Serving Roslyn, East Hills, Roslyn Estates, Roslyn Harbor, Roslyn Heights, Greenvale, Old Westbury and North Hills
$1.50
Friday, May 13, 2022
Vol. 10, No. 19
SCHOOLS & EDUCATION
ROSLYN CINEMA CLOSES
BLAKEMAN NAMES ACTING ASSESSOR
PAGES 25-32
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PAGE 9
3 uncontested races for Roslyn school board District also voting on $122 million school budget, school bus proposition BY B R A N D ON D U FF Y Residents in Roslyn will be voting on May 17 on three candidates for the board of education, a $122 million school budget, $5 million budget for the Bryant Library, school bus purchases and a transfer from two capital reserve funds up to approximately $4.5 million for athletic renovations. The Roslyn Board of Education adopted a $122,145,193 budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year on April 12. The budget calls for a 2.93% increase in spending from the current year and a 2.48% increase in the tax levy, which falls under the state tax levy limit of 3.7%. The proposed tax levy totals $101,148,675. Running unopposed for vacant seats left by Clifford Saffron and Steven Litvack who are not seeking are residents Alison Gilbert and Robert Koonin. Bruce Valuari, who currently sits on the board, is running for reelection unopposed. Gilbert, a clinical psychologist and parent of two in the district, said he is running to help “maintain, preserve and contribute to the quality of work of the Roslyn Board of Education,” she said. A native Long Islander, Gilbert graduated from Cornell University and earned her doctorate from the Univer-
sity of Pittsburgh. Gilbert said she believes she has the professional skillset and personal experience in the district in order to keep up the board’s transparency, commitment and warmth, which she said she was initially impressed by when coming to the district. “I believe that my background and experience in the field of clinical psychology, as well as my experience as an involved parent, have given me the analytical, critical thinking and communication skills necessary to make a strong contribution to the Roslyn Board of Education,” Gilbert said. Koonin, a healthcare and real estate partner, has been involved in Roslyn as a coach for his daughters’ flag football and booster basketball teams, among other things. “Having lived in Roslyn for the past eight years, I have had the opportunity to watch my daughters grow and learn in an incredible academic environment,” Koonin said. “As a mentor to numerous Accelerator and Incubator teams at the High School, I have seen the incredible opportunities afforded to our Roslyn students. I can think of no better way to volunteer my time than to help assure the continued success of our school system and ensure that our students receive the best possible educational opportunities.” Continued on Page 38
PHOTO COURTESY OF ROSLYN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Davey Fried was recently recognized as a semifinalist in The Roger Rees Awards for his performance in the Roslyn Crown Players performance of the musical “Big Fish” earlier this year. See story on page 55.
DeSena bashes Dems for Tiernan highway chief choice BY B R A N D ON D U FF Y North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena has called on Democratic Councilwoman Veronica Lurvey to withdraw a resolution to appoint Thomas Tiernan the town’s new highway superintendent six years af-
ter he resigned following probes into his overtime compensation. “It’s extremely clear for anyone to see that Mr. Tiernan was handpicked in a backroom deal by Councilwoman Lurvey as no prior discussion, rationale or explanation was given as to how, when, where, and why, Mr.
Tiernan was chosen,” DeSena said in front of Town Hall at a news conference Monday afternoon. Tiernan had worked with the town since 1980 and was named highway chief in 2000. In 2016, Tiernan resigned following reports in Continued on Page 38
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