GOPers blast Santos as he enters House
Join Dems in backing county, state and federal probes of deluge of lies
BY ROBERT PELAEZ
Local Republicans have pulled their support of Congressman-elect George Santos, though few officials in either political party have called on him to resign from his position as the controversial figure’s inauguration nears.
Santos arrived in Congress on Monday but like other members was not sworn in when Republicans were unable to select a House speaker. Santos voted for former House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on all three
ballots cast.
The congressman-elect posted a press release on the House website saying he was sworn in on Tuesday despite no officials being sworn in. No House member was sworn in as of Wednesday morning with no speaker elected.
Town of North Hempstead Jennifer DeSena, who endorsed Santos ahead of the November election, condemned him for lying about his personal and professional background and said he will not be welcome at any town event she is present at. Other members of the
Suozzi announces parting gift for Roslyn
BY STEVEN KEEHNER
Congressman Tom Suozzi’s (DGlen Cove) conducted a farewell tour Wednesday that included stops in Great Neck and Roselyn in which he announced nearly $14 million in funding for several Nassau County and New York City-based organizations.
Suozzi’s tour was one of his final acts as New York’s 3rd congressional
representative. He submitted the community-funded 2023 projects in April.
On Wednesday, he presented checks to several groups, from government entities to nonprofit organizations.
Suozzi’s North Hempstead stops included the Great Neck Senior Center ($464,500), Roslyn Grist Mill Rehabilitation ($500,000) and Sid Jacobson JCC ($850,000). The JCC’s funding will go towards a new roof, while the senior center’s grant will al-
low them to complete renovations.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Village of Roslyn Mayor John Durkin joined Suozzi at the Roslyn Grist Mill stop. Blakeman thanked Suozzi for his preservation efforts.
“Once and for all we’ll get it preserved,” said Blakeman. “Because if we don’t preserve our historical sites, young people coming up won’t know about this community and how wonderful it was, the fact that this has
such a rich history and that you have a beautiful historic district.”
The funds will complete the wood frame restoration, reinstall the timber frame parts and lower the building to street level. Suozzi recalled working on the Roslyn Grist Mill during his days as county executive.
“I know the current county executive is working on it and they’ve made tremendous progress,” he said. “But they need money.”
The renovations will also provide public access to the historic site built between 1715 and 1741. Howard Kroplick, co-president of the Roslyn Landmark Society and former North Hempstead Town Historian, was also thankful.
“This could not be done without the community getting involved and government officials supporting the project so thank you so much,” he
Nassau workers praised after
Buffalo
Historic ‘Montrose’ listed for $2.9M
William Cullen Bryant bought house in 1852
BY STEVEN KEEHNER“Montrose,” a former Roslyn Harbor home owned by the legendary poet, journalist and newspaper editor William Cullen Bryant, has been listed for $2.999 million.
The colonial-style house, also known as “Clovercraft,” was built around 1830 and is on 1.4 acres. Located at 410 Bryant Ave., it is three stories tall, with seven bedrooms and six bathrooms.
“Built in the 1800s and lovingly lived-in and maintained by the same family for the last 50 years, this home exudes warmth, history, character and craftsmanship,” the house listing says. “Three stories ofering grand rooms, seven freplaces, gorgeous wood foors and an impressive front porch with winter-water views and serenity.”
The parcel where Montrose stands was part of Richard Kirk’s 100-acre farm, where he built a house to replace an older family residence. Samuel Pine originally owned the tract of land and passed it down to the Kirk family before the mid18th century.
BY STEVEN KEEHNERNassau County personnel were cheered at Christopher Morley Park in Roslyn Friday after returning from assisting in Western New York following a blizzard that killed at least 40 people.
Nassau sent 18 county employees to Bufalo last Monday with payloaders, plows, high-axel vehicles and tractors. County Executive Bruce Blakeman said the county was able to send workers thanks to favorable weather forecasts.
“Many of you probably thought you’d fnish opening up the Christmas presents or celebrating Hanukkah and were gonna relax a little bit this week — surprise,” he joked. “We had a mission and I thought that it was important that Nassau County take part in that mission.”
Vehicles from the Ofce of Emergency Management and the Depart-
ment of Public Works arrived home just after 5 p.m. Nassau police motorcycles accompanied them as county workers, Roslyn Volunteer Fire Department personnel and other attendees cheered them on.
The storm upstate had created hazardous driving conditions and prompted many to lose power, with roads only reopening last Thursday. Many of the reported deaths occurred inside or near vehicles and inside homes where the temperature was below freezing.
County employees cleaned roads in 31 neighborhoods. This allowed roadways to reopen and utility companies to help restore power.
“Because of your eforts, people are now getting their medicine, getting their food, getting their heat, getting their electricity back on,” said Blakeman. “So thank you. God bless you. God bless this great country that has people like you who will step up
to the plate.”
Blakeman got in touch with Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz after Gov. Kathy Hochul told him about Bufalo’s deadly snowfall.
“We thank County Executive Blakeman for ofering us assistance as we continue to deal with this unprecedented situation,” said Poloncarz.
Although Blakeman is a Republican and Poloncarz is a Democrat, Blakeman said the help goes beyond politics. He also described the efort as an important humanitarian and goodwill mission.
“God forbid we should ever need it, we built a lot of goodwill throughout the state,” he said. “As we know with Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Irene, things can happen. Especially when it comes to acts of nature and nobody’s immune to it. So if we all chip in together and realize that we’re one community for one state, we can get through these things.”
Later, in 1843, Bryant purchased 40 acres of land from Joseph Moulton, which comprised the historic “Cedarmere” estate. He sought to get away from city life so he could work on his poems and indulge his love of nature. He lived at Cedarmere until his death in 1878.
Bryant bought Montrose and four acres of land on the east side of Bryant Avenue, across from “Cedarmere,” for his daughter Fanny and her husband Parke Godwin in 1852.
In 1869, the couple commissioned Vaux, Withers & Company, a notable New York City architectural company, to restore the mansion, extending it and furnishing it with Victorian elements.
“It was through the eforts of Bryant, Moulton and the Cairns in the mid-19th century that one can see the beginnings of large country estate development in Roslyn Harbor,” says the National Register of Historic Places application from 1999. “The abundance of open and wooded land and lack of extensive residential development made Roslyn Harbor an ideal location for those seeking to develop a country estate as a retreat from the hectic pace of New York City.”
Montrose grew from four acres to over 50 acres, encompassing much of Bryant’s former land. The house was renamed “Clovercraft” after it was deeded to Parke and Fanny Godwin’s daughter Minna in 1898.
The Godwin family owned the house until 1955, when it was subdivided into 38 building lots.
The estimated monthly cost is $21,869, according to Zillow. The house is in the Roslyn School District.
Drug shortages combined with an increase in COVID-19, infuenza and respiratory syncytial virus infections have aggravated an already challenging situation on the North Shore and beyond, experts say.
“There’s been a surge in illnesses and there have still been supply issues,” Dr. Jack Kann, director of pharmacy at South Shore University Hospital, said. “So the combination of increased demand and decreased/ the same supply just creates some issues. And people are also trying to stock up, which just creates more of a supply issue.”
Drug shortages can develop for a variety of causes, including manufacturing and quality issues, delays and discontinuations. The Food and Drug Administration receives shortage information from manufacturers and works with them to minimize or mitigate their impact.
Currently, some prescriptions, including the antibiotic amoxicillin, the ADHD medicine Adderall and other pediatric medications, are in short supply.
Kann said Northwell Health monitors drug shortages daily and holds weekly calls about the issue.
“We try and assure that we maintain supplies,” he said. “We will share if need be to keep supplies consistent — that we can keep treating patients.”
The seven-day average of positive COVID-19 cases per 100,000 persons
on Long Island has declined from a high of 45 on Dec. 23, 2022. Yet, it has still risen from 24 to 36.6 cases — a 52.5% increase — from Sept. 1, 2022, to Jan. 1, per state data.
The state’s positive fu cases follow a similar pattern. They also remain higher than pre-triple epidemic levels but are not peaking as they were in early December.
Kann advised against panicking amid these numbers. He said if a medication, such as Children’s Tylenol, is unavailable, one should consult with their pharmacists and physicians.
“If the pharmacy doesn’t have something, they can most likely clue them in as to where to go or how to get it,” said Kann. “It’s a matter of just keeping in regular contact as need be to see where they need to go to get the products.”
He said that if someone is prescribed a medication, they should take it as told. He also advised courtesy of others, including wearing face coverings where one cannot safely distance themselves.
“If I had a child, I would consider having a bottle of Motrin and a bottle of Tylenol in the house,” said Kann. “But it’s not necessary to have four bottles of each.”
Jim Damascus, ex-F. Hill mayor, dies
Oversaw village from 1998 to 2005; presided over review, fortification of code in 2000
BY STEVEN KEEHNER
James “Jim” Damascus, a former mayor of Flower Hill from 1998 to 2005, died on Dec. 23, 2022, at 74, Mayor Randall Rosenbaum said.
Rosenbaum announced the news at the start of the village’s monthly trustee meeting. A moment of silence was observed and remarks were also made on Damascus’ time in Flower Hill.
“Thank you, Jim Damascus, for everything you did in serving the village,” said Rosenbaum.
Damascus was born on Feb. 18, 1948. He was a trustee from 1996 to 1998 before becoming mayor.
Damascus presided over a review and fortification of the village’s code in 2000, Rosenbaum said, which had not been done since possibly 1936. He also oversaw the expansion of the Village Hall’s new conference room and the modernization of the building’s interior.
“Jim was very wise in the way [the village] changed the code in having to deal with permit fees where we were able to bring in a very large amount of money,” said Rosenbaum. “Which was subsequently used for what we’re sitting in right here, right now.”
The village updated the meeting room with new technology and furnishings. Outside, they installed an Americans with Disabilities Act-approved lift and expanded the garage to protect village maintenance vehicles.
Flower Hill’s next trustee meeting is on Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m. in Village Hall.
Rice announces funding for fire departments
BY BRANDON DUFFYBefore leaving office, U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-Garden City) announced over $1 million in grants to assist local fire departments, including ones in East Williston, Williston Park and Garden City Park.
“I am pleased to announce this vital funding for our local fire departments here in NY04,” said Rice, who did not seek re-election to the state’s 4th Congressional District. “I am proud to have brought back millions of dollars of support for our volunteer-driven fire districts on Long Island during my four terms in Congress. This new funding reduces local property taxes while providing new radios, equipment, and upgraded PPE, all potentially life- saving investments for our volunteer firefighters who put their lives on the line every time they suit up.”Of the $1,133,250 total going to the departments, $76,250 will go to the East Williston Fire Department for
U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-Garden City) announced over $1 million in grants for local fire departments.
building alarms and $410,000 for self-contained breathing apparatus systems and other personal protective equipment for East Williston and the Williston Park Fire Departments. Other recipients of the grants include the Bellerose Ter-
race Fire Department, which is receiving $75,000 for selfcontained breathing apparatus and fill washer; the Garden City Park Fire Department, which is getting $202,000 for new radios; and the Valley Stream Fire Department, which is getting $201,000 for new radios.The money comes from the Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program funding via the Department of Homeland Security.Tom Devaney, director of Grant-Guys Inc., an organization in Mineola that helps departments apply for federal grants, said the funding will reduce local tax burdens.
“Together with our federal partners and local stakeholders, Grant-Guys was proud to produce these successful projects along with Rep. Rice’s support. The federal fire grant program brings federal dollars back to NYS, improves firefighter safety, and reduces the local tax burden,” said Devaney. Grant-Guys prepared and advanced the applications for each awarded grant in NY-04.
Criminal firearm possession in New Cassel
BY STEVEN KEEHNER
A Brooklyn man was arrested in New Cassel on Thursday after being found in possession of an illegal firearm, police said.
Officers saw a 2019 gray Dodge Charger with a suspended registration at the junction of Prospect Avenue and Magnolia Avenue at 9:21 p.m., officials said. The cops launched an investigation after conducting a Vehicle and Traffic Law stop.
Officers requested that the vehicle’s passenger exit the car when he began making “furtive” movements. Police later discovered an illegal black-colored semi-automatic loaded Glock 43x firearm with 10 9mm rounds of ammunition.
Ishmel Cohen, 38, of 104 Gold Street in Brooklyn, was arrested without incident. The driver of the vehicle, a 37-year-old male, was issued a traffic summons and released. There were no reported injuries.
Cohen is charged with criminal possession of a firearm and criminal possession of a weapon. He will be arraigned in First District Court on 99 Main St., Hempstead, on Friday.
Deliveryman mugged in New Cassel
BY STEVEN KEEHNER
Police were looking for information on a robbery in which a 61-year-old man was attacked on Saturday night in New Cassel.
The incident occurred on New Year’s Eve at 8:40 p.m. Police say the male victim was delivering food to a Brook Street residence when he was approached by three men.
The subjects attempted but failed to enter the victim’s vehicle. The man was thrown to the ground and kicked while standing outside his vehicle. The subjects took the victim’s keys and an unreported amount of cash before fleeing northbound on Brook Street in an unknown vehicle.
The victim declined medical help. Police describe the subjects as black males who were all wearing black masks.
Police ask anyone with information on the incident to call Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. Callers will remain anonymous.
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Hampton Street School raises over $1,200
Mineola Union Free School District congratulates our learners from Hampton Street School for their successful Toy Auction which raised $1,256.25 to help families in need.
This will be added to the “Hampton Families in Need” collection, which has raised over $4,400 through fundraisers and events during this school year. This money was distributed to 32 local families in time to help brighten their holiday.
DeRiggi-Whitton to host virtual workshops
Nassau County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D – Glen Cove) is partnering with the Nassau County Assessment Review Commission (ARC) to host free virtual community assessment grievance workshops to inform residents about how to challenge their property taxes online.
During this virtual workshop, taxpayers who disagree with the assessed value of their property will learn how to navigate the online grievance process and dispute their assessment. There will also be an opportunity to submit via chat any questions to the representative from ARC. Questions will be answered after the presentations and/or they will contact you directly.
Hampton
The toy auction was part of the school’s “HELPERS Who Give” community service project. Students were given money for being a helper at home. They used that money to buy raffle tickets at school to win toys. All money raised was donated to the school’s charitable initiative.
Residents who would like to participate in these virtual assessment grievance workshops should visit https:// www.nassaucountyny.gov/LD11. For additional information, please contact Legislator DeRiggi-Whitton’s office at 516-571-6211 or via email at Dderiggiwhitton@nassaucountyny.gov.
WHEN:
Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, 7 — 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023, 7 — 9 p.m.
TO JOIN, VISIT: https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/LD11
Legislator Lafazan to host virtual workshops
Nassau
During each virtual workshop, taxpayers who disagree with the assessed value of their property will learn how to navigate the online grievance process and dispute their assessment. There will also be an opportunity to submit via chat any questions to the representative from ARC. Questions will be answered after the presentations and/or they will contact you directly.
Residents who would like to participate in these virtual assessment grievance workshops should visit https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/LD18. For additional information, please contact Legislator Lafazan’s office at 516-571-6218 or via email at JLafazan@nassaucountyny.gov.
WHEN: Monday, January 30, 2023, 7 — 9 p.m. Monday, February 27, 2023, 7 — 9 p.m.
TO JOIN, VISIT: https://www.nassaucountyny. gov/LD18
Local GOPers condemn Santos
Continued from Page 1
town board, she said, agree with her.
“George Santos has admitted he lied and fabricated his education and his employment. He has failed to answer additional questions about his fnances,” DeSena said in a statement. “My disappointment is extreme and personal as I was deceived when asked to endorse him. I join others who have called for federal and state investigations.”
DeSena expressed her disappointment in Santos for misleading constituents about his genealogy and relationships with individuals who were killed at the Pulse Nightclub massacre.
“Having failed to answer questions that the public has a right to know, Mr. Santos is not trustworthy and if he takes ofce will not have my support. He is not welcome at any program or event in the Town of North Hempstead that I am a part of. I’ve spoken with members of the minority party on the Town Board and our Town Clerk and they share my views.”
The supervisor also said she will never view Santos as her congressional representative.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who called for a probe into Santos’ background, told CNN that the congressman-elect “has emotional issues” that need to be addressed.
“While I was very angry with him when he frst announced that those were lies, the fact of the matter is I feel sad for him now and I think he needs help and I think he needs to address those emotional issues,” Blakeman
said.
Nassau Republican Committee Chairman Joseph Cairo said the organization will not be supporting Santos in 2024 after previously saying he should still serve as a congressman this cycle.
“I don’t know what party would endorse him as a candidate,” Cairo told Newsday in a statement. “This Republican committee will not support George Santos in 2024.
Robert Zimmerman, who lost to Santos in the 3rd Congressional District election, bashed the congressmanelect for fabricating his resume and urged him to step down from his seat and run against him again in a special election.
“George, if that’s even your real name, if you’re so convinced that #NY3 voters still trust you – resign & run against me again in a special election,” Zimmerman tweeted from his personal account on Tuesday. “Face the voters with your real past & answer questions about your criminal history. Let the voters decide.”
Zimmerman was joined by outgoing state Sen. Anna Kaplan (D-North Hills), state Assemblyman Charles Lavine and demonstrators condemning Santos for his lies.
Our entire community has been victimized, and we demand accountability,” Kaplan said. “George Santos must be investigated by all appropriate authorities, particularly surrounding his shady business dealings and mystery millions that seem to have appeared overnight despite having no
legitimate career to speak of.”
“It is grotesquely unfair for the people of the Third Congressional District to be represented by anyone who has fabricated and concocted signifcant aspects of his life,” Lavine said in a statement. “I welcome the investigation announced by New York State Attorney General Letitia James.”
Nassau County Legislator Josh Lafazan (D-Woodbury) who lost in the 3rd District’s Democratic primary earlier to Zimmerman this year, introduced the “Campaign Honest Bill” that makes it a misdemeanor for a candidate to lie about registered addresses, employment history, education and income sources.
Lafazan previously submitted an ofcial letter asking the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York to launch an investigation into federal crimes he claims Santos has committed, including voter fraud and fraudulent campaign fnance flings.
“George Santos has now publicly admitted to what we have all known for a week: he is a liar and a fraud,” Lafazan said in a statement. “Any one of George Santos’ lies would be grounds for dismissal for any ordinary citizen in a job. And when taken together, George Santos’ behavior has disgraced the 3rd Congressional District and the House of Representatives in which he wants to serve.”
Local voices in the 3rd District have expressed their concerns about having Santos serve as their representative and echoed Zimmerman’s call for a special election.
Nassau D.A.’s office to investigate Santos
BY ROBERT PELAEZThe Nassau County District Attorney’s offce confrmed they will launch a probe into the life of Republican Congressman-elect George Santos.
Anne Donnelly, Nassau’s Republican district attorney, called the falsehoods in Santos’ personal and professional life that were publicized by the New York Times last week “nothing short of stunning” in a statement Wednesday.
“The residents of Nassau County and other parts of the third district must have an honest and accountable representative in Congress,” Donnelly continued. “No one is above the law and if a crime was committed in this county, we will prosecute it.”
Brendan Brosh, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s ofce, confrmed that they will be “looking into the matter.”
State Attorney General Letitia James said her ofce would review the allegations made against Santos by The Times last week.
Federal prosecutors in New York are also launching an investigation, according to reports.
According toCNNandThe New York Times, the U.S.Attorney’s Ofce in the East-
“In my 30+ years in the nonproft world lobbying for environmental, health and afordable housing issues in Washington and Albany, I’ve never seen anyone with such an arrogant contempt for the truth or his constituents,” Jody Kass Finkel, a volunteer of the Great Neck Democratic Party and organizer of a petition urging Santos to resign, said in a statement. “While the whole country is aghast at Santos’s lies and utter disregard for decency, the residents of NY-03 have the most to lose.
“Mr. George Devolder Santos is a conniving fraud who not only fagrantly lied about his background but also manufactured connections to the Holocaust, 9/11, and the Pulse Nightclub attack for political gain,” Manhasset’s Frank Bua said in a statement. “He is a dangerous and repugnant imposter who is unft to serve anything but a prison sentence.”
“He should resign because he abused the voter’s trust, and if he wants (as he says) to serve and represent his constituents, the only way he can legitimately do so is to step aside so this district’s voters can choose a representative who will serve with the integrity they rightly should expect of any political leader,” Irwin Zeplowitz, the senior rabbi of Community Synagogue in Port Washington said in a statement.
Former 3rd District Rep. Steve Israel, in a letter published by The Atlantic, said Santos would not be the only elected ofcial guilty of embellishing a resume if that is truly what he died rather than blatantly lying.
“NY-3 voters should have had an honest choice between two candidates—not a choice between Zimmerman and Santos’s fan-fction version of himself,” Israel wrote. “Politicians embellish résumés; if that were a crime, every candidate in America would be in prison. But Santos’s lies are an assault on democratic norms.”
Readers call for Santos to resign
BY ROBERT PELAEZMore than 200 people believe that Republican Congressman-elect George Santos should resign from ofce, according to an online poll conducted by Blank Slate Media on theisland360.com website.
A total of 228 votes, 87%, were cast online, saying the controversial fgure should step down from his position before being sworn into Congress. A total of 35 people, 13%, do not believe Santos should resign from his seat.
The poll was conducted over two weeks on theisland360.com and promoted via email
Santos outspent all others on travel, food
BY BRANDON DUFFYCongressman-elect Congressman George Santos’ campaign outspent other Republican House winners on Long Island and his Democratic opponent Robert Zimmerman on fights, hotels and restaurants during his congressional campaign, according to the Federal Election Commission.
Campaign flings show Santos spent over $42,000 on fights, more than the $17,637 spent on fights by Republican Congressmenelect Anthony D’Esposito (R-Island Park), Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport), Nick LaLota (RAmityville) and Zimmerman.
Santos, D’Esposito and Gabarino attended the House session on Tuesday but were not sworn in when Republicans were unable to agree on a speaker.
During the campaign, Santos shelled out nearly $30,000 on hotels compared to the $22,233 by the other four.
ern District of New York is looking into Santos’ fnances. According to the Times, the investigation is said to be in its early stages.
Donnelly’s statement followed Republi-
Filings show spending by the Santos campaign at the Garden City Hotel, W Hotel in Miami Beach and Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C.
Santos also laid out more than $31,000 at restaurants, with Garbarino in second place with expenditures of $24,155.
Santos spent over $4,500 during 25 diferent visits to Il Bacco, the Little Neck restaurant
where he also held his victory party at on Election Night.
In the flings Santos listed more than 30 expenses of $199.99 each, one cent below the threshold which would require receipts, according to federal law.
Paul Ryan, an election law expert, told The
Mr. Santos goes to Washington
Robert Zimmerman, who lost to George Santos in the race for the 3rd Congressional District, said the fabulist should resign for lying to voters about virtually everything about himself.
Zimmerman also recommends that he and Santos then have a rematch.
We agree that Santos should resign for defrauding the voters of northern Nassau County and northeast Queens with an avalanche of lies.
But we doubt that the Nassau Democratic or Republican parties or Santos would go along with a rematch of the two candidates.
And almost all Nassau Democratic and Republican officials have stopped short of calling for Santos to give up the House seat he was sworn in to represent on Tuesday.
Prominent Nassau Democrats and Republicans have instead stuck with calls for law enforcement to investigate Santos or other lesser remedies.
Nassau Republican Committee Chairman Joseph Cairo, who selected Santos to represent Republicans in the 3rd District in 2020 and 2022, said the county GOP will not be supporting Santos in 2024. But Cairo said Santos should still serve as a congressman this cycle.
This is an awfully low bar for future candidates with a very perverse incentive. Make up your entire history, get elected, serve one term and collect a pension.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman called for a probe into Santos’ background. He also told CNN that the congressman-elect “has emotional issues” that need to be addressed.
“While I was very angry with him when he first announced that those were lies, the fact of the matter is I feel sad for him now and I think he needs help and I think he needs to address those emotional issues,” Blakeman said.
But who exactly is going to force Santos to get professional help? And is Blakeman OK with residents of the 3rd District having a mentally troubled person representing them for the next two years?
North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, who endorsed and then campaigned with Santos, said her “disappointment is extreme and personal as I was deceived when asked to endorse him.”
She called for federal and state investigations and said that if Santos serves he would not be “welcome at any program or event in the Town of North Hempstead that I am a part of.”
But she stopped short of calling for his resignation – even at the cost of being represented in Congress by someone town Republicans are shunning.
Rep.-elect Nick LaLota, a Republican from Long Island, said in a statement that Santos should be investigated by the House Ethics Committee and possibly law enforcement
Other local Republicans have yet to be heard from, including Presiding Officer Nassau County Legislature Richard Nicolello, state Senator-elect Jack Martins and state Assemblyman Ed Ra.
Nassau County Legislator Josh Lafazan, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic CD3 election primary called for Santos’ removal from office.
State Sen. Anna Kaplan, a Democrat who lost her re-election bid to Martins, said at a “Hold Santos Accountable” press conference that Santos “must be investigated by all appropriate authorities.”
But Kaplan and Lafazan like other elected officials never called for Santos to resign in the name of honor, decency and service to the voters of the 3rd Congressional District.
Former 3rd District Rep. Steve Israel, in a letter published by The Atlantic, perhaps explained the reluctance of some elected officials to call for his resignation based on lying over and over and over.
“Politicians embellish résumés; if that were a crime, every candidate in America would be in prison,” Israel said, before noting that the volume of Santos’ lies is “an assault on democratic norms.”
Still, some Republican supporters point to lies told by Democratic politicians who have not been forced to step down and claim a double standard.
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This is, of course, like comparing a driver caught going 30 mph in a 25 mph school zone with a drunk driver going 110 mph in the same school zone.
This can be seen in the seemingly endless list of apparent and admitted lies Santos has told about his professional background, educational history and property ownership that continued to grow last week.
They now include claiming he was a “grandson of Holocaust refugees,” he was Jewish, he was half black, he attended the prestigious Horace Mann School in the Bronx, his mother was in the South Tower on 9/11 and died a few years later, he was treated for a brain tumor, graduated from Baruch College and New York University, he worked for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, formed an animal rescue group as a tax-exempt organization, he had a family-owned real estate portfolio of 13 properties in Queens, and owned “a mansion” on Tiffany Lane in Oyster Bay Cove and “a mansion” on Dune Road in the Hamptons, he lost four employees at the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016.
Santos also reported an income of
$55,000 in his unsuccessful 2020 race for Congress against Tom Suozzi.
But in 2022, he claimed in financial disclosure forms a $750,000 salary and $1 million to $5 million in dividends from his “family firm,” the Devolder Organization. He said he earned the salary and dividends by managing $80 million in assets at Devolder.
Fortunately, Nassau officials’ calls for investigations have been answered.
An investigation was launched by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, CBS NewsandCNNreported on Wednesday.
Prosecutors are reportedly scrutinizing his financial disclosure forms as well as his campaign expenditures.
State Attorney General Letitia James announced her office would investigate Santos, followed by Republican Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donelly and Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Donnelly called the falsehoods in Santos’ personal and professional life that were publicized by The New York Times “nothing short of stunning.”
“The residents of Nassau County and
other parts of the 3rd District must have an honest and accountable representative in Congress,” Donnelly continued. “No one is above the law and if a crime was committed in this county, we will prosecute it.”
There is another potential recourse to voters of the 3rd Congressional District short of locking Santos up and holding a special election – the House of Representatives.
But as Nassau Republicans criticized Santos, the House Republican leadership has remained virtually silent.
The New York Post had reported earlier that Santos’ professional biography became a “running joke” among senior House Republicans. But they did nothing.
One reason is that Republicans have a razor-thin edge in the House and need all the votes they can get to move forward with their agenda such as it is.
A second is that Santos declared his support for then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy at a time when McCarthy could only afford four defections to win the vote for House speaker.
‘The Big Rip-off: Follow the Money’
The last book that I read that approached 1,000 pages was “Musashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era.” At 984 pages, this coffee-table-sized masterpiece of historical fiction took me the better part one summer to complete.
Thinking back to reading Musashi, to read the recently released 845-page report by the Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the United States Capital would be a massive undertaking.
Given the length and density of the report, I decided to tackle it in parts. I was already familiar in broad strokes with the work of the Select Committee, having watched all of the hearings.
As I scrolled through the report to get a lay of the land, the heading of Appendix 3 (pages 770-789) jumped out at me: “The Big Rip-off: Follow the Money.” This section of the report elucidated Trump campaign fundraising efforts immediately following the 2020 election when donor dollars were explicitly sought to reverse the outcome of the election.
The Republican National Committee, by then under Trump’s con-
trol, was on board and in cahoots with the Trump campaign. Together, they formed “The Make America Great Again Committee” and established an “Official Election Defense Fund” to “help pay for legal challenges of election results.”
The false election-fraud narrative magnified The Big Lie by reinforcing a belief that the 2020 election was stolen. Likely donors were told that post-election donations would be used to change the result of the election.
Nonetheless, there were no apparent efforts to achieve that outcome. Yet, a staggering $100 million was raised in the three days following the 2020 election, ostensibly for the Trump campaign “to fight fraud that they knew did not exist and to challenge an election they knew he lost.”
It was purely a marketing ploy, a grift, to optimize the small-donor money grab by bombarding potential donors with emails and text messages that reflected whatever Trump was tweeting and spewing in the moment.
For example, “We need resources
MALEKOFFThe Back Road
to make sure they don’t try to steal this election. We saw what happened on election night, we can’t let them take the Senate too.”
The decision to mislead his loyal base was not haphazard; it was deliberate. In fact, the report spells out three alternatives that the campaign considered: (1) Simply state that Trump won the election (even though they knew he lost). (2) Send an email stating “We are still waiting on elec-
tion results.” (3) Say, “The democrats were trying to steal the election.”
They chose door number three, without verifiable evidence of voter fraud that would have changed the outcome of the election. Millions of email and text messages claiming the election was rigged were then transmitted to donors, sometimes up to 25 per person, per day.
Keep in mind that the RNC knew all along that Trump’s election fraud claims were without merit and that the donations would not secure him an additional term in office.
On Nov. 9, 2020, two days after the media declared Joe Biden victor, the Trump campaign created a Leadership Political Action Committee called Save America. The purpose of forming the PAC was to enable Trump to retain and use millions of dollars, originally earmarked for the bogus Election Defense Fund, for his personal use with very few restrictions.
Before the creation of the Leadership PAC, donations could only be used “on re-count and election-contest related expenses, and to pay off campaign debt.”
Once donations were funneled
from the non-existent Election Defense Fund to the Leadership PAC, monies were used, for instance, to pay $100,000 in ‘strategy consulting payments’ to Herve Pierre Braillard, a fashion designer who has been dressing Melanie Trump for years.”
The PAC is also paying legal bills for key witnesses involved in the Department of Justice’s investigation regarding Trump’s mishandling of classified documents.
The book Musashi and the Select Committee report have something else in common besides their length. They include scenes of graphic violence, the former to defend Japan and the latter to destroy America.
Musashi is a fictional account of a young man’s quest to learn the “Way of the Samurai.” The Select Committee report is a nonfiction account of an old man’s quest to gain absolute power to terminate a constitutional republic and operate above the law with unending impunity.
Saddest of all is the fact that many millions of Americans that revere Donald Trump and hang on his every word are blind to his contempt for them.
CORNER
Family feud between McCarthy, McConnell
There are all kinds of battles between all kinds of people. There is the famous Kramer v. Kramer movie that is a battle royale between a divorcing couple. There is the battle between the Hatfields and the McCoys.
And now there is the battle between the McConnells and the McCarthys. I refer specifically to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnnell and the possible House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy.
It seems that McConnell has signed on to a trillion dollar Senate bill that pays past debts of the country and pays for numerous government programs, including the Defense Department.
Mr. McCarthy is upset that the Republican senator didn’t wait until next year when the GOP will take over the House of Representatives. If that omnibus bill were to be on the agenda next year, McCarthy’s colleagues would have a chance to insert their own priorities.
Senator McConnell may look like Oscar the Grouch, but he is a very pragmatic politician. He knows that he can negotiate with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer over his needs, but once McCarthy’s conference has anything to say, there will be demands for such things as cuts in Medicare and Social Security and McConnell wants to avoid those kinds of headaches.
McCarthy is attempting to lock up the speakership and he would love to have his group having a say over the process. So right now he is boiling mad at McConnell.
McCarthy has launched a few tirades at his Republican colleague and has threatened that in January his boys and girls will do all kinds of things to get even with the senator.
To add to McCarthy’s bluster, ten of his fellow House members have threatened that they will kill any pet project of a Republican senator if they don’t let the new House in on the negotiations.
JERRY KREMER Kremer’s Corner
Those threats didn’t work because by the time this column is published, the bill will have passed and signed into law.
If the two warring groups were populated by grown adults, this battle over one item should be over and
there will be harmony come January when the House leadership changes. But there are major differences between the new House Republican membership and the long-serving Republican senators.
The new House majority includes at least 50 members, who believe that they were sent to Washington to blow up the Capitol. They want to cut back on social programs and pass bill after bill dismantling agencies as well the Constitution.
Mitch McConnell is a very patient man. His delegation lost out on the chance to run the Senate in 2023 due to the recent election losses. But 2024 will give him another shot at power, when 24 seats are up for reelection, with the majority of them held by Democrats.
If McConnell were to support some of the crazy things that the House will be doing, he knows that would be the kiss of death for his next battle. Ideas such as cutting Medicare are referred to as the
“third rail of politics” and not a very safe political position.
There is always a possibility the battle will cease and Mc Connell and Mc Carthy will kiss and make up. But McCarthy’s team has a lot of crazy people like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, who have an agenda of their own.
Their plan doesn’t include signing any peace treaties with Mitch McConnell and his gang. So that means two wars. One against the Democratic Senate and the other one against their own party members.
The year 2023 promises to be a very interesting year. Potential Republican candidates for president will begin hinting at their availability at the same time as former president Trump will be fi ghting for his political life.
Add that to the family feud between McConnell and McCarthy, and you have enough material to make a movie with Sylvester Stallone.
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LETTERS POLICY
Artist captures 21st century zeitgeist
As the president readies himself to make his State of the Union address, I’m going to preempt him with my own but without those pauses every five seconds to wait for perfunctory applause to stop. My speech will not be based upon economic statistics and gun violence data but instead will be founded upon data from a single artist whose name is Gregory Crewdson. Every now and then an artist will appear who is able to channel the zeitgeist of the culture and produce work which reveals the truth about what we have become.
Way back in the 20th century the world experienced Jackson Pollack and his famous drip paintings, which channeled a post- World War II America brimming with hope, energy, bravado, aggression and youthful vitality.
So who in the 21st century can channel our new zeitgeist? I give you Gregory Crewdson, the director of Graduate Studies in Photography at the Yale University School of Art, who is now considered to be one to the world’s foremost photographers. He produces large-scale, panoramic photographs of suburban settings from rundown small towns, post-industrial apocalyptic landscapes or interiors often with the help of a crew of upwards of 100 or more. His photographs are more like movie productions and employ lighting directors, color experts and a production design team.
These large-scale photographs are variously described as dreamlike, forbidding, beautiful, mysterious and elliptical. But those descriptors are far too vague and don’t come close to revealing the true meaning of his work. The key motif of virtually all of his photos are humans who have the appearance of profound despair, alienation, existential isolation and hopelessness. His photos remind me of the two characters Didi and Gogo in Samuel Becketts’ famed existential play “Waiting for Godot” only without the energy to commit suicide.
Examples of Crewdson’s recent series entitled “Eclipse of the Moths” was shot in a dilapidated small town
DR. TOM FERRARO Our Town
somewhere in the Northeast. One photo entitled “Red Star Express” is an eerie scene of three shoeless boys pausing in the middle of a street gazing at an abandoned truck on fire in a faraway parking lot.
In another photograph entitled “Starkfield Lane,” we see a man who has stopped his car in the middle of the street, has gotten out and stares at a fallen street lamp that is blocking his way. He has the appearance of being psychologically lost, sad and paralyzed.
Most of the photos in “Eclipse of the Moths” contain images of street
lamps, which reminded me of Robert Lewis Stevenson’s essay called “The Lantern Bearers” where Stevenson paid homage to his childhood memories carrying a bullet lantern under his coat as some sort of game. References to light and fire was also used by Cormac McCarthy in his post-apocalyptic novel “The Road” and in the final scene of “No Country for Old Men.”
Gregory Crewdson is the great existential artist of our time. His images consistently reveal how humans feel lost, alone, helpless, confused, paralyzed, neglected and without hope. In time his work will be compared to Jean Paul Sartre’s “Nausea” with the angst-filled protagonist staring into a dark puddle. Crewdson’s work has clearly channeled the 21st century zeitgeist with these foreboding empty images of brokenness.
The current zeitgeist of anomie is due to many factors including information overload, the tsunami of social media and the bewildering electronic world we now live in. We all face the frightening power of artificial intelligence and the emptiness of conspicuous consumption and as the Rolling Stones aptly sang “I can’t get no satisfaction.”
To his credit, Crewdson does insert certain hopeful images of redemption
and transcendence. There is a little bird inconspicuously placed on a vanity in one of his photos of a man and woman in a bedroom. Apparently they have just had a fight and she has the look of a lost and sad woman trapped in a cage she cannot get out of. But the bird is there to show her that it is possible to fly away someday. Similar to the ending of the film, “Birdman” where the hapless and confused actor/director played by Michael Keaton jumps from his hospital window to his death or does he fly away?
Many years ago conservative commentator William Buckley interviewed Groucho Marx and asked the comedian if he thought “life was funny.” Groucho paused for a moment and then said “If you get seven or eight minutes of laughs in a day, you are very lucky because the rest of the day is filled with pain, anxiety and suffering.” Groucho was another of those geniuses who comes along every 50 years or so to shed some light on the subject of being alive in today’s America. Cause if you can’t laugh a little at all this, you just may end up crying.
Let’s hear it for Gregory Crewdson, a guy who had the courage to plunge into the spiritus mundi and was the first to bring back the story of the 21st century.
EARTH MATTERS
Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count
The 123rd Annual Christmas Bird Count is almost over.
The count period runs each year from Dec. 14 through Jan. 5. Those dates are set by the earliest and latest historic counts on record.
The count started in 1899 as a countermeasure to Christmas hunts and is now the oldest running citizen science project in the Americas.
The count has expanded to sites in Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America. The data provided by the count is invaluable to scientists, giving an annual snapshot of bird movement and numbers.
Our region hosts 53 of the over 2600 count circles, from Central Park, one of the original sites, celebrating 123 years of volunteering for science, to Montauk holding their 93rd count.
There is a long tradition of counts in this region with Quogue — Water Mill marking their 74th, Northern Nassau 70th, and 60th for Captree.
With the technical advances like eBird, reporting has become electronic rather than hash marks on a paper sheet. COVID meant most counts didn’t have in-person compilations the last few years, but they carried on
via Zoom.
Counts are still subject to uncontrollable elements, mainly the weather. Those with early counts this year had mild weather and open ponds and streams. Those who braved last week’s Arctic weather went out into freezing temperatures and frozen water.
Some hardy souls even participate in several counts over the 3-week period. Counting can be addictive. One participant in the Northern Nassau count celebrated his 50th bird count, having started as a student in 1972.
Because we are an island, counts of over 100 species are typical for this area as many sea ducks, shorebirds and pelagic (ocean-going) species are expected. Counts in the south and Latin America can break 150 or 200 species spotted with over wintering migrants and tropical residents driving up numbers.
Last year’s count located nearly 43 million individual birds of 2554 species. This sounds like a lot but compared with counts of 30 years ago, numbers are down. In past decades far more total birds were tallied, averaging 60 to 100 million.
This decline in birds occurred
JENNIFER WILSON-PINES Earth Matters
when there are more counts and more participants with effort and geographic coverage nearly doubled. The recent paper that estimated a three billion bird decline in North American breeding birds used CBC data and other sources, like Breeding Bird Atlas’ to come to this conclusion.
These are not birds that have gone to other places, they are gone forever.A trend in our area is low numbers of sea ducks.
In the recent past, huge rafts of
20,000 greater scaup could be found off Stelhi Beach in Bayville, but they have been missing for several years now. Some of those birds have relocated due to available food resources, some are permanent losses.The Northern Nassau Count Circle encompasses Manhasset Bay, Hempstead Harbor and Oyster Bay and south to the Northern State. On December 17th, the 67 counters found it quiet but still managed to find 107 species. Of those, 28 were saves, birds found in only one of the 15 sectors within the count circle.
There were a high number of rarities located, some firsts for the count, marked *. Some were true rarities for the region; Red Phalarope*, Pink Footed Goose*, Red-Necked Grebe, Eurasian Wigeon, Red Crossbill*, and Yellow-breasted Chat *.
Others were late staying summer regulars like House Wren, Great Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron, and Baltimore Oriole. Another group classes as seen in the region but generally not found on the north shore like Lesser Black- backed Gull, Black Vulture*, and Boat-tailed Grackle*. One is probably not super rare, just secretive, Northern Saw Whet Owl.
Misses included 14 species that have been located on five to 10 of counts in the last 10 years including Horned Grebe for the first time ever.
Changes in count numbers and species from year to year is expected as weather and food availability drives whether birds linger in our area over winter.However, the overall trend of bird decline is still worrying. The leading causes of bird mortality are habitat loss due to climate change or human alteration (generally agricultural), building collisions, 30% of which occur on low-rise buildings, and outdoor cat predation.
We can do things to mitigate these trends. There are lots of climate change personal habits that are easy to break. Planting native species that offer fruit, seed, and insect habitat creates food, shelter, and nesting places.
And keeping cats indoors is good for birds, small mammals, the native animals that also need them for food, and for the cats who are then no longer subject to fights, disease, and predators.Next year’s Northern Nassau Count will be Dec. 16th – everyone can help, feeder counters are welcome.
Make New Year’s wellness resolution happen
New Year’s resolution No. 1: Wellness! Everybody makes their resolution to eat better and exercise more. But wellness should be embedded in culture, in societal norms, in the very framework of our infrastructure and design of our communities and how we live and behave.
That’s because society simply cannot afford a just, equitable healthcare system given medical technology’s ability to restore and extend life. If you believe that healthcare is a right, not a privilege, who gets to live and who gets to suffer and wither away?
America’s healthcare system is already grossly dysfunctional, ineffective. We pay the most of any country but have some of the worst health outcomes and life expectancy in the industrialized world – and not for the lack of technology, leading edge medical science or pharmacology. It’s just how care is distributed and made available, costed out.
The Affordable Care Act has been an important first step toward universal care. President Biden reported that with a month to go before enrollment period ends, Jan. 15, Obamacare had a record 11.5 million sign-ups – 1.8 million (18
percent) more than the prior year — and the level of uninsured is down to the lowest level at 8 percent.
Except that figure doesn’t take into account the 60 million Americans who are uninsured or underinsured or that 70,000 die every year because they can’t afford the care they need, according to U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who advocates for universal healthcare.
Another important step is capping the cost of insulin at $35 a month, but Republicans saw to it that it would only would apply to Medicare recipients. Still, perhaps it sets a precedent.
We had a taste of what true universal health would look like in the reaction to COVID. The idea of free tests, free vaccinations, even free masks!
But let’s say Bernie Sanders’ dream of universal health care becomes reality, what then?
Because here’s the conundrum raised by those who think of healthcare as just another capitalist commodity subject to the laws of supply and demand: if everyone is equally able to have an organ transplant, get cancer treatments, kidney dialysis, prosthetic limbs or cloned organs that extend lifespans beyond the century mark, we won’t have
KAREN RUBIN View Pointenough doctors, nurses, hospital rooms or clinics to supply.
So here’s the solution progressives who believe, yes, healthcare should be universal and equitable advocate for communities and homes and buildings to be set up to maximize opportunities for wellness. That starts with clean air and drinking water – not like Jackson or Flint. Access to affordable, fresh, healthy foods, not food deserts. Free lunch for all public schoolchildren – some version of that is essential to give children equal
opportunity to develop into their best selves.
More implementation of Complete Streets, Smart Growth and Climate Smart Communities strategies, such as Gov. Hochul promotes, so our roadways are safer for pedestrians, cyclists as well as cars; communities are designed for sustainability, wellness and happiness with more open spaces, parks, opportunities for exercise and recreation, less pollution, mitigation against climate disasters; agriculture is eco-smart and sustainable agriculture; and we move toward achieving net-zero, clean-renewable energy.
And if anyone is serious about wellness, we as a society must address the epidemic of gun violence with the same fervor and urgency as the deadly coronavirus. Beyond the 45,000 who died in 2022 (over 600 mass shootings), are the hundreds of thousands who are injured, who have ongoing needs for medical and rehabilitative care, who live with pain and trauma. That costs $557 billion a year, a compounding amount.
Now add to this the end of Women’s Reproductive Health – where women are being denied healthcare, even medication, because doctors and hospitals fear
being sued for violating abortion bans. Healthcare should start with wellness and prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment. Which means we need more doctors, yes, but also more physicians assistants, nurse practitioners, clinics and telemedicine. Training, education, licensing need to be amended.
Indeed, millions of Americans will face ongoing, perhaps lifelong health issues because of Long COVID – imagine if Republicans repeal Obamacare and “preexisting conditions” return.
It’s not just health insurance, which is a racket – adding a 20 percent cost inflator to patient care – but the sticker price of care and prescription drugs is a barrier to living a life of wellness. What medical practitioners, including Big Pharma, charge should be subject to the same limits as public utilities like water and electricity – cost plus reasonable profit.
This would also remove the incentive, built into America’s healthcare industry, for people to become sicker, be harder to cure, before they receive diagnosis and treatment.
Wellness can’t be just a New Year’s resolution. It should be a creed.
The fault lies in ourselves for George Santos
“The fault . . . is not in our stars, But in ourselves. Julius Caesar, Act I, Scene II
The continuing George Santos saga reminds me of the old saying that “the best place to hide is in a crowd.”
Santos was an integral part of the Republican team during its fabricated fear-based campaign. Manufactured entirely out of ‘whole cloth,’ the GOP portrayed Long Island as a dystopian society.
It was a fictitious narrative, yet another Willie Horton-style dog whistle. Pushed by Republicans nationally, this appeal grew exponentially in the final weeks before the election, a page ripped out of Donald J. Trump’s playbook.
In large measure, it succeeded on Long Island.
While there are many reasons for the Republican victories in Suffolk and Nassau counties, the fact remains that
Long Island is one of the safest places to live.
US News and World Report named Nassau as the safest county in the United States in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
CrimeGrade.org rates Suffolk County as A+, its best and most prestigious ranking.
According to Money Magazine, my hometown of Glen Cove is one of the best places to live in the United States.
The tissue of lies about crime was deliberately designed to hide that truth. In so artificial an environment of falseness and cynicism, it became easy for a prevaricator like George Santos to seem almost normal.
He just didn’t appear to be so different from his Republican confederates as they propagandized false claims about crime. Santos found that he could best hide his cryptic nature while deep inside the Republican crowd.
Simply put, as Trumpers they were
CHARLES LAVINE Nassau County Assemblymemberall so ‘over the top’ that he appeared anything but unusual.
Pundits and journalists will now try to find someone to blame for this seemingly aberrational candidate.
What I suggest, however, is that
Santos never appeared to be the odd duck floating in the Republican pond. Anyone following the campaign knew that he claimed to have been among the torch and pitchfork-wielding crowd in our Capitol on Jan. 6, boasting that he paid legal expenses for those arrested.
Instead, however, of being rejected by the Republican Party, he was enabled and protected.
With the election behind us, the question of who is to blame becomes a safe game to play. And so many can be faulted. Santos was never vetted by the state or county Republican parties.
Perhaps his support of the January 6 insurrection served as a shiny badge of honor. Maybe the Democrats should be faulted at the national, state and county levels. Or it could be the fault of the media for its failure to mount costly independent investigations.
The real answer, however, is much
more problematic, troubling, and challenging. The decision to elect him was made by the voters of the Third Congressional District. While the weight of that mistake must be borne by his supporters, the rest of us are paying the unenviable price of being represented by an embarrassing clown.
All of us, those in the 3rd Congressional District and those in the rest of the country, must acknowledge that American voters need to play a greater role in our political process and must independently research and analyze the backgrounds and character of those who run for office.
While this will surely be complicated and anything but easy, the fate of American Democracy, as always, rests squarely on the shoulders of our voters.
After all, as the noted Swiss historian Jacob Burckhardt said a century and a half ago, “The essence of tyranny is the denial of complexity.”
George Santos goes to Washington
But perhaps more important would be the difficulty for House Republicans to justify punishing Santos when they have spent the last four years ignoring the lies and misdeeds of President Trump and other members of their own caucus.
Some 150 of the Republicans who were elected in 2022 falsely denied that
President Biden won in a free and fair election.
More than two-thirds of the Republican caucus voted not to certify the 2020 presidential election – after a mob attacked the U.S. Capitol as part of a campaign orchestrated by President Donald Trump.
Trump, who remains the favorite to
be the Republicans’ nominee in 2024, told more than 30,000 lies as president, according to a count by the Washington Post.
This includes the Big Lie – the false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen – to rally his supporters in an effort to overturn the election. Something that he continues to falsely claim
two years after the 2020 election.
And in 2022, Republican voters punished the members of the GOP who sought to hold Trump accountable for his campaign to undermine democracy in the United States with his lies.
Santos is, if anything, a poor man’s Donald Trump using lies to gain elective office. This includes the false claim by
both men that they were self-made millionaires.
So why punish Santos and support Trump?
Honor, decency and the needs of 3rd District residents are good reasons.
But don’t count on either Democratic or Republican elected officials to demand it.
DeSena should own her support of Santos
North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena is now Supervisor Jennifer DeSantos.
Her latest unconscionable act was a vote for her dear, trusted friend George Santos. DeSena is incapable of independent thought and does solely what she’s told by her political masters.
George Santos lied about every aspect of his life — his education, employment, religion, sexual orientation, and personal finances — but she’s absolutely fine with him taking office because he’s a part of the GOP
There’s no record of his citizenship! DeSena still wants him in Congress.
The only time she’ll change her mind is when her MAGA idol Jack Martins gets permission from the boss to abandon his state Senate and run in a special election for Santos’ seat.
Not only should Santos resign, so should DeSantos — our useless supervisor. What an absolute disgrace and shill for the Republican party she is.
Can you imagine how she’d have reacted if this was a Democrat?
She’d be apoplectic in calling for his resignation. It’s a republican though, so it’s just fine. DeSantos is done in North Hempstead.
Eric Lawrence ManhassetHoping for decency, preparing to fight
Thomas Jefferson said, “He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it is much easier to do it a second time and a third time till at length it becomes habitual.”
The enormity of the lies told by George Santos has reached a crescendo that is “beyond the pale.”
Santos’ lies run the gamut. There are his lies regarding the educational institutions from which he said that he graduated, his sites of employment, criminal charges of writing stolen, fraudulent checks, his claims of property ownership, lying about his genealogy and unpaid debts. The list continues on and on.
While Santos has admitted all of the aforementioned are “embellishments” regarding his resume there is no getting away from it, singly and together, they are outrageous, brazen and amoral.
Furthermore, Santos has lived a life of debt. The question still remains, where did he obtain $700.000 to lend to his campaign?
Santos lacks the ability to tell the truth. He also lacks a higher education. Given both of these, how in the world could he be trusted as a congressman to tell the truth to his constituents?
Moreover, not having the benefits of a higher education learning experience, the question is:
does he have the wherewithal to comprehend, let alone enact nuances regarding legislation? His experience and honesty and morality are sorely lacking.
Santos’ judgment regarding his truthfulness is at the very least, appalling. Additionally, the elected officials overlooking Santos’ discrepancies are as guilty as he is in committing amoral scenarios.
I wonder if there are those who voted for him are now kicking themselves? It is gratifying to note Santos is currently under federal investigation. He should resign or not be seated next week.
It will be interesting to see whether Santos will have the gall to advance Jefferson’s projections regarding a lying individual such as he has demonstrated. Will Santos decide that the counts against him have become overbearing or will the Republicans decide he is unfit to serve?
My hope is that decency will prevail. However, as citizens, we must continue to fight for what is right and just, as we “wait and see” regarding what the next chapter for Congressional District 3 will be.
Lois Schaffer Great NeckGeorge Santos a poster boy for Nassau GOP
Mr. Wiesenfeld, your deafening silence speaks loudly.
You’ve used this newspaper to express your displeasure and disdain for the publisher of this paper, for Democrats of all persuasions, whether conservative, moderate or progressive, and your neighbors.
Yet now your silence for the Republican Congressman-elect George Santos. You claim not to be a politician or an elected official, yet you might be described as a shepherd who leads his flock, better yet the Pied Piper leading the
lemmings.
Why would you profess to speak out on matters of antisemitism, Holocaust denial and xenophobia and yet you choose to be silent. Your silence is deafening.
There is a continued thread of supporting Republican candidates who are storytellers, charlatans and frauds like George Santos.
Under the leadership of Joseph Cairo Jr., chairman of the Nassau County Republican Commitee, for two election cycles the NCRC has offered our community candidates the likes of
George Santos.
Is power and corruption something you support more than treating others the way you want to be treated?
Where are the Republican elected officials, their silence and minimal comments; the likes of Senator-elect Martins, Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, Town Councilperson Adhami, Nassau County Legislator Pilip and Village of Great Neck Mayor Bral and you as well, reflect your empowerment to fakers, frauds and charlatans.
At least eight times in the Torah it is mentioned “love, thy neighbor” and yet you seem to have forgotten the significance of those words.
I am saddened to see, a righteous man, such as yourself, has chosen not to treat others as he would want to be treated.
Hopefully, we the people can only be fooled sometimes, not all of the time.
George Santos is a poster boy for the Republican Party.
Charles Schneider Great NeckRepublicans should call for Santos to resign
As a Republican, let me articulate where Republicans should be on the question of George
Santos: Many Republicans, discussing Santos, have presented the argument that the media, corporate governance, academia and much of today’s societal structure provide a “free ride” to most liberals and Democrats for their detestable views or potential or real crimes.
They mention Omar, Tlaib, Hunter Biden, AOC and a whole host of genuinely detestable personages.
At the same time, this “structure” pounces
on Republican miscues. They also have “identitypoliticked” America into a veritable sewer of race, diversity, equity and other non-constitutional nonsense untrue to our founding principles and which eliminate all matter of merit.
This is true. They say that Santos will provide slack for the very slim majority in the House. This is true. They say that this area waited for 50 years for a chance to have a Republican representative. This is true. So — what is also true? The failure of Republican party leaders to vet a candidate for Congress is a stain on the state and local party.
Santos is more than a liar; he is a grifter and
may be an elder abuser, who operated with a mother who may be the nightmare of anyone who requires care for an elderly parent.
Who would want their son or daughter to have employment as a staffer for Santos on their resume? Who will want to partner in legislation with Santos? Who would desire the “Honorable George Santos” as a guest for district ceremonial events?
I worked directly for moderate Democrats and Republicans for 20 years: Tom Manton, Claire Shulman, Ed Koch, Al D’Amato and George Pataki.
I know what they would think: George Santos
must resign and build an honest life — but not on our backs. As a Republican and resident of this district, I want a special election.
I agree with Robert Zimmerman on this and if another, vetted and qualified Republican — wins, that will be fine. And if Bob Zimmerman wins, that is far better for all of us than George Santos as a representative.
He must go or we will, for all intents and purposes, have no representative in Congress for two years.
Jeffrey Wiesenfeld Great NeckSantos part of Nassau GOP pattern
eorge Santos , or whatever his name is, is the perfect Nassau County Republican.
The Nassau Republican Party is the party of Margiotta, is the party of Skelos,
the party of Mangano and is now the party of
Santos. What a pantheon of “heroes.”
It’s only a matter of time before the four of them are joined by Blakeman, the empty gray suit, whose principal talent seems to be finding unqualified cronies to burden Nassau County
taxpayers with.
Cashdan Sands Point
YOUR GUIDE TO THE ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND DINING
TALK ON AVIATION HISTORY ON L.I.
Join author John Lancaster for a visual presentation on his acclaimed work of nonfiction The Great Air Race on Friday, January 13, 2023, at 12 noon in the Port Washington Public Library’s Lapham Meeting Room.
This event will be both in-person and available on Zoom. Visit pwpl.org/events to register or for more information.
Lancaster’s new book details a fascinating but little-known moment in the history of Long Island and American aviation: the transcontinental air race of October 1919 that saw scores of pilots compete for the fastest roundtrip time between New York (specifically, Roosevelt Field) and San Francisco in frail, open-cockpit biplanes.
Riveting the nation, the aviators pioneered the first coast-to-coast air route, braving blizzards and driving rain as they landed in fields or at the edges of cliffs.
The race, despite much drama and tragedy, was a milestone in the development of commercial aviation. The Great Air Race is a captivating story of man and machine and the debut of a major new popular historian.
Among the many stellar reviews, The Washington Post writes, “It’s hard to imagine a more ideal narrator…Lancaster tells a vivid story and makes a moving case that these early martyrs at the takeoff of domestic aviation gave the rest of us a future in the sky.”Lancaster also will describe how in 2019, a century after the race, he fl ew the route from Long Island to San Francisco and back again in his two-seater plane, making all of the same stops that the daring pilots made in 1919.
This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Books will be available for purchase and signing.
Artists exhibition at the League of L.I.
The Art League of Long Island invites artists from Suffolk, Nassau, Brooklyn, and Queens to submit entries to the upcoming juried exhibit featuring works by artists who call the four counties of the Island home.
The 61st Long Island Artists Exhibition is now a biennial exhibit and will be on view in the Art League’s spacious Jeanie Tengelsen Gallery March 4 through April 7. The deadline to submit applications is Tuesday, January 31.
Entry for each artist is limited to five works not previously ex-
hibited in the Art League of Long Island’s gallery, one of which may be chosen from among submissions by the exhibition juror. Two and three-dimensional original work in any medium may be submitted, including photography and fine craft, with the exception of videos.
The Art League is honored to have professor Neill Slaughter serve as juror for the Long Island Artists Exhibition.
Slaughter has taught at the university level for four decades as well as exhibiting his art nationally and internationally. Awarded an
MFA degree from Indiana University in 1978 his teaching career began in Philadelphia at Tyler School of Art. 1981-82 he inaugurated a study abroad program at Alnwick Castle in England. 1983-93 he
taught for California State University and Loyola Marymount University, again teaching abroad at University of Kent in Canterbury, England in 1989.
From 1993 to the present Professor Slaughter has lived in Southampton NY and taught for Long Island University until his retirement, being granted Professor Emeritus status in 2017.
Among his awards and honors, Slaughter has received a Ford Foundation Fellowship, a Scottish Arts Council Grant, an LMU Research Grant to Africa, a Fulbright
Fellowship to India and a David Newton Award for Excellence in Teaching. 2008 Slaughter mounted a thirty-year retrospective, which included a color catalogue and in 2022 a fifty-year retrospective with a webinar lecture. Additional information: www.neillslaughter. com
Full details are available in the exhibition prospectus. To obtain the prospectus email info@artleagueli. org or visit www.artleagueli.org/ call-for-artists. Applications must be submitted online at www.client. smarterentry.com/alli.
Extracurricular activities for non-athletes
High school sports garner significant attention in communities that want to support their student-athletes. But what about students who aren’t inclined to compete on the field or in the gym? There are many more non-athletes than athletes, and the following are some extracurricular activities that might appeal to students who aren’t interested in sports.
Physical activities
Just because kids aren’t interested in traditional scholastic sports doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy breaking a sweat or being part of a team. Local community programs may offer club skiing teams, rowing clubs, hiking clubs, and other physical activities that are not affiliated with a school. Such options are great opportunities for kids to engage in physical activity and meet fellow fitness enthusiasts. One option kids may want to consider is a local recreational pickleball league. Pickleball has exploded in popularity in recent years and many communities now host competitive leagues for people of all ages.
Students who don’t want to compete in scholastic sports can still find a wealth of extracurricular activities that align with their interests and even others that may stoke newfound passions.
Theater
School theater programs faced significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, when indoor gatherings were limited if not outright restricted and students were forced to adapt to remote learning. But since COVID-related restrictions were lifted, many theater programs are back in full swing. In fact, the Educational Theatre AssociationTM notes that its programs were present in roughly 5,000 schools during the 2021-22 school year. Theater programs can expose kids to the performing arts but also teach youngsters who aren’t interested in performing about backstage components, including set design and even script writing
Volunteering
Volunteering is another potential extracurricular activity high school students might want to consider. Volunteering can expose children to potential career paths and introduce them to people from all walks of life. The vast majority of nonprofit organizations welcome and need volunteers, so students should be able to find an organization with a mission that aligns with their values. Schools also may sponsor volunteer programs, and that can be a great way for students to engage with their school community.
Clubs
High schools are home to clubs that cater to all sorts of interests. Foreign language clubs, gaming clubs, book clubs, and debate clubs are just some of the many non-sportsrelated clubs students can join to participate more fully in campus life.
Tips to help student-athletes prepare for winter sports season
Winter sports season is wildly popular. Sports such as basketball, hockey, swimming, and track and field attract talented studentathletes each winter, making the season one of the most fun times of year for kids, their families and their classmates.
As the winter sports season approaches and begins, student-athletes can take various steps to ensure they’re ready to compete.
• Ensure your academics are in order. Students must maintain a minimum grade point average to be eligible to compete.
The winter sports season tends to overlap semesters in many school districts, so students preparing for the coming season must make sure their grades are good enough to allow them to compete, even if their sport begins mid- to late-semester.
Students can work with teachers, coaches and academic advisors to ensure their grades won’t compromise their eligibility.
• Schedule your physical. A preseason physical exam is mandatory to compete in may scholastic sports, so student-athletes or their parents should schedule their exams early so they can compete for a spot on the team and, if they make the team, play once the season begins. Physical exams also can shed light on any issues that may require medical treatment prior to the start of the season, so the earlier students get their exams, the more quickly they can address any issues that may compromise their ability to compete.
• Speak with the coaching staff. Coaches may or may not conduct exit interviews upon the completion of a season. Such interviews can be a great chance for student-athletes to learn about what they can do to improve during the offseason. Student-athletes who didn’t get an exit interview or those who simply want a refresher can contact their coaches in
advance of the season to discuss what they need to do to make the team and/or improve on last season’s performance.
• Get in shape. Multi-sport athletes may already be in shape to compete, which can ensure the transition from fall to winter sports season goes smoothly. Studentathletes who don’t compete in fall sports can use fall as a time to get back in game shape. Start gradually to reduce your risk of injury, ramping up as the body reacclimates itself to physical activity.
Winter sports season is a fun time of year for student-athletes. Preparing before the season begins can ensure student-athletes compete at their highest level in the months ahead.
Buckley’s mission is at the heart of its curriculum, which seeks to inspire and prepare students for a lifetime of learning. When alumni talk about their Buckley experience, they consistently credit BCDS with instilling in them a curiosity and insatiable thirst for knowledge that continues long after they leave the school’s 28-acre Roslyn campus. Buckley accepts students as young as two years old in the Pre-Nursery program, and admits students on a rolling basis through grade seven.
How students can avoid ‘senioritis’
Senior year of high school can be a whirlwind of activity. The early months are spent wrapping up standardized testing and applying to college. Since many colleges and universities ask for midyear transcripts for students to aid with class placement and/or make final admissions decisions, students also need to maintain their studies and grades throughout the fall and winter.
Come the spring, when graduating seniors have already picked a college, students with their eyes on the finish line may feel like pulling back a bit. According to Southern New Hampshire University, the term “senioritis” refers to a common condition reflecting a lack of motivation by students who are reaching the end of their coursework. While it occurs in high school seniors and college seniors, those in trade schools or other programs also can experience senioritis. Students hope that they can simply coast until the end of school. It’s important not to let senioritis set in to the point that students’ academic futures are suddenly compromised.
• Consider the repercussions. According to the University of the People, many colleges have a policy that incoming freshmen must maintain a certain GPA to become students at their institutions. Letting grades slip can ruin chances of attending the school you worked hard to get into, even if you’ve already been accepted. Dartmouth College, for example, notes that they reserve the right to rescind an offer if “the student’s final academic record has lowered significantly.” A similar policy is enforced by Stanford University.
“Senioritis”
refers to a common condition reflecting a lack of motivation by students who are reaching the end of their coursework.
• Schedule breaks. Take advantage of time off from school and on the weekends to engage in fun activities. Respites from school work can help you return to studies fresh and ready to engage anew.
• Plan your senior courses wisely. Work with your guidance counselor to schedule courses throughout your time at school so your senior year schedule features few rigorous classes and includes more enjoyable electives.
• Hold each other accountable. Get together with a close group of classmates to inspire one another to continue to study and maintain good grades. Accountability to another person can serve as motivation.
• Ask for help and support. It’s common for seniors to want to slack off if they’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed. If various factors in your life are causing you anxiety, reach out to your parents and friends for help.
• Establish strong habits. Learning to stay focused even throughout the spring of senior year can help set the course for good habits that spill over into college, like time management and focus.
Avoiding a case of senioritis can be challenging, but it is in students’ best interests to stay focused on their work until they don their caps and gowns.
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Special election needed to clean CD3 stain
Reading day after day, by both Democrats and Republicans, of this disgraceful expose of the criminality of George Santos, I am astounded that he has not been censured or more deservedly indicted for these acts of deceit, and flagrant violations of what morality and honesty stands for.
Not only did he openly admit to these frauds, but bragged about getting away with them. It is sorrowful enough admission, that these lies did not surface during his campaigning, but even more tragic is how his own party is not rejecting his legitimacy of representation.
How can any of his supporters
look at themselves in the mirror, every day, and consider themselves honest.
From his bald-faced lies regarding his schooling, and business dealings, to his deception of his Jewish Identification, being a devout Catholic, he swayed the orthodox community into believing his falsehoods.
I could go on and on, regarding his illegitimacy, but the truly biggest travesty is that the most respected and qualified candidate that he defeated, Robert Zimmerman, was the victim of these disingenuous sins.
What a true loss to the 3rd Congressional District.
To some degree, my faith would
be restored, if by some means, a special election would be enacted, when dirty politics were set aside, and concern for the community took precedence. But then again perhaps I am a dreamer!
Bruce Funk Great NeckBan apartment rentals in East Williston
Ihave lived in the Village of East Williston for over half my life—almost 42 years.
About eight years ago, I expressed to the Village my concerns that we should have a law forbidding rentals in our Village—just about when ads for global community rentals started blasting the media airwaves.
Over four years ago, I reiterated my concerns that such a code/law should be
implemented to ward off the obvious, potential, negative effects that rentals— either short or long term— could have on our family-oriented Village.
Bringing strangers into our community, who have no vested interests in our community, only forewarns of serious, detrimental problems.
On Monday, Jan. 9, at 7:30 pm in the East Williston Village Hall,there will be a public hearing that will be consid-
ering:“ the adoption of a Local Law to add a Chapter to the Village Code with respect to short-term rentals.”
I, again, will state what has seemed obvious to me for the past eight years:
“It is my belief .that forbidding such rentals in beautiful East Williston is essential to maintaining its integrity as being a safe, family-based,residential community.”
Our Nassau communities already
are experiencing higher crime rates.
Do we really need to increase the amount of strangers entering our communities to peruse the “lay of the land?”
I think not.
I urge all concerned East Williston homeowners to consider attending the aforementioned meeting to express your opinions on this very serious matter that could affect the value of one of your biggest investments—your quality of life in
your home and community.
If you cannot attend this meeting, I urge you to let our Village officials know your opinions on this matter by sending an email to our Village or by making a phone call.
The future quality of life of your children and the families of all Village of East Williston residents is at stake.
Kathy Rittel East WillistonSantos unfairly singled out for lying
How is it that I can’t recall any editorials in The Williston Times that called for the resignation of Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D) when he lied on multiple occasions about serving in Vietnam?
How is it that I can’t recall any editorials in The Williston Times that
called for the resignation of Elizabeth Warren (D) when she falsely claimed to be a Native American while on the faculty at Harvard Law School? (And once again in Texas on a bar registration card)
How is it that I can’t recall any editorials in The Williston Times that
called for the resignation of Joe Biden (D) when he falsely claimed to have taught at UPenn?
According to The University of Pennsylvania’s own newspaper, (The Daily Pennsylvanian) Joe Biden has never taught a single class at that university. See Editor’s Note.*
So if your editorials only asks for George Santos (R) to resign, that very practice reduces you to a simple “garden variety” hack. Not a respectable editor.
Garden City
*Editor’s Note: The University of Pennsylvania says Biden was a practice professor delivering numerous lectures and talks but not teaching classes over a two-year period between the end of his vice presidency and the start of his 2020 presidential campaign.
Both parties responsible for Santos disaster
Re: “Who owns Santos? That is the question”
Karen Rubin argues that voters should blame Republicans rather than the Zimmerman campaign for the failure to discover the lies of George Santos before he
was elected. Instead of pinning the blame on one party or the other, how about recognizing that both bear responsibility for this scandal?
The Republicans had an interest in ensuring that this information was discovered during the primary
phase, so that a candidate like this didn’t get nominated, only to have the lies exposed during this general election and sink his candidacy. The Democrats had an interest in ensuring that this information was discovered during the general election
phase, in order to most effectively defeat him and elect their own nominee.
Both parties neglected to perform basic due diligence and thereby failed the people of this district. Let’s hope that each party learns from its
own mistakes as well as the other’s mistakes so that this sort of thing never happens again, whether here on Long Island or anywhere else.
Golub MineolaSantos and the failure of Dem leadership
Your editorial “George Santos should resign. Now” is correct as far as it goes, but even if that were to happen, it would not be enough. It is incumbent on all of us to examine how we could have elected such a flawed candidate in the first place.
While there is plenty of blame to go around, this is a question that Democratic leadership in particular must address. So far, all we’ve heard
is that it was a “tough election year” and that they tried to discuss the lies, but nobody seemed to care. What they need to explain is exactly why it is that nobody seemed to care.
It is clear to me as a Democrat that the New York Democratic establishment has lost touch with the voters. Instead of focusing on a message that embraces the values held by their members, the party focuses on internal politics, top down mes-
saging, and saying virtually nothing about the issues important to voters in fear that it might upset a portion of the electorate.
The irony is that a majority of the electorate supports Democrats on those issues, not only in New York but across much of the country. As proof, we need look no further than the mid-term results, where Democrats succeeded in many difficult elections by running effective
campaigns which focused on the issues and gave their voters a reason to vote for them. In Long Island we heard only about Jan. 6 and Trump, and virtually nothing about what the Democratic candidate had to offer.
Democrats need a primary process that focuses on voters and values, not on pushing through the coronation of a chosen candidate. We need campaigns that embrace those values rather than running away
from them. It is clear to me that the current leadership is incapable of doing this.
It is time for the rank-and-file, who are the backbone of any campaign, to demand accountability and push for new leadership. They all deserve better, and the voters deserve better.
Mark Marcellus Port WashingtonIs George Santos a national security threat?
Since congressman-elect George Santos’ web of lies began to unravel, coverage of the controversy has framed his fraudulent behavior asa political case of ethical misconduct.
The image painted has been one of a shady con man who fabricated his profile in pursuit of winning a seat in Congress. Yet the red flags surrounding Santos’ identity may present an even more nefarious threat to our democracy than just a rogue con artist congressman.
In addition to Mr. Santos’ fully concocted resume, his unearthed criminal record abroad, his trail of misleading home addresses, his political and financial ties to Russian oligarchy, his undisclosed and otherwise inexplicable origin of wealth that helped self-finance two campaigns
for Congress, his insurrectionist history as a Capitol protester on Jan. 6 and his near parroting of Kremlin propaganda on the Ukraine, bear hallmark warning signs of a potential national security risk.
Until his background and finances can be fully vetted and cleared, political expediencies should not continue to overlook the fact that his profile now objectively meets intelligence criteria for a suspected foreign agent or colluder.
Lesser cases would prompt investigation into potential foreign operations or infiltration. Therefore a case involving a U.S. congressmanelect merits full scrutiny given the highly sensitive nature of government access that Santos would have as a sitting congressman.
Yet the burden of proof should not fall on
the public or media to decipher whether we are dealing with a charlatan, a criminal, or a possible foreign espionage agent.
In either case, George Santos should not be allowed to take the Oath of Office for the House on Jan. 3. There is no other point in modern history that U.S. political leaders would have allowed such an exposed fraud, let alone one so precariously unvetted, to be seated in Congress where they might exploit it for personal gain and/or to the benefit of America’s adversaries.
Unfortunately in the current House landscape, GOP ambition to secure every last vote of their slim new majority for the upcoming speakership contest is insulating George Santos.
So he will be seated in Congress. We now find ourselves at a dangerous juncture where
partisan and personal politicking is superseding what is an ethically unambiguous step of safety.
No one from either party believes Santos is fit to serve in Congress, where his mere presence will dilute the institution’s integrity while creating an unprecedented national security dilemma.
George Santos is a detriment to our democracy. There is no reasonable or legitimate excuse for his party to permit him near the Capitol he tried to subvert in 2021 — let alone, seat him within it as an alleged criminal, con artist and potential national security threat.
Elected leaders must dispose of Santos
The convening day of a new Congress is usually a joyous day in the sense that we celebrate another constitutional victory, a victory of freedom over the forces of authoritarianism that threatens constitutional order.
On this day, we observe the swearing-in of the 118th Congress of the United States.
We used to take this day for granted; it was axiomatic that elections would be free and uncontested when clearly lost by the losers. Amidst panics, national division, the great run-up to Civil War, the Civil War itself, the labor-capital tensions of the late 19th century, World Wars I and II and through the Great Depression, Watergate and through the darkest
years of the Trump Presidency, our two-year national renewal of representative democracy rolled on.
But this year, aside from mourning the loss of the House to the Republicans, we are shocked, chagrined and infuriated by the apparent seating of one George A. Santos, if that is in fact his real name, as the duly elected member of the United States House of Representatives from the Third Congressional District of New York.
So, as I am wont to do in dark and puzzling times, I have turned to Lincoln.
I was reminded of what was perhaps one his most eloquent written state papers, his Dec. 1, 1862, Annual Message to Congress.
One can only imagine the physically and psychically beleaguered 16th president sitting and writing by hand this majestic, powerful message in a kerosene lantern-lit, dreary wartime White House. It had been a horrid year for the Union and Mr. Lincoln. “If there is a place worse than hell,” Lincoln had said the previous summer, “then I am in it.”
Lincoln wrote:
“Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration will be remembered despite ourselves. No personal significance of insignificance can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation”
Lincoln concluded his Message:
“The way is plain, peaceful, generous — a way, which, if followed, the world will forever applaud, and God must forever bless”.
May our elected leaders have the courage, morality, grace, and firmness to dispose of Mr. Santos through process, but based on the enormity of the fraud that he has committed not just to his party; not only to us, his constituents, but to the ethos of the greatness of American political tradition.
Jon F. Weinstein Port Washington* The author worked as a U.S. House staff member for five years.
LIRR’s East Side Access still out of reach
Once again the MTA has left coal in the stockings of Long Island Rail Road commuters. “East Side Access full opening delayed” (Robert Pelaez — Dec. 30).
Every Christmas, since 2011 the MTA has failed to initiate the promised East Side Access to Grand Central Madison service. The original Federal Transit Administration Capital Investment New Starts Full Funding Grant Agreement to MTA was approved in 2006. It included a project cost of $6.3 billion, federal share capped at $2.6 billion with the start of passenger service including a promise to run 24 hourly trains rush hour (most of which were supposed to provide a one seat ride) in 2011.
The temporary shuttle service, which did not start in December 2022, comes nowhere close to meeting this commitment. I can just imagine the overcrowding on shuttle trains between Jamaica and GCM. Riders on the Port Washington branch will have to transfer at Woodside for access to the shuttle train.
The project cost has grown to $11.6 billion today. This does not include debt service payments of $1 billion for borrowing costs buried under the MTA operating budget. There are also $4 billion worth of LIRR readiness projects to support the start of service. They take place east
of the Woodside Harold Interlockings and are carried off line from the official project budget. Without these projects, the LIRR lacks the expanded operational capabilities to support both promised 24 rush-hour train service to GCM along with a 40% increase in reverse peak-rushhour service.
Even when full ESA service to GCM begins, thousands of potential new LIRR customers will continue to be left stranded in Hunters Point, Long Island City, Sunnyside, Elmhurst and Woodhaven, Queens, neighborhoods. Both Hunters Point and Long Island City continue to grow with thousands of new residents, businesses, and office workers. The LIRR currently runs a handful of trains in the AM rush hour in one direction westbound from Jamaica to Hunters Point and LIC returning eastbound in the PM rush hour. There is no service in both directions rush hour along with hourly off peak and evenings.
There are thousands of potential new LIRR customers who would take advantage of increased frequent bi-directional services to both Hunters Point and LIC peak and off peak. Reopening the old Elmhurst Station closed in 1982 and Woodhaven Station closed in 1976 could do the same.
Also missing is a promise dating back to
1998, as part of the proposed MTA LIRR Eastside Access to Grand Central Terminal project, that there was to be construction of a new station at Sunnyside Yard.
Penn Station is a 24/7 facility with overnight service to and from between 1 AM and 5 AM. Grand Central Terminal is closed overnight from 2 AM to 5:15 AM. Unlike the LIRR, Metro North provides no service in or out during that time period. Why does MTA hold the LIRR and Metro North to different standards when it comes to utilizing these two facilities? Catherine Renaldi is the first MTA official to serve as president of both Long Island and Metro North Rail Roads. The LIRR should provide equal levels of 24/7 service to both Penn Station and GCM customers.
A simple analysis of the proposed schedules reveals that depending upon your branch or station, there is no LIRR train to or from GCM between 3 to 5 hours overnight weekdays and weekends.
With the initiation of LIRR ESA service to GCM, the LIRR will suspend virtually all direct one-seat ride thru service between Jamaica and Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn. Travel time for thousands of LIRR riders bound for downtown Brooklyn, Wall Street, World Financial Cen-
ter, World Trade Center or other destinations in downtown Manhattan via Atlantic Terminal Brooklyn will now be longer.
One rider’s gain in time savings (being able to get to Manhattan Midtown East Side via GCM vs. Penn Station) is a loss for another rider trying to access destinations via Atlantic Terminal Brooklyn.
Was investing $12.6 billion in direct costs for ESA worth it? The verdict is still out. It is doubtful in a post COVID-19 world that there will be anywhere near the anticipated 160,000 daily riders using this new facility. Time will tell if commuters and taxpayers will see all of the benefits from this project promised by generations of elected officials as well as MTA and LIRR presidents going back decades.
When it comes to East Side Access, the LIRR 1960s motto “Line of the Dashing Dan” should be changed to “Line of the Slow Moving Sloth.”
Larry Penner Great Neck
Larry Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously served as a former Director for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office of Operations and Program Management.
Business&RealEstate
Good air quality essential in your home
Your health is extremely important in contributing to the quality of your life. Since breathing is a 24/7 function of living, healthy air within your home or apartment is a crucial factor in that process. Having dust and organism-free air contributes to a healthier environment as well as keeping viruses at bay with the proper setup and will make for a more positive atmosphere. Moreover, if you have children, this will contribute to their well-being, causing less congestion and potential illnesses.
Most new homes are so well insulated and airtight that unless windows are open regularly to allow fresh air to come in, the environment can become stale as we constantly breathe and exhale the same air. Cleaning hot air and CAC ducts periodically will minimize the accumulation of dust and potentially harmful organisms.
Due to the clay content of soil on the North Shore of Long Island, it is difficult for water to percolate down through the earth. This can cause a mustier and potentially moldier habitat, especially in basements without dehumidifiers or air purification systems; and for some, this can contribute to annoying and nagging allergies as well as breathing difficulties, which can be a daily challenge.
But be aware there are companies that use mold as a major health hazard and selling point in scaring homeowners into spending inordinate sums of money to fix a problem that may not be as serious as it seems. Many times all one needs to do is wear an N95 mask when cleaning surface areas with Clorox bleach to remove mold. However, if there is mold inside a wall, then more intensive remediation may need to be done. Due to the potentially expensive undertaking, it would be prudent to get a few estimates before making a decision.
(CDC) has very pertinent information about mold that you can read here: https://www.cdc.gov/mold/faqs.htm
Generally dying from mold usually isn’t a real risk, unless it is tested and found to be of high levels of mycotoxins, Talaromyces marneffei, Aspergillusfumigatus or Stachybotrys chartarum origin and you are immune-compromised, have serious health issues, extremely serious breathing problems or have AIDS. Since we’ve all experienced the pandemic over the last 2-plus years and are spending more time inside this winter and currently dealing with all the variants, especially with the increase of flu, RSV, and Covid, having clean air within our homes should be a priority for
PHILIP A. RAICES Real Estate Watchhealthy living.
During the winter months having a humidifier in your living areas or as an attachment to your hot air heating system or placing a bowl of water by or on top of your hot water radiators will provide helpful moisture to your breathing passages and to your skin in minimizing dryness.
Air pollution in and outside your home is still a major health problem for many people today as we continue to
create our energy from the burning of fossil fuels. Controlling the quality of the air inside your home can be very purposeful and beneficial.
There are superior devices that will safeguard and clean your air from whole-house filters to less costly units that will provide adequate coverage for your home. Consumers Reports, which is an independent nonprofit organization, assists consumers with making decisions on products from A-Z by providing accurate, truthful, unbiased, and transparent information. They have tested and compared the most current air purifiers for 2023 so purchasers can make a decision on what makes the most sense. Here is a link: https://www.consumerreports. org/air-purifiers/best-air-purifiers-ofthe-year-a1197763201/ Protecting oneself and family in staying healthy and happy in this New Year should be of utmost importance going forward and to reduce any potential illnesses that might occur.
Living in your home with clean fresh air will provide your family with a safer healthier environment for years to come and hopefully minimize and eliminate health issues and doctor visits. Lastly, when the time comes to put your home on the market, it will be a bonus selling
point. You will be confident in providing your buyers the added value to the home that has been cared for and that they will experience healthier air. inside the home. As they say, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Again, I want to wish everyone a healthy, happy enjoyable, and more lucrative 2023.
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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. Li-RealEstate.Com back.
TECH
INTERNET EXPLORER: Retired But Not Gone
After a nearly 20-year run, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE) is being retired as of June 15, 2022. Its replacement, Microsoft Edge, works faster, and is more secure and modern. Today’s internet environment is far more complex than when IE was launched in the 1990’s. It requires faster speeds to refresh web pages and process cloud-hosted programs.
Additionally, the online environment is increasingly dangerous, as cybercriminals exploit even the slightest of vulnerabilities. To combat this, security features have been built into Microsoft Edge, to minimize the risk of a breach.
• If you are a user accessing IE at home, we suggest you switch to Edge at your earliest opportunity. If you are using Windows 10, you can locate the program by searching for “Edge” in the box at the bottom left of the screen.
• Many business users still employ legacy programs and inter/intranet websites reliant on Internet Explorer. By enabling the “Internet Explorer mode” within the Microsoft Edge program, access to these applications will be remain supported through at least 2029. Check out the Internet Explorer mode website for more details..
For home users and for businesses that do not need access to features of Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox and Safari (for Mac users) are good options, as well.
Cyber Security
Cyber Compliance
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Nassau D.A.’s office to investigate Santos
can Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman condemning Santos for lying about his background, including where he worked and studied.
Blakeman and newly-elected U.S. Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Bay Shore) called for the House Ethics Committee to launch an investigation into Santos’ past riddled with discrepancies as outlined by the New York Times last week. Blakeman told Newsday that the congressman-elect’s record has now come into question.
“I think that he’s entitled to a hearing with the [House] Ethics Committee, and that they should do a thorough investigation to see if he violated any laws or any ethics rules,” Blakeman told Newsday. “I think that we have to let the process unfold, which I think will happen fairly swiftly.”
“New Yorkers deserve the truth and House Republicans deserve an opportunity to govern without this distraction,” LaLota, who will represent the state’s 1st Congressional District, told Newsday.
Santos admitted to the New York Post that he “embellished” parts of his resume but still intended to serve in Congress.
“This [controversy] will not deter me from having good legislative success,” Santos told the Post. “I will be efective. I will be good.”
Nassau County Republican Committee Chairman Joe Cairo said in a statement: “While I have indicated that the congressman-elect deserves a reasonable amount of time to respond to the media, voters deserve a sincere accounting from Mr. Santos.” Cairo has since said that Santos should still serve in the House.
“Congressman-elect Santos has broken the public trust by making serious misstatements regarding his background, experience and education, among other issues,” the Republican leader said. “He has a lot of work to do to regain the trust of voters and everyone who he represents in Congress.”
Santos was accused by The Times of lying about earning degrees from NYU and Baruch College as well as working for Citigroup and Goldman Sachs. Neither college could confrm his enrollment to multiple media outlets while neither company could confrm his employ-
ment.
Santos, in a previously published biography on his campaign website, described himself as “an associate asset manager” in Citigroup, but a company spokesman told The Times that they could not confrm his employment. The spokesman also said Citi sold of its asset management operations in 2005 and was unfamiliar with Santos’ job title listed on his biography.
A Goldman Sachs spokesman also failed to confrm Santos’ employment, while the Republican did not list a specifc time frame for his time at the companies in biographies.
The congressman-elect told the Post that he never graduated from “any institution of higher learning” and that he “never worked directly” for either organization but that a company called Link Bridge, where he served as vice president, worked with both companies.
The openly gay congressman-elect who previously said he “never had an issue” with his sexual identity during the past 10 years, divorced a woman weeks before he launched his frst congressional campaign in 2019, according to the Daily Beast.
The report shows that Santos allegedly was married to Uadla Santos and divorced in September 2019.
Santos said he was married to a woman from 2012-2017 but told the Post he is now married and “very much gay,” saying the previous relationship “got a little toxic.”
The congressman-elect also admitted to being in debt and fned more than $12,000 in May 2017 after a Queens landlord claimed he was owed more than $10,000 in rent over a fvemonth period. Santos said he did not own 13 diferent properties despite previously calling out alleged tenants of said properties for “taking advantage” of rental assistance ofered during the coronavirus pandemic, claiming he and his family had not been paid rent in nearly a year.
Santos’ campaign website says the Republican’s grandparents “fed Jewish persecution in Ukraine, settled in Belgium and again fed persecution during WWII.”
A review of genealogy reports done by The Forward, an independent, Jewish publication, showed that his grandparents, Paulo Horta
Devolder and Rosalina Caruso Horta Devolder, were both born in Brazil prior to 1930 when the Nazi Party secured more than 100 seats in Germany’s parliament.
The report claims Santos’ mother, Fatima Aziza Caruso Horta Devolder was born to Paulo and Rosalina in a suburb of Rio de Janeiro. His mother’s Facebook page does not contain references to Judaism but several pages she “liked” were for various Catholic groups.
Other posts she has shared on her Facebook page, which include pictures of her and the congressman-elect, include depictions of Jesus and quotes from the Bible. His mother died in 2016, according to an online obituary.
Santos, in a 2020 interview, said his family converted to Christianity while living in Brazil. Santos told the Post that he “never claimed to be Jewish” but that his “maternal family had a Jewish background,” which he meant as being “Jew-ish.”
The Times also reported that in 2008, when Santos was 19, he stole the checkbook of a man his mother was caring for, according to Brazilian court records.
Police and court records show that Santos used the checkbook to make fraudulent purchases, including a pair of shoes. Two years later, Santos confessed to the crime and was later charged.
The court and local prosecutor in Brazil confrmed the case remains unresolved, The Times reported.
Brazilian authorities told the Times on Monday that a formal request will be made to the U.S. Justice Department to notify Santos of the charges.
Santos disputed those claims, telling the Post, “I am not a criminal here- not here or in Brazil or any jurisdiction in the world.”
The Times also questioned the tax-exempt classifcation of Santos’ charity, Friends of Pets United.
The Internal Revenue Service was unable to provide The Times with any information showing that the charity had tax-exempt status. The charity’s 2017 fund-raising event had a $50 entry charge, according to the newspaper, but a representative from the event’s benefciary said it did not receive any of the proceeds.
Santos outspent all others on travel, food
Continued from Page 11
New York Times the expenses could be a way to hide illegal uses of campaign funds.
“I consider deployment of this tactic strong evidence that the violation of law was knowing and willful — and therefore meeting the requirement for criminal prosecution,” Ryan said.
The flings include an outlay of nearly $11,000 to a company called Cleaner 123 under “apartment rental for staf.”
Over the past two years, Santos also donat-
ed thousands to Nassau County organizations and elected ofcials.
Included in the flings is $500 to Elaine Philips’ campaign when she was running for Nassau County comptroller for an event donation, a personal contribution of $500 to the Sands Point-Port Washington Republican Committee, $750 to the Nassau County Republican Primary Campaign, $1,000 to D’Esposito’s campaign, $250 to the Glen Cove Knights of Columbus, $200 to the campaign for Vhibuti Jha, who ran
for the state’s 16th Assembly District, and $500 to the campaign for Ruka Anzai, who ran for the state’s 13th Assembly District.
Much of Santos’ fnancial afairs have come into question in recent weeks. According to CNN and The New York Times, the U.S. Attorney’s Offce in the Eastern District of New York is looking into Santos’ money matters. According to The Times, the investigation is said to be in its early stages.
The congressman-elect also admitted to be-
Suozzi announces parting gift for Roslyn
said. “It’s just wonderful.”
Other recipients include the Center for Women in New York ($1,000,000); India Home Colon Cancer ($500,000); Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory ($2,000,000); LGBT Network ($500,000); Northport fooding ($1,392,000);
Asharoken food abatement ($1,000,000); Garvies Point ($294,300); Services Now for Adult Persons, Queens ($750,000); YMCA Huntington ($250,000); Met Council ($750,000); City of Glen Cove Duck Pond Road Aeration Station ($3,452,972); New York City Ofce of Emergency Management ($926,813); and LIU “Explor-
ing Presidential Stories” ($149,500).
Suozzi is coming of a failed gubernatorial primary campaign in which he lost to Gov. Kathy Hochul in June. He also did not run for re-election to the congressional seat he has held since 2017.
The Times’ analysis of property records databases in Nassau County and New York City did not show any deeds associated with anyone in the Santos family or their company, the Devolder Organization.
Santos described the company, according to The Times, as one that managed $80 million in assets. The Republican also described it as a capital introduction consulting company on his congressional fnancial disclosure forms.
Several election law experts told The Times that omitting the company’s clients on the fnancial reports “could be problematic” if the clients exist.
Santos loaned his campaign more than $700,000 during this year’s election cycle while donating thousands more to other candidates over the last two years, according to The Times. The Republican reported a $750,000 salary and more than $1 million in dividends from the Devolder Organization, according to the Times.
U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, who currently represents the district and defeated Santos in 2020, told CNN that the Republican had $40,000 in his campaign account two years ago before having an excess of $700,000 this year.
“I never even mentioned his name in the campaign, I beat him by 12 points, Suozzi said. “Now, all of a sudden he as all this money that he loaned from himself. When he was running against me, he was being evicted for non-payment of rent.”
Santos was quoted as saying he was “at the Ellipse on Jan. 6,” the day of rioting at the U.S. Capitol, and is quoted on video saying he “wrote a nice check for a law frm” to aid the rioters who stormed the building.
Kevin Madden, a top aide for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, told Newsday that the chances that an Ethics Committee investigation be launched into Santos are small.
“McCarthy is sitting on a razor-thin congressional majority, so his default position will likely be to say the people of New York’s 3rd Congressional District made their decision and he’ll abide by it,” Madden told Newsday.
Republicans have a 222-213 majority in Congress for the frst time since 2018 following the results of this year’s midterm elections.
ing in debt and fned more than $12,000 in May 2017 after a Queens landlord claimed he was owed more than $10,000 in rent over a fvemonth period.
Santos also conceded he did not own 13 different properties despite previously calling out alleged tenants of these properties for “taking advantage” of rental assistance ofered during the coronavirus pandemic, claiming he and his family had not been paid rent in nearly a year.
Santos loaned his campaign more than $700,000 during this year’s election cycle while donating thousands more to other candidates over the last two years, according to The Times. The Republican reported earning a $750,000 salary and more than $1 million in dividends from the Devolder Organization, according to the Times.
Former U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, who represented the district until 2023 and defeated Santos in 2020, told CNN that the Republican had $40,000 in his campaign account two years ago before reporting an excess of $700,000 this year.
“I never even mentioned his name in the campaign, I beat him by 12 points, Suozzi said. “Now, all of a sudden he has all this money that he loaned from himself. When he was running against me, he was being evicted for non-payment of rent.”
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A nonprofit organization in Nassau County is seeking sealed bids for the sale and installation of Impact Resistant Gates and Physical Access Control System with Lockdown System and related equipment. Selection criteria will be based on knowledge of security, adherence to projected work schedule, prior experience, references, and cost. Please email:ariel@lihagn.org for project specifications and bid requirements. All interested vendors must provide primary contact, phone and email address.
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Crafting ‘Blankets of Love’ in town Town hosts Hanukkah fest
The North Hempstead Project Independence “Blankets of Love” group was hard at work making and donating blankets to those in need this year.
“Blankets of Love” was created by Project Independence members as a social group, allowing senior residents in the community to come together and work in a collaborative manner on meaningful and rewarding projects.
This year, the “Blankets of Love” group knitted 327 blankets, 33 hats, and 2 shawls which were donated
to over 25 organizations across Long Island including North Hempstead Veterans Donation Drive, the NYU Child Life Program, Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, EAC Meals on Wheels, NUMC Mothering Clinic, and the Gerald Ryan Outreach Center, among many, many others.
“Blankets of Love” currently meets on Tuesdays from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Clinton G. Martin Park. For more information on the program, please call 516-869-6311.
Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, Council Member Peter Zuckerman, Council Member Dennis Walsh, Council Member Veronica Lurvey, Council Member Mariann Dalimonte, and Receiver of Taxes Charles Berman along with the
Chabad of Manhasset and the Manhasset Park District were proud to host the Town’s Annual Hanukkah Festival on Sunday, Dec. 18 at Mary Jane Davies Green in Manhasset.
The event was sponsored by North Shore University Hospital at Northwell
Health, and featured musical performances including a performance by the Manhasset High School band, live ice carving of a menorah, a chocolate gelt drop with assistance from the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department, and the lighting of the menorah.
Lipinsky eyes fundraising record
Great Neck resident Erin Lipinsky recently hosted his annual car wash and raised $600 to benefit Special Olympics NY.
This event kicked off his efforts to raise money for the 2023 “Freezin’ for a Reason” Polar Plunge, which will take place Feb. 4 at North Hempstead Beach Park in Port Washington.
Last year, Erin raised $23,290 breaking his own fundraising record, and making him the top individual fundraiser of the event. Erin has been a longtime member of the Great Neck Spirits Basketball Team for Special Olympics.
Join Erin as he makes his 9th plunge, and others who support Special Olympics New York every year by raising funds from family and friends—and then splashing into winter waters. The Polar Plunge® supports year-round sports training and competition and health and inclusion programs for individuals with intellectual disabilities in your Special Olympics NY community. This year, make sure you’re freezin’ for a reason!
Support Erin by making a donation or taking the plunge yourself. For more information please visit: http:// events.nyso.org/goto/2023ERIN
Meltzer Lippe aids L.I. Cares
While Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone, LLP makes giving back a year round activity, it steps up its efforts during the December holidays. Donations include contributions from attorneys and staff and the Meltzer Lippe Foundation, the charitable arm of the firm. This year was no exception, with a season of giving that included four significant charitable giving programs.
“The camaraderie and shared good we enjoy as a firm is secondary only to the joy we take in giving to those less fortunate than we are,” said Managing Partner David Heymann. “We have so much to be grateful for, and even more to give. Our team is remarkable in the generosity of their time, spirit and ongoing commitment to giving back. Each year I am truly in awe of my colleagues generosity to support those in need in our community.”
LI CaresCommitted to helping alleviate food insecurity in the Long Island community, Meltzer Lippe held an in-house food drive to benefit LI Cares. Friendly competition ensued, with a team from each floor of the Meltzer Lippe building challenging the floors to see who could donate the most food. The competition was fierce in that more than 8,500 lbs. of food were donated.
“As attorneys, we are naturally competitive, so the idea of a competition to make the biggest donation adds to the spirit of most all of our
charitable activities,” noted Heymann. “It’s all for a good cause.”
Bethpage Turkey DriveThe Meltzer Lippe Foundation also made a donation of $10,000 to the annual Bethpage Turkey Drive supporting Island Harvest.
FCA Adopt a Family Donations to another perennial favorite, FCA’s Adopt a Family program, kicked off next phase of giving. Acting as a team, the firm granted holiday wishes for two families with items including toys for infants and older children, warm winter clothing, various home essentials and gift cards for personal use.
My Stuff Bags Program Adopt a Family was followed by another long-
standing Meltzer Lippe tradition with a give back component. The firm’s annual Children’s Holiday Party for staff and their families resumed after a COVID-19 imposed hiatus.
The staff transformed an open area of office space into an “Under the Sea” themed experience. Around 45 children attended with their families, each bearing an item to donate to the My Stuff Bags Foundation, which supports abused, neglected, abandoned, and homeless children of all ages, races, ethnicities, religions and economic backgrounds. The wide variety of donated items ranged from stuffed animals, infant toys and blankets to school supplies, stationery and books.
Sports
From Port to K.C. Royals broadcaster
Schreiber grad Jake Eisenberg, 27, rockets to lead radio play-by-play guy for major league team
BY MICHAEL J. LEWISThere are many things that make Port Washington’s Jake Eisenberg pinch himself these days.
But meeting the “Wonder Dog” and telling him their connection may have been his most fun.
Eisenberg is 27, and has just completed a meteoric rise up the sports broadcasting ladder.
In late November, the 2013 Schreiber High School graduate was named the lead radio playby-play broadcaster for the Kansas City Royals, after spending two years calling Triple-A games for the Royals’ affiliate, the Omaha Storm Chasers.
In his new role with the Royals, he’ll be on a broadcasting team with Rex “Hit Dog” Hudler, a former major leaguer and someone Eisenberg remembers well from childhood.
“I used to play a lot of the “MLB The Show” video game as a kid, and Rex was one of the announcers on the game and I knew every line they would say, and I would imitate it back to the game,” Eisenberg said. “So when I saw Rex
recently I told him that and we had a good laugh about it.
“This is all kind of overwhelming in the best way.”
Many sportscasters work decades before getting a big-league shot, but a combination of his skills, networking ability, and good fortune have gotten him to the bigs early.
After graduating from the University of Maryland in 2017, Eisenberg began his career with the Brooklyn Cyclones, a Mets minor league team, and began communicating with Mets broadcasting legend Howie Rose, who became a mentor for him.
“Howie is someone I grew up listening to, just learning the game and hearing how well he communicated, and so I reached out to him just asking for advice and to see if he’d listen to my tapes,” Eisenberg said. “And he was so welcoming and helpful right from the start.”
Eisenberg moved up the ladder in baseball, while also doing some basketball and other sports for the ACC Network Extra, and then landed with the Storm Chasers in 2020, a step away from the majors.
Sam Mellinger, the Royals’ vice president of communications and Eisenberg’s new boss, said the decision to have Eisenberg replace the retiring Steve Physioc on Kansas City’s Royals Radio Network broadcasts was an easy one, especially since they’d heard him do Chasers games for two seasons.
“He’s such a pro, and the enthusiasm combined with the professionalism made it clear he was the right choice,” Mellinger said. “The things you hear from those who’ve been around him a lot, the things they say about him matters to us. And how he treats people, and what those people said about him, was very important. And we heard only great things from everyone about Jake.”
Eisenberg got another big break last spring, when the Mets, his boyhood favorite team, hired him to do 40 games on radio replacing Rose, who had a medical issue.
Suddenly, the kid who was heartbroken by 2006’s NLCS Game 7 Carlos Beltran strikeout that ended the Mets’ dream season, and was at Citi Field for the World Series in 2015 rooting for the orange and blue (against the Royals),
was in the booth announcing their games.
“It was unbelievable, to be around that and get a taste of calling major-league games,” Eisenberg said. “I also got to do two Royals games last year, and seeing how that organization treated me, it was like family. That’s where my heart is.”
What makes Eisenberg such a good broadcaster? His storytelling ability and his ease in calling games, bringing excitement when its needed, was attractive to the Royals.
“It’s hard to be humble and confident at the same time, but Jake has that,” Mellinger said. “He’s got a real good feel for when to ask a question (of his broadcasting partner) and how to ask questions that will get an interesting answer.”
Jake’s father, Mark Eisenberg, said his son was never one of those kids running around announcing everything around the house (“and here’s Dad with the laundry basket, navigating the stairs with ease!”), but that he simply loved baseball and loved telling stories.
“It’s incredible that he’s gotten to where he is,” Mark Eisenberg said. “(Mom) Jill and I aren’t shocked, but I guess we’re just surprised and delighted that his trajectory has been so straight. We knew he’d wind up here, we didn’t know it would happen this quickly.”
Mark Eisenberg said it was “an incredible thrill” hearing his son call Mets games last year, with his phone blowing up from friends and relatives who have known Jake his whole life. And a trip to Kansas City for next August, when the Mets play the Royals, is already in the works, as a Mets schedule hangs next to a Royals one on his refrigerator.
Jake Eisenberg said that one of the many fantastic things about moving up to the Royals job this season is that he’s gotten to know a ton of the young players on the team through his last three years in Omaha.
“This is an organization with some really good young players who I’ve gotten to know and who I’m really excited to see what they can do in the big leagues,” Eisenberg said. “It makes it all the more special that I’ve gotten to know many of them. We took a lot of bus rides together, and now we’ll be taking plane rides together.”
Eisenberg admitted that sportscasting appeal is subjective and that while he knows he’s reaching a high rung on the ladder at a young age, “there really isn’t a way that this is supposed to happen.”
“It’s never a situation where it’s ‘oh, you called Triple-A for that organization, so they’ll eventually move you up,’” he said. “And someone could listen to me and like what they hear, or they could listen to me and not like it. All you can do is build relationships, learn from those people, and when the timing works out, it works out.
“It still is kind of incredible that I’m getting to do this,” Eisenberg added. “I don’t think it will sink in until the season actually starts. I’m so lucky to have this opportunity, with an organization that believes in me and has trusted me to do this.”
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Wheatley Plaza Ofce | 516.626.7600 | 342 Wheatley Plaza, Greenvale, NY | danielgale.com
