

PLEASE JOIN US 222 Third Street (off Franklin Ave) Saturday May 16 9am-4pm YOU’RE INVITED! Thursday, May 21 9:30am 34 Woolsey Avenue Glen Cove, NY 11542 House filled with collectibles, vintage items, tools and furniture......Visit www.invitedsales. com for pictures and details!

SULLIVAN COUNTY REAL PROPERTY TAX FORECLOSURE AUCTION 350+ properties June 10 & 11 @ 10am. Held at The Sullivan, Route 17, Exit 109. 800-243-061 AAR www.nysauctions.com

waNTEd TO buy CASH BUYER! Buying ALL Gold & Silver coins, Stamps, Paper Money, Comic Books, entire collections, Estates. Travel to your home. Call Marc in NY 1-800-959-3419 LOOKING TO BUY! Records, oriental items, clothing, art, old & modern furniture, estates, jewelry, silver, glassware, dishes, old photos, coins & stamps, flatware. Call George 718-386-1104 or 917-775-3048 PORTABLE BASKETBALL SYSTEM WANTED for reasonable price for son. Must be fully functional and working, not broken. What is make & model? Backboard width? I will dis-assemble. John 516-567-5309 TOP CASH PAID: JEWELRY, Furniture, Art, etc. Please call 718598-3045 or 516-270-2128. www. iBuyAntiquesNYC.com

Tag saLE *BROWSE *SHOP *CONSIGN A.T. STEWART EXCHANGE CONSIGNMENT SHOP 109 Eleventh Street Garden City 11530 516-746-8900 China, Silver, Crystal, Jewelry, Artwork, Furniture, Antiques, Collectibles Tues-Fri 10-4 Sat 12-4 Every Tuesday: 10% Senior Citizen Discount. All proceeds benefit The Garden City Historical Society email: store@atstewartexchange.org www.gardencityhistoricalsociety. org

EAST WILLISTON VILLAGE WIDE TAG SALE: Saturday May 16 9am-3pm. Rain date Sunday May17. Over 70 homes participating. Something for everyone! Map available 9am sharp at 460 Sagamore Ave, 11596 GARDEN CITY Contents of eclectic home fascinating items throughout! antiques & modern furniture, rugs (caucasian, oriental, tribal & country) loads of unique bric a brac, tons of interesting old books, antique portrait, wall decor, linens, unusual tables, 2 trumpets, cradle, large basement filled to brim, loads of records (some Caruso) sailboat, bikes, tools, ladders, much more!!

yard saLE WILLISTON PARK: Multi family, Saturday May 16th from 9am-4pm. 72 Broad St. Treadmill, furniture, clothes, crafts, many new items....

pEtS

aUtomotIVE

auTO fOr saLE CHEVY MONTE CARLO 1985: 102K miles, 2 doors, 4 cylinder. Original owner $3,000. Call 516-352-6433

auTOs waNTEd DONATE YOUR CAR to Wheels For Wishes, benefitting Make-aWish. We offer free towing and your donation is 100% tax deductible. Call 631-317-2014 Today!

rEal EStatE For rEnt

pET sErvICEs A GARDEN CITY ANIMAL LOVER doesn’t want to leave your precious pooch or fantastic feline alone all day. I’m reliable, dependable and will walk and feed your pet while you work or travel. Please call Cheryl at 516-505-9717 DO YOU HATE KENNELS? OR STRANGERS IN YOUR HOUSE? HOME AWAY FROM HOME will care for your dog in my Garden City home while you are away. Dog walking also available. Pet CPR & first Aid Certified. Numerous referrals and references. Limited availability. Book early! Annmarie 516-775-4256 PROFESSIONAL DOG TRAINING Doggie Day Care & Walks Backyard Clean-up GC Resident 516-382-5553

aparTmENT fOr rENT GARDEN CITY BORDER: Studio, 1, 2 or 3 bedroom apartments starting a $1,150+ electric. Gated parking, laundry room, air conditioning, hardwood floors, LIRR, NO BROKER FEE. www.gcbapts.com / 516-742-1101 GARDEN CITY S.E. SECTION Unfurnished second floor 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, large living area. Cable, wi-fi, utilities, parking. No smoking. No pets. $1600. Please call 516-650-5144 GARDEN CITY SOUTH 5 large rooms: Living room, dining room, kitchen, 2 bedrooms, closets galore. Includes heat & hot water. No Smoking / No Pets. $1,875/mth. Call Owner 516-987-3585

aparTmENT fOr rENT WILLISTON PARK Completely renovated, 1 bedroom, 1 bath, second floor 2 family private home. Bonus finished attic space, updated kitchen, new appliances, new wood floors, new carpets, off street parking. Few blocks to LIRR, village area, nice neighborhood! $1650 includes water and heat. Reference check required. Penny 917-848-9366

hOmEs fOr rENT GREAT NECK / KINGS POINT Glamford Rd, totally renovated, 4 bedroom, 4 bath, finished basement, 2 car garage, Great Neck North / Baker School District. $4600 month. Owner 516-482-3210

OffICE spaCE GARDEN CITY SOUTH Ideal location, mint, large office space, 1st floor. Must see to appreciate. Available now. $1,750 / mth. 2nd floor, 4 large room suite $2,000. Call Owner 516-5387474 or 538-7476 GLEN HEAD / SEA CLIFF Full building, prime location. Busy street, approx 1200 sf. $2800/ month OR office cubicles $495 /month each. Fully furnished. Perfect for professionals. Eileen 516-674-3777 NEW HYDE PARK: Corner office, 200 square feet, Western Nassau County, semi furnished. $550 per month includes all. Ask for Adele. 516-354-4340

vaCaTION rENTaL CUTCHOGUE NASSAU POINT Newly renovated. Minutes to vineyards & beaches. 3 bedroom, sleeps 8, 2 full bath, large EIK, den, LR, DR. Outside patio / dining table, CAC, bicycles, beach chairs & lots more. Available August $9000. Call 516-317-3440 EAST QUOGUE Large 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with CAC, heated IG pool, private patio, access to bay and ocean beaches, boat slip available. 1 hour from Garden City. Please call 516248-0079 or 516-732-9435 OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND Best selection of affordable rentals. Full/partial weeks. Call for FREE brochure. Open daily. Holiday Real Estate. 1-800-638-2102. Online reservations: www.holidayoc.com PECONIC ON THE SOUND: Beautiful, large modern house, private beach, gorgeous sunset views. May-October or monthly. 516-660-2869 or 516-484-0256

rEal EStatE For SalE

CONdO/CO-Op fOr saLE CATHEDRAL GARDENS Top floor renovated 2 bedroom. It’s the Better of All Worlds! Hidden little community across from Sacred Heart Academy on Cathedral Ave. Asking $160,000. Open door showings by appt. Listed exclusively with Hagens Homes of Garden City. 516-741-7373 or cell 516-508-0043

hOmEs fOr saLE GARDEN CITY VILLAGE 119 Willow St. Classic side hall expanded Colonial. Fantastic features are highlighted by the ever popular EIK /Family Room w/ Fireplace design but it also boasts a news lovely first floor full Bath and a sunny Garden Room off the Kitchen. Traditional spaces include entry foyer, Living Room, formal Dining Room. Master Bedroom w/ bath, 3-4 additional bedrooms w/ hall bath, fully furnished basement. Near village supervised park and Locust School. New Price $799,000. Easy showings. Please call listing agent: Barbara Debold 516-6555728. Offered exclusively through Hagens Homes/Garden City 516741-7373. For more info or pics go to: msli.com enter lising #2751172

LOTs fOr saLE SPECTACULAR 3 to 22 ACRE LOTS with deepwater access: located in an exclusive development on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Amenities include community pier, boat ramp, paved roads and private sandy beach. May remind you of the Jersey Shore from days long past. Great climate, boating, fishing, clamming and National Seashore beaches nearby. Absolute buy of a lifetime, recent FDIC bank failure makes these 25 lots available at a fraction of their original price. Priced at only $55,000 to $124,000. For info call 757-4422171, email: oceanlandtrust@yahoo.com. Pictures on website: http:/ /Wibiti.com/5KQN UPSTATE NY ABSOLUTE LAND LIQUIDATION! May 16th! 19 tracts rom 3 to 35 acres starting at $12,900. Examples: 9 acres $19,900. 20 acres$29,900. 35 acres farmhouse$169,900. Foreclosures, estates, abandoned farms! Waterfront, trout streams, farmhouses, views! Clear title, 100% g’teed! Terms available! Call 888-905-8847 to register or go to: NewYorklandandlakes.com

rEal EStatE WantED

aparTmENT waNTEd APARTMENT WANTED: Single, mature, quiet, non-smoker school teacher seeks 1 bedroom apartment (non-basement) in this area. Call Tom 516-437-2927

SErVIcE DIrEctory

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The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

classifieds ▼ Home Improvements DEVLIN BUILDERS Since 1979. We do all types of improvements including HANDYMAN REPAIRS. No job too small. Bob Devlin 516365-6685. Insured License H18C730000 GARY MARC DESIGNS: Interior design, fabric/ f urniture selections, paint color consultation, wall coverings, flooring, kitchen/ b ath designs, custom window treatments, accessories and more. Free Consultation. Gary M. Schoenbach gary@garymarcdesigns.com / 516-680-0144 / www.garymarcdesigns.com

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ENGLISH, ACT, SAT TUTOR: 25+ year experience Critical Reading, Writing, Grammar, Essays. Lynne 625-3314 PIANO LESSONS By Ira Baslow. Experience the joy of playing the piano. Private lessons in your home, free no-obligation piano lesson, all levels, all styles, all ages. Beginners a specialty. 516-312-1054 www.iwantmypianolessons.com

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(516) 248-7189

60 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

▼ LEGALS Invitation to Bidders BOARD OF EDUCATION Great Neck Union Free School District PUBLIC NOTICE: is hereby given for separate sealed single Prime Contract bids for: Siding Replacement, at the Cumberland School & Roof Replacement at the Village School. Bids will be received by the School District Buildings and Grounds department, Wednesday May 20, 2015 at 10:30am prevailing time in the Phipps Administration Building, 345 Lakeville Road, Great Neck, NY 11020, and at said time and place publicly opened and read aloud. The Contract Documents may be examined (NOT OBTAINED) at the following locations beginning on May 6, 2015 between 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M.: Office of the Architect, BBS Architects & Engineer, P .C., 244 East Main Street, Patchogue, New York, (631) 475-0349 Great Neck Public School District 345 Lakeville RoadPhipps Administration Building Great Neck, New York 11020 Complete sets of Bidding Documents, drawings and specifications, may be obtained from REV, 330 Route 17A, Goshen, NY 10924: 877-272-0216 Documents may be obtained upon a deposit of One Hundred ($100.00) Dollars for each complete set. Checks for deposits shall be made payable to the DISTRICT, GREAT NECK UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT and may be uncertified. The bid deposit will be returned to all plan holders submitting a proposal, upon receipt of plans and specifications, in good condition, within thirty days after bid date, except for the lowest responsible bidder, whose check will be forfeited upon the award of the contract. Any bidder requiring documents to be shipped shall make arrangements with the printer and pay for all packaging and shipping costs. Optionally, complete digital sets of Bidding Documents, drawings and specifications, are available for download at the following website: www.bbsprojects .com or www. usinglesspaper.com under ‘public projects ‘. Upon accessing this site, bidders must create a user account to access the downloadable file package. Upon download of file package, the bidder will be immediately listed as a valid plan holder. Any questions regarding the use of this site can be directed to REV 877-272-0216 All bid addenda will be transmitted to registered plan holders via email and will be available at www.usinglesspaper.com and www.gnpsprojects.com. Plan holders who have paid for hard copies of the bid documents will need to make the determination if hard copies of the addenda are required for their use, and coordinate directly with the printer for hard copies of addenda to be issued. There will be no charge for registered plan holders to obtain hard copies of the bid addenda . The Contract will be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder or the proposals will be rejected within 45 days of the date of opening proposals. Bids shall be subject, however, to the discretionary right reserved by the School District to waive any informalities in, accept or reject any alternatives, reject any proposals and to advertise for new proposals, if in its opinion the best interest of the School District will thereby be promoted.

Each bidder may not withdraw his bid within 45 days after the formal opening thereof. A bidder may withdraw his bid only in writing and prior to the bid opening date. Dated: May 4, 2015 BY ORDER OF THE: BOARD OF EDUCATION Great Neck UFSD GNN 141566 1x 5/15/2015 #141566

LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY Notice of Formation of Limited Liability Company (LLC). Name: AUNT KAREN LLC Arts. of Org. filed by the Department of State of New York on: 04/01/2015. Office loc: County of Nassau. Purpose: any and all lawful activities. Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: 82 Arleigh Road, Great Neck, NY 11021 GNN 141562 6x 5/15, 22, 29, 6/05, 12, 19, 2015 #141562

NOTICE OF BUDGET HEARING, BUDGET VOTE AND ANNUAL SCHOOL DISTRICT ELECTION OF THE GREAT NECK UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT TOWN OF NORTH HEMPSTEAD COUNTY OF NASSAU, NEW YORK NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the annual election of the qualified voters of the Great Neck Union Free School District Nassau County, New York will be held on May 19, 2015 in the two election districts: ELECTION DISTRICT NO. 1 - All that section of the School District lying north of the Long Island Railroad, at the Great Neck E.M. Baker School, 69 Baker Hill Road, Great Neck, New York; ELECTION DISTRICT NO. 2 - All that section of the School District lying south of the Long Island Railroad, at the Great Neck South Senior High School, 341 Lakeville Road, Great Neck, New York, for the following purposes: A) To vote upon the annual school budget for the year 2015-2016 and to authorize the levying of a tax upon the taxable property of the district for the foregoing purposes (PROPOSITION NO. 1). B) To vote upon the following propositions: PROPOSITION NO. 2 RESOLVED that the Board of Education of the Great Neck Union Free School District (“District”), is hereby authorized to establish a capital reserve fund, known as the “Capital Reserve Fund I,” in accordance with the provisions of Education Law section 3651, for the purpose of funding future district wide improvements, renovations and/o r alterations, including but not limited to construction and/o r replacement of existing or acquired District facilities and property, capital improvements related to future enrollment growth needs, other infrastructure improvements and similar projects, and the purchase and acquisition of real property for educational purposes, and associated expenses. Such Capital Reserve Fund shall be for a probable term of ten (10) years and will commence on June 30, 2015 and expire on June 30, 2025. The Capital Reserve Fund will be capitalized in a total amount not to exceed Nineteen Million dollars ($19,000,000), plus interest, during the term of the fund. The source of the funding of the Capital Reserve fund will be an annual transfer of surplus money, if any, from the District’s General Fund’s

unassigned fund balance as may be available as of the end of each fiscal year from June 30, 2015 through and including June 30, 2025, and/or any other sources as authorized by the Board and permitted by law, including transfers from the District’s existing reserves. PROPOSITION NO. 3: RESOLVED, that the Board of Education of the Great Neck Union Free School District, Nassau County, New York, shall pay to the Great Neck Library, Great Neck, New York, a sum to be requested by the Board of Trustees of the Great Neck Library, Great Neck, New York, such sum to be raised by tax on the taxable property of said district for the support of said Great Neck Library for the year beginning January 1, 2016. C) To elect for a three-year term, a member of the Board of Education to fill the vacancy occasioned by the expiration of the term of Donald L. Ashkenase, the new term to begin July 1,2015. D) To elect for a three-year term, a member of the Board of Education to fill the vacancy occasioned by the expiration of the term of Barbara Berkowitz,the new term to begin July 1, 2015. E) To vote upon such other propositions as may properly come before the meeting. NOTICE IS GIVEN that the Board of Education will hold a public budget hearing on May 11,2015 at 7:30 p.m. DST, in the South Middle School located at 349 Lakeville Road, Great Neck, New York for the purpose of discussing expenditure of funds and the budgeting thereof relative to the appropriation of necessary funds to meet the necessary expenditures of said school district for school year 2015-2016 at which time and which place all persons interested in the subjec;t matter thereof will have an opportunity to be heard. NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that the annual election shall be conducted by voting on propositions and candidates on voting machines on May 19, 2015 commencing at 7:00 a.m. and ending 10:00 p.m., DST. AND NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that a copy of statement of the amount of money which will be required for the ensuing year for school purposes (school budget) exclusive of public monies, and copies of propositions involving expenditure of monies for the operation of the school system for the ensuing year, may be obtained y any resident in the district during the fourteen days immediately preceding the annual election, except Saturday, Sunday or holidays, at each schoolhouse in which school is maintained during the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The aforesaid budget statement shall contain the amount of money to be paid to Great Neck Library for library services for the year beginning January 1, 2016. AND NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that pursuant to Section 495 of the Real Property Tax Law, the District is required to attach to its proposed budget an exemption report. Said exemption report, which will also become part of the final budget, will show how the total assessed value on the final assessment roll used in the budgetary process is exempt from taxation, list every type of exemption granted by the statutory authority, and show the cumulative impact of each type of exemption, the cumulative amount expected to be received as payment in lieu of taxes and the cumulative impact of all exemptions granted.

AND NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that nominations for members of the Board of Education shall be made by petition signed by at least 47 qualified voters of the District and filed in the office of the District Clerk between the hours of g a.m. and 5 p.m. not later than the 30th day preceding the election at which the trustees shall be voted upon, this date April 20, 2015. Such petition shall state the residence of each signer and shall state the name and residence of the candidate. The two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes shall be considered elected to office. Where terms are of different length, the candidate receiving the highest vote shall be elected to the longest term. However, a nomination may be rejected by the Board of Education if the candidate is ineligible for the office or declares his or her unwillingness to serve. AND NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that registration is permitted in the office of the District Clerk, Phipps Administration Building, 345 Lakeville Road, during the hours 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, up to and including May 14, 2015. A register will be prepared and will be filed in the office of the District Clerk, 345 Lakeville Road, Great Neck, New York, and such register will be open for inspection by any qualified voter between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (DST) on each of the five (5) days prior to the day set for voting on the budget and election, except Sunday, and between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon (DST) on Saturday, and at each polling place on election day. AND NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that a person shall be entitled to vote at the annual election who is a citizen of the United States, eighteen years of age, a resident of the School District for a period of thirty days next preceding the election at which he/s he offers to vote and registered to vote for said election. A person shall be registered to vote if he or she shall have permanently registered with the Nassau County Board of Elections or with the School District’s Board of Registration. Only persons who shall be registered shall be entitled to vote. Said register shall include (1) all qualified voters of the District who shall present themselves personally for registration, and (2) all voters

previously registered for any annual or special District election and who shall have voted at any annual or special District election held or conducted at any time within the four calendar years (2011-2014) prior to preparation of said register. AND NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that the Board of Registration will meet during the hours of voting at the Annual District Election on May 19, 2015 at the polling places in each of the election districts to prepare a register for District elections to be held subsequent to May 19, 2015. PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the Board shall convene a special meeting thereof within twenty-four hours after the filing with the District Clerk of a written report of the results of the ballot for the purpose of examining and tabulating said reports of the result of the ballot and declaring the result of the ballot; that the Board hereby designates itself to be a set of poll clerks to cast and canvas ballots pursuant to Education Law ß2019-a.2.b at said special meeting of the Board. PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that applications for absentee ballots for the school district election may be applied for at the office of the District Clerk. A list of all persons to whom absentee ballots shall have been issued will be available in the office of the District Clerk on each of the five days prior to the day of the election except Sundays. PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the Board of Education has adopted rules governing the election, which include the following: a) Any proposition or question to be placed upon the voting machines (except propositions or questions which are required to be stated in this Notice) shall be submitted in writing by petition subscribed by at least 25 qualified voters of the District or 5% of the eligible voters who voted in the previous annual election, whichever is greater, and filed in the office of the District Clerk between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., not later than the 30th day preceding the election at which such question or proposition shall be voted upon. b) All petitions submitting questions or propositions shall clearly and concisely state the proposition or question to be submitted to the election, but the form and language of such question or proposition shall

be determined by the Board of Education. c) The Board of Education shall examine each petition filed with the office of the District Clerk for the submission of questions and propositions and may reject said petition if its purpose is not within the power of the voters, or where expenditure of money is required by the petition, if the proposition fails to include the necessary specific appropriation. Dated: March 16, 2015 Great Neck, New York BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION GREAT NECK UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT DIANA O’CONNELL, DISTRICT CLERK GNN 141338 4x 4/03, 17, 5/01, 15, 2015 #141338

Notice of Formation of Madison’s Bayside Corner LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 3/16/15. Office location: Nassau County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 525 Northern Blvd., Ste. 300, Great Neck, NY 11021, Attn: Eric Belanich. Purpose: any lawful purpose. GNN 141427 6x 4/24, 5/01, 8, 15, 22, 29, 2015 #141427

Notice of Formation of Justin Naim, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/5/15. Office location: Nassau County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 6 Hamptworth Drive, Great Neck, NY 11024. Purpose: any lawful activity. GNN 141560 6x 5/15, 22, 29, 6/05, 12, 19, 2015 #141560

Notice of Formation of G. Naim, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/5/15. Office location: Nassau County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 2 Cow Lane, Great Neck, NY 11024. Purpose: any lawful activity. GNN 141561 6x 5/15, 22, 29, 6/05, 12, 19, 2015 #141561

To Place Your Ad Call: 516.307.1045

The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

Martins enters into Skelos debate

Continued from Page 1 procedural grounds — over the shouts of state Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Queens), whose microphone was eventually shut off. During the heated exchange, Gianaris told Martins he “cannot single-handedly make up the rules of this Senate.” Martins said the Democrats’ motion was incorrectly filed and called Gianaris “out of line.” Then, in the midst of a resolution to honor a high-school basketball team, the Democrats walked out, in what the New York Times called “an oddity that might occur only in Albany.” The remaining senators proceeded without them — and news outlets statewide ate it up. Until Monday, when Republicans appointed Skelos’ reportedly handpicked successor, state Sen. John Flanagan (R-Suffolk), as the new majority leader, Martins had remained one of Skelos’ most vocal supporters. Martins told the Daily News last week that Republicans should not move to replace Skelos because “I don’t think he’s let anybody down.” And Martins put his name to statement signed by 16 state

senators saying Skelos should remain in the top spot. “We strongly believe that Senator Dean Skelos should remain on as majority leader of the New York State Senate,” the statement said. “He has the leadership we need to move the Senate forward so that we can continue to do the people’s work and finish out this year’s session in a productive manner.” But just hours before the Flanagan vote, a group of signbearing constituents rallied outside Martins’ district office to denounce his continued support for Skelos, who they called corrupt. “Jack Martins should be ashamed of his outspoken support of Dean Skelos. Both on the Senate floor and in the press, he has been the number one defender of Skelos and his corrupt practices,” said Adam Haber, an organizer of the rally and Martins’ 2014 Democratic challenger. Later Monday, however, Martins lined up behind Flanagan along with the rest of the Republicans following an hours-long closed-door conference meeting. After the vote, Martins issued his

first public comment in support of a Skelos alternative. “Earlier today, I joined with members of the Senate Republican Conference in electing Senator John Flanagan as the new Senate Majority Leader,” Martins said in the statement. “Having worked closely with Senator Flanagan since entering the Senate, I am certain he will do a great job for Long Island and New York, and I offer him my congratulations.” Martins, along with all of Long Island’s senators, was subpoenaed in relation to the Skelos investigation. Martins spokesman Chris Schneider said the senator complied with the subpoena and that Martins is not the subject of an investigation. But at the core of the investigations into Skelos and former state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) is a New Hyde Park-based real-estate giant whose reach extends into the coffers of dozens of elected officials across the state, including — but not limited to — Martins. Prosecutors say Dean Skelos leveraged his position to lead a company identified in news re-

ports as Glenwood Management Corporation to pay $20,000 to Adam Skelos for title insurance work he never performed and to secure Adam Skelos a $10,000per month job at an environmental company in which Glenwood executives owned stakes. Leonard Litwin, Glenwood’s 100-year-old founder, is one of the state’s largest and most influential political donors to politicians on both sides of the isle. In 2013 alone, he donated more than $1 million, second highest in the state, according to the New York Pubic Interest Research Group. Using dozens of Limited Liability Companies to legally flout campaign contribution limits, Litwin directly or indirectly made at least 1,834 contributions worth $13.2 million between 2000 and 2014, according to figures compiled by the Gotham Gazette. Martins received $45,000 in Litwin-affiliated contributions, but that was not unusual either on Long Island or in New York. Litwin contributed $110,000 to Skelos’ campaign and $59,000 to now-Rep. Kathleen Rice, along with dozens of other elected of-

ficials. Between 2000 and 2014, Litwin donated $1.1 million to the New York State Senate Republican Campaign Committee and $1 million to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2014 re-election bid. Litwin was by far the largest contributor to the campaigns of Cuomo, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. And Litwin was the driving force behind New York’s real estate PACs, including one that attacked Senate Democrats. (He also donated over $200,000 to the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee.) “They are equal opportunity givers,” Susan Lerner, executive director of the good-government group Common Cause, told Capital New York about Litwin, adding “They have used the L.L.C. loophole for the benefit of the governor, and various committees and other legislators. I don’t believe there is anybody they don’t contribute to in some way.” Schneider said Glenwood has “supported both Republicans and Democrats at all levels of government here on Long Island and throughout the state.”

Consultant calls for Plaza parking changes Continued from Page 2 but some village residents and local business owners voiced their concerns. Mark Wolf of Camp and Campus, located at 42 Middle Neck Road said the Gussack Plaza Lot parking spaces shouldn’t be reduced to two hours, but could be reduced to three hours. “If you sit down at a restau-

rant to eat we hope you would go in some stores and shop,” Wolf said Scott Zimmerman, of Aura Hair & Beauty Salon, located at 25 Cutter Mill Road, also said that two hours is not enough time for residents to park. He said people are often at his hair salon for more than two hours at a time. “If they have extensions in

their hair they can’t go out and move their car,” Zimmerman said. But, Zimmerman said, the village should increase the rates. Plaza resident Jonathan Stein, who lost in his campaign for Plaza trustee in March to trustees Gerry Schneiderman and Larry Katz, said there is no connection between the parking recommendations and increasing business in

the Plaza. “I recommend you hire a new consulting company that can make the economic link and say how increasing turnover could translate to more economic prosperity in Great Neck,” Stein said. During Stein’s campaign, he engaged in a heated exchanged with Schneiderman over draft recommendations presented by Level

G, which was paid $2,500 for the study. Stein characterized Schneiderman’s support for the contract with Level G as “Trustee Schneiderman Caught Urging $2,500 Payoff by Plaza Board” in the headline of a release. Schneiderman demanded that Stein retract what he called libelous statements.

JFK students honored for lighthouse support Continued from Page 3 pal Kathy Murray said the student council put “penny pots” in each classroom for students to put loose change in. “They’ve been contributing every day,” Gimondo said.

“It’s a wonderful civics lesson and it’s a wonderful community project.” Town Councilwoman Anna Kaplan thanked the children for making others aware of the lighthouse’s importance. “The lighthouse is a very

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special place,” Kaplan said. “What’s even more special is people like you, the future residents and future leaders who understand the importance of preserving this historical place for the next generation.” Entertainment was provid-

ed at the presentation by folk singer Dave Sear, a Great Neck resident and sailor. Sear taught the children and their parents some sea shanties and folk songs and sang three songs including Woodie Guthrie’s classic “This

Land is Your Land,” which almost all the children sang along to. Sear said that as a sailor and as a Great Neck resident he would like to see the lighthouse saved.

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62 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

Sports

GN Bears celebrate successful season The Bears Hockey program celebrated the end of a great season at the Andrew Stergiopoulos Ice Rink on Friday, May 1. Award Night included approximately 100 participants, ages 5 through 12, who received trophies to celebrate their successful season. Commissioners Robert A. Lincoln, Jr., Daniel M. Nachmanoff and Frank S. Cilluffo attended and handed out the trophies along with Superintendent Peter Renick, Hockey Director Dan Marsella and all of the participating coaches. Nick Mavriomichalis, father of one of last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bear Hockey members, Dimitri, who has since moved on from the pro-

Photos/Michele Siegel

gram, generously brought food for the celebration with other parents offering desserts and beverages. The hockey team received their awards and some players and parents were lucky enough to win a raffle prize! Raffle prizes included signed NY Islander hockey pucks, drinking mugs, yearbooks, blankets, autographed pictures and Tshirts. The Bears extended season runs from May 4 through June 2, Mondays from 6:45 to 7:45 p.m. and Tuesdays from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. It is never too late to register. Call (516) 487-2976, ext. 128 or visit www.greatneckparks.org.

From left: Coach David Schildkraut, Hockey Director/Coach Dan Marsella, Coaches Robert Campbell, Napolean Georgatos, Ralph Marro and Eric Judson, Commissioner/Coach Frank S. Cilluffo and Commissioner Robert A. Lincoln, Jr.

From left: Park District Commissioners Robert A. Lincoln, Jr., Frank S. Cilluffo and Daniel M. Nachmanoff.

The group anxiously awaits being called up to receive their trophy.

Commissioner/ Coach Frank S. Cilluffo with A proud player shows his award to the others. Gabe Bergman as he receives his trophy.

Bear hockey player Chris Meehan wins an autographed N.Y. Islanders hockey puck.

The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

64 The Great Neck News, Friday, May 15, 2015

GREAT HOMES MAKE GREAT MEMORIES. FIND YOURS.