Williston Park 2022_05_13

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Serving Williston Park, East Williston, Mineola, Albertson and Searingtown

$1.50

Friday, May 13, 2022

Vol. 71, No. 19

SCHOOLS & EDUCATION

DeSENA BLASTS DEMS HIGHWAY CHIEF PICK

BLAKEMAN NAMES ACTING ASSESSOR

PAGES 25-32

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Four running for 2 seats in East Williston

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

May 17 school board elections in Mineola, Herricks uncontested BY B R A N D ON D U FF Y In the Williston area, residents in the Mineola, Herricks and East Williston school districts will face propositions for Board of Education candidates and other capital reserve fund expenditures. The Mineola Union Free School District recently approved a $110 million budget proposal for the 2022-2023 fiscal year with zero tax levy increases for the second year in a row. Between the current and proposed budgets, there is a 1.62 percent decrease in spending. The proposed budget also includes a $9 million transfer to capital for districtwide purposes, including work on the middle-school gymnasium, Hampton Street student bathrooms, Willis Avenue upgrades and security camera upgrade, among others. Also on the ballot is the establishment of a capital reserve fund with no tax impact. The district said in a community release that the board is “seeking permission to establish a capital reserve fund to pay for future facilities needs.” The goal is to fund the reserve for a maximum of $20 million over the span of 12 years. Cheryl Lampasona, a current trustee on the Board of Education, is run-

ning unopposed for election to a threeyear term. Lampasona said she would help maintain the district’s recent success. “It’s like a big wave that never crashes,” Lampasona said in an interview with Blank Slate Media. Before her time on the board, Lampasona was on the Hampton Street School PTA where she served as president until her initial run for school board in 2016. She ran unopposed for Vice President Patricia Navarra’s seat after she stepped down. Lampasona is currently a New York City public school teacher in Queens. Throughout her past six years and in the future, Lampasona said she is committed to “maintaining an enhanced curriculum while keeping taxpayers in mind.” Lampasona said she was appreciative of the work the district administration has done to maintain Mineola’s high standards at the level where they have been for years. “Superintendent [Michael] Nagler and his team are very innovative and we do a great job of combining all our voices together for the greater good,” Lampasona said. Full-day pre-K and a dual language program up to ninth grade are a few Continued on Page 37

PHOTO COURTESY OF MINEOLA UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT

The Mineola Drama & Thespian Group Troupe 276 recently held a performance of “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” for their first musical since 2019.

Mineola man who killed Minaj’s dad pleads guilty BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z A Mineola man who pleaded guilty Friday to killing the father of rapper Nicki Minaj in a hit-and-run will serve no more than a year in jail,

according to a Nassau County judge, whose decision was opposed by the district attorney’s office. Charles Polevich, 71, pleaded guilty to charges of leaving the scene of a fatal auto accident and tamper-

ing with evidence after Minaj’s father, Robert Maraj, 64, was killed in February 2021. Polevich, according to multiple reports, admitted he initially stopped Continued on Page 38

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