News

Letters to the Editor: East Rockaway, Lynbrook

Nov. 12-18, 2015

Posted


Show Your Support for our Veterans
 
On Wednesday, November 18, the Lynbrook Board of Education will hold a public hearing and a vote on giving veterans a tax reduction which was previously approved by the State of New York.  Last year our School Board voted not to support our local veterans and denied the tax break.
 
When I and other veterans went to the school board meeting to learn why they were denying our veterans this tax break, I was told I was out of order and told to sit down when I tried to address the board members. Lynbrook is the only school district in the whole area to deny this benefit to veterans.
 
Since last year, the newly elected members of the school board campaigned in the last election of their support for our veterans.  They said they were in favor of the tax break.
 
So, I am asking all veterans, their families, and those that support our veterans, to come to the school board meeting at 730 p.m. at the high school and show support for our veterans to receive the tax reduction.  
 
Henry Speicher
Commander
Lynbrook American Legion Post 335

 

Santino: thanks for the support

To the Editor:

Thank you! The results are in and we did it … together! To each and every neighbor in America’s largest township, I thank you for the trust and confidence that you have placed in me.

Throughout this campaign, I have been humbled by the outpouring of support and assistance that I have received from neighbors across every community of Hempstead Town. And I am especially thankful for the Herald’s strong endorsement of my candidacy based on my experience, record and issue positions.

Thousands of people worked diligently in this campaign, and I want them to know how much I appreciate all that they did to make this victory possible.  

But most importantly, neighbors and friends spoke up — in record numbers — to say that they approved of Hempstead Town’s stewardship. In great measure this was an extraordinary testament to the leadership and vision of a great town supervisor, Kate Murray. I am honored to have been chosen to carry on her fine work in America’s largest township.

We should all be proud of the campaign we ran as a team. We couldn’t have done it without the extraordinary efforts of Town Clerk Nasrin Ahmad, Receiver of Taxes Don Clavin and Councilmembers Ed Ambrosino, Erin King Sweeney and Bruce Blakeman. Thank you!

But now politics will turn into governance.

Hempstead Town will continue to provide the top-notch municipal services and programs that neighbors have come to expect from us for pennies on the tax dollar. As Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia famously said, “There’s no Republican or Democratic way to pick up the garbage.” And that remains true today. I will continue to run an open, responsive and inclusive government that respects taxpayers.

And to our neighbors still returning home from Superstorm Sandy, I pledge to you that I will continue helping neighbors move forward. Hempstead Town and our Building Department will be a partner in the rebuilding process, helping our middle class families and seniors recover and rebuild.

Thank you again for your support and vote of confidence.

Anthony J. Santino
Supervisor-Elect
Town of Hempstead



Paymar will stay involved

To the Editor:

The election is over and victory was not mine in my run for a seat on the Nassau County Legislature in 6th LD. We knew winning was an uphill battle where a Democrat had never been elected. Nevertheless, I wanted to challenge the status quo and to fight to end fiscal mismanagement and to help create a revitalized, innovative Nassau County to compete with other regions in the country.

I want to congratulate my opponent, William Gaylor, and wish him well in his first term. He is now my legislator as well, and we had a cordial relationship during the campaign. I hope he and the 18 other legislators can find a way to set aside partisan politics and do the right thing for all the people of Nassau County.

We desperately need to get our financial house in order. How can we expect Nassau County to progress if the business community believes our government cannot manage its own budget?

Nassau’s budget deficit grows every year. Projections for 2015 show a deficit of $175 million, which is anticipated to balloon to $311 million by 2018.

Our county is the second-wealthiest in New York and the 19th-wealthiest in America; yet Nassau County officials have so negligently mismanaged its finances that we are now close to $4 billion in debt. The millions needed to just service that debt could be used for improving our crumbling infrastructure.

To add insult to injury, the state has determined that Nassau is not competent to control its own finances. Because our government officials in Mineola cannot balance the budget, New York state oversees spending through the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, or NIFA. This is simply a travesty. The people of Nassau County should be outraged!

Furthermore, the property assessment system is completely dysfunctional. The only “winners” are the law firms that are hired by homeowners to grieve their assessments and the politicians who gain when those firms make large campaign contributions.

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