Meet the candidates night held at Lynbrook HS

A half dozen veterans let their voices be heard at Lynbrook's Meet the Candidates Night on Monday, as they asked candidates to explain their thoughts on the veterans' tax exemption, which the Lynbrook Board of Education unanimously voted against in 2014. The panel also answered other questions from the audience.

“What is your opinion of the veterans' tax exemption?” asked Marian Wawryk the evening’s moderator.

The question was first posed to the three candidates without board experience, Renee Gaughran, Lesli Deninno and David Yaker. Each said they disagreed with the board's decision to deny the tax cut, and that they failed to understand the board's reasoning.

“I was horrified, to be honest with you, that we would take away the little bit we can give back to people who have served this country.” Gaughran said. “I don't know what prompted the board to make that decision, but I don't think as a community, that is the decision that we would have chosen, and it certainly wasn't the decision that I would have chosen.”Deninno said she too failed understand the board's logic for not allowing the exemption to pass, pointing out that Lynbrook was one of the few districts not to pass the exemption. “I was surprised at the decision, and not sure how the arose to that decision, and I would like to find out more.”

Yaker said that while he was unsure of the board's motive for denying the exemption, he was sure that it was the wrong decision.

“I don't really quite understand it myself, I don't know that there was ever a real reason given,” he said. “I don't think there really is a good reason to deny that exemption.”

Robert Paskoff, board president, and Sean Strife, vice-president, defended the board's decision to deny the exemption. Both named numerous family members who had served in the armed forces, saying they understood the plight of veterans, but that the legislation was flawed.

“We spoke about why we denied the exemption,” Paskoff said. “We thought as a board that it was poorly written in Albany … We were hoping that during this legislative session, the Albany legislators would rewrite the law, and at that point we would revisit the exemption.”

Strife said he stood by the decision to turn down the exemption.