Manhasset 2022_11_18

for

ouster as chairman

BY ROBERT PELAEZ

Hundreds of Democratic officials throughout New York have signed a draft letter to oust state and Nassau County Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs following an election year that saw party candidates fall far short of expectations.

This included the loss of four congressional seats — including two in Nassau County where registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by 100,000 — as well as the loss of state Senate and Assembly seats.

The letter criticizes Jacobs for failing “to commit the time, energy and resources necessary to maintain” Democratic control throughout the state while Democratic candidates across the country exceeded expectations.

“The writing is on the wall and has been for some time: Jay Jacobs is not fit to serve as chair of the State Democratic Party,” the statement says, and urges Gov. Kathy Hochul to “work with the party to elect a focused, determined, unifying party leader.”

Among the 1,100 who signed the letter were state senators Liz Krueger and Brad Hoylman, as well as the New York City comptroller, Brad Lander.

Jacobs said on Sunday that he had no intention of resigning, according to the New York Times.

“I am proud of the work we all did to bring out our vote,” Jacobs was quoted as saying. “Like many others, I am disappointed by losses in several of our congressional races,” he said. “My focus now is on beginning the work to win those seats back in two years.”

New York Democrats bashed the Democratic head for the number of closely contested races in a heavily Democratic state, including Hochul’s defeat over Republican Lee Zeldin by just short of 6 percentage points.

Democratic candidates for governor have won by an average of 14 percentage points in the past 20 years. Jacobs was appointed state Democratic chair by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Republican Congressional candidates George DeVolder-Santos and Anthony D’Esposito declared defeated Great Neck businessman Robert Zimmerman and former Hempstead Town Supervisor Laura Gillen in seats previously held by Democrats.

Santos received 142,017, or 54.2% of the votes in the race for the 3rd Congressional District, while Zimmerman, received 120,060 or 45.8% of the votes

Zimmerman, a Great Neck resident who ran on the Democratic and Working Family Parties lines, received 22,594 votes from Queens voters compared to Santos, a Queens resident who

Plandome Road could get $3M boost

BY ROBERT PELAEZ

More than $3 million of money that could be allocated from the Town of North Hempstead should cover the remaining expenses of a

project

Concerns about the cost of maintenance for private septic tanks have been expressed by businesses along Plandome Road, with some claiming pumps have to be examined on

to convert private septic tanks for businesses on Plandome Road in Manhasset to a public sewer system, Manhasset Chamber of Commerce Co-President Matthew Donno told Blank Slate Media.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MANHASSET SCHOOL DISTRICT

Manhasset veteran Lionel Mailloux met with eighth graders at Manhasset Secondary School to share his military experience. See story on page 2.

Veterans Day celebrated across North Hempstead

Port Washington held

BY BRANDON DUFFY

Veterans Day was observed by communities all over the Town of North Hempstead as a day to honor those who have served.

North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and Councilmem bers Peter Zuckerman, Dennis Walsh and Mariann Dalimonte, Clerk Ra gini Srivastava and Receiver of Taxes Charles Berman also hosted their annual “Thank You to Our Veterans” event. On Nov. 10 at New Hyde Park’s Clinton G. Martin Park, the barbecue luncheon recognized the men and women who courageously put them selves in harm’s way to protect Amer ica’s freedoms.

Port Washington hosted its third annual Veterans Day Car Parade. The parade started on Campus Drive and traveled north on Port Washington Boulevard to Main Street, where it ended at the Sousa Band Shell.

Following that, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1819 and the Amer ican Legion Post 509 held a ceremony at the Sousa Band Shell at 11 a.m.

3rd

annual car parade, ceremony

— the same time the armistice with Germany went into efect on Nov. 11, 1918, unofcially ending World War I.

The following year President Woodrow Wilson declared Nov. 11 Armistice Day, to commemorate those who served in the confict. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower changed the title to Veterans Day, to recognize those who served in all con ficts.

In New Hyde Park, veterans and residents gathered at village hall in the rain to honor those that have served.

“The village honors our great veterans for their bravery, courage and sacrifce on behalf of our coun try,” said Mayor Christopher Devane. “They personify what it means to be a role model and hero in our society. Veterans are the backbone of this and every community in our nation. They deserve our thanks and respect for their outstanding service.”

In Williston Park, a ceremony was held outside village hall on the corner of Willis Avenue and Meagher Place that featured veterans groups, the

Williston Park Fire Department, Boy Scouts and students from St. Aidan’s, among others.

Mayor Paul Ehrbar reminded those in attendance to always thank active service members and veterans for their service whenever possible and expressed his gratitude to the vil lage’s veterans groups for their many contributions to Williston Park.

“Today we want to celebrate and honor all veterans in the military,” Ehrbar said, “because every day we have brave men and women serving our great nation in times of peace and times of war.”

In Mineola, a brief ceremony was held at Memorial Park in front of the village’s veterans memorial and fea tured local veterans, village ofcials, residents and the boy scouts, among others.

Floral Park’s American Legion Post 334 hosted its annual march and ceremony beginning on Tulip and Atlantic Avenue. After marching to wards the village’s Veterans Memorial Park, a brief ceremony was held.

Outreach, state aid goals for Port schools

District summary given at board meeting

BY STEVEN KEEHNER

Port Washington school ofcials provided a comprehensive assess ment of the district’s goals and plans at the State of the District meeting.

The district released its strategic plan in June. Superintendent Mi chael Hynes said the district review would bring past ideas and goals to gether.

“Just think of it as the previous State of the District really set the table,” he said. “Now we are serv ing the food as far as what’s about to begin.”

Hynes emphasized the signif cance of analyzing objectives. He said that one should view them as both individual and combined con cepts.

“It’s important that we are look ing at things in isolation but you’re also looking at alignment,” he said. “And how everything is integrated together. That’s important to under stand.”

Hynes presented goals for the Board of Education, superintendent and district ofce. He linked the challenges to these groups as his pre sentation progressed.

“I view the superintendency, at least for right now, as a district or chestra conductor of all these mov ing parts to create a symphony in the end,” he said. “That is the desired

goal.”

The education board’s goals in clude supporting and monitoring the well-being of students and staf and continuing to advocate for more state aid.

Hynes also shared objectives for himself. In particular, he noted the implementation of the district’s fveyear strategic plan.

They divide the plan into four parts: curriculum changes that sup port the vision and mission, facility and operations-based changes to re fect the needs of the district’s chang ing culture and climate, promoting and strengthening diversity, equity and inclusion and strengthening communication.

Hynes said each of these specifc objectives requires action steps, evi dence of success and evaluation.

“You take a deeper dive into this particular component — we’re look ing at action steps, evidence and evaluation,” he said. “This is all an important part of the process of mak ing sure that myself and others are staying on the task before we can fo cus on these things.”

District ofce goals were divided into four categories: business ofce, special education/pupil person nel services, human resources and school leadership as well as curricu lum and instruction. Continued on Page 47

Paul D. Schreiber High School. At the State of the District meeting, Port Washington school officials provided a comprehensive assess ment of the district’s goals and plans.

Brandon Duffy 516-307-1045 x215 • bduffy@theisland360.com

Manhasset Times: Robert Pelaez 516-307-1045 x203 • rpelaez@theisland360.com

Roslyn Times: Steven Keehner 516-307-1045 x214 • skeehner@theisland360.com

Williston Times: Brandon Duffy 516-307-1045 x215 • bduffy@theisland360.com

Port Washington Times: Steven Keehner 516-307-1045 x214 • skeehner@theisland360.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TOWN OF NORTH HEMPSTEAD

Town officials join local veterans for the Town’s Thank You to Our Veterans event.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Mineola to vote on mix of retail, residential

BY BRANDON DUFFY

The Mineola Board of Trustees will consider in December six local laws that collectively provide new zoning in the village and create over lay districts on part of Jericho Turn pike and downtown, according to Mayor Paul Pereira.

The board last Wednesday held a public hearing on the six local laws before voting to reserve their deci sion.

In his statement, Pereira, who was elected earlier this year, said one of his main goals was to evaluate Mineola’s master plan.

“The current master plan was completed in 2005 and has served our village well and provided a cru cial guide to the revitalization of our village, and in particular our down town. That said, a lot has changed over the last 17 years,” Pereira said. “When I took ofce this past April, one of my frst objectives was to re visit our village’s master plan to de termine whether it was still serving the needs of the village and was con sistent with trends in our economy.”

On Sept. 21, Mineola’s Board of Trustees listened to a presentation by Paul Grygiel on creating an over lay district on the strip of Jericho be tween Willis Avenue and Marcellus

Road and on Main Street, First Street and Second Street between Mineola Boulevard and Willis.

Grygiel is a city planning and development consultant with previ ous experience in Mineola, which in cluded a helping hand in the creation of the master plan of Mineola in the mid-2000s.

Overlay zones create special zon ing districts on previously established districts that can allow for additional criteria.

An overlay zone, as presented, would allow future development to be residential-only and exceed the maximum height of 25 feet but not go above 40 feet.

The frst law being considered amends the current zoning districts to include two new ones, the Jericho Turnpike Overlay District and the Historic Overlay District.

The second law amends the vil lage’s defnitions section of its zon ing code to defne “assisted living

residence,” “event/conference space” and “hotel.” Each of those three de velopments were listed by Grygiel as possible additions to the Jericho district.

During the September meeting, Grygiel noted that the master plan labeled the Jericho Turnpike area as an appropriate place for pedestrianoriented development, mentioning specifcally that some outside-thebox methods of increasing develop ment would be mixed-residential

buildings, a conference space, hotel or movie theater, among other pos sibilities.

Grygiel said the focus for the Main Street area was to preserve and enhance a traditional downtown area. He pointed out that buildings can only be two stories and allowing for a third could promote develop ment.

The third local law being consid ered creates a parking trust fund for

Three bedroom, two and a half baths. Many green features, two electric car charging stations, Nest upgrades, and solar panels equals low bills and so much more. Charming outside and inviting inside. Manhasset School District #6.

Trustees will consider six statutes to create overlay districts on part of Jericho Tpke., downtown

PHOTO BY BRANDON DUFFY

Paul Grygiel speaks to the Mineola Board of Trustees in September on potential business overlay districts. Continued on

LIPA commission sets public meetings

Five hearings over next month to allow local officials, community stakeholders to share thoughts

BY ROBERT PELAEZ

The state’s Legislative Commission on the Future of the Long Island Power Authority has scheduled fve hearings over the next month to hear from local ofcials and community stakeholders, ofcials announced on Thursday.

The state-budgeted commission tasked with establishing a more ef fective operational model for how the organization serves Long Island ers will have its frst meeting on Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. in Farmingdale where they will select a chairperson and de termine its agenda.

The frst public meeting where live testimony will be heard is sched uled for Nov. 29 at 10 a.m. at the Hofstra University Student Center. A virtual meeting later that evening will also be held, which will be fol lowed up by a pair of hearings on Dec. 15 and Dec. 16 so residents of the Rockaways and Sufolk County, respectively, can voice their thoughts.

State Sen. Kevin Thomas and Assemblyman Fred Thiele, both cochairs of the commission, said they are pleased to have forums scheduled so that those whose daily lives are af fected by the power authority can made their thoughts, suggestions and concerns heard.

“With the creation of the Advisory

Committee, the Legislative Commis sion on the Future of the Long Island Power Authority has assembled a dis tinguished cross section of Long Island ers to assist the Legislative Commission

with its mission to transform LIPA into a transparent and accountable electric utility that can deliver reliable service at a more afordable cost,” Thiele said in a statement.

“The LIPA Commission Advisory Committee members are made up of community leaders across Long Island that we believe best refect the diverse interests of Sufolk, Nas sau, and the Rockaways residents,” Thomas said. “I’m proud of the team assembled to serve as Advisory Com mittee members, and we look for ward to hearing directly from the public on ways to make their utility services more afordable and efcient during the public hearings.”

Great Neck resident and former state Assemblyman Rory Lancman was named the commission’s executive di rector in late September. Lancman said Long Islanders and residents of Queens deserve to have accessible, reliable and cost-efective electric service, lauding the establishment of the commission and expressing his appreciation for his appointment to the group.

Aside from serving as a state as semblyman, Lancman also served as a member of the New York City Coun cil before moving to Great Neck last year with his wife Mojgan, the frst Iranian-American to be elected as a state Supreme Court Judge.

He also served as a statewide spe cial counsel for ratepayer protection, presiding over a meeting where New Yorkers expressed their experiences with the Power Authority’s service

following Tropical Storm Isaias in August 2020.

During that meeting, LIPA CEO Thomas Falcone described Isaias as a “management failure.”

“Every failure that occurred during this storm could have been prevented by competent management,” Falcone said during the meeting. “I want to share with you an internal email from a PSEG employee from mid-July, just three weeks before the storm. The employee stated to his boss that the outage management system, the key system that failed during the storm, was quote ‘not even managing on a day-to-day basis, and we are defnitely not prepared for a weather event.’ That was three weeks before the storm.”

PSEG estimated that 420,000 of its customers across the island lost power during or following the storm, with an estimated 15,528 customers having to wait more than a week for their service to return.

The power authority currently contracts its day-to-day operations to PSEG: Long Island. Ofcials said they are required to present their restructur ing ideas to the legislation before Dec. 31, 2025.

More information on the hear ings and how to submit testimonies can be found online at https://nylipa. gov/.

PHOTO COURTESY OF RORY LANCMAN

Rory Lancman, executive director of a state-run commission tasked with analyzing and presenting tentative modifications to the Long Island Power Authority’s operation.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sending good wishes to you this Thanksgiving! Good food that flls your table, good health and good times with family and friends. We are grateful for our community, without whom none of this would have been possible. Have a happy and healthy Thanksgiving! Enjoy this beautiful season.

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Road near UBS Arena named after Isles

BY BRANDON DUFFY

Red Road, a busy road in Elmont during events at the UBS Arena, was renamed Thursday to N.Y. Islanders Way, the Town of Hempstead announced.

The renaming comes nearly one year after the arena opened its doors to the Islanders and more than 50 years of the hockey team calling America’s largest township home.

“I have hundreds of fond memories cheering on the Islanders at the old barn, and now I’m thrilled to help commemorate their new home,” said Hempstead Supervisor Don Clavin in a statement.

“The Town of Hempstead is proud to be home to a beautiful arena, a first-class hockey team and an unrivaled passionate fan base.”

The UBS Arena at Bel-

mont Park, nicknamed “the Stable,” became the franchise’s third home. Since its inception in 1972, Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, otherwise known as the “old barn,” hosted the team, which also played at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn briefly in the 2015-2016 season.

N.Y. Islanders Way runs adjacent to the Silver and Diamond parking lots at the arena and features blue-andorange colored street signs.

“The naming of N.Y. Islanders Way celebrating the Islanders’ 50th anniversary season reflects the great partnership between the New York Islanders, UBS Arena, our community and all of our elected officials,” said Islanders Co-Owner Jon Ledecky.

UBS Arena President Kim Stone said the renaming will be seen with pride from

the fanbase.

“UBS Arena is proud to partner with the New York Islanders and the Town of Hempstead to unveil N.Y. Islanders Way,” Stone said. “It will be seen with pride by generations of Islander fans and New Yorkers who are the fabric of our community.”

The new street name is the second notable renaming for the arena. In October, the main entrance to the venue was changed to “The Acrisure Great Hall.”

“From the Josh Bailey chants to the ‘yes yes yes’ goal celebrations, there is nothing better than New York Islanders hockey,” continued Clavin. “Thank you to Jon Ledecky and UBS President Kim Stone for hosting us today, I look forward to many more partnerships with our home team in the near future.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TOWN OF HEMSPTEAD

Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin, Councilman Thomas Muscarella, Receiver of Taxes Jeanine Driscoll, Islanders Co-Owner Jon Ledecky, UBS Arena President Kim Stone unveiling N.Y. Islanders Way.

No public input included in GOP map

Democratic county redistricting officials continue to chastise Republicans for lack of transparency

BY STEVEN KEEHNER

Nassau County’s Temporary Districting Advisory Commission work session devolved into an ideological standoff over legality, with no clear path ahead of their Nov. 21 deadline to vote on a single map to send to county legislators.

Every decade, the county redraws the boundaries of its legislative districts so that none have a significantly disproportionate difference in voter population when compared to other districts. The map was last withdrawn in 2013.

Democratic officials have chastised Republicans for a lack of transparency throughout the formation of the 2023 map. They have contended the Republican proposal allows officials to choose their representatives rather than the public.

“Our proposal eliminates partisan gerrymandering, complies fully with state and federal laws and enhances equity by ensuring there are five minority-majority districts where Black and Latino residents have the ability to elect the candidates of their choice,” Mejias said in a statement.

Officials intended for the work session to be a place for discussion and analysis of both proposed maps. But differences between the two par-

ties scuttled that plan.

Megan Gall, the founder of Blockwell Consulting and the creator of the Democratic map, gave her presentation without sparking any conflict. However, the Republican map’s creator, Skyline Consulting Vice President David Schaefer, saw Democrats’ disagreements with his map extend the Thursday meeting past its twohour limit and raise the prospect of future legal action.

“The people paying a million dollars deserve to know whether or not we’re truly doing this in a nonpartisan manner,” Democratic Committee Chair Dave Mejias said. “Because that’s what the law tells us we have to do. So, in following the law, I want to know if there’s a particular bias.”

Republicans based their new map on the one they used in 2013. Democrats claim it continues gerrymandering and discriminates against minorities — Republicans denied these claims. (Schaefer also created the map in 2013.)

The Republican map features more misshapen borders, with many communities divided into separate districts. It divides communities like the Village of Hempstead into two districts, while the Democratic proposal makes it one.

Continued on Page 22

PHOTOS COURTESY OF NASSAU COUNTY

The two proposals for new district lines in Nassau County. The Democrats’ plan is to the left, while the Republicans’ is to the right.

Plandome Road could get $3M boost

Continued from Page 1

a weekly basis. Donno said the project, which has been analyzed for more than five years, will provide economic and environmental benefits to Plandome Road’s business district.

Businesses and restaurants along Plandome Road can pay as much as $50,000 to $70,000 annually to pump their septic tanks. Some have also said they pay more than $500,000 a year to maintain their systems.

The system that Plandome business owners will be converting to will be a pump system thathe said will connect to each building and essentially pump the water down the line to the Great Neck Water Pollution Control District, where it will be treated.

The other benefit to the project, he said, will be that the Plandome business district will remain a business district. When new sewer systems are incorporated that have no capacity limits, he said, high-rise structures and other large-scale buildings could potentially overtake the street.

“The big fear when you put sewers in is all of a sudden you’re now going to have multiple-story buildings and that’s not going to be allowed or supported from this pump system,” Donno said.

Donno said the Great Neck Water Pollution Control District will be doing a design study on what exactly needs to be done to complete the project.

The Water Pollution Control District’s study along with the physical application of pipes and hookups into businesses was once estimated to cost upwards

of $12 million. Now, Donno said, the project should be fully funded by the proposed funds from the town and a $5 million state grant secured by state Assemblywoman Gina Sillitti (D-Port Washington) earlier this year.

The money was allocated under the Department of Environmental Conservation portion of the state’s budget. The town’s funds are a result of the American Rescue Plan Act and have become a point of contention among Democrats on the town board.

Councilwoman Veronica Lurvey declared “North Hempstead is not a dictatorship” after Supervisor Jennifer DeSena announced plans at a press conference to allocate $9 million in federal funds to five local projects, including the Plandome Road sewer project.

“These decisions must be decided by board resolution, and all seven of us have one equal vote,” Lurvey said in a statement to Blank Slate Media. “It is disappointing that Supervisor DeSena called a secret press conference announcing her wish list instead of communicating with her colleagues to ensure she would have the necessary support.”

Lurvey said she filed a resolution Oct. 25 on the allocation of funds provided by the American Rescue Plan Act for consideration at a Nov. 17 board meeting.

DeSena, a registered Democrat who ran as a Republican in 2021, made the announcement on Westbury Avenue in Carle Place alongside Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and County Legislator Laura Schae-

fer (R-Westbury).

As chief executive of the town, DeSena was responsible for submitting her proposed plans to the Treasury Department to receive the federal funding, Brian Devine, her spokesman said.

However, the seven-member town board, where Democrats hold a 4-3 majority, must pass a resolution authorizing the use of the funds.

Lurvey said there was no discussion with her or any member of the Democratic majority prior to DeSena submitting the town’s application to the Treasury Department or ahead of the Nov. 2 deadline for it to appear on the agenda for the Nov. 17 meeting.

“On Oct. 25 I put a resolution regarding the use of the ARPA funds on the agenda for the Nov. 17 meeting and then sometime later she held a press conference saying she put something on the agenda,” Lurvey said. “She never talked to me about it and we didn’t have any formal discussions regarding the use of these funds.”

Devine said the town was awarded the first half of the money upfront and the second half was only awarded this past summer once the town sent the application to the Treasury Department that identified the projects to spend the funds on.

Donno said he would be “shocked” if the town did not allocate the funds to help complete the project, touting the support board members have shown for the project in the current and prior administrations.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOGLE MAPS

The Plandome Road sewer project could be funded by a state grant and more than $3 million in funds from the Town of North Hempstead as part of the American Rescue Plan Act.

Kaplan concedes, reflects on time in Senate

Lauds constituents for turning out to vote despite loss to Republican challenger Jack Martins

BY ROBERT PELAEZ

State Sen. Anna Kaplan (D-North Hills) conceded in the race for the state’s 7th Senate District last week after losing her re-election bid to Republican Jack Martins.

With all 264 election districts reported, Martins had 64,009 of the total 123,144 votes cast, enough for 52%.

Kaplan secured 55,846 votes, or 45.5%. Kaplan, in a statement, thanked all of Long Islanders who cast their votes in the election and said serving the 7th District over the past four years has been a fulfilling endeavor.

“It has been the honor of a lifetime representing my neighbors in the New York State Senate,” Kaplan said. “Together we made history, protecting the rights of women, passing landmark legislation protecting New Yorkers from the scourge of gun violence and fighting back against the rising tide of hate.”

Kaplan, who ran on the Democratic and Working Families Party lines, is an Iranian

immigrant whose parents sent her to the United States for her safety and was an active member of the Great Neck community before her time in government.

Kaplan was elected to serve the Town of North Hempstead’s 4th District as a councilwoman in 2011. In 2016, she sought election to the House of Representatives but lost to current Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) in the Democratic primary. Kaplan defeated former Flower Hill Mayor Elaine Phillips in 2018 to represent the 7th Senate District.

Legislation Kaplan pushed for includes a bill that promotes Holocaust education throughout New York’s schools that was signed into law earlier this year. The law, introduced to the Senate in 2021 and unanimously passed in May, permits the state’s commissioner of education to analyze what school districts throughout the state are offering Holocaust instruction.

Additionally, Kaplan was one of the elected officials throughout the North Shore

to push for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to retain express train service on the Port Washington branch of the Long Island Rail Road. Plans to reduce the express service as part of the agency’s

East Side Access project were abandoned this fall.

Kaplan, without giving specifics, said her commitment to public service will not end after the failed re-election bid against Martins.

“While our campaign has ended, my service to, and love for, our community has not, Kaplan said. “I will always fight for you and am committed to continuing that spirit of service in my next chapter.”

Martins, an Old Westbury resident, previously represented the 7th District from 20112016 and served as Mineola’s mayor from 2003-2010. He also currently serves as an attorney for Harris Beach, PLLC.

Martins said at the Nassau GOP’s watch party at the Coral House in Baldwin that he is going to stand up for local communities and keep families safe.

“This year especially we all knew this was the year we were going to draw the line in the sand,” Martins said Election Night. “Right here in Nassau County we stood up and we’re going back to Albany because you and your voices made it happen.”

The 7th Senate district includes Floral Park, New Hyde Park, Williston Park, Mineola, Garden City Park, North Hills, Albertson, Old Westbury, East Hills, Roslyn, Roslyn Harbor, Roslyn Estates, Albertson, Searingtown, Lake Success, Manhasset, Munsey Park, Plandome, Plandome Heights, Plandome Manor, and the Great Neck and Port Washington peninsulas.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KAPLAN’S OFFICE

State Sen. Anna Kaplan (D-North Hills) conceded in the state’s 7th Senate District election on Wednesday.

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An empty theater. According to a Blank Slate Media analysis, the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program has awarded $50.99 million to 57 Nassau County art venue operators, promoters, and representatives as of July 5.

Nassau art venues get $51M in COVID grants

BY STEVEN KEEHNER

The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program has awarded $50.99 million to 57 Nassau County art venue operators, promoters and representatives as of July 5, according to a Blank Slate Media analysis.

countywide — seven of which were listed as a “live venue operator or promoter,” the most of any subgroup.

The average grant amount of a county applicant was $894,630, according to the Blank Slate Media analysis.

In the Town of North Hempstead, the program awarded $21 million to 20 North Hempstead applicants.

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Eligible applicants received grants equal to 45% of their gross earned revenue, with a maximum grant award of $10 million. Applicants must have been in operation as of Feb. 29, 2020.

An analysis of this public data found that Metropolitan Entertainment Consultants, a Port Washington-based producer of live shows, was the largest beneficiary in Nassau County, receiving $4.9 million.

Pinnacle Entertainment, a Levittown talent agent for musicians, was second in the county with $4.7 million.

Thirteen recipients received over $1 million

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The second biggest beneficiary in the town was Great Neck-based Ball Drop LLC, which received $3.48 million. Ball Drop is the largest producer of New Year’s Eve events in Times Square.

Long Island University ($3.46 million) and Roslyn’s Gray Rock Productions ($1.37 million) were the other two town recipients to get over $1 million.

Three of the four recipients of more than a million dollars in North Hempstead were listed as venues. Combined, the four received 63% of the total funds awarded to town applicants.

The average grant of a town applicant was $1,053,303, per the Blank Slate Media analysis.

The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant is no longer accepting any new applicants.

Jenn@oldworldqualitycorp.com

Email: Jenn@oldworldqualitycorp.com

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OUR VIEWS Editorial Cartoon

Democracy, Nassau County style

In December 2018, incumbent Vladimir Putin won re-election as president of Russia for his second consecutive term in office with 77% of the vote.

Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin finished second with 11.9% of the vote.

By comparison, 14 candidates running for judge in Nassau County in the recent election received 100% of the vote in 14 races.

This included candidates for county, family and district courts.

How is this possible that elections for judges in Nassau can be less competitive than elections for president in Russia?

Easy. The candidates for judge in Nassau County had no competition.

All 14 candidates were cross-endorsed by the Republican, Democratic and Conservative parties

The choice offered to Nassau voters on their election ballots was whether to choose the judicial candidate as a Republican, a Democrat or Conservative parties. Which is to say voters really had no choice.

In the business world, this is known as collusion and is not legal.

On the bright side, the 14 judges did allow Jay Jacobs, the chairman of the Nassau and state Democratic parties, to claim victories in an election in which Democratic candidates across New York greatly underperformed and a red wave swept across the county.

This, in an election, in which Democrats across the country far exceeded everyone’s expectations to retain control of the Senate and come close to retaining the House.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Ballone, a Democrat who has often spoken out against cross-endorsements in Suffolk, said two years ago it was “extraordinary that we allow this blatantly undemocratic and sham process to continue” in races for judgeships” and other local offices in New York.

But in Nassau County in 2022 the choice remained with Republican Party County Chairman Joe Cairo and Jacobs.

In defending cross-endorsements two years ago, Jacobs pointed out that under the rules of the New York State

Unified Court System, candidates cannot campaign on political issues, only on factors such as their experience.

That makes cross-endorsements valuable to voters trying to make choices in the ballot booth, Jacobs said.

“When it’s the judiciary, I will bet a lot of money that other than the candidates’ mothers, no one knows who’s running or what they’re about,” Jacobs said.

This may be true, but it is also an odd point for the chairman of the Democratic Party in Nassau to make given the party’s responsibility to promote its candidates. It’s also very disingenuous.

One reason no one hears about the candidates is that they don’t have opponents. The public just might have a reason to learn about a particular candidate if given a choice.

That’s the whole reason for political campaigns.

Besides, even though voters may not have the chance to ask judges about their views on political issues, a candidate’s experience is not a bad criterion by which to judge.

For instance, you might just want someone running for a 14-year term that currently pays more than $200,000 a year to have actual experience as a judge – something that some party-picked candidates have lacked in the past.

And even if we accept the party leaders’ contention that voters should not pick judges, why turn it over to the chairs of the two political parties – two private organizations whose leadership the public has no voice in choosing, especially the 26 percent of voters who have no party affiliation?

If Jacobs and Cairo don’t like the current system, they can lobby the state Legislature to come up with a different method.

Federal judges are nominated by the president and voted on by the Senate. The recent selection process of Supreme Court justices has given us all a lesson about what can wrong with that.

But are two unelected people operating in proverbial smoke-filled rooms — one, Cairo, who operates a law office and the other, Jacobs, who owns camps — selecting judges really the best solution?

If you think so, consider that this

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comes at a time when Jacobs’ judgment and competence as chairman of both the Nassau County and state Democratic Party has come under heavy fire following mid-term election results in Nassau and New York State.

Democrats, particularly progressives, have blasted the state Democratic Party’s performance, particularly in getting out the vote. Several have called for Jacobs, who was appointed by then Gov. Andrew Cuomo, to be replaced as state chairman.

Yes, Gov. Kathy Hochul won re-election with 52% of the vote over Republican Congressman Lee Zeldin, a President Trump acolyte, who received 46% of the vote.

But Democrats hold a more than 2-to-1 advantage in voter registration over Republicans statewide and have won recent elections for governor by an average marginof 14%.

Democrats, without the usual strong showing at the top of the ticket, also lost state Senate and Assembly seats, including the one held by incumbent Anna Kaplan in the 7th District.

In Nassau, registered Democrats currently outnumber registered Republicans 422,000 to 322,000, followed by so-called blanks with no party registration who number 277,000.

But Republicans won the vote for nearly every election in Nassau starting

REPORTERS

with U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer’s race against Republican Joe Pinion.

This followed town and county elections in Nassau in 2021 in which Republicans won every countywide seat – county executive, district attorney, comptroller and clerk – as well as all three town supervisor positions and control of the county Legislature.

Football coaches get fired for far less.

In both elections, Republicans hammered Democrats on crime, calling bail reform the main culprit.

Democrats had strong arguments against those attacks and a strong case against Zeldin’s ideas and qualifications to address crime.

But Democrats on crime were like a batter who can’t hit a curve even if he or she knows it’s coming.

Jacobs is not the only reason being cited for the Democrats’ weak performance in New York. Other reasons cited include what some Democrats are calling a poor campaign by Hochul and even comments made by New York City Mayor Eric Adams on crime and bail reform.

Another reason cited was the Democratic Legislative leadership’s handling of the redistricting of House districts.

After a bipartisan commission called for under state law failed to come up with acceptable districts, the Democratic leaders developed a map so onesided that a Democratic-appointed judge

tossed it out and then failed to respond to a request to fix it.

The end result was a fair map that increased the competitiveness of races around the state – including Nassau.

This is actually a good thing for democracy in New York. Unfortunately, Republican-controlled states like Texas and Florida were able to draw partisan maps that gave them an advantage in House races.

New York Republicans were very vocal in calling for fairness in the changes to the House districts.

But don’t expect the same enthusiasm for democracy when it comes to changes in legislative districts currently under consideration in Nassau County where Democrats have that 100,000 advantage in registered voters.

When Democrats held a similar advantage 10 years ago, the Republicancontrolled Legislature designed a map that produced a majority of registered Republicans in 12 of the 19 districts.

You could expect that same lack of enthusiasm for reforming how judges are selected in Nassau County. But that doesn’t have to be the final answer.

Voters across the country rejected election deniers in state races Nov. 8. Nassau voters could do something similar for the selection of judges and the redrawing of district lines.

It’s just a matter of will.

Robert Pelaez, Brandon Duffy, Steven Keehner COLUMNIST Karen Rubin

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Stacy Shaughnessy, Melissa Spitalnick, Wendy Kates, Barbara Kaplan

ART DIRECTOR Yvonne Farley

ON THE RIGHT

Long Island’s red wave election results

While there was only a Republican ripple nationally on Election Day, Long Island was hit with a tsunami like Red wave.

Democratic congressional candidates in Nassau’s third and fourth CDs, Robert Zimmerman and Laura Gillen, who were expected to easily win, went down in flames.

In Suffolk County, Nick LaLota, running for Lee Zeldin’s congressional seat, easily beat Democrat Bridget Fleming, 56% to 44%. (In 2020 Zeldin was re-elected to a fourth term with 55%.)

Republican Congressman Andrew Garbarino, who succeeded Peter King in 2020, won in a landslide, receiving 61% of votes cast.

All of Long Island’s congressional seats will be held by Republicans on Jan. 1, 2023—a feat not matched since the late 1950s.

As for Long Island’s state Senate races, Republicans made spectacular inroads. Prior to the election, the GOP held only three of nine seats. On Jan. 1, that number will be seven.

Although U.S. Sen. Chuck

Schumer, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and state Attorney General Letitia James were re-elected, they did not fare well on Long Island. Those Democrats lost Nassau and Suffolk to underfunded opponents.

Schumer, for example, was reelected with only 56.4% of ballots cast vs. 71% six years ago. His numbers on Long Island were down significantly because voters came out in droves to vote Republican. In Suffolk, the GOP’s Joe Pinion beat Schumer 56% to 44%. Pinion carried Nassau, 52% to 48%.

Why did Democrats fare so poorly? First and foremost, Lee Zeldin ran an outstanding campaign for governor.

He did lose, but his statewide total, 47.1%, was the highest percentage a Republican challenging an incumbent Democratic governor received in 28 years.

On Long Island, Zeldin exceeded all expectations. He clobbered Gov. Kathy Hochul 59% to 41% in Suffolk and in Nassau 55% to 45%.

Zeldin did so well because he understood the concerns of Long Is-

GEORGE J. MARLIN On The Right

land’s working-class citizens—surging crime, oppressive taxes, and lousy schools.

Meanwhile, his tin-eared opponent, Hochul, a captive of the radical progressives and the unions that control Albany, could not bring herself to concede that these concerns were genuine.

Instead, Hochul spent tens of millions of campaign dollars touting one

issue—abortion. This in a state that sadly has the most permissive abortion law in the nation.

Zeldin, unlike Hochul, struck a chord with Long Islanders who were fed up with “business-as-usual” Democrats. Hence, on Election Day they came out and rewarded him and his running mates.

Thanks to Zeldin, Long Island, which Democrats believed had turned Blue, particularly after Trump’s poor showing in 2020, is now mighty Red. Will Democrats learn from the drubbing they took at the polls? I doubt it.

One of the big losers in New York on Nov. 8 was the chairman of the National Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney. He was toppled in the Hudson Valley region by a local assemblyman, Michael Lawler.

When asked by The New York Times why he lost, Maloney — get this — blamed the New York Post.

“Voters in New York,” he said, “have been told by the News Corporation machine, principally the New York Post, that crime is the No. 1 is-

A LOOK ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

sue …. again, New York is home to the fiercest outlet in the News Corporation fear machine.”

He went on to say, “We [Democrats] struggled around the city. I don’t fully understand why.”

Well, I fully understand why Maloney lost. He, like many of his Democratic Party confreres, live in ideological bubbles divorced from reality and are incapable of grasping that rising crime does matter to voters from all walks of life.

The New York Post didn’t tell voters crime was an issue, it reported the fact that overall crime in New York City is up 38% this year. And that fact did not sit well with suburban voters, particularly those who commute to their workplace in the city.

Yes, I expect Democrats to continue denying that crime and taxes are important issues.

And it is my hope that New York Republicans take advantage of Democratic denseness and build on Zeldin’s success.

If they do succeed, it might stop the flow of New Yorkers to solid red states like Florida.

Looking for some light beyond red and blue

By the time you read this, you probably already know the results of the mid-term elections. Or perhaps not; nothing works the way it used to, anymore.

The first time I ever worked at a polling place on Election Day, I was in college. As extra credit for a Poli Sci course, I had contacted one of New Haven’s alderwomen and volunteered to work in her office. I liked her politics, so I soon found myself canvassing downtown neighborhoods, and eventually serving as a poll-watcher on Election Day.

As I recall them, my duties involved nothing more complicated than getting to the location before 6 a.m., then sitting quietly and watching other people do all the work as voters came and went. It was dark when I went into the room — a windowless box — and dark when I left. The whole experience was better suited for extra credit in my English class, which at the time was on Existentialist literature. It would have compared well with Jean-Paul Sartre’s “No Exit,” or Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot.”

My next experience with work at

a polling place came after my husband and I had moved to Port Washington. I hadn’t yet gathered up the nerve to actually “man” the tables all day, but I did sign up to be an observer at one location toward the end of the night, and telephone the results to the party chair of my choice.

Something very odd happened that year. At the point in time at which I left my house, for the short drive to my assigned location, Florida was blue, and TV reporters had already projected the Democrat to be the winner.

By the time I got home, just an hour or so later, Florida was red, and the country had entered a period of uproar never to be equaled until 2020… for this was the infamous Gore versus Bush Election, of 2000, and a nation that had grown accustomed to having results announced on Election Night would still be in limbo by Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving! It was unthinkable.

And when the Supreme Court weighed in, in mid-December, and arbitrarily stopped a recount that candidate Gore had had every legal right to demand …well, let’s just say we are still living with the consequences of that.

JUDY EPSTEIN A Look on the Lighter Side

That was the first time I, for one, had ever heard that the Electoral College (whatever they were) had to actually hold a final vote, by a “date certain” in December, for the election to be official. That was the excuse given by the Supreme Court for intervening — that the date was looming. I’m not saying I still hold a grudge, but, rather than interfere with an election result, I don’t

LETTERS POLICY

know why the court or the Electoral College didn’t just extend the deadline, like every other college in the world seems able to do (thanking you now, Yale).

There was another consequence, as well. I know it seems like we’ve talked about Red and Blue America since the beginning of time, but it really all dates back to that 2000 switcheroo; I never heard those terms used in that specific way, until then.

And why those two colors? I think some network executive must have said, “No, we’re NOT using red for the Democrats, too many people wrongly call them “Commies” and “Reds” as it is. We’re going to use blue for them, and red for the Republicans.” And so it has been ever since…but sometimes I wonder, how might our lives now be different if the networks had used green and orange, instead?

I finally got enough nerve, and training, to work several elections after that. The more I heard politicians blather about “election fraud,” the more determined I grew that there would be no cheating on my watch. I even got “promoted” to captain of my own table. I

was proud of how well we all got along, Democrats and Republicans working together to get through a long day and night. And I was very proud of a nation that peacefully contained so many ethnicities, as reflected by the huge variety of last names in my big book.

2016 is the last time I worked a big national election; by 2020, I was sequestered inside my own house.

Now that I can come out again, I no longer recognize the country I once knew. Bamboo ballots? Dead Venezuelan dictators changing votes? Space lasers? I have trouble believing that the newscasters haven’t changed places with the writers of the Simpsons.

It has actually driven me to prayer. I pray that America recovers from this fever dream, and wakes up into a world where we can once again be civil — if not actually kind — to each other.

That makes it more essential than ever, for me, to leave my desk and go in search of news from The Lighter Side. I will be doing that, both in and out of this column… and writing up what I find, intermittently, when I find it.

See you soon, I hope, on the other side … the Lighter one!

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Teen brain, good relationships – better together

Once upon a time, there was widespread belief that the human brain was fully developed, in linear fashion, by the time a child reached six years of age. We have since learned that brain development is much more nuanced than that and continues well into a young person’s 20s.

Through new technologies such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), neuroscientists have discovered that, although 95 percent of the brain’s structure is formed by the time a child reaches six years old, there are significant changes that occur around the time of the onset of puberty, between 10 and 13 years of age.

During the teenage years there is a rapid increase in the connections between the brain cells and the refinement of brain pathways and these changes are critical for the development of coordinated thought and action.

“In the teen years, young people are going through a software upgrade, neurologically, in which circuitry is being consolidated, networks are being reorganized, connections are being

made stronger and more expedient and unused pathways are wearing away,” according to mental health expert Craig Haen.

The stakes are great during the teenage years. Just when teens are reaching their peak of physical health, strength and mental ability, they are facing greater risks and dangers than ever before. Consequently, parents continue to walk a fine line between supporting their children’s independence, encouraging them to explore the world and protecting them from harm.

The good news is that the brain is hard-wired for social interaction and for attaching and bonding with caregivers.

In fact, it is social connection coupled with teens’ growing sensitivity to rewards that is a significant part of what motivates teen altruism and social activism related to human rights, gun control, food insecurity, voting rights, reproductive justice and climate change, for example.

Despite considerable scientific advances, according to leading brain researcher Jay Giedd, people might be

ANDREW MALEKOFF The Back Road

surprised to know that the “best advice we can give is things that our grandmother could have told us generations ago: to spend loving, quality time with our children.”

Teenagers hunger for significant relationships with adults who care about them. This belief has been validated by social scientist Ellen Galinsky, who interviewed more than a thousand children and found that teens

longed for more time with their parents, even when they seemed to be pushing them away.

Galinsky concluded, “Even though the public perception is about building bigger and better brains, what the research shows is that it’s the relationships, it’s the connections, it’s the people in children’s lives who make the biggest difference.”

A child’s job is to explore and a parent’s job is to protect.

Understanding changes in teenage brain development offers further insight regarding how to best support and create environments that promote positive peer experiences, where teens can safely explore and experiment and avoid behavior that can harm themselves or others.

Finding that balance is easier said than done given the dire risks that teenagers are facing in a perilous world, with ever-increasing concerns about violence, drug and alcohol use, sexual relations, abuse of digital technologies and social networks, depression and suicide.

Remember — not all risk is bad! Attempting new experiences, pushing

boundaries, and testing limits are part of normal teen development.

Developmental psychologist Peter Scales noted that “If risk = developmental exploration + environmental danger, then the job of caring adults is to reduce the environmental danger part of the equation, by ensuring that youth have the [wherewithal] to navigate normal risky development with a high degree of safety.”

The idea of “looking with planned emptiness,” esoteric as it sounds, might help here. For parents and other caregivers, looking with planned emptiness is to hold to a position of uncertainty, to be willing to actively listen and learn, all while weathering the occasionally disorienting experience of interacting with teens.

Assuming a stance of uncertainty suggests an openness — a means of trying, at times, to apprehend the elusive obvious, as opposed to simply dismissing or ignoring difficult interactions with our teens, out of impatience and frustration or, worse, resignation.

It means opening up, tuning in and really listening.

Very carefully.

VIEW POINT

Musts, shoulds for the lame duck Congress

At this writing it is still undetermined whether Republicans or Democrats will control the House, but one thing is clear: New York Democrats screwed up royally, possibly fatally. They were too clever by half in rejecting the redistricting map created by the Democratic members of the state’s first independent Redistricting Commission. This allowed Jack Martins, chair of the Republican side who strategically refused to compromise on a consensus map, to sue when the Democratic-controlled legislature created its own map designed to compensate for the gerrymandering underway in Texas, Florida and Ohio.

As a result of the ultimate redistricting (that took a seat from downstate where population increased, while keeping the seat upstate where population decreased), Long Island lost the 3rd Congressional District, a seat Democrats have held for 40 years, to a man who supported the Jan. 6 insurrectionists and seemed to think he was running for the New York Legislature rather than the U.S. Congress. The Democrats also lost the 4th CD seat. The defeats were all the more stunning in light of Democratic victories across the country.

(Like how the OJ Simpson trial was decided during jury selection.)

And the result will be two years of Republican obstruction of anything and everything President Biden wants to do to address the

existential problems facing the nation, endless investigations, likely impeachments.

So now the focus must be on the lame-duck session, as a last ditch effort to get anything done.

The one absolute must-do for Democrats in the lame-duck sessions is to raise the debt ceiling, so that Biden, the nation, and the world cannot be held hostage, extorted by Republicans threatening to crash the nation’s and global economy unless Biden cuts Medicare, privatize Social Security or repeal Obamacare or implement a national abortion ban.

The second is to pass Voting Rights (and before Congress takes up the Electoral Count Act reform, which Republicans are eager to pass to make sure Vice President Kamala Harris can’t do what Trump pressured Pence to do) in order to provide federal minimum standards for elections. Otherwise, Democrats will have no defense against voter suppression, election subversion at the state level (enabled by the SCOTUS6). Without voting rights, which is the foundation for every other right, just as a woman in Texas isn’t as free or equal as a woman in New York, voters of one state would not have equal say in their governance as voters of another state – a violation of 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection. (That is already the case because of the imbalance of Senate representation and the outsized role and abuse of the filibuster, ger-

KAREN RUBIN View Point

rymandering in the House, and the Electoral College, which enshrines minority control.)

The presumption in a country that purports to be a democracy has to be on enabling every eligible voter to cast their ballot and have that vote counted. Consequently, there needs to be minimum federal standards regarding early voting, mail-in-voting and absentee voting; voter registration (you can vote at the last place you were registered if you have not re-registered or unless same-day voter registration is allowed; presently, the rules disadvantage young, mobile voters); and what constitutes Voter ID and how to obtain it.

There must be minimum standards on location and accessibility of polling places, hours, numbers of

voting machines, paper ballots and rules for mandated audits to confirm accuracy of the count and tabulation, numbers and accessibility of dropboxes. You can’t tell people they can vote by mail or absentee and then not count the ballot or reject the ballot without informing the voter and giving opportunity to either “cure” or vote in person; no purging of lists without time for purged voters must be notified and given opportunity to properly register. And there needs to be federal felony penalties for interfering with the vote, including giving false information and voter or election worker intimidation.

Congress should pass the Disclose Act and reform campaign finance rules, which have proved so corrupting (probably the biggest reason for losing New York’s 3rd and 4th Congressional Districts was Ron Lauder’s $10 million payout to Lee Zeldin, enabling Zeldin and George Santos to literally blanket the landscape. (How is it that Lauder can spend $10 million on a campaign, but I can’t contribute more than $2,800?)

After they pass Voting Rights and Disclose Act (both have already passed the House), then Congress must pass the Electoral Count Act reforms. As The New York Times noted, “The most significant changes to the law would make it far harder, if not impossible, to pull off the schemes that Mr. Trump and his allies tried to use to overturn the 2020

election and hold on to power.”

“The new bills would raise the bar by requiring at least one-fifth of both houses of Congress to sign on before an objection can be lodged and by strictly limiting the grounds for any objection. The reform bills would also clarify that the vice president’s role on Jan. 6 is purely ministerial. The reforms proposed in the bills [make] clear that state officials must count their votes according to the state laws in place on Election Day. They may not change the result after the fact simply because they don’t like it. Critically, the new bills also steer disputes over vote tallies to the courts, where judges — not partisan officials — have the final say.” (https://www. nytimes.com/2022/11/11/opinion/ congress-midterms.html)

These are the musts. Now for the shoulds:

Pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, essentially codifying the constitutional protections of women’s reproductive health (Roe) into law.

Adopt the Dream Act as a fi rst step toward essential immigration reform (which will have to wait for a solid Democratic majority), and at least legalize the Dreamers.

Pass the necessary deadline waiver that will allow the Equal Rights Amendment, which has now been ratified by the necessary 38 states, to be adopted into the Constitution.

The new American: some time in making

We are a prosperous nation and unrivaled in military, global and economic power.

Yet the new American is contentious, hyper-competitive, paranoid, alienated and hyper-vigilant. It would be far too easy to blame our anxious paranoid state on the COVID pandemic or the dehumanizing impact of the Computer Age although undoubtedly they are factors. I suggest that there are other reasons why we are so filled with fear and dread.

One aspect is political. In a way we are victims of our own success. In 1990, the communist ideology was defeated, the Berlin Wall crumbled and the Soviet Union economy was ruined. But without another super power to project our aggression on we had lost the externalized “bad object” and America was faced with a question of where to find its next enemy.

Well, what occurred in the 1990s shortly after the fall of communist Russia was an alarming, disturbing trend with the emergence of mass shootings, school shootings and domestic terrorism in America. In 1995, Timothy McVeigh killed 168 in the Oklahoma City bombing. In 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 13 at Columbine High School and in 2012 Adam Lanza killed 26 children at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

These are just three of the many

incidents that have occurred since the early 1990s. These were expressions of murderous paranoid madness and the return of the repressed in America. We have grown accustomed to hearing about these school shootings, but I assure you, school systems are now hypervigilant and on high alert. We used to have those “duck and cover” drills in preparation for the atomic bombs launched from Russian, but today kids are taught how to “shelter in place” in the event of a school shooter who entered the building and got past the guards.

And the question that must be asked is who gets targeted internally? The answer is easy. Minority groups are always the ones who get targeted. These include homosexuals, artists, feminists, women, agnostics, African Americans, Hispanics and Asians. To sight glaring examples, did you know that Sen. Jesse Helms, Republican from North Carolina, nearly shut down all the funding for the National Endowment for the Arts ($700 million) because he felt their funding of Robert Mapplethorpe’s homoerotic photography was pornography? More recent examples of targeted subgroups include all Asian Americans because China was where COVID began. And if you think that’s a trivial matter, you don’t want to be an Asian walking alone at night in Queens. We have seen the news reports

DR. TOM FERRARO Our Town

of random attacks on them.

America’s growing fear relates to multiculturalism and diversity. This was not always the case. Through the first 75 years of the 20th century American identity was largely intact and supported by our major religious, political, communal, educational and family institutions. However, there was a systematic, subtle, albeit unconscious process of dismantling these institutions. The media took apart the presidency and destroyed Richard Nixon, and the film and TV industry made a mockery of fathers. ”All in the Family” was not “My Three Sons.”

These are times of great unrest and great confusion in America. We live in

an extremely prosperous nation that is unequaled in power and might and creativity. But at the same times, we are on edge. Educational institutions are hypervigilant and will suspend children if they look at gun web pages for too long. If your front door bell rings, it is a cause for alarm rather than joy. If you walk down the street, you have a feeling of unease. Gated communities are growing in number.

The traumas we hear about on the news build up and make our fears worse. It was no surprise to me that the government decided it was a good idea to legalize marijuana. It is a last ditch effort to sooth the savage beast that is the American character. But as any psychoanalyst knows, pot breeds more paranoia not less.

The American identity is unstable and in flux. As the dominant world power and with capitalism as an unrivaled economic ideology, our status in the world is clear, but we are not so secure when it comes to our neighbors. Should I hate my neighbor or fear him? The lack of an externalized “bad object” has produced an internal hunt for the enemy and since the American landscape is now so diverse, it is easy to find targets to fear and to hate. It is easy to find “the other.”

The greatness of the psychoanalytic message is that peace only comes through self-knowledge and self-

awareness.

As a nation we have ascended to the top, but as citizens we seem to be sinking into fear, isolation and paranoia, strangers in a strange land. But this is America, an exceptional place and much of the world looks at us with envy. Perhaps we need some leaders to remind us of that. If Mr. Rogers were still alive, he could run for president and would win in a landslide. But alas, Fred Rogers has passed on into the sweet hereafter, so we are left alone to figure this out by ourselves.

I recommend you pause, take a deep breath and realize that we are all in this together and that our neighbors are just like us, trying to get along and find some happiness along the way. So like Mr. Rogers, say ‘Hi, Neighbor’ the next time they walk by. I promise you they will smile and return the favor. You will feel better and so will they. After all, who didn’t love Mr. Rogers?

EARTH MATTERS

Empathy essential as world tackles climate crisis

At the 27th Conference of the Parties now taking place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, world leaders, policymakers, industry leaders, activists and stakeholders from nearly 200 countries have the opportunity to shape energy policies to properly respond to the climate crisis.

Setting a serious tone for this year’s meeting, the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned: “We are in the fight of our lives and we are losing.” He added: “We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator.” While lofty pledges have historically been made at these gatherings, little actual effort has resulted in practical emission cuts. This year the COP stressed implementation over negotiation.

Ushering in a new era of radical transparency, former Vice President Al Gore presented data from the non-profit Climate TRACE. Climate TRACE offers satellite and remote sensor AI based recordings of emissions from over 70,000 Polluters (https://climatetrace.org/). It uncovers how corporations have underreported emissions.

Gore warned that the daily dump of “162 million tons of manmade global warming pollution

into that thin shell of atmosphere around the planet” needs to stop. He blasted the audience with the climate reality that the amount of greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere traps as much heat as would be released from detonating 600,000 Hiroshima class atomic bombs on the Earth every single day. Not just inconvenient, but an explosive truth indeed.

To fight climate change, four primary concerns must be addressed globally: mitigation, adaptation, finance and collaboration. This year’s hot potato at COP is accountability. Some world leaders are now ready to show solidarity with one another and discuss – for the first time at the COP – who’s financing the “loss and damage” from climate change. It is an important and contentious discussion, made all the more so by the notable absences of the presidents of China, India, the United States and Russia. President Joe Biden arrived after the midterm elections.

While China, the United States, India, Russia, and European nations are responsible for the majority of emissions, the 10 most climatevulnerable nations are collectively responsible for less than 1 percent of emissions. Poor nations are currently paying a price they can’t af-

HILDUR PALSDOTTIR Earth Matters

ford for a climate crisis they didn’t cause. With millions of migrants already displaced worldwide, many because of drought, failed crops and extreme weather events, international accountability is of critical importance.

It’s predicted that by 2050 at least 200 million people will become climate refugees. When considering that the overdeveloped countries are guilty of being the main emitters, it seems ethical and appropriate that the rich and responsible support the poor and innocent nations which lack the infrastructure to adapt to the changing climate.

Sadly, industrialized, wealthy nations of the Northern Hemisphere continue to evade proper responsibility for the victims of climate change in the Global South.

Wanjira Mathai, Kenyan environmentalist and daughter of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai, stressed that “we have a crisis in empathy.” She warned that “we don’t acknowledge just how connected we are.” An unshakeable fact is that wealthy Northern countries are burning fossil fuels at uninterrupted rates while the poorer Southern countries are paying a price they can’t afford, ultimately with their lives.

“Humanity has a choice: cooperate or perish,” Guterres told delegates, urging them to speed up the transition from fossil fuels and prioritize funding to poorer countries. He also called for a Climate Solidarity Pact and suggested implementation of a tax on the private sector and oil companies to finance loss and damage. U.S. oil and gas companies generated profits worth $73.7 billion last year.

Biden’s pledge of investing $369 billion to accelerate America’s transition away from fossil fuels brings active hope to the global community. And here in New York State,

the Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act passed with 67% support. It includes $4.2 billion investment in projects that include wetlands restoration to mitigate sea level rise, heat pumps, electrification and other ways to enhance climate resiliency.

All of these are great steps in the right direction, and we must celebrate the progress. But please keep in mind that adapting to climate change and mitigating future harm will incur cost, not just in cash but also in comfort. We must reduce consumption until we figure out how to recycle renewables.

Wealthy Americans can’t replace the Hummer with three Teslas and think they’re part of the climate solution. Rare earth mineral extraction is already causing extensive harm to sensitive ecosystems, with associated social justice issues. Plans to mine the bottom of the deep sea are equally concerning given we don’t know the downstream consequences of such actions.

While we make necessary emission cuts, compassion and empathy are wonderful renewable energies that can sustainably power our psychological investment in global well-being.

Demand soars for vocational skills

At some point, many people in the United States decided that all kids should go to college. I’m not sure how, when or why that happened, but it did. Those not heading to college were soon looked at as something less and continue to be held in lower regard.

Their unique skills, talents, dedication — anything that makes young people special — has been overlooked for decades now, their potential to contribute to our society stifled by the rest of us. That’s because we have been fed an unhealthy narrative that leads us to believe if a student graduates high school and pursues the trades or the military, they are destined for mediocrity.

Tell that to my plumber and electrician who have made thousands of dollars in my home over the past two decades and are some of the happiest and most fulfilled people I know. When my wife, Erin, asks me to fix something in the house (actually she stopped doing that years ago), she knows I’ll proceed to break everything in and outside the house…and then I move onto breaking something on my car.

I’m in constant awe of the talented and skilled professionals who can put everything back together again. But these are the survivors. What about all those young people who lost confidence in themselves and their abilities, simply because they weren’t heading to college? Maybe they left a happy, fulfilling life on the table.

Anyone who knows me understands that I’m pro-education. But education in all forms. The best path for most people should never be the most expensive, or what’s trending during any given time or place.

As Mike Rowe from the superb old show “Dirty Jobs” once said, “As long as the government is in the business of lending billions of dollars to college students, I’ll continue to challenge the idea that college is the only place to get a worthwhile education.” Amen to that, Mike Rowe.

An article in The Atlantic from 2018, states: Today, the U.S. spends more on college than almost any other country, according to the 2018 Education at a Glance report, released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation

MICHAEL HYNES PW School District Superintendent

and Development. All told, including the contributions of individual families and the government (in the form of student loans, grants, and other assistance), Americans spend about $30,000 per student a year—nearly twice as much as the average developed country.

“The U.S. is in a class of its own,” says Andreas Schleicher, the director for education and skills at theOECD. He does not mean this as a

compliment.“Spending per student is exorbitant, and it has virtually no relationship to the value that students could possibly get in exchange.” That was over four years ago, and it’s even worse now. It’s that unyielding message of “college for everyone” at work. The consequences are right in front of our faces.

As a nation we have less vocational classes in our high schools, over $1 trillion (with a T) of student loans and millions of jobs available that nobody is trained to perform. Millions of goodpaying jobs are opening in the trades and, in many cases, they pay better than what the average college graduate makes. Our nation is grappling with a skilled labor shortage where thousands and thousands of blue-collar jobs go unfilled because people lack the training or interest — often one has to do with the other.

It’s time we celebrate the students who attend BOCES vocational training, just as we would students who are pursuing rigorous Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate classes. It’s time we eradicate the negative social

stigma of a young adult pursuing the trades as someone who should only do it if “college doesn’t work out.”

In a society that holds a financial analyst in higher regard than a mechanic, schools must begin to integrate Career and Technical Education into the school culture, into their school curriculum and into their school budgets. Let’s provide multiple pathways for all students, so if a student wants to attend a trade school and then pursue a bluecollar job, they are celebrated and valued as our college graduates. Let them be encouraged by their parents, teachers, neighbors, and peers.

I’m so thankful the Port Washington School District has moved in the direction of expanding opportunities for students to take classes in Career and Technical Education. The baby boom workers are retiring and leaving lots of openings for our millennials. Let’s make sure we can support them the best we can.

Michael J. Hynes, Port Washington Superintendent of Schools

Millions in opioid-fighting funds still available

Nassau County continues to hold Big Pharma accountable in the courts for the wave of destruction that their highly addictive opioid drugs have unleashed upon families and children in every part of America.

On Monday, Nov. 7, Nassau County took the first legislative step toward approving a $68.25 million settlement with Actavis LLC and Actavis Pharma, Inc., Watson Laboratories, Inc., Anda Inc., Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd. and Teva Pharmaceuticals USA. Once this settlement is approved by the full Legislature and the County Executive — which I anticipate will occur later this month — it will supplement the $70.4 million Nassau County has already received through various Big Pharma settlements.

However, if you are a part of a lo-

cal organization that is delivering lifesaving treatment, education and prevention resources in this battle, time is running out to respond to Nassau County’s Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) to receive a portion of these resources ahead of a Monday, Nov. 21 deadline.

Drawing from the $70.4 million currently at Nassau’s disposal, Nassau County Executive Blakeman in midSeptember announced his administration’s plans for distributing $15 million/ year for the next four years to qualified agencies that provide addiction prevention, treatment and/or recovery services.

From that allotment, approximately $2.4 million/year was immediately earmarked, with the lion’s share going to Nassau University Medical Center. The remaining $12.6 million/year will be

awarded to agencies that respond to the RFEI that is closing on Monday, Nov. 21.

Above and beyond the county ex-

READERS WRITE

ecutive’s announced plans, there is still approximately $10.4 million that has not been specifically designated, and the Teva Pharmaceutical settlement dollars will add significantly to that sum.

While I have consistently expressed my frustration with the slow pace of allocating these funds, this influx of new resources on the horizon will give us a golden opportunity to proactively plan for how we can get these life-saving resources where they need to be as expeditiously as possible.

All applications must be submitted in the manner described in “Section F — Proposal Submission Instructions” of the RFEI and postmarked no later than Monday, Nov. 21. Interested agencies who complete the RFEI must mail hard copies of their response to

the authorized contact person:

Omayra Perez, R.- L.C.S.W. Director of Community Services Nassau County Office of Mental Health, Chemical Dependency and Developmental Disabilities Services 60 Charles Lindbergh Blvd., Suite 200 Uniondale, N.Y. 11530

Phone: (516) 227-7057

Fax: (516) 227-5906

Email: Omayra.perez@hhsnassaucountyny.us

Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, of Glen Cove, was first elected to the Nassau County Legislature in 2011. She represents the 11th District in the Nassau County Legislature and currently serves as the Ranking Member of the Legislature’s Committee on Health & Social Services.

Service to Grand Central faces another hurdle

Did the MTA and LIRR forget to consider obtaining a necessary clearance from the Federal Railroad Administration prior to the latest recover schedule, which called for East Side Access to Grand Central Madison to begin by December 2022?

The Federal Transit Administration Full Funding Grant Agreement approved in 2006 required service to

begin in 2011 at a total project cost of $6.3 billion with a federal share of $2.6 billion. The current cost today is $11.6 billion. This does not include debt service payments for the cost of borrowing, which brings the cost to $12.7 billion. Debt service costs are buried under a separate agency operating budget. There is also over $4 billion more for indirect costs for what is known as LIRR readiness projects

to support ESA service to Grand Central Madison. Any honest accounting would bring the real total project cost to $16.7 billion.

A mandatory FRA safety feature that would prevent trains from entering the wrong tunnel clearly fell behind schedule. It is now forecast to be installed, up and running by March 6, 2023. Why was the original implementation schedule for installation of

this safety equipment not completed earlier this year? This new FRA safety requirement was implemented as a result of the Metro North accident on the Hudson Line at Spuyten Duyvil in 2013.

The MTA now has to request a waiver from FRA to begin service in December 2022 without this safety feature being in place. This provides little comfort for riders who are looking for

safe and reliable service to Grand Central Madison Terminal.

Larry Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously worked for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office.

FROM THE DESK OF MICHAEL HYNES

FROM THE DESK OF DELIA DERIGGI-WHITTON

DELIA DeRIGGI-WHITTON

Nassau County Legislator

Larry Penner Great Neck

VIBHUTI JHA IS FIGHTING FOR SAFE COMMUNITIES & TAX RELIEF

No public input included in GOP draft map

Their plan would also divide East Meadow, Freeport, Hicksville and the Five Towns into four, four, four and three districts, respectively. Democrats would divide those particular areas into one, two, two and two districts.

The Greater Roslyn area in North Hempstead, which is and would be four districts under the Republican map, is three in the Democrats’ proposal.

Schaefer said his map is legal but the commission may find it flawed. He noted his goal in creating his first draft is to abide by the law.

The commission’s goal is to create a fair map of Nassau County based on comparable populations, demographics and legal standards. Both Republican and Democratic delegates presented their maps to the public for the first time during the meeting. Each party also questioned the other’s mapmaker about their creative process.

Democrats pressed Schaefer on several issues, which they alleged he was not adequate-

ly responding to. In particular, they questioned him about his lack of districts with a majority of minority residents, the division of specific areas and his decision to ignore public testimony.

“It is clear to me after hearing what Mr. Schaefer said that none of that was considered in drawing this map,” commission member Michael Pernick said. “Instead, you’ve based this current map on the map drawn in 2013. That map, as we pointed out, [that] we’ve had our experts do analysis, is illegal. You are jeopardizing the county with a potential lawsuit for not taking that under consideration and it’s scary to me.”

Schaefer said he expects to change the map based on public testimony and that he will change whatever he is told to. When asked about the details of certain districts, he reiterated he followed the law and maintained an equal population.

“My practice in my business is to produce a first draft map that is going to be flawed be-

cause I don’t use public testimony or subjective information,” he said.” I just got to a plan that would comply with all the laws.”

When asked if he knew the vote was Nov. 21, Schaefer said he was “aware that it was in November.”

Republican committee members claimed questions posed by their Democratic colleagues were inappropriate. Committee Chairman Francis Moroney said Democrats were not questioning Schaefer in the same tone that the Republicans were questioning Gall.

“You’re way over the line and you know it,” he said. “You just don’t care because you want to sue us so bad that you’ll say anything to do it. And that’s what’s going on here. Leave the man alone.”

Legal action over redistricting would not be unprecedented in Nassau County. In North Hempstead, Mineola Mayor Paul Pereira, along with Town Republicans David Adhami and Dennis Walsh, recently filed a federal complaint against the Town in October, claiming

that the newly confirmed redistricting maps are unconstitutional.

Both delegations agreed both maps had shortcomings and that they would meet again after making changes.

There will be a public comment session on Nov. 16. The committee will vote on the maps on Nov. 21.

Democrats have a better than 2-to-1 voter registration advantage over Republicans statewide, and they have won recent governorship elections by an average of 14%.

In Nassau, registered Democrats currently outnumber registered Republicans 422,000 to 322,000, with 277,000 blanks (no party affiliation).

An influx of minority populations reflects Nassau County’s growing diversity, as detailed in the 2020 U.S. Census. Over the last decade, the county’s total population increased by over 56,000, or 4.2%. It is less than 5,000 people short of reaching 1.4 million, according to the data.

YOUR GUIDE TO THE ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND DINING

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS EXCELLING IN ART

The Art Guild invites students, families, educators and the broader community to visit the 2022 Nassau County High School Student Juried Art Exhibition and Competition.

This year, more than one hundred twenty students submitted over two hundred works of art. The exhibition showcases the talent of more than seventy High School students representing twenty Nassau County high schools. All forms of art, from abstract to realism are currently on display. The exhibition winners came from high schools all across the county.

Marley Parmely, from Hicksville High School, won first place for “I Love Butter With My Pop Tarts.” Riya Jassi, a student at Hicksville High School, won second place for “Have You Seen Me,” and Minkyung Nah, Great Neck High School South, took third place with “Music is Mother.”

Honorable mention was awarded to Julianna Nabet (Locust Valley High), Gianne Shin (Manhasset Secondary), and Phoebe Pinder (Glen Cove High).

The juror of awards was Lenore Ann Hanson. Ms. Hanson is the Assistant Director at Huntington Fine Arts, where she teaches high school students drawing, painting, and sculpture to develop their college portfolios. The exhibit was unveiled at a reception on Sunday, Nov. 6. Many of the artists and their educators were in attendance. Lori Oldaker, a teacher at Manhasset Secondary school, said of the exhibition, “It is a beautiful show. The annual exhibition is a wonderful event. It is a great opportunity for students and one that they look forward to

every year. “Lisa Grossman, executive director, said “To me, what makes the high school exhibit special is that it introduces talented high school artists to the process of submitting to a professional gallery. It is a difficult process, but in the end winners and losers alike learn a great deal from the experience. “Shelley Holtzman, Art Guild co-president stated, “The quality of art education in Nassau County is impressive. It is our privilege to offer local high schools an opportunity to participate in a juried art competition and to display the fine art work of our local high school students.”

The Art Guild has been curating a High School Show since it moved into its current space at Elderfields Preserve in 2009. Ilene Silberstein, copresident of The Art Guild, said “One of our missions is to provide artists with an opportunity to showcase their work. With high school students, that mission is even more important.”Through the Kazickas Family Foundation, The Art Guild also offers scholarships to graduating seniors who will be continuing to pursue the visual arts at the college level. The Art Guild would like to thank Blick Art materials for donating gift bags, paint, and discount coupons to all accepted students. This event was sponsored by Square the Circles College Counseling Service.

The High School show is on view from November 6 — 26, 2022. The gallery is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 1-5 PM while the exhibit is on view. The Art Guild offers classes and workshops for children and adults year-round. Registration is now open for classes

beginning in January 2023 both in person and online. The Art Guild of Port Washington, Inc. is conveniently located at

Elderfields Preserve, 200 Port Washington Blvd. in Manhasset.

The Art Guild is a 501(c)3

nonprofit organization providing encouragement, education and a forum for the appreciation of the visual arts.

For more information about The Art Guild, call 516304-5797 or visit the website, www.theartguild.org.

GMT Latin Jazz Expo at Great Neck Library

GMT Latin Jazz Expo is a mid-sized ensemble envisioned and led by Gerald M. Thomas. This group is centered on the traditional Cuban, Colombian and Puerto Rican interpretations of Latin music, but also includes many other genres in its scope.

The performance will include jazz, R&B, and popular songs given special treatment (Son, Mambo, Rhumba, Cumbia, Samba, Partido Alto, etc.) to have a fl avor all its own.

Each band member has contributed saliently to the feel of the music as a whole, as most have performed together for more than 20 years.

The concert is at the Great Neck Library 159 Bayview Avenue in Great Neck, on Sunday, Nov. 20, at 3 p.m. in the library community room. For more information, please contact Great Neck Library at (516) 466-8055 or email adultprogramming@greatnecklibrary.org

L.I.’s Gilded Age tour on Nov. 20

BY STEVEN KEEHNER

Attendees will learn and explore Long Island’s history firsthand during “The Gilded Age: A Tour of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney’s Long Island Studio” on Nov. 20 at 3 p.m.

The Roslyn Landmark Society and Trinity Episcopal Church are hosting thefree event at Roslyn’s Trinity Episcopal Church. Stanford White, a renowned Gilded Age architect, built the church in 1906.

Attendees will learn about Whitney, a sculptor, art collector. There will also be a virtual tour of her studio in Old Westbury.

Whitney was born into the wealthy Vanderbilt family and married into the Whitney family. She also established the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City in 1931.

“The attendees can really look forward to a fun and vibrant lecture,” Jennifer Lister, executive director of the Roslyn Landmark Society said, “to just learn more about Long Island, its history and the Gilded Age.”

Whitney’s great-grandson, John

LeBoutillier, a lifelong Old Westbury resident, will lead the tour. When he was elected to represent New York’s 6th Congressional District in 1980, he was the youngest member of the 97th Congress.

LeBoutillier was also a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Special House POW/ MIA Task Force during his tenure. There, he advocated for a continuing investigation into the fate of the 2,500 Americans missing in Indochina in the Vietnam war.

“[LeBoutillier] is a very lively speaker,” said Lister. “He’s very knowledgeable of Long Island and has a great family history.”

LeBoutillier based his book “Harvard Hates America” on his college experience as a 1976 magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College. He has since published articles in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times Sunday Magazine and other publications.

For more information on the Roslyn Landmark Society and to sign up for the lecture, visit roslynlandmarks.org.

The

take place on Nov. 20

ity

3

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ROSLYN LANDMARK SOCIETY

poster for “The Gilded Age: A Tour of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney’s Long Island Studio,” which will

at

p.m. The free event is being hosted by the Roslyn Landmark Society and Trin-

Episcopal Church at Trinity Episcopal Church in Roslyn.

READERS WRITE

Nancy Pelosi MAGA attack?

Eric Cash from Sands Point writes: “Is the MAGA Fascist Republican terrorist attack on Paul Pelosi a portent of things to come?“

That’s interesting. I didn’t realize that an illegal alien, homeless, drug addict, pedophile residing in a Berkeley school bus adorned with a BLM and rainbow flags, whose also a mushroom-tripping nudist with a

schizophrenic personality disorder, off his meds fit the typical description of a MAGA fascist!

Anyone I heard speaking on the subject from Republican leadership expressed sympathy for Paul Pelosi, which is more kind than the Democrats’ reaction to the brutal beating of Sen. Ron Paul within an inch of his life. Eric forgot about the shooting of the Republican

baseball team. Eric needs to be reminded of the vitriolic threats on Supreme Court justices made by our own New York senator, Schumer, and the terrorist who then went to Justice Kavanaugh’s house with a hammer and a bag of zip ties to kill him.

\Bill Spitalnick Roslyn Heights

Re-elect Katz as water commish

You have the opportunity to re-elect Patty Katz as commissioner of the Great Neck Water Control District. Patty has been a lifelong environmentalist. She has always believed in protecting our resources for us and for those who follow us.

We owe our “Shed the Meds” program to Patty. Not only can we count on Patty’s priorities, we can depend on her

to implement them. She has the creativity to develop solutions and the personality to get people to work with her. We are privileged to be able to vote for our own Sewer District representatives.

Vote for Patty Katz — Dec. 13 from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 236 East Shore Rd., Vista Hill Rd. entrance.

Joan Esterces Great Neck

It’s time to re-elect Patty Katz Dec. 13 as commissioner of the Great Neck Water Pollution Control District. As a longtime neighbor I know that Patty is a dedicated individual who has initiated much during her tenure working energetically to guide our district with evolving ideas.

She organized Shed the Meds, informing residents of dangers of casual disposal of medications. She fought for over $12 million in grants for up-

grades to the facility and helped lead the state in the important effort to test wastewater for Covid 19 and polio.

Patty Katz has made strenuous efforts to help lead educational events to foster evolving environmental awareness such as benefits of disposing wipes properly, the importance of creating native and pollinator gardens to protect our bee and butterfly population, and the benefits of solar energy.

She is known to be an excellent

organizer and has received numerous awards for her outstanding service from Nassau County and Town of North Hempstead. Patty is both a listener and a doer.

Please show your support by voting on Dec. 13. Polls open from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 236 East Shore Rd, Great Neck – Vista Hill Rd. entrance.

Sybil Bank Great Neck

Strange Years

It’s 1984—December’s stark light. A long cold started to blow in, the wind passing through the tall rig hummed like telephone wires, warning of a storm— it reminded me of something brave Odysseus might have faced.

Talk about topography flat as a platter to the horizon, I thought Nebraska was flat, but on the high plains of Oklahoma summer ends in a sudden fall crucified by waves of winter kicking over everything.

Out there you’re exposed to the bare elements. Come summer there’d be thick red dust storms to manage, and tornadoes—but that’s another story

Soon after we started making the new hole the generators broke down from the cold and the mud pits began to freeze over. All was married in mud, though at least there’d be no snow… not this time.

Flashlights blazed all hands, orders. A wide-track dozer pulled a pickup through the muck until it also got stuck. With mud up to the waist we couldn’t do much, and hoped for a little more freeze for the traction.

That night I gazed on in the dark of my trailer window that’s been a geologist’s home for a month since before Thanksgiving and would be for yet another month—until I went back to Oklahoma City sporting a 102 fever—and got the newborn sick. In an era before flu vaccines, I thought I would die out there in the middle of nowhere several times.

Come morning no sound was heard but the calls of rig hands standing around. The generators were still out, at least the air was clear and didn’t reek of half-spent diesel. And silence, otherwise there was the constant roar of the generators and screech of the rig’s metal on mental that sounded like a herd of raptors charging through 24/7.

One more stubborn hole to follow that took me into the new year, and I acutely knew it’d be dry too. The shows just weren’t there. I used a satellite phone to try to convince management to back off but was told “No can do, too late, all the companies have committed. Chalk one up for the sales team.

Cheers!”

No matter how stupid it wasn’t my money, a farm-out… my company had split the risk. I was brought on because I knew the geology down to the Ordovician like the back of my hand. And was good at isolating promising zones while drilling, and could use a microscope.

Sometimes it’s good to look back. It’s been an overdue preoccupation lately, whether anecdote or knowing—what, exactly? Even now it doesn’t seem real to me.

What to make of this cold barren location mired in mud and memory— had I expected the beautiful or the wise? Perhaps just the naked truth: the churning years lie thick, we live beneath them.

Stephen Cipot Garden City Park

Who is paying for G.N. Library suit?

Ihave faith that the presiding justice who oversees the Great Neck Library election litigation will see through the thinly veiled threats to disregard absentee ballots.

The flimsy, faulty, frivolous petition filed by disgruntled litigants Jessica Hughes and Christina Rusu should be dismissed and the “some 62” absentee ballots should be counted.

Library Board Trustee candidates Jessica Hughes, an attorney, and Christina Rusu, the “Unity” Party library board candidates running on the platform against library litigation have abused our court system by starting their own lawsuit against the Great Neck Library and the other candidates. While the machine votes favored Hughes and Rusu, absentee ballots broke heavily in favor of Rory Lancman, Liman Mimi Hu, and Kim Schader, putting Lancman ahead of Rusu, and Hu and Schader within striking distance of taking the lead. It was at this point that Hughes objected to the continuation of the count, resulting in a postponement.

Hughes and Rusu hired John Ciampoli, an election attorney, fresh from his failed attempt to suppress absentee ballots in the 2022 midterms. He is at it again in Great Neck, only this time on the library’s budget funded by taxpayer dollars.

The turnout at the library election was unprecedented. Over 3,000 voted in person and over 300 by absentee ballot. On the agenda was “book banning.” Hughes and Rusu denied they supported “banning books” but did support “parental control” and “parental input.” These are euphemisms used to make censorship and book banning more palatable. This language is used by book banners nationwide.

Many of Hughes’ and Rusu’s supporters’ “moral values” did not believe that LGBTQ+ or any books they determined were “sexually explicit” should be in the library, much less the Young Adult section. Hughes refused to state where she believed these books should be lo-

cated in the public library. Hughes erroneously believed that it was the board’s job to decide which books should be in the library and be placed, if at all. This is the job of a trained library professional.

Many in Great Neck who have immigrated to this country for the freedoms it offers are enticed by the lure of “parental controls” perhaps not realizing it is a tactic used straight from the autocrat’s guidebook. History portends that when book banning starts, the end of democracy follows. The slippery slope toward authoritarianism that started in Nazi Germany, the Ayatollah’s Iran, Communist China and most recently in Putin’s Russia started with the censorship and banning of books, which were against “moral values.”

Hughes’ and Rusu’s shoddy, wholly unsubstantiated petition, devoid of any supporting documentation that insinuates “voter fraud,” is filled with spurious allegations to invalidate ballots which had a “handwritten time stamp” (when the rubber stamp broke) and ballots timely postmarked which they do not want counted. Many of the ballots they would like discarded are those with East Asian or South Asian surnames. This is the definition of voter suppression. These disputed absentee ballots are sealed and their votes unknown.

While Hughes’ and Rusu’s baseless action continues to paralyze our election, the national and state midterm elections have been held. While votes were counted in those elections, the vote counting was halted in the Great Neck Library election. These “Unity” and antilibrary litigation candidates are wasting our taxpayer dollars by having the library defend itself. The question remains: Who is funding Hughes’ and Rusu’s retention of this election attorney and what is their ultimate goal? I have faith that voter suppression will not prevail.

Jonathan Freiberg Great Neck

Video conversation with Malcolm Nance on Nov. 27

On Sunday, Nov. 27 at 3:00 PM, Stephen C. Widom Cultural Arts at Emanuel will present a Video Conversation with intelligence and counter-terrorism expert Malcolm Nance, moderated by NY1 news anchor, host of Inside City Hall, and CNN political analyst, Errol Louis Malcolm Nance has just returned from the battlefield in Ukraine. The topic for their discussion is “America & Ukraine: The Struggle to Remain Democracies.”

Malcolm Nance is an American author and media commentator on terrorism, intelligence, insurgency, and torture. He was a counter-terrorism and intelligence consultant for the U.S. government’s Special Operations, Homeland Security and Intelligence agencies, and is currently a counter-terrorism analyst for NBC News.

Over 34 years, Nance participated in field and combat intelligence activity including acquiring experience as an Arabic-speaking special intelligence collections operator, field interrogator as well as providing both covert and clandestine anti & counter-terrorism support to national intelligence agencies and assets.

A former Navy intelligence operator, he has eye-witnessed numerous terrorist incidents and/ or participated in response operations, and has trained and advised numerous international and

government agency personnel in terrorist tactics and countering extremist ideology including the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Malcolm is the author of several books, including, “Defeating ISIS: Who They Are, How They Fight” and “What They Believe;” “The Plot to Hack America: How Putin’s Cyberspies and WikiLeaks Tried to Steal the 2016 Election;” the New York Times bestseller, “The Plot to Destroy Democracy:” “How Putin and His Spies Are Undermining America and Dismantling the West;” and “The Plot to Betray America.” His newest book is “They Want to Kill Americans: The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency,” published on July 12, 2022.

This program is funded by Steve & Sandi Richman and Pamela & Daniel Perla.

Registration for this event is $15.For further information, to register and purchase a ticket online, go to:

https://www.scwculturalarts.org/sundayseries

This event can be viewed through December 11th. To Purchase a ticket after Nov. 27 at 2:00 PM, call 516.482.5701.

Please call 516.482.5701 if you have additional questions.

READERS WRITE

Great Neck turns its back on freedom

Why weren’t freedom of religion and a women’s right to choose, confronting hate and jealousy paramount in our decision-making?

Are these points less important than what goes on in New York City? Are we that comfortable in our environment?

Why would our community abandon the very people they supported in the past? Do they not value the same values you hold? Have they not earned your support for re-election?

Have they not worked hard enough to have your continued support? Have they personally failed you as elected officials in their respective positions as U.S. senator and majority leader, as comptroller of the State of New York, as your New

York State senator?As a resident of Nassau County, what occurs in New York City is beyond the provenance of those who represent us as our elected officials.

Further, in the case of the state Senate, they are only one of over 60 other elected senators.

Freedom was on the line! Freedom of religion, freedom of choice. Democracy was on the line. If your freedom is taken away, what are you left with? Most of the United States chose freedom.

Sadly, the majority of Great Neck turned their backs on Freedom. Our country is based on liberty, freedom and choice.

Charles Schneider Great Neck

Partners with SUNY O. Westbury

TheDream.US, the nation’s largest college access and success program for immigrant students, today announced a new partnership with the State University of New York at Old Westbury to provide scholarships for immigrant students in New York State to achieve their higher education dreams.

The new announcement arrives as TheDream.US opens its new scholarship round for the 2023-2024 academic year. Applications will be open between Nov. 1, 2022 and through February 28, 2023.

The scholarships are open to undocumented immigrant students with or without Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or Temporary Protected Status who came to the United States before the age of 16 and before Nov. 1, 2017.

“As we at SUNY Old Westbury know so well, ours is a society made stronger by the diversity of its members,” said Timothy E. Sams, president of SUNY Old Westbury. “We are proud of our record of serving Dreamers who we know work so hard to better their own lives and the lives of those in the communities they call home. We thank TheDream. US for partnering with our campus to grow the opportunities for Dreamers to pursue their education as part of what is their uniquely American experience.”

The new scholarship round includes eligibility for immigrant youth across New York State to apply to The-

Dream.US National Scholarship (https://www.thedream. us/scholarships/national-scholarship/) to attend SUNY Old Westbury. The National Scholarship is for Dreamers who are first-time, current, or previously enrolled college students. The award is for tuition and fees of up to $33,000 for each student towards a bachelor’s degree.

TheDream.US now has more than 80 partner colleges in 21 states and Washington, D.C. that are committed to serving Dreamers and prepared to offer students the needed support services to help them successfully navigate college life, both on and off campus.

Candy Marshall, president of TheDream.US said “We are excited to partner with SUNY Old Westbury in supporting New York Dreamers in their college and career aspirations. Despite the many obstacles they face, these immigrant students continue to persevere and work hard to achieve their education and career goals. 93% of our 3,000+ graduates are now working or have started their own businesses. Their successes are proof that expanding Dreamers’ access to higher education and career opportunities is good for our country’s economic growth. We are grateful to SUNY Old Westbury and our 80+ other Partner Colleges across the United States for giving our immigrant youth the opportunity to pursue a college education and contribute to the future of America.”

‘Dropping of the Roses’ event

Dec. 7, 2022 is the 81st Anniversary of the Japanese attack on the U.S. Navy Fleet based at Pearl Harbor.

On Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022, American Airpower Museum hosts the annual “Dropping of the Roses” Pearl Harbor Memorial Ceremony conducted by the Long Island Air Force Association.

The American Airpower Museum has provided space for this event each year ever since the Museum opened its doors in 2000.

There will be welcome remarks by Col. (ret.) Bill Stratemeier, LIAFA. This solemn ceremony remembers all who served and perished at Pearl Harbor, and includes a special tribute to several World War II veterans who will receive certificates from Long Island elected officials.

In keeping with the “Dropping of the Roses” tradition began by Joseph Hydrusko in 1970, the blessing of 81 American Beauty Roses (including one extra white rose for 9-11) will commemorate the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

The ceremony also includes color guards from the navy reserves and several veterans organizations. The chaplain will conduct a Blessing of the Roses, Taps will be played and roses

presented to the pilot, who then taxis from AAM’s ramp in a vintage military aircraft and departs Republic Airport to drop the Roses over New York’s Statue of Liberty.

The public is welcome to attend our “Dropping of the Roses” Pearl Harbor Memorial Ceremony on Dec 7, 2022. Admission is free if you arrive between 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Regular Museum admission after 12:00 p.m. is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and veterans, $10 for kids 5 to 12. No tickets or preregistration necessary.

Ceremonies such as this are important to help keep the history of World War II alive. Americans should never forget the contributions and sacrifices of our veterans.

The public is encouraged and invited to attend free of charge! Help support the mission of AAM and LIAFA by honoring our veterans and learning about U.S. military history. So, please join us at Hangar 3!

What? “Dropping of the Roses” at American Airpower Museum at Republic Airport

Where? Hangar 3, 1230 New Highway, Farmingdale.

When? Dec. 7, – 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

NSPC serves as clinical trial site

The Lake Success, New York office of NSPC Brain & Spine Surgery has been approved to serve as one of several “study sites” for a nationwide clinical trial of a drug to treat the pain of Trigeminal Neuralgia, a neuropathic facial pain condition that produces sudden, excruciating pain in the jaw or cheek area on one side of an affected person’s face.

According to Dr. Jeffrey A. Brown, a senior partner and attending neurosurgeon at NSPC, the clinical trial will evaluate the safety and efficacy of a drug manufactured by Biohaven Pharmaceuticals called Rimegepant compared to a placebo for adults, 18 years or older.

A nationally known expert in the treatment of TN, Dr. Brown serves as the Facial Pain Association Medical Advisory Board National Chairman.

Brown said Rimegepant ‘has been shown to be safe and efficacious for the treatment of migraine headaches and is approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for this condition. “Trigeminal neuralgia is a potentially new use for this medication,” he said, “which works

by a different mechanism than the established drugs currently in use and may be effective in treating the pain of TN.”

The Biohaven Pharmaceuticals’ TN study is open to patients, said Brown, “with poorly controlled trigeminal neuralgia as determined by careful evaluation. It will be double-blinded and will take approximately seven to nine weeks to complete, with an opportunity to continue for an additional 12 weeks.

Participants may be able to continue a stabilized dosage of their current medications.” Patients will be randomly assigned either Rimegepant or a placebo.

Screening evaluations and an MRI may be required prior to enrollment in the study. A series of pain scale evaluations, as well as blood tests, will be completed during the trial to assure the safety of participants.

Individuals suffering from Trigeminal Neuralgia who would like to be considered for participation in the Biohaven Rimegepant TN Study can call (516) 442-2250, ext. 2004, or visit https:// nspc.com/tn-clinical-trial/

Long Island Reach to host concert

Long Islanders are invited to dance the night away at the “Rock for Recovery” rock concert to support Long Island Reach on Tuesday, Nov. 29 at The Anchor Tavern in Long Beach. This concert is a way for community members to come together and combat Long Island’s triple threat – the opioid crisis, mental health crisis and repercussions from COVID pandemic.

The concert is open to the public and kicks off at 6 p.m. with four local bands taking stage throughout the night which include Katie Mitchell Band, Turnpike Joe and the Traffic Jam, F.O.G. and Last Licks.

Sponsorships are available and individual tickets are $100 which includes admission, food and drinks are included.

“Our idea was pretty simple…to bring the community together to “rock out” for recovery, on a special night filled with fun, rock and roll tunes that everyone will know, all to aid Reach’s mission to build healthy lifestyles through substance abuse and mental health counseling,” said Scott K. Nigro, Long Island Reach chairperson and co-creator of the event and lead singer for F.O.G.

The community-based, multi-service agency needs support now more than ever due to increased demand in services. All proceeds from the fundraiser will go towards resources for programs of Long Island Reach. To purchase tickets or a sponsorship, please visit: www.longislandreach.org/rockfor-recovery

Town reminds residents about S.T.O.P. event

North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and the Town Board would like to remind residents that the final Stop Throwing Out Pollutants (S.T.O.P.) event for 2022 will be held on Sunday, Nov. 20 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at North Hempstead Beach Park (North Lot).

“Improperly disposing of dangerous chemical wastes could potentially contaminate our water supply, so programs like S.T.O.P . are essential to continue to ensure the Town and our residents are responsible environmental stewards,” DeSena said. “I’m proud that the Town will once again offer this amazing program that offers our residents a safe, convenient, and environmentally sound method of disposing of their hazardous household waste.”

The S.T.O.P . program offers Town of North Hempstead residents the opportunity to dispose of dangerous and chemical wastes that are too dangerous to dispose of with routine curbside pickups.

Residents can return items such as aerosols, household chemicals, pesticides, disinfectants, fertilizers, bulbs, thermostats, rechargeable and lithium batteries, TV’s and computers. Latex and waterbased paints, once dried out (usually 24-36 hours after the lid is removed) can be placed in a trash bag and thrown out with your regular household garbage.

Latex and water-based paints will not be accepted at the S.T.O.P . collection site. Oil-based paints, on the other hand, are considered hazardous and will be accepted at any S.T.O.P . program.

Residents may also bring their sensitive documents to the S.T.O.P . event for proper shredding and destruction to prevent identity theft. Any documents brought will be shredded on-site by a document shredding company.

There is a limit of 6 “Bankers Box” sized boxes or bags of paper per car, per day. For every 2,000 pounds of paper the Town recycles equates to 17 trees saved.

Pharmaceuticals will not be accepted at S.T.O.P . events.

The S.T.O.P . events also have a clothing donation area. Gently used and working clothes, stuffed animals, electronics, toys, sporting equipment, shoes, books, small area rugs, bikes, scooters, luggage, picture frames, table lamps, bolts of fabric, silverware, glassware, dishes, and cosmetics will be collected.

Participants must be residents of North Hempstead (no commercial vehicles will be allowed) and need to show a driver’s license or other valid proof of residency.

Only potentially hazardous household products and e-waste will be accepted. For safety reasons, residents also must remain in their vehicle while event staff removes items to be discarded. Please also leave pets at home so staff can safely remove items from your vehicle.

For more information on the S.T.O.P . program, please call 311 or 516-869-6311 or visit northhempsteadny.gov/stopprogram

Business&RealEstate

Our market is far from crash of 2008

There is no doubt that the increases in mortgage rates have slowed down the housing market over the last six months, but it’s not even close to what occurred in 2008. The inventory accumulation back then was 10.4 months (MLS stats) whereas currently it is 3.2 months. So bubbles in inventories generally cause prices to go down as supply becomes greater than demand (the typical supply/demand economics) and competition among sellers becomes heightened, which leads to lower prices.

Currently we have much higher prices and interest rates so the prospect of becoming a homeowner has faded for so many. The lines at open houses are gone and offers at asking prices and above are gone. Properties are still selling, however, and although prices are moderating, they are still holding — again due to a lack of inventory and still some competition.

The fact that the current market doesn’t resemble 2008 means that your asking price has to be close to what has sold over the last few months and not go as far back as six months when rates were lower and

selling prices were higher. You must do your research in advance of considering whether to sell on your own or list with a reliable and professional Realtor who will do the necessary homework.

Banks are being more conservative with their appraisals in the prelude to mortgage approval. Because of the very lax lending that occurred in 2008, leading to the Dodd-Frank legislation, lending requirements today are more carefully structured to make sure buyers are adequately qualified. But there are low down payment loans to those who meet the FHA requirements, and rates for a 30-year fixed mortgage as of Nov. 13 were 6.96% and the refinance rate was 6.93%. It is still a much more expensive undertaking than a year ago.

However, the full documentation loans with 7% rates today are the same 7% rates with more flexible requirements as in 1996. But home prices were one-third to one-half the cost of today back then and based on income much more affordable to finance. Salaries and incomes have not necessarily kept up with the current housing costs, so the 7% rate today costs much more per month. Invento-

PHILIP A. RAICES

Real Estate Watch

ries will take many years to become normalized, so choices will be limited for many years.

Mortgage rates generally decrease as recessions become stronger. For many buyers, it may pay to wait, but for those who really need or want to buy or sell, there are creative ways to accomplish this. I have a few ideas based on my experiences this year that enabled buyers, who thought they couldn’t buy to become hom-

eowners. There is a way to attain a mortgage at lower than current rates. Thinking outside the box can create situations that become a win/win for both buyer and seller.

With the escalating prices of rentals over the last few years and the reduction in building your wealth and zero tax deductions, buying can still make sense. Having a beneficial strategy will assist you in your path to homeownership. Gaining equity in becoming an owner to help grow your net worth over the long term will surely be more to your advantage than giving it away to a landlord. We can help you in your search if you have an open mind with flexibility.

Sellers would rather consider cash buyers who will have a slight advantage as their purchase will not be subject to an appraisal and may conceivably close quicker. However, today it is considered normal to have the purchase subject to an inspection. Today, sellers would most likely want a cash purchase to have a smoother sale with the least amount of glitches to occur.

Over the last 30 years, prices have increased an average of 290% nationwide. This isn’t to say the same

will occur over the next 30 years, but many times history does repeat itself. Locally the lack of buildable land and housing inventory should keep prices on a more solid ground compared to other areas throughout the United States.

Continue to donate to the Ukrainian Crisis and save a life or 2:

IOM’s Ukraine Response

OR The International Organization for Migration a 501(c) 3 Corporation: OR:http://donate.iom.int

Philip A. Raices is the owner/Broker of Turn Key Real Estate at 3 Grace Ave Suite 180 in Great Neck. He has 40 years of experience in the Real Estate industry and has earned designations as a Graduate of the Realtor Institute (G.R.I.) and also as a Certified International Property Specialist (C.I.P.S) as well as the new “Green Industry” Certification for eco-friendly construction and upgrades. For a “FREE” 15-minute consultation, value analysis of your home, or to answer any of your questions or concerns he can be reached by cell: (516) 647-4289 or by email: Phil@TurnKeyRealEstate.Com or via https://WWW.TurnKeyRealEstate.Com

TECH

What is Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS)?

Have you noticed that a website address starts with the letters and symbols of http:// or https://? What is the difference and why should you care? HTTPS secures communication and data transmission between a user’s web browser and a website. HTTPS is the newer, more secure version of HTTP.

HTTPS helps to secure websites that send or receive sensitive data. Simply put, any website that requires login credentials or involves financial transactions should use HTTPS to ensure the security of users, transactions and data. This includes personal or business information exchanged by online banking services, online retailers and healthcare providers.

A malicious actor can easily impersonate, modify or monitor an HTTP connection. HTTPS protects against these vulnerabilities. As a result, it ensures that no one can tamper with these transactions, securing users’ privacy and preventing sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands.

Small and medium-sized business managers should be mindful to check for the secure HTTPS when accessing websites for banking, shopping online, and SAAS (software-as-a-service) programs. We highly recommend coaching all employees to look for this, as well. Human error is behind the majority of IT breaches and is avoidable with proper training and reinforcement. Contact Sandwire Technology Group for information on affordable cyber security training for your company.

Cyber Security

State Dems call for Jacobs’ ouster

With all 264 election districts reported, Mar tins got 64,009 of the total 123,144 votes cast, enough for 52%. Kaplan secured 55,846 votes, or 45.5%.

Martins said at the Nassau GOP’s watch par ty at the Coral House in Baldwin that he is go ing to stand up for local communities and keep families safe.

“This year especially we all knew this was the year we were going to draw the line in the sand,” Martins said Tuesday night. “Right here in Nassau County we stood up and we’re going back to Albany because you and your voices made it happen.”

While Hochul defeated Zeldin by nearly 330,000 votes throughout New York, she did not receive much help from counties, including Nas sau, outside of New York City.

Hochul, in Nassau, drew 44.6% of the 507,421 total votes cast and Zeldin claimed the larger share at 55.4% of the vote.

Encouraging registered Democrats to even cast their ballot appeared to be an issue this year. While more than 6 million registered Democrats were listed as active voters by the state’s election board, Hochul received just north of 3 million votes total and 2.7 million on the Democratic line.

Zeldin received just shy of 2.7 million total votes but received almost 2.4 million on the Re publican line.

Election board statistics show that there are fewer than 2.7 million registered Republican voters throughout the state.

Continued from Page 1

received 21,746 votes.

Santos, who ran on the Republican and Conservative lines, received 120,271 votes from Nassau voters while Zimmerman received 97,466 votes.

The state’s 3rd Congressional District in cludes the entire Town of North Hempstead including parts of Floral Park, New Hyde Park,

Garden City, Mineola and Westbury villages. It also stretches to more southern parts of Nassau County such as Hicksville and Massapequa.

D’Esposito, a former NYPD detective and Is land Park resident, declared victory in the 4th Congressional District race against Democrat Laura Gillen, receiving 137,899, or 51.9% of votes, compared to Gillen’s 127,748, or 48.08%.

He ran on the Republican and Conservative lines while Gillen ran on the Democratic line. He

thanked everyone who cast their votes for him to help fip a congressional seat that has been under Democratic control since 1997.

Both Zimmerman and Gillen were endorsed by the current Democratic representatives who hold their seats, Tom Suozzi and Kathleen Rice, respectively.

Former Republican state Sen. Jack Martins won back his old seat against incumbent state Sen. Anna Kaplan (D-North Hills) last week.

Outreach, state aid goals for Port schools

Continued from Page 2

Business ofce objectives included restruc turing personnel’s functional responsibilities, strengthening communication with building administrators and community members and providing staf development for business staf to improve efciencies and time management.

Goals for special education/pupil person nel services included expanding the extended

school year program, developing integrated coteaching programs and restructuring/redesign ing the transition program.

Human resources pursuits included devel oping and supporting new administrators, nego tiating contracts and hiring a diverse workforce.

School leadership aims included providing ongoing support for previous initiatives, increas ing curricular consistency and helping improve

graduation and advanced designation diploma rates.

Sean Feeney, an assistant superintendent, also shared the results of a district-wide survey given out in May. The district shared the ques tionnaire with families, students (grades three to fve/six to 12) and staf (instructional/noninstructional).

The survey judged satisfaction on certain

Mineola to vote on mix of retail, residential

the two new districts.

“This fund would be used by the village in the future for projects which beneft municipal parking, including the acquisition of land to be used for parking, the maintenance of current municipal parking felds, and projects of that nature,” Pereira said Wednesday.

For additional residential units to be devel oped, current regulations would require park ing spaces to be put in place, but a potential remedy would be a payment in lieu of parking program that would set funds aside for specifc parking developments in the village.

The fourth law, Pereira said, is renumber ing the existing Downtown Overlay District and moving it to its own dedicated section in village code.

The ffth and sixth local laws would create the Jericho Turnpike Overlay District and His toric Overlay District.

Pereira reiterated some of Grygiel’s points in September when he said possible additions to the Jericho district can include residential units on upper foors in mixed-used buildings, hotels and assisted-living residences, among others.

The mayor also clarifed the specifc section of the turnpike is prone to increase foot trafc.

“In contrast to other parts of Jericho Turn pike, where shoppers tend to pull up in front of the one store they wish to visit, conduct their business and leave, these areas ofer the oppor tunity to stroll and window shop,” Pereira said. “Their concentrations of small storefronts, appealing architecture and retail continuity encourage window-shopping and provide an environment conducive to specialty shops and restaurant rows.”

Pereira also said maintaining the aesthetics of downtown, which has undergone recent de velopment of residential and mixed-use build

ings, parking improvements and NYU Langone expansion, is a priority.

“Providing regulations to allow for building renovations and new construction consistent with the prevailing aesthetics and scale would further the Master Plan’s objectives regarding preservation of community character,” Pereira said. “The intention is to mandate building de sign and scale similar to historic development patterns in this area. This will allow the Village to preserve and create a more aesthetically pleasing area in keeping with the original de sign of the area.”

If the overlay districts are created, any and all potential redevelopments would have to be brought to the board for a public hearing. Pereira said at previous board meetings the dis tricts would allow the village to consider more options that exist outside of the current param eters in the code.

Suozzi, who ran a failed gubernatorial race losing to Hochul in the primary earlier this year, told Blank Slate Media that he would have re moved Jacobs from his seat in the Democratic Party if he was elected governor.

“Jay is loyal to the person in power,” Suozzi said. “He was with [David] Paterson, he sup ported Spitzer after my race, he was with Cuo mo and now he’s with Hochul. If I’m the gover nor, he will no longer be Democratic chairman.”

Eforts to reach Jacobs for comment were unavailing.

topics but was diferent for each group. Yet some topics like school climate, safety and “grit” went across multiple surveys.

The survey provider then gave benchmarks to compare the district’s results with over 3,000 schools and 2,000,000 students, family mem bers and staf members.

While students in grades three through fve, as well as staf, had answers that were average or above average, the other groups’ answers ranked mostly below average.

“We’ve got to address these problems that might pop up in the survey,” said Feeney. “And clearly there are some, right? We’re putting it out there, we’re not hiding any of the unfavor able responses, because this becomes our base line now. We’re looking to improve, and we’ve got action plans in place.”

In the most extreme instance, the district asked parents about barriers to engagement, family engagement, school climate, ft and safety. All fve answers fell between the 0th and 39th percentiles compared to the national aver age. Three questions — on barriers to engage ment, climate and ft — fell between the 0th and 19th percentiles.

(About 23% of families responded to the survey. This was over 60% lower than the par ticipation rates of students at 85% and staf at 87%.)

Feeney said the data requires context and cautioned against panic.

“There are certainly some things we need to do and even if we have a very favorable re sult — 75% lands in the top quintile — what’s happening with that missing 25%?” he said. “There’s work to be done both on the high end and the lower end of those surveys. Which is the value of giving it again.”

All district staf members have reviewed the survey results. The district will conduct more surveys this year.

PHOTO BY LUKE TORRANCE

1,100 Democrats throughout New York signed a letter urging state and Nassau Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs to be removed from his position.

Phone: 516.307.1045

e-mail: dflynn@theisland360.com In Person: 22 Planting Field Road Roslyn Heights, NY 11577

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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

verbal cancellations must be approved by a supervisor. There are no refunds on cancelled advertising. An advertising credit only will be issued.

HELP WANTED

COMPANION WANTED for young adult. Carle Place/Mineola location. Flexible license. Please call: 516-747-7377

GARDEN CITY CPA seeks accounting student to work part time all year round. Days, nights or weekends, flexible hours, approximately 8-12 hours per week. Student will learn how to keep books and records for small businesses, prepare financial statements and payroll, business and personal income tax returns and assist on certified audits. Knowledge of Excel and Word required, Quickbooks a plus. Reply to gardencitycpa@yahoo.com

HELP WANTED

RECEPTIONIST FULL TIME NEEDED For Port Washington Animal Hospital. Including Saturdays. Please call for interview/more info: 516-883-2005

TELEMARKETERS Lead Generation. No Experience Necessary! $16/hour Plus Commission! 25 Hours/Week, 10am4pm. Nice Work Environment! In Office Only / Not Remote. Garden City, NY Call Rick: 516-456-7492

VET/TECH KENNEL ASSISTANT needed. All shifts available. Duties include helping doctors with appointments/treatments. Cleaning cages/ offices/equipment. Must like animals, be reliable, dependable & work well with others. Please call to schedule interview. Port Washington Animal Hospital: 516-883-2005

SITUATION WANTED

AIDE / CARE GIV ER: Caring, Efficient, Reliable. Available FT Live In nights & weekends to care for your sick or elderly loved one. Cooking, tidy up, personal grooming, administer medications. 15years experience. References available. Fully Vaccinated. Please Call 516-448-0502

EXPERIENCE. Honest, reliable. Available Full-time, Part-time & Overnight. Licensed driver with own car. Also available to run errands, pick up medication, etc. Call Barbara 917-442-5760

ELDER CAREExperienced woman seeks position to care for the elderly live in or live out. Certified HHA. Excellent references. Please call 516-800-6442

IRISH LADY AVAILABLE To care for sick or elderly Full Time any days. Experienced in all phases. References and car available. Garden City references. Please call 516-437-1285

MATURE LADY SEEKS employment as CNA. Home health aide, very reliable, hard working, willing to do background checks, 15 yrs nursing home experience. Please call 516-410-1892, 917-244-3714 or 516-688-9251.

MARKETPLACE

INVITED ESTATE

JORDAN is doing VIRTUAL TAG SALES and ONLINE AUCTIONS now! Sell the contents of an entire house or sell just a few things! You can host your own sale on invitedsales.com and Facebook and Instagram or we can do it for you. We can photograph, advertise and handle the winning pickups for you within a week!

can get your house ready on time! We are a one stop service for all your needs when you are moving or selling a property! Selling, donating, discarding and cleaning out services can be done to meet your time frame with minimal stress. Contact info@invitedsales.com for more information or call 516-279-6378 to schedule a consultation or receive more information. Visit us at www.invitedsales. com for a listing of our upcoming Virtual Tag Sales and Weekly Auctions!

WANTED TO BUY

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CHIMNEY

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HANDYMAN Careful & Reliable Serving GARDEN CITY and surrounding area since 2003 Repairs & Installations of all types Carpentry, Moldings, Lighting and More 35-yr Nassau Resident References Lic#170101 Phone/Text Friendly Frank: 516-238-2112 Email: Frankcav@optonline.net

MADE IN THE SHADE CUSTOM WINDOW TREATMENTS Blinds, Shades, Shutters, Draperies Top Brands at Discount Prices! Family owned & operated www.madeintheshadensli.com 516-426-2890

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PAULIE THE ROOFER STOPPING LEAKS IS MY SPECIALTY! Slate & Tile Specialists All types of Roofing Local References Licensed & Insured 516-621-3869

PAINTING & PAPERHANGING

MICHELANGELO PAINTING & WALLPAPER Interior, Exterior, Plaster/Spackle, Light Carpentry, Decorative Moldings & Power Washing. Call: 516-328-7499

HEALTH SERVICES

FAMILY CARE CONNECTIONS, LLC Dr. PMHCNS-BCDoctor of Nursing Practice Advanced Practice Nurse Care Manager Assistance with Aging at Home/Care Coordintion Nursing Home & Assisted Living Placement PRI / Screens / Mini Mental Status Exams Medicaid Eligibility and Apllications 516-248-9323 www.familycareconnections.com 901 Stewart Ave, Ste 230 Garden City, NY 11530

PARTY HELP

LADIES & GENTLEMEN RELAX & ENJOY Your Next Party! Catering and Experienced Professional Services for Assisting with Preparation, Serving and Clean Up Before, During and After Your Party Bartenders Available. Call Kate at 516-248-1545

Instruction

SERVICES

A &

SALES BY TRACY

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Sports

Herricks swimming duo dominates

Sullivan, Simmons leads team in winning Nassau County title, set sights on state championship

BY MICHAEL J. LEWIS

If Herricks girls swimming coach Danielle Sullivan was to be taken literally, there might be need for investigation by New York State swimming authorities.

In describing her outstanding senior Katie Yee, Sullivan raved about her work ethic, how Yee is putting her heart and soul into the sport and even more effort this, her final season.

“I think she might have fins, she practices so hard,” Sullivan said with a laugh.

Sullivan was of course kidding; Yee is all human. But the times she and fellow senior Kailey Simons have been putting up this season certainly have been eye-popping.

The duo each won two events at the Nassau County championships on Nov. 5 at the Nassau County Aquatic Center at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow. Yee won the 200 intermediate medley in 2:05.11, and the 100 butterfly in

:55.19, while Simons snagged a couple of top spots in the 50 freestyle (:24.07) and the 100 backstroke (55.92).

On the strength of those two wins and their earlier qualifying times, both Yee and Simons, along with four teammates, will be competing in the state championships on Nov. 18-19 in Webster, N.Y.

“So excited to be back and have a chance to do well at states, and winning counties was a big goal I had all year,” Simons said. “To do this and win counties for the first time since I was a freshman, it so special.”

For Simons, whose specialty is the backstroke, reaching states this year is sweeter because of what she endured in 2021.

Competing through discomfort in both shoulders last fall, she finally came to the point where “I couldn’t do anything without a lot of pain” she said, and had to shut her season down. She had a partial tear in her labrum and

supraspinatus tears in both rotator cuffs and missed the county and state meets.

This year, the Herricks violinist and swimming standout is much healthier and has excelled. She’s seeded fourth in the state meet in the 100 back and sixth in the 50 free.

“Kailey is very analytical, and she knows what her strengths are but whatever I put her in she’ll do well,” Sullivan said. “She’s an absolute pleasure to coach, so supportive of everyone and so coachable.”

For Yee, who’ll be swimming for Cornell University next year (Simons is undecided on college), winning counties again and qualifying for states was the capstone on her career, and she’d like to improve on her two medal finishes from last year’s state championships. In 2021 Yee was fifth in the 200 IM and sixth in the 100IM butterfly at the state meet.

“I definitely want to get into the Top 3 in the 200 IM,” she said. “I know some of my

competitors and am excited to race them.

Yee laughed when she heard her coach’s description of her, and agreed.

“I probably spend half my time at school and home and the other half in the water,” Yee said. “I like to help other people, my teammates and other teams too. Even though it’s an individual sport, there’s a big team aspect of it.”

Both Yee and Simons spoke effusively of each other, realizing their last days as teammates are here.

“We push each other so much and since our best strokes are opposite each other, it’s fun to race each other,” Simons said. “She’s so supportive and I’m so excited we get to go to states.”

“She’s amazing, how she keeps pushing and working hard through her injuries,” Yee said. “If us and the relay teams can all get Top 10s, that would be amazing.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF HERRICKS HIGH SCHOOL

Herricks unveils new library learning suite

On Nov. 3, Herricks Board of Education, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Tony Sinanis, district adminis trators and students ofcially unveiled the new Library Learning Suite at Herricks High School.

The newly renovated space ofers a modern, welcoming atmosphere with fexibility for students. “The goal of the design was to create an area that encourages participatory learning and allows for an under standing of various sources of information,” shared Library Media Specialist Samantha Gerantabee. “To achieve this, we incorporated three distinctive learning areas: cocoon zones, active and fexible seating,

and collaborative spaces,” she continued. The Library Learning Suite will maintain and update digital technologies to promote 21st century learning and content acquisition and distribution.

After the ribbon cutting, students had the opportunity to sit with members of the Board of Education and school administration in an informal “freside chat” presenting ideas, comments and addressing con cerns for the year ahead.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF HERRICKS PUBLIC SCHOOL

Herricks Board President James Gounaris cutting the ribbon of the new Library Learning Suite at Herricks High School surrounded by board members, school administration and students.