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Friday, January 15, 2016
vol. 65, no. 3
N E W H Y D E PA R K
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january 15, 2016 special section • / litmor publications a blank slate media
Jockeying for 3 seats after israel decision 17 congressional candidates emerge; fewer names for state-level offices By N o A H m A N S k A r Just days after U.S. Rep. Steve Israel said the non-stop fundraising cycle of federal politics was the basis for his decision not to seek re-election, some Long Island politicians started working to fund campaigns to replace him. Coupled with state Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel’s separate decision not to pursue reelection, Israel’s surprise Jan. 5 announcement set off a flurry of political activity eyeing the Melville Democrat’s seat from which 17 potential candidates have emerged. State Sen. Jack Martins (RMineola) was the first to create a congressional campaign committee and will leave the state Senate at the end of his term, an aide said. And North Hempstead town Councilwoman Anna Kaplan became the first Democrat to officially enter the race this week. As the jockeying continues, questions remain as to who will represent the North Shore in both
Albany and Washington, and how the three races might shift the balance of power in New York. The candidates Few potential candidates have emerged for the state offices. Adam Haber, a Democrat who opposed Republican Edward Mangano for county executive in 2011 and ran a self-funded state Senate campaign against Martins in the 2014, told Blank Slate Media he’s strongly considering running for Martins’ seat again. And Democrat Jim Gounaris, a trustee and former president of the Herricks school board, said he is considering a campaign to replace Schimel. Nassau Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs said North Hempstead Public Safety Commissioner Andrew DeMartin, a former Manhasset-Lakeville fire commissioner, had also expressed interest in the Assembly seat. Jacobs said he’s also been in touch with Haber and thinks he’s Continued on Page 66
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Bernadette Smith, a member of floral Park’s Belmont Park Task force, addresses a crowd of about 2,000 Tuesday night at a rally against plans for a video casino at Belmont Park.
2,000 in f.P. rally against Belmont Park casino plan By N o A H mANSkAr
in a local effort to combat the proposal. The village’s Belmont Park More than 2,000 people Task Force organized the rally gathered in Floral Park Tuesday at Floral Park Memorial High night to protest the planned School with local community placement of a video casino at and civic leaders in the two Belmont Park, the latest step weeks since Nassau Regional
Off-Track Betting Corp. announced plans for a gambling hall there. The crowd filled the school auditorium and library, spilling out into the hallways and lobby, Floral Park Mayor Thomas Continued on Page 19
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