Keyword: '11570' | Herald Community Newspapers

Sen. Dean Skelos, second from right, was sworn in as majority leader on the floor of the New York State Senate on Jan. 4, as his father, Basil, left, and son, Adam, watched. With his wife, Gail, holding the bible, Associate Justice Peter B. Skelos, Dean’s brother, administered the oath of office.

Sen. Dean Skelos assumed the two most powerful posts in the State Senate — majority leader and president pro tem — last week. more

By JUDY RATTNER | 1/11/11

Prosecutors alleged that Susan Williams met with a hit man on March 3 in Eisenhower Park.

Susan Williams receives maximum sentence

Susan Williams will spend the next 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison after Nassau County Judge Norman St. George sentenced her on Dec. 17 at the Nassau County Courthouse in Mineola. more

Tom Steinert | 12/21/10

Back on Top

Long Island’s nine senators will become part of the Republican majority in the New York State Senate next month, and as their leader, Sen. Dean Skelos of Rockville Centre is expected to have their … more

Judy Rattner | 12/8/10

Cuomo: Local governments are antiquated, inefficient

During his campaign, Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo’s transition team released a detailed and well-annotated report outlining plans for “Rightsizing Government.” The report’s findings and recommendations reiterate much of what the previous columns in this series have suggested: that New York state’s Public Authorities and agencies have “become too big, too expensive, and too ineffective — an ever proliferating tangle of boards, commissions, councils, departments, divisions, offices, task forces and public authorities, [that] the taxpaying public can no longer afford.“ Amen. more

Hal Peterson | 12/1/10

An open letter to Sen. Dean Skelos

Back in early August, I began to consider writing a series of columns on reforming New York’s dysfunctional state government. Friends and neighbors were not aware of my interest in this subject; others suggested that no amount of disclosure and transparency could possibly make a difference. more

11/17/10

An open letter to Sen. Dean Skelos

Back in early August, I began to consider writing a series of columns on reforming New York’s dysfunctional state government. Friends and neighbors were not aware of my interest in this subject; others suggested that no amount of disclosure and transparency could possibly make a difference. more

Hal Peterson | 11/10/10

The illusion of reform: What happened to change we can believe in?

As I’ve mentioned in my four prior columns, our state authorities and agencies are not sufficiently accountable to the public. In the past decade alone there have been multiple reports by the state Comptroller’s office, governors’ commissions and public sector watchdog groups about this. Efforts to legislate greater accountability by officials who have focused their attention on authorities have met with limited success. more

Hal Peterson | 10/27/10

Re-elect Skelos in the 9th Senate District

We endorse State Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos for another term in the Senate. more

10/27/10

Pallbearers carry the casket of Denis Dillon down the steps of St. Agnes Church in Rockville Centre after the services.

Former county D.A. Denis Dillon remembered at funeral Mass

In a funeral Mass attended by hundreds, including many public officials and representatives from the law enforcement community Thursday morning at St. Agnes Cathedral, former Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon, a resident of Rockville Centre, was remembered as a dedicated public servant and a man of principle. more

Judy Rattner | 8/19/10

Long-serving Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon died on Aug. 15.

Denis Dillon, former county D.A., dies at 76

Former Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon, a resident of Rockville Centre, died at home early Sunday morning after a long battle with lymphoma. He was 76. During his more than 30 … more

Judy Rattner | 8/16/10