Addressing issues big and small

Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages speaks with constituents in Hewlett

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Professionally dressed interns positioned themselves outside the King Kullen in Hewlett and greeted shoppers with issue-oriented pamphlets with information ranging from property tax relief resources to community service resources, and business cards on a beautiful summer day on Aug. 25.
Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages (D-Elmont) whose 22nd District represents residents in North Woodmere, Valley Stream, Franklin Square and Elmont, along with. Bellerose, Queens, has held informational sessions and open houses in order to reach out to more of her constituents.
In total by the end of the summer, she will have held four open houses at her office located at 1690 Central Court in Valley Stream, and four information sessions outside supermarkets and libraries.
Solages planned these events so that she could have more time to directly speak with residents about issues in their community, and think of some ways to work through them. “I like having a home office, but not everyone who wants to reach me is able to easily get over to see me,” she said. “I really enjoy going out into the community to speak with people. I hear so much just going out to the supermarkets and setting up out in front with information.”
Ara Stirrat, a Valley Stream resident, at Solages’s information table session outside the Hewlett King Kullen, brought up the topic of medicinal marijuana. Stirrat’s son has severe epileptic seizures.

“She’s trying to help,” Stirrat said. “My son really needs the medical help, where legalizing medical marijuana would really help him. I have a lot of issues with social services over this. I like someone like Solages who has sympathy for families like mine, and helps people.”
Gladys Itskovich of Hewlett also spoke Solages and asked her about property tax relief. “I’m tired,” Itskovich said. “I’ve been trying to sell my house and I can’t. My property taxes this year were $18,000. Please do something about this. We are not millionaires.”
Senior citizens paying increased prices in utilities was the issue upsetting Doris Zimmerman of Valley Stream. “American Water prices keep going up,” she said. “In March this year, my bill was increased and they never had the courtesy to call or inform us. I called them and never got a response reason as to why there was the increase. Seniors are on fixed incomes, and increases are ridiculous. It seems like these utility companies think that seniors are old people who don’t know what’s going on.”
Philip Sablick, also of Valley Stream, served in the Air Force 50 years ago. “As a disabled veteran, I could always use more money,” he said. “But the Veterans Affairs Hospital takes good care of me.”
Solages has one more open house event at her office, on Sept. 19 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and one more informational session, to be held at the Franklin Square Public Library on Sept. 15, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“These are great because I get to hear about the smaller issues,” she said. “But I have found that a lot of times, the smaller issues are actually the bigger ones.”