Serving Manhasset
June 12, 2015 BLANK SLATE MEDIA •
r stage on L.I. Eternal Con takes cente will return to Long Island Comic Con year, on SatNassau for the third consecutive 14. June urday, June 13 and Sunday, again takeEternal Con 2015 will once Cradle of Aviation over three floors of the with more than 250 Museum in Garden City, tables of pop culture madness. together comic Eternal Con brings sci-fi, cosplay books, collectibles, gaming, from 10 a.m. to and horror. The event runs 13 and 10 a.m. to 5 7 p.m. on Saturday, June p.m. on Sunday, June 14. will once again Eternal Con’s organizers charities, local raise funds to benefit several Empire State including the Nassau County Challenged. OpGames for the Physically donations, the erated with private sector young athGames provide differently-abled in the ancompete letes the unique ability to with friends nual weekend of competition, New York. from across the State of Eternal Con “I invite all residents to visit culture event of the 2015 – the largest pop Executive Ed Mansummer,” said County event of fun gano. “This special two-day t young athletes also raises funds to benefi County Empire who compete in the Nassau Challenged. State Games for the Physically their corporate genI thank Eternal Con for erosity.” off the weekEternal Con 2015 will kick annual “cosplay” end of events with its free, beginning at 9 costume parade and contest, a.m. on Saturday. 2015 is $25 Admission for Eternal Con (ages 2-12) for adults and $12 for children is $20 admission Sunday, On on Saturday. for adults and $6 for children. details please For more information and or www.cradleovisit www.eternalcon.com faviation.org.
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Friday, june 12, 2015
vol. 3, no. 24
eTeRNAL CON BOYS LACROSSe SCOTTO CALLS FOR SINgAS ReTURNS TO L.I. deFeATed IN FINALS TO ReTURN CONTRIBUTIONS pAGE 27
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Maragos calls for changes in IDA’s focus Cites lack of job creation tied to tax breaks granted in 2013 BY B I LL SAN ANTONIO Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos is calling on the county’s Industrial Development Agency to reconsider the criteria by which it grants tax breaks to businesses planning construction amid a recently issued report from the state comptroller’s office which showed that Nassau County’s tax breaks generated far fewer jobs off such projects in 2013 than in neighboring counties as well as IDA’s across the state. In a letter to IDA Executive Director Joseph J. Kearney Tuesday, Maragos wrote the agency should “review their existing job creation strategies, personnel performance and to institute appropriate changes to achieve better results” than the 1,835 jobs the state reported Nassau netted that year when the county granted $43,325,571 in net tax exemptions. “The [Nassau County Industri-
al Development Agency] plays an important role in ensuring that our county remains competitive within the region by maintaining and attracting new jobs. It is disappointing that we have fallen behind in these critical areas,” Maragos wrote. Maragos in his analysis of Nassau’s IDA activity that year found the agency “appears to support smaller scale projects with less jobs potential,” suggesting it instead “favor higher quality projects that have the potential to create or retain a higher number of jobs.” In 2013, the most recent year for which statistics are available, the Nassau County IDA approved 278 projects worth more than $2.9 billion and offered businesses more than $69 million in tax exemptions, according to the state comptroller’s May 18 report. The Nassau IDA recovered just 37 percent of the exemptions through payment-in-lieu-of-taxes Continued on Page 50
PHOTO COURTESY OF TED ROEDER
St. Mary’s High School Valedictorian Taylor Wilson addresses his classmates on Saturday during commencement services at the Tilles Center at LIU Post.
St. Mary’s graduates 168 in Tilles Center ceremony BY B I LL SAN ANTONIO
graduates, salutatorian Jaanki Shah urged her classmates to follow Mahatma Gandhi’s prinStanding atop the stage at ciple of being the change they the Tilles Center at LIU Post on want to see in the world. “This is our time to show Saturday, as she addressed her fellow St. Mary’s High School the world what we can do,” she
told the Manhasset Catholic school’s 168 graduates, their parents and parish administration. The school’s valedictorian, Taylor Wilson, took a more Continued on Page 50
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