Campaigning On The Taxpayers' Dime In Advance Of 12/11 Elections
Here they go again!
Campaign literature thinly disguised as official Water District business.
Folks, they'll continue to stick it to us -- and we'll continue to pay the price -- until all of us say, "NO MORE!"
The outlandish conduct of the South Farmingdale Water District Commissioners was first exposed by our friends at the Nassau County GOP Watch.
We're grateful that someone is watching. More of us need to be leary, and willing to get out there to put a stop to this nonsense.
STEP ONE: If you are serviced by the South Farmingdale Water District, VOTE FOR CRAIG HELLER FOR WATER COMMISSIONER on Tuesday, December 11th. [Voting will take place from 4 pm to 9 pm at two different locations: North Massapequa Firehouse Headquarters, Broadway & Albany Avenue, North Massapequa, NY; South Farmingdale Firehouse, 819 South Main Street, South Farmingdale, NY]
- - -
S. Farmingdale water district mailing heats up election campaign
BY JOIE TYRRELL
joie.tyrrell@newsday.com
The front page of a recent mailing from the South Farmingdale Water District to its customers touted the assets of commissioner Kurt Ludwig.It boasted that Ludwig, a North Massapequa resident, not only "hit the ground running his first year in office... he crossed the finish line in first place!"
But Ludwig is running for re-election as commissioner for the water district, and the taxpayer-funded mailer that went out last week just days before Tuesday's election violates campaign laws, says his opponent, Carl Heller.
An attorney for Heller filed suit Friday in Supreme Court in Nassau County asking for the three commissioners of the water district to pay the costs of printing and mailing as well as to prevent them from sending out any other mailings that are political in nature.
"You can't send out a mailer a week before the election and say 'Look at what a great job this guy is doing. Congrats on a great first year. We wish you many more.' If that is not a piece of campaign literature, I have no clue what is," said Steven Schlesinger, the attorney representing Heller, the Democratic challenger.
Ludwig did not return a call seeking comment at his office in the public information office of the Town of Oyster Bay. Leonard Constantinopoli, business manager of the water district, said he had not seen the suit and therefore could not comment on it.
He did say the position is a part-time one, with two public meetings a month and commissioners are paid a $100 stipend per meeting. Their term is three years. They are also eligible for health insurance, he said.
According to the water district's Web site, Ludwig is serving his first term as commissioner for the South Farmingdale Water District.
Schlesinger, who serves as law chairman of the Nassau Democratic County Committee, said Heller has the support of County Executive Thomas Suozzi as part of his effort to consolidate these special districts.
The water district serves 5.4 square miles including South Farmingdale, North Massapequa, some areas of Bethpage and some areas in Seaford.
Copyright © 2007, Newsday Inc.
Friday, December 07, 2007
Those Raises Must Be Important To Hempstead Supe, Town Board
They Appear On Town Board's 12/11 Meeting Calendar TWICE
From the Hempstead Town Board calendar:
21476 Proposed Local Law Re: "ANNUAL COMPENSATION FOR THE OFFICE OF SUPERVISOR, COUNCILMEMBERS AND TOWN CLERK" (To amend Chapter 15 of the Code of the Town of Hempstead)
21476 Proposed Local Law Re: "ANNUAL COMPENSATION FOR THE OFFICE OF COUNCILMEMBER" (To amend Chapter 15 of the Code of the Town of Hempstead)
Perhaps, as Town Councilman Tony Santino suggests vis-a-vis the taxes we incur for everything from sanitation to water, Town of Hempstead residents would "enjoy" paying "twice as much" for the services of their Supervisor and Town Board!
From the Hempstead Town Board calendar:
21476 Proposed Local Law Re: "ANNUAL COMPENSATION FOR THE OFFICE OF SUPERVISOR, COUNCILMEMBERS AND TOWN CLERK" (To amend Chapter 15 of the Code of the Town of Hempstead)
21476 Proposed Local Law Re: "ANNUAL COMPENSATION FOR THE OFFICE OF COUNCILMEMBER" (To amend Chapter 15 of the Code of the Town of Hempstead)
Perhaps, as Town Councilman Tony Santino suggests vis-a-vis the taxes we incur for everything from sanitation to water, Town of Hempstead residents would "enjoy" paying "twice as much" for the services of their Supervisor and Town Board!
Day Three Hundred Sixty Five. . .
. . .And So Very Little Has Changed!
As we opined shortly after Election Day, 2006, Day One might take a while. Read, "Day One, Everything Changes. . .".
So here we are, not quite at Day 365 -- but darned near close enough -- still waiting for something to change.
Sure. Eliot shot himself in the foot with his own six-gun on the driver's licenses for illegal immigrants thing. [He was right, even if politically incorrect in this anti-immigrant, "send 'em back to Mexico", climate we live in. Wasn't there a time we were clamoring to send those micks, wops, chinks and kikes back to Ireland, Italy, China, and eastern Europe? Maybe one day we'll figure out that there are no "illegal" people, only undocumented people, yearning to breathe free.]
Anyway, we digress.
The Governor, right or wrong, finds himself in quite a quandry as his second year in office is set to unfold.
"Choppergate" (under the misnomer of "Troopergate") still hovers above the Executive Mansion, just as Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno continues to board planes and helicopters at taxpayer expense, whisked away to another fundraiser, or to collect a hefty paycheck from this corporation or that on whose board he sits.
We digress, yet again.
What were we talking about? Oh, yes, the business of the people. Do you think we could get on with it? Any of it?
No question Eliot spent much of his first year as Gov trying to steamroll and bully, still stuck on the idea that he's the new sheriff in town.
By year's end, a certain humilty had crept into bed with the Governor -- or so we hope -- dressed in the night-garb of popularity past.
If he has any chance of letting other people have his way, the Governor must achieve this by means of diplomacy.
Might we suggest an Albany summit (the conference can take place in neutral territory, say Cohoes), where, if not a meeting of the three minds, then at least a tête-à-tête where the Big (if only in their own minds) Three can agree not to disagree on everything.
Here's the deal: The Gov gets to put his top three agenda items on the table, as do Mssrs. Bruno and Silver.
"Gentlemen," says Spitzer, "between us we have nine initiatives." [probably less, as one would hope that there would be a mutual consensus where all three men had placed property taxes, education reform, and affordable housing on the table.] "Let's seal the deal here today, putting personal differences and longstanding animosities aside, to get these measures into law before the 2008 session is over."
What a Win (Spitzer) -- Win (Bruno) -- Win (Silver) -- Win (New Yorkers) situation that would be!
Yeah, right. Like that will ever happen. Well, it could.
All it takes is for the Governor to understand that Day One delayed, is the people's work denied, and, upon reflection, to realize that while there is always next year, Day One of Year Two is but twenty-four days away.
- - -
Suozzi Issues Challenge To Spitzer, Senate
- - -
Today is Pearl Harbor Day. Do you think Rudy Giuliani can work 12-7 into his act?
As we opined shortly after Election Day, 2006, Day One might take a while. Read, "Day One, Everything Changes. . .".
So here we are, not quite at Day 365 -- but darned near close enough -- still waiting for something to change.
Sure. Eliot shot himself in the foot with his own six-gun on the driver's licenses for illegal immigrants thing. [He was right, even if politically incorrect in this anti-immigrant, "send 'em back to Mexico", climate we live in. Wasn't there a time we were clamoring to send those micks, wops, chinks and kikes back to Ireland, Italy, China, and eastern Europe? Maybe one day we'll figure out that there are no "illegal" people, only undocumented people, yearning to breathe free.]
Anyway, we digress.
The Governor, right or wrong, finds himself in quite a quandry as his second year in office is set to unfold.
"Choppergate" (under the misnomer of "Troopergate") still hovers above the Executive Mansion, just as Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno continues to board planes and helicopters at taxpayer expense, whisked away to another fundraiser, or to collect a hefty paycheck from this corporation or that on whose board he sits.
We digress, yet again.
What were we talking about? Oh, yes, the business of the people. Do you think we could get on with it? Any of it?
No question Eliot spent much of his first year as Gov trying to steamroll and bully, still stuck on the idea that he's the new sheriff in town.
By year's end, a certain humilty had crept into bed with the Governor -- or so we hope -- dressed in the night-garb of popularity past.
There's been some good starts, too, we must say, like ongoing efforts to bring universal health care to New Yorkers through the Partnership for Coverage, and the recently rolled out Project Sunlight, but these hallmarks have been few and far between.
If the honeymoon in Albany ended much too quickly (roses from Bruno notwithstanding), and the marriage of those three men in the broom closet on shaky ground as 2007 winds down (with friends like Assembly Speaker Sheldon "King of the Universe" Silver, you don't really need enemies), perhaps it is time for Mr. Spitzer to take on a new role -- that of benevolent consensus reacher.
Call it what you will, but clearly, Eliot can't win the war on the ground by unleashing his weapons of mass hysteria or manhandling all the other players on the team.If he has any chance of letting other people have his way, the Governor must achieve this by means of diplomacy.
Might we suggest an Albany summit (the conference can take place in neutral territory, say Cohoes), where, if not a meeting of the three minds, then at least a tête-à-tête where the Big (if only in their own minds) Three can agree not to disagree on everything.
Here's the deal: The Gov gets to put his top three agenda items on the table, as do Mssrs. Bruno and Silver.
"Gentlemen," says Spitzer, "between us we have nine initiatives." [probably less, as one would hope that there would be a mutual consensus where all three men had placed property taxes, education reform, and affordable housing on the table.] "Let's seal the deal here today, putting personal differences and longstanding animosities aside, to get these measures into law before the 2008 session is over."
What a Win (Spitzer) -- Win (Bruno) -- Win (Silver) -- Win (New Yorkers) situation that would be!
Yeah, right. Like that will ever happen. Well, it could.
All it takes is for the Governor to understand that Day One delayed, is the people's work denied, and, upon reflection, to realize that while there is always next year, Day One of Year Two is but twenty-four days away.
- - -
Suozzi Issues Challenge To Spitzer, Senate
- - -
Today is Pearl Harbor Day. Do you think Rudy Giuliani can work 12-7 into his act?
Five Towns Residents Battle Nursing Home Developer In Woodmere
Hearing Before Town Zoning Board Set For December 12th
As if things at Hempstead Town Hall weren't heated enough.
Now comes before the Zoning Board of Appeals an Application for variances to construct and maintain two six-story structures in the heart of Woodmere, and local residents are up in arms.
Ernest Weinrib, of Save The Five Towns, tells The Community Alliance that the developer, 1040 Central Avenue, LLC (which is, in reality, SentosaCare, a for-profit operator of nursing homes), is seeking variances to circumvent multiple zoning laws to allow structures "the likes of which haven't been seen in the Five Towns for fifty years."
"It could create significant traffic and environmental issues," says Weinrib.
SentosaCare itself has been in the center of a scandal which has been the focus of a longstanding investigation by the Suffolk County District Attorney's office.
Aside from the obvious objections to two twin six-story towers -- clearly out of place with the character of the Five Towns community -- questions are being raised as to SentosaCare's care and treatment of patients in its network of 25 nursing homes in New York State.
The variances requested before the Town of Hempstead include exceptions as to building height, number of stories, front and rear setbacks, and off-street parking for the proposed structures that would tower over Central Avenue between Irving Place and Franklin Place in Woodmere.
More than just a question of whether a politically well-connected nursing home giant -- said to be the largest in New York -- can have its way before a poiltically entrenched Zoning Board, the issue of carving out exceptions to build two obstrusive six-story towers in a "mom and pop" business district in the heart of a residential community, will surely make for a battle royale.
"The developer is trying a sneak attack in Woodmere," Weinrib complains.
Among other concerns Save The Five Towns raises are "two six-story buildings (that) would create unspecified burdens on the town and its environment, including traffic, noise, emergency services, resource use, pollution and sewage; the developer has not disclosed the number of patients and staff, the nature of the patient population, nor the future plans for their existing nursing home properties in Woodmere; and, they have neglected to involve the public in their plans."
The matter is scheduled to come before the Town of Hempstead's Zoning Board of Appeals for a public hearing on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at 9:30 AM [Meeting Pavilion, 1 Washington Street, Hempstead].
Residents are being encouraged to "take action" by attending the hearing, signing a petition, spreading the word, and making a donation to the cause by way of Save The Five Towns.
Round and round the zoning adventures go in Hempstead Town. Where they stop, only Kate Murray knows. [And she's not telling anyone, but for the developers and special interests.]
Oh wait. Kate has "no control" over the "independent" Zoning Board. Other than in the appointment of its members, of course.
"Lawyer up," prepare your experts to parade before the Board on everything from traffic to the environment, and let Five Towners by the bus load descend upon Town Hall.
Hey, its your town. Make like you own it!
As if things at Hempstead Town Hall weren't heated enough.
Now comes before the Zoning Board of Appeals an Application for variances to construct and maintain two six-story structures in the heart of Woodmere, and local residents are up in arms.
Ernest Weinrib, of Save The Five Towns, tells The Community Alliance that the developer, 1040 Central Avenue, LLC (which is, in reality, SentosaCare, a for-profit operator of nursing homes), is seeking variances to circumvent multiple zoning laws to allow structures "the likes of which haven't been seen in the Five Towns for fifty years."
"It could create significant traffic and environmental issues," says Weinrib.
SentosaCare itself has been in the center of a scandal which has been the focus of a longstanding investigation by the Suffolk County District Attorney's office.
Aside from the obvious objections to two twin six-story towers -- clearly out of place with the character of the Five Towns community -- questions are being raised as to SentosaCare's care and treatment of patients in its network of 25 nursing homes in New York State.
The variances requested before the Town of Hempstead include exceptions as to building height, number of stories, front and rear setbacks, and off-street parking for the proposed structures that would tower over Central Avenue between Irving Place and Franklin Place in Woodmere.
More than just a question of whether a politically well-connected nursing home giant -- said to be the largest in New York -- can have its way before a poiltically entrenched Zoning Board, the issue of carving out exceptions to build two obstrusive six-story towers in a "mom and pop" business district in the heart of a residential community, will surely make for a battle royale.
"The developer is trying a sneak attack in Woodmere," Weinrib complains.
Among other concerns Save The Five Towns raises are "two six-story buildings (that) would create unspecified burdens on the town and its environment, including traffic, noise, emergency services, resource use, pollution and sewage; the developer has not disclosed the number of patients and staff, the nature of the patient population, nor the future plans for their existing nursing home properties in Woodmere; and, they have neglected to involve the public in their plans."
The matter is scheduled to come before the Town of Hempstead's Zoning Board of Appeals for a public hearing on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at 9:30 AM [Meeting Pavilion, 1 Washington Street, Hempstead].
Residents are being encouraged to "take action" by attending the hearing, signing a petition, spreading the word, and making a donation to the cause by way of Save The Five Towns.
Round and round the zoning adventures go in Hempstead Town. Where they stop, only Kate Murray knows. [And she's not telling anyone, but for the developers and special interests.]
Oh wait. Kate has "no control" over the "independent" Zoning Board. Other than in the appointment of its members, of course.
"Lawyer up," prepare your experts to parade before the Board on everything from traffic to the environment, and let Five Towners by the bus load descend upon Town Hall.
Hey, its your town. Make like you own it!
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Just In Time For Christmas
The Kate Murray Inaction Figure*
Think nothing's changed in Hempstead Town in more than 100 years? You're absolutely right, and we have the toys to prove it.
Push her, and she doesn't move.
Prod her like the Pillsbury Dough Boy, and, well, not so much as a giggle.
But place the Kate Murray Inaction Figure* in front of a camera, and watch that effervescent smile appear.
Pull the string on Kate's back (Joe Mondello not included), and delight to one of hundreds of stock phrases like, "I'll blight your community. And your little dog, too!", and "I absolutely blame Harvey Levinson and the reassessment, for everything."
How much would you pay to own a Kate Murray Inaction Figure*? One hundred dollars? Two Hundred Dollars? More?
No, boys and misogynists, here at the Town Hall Toy Company & Sausage Recycling Plant (Joseph Ra, Proprietor), we're offering to "freeze" prices as they were in 2005, bringing you the Kate Murray Inaction Figure* for the incredibly low price of $59.99 ($79.99 in Sanitary District 1), plus applicable property taxes, fees, and licenses.
But that's not all...
Call within the next ten minutes and get not one, but two Kate Murray Inaction Figures* (Town Board sold seperately), at no additional cost (except in the township's unincorporated areas, where shipping and handling -- by no less than 6 commissioners -- is extra).
Wait, there's more...
The first 500 callers will receive a 9' x 12' map, suitable for framing, showing all blighted areas in the Town of Hempstead. This authentic map (relief map no longer available) details every study, every condemnation, every urban renewal plan, every promise ever broken by the Supervisor or conceived by the Town's Office of Economic Development, and is embossed with the official stamp of approval of the Town's Zoning Board of Appeals, signed by none other than Katuria D'Amato.
Yes, not one, but TWO Kate Murray Inaction Figures*, a 9' x 12' Blight Map, authenticated and signed, and -- for a limited time only -- the new Tony Santino workout book, You'll Gladly Pay Twice As Much, all for $99.99 -- er, ah, yeah, that's right, $199.99
Folks, we've broken the mold (except for Archstone residents). Once the Kate Murray Inaction Figures* are gone, that's it. No more. Goodbye. See ya.
Don't be fooled by cheap imitations or skinny replicas. There's only one original Kate Murray Inaction Figure* -- the one with the smile on her face and the Coliseum Deli sandwich in her back pocket.
The Kate Murray Inaction Figure*. Dissected on Wall Street. Run over by sanitation trucks on Main Street.
Call now to place your order. MURRAY HILL 7 - 0h -700. That's MU7-0700. GOP Committeemen are standing by.
Kids, don't even bother to ask mom or dad. Just take the credit cards out of their wallets or make those checks payable to Donald X. Clavin, Jr., Recever of Taxes, and the Kate Murray Inaction Figure*, dressed in red blazer, with all attendant baggage, will be on her way to your door faster than you can say "Victorian-style street lamp."
"Its going to be a blightfully wonderful Christmas in Hempstead Town," says Kate Claus. "With a Kate Murray Inaction Figure* under every tree, we're gonna make this holiday season even better!"
*WARNING: Small parts (notably, the head) on the Kate Murray Inaction Figure may break away, posing a choking hazard to children and homeowners over the age of 18. The Kate Murray Inaction Figure is manufactured in China (no charge for the lead paint), under the strict (well, sorta) supervision of Inspectors from the Town of Hempstead Building Department.
Void where prohibited by law or reason. Offer not valid in Elmont, New York or Passaic, New Jersey. Supplies are limited. Kate Murray Inaction Figure sold by weight, not by volume. Content may have settled, or relocated to a McMansion, during shipping.
Think nothing's changed in Hempstead Town in more than 100 years? You're absolutely right, and we have the toys to prove it.Yes, for the first time on the web (never on cable or even as seen on TV), the answer to coal in that stocking, the Kate Murray Inaction Figure* can now be yours.
Twist her, and she doesn't bend.Push her, and she doesn't move.
Prod her like the Pillsbury Dough Boy, and, well, not so much as a giggle.
But place the Kate Murray Inaction Figure* in front of a camera, and watch that effervescent smile appear.
Pull the string on Kate's back (Joe Mondello not included), and delight to one of hundreds of stock phrases like, "I'll blight your community. And your little dog, too!", and "I absolutely blame Harvey Levinson and the reassessment, for everything."
How much would you pay to own a Kate Murray Inaction Figure*? One hundred dollars? Two Hundred Dollars? More?
No, boys and misogynists, here at the Town Hall Toy Company & Sausage Recycling Plant (Joseph Ra, Proprietor), we're offering to "freeze" prices as they were in 2005, bringing you the Kate Murray Inaction Figure* for the incredibly low price of $59.99 ($79.99 in Sanitary District 1), plus applicable property taxes, fees, and licenses.
But that's not all...
Call within the next ten minutes and get not one, but two Kate Murray Inaction Figures* (Town Board sold seperately), at no additional cost (except in the township's unincorporated areas, where shipping and handling -- by no less than 6 commissioners -- is extra).
Wait, there's more...
The first 500 callers will receive a 9' x 12' map, suitable for framing, showing all blighted areas in the Town of Hempstead. This authentic map (relief map no longer available) details every study, every condemnation, every urban renewal plan, every promise ever broken by the Supervisor or conceived by the Town's Office of Economic Development, and is embossed with the official stamp of approval of the Town's Zoning Board of Appeals, signed by none other than Katuria D'Amato.
Yes, not one, but TWO Kate Murray Inaction Figures*, a 9' x 12' Blight Map, authenticated and signed, and -- for a limited time only -- the new Tony Santino workout book, You'll Gladly Pay Twice As Much, all for $99.99 -- er, ah, yeah, that's right, $199.99
Folks, we've broken the mold (except for Archstone residents). Once the Kate Murray Inaction Figures* are gone, that's it. No more. Goodbye. See ya.
Don't be fooled by cheap imitations or skinny replicas. There's only one original Kate Murray Inaction Figure* -- the one with the smile on her face and the Coliseum Deli sandwich in her back pocket.
The Kate Murray Inaction Figure*. Dissected on Wall Street. Run over by sanitation trucks on Main Street.
Call now to place your order. MURRAY HILL 7 - 0h -700. That's MU7-0700. GOP Committeemen are standing by.
Kids, don't even bother to ask mom or dad. Just take the credit cards out of their wallets or make those checks payable to Donald X. Clavin, Jr., Recever of Taxes, and the Kate Murray Inaction Figure*, dressed in red blazer, with all attendant baggage, will be on her way to your door faster than you can say "Victorian-style street lamp."
"Its going to be a blightfully wonderful Christmas in Hempstead Town," says Kate Claus. "With a Kate Murray Inaction Figure* under every tree, we're gonna make this holiday season even better!"
*WARNING: Small parts (notably, the head) on the Kate Murray Inaction Figure may break away, posing a choking hazard to children and homeowners over the age of 18. The Kate Murray Inaction Figure is manufactured in China (no charge for the lead paint), under the strict (well, sorta) supervision of Inspectors from the Town of Hempstead Building Department.
Void where prohibited by law or reason. Offer not valid in Elmont, New York or Passaic, New Jersey. Supplies are limited. Kate Murray Inaction Figure sold by weight, not by volume. Content may have settled, or relocated to a McMansion, during shipping.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Update On "Let The Sun Shine"
Project Sunlight Website Is Open For Business; So Far, It Shines Most Bright
Let us bask in the glow of open and transparent government, if only but for a moment.
Project Sunlight is now accessible by ALL, and the information available, while not earth-shattering, by any means, is at least eye-opening.
Want to know who contributed to your State Legislators' campaigns? You might just be surprised (or maybe not).
How about where $170 million in "member item" funding went? Its all there. Every penny.
Maybe you'd like to track bills (and who lobbied on them) in the State Senate or Assembly? Go right ahead. The information is at your fingertips!
You can even search for lobbyists, by category or by name.
We won't say that Project Sunlight is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but it is the best tool -- in the sense of open government -- since someone slipped a slice of that bread under a microscope, and saw all those little microbes running around.
Sure, most of the information contained in this exhaustive database is out there, somewhere, in one form or another. Having it all in one place at the same time? Priceless!
For sure, we're staying up late tonight to see who lobbied which legislators on what bills, who made contributions to whom, and where that "member item" money was spent.
Yes, there are a few shortcomings on the website, such as not being able to link directly from that part of the site that shows, for instance, the lobbyist, to the specific bills they lobbied for or against, but hey, this is only the first day out.
Transparency and accountability, longed talked about and debated in Albany, is finally seeing the light of day. Welcome!
Kudos to long-time public interest advocate -- Blair Horner -- a 25 year veteran of NYPIRG and an authority on government ethics and reform, who heads this project, and has done a bang up job hitting the ground running.
Praise, too, must go to Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, and (as we bite our lips), Governor Eliot Spitzer, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, whose collaberation and cooperation (begrudging or not) were needed to make this database a reality.
And let's not forget, in the euphoria of the moment, the thanks owed to the Fourth Estate -- the press -- for probing, proding, and in some cases, litigating, thus assuring and protecting the public's right to know.
Step one toward good government has been taken in New York. Let's keep marching forward!
Let us bask in the glow of open and transparent government, if only but for a moment.
Project Sunlight is now accessible by ALL, and the information available, while not earth-shattering, by any means, is at least eye-opening.
Want to know who contributed to your State Legislators' campaigns? You might just be surprised (or maybe not).
How about where $170 million in "member item" funding went? Its all there. Every penny.
Maybe you'd like to track bills (and who lobbied on them) in the State Senate or Assembly? Go right ahead. The information is at your fingertips!
You can even search for lobbyists, by category or by name.
We won't say that Project Sunlight is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but it is the best tool -- in the sense of open government -- since someone slipped a slice of that bread under a microscope, and saw all those little microbes running around.
Sure, most of the information contained in this exhaustive database is out there, somewhere, in one form or another. Having it all in one place at the same time? Priceless!
For sure, we're staying up late tonight to see who lobbied which legislators on what bills, who made contributions to whom, and where that "member item" money was spent.
Yes, there are a few shortcomings on the website, such as not being able to link directly from that part of the site that shows, for instance, the lobbyist, to the specific bills they lobbied for or against, but hey, this is only the first day out.
Transparency and accountability, longed talked about and debated in Albany, is finally seeing the light of day. Welcome!
Kudos to long-time public interest advocate -- Blair Horner -- a 25 year veteran of NYPIRG and an authority on government ethics and reform, who heads this project, and has done a bang up job hitting the ground running.
Praise, too, must go to Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, and (as we bite our lips), Governor Eliot Spitzer, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, whose collaberation and cooperation (begrudging or not) were needed to make this database a reality.
And let's not forget, in the euphoria of the moment, the thanks owed to the Fourth Estate -- the press -- for probing, proding, and in some cases, litigating, thus assuring and protecting the public's right to know.
Step one toward good government has been taken in New York. Let's keep marching forward!
Let The Sun Shine
New York Attorney General Launches "Project Sunlight"
Tracking lobbyists, special interests, state contracts and elected officials? Hmmm.
Are we talking about New York State, where we can't keep track of official vehicles being taken for less than official rides, and State Senators using public aircraft to tote them to and from private functions?
An official database making transparency more apparent?
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo thinks so, as do we -- at least in theory.
Imagine a public database that, like a GPS attached to a lobbyist's posterior, tracks the likes of campaign financing, how charities spend your money, who's lobbying whom, and the flow of member item dollars.
Sounds nifty, but where's the data coming from, who's collecting and verifying it, and will we be shown only what they want us to see?
Seems we'll need a Task Force On Oversight, Sunlight, & Transparency just to keep watch over those watching the database.
Cynical? Nah. Just realists in the world of New York politics.
Well, its worth a try, anyway.
Keep a lookout for the Project Sunlight database (currently, access is limited to "authorized users." And who would they be? Lobbyists, special interest groups, and elected officials?).
Okay, its a work in progress. Hopefully, Project Sunlight will take our government out of the shadows and into the cleansing light of day.
In the meantime, just remember, folks -- when in New York, sleep with your eyes open, and your hand on your wallet!
From the North Country Gazette:
Cuomo Proposes "Project Sunlight"
ALBANY---The person who has been a government watchdog for the past 25 years has now become part of the government.
Blair Horner, who served as the legislative director for the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) has been named by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to be a special advisor on policy and public integrity where he will oversee the development of "Project Sunlight", the state's first-ever comprehensive Internet database tracking donors, lobbyists, special interests, state contracts and elected officials and the links between them.
NYPIRG is a non-partisan, research and advocacy organization.While many databases are currently public domain, they are difficult to navigate, Cuomo claims. Additionally, the current process of accessing public information can be burdensome and time consuming, he says.
"Project Sunlight goes well beyond the existing systems in making public information accessible. By combining multiple databases into a single, easy-to-use Internet resource, New Yorkers will be able to quickly examine elected officials' voting records and campaign contributors, and find out which entities may have benefited from their actions", Cuomo claims.
There is no timetable about when this database will become available.
© 2007 North Country Gazette
- - -
Check out the Sunlight Foundation
Tracking lobbyists, special interests, state contracts and elected officials? Hmmm.
Are we talking about New York State, where we can't keep track of official vehicles being taken for less than official rides, and State Senators using public aircraft to tote them to and from private functions?
An official database making transparency more apparent?
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo thinks so, as do we -- at least in theory.
Imagine a public database that, like a GPS attached to a lobbyist's posterior, tracks the likes of campaign financing, how charities spend your money, who's lobbying whom, and the flow of member item dollars.
Sounds nifty, but where's the data coming from, who's collecting and verifying it, and will we be shown only what they want us to see?
Seems we'll need a Task Force On Oversight, Sunlight, & Transparency just to keep watch over those watching the database.
Cynical? Nah. Just realists in the world of New York politics.
Well, its worth a try, anyway.
Keep a lookout for the Project Sunlight database (currently, access is limited to "authorized users." And who would they be? Lobbyists, special interest groups, and elected officials?).
Okay, its a work in progress. Hopefully, Project Sunlight will take our government out of the shadows and into the cleansing light of day.
In the meantime, just remember, folks -- when in New York, sleep with your eyes open, and your hand on your wallet!
From the North Country Gazette:
Cuomo Proposes "Project Sunlight"
ALBANY---The person who has been a government watchdog for the past 25 years has now become part of the government.
Blair Horner, who served as the legislative director for the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) has been named by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to be a special advisor on policy and public integrity where he will oversee the development of "Project Sunlight", the state's first-ever comprehensive Internet database tracking donors, lobbyists, special interests, state contracts and elected officials and the links between them.
NYPIRG is a non-partisan, research and advocacy organization.While many databases are currently public domain, they are difficult to navigate, Cuomo claims. Additionally, the current process of accessing public information can be burdensome and time consuming, he says.
"Project Sunlight goes well beyond the existing systems in making public information accessible. By combining multiple databases into a single, easy-to-use Internet resource, New Yorkers will be able to quickly examine elected officials' voting records and campaign contributors, and find out which entities may have benefited from their actions", Cuomo claims.
There is no timetable about when this database will become available.
© 2007 North Country Gazette
- - -
Check out the Sunlight Foundation
Suffolk County Embraces "Mixed-Use"
Why Is Nassau So Far Behind?
"Mixed-use" -- that integrated, seamless blend of high-density residential, retail, and recreational development seen as the renewal of suburbia for Smart Growth adherents, is grabbing hold in Suffolk.
From Huntington to Riverhead, the elected as well as the electorate are beginning to get it, with mixed-use projects either underway or on the drawing board.
They're bringing the pedestrian traffic back to "Main Street," and with it, a new found vitality to downtown, and, of equal import, a renewed sense of community to those who work -- and now can live -- in the heart of it all.
Exciting, yes. Still, one must ask why Nassau County, America's first suburb, lags behind in jumping on the mixed-use, Smart Growth bandwaggon.
Yes, we're cash-strapped, space-deprived, and set in our old ways of thinking of suburbia as sub-division housing and sprawling strip malls, to and from which we must invariably drive our cars, in desperate search of the one last parking space.
We need to look beyond the bridges of our noses (before they set up toll booths on them), and envision a Long Island that is livable, walkable, and sustainable.
For quite some time now, the mixed-use, Smart Growth approach has been transforming the suburban landscape -- for the better, we believe -- across the nation. It is catching on from the 110 corridor to points east.
Nassau County, and its townships that maintain the upper hand in planning and zoning, need to get on board the mixed-use, Smart Growth express, before that train, too, has left the station.
- - -
From Suffolk Life:
Is Mixed-Use The Wave Of The Future?
By George Wallace
Some people think that it will lead to congestion and increasingly intensified land use. Others believe it will relieve residential sprawl and create a more livable, non-urban future for the suburbs. Either way, mixed-use residential developments are increasing in America's suburbs. And, according to those who support the notion, Suffolk County is making up for lost time in getting on board with the concept.
Jean Larsen, with Prudential Commercial Real Estate Services in Medford, who just got back from a national conference on the subject in Las Vegas, contends that Long Island officials need to have "an open mind to mixed-use development. The nation as a whole is embracing [the idea] and doing it well." Another advocate of mixed-use plans, Eric Alexander, of Vision Long Island, noted that while the area may have been behind the times, "I think we're emerging now. There's been significant process in the last few years," he said. "Across Long Island there are 50 different smart growth projects, probably eight mega projects which could have those criteria."
Among them? In Yaphank, despite some fears in the community over a county-initiated project, two developers are undergoing a vetting process for a project that could create 2,000 or more residences. In Shoreham, the developers of a project known as Tallgrass recently gained a 5-2 vote of approval after scaling back their plan. Described as a "pedestrian-friendly village center with retail stores and offices, [with variously] designed homes," the number of housing units in the development was reduced from 542 to 378.
Then there is the Heartland project in Brentwood, a proposal for a major complex of residential, commercial and community facilities with a downtown center on the site of the former Pilgrim Psychiatric Hospital. "That project is in the middle of approvals," said Alexander. "They've got sewer credits - awaiting from the state - [and] clearance to sign off from [Department of Transportation]."
Meanwhile, existing downtowns are weighing in on the potential for mixed-use redevelopment.
In a recent state of the town address, Riverhead Supervisor Phil Cardinale lauded mixed-land use projects, and described a $100 million plan for the downtown area.
In Huntington, Town Supervisor Frank Petrone stated that three mixed-use redevelopment plans show that his community is coming to terms with the national trend. There's a proposal for retail space on the ground floors of a new structure that has yet to built along New York Avenue near the railroad station, with a cultural center above. Groundbreaking is anticipated by the end of the year. At the corner of New York Avenue and Gerard Street, a new building was put up that has shops downstairs and residences upstairs. Similarly, at the corner of Main Street and New Street, a recently constructed Wachovia Bank facility has residences upstairs.
"Little restaurants are popping up now on New Street," said Petrone. "We have had to change the code somewhat to permit these, but we think a village should try to attract young people, and older people, too. The key is to have walkable communities, to have a place where people can walk, shop and don't need vehicles. It becomes a social and cultural experience."
Mixed-use projects sometimes encounter fear from established residents, who are afraid they will lead to a drain on the infrastructure, land use intensification and a loss of the late 20th-century model of a suburbia that allows for single-family homes on individually owned parcels of land. But advocates argue that one of the hidden benefits of such developments is that it reduces the march of "McMansions" and suburban sprawl, while actually reducing traffic, rather than increasing it.
"Suburban sprawl is the biggest enemy of our future," said Larsen. "It is the enemy of nature, it takes every square inch of available land, and contributes to traffic problems."
For those who think that mixed-use projects will create an intensified density of residences, she countered that "the way we do it now, we're creating road density not living density."
Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy agreed. "Mixed use is the wave of the future," he stated. "It will mitigate traffic on the roads. People will be able to take a stroll to get a loaf of bread - you don't have to get in the car every time you want to deal with the most basic parts of life.
"We're going into a new era for suburbia," he said. "And these are the prototypes that, once established, will be sought out."
"Mixed-use" -- that integrated, seamless blend of high-density residential, retail, and recreational development seen as the renewal of suburbia for Smart Growth adherents, is grabbing hold in Suffolk.
From Huntington to Riverhead, the elected as well as the electorate are beginning to get it, with mixed-use projects either underway or on the drawing board.
They're bringing the pedestrian traffic back to "Main Street," and with it, a new found vitality to downtown, and, of equal import, a renewed sense of community to those who work -- and now can live -- in the heart of it all.
Exciting, yes. Still, one must ask why Nassau County, America's first suburb, lags behind in jumping on the mixed-use, Smart Growth bandwaggon.
Yes, we're cash-strapped, space-deprived, and set in our old ways of thinking of suburbia as sub-division housing and sprawling strip malls, to and from which we must invariably drive our cars, in desperate search of the one last parking space.
We need to look beyond the bridges of our noses (before they set up toll booths on them), and envision a Long Island that is livable, walkable, and sustainable.
For quite some time now, the mixed-use, Smart Growth approach has been transforming the suburban landscape -- for the better, we believe -- across the nation. It is catching on from the 110 corridor to points east.
Nassau County, and its townships that maintain the upper hand in planning and zoning, need to get on board the mixed-use, Smart Growth express, before that train, too, has left the station.
- - -
From Suffolk Life:
Is Mixed-Use The Wave Of The Future?
By George Wallace
Some people think that it will lead to congestion and increasingly intensified land use. Others believe it will relieve residential sprawl and create a more livable, non-urban future for the suburbs. Either way, mixed-use residential developments are increasing in America's suburbs. And, according to those who support the notion, Suffolk County is making up for lost time in getting on board with the concept.
Jean Larsen, with Prudential Commercial Real Estate Services in Medford, who just got back from a national conference on the subject in Las Vegas, contends that Long Island officials need to have "an open mind to mixed-use development. The nation as a whole is embracing [the idea] and doing it well." Another advocate of mixed-use plans, Eric Alexander, of Vision Long Island, noted that while the area may have been behind the times, "I think we're emerging now. There's been significant process in the last few years," he said. "Across Long Island there are 50 different smart growth projects, probably eight mega projects which could have those criteria."
Among them? In Yaphank, despite some fears in the community over a county-initiated project, two developers are undergoing a vetting process for a project that could create 2,000 or more residences. In Shoreham, the developers of a project known as Tallgrass recently gained a 5-2 vote of approval after scaling back their plan. Described as a "pedestrian-friendly village center with retail stores and offices, [with variously] designed homes," the number of housing units in the development was reduced from 542 to 378.
Then there is the Heartland project in Brentwood, a proposal for a major complex of residential, commercial and community facilities with a downtown center on the site of the former Pilgrim Psychiatric Hospital. "That project is in the middle of approvals," said Alexander. "They've got sewer credits - awaiting from the state - [and] clearance to sign off from [Department of Transportation]."
Meanwhile, existing downtowns are weighing in on the potential for mixed-use redevelopment.
In a recent state of the town address, Riverhead Supervisor Phil Cardinale lauded mixed-land use projects, and described a $100 million plan for the downtown area.
In Huntington, Town Supervisor Frank Petrone stated that three mixed-use redevelopment plans show that his community is coming to terms with the national trend. There's a proposal for retail space on the ground floors of a new structure that has yet to built along New York Avenue near the railroad station, with a cultural center above. Groundbreaking is anticipated by the end of the year. At the corner of New York Avenue and Gerard Street, a new building was put up that has shops downstairs and residences upstairs. Similarly, at the corner of Main Street and New Street, a recently constructed Wachovia Bank facility has residences upstairs.
"Little restaurants are popping up now on New Street," said Petrone. "We have had to change the code somewhat to permit these, but we think a village should try to attract young people, and older people, too. The key is to have walkable communities, to have a place where people can walk, shop and don't need vehicles. It becomes a social and cultural experience."
Mixed-use projects sometimes encounter fear from established residents, who are afraid they will lead to a drain on the infrastructure, land use intensification and a loss of the late 20th-century model of a suburbia that allows for single-family homes on individually owned parcels of land. But advocates argue that one of the hidden benefits of such developments is that it reduces the march of "McMansions" and suburban sprawl, while actually reducing traffic, rather than increasing it.
"Suburban sprawl is the biggest enemy of our future," said Larsen. "It is the enemy of nature, it takes every square inch of available land, and contributes to traffic problems."
For those who think that mixed-use projects will create an intensified density of residences, she countered that "the way we do it now, we're creating road density not living density."
Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy agreed. "Mixed use is the wave of the future," he stated. "It will mitigate traffic on the roads. People will be able to take a stroll to get a loaf of bread - you don't have to get in the car every time you want to deal with the most basic parts of life.
"We're going into a new era for suburbia," he said. "And these are the prototypes that, once established, will be sought out."
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
$172+ Million On The Line In 12/11 Special District Elections
Hey, Its Your Money ---
Special District Elections scheduled for December 11, 2007:
Town Type District Budgeted Expenses, 2007
TOH Fire Atlantic Beach Fire District $1,057,948
TOH Fire Baldwin Fire District $481,024
TOH Fire Barnum Island Fire District $132,700
TOH Fire Bay Park Fire District $209,901
TOH Fire Bellerose Terrace District $2,531,633
TOH Fire Bellmore District $4,440,467
TOB Fire Bethpage Fire District $3,980,146
TOH Fire Bethpage Fire District $132,600
TOH Fire East End Atlantic Beach Fire District $4,860,545
TOH Fire East Meadow Fire District $5,200,934
TOH Fire Elmont Fire District $2,494,280
TOH Fire Franklin Square Fire District $1,395,000
TONH Fire Garden City Park Fire District $2,437,000
TOH Fire Hewlett Bay Fire District $1,314,051
TOB Fire Hicksville Fire District $5,316,536
TOH Fire Inwood Fire District $1,036,850
TOB Fire Jericho Fire District $2,866,900
TOH Fire Lakeview Fire District $122,905
TOH Fire Lawrence North Fire District $3,104,100
TOH Fire Levittown Fire District $756,724
TOH Fire Lido - Point Lookout Fire District $387,640
TOB Fire Locust Valley Fire District $1,707,757
TONH Fire Manhasset-Lakeville Fire District $4,973,123
TOB Fire Massapequa Fire District $5,402,794
TOH Fire Meadowmere Fire District $3,198,000
TOH Fire New Hyde Park Fire District $3,922,889
TONH Fire New Hyde Park Fire District $3,198,000
TOH Fire North Bellmore Fire District $1,871,860
TOB Fire North Massapequa Fire District $2,193,273
TOH Fire North Merrick Fire District $4,973,000
TOH Fire Oceanside Fire District $1,437,557
TOH Fire Roosevelt Fire District $1,471,074
TOH Fire Seaford Fire District $713,926
TOB Fire South Farmingdale Fire District $1,444,829
TOH Fire South Hempstead Fire District $4,039,120
TOB Fire Syosset Fire District $5,689,813
TOH Fire Uniondale Fire District $6,014,000
TOH Fire Wantagh Fire District $533,090
TOH Fire West Hempstead Fire District $2,002,021
TONH Fire Westbury Fire District $3,454,441
TOH Fire Woodmere Fire District $20,630
TONH Park Great Neck Park District $11,197,458
TONH Park Manhasset Park District $1,715,963
TOB Sanitary Glenwood - Glenhead Garbage District $978,801
TONH Sanitary Carle Place Garbage District $637,700
TONH Sanitary Port Washington Garbage Removal District $2,051,150
TONH Sanitary Roslyn Garbage District $529,919
TONH Water Albertson Water District $3,081,439
TONH Water Carle Place Water District $2,247,908
TOH Water Franklin Square Water District $56,400
TONH Water Garden City Park Water District $3,641,709
TONH Water Glenwood Water District $420,716
TOB Water Jericho Water District $298,611
TOB Water Locust Valley Water District $355,358
TONH Water Manhasset-Lakeville Water District $8,966,204
TOB Water Massapequa Water District $2,000,000
TOB Water Oyster Bay Water District $721,336
TOB Water Plainview Water District $3,052,317
TONH Water Port Washington Water District $4,463,080
TONH Water Roslyn Water District $3,868,213
TOB Water South Farmingdale Water District $1,618,772
TOH Water West Hempstead - Hempstead Gardens Water District $942,965
TONH Water Westbury Water District $4,436,868
TONH Water Poll. Control Belgrave Water Pollution Control District $3,003,500
TONH Water Poll. Control Great Neck Water Pollution Control District $4,074,721
TONH Water Poll. Control Port Washington Water Pollution Control $5,156,030
TOTAL: $172,038,219
TOH= Town of Hempstead
TOB= Town of Oyster Bay
TONH= Town of North Hempstead
Source: Office of the Nassau County Executive
Special District Elections scheduled for December 11, 2007:
Town Type District Budgeted Expenses, 2007
TOH Fire Atlantic Beach Fire District $1,057,948
TOH Fire Baldwin Fire District $481,024
TOH Fire Barnum Island Fire District $132,700
TOH Fire Bay Park Fire District $209,901
TOH Fire Bellerose Terrace District $2,531,633
TOH Fire Bellmore District $4,440,467
TOB Fire Bethpage Fire District $3,980,146
TOH Fire Bethpage Fire District $132,600
TOH Fire East End Atlantic Beach Fire District $4,860,545
TOH Fire East Meadow Fire District $5,200,934
TOH Fire Elmont Fire District $2,494,280
TOH Fire Franklin Square Fire District $1,395,000
TONH Fire Garden City Park Fire District $2,437,000
TOH Fire Hewlett Bay Fire District $1,314,051
TOB Fire Hicksville Fire District $5,316,536
TOH Fire Inwood Fire District $1,036,850
TOB Fire Jericho Fire District $2,866,900
TOH Fire Lakeview Fire District $122,905
TOH Fire Lawrence North Fire District $3,104,100
TOH Fire Levittown Fire District $756,724
TOH Fire Lido - Point Lookout Fire District $387,640
TOB Fire Locust Valley Fire District $1,707,757
TONH Fire Manhasset-Lakeville Fire District $4,973,123
TOB Fire Massapequa Fire District $5,402,794
TOH Fire Meadowmere Fire District $3,198,000
TOH Fire New Hyde Park Fire District $3,922,889
TONH Fire New Hyde Park Fire District $3,198,000
TOH Fire North Bellmore Fire District $1,871,860
TOB Fire North Massapequa Fire District $2,193,273
TOH Fire North Merrick Fire District $4,973,000
TOH Fire Oceanside Fire District $1,437,557
TOH Fire Roosevelt Fire District $1,471,074
TOH Fire Seaford Fire District $713,926
TOB Fire South Farmingdale Fire District $1,444,829
TOH Fire South Hempstead Fire District $4,039,120
TOB Fire Syosset Fire District $5,689,813
TOH Fire Uniondale Fire District $6,014,000
TOH Fire Wantagh Fire District $533,090
TOH Fire West Hempstead Fire District $2,002,021
TONH Fire Westbury Fire District $3,454,441
TOH Fire Woodmere Fire District $20,630
TONH Park Great Neck Park District $11,197,458
TONH Park Manhasset Park District $1,715,963
TOB Sanitary Glenwood - Glenhead Garbage District $978,801
TONH Sanitary Carle Place Garbage District $637,700
TONH Sanitary Port Washington Garbage Removal District $2,051,150
TONH Sanitary Roslyn Garbage District $529,919
TONH Water Albertson Water District $3,081,439
TONH Water Carle Place Water District $2,247,908
TOH Water Franklin Square Water District $56,400
TONH Water Garden City Park Water District $3,641,709
TONH Water Glenwood Water District $420,716
TOB Water Jericho Water District $298,611
TOB Water Locust Valley Water District $355,358
TONH Water Manhasset-Lakeville Water District $8,966,204
TOB Water Massapequa Water District $2,000,000
TOB Water Oyster Bay Water District $721,336
TOB Water Plainview Water District $3,052,317
TONH Water Port Washington Water District $4,463,080
TONH Water Roslyn Water District $3,868,213
TOB Water South Farmingdale Water District $1,618,772
TOH Water West Hempstead - Hempstead Gardens Water District $942,965
TONH Water Westbury Water District $4,436,868
TONH Water Poll. Control Belgrave Water Pollution Control District $3,003,500
TONH Water Poll. Control Great Neck Water Pollution Control District $4,074,721
TONH Water Poll. Control Port Washington Water Pollution Control $5,156,030
TOTAL: $172,038,219
TOH= Town of Hempstead
TOB= Town of Oyster Bay
TONH= Town of North Hempstead
Source: Office of the Nassau County Executive
Perfect Storm Percolates On 12/11
Fire, Water, And A Tsunami Of Raises Across The Board
There's storm clouds on the horizon, and from the looks of it, they're downright nasty.
Unfortunately, most Long Islanders don't even see this one coming, and will barely realize what hit them until its too late.
We're talking money whisked out of your pockets, folks, as if through the vortex of an F5 tornado.
Oh, it won't be all at once, as in a sudden lightning strike or cloud burst. Still, a trickle here at the water district's faucet, or an open hydrant over there at the fire district, and before you know it, its the Jamestown flood.
What are we talking about?
For starters, Fire District and Water District elections, both of which take place, at uncertain times and unusual locales, next Tuesday, December 11th.
And then there's the Hempstead Town Supervisor who'd like to fatten her wallet by lightening yours, looking for the Town Board members to vote her -- and themselves -- nice raises at their meeting on December 11th. [10:30 AM, Meeting Pavilion, Town Hall, 1 Washington Street, Hempstead.]
If the November 6th general election saw a turnout of roughly 19%, what do you think the numbers will look like for the fire and water commissioner elections? 3%? 4%? We should only be so lucky!
That some reading this blogpost are hearing about fire and water district elections for the first time is sad -- mainly because it means you haven't been reading.
Truth is, few people "out there" realize that there are special district elections on Tuesday, and, based on past poll watching, even fewer actually care.
Here's what our friends at the Nassau GOP Watch had to say:
The Unknown Elections
Some local fire district and water district elections are coming up. It's almost a state secret to find out where and when. If you are lucky you can find a sign if the election is contested. If not, no voting for you.
My water district election is Tuesday Dec. 11th from 4pm-9pm...... Yes, that's 4pm to 9pm.
At my normal polling place?
Nope.
At the North Massapequa Firehouse on N. Broadway.
Confusing much?
Call your local water district and fire district headquarters to find out when you have an election.
Here is a story in Newsday that mentions the race for South Farmingdale Water District Commissioner.
"TAX TALK: With a cluster of sanitary and water district elections next week, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi is calling a news conference tomorrow on special taxing districts. In one of the elections, lawyer Craig Heller, who's been working on reorganization proposals with the Democratic executive's office, opposes Kurt Ludwig, a public information official for the Town of Oyster Bay, for a commissioner seat in the South Farmingdale Water District. Broader battle lines are forming; the district in a newsletter argues against the prospect of district consolidations, declaring that "hometown rule makes sense."
Yeah. "Hometown rule." That's the kind of "local control" Chavez was calling for in Venezuela, and Bush's "friend" Putin enjoys at the Kremlin. [We wonder if they have special districts in the former soviet republics?]
As for Town of Hempstead officials giving raises to themselves, whether or not deserved (NOT in the case of Supervisor, Kate Murray), a Letter to the Editor in Newsday says it all:
Hempstead pay hikes 'ridiculous'
Twenty-five thousand dollars in raises from 2006 to 2008 ["Supervisor backs pay raise for self, others," News, Nov. 27]? Where do you find such a job? Oh yeah - Town of Hempstead supervisor!
I don't disagree that raises are important, even for our elected officials, but this is ridiculous. It borders on bribery when the people who are going to approve such a raise are themselves receiving a raise. If the board members don't approve Supervisor Kate Murray's raise, they don't receive their own $5,000 raises.
Our government is supposed to be a system of checks and balances, but this really tips the scale toward the side of corruption. Someone outside the realm of the Hempstead Town Board should be responsible for approving or denying these raises. I wish I could approve my own raise!
Christine Gietschier
Westbury
Oh come on, Christine. It takes a lot of money in one's pockets to ruin -- er, we mean, run -- America's most blighted township.
And after all, didn't you (certainly, not us) vote for these raises when you re-elected Kate Murray for another two years? You mean you didn't see this coming?
Much like the special district elections of December 11th, we suppose.
Look. How you vote in an election is your business, as is whether you are pro or con on raises at Town Hall, the County Seat, or elsewhere.
That you should be aware that these things involving YOUR money are going on, literally behind your backs, is quite another matter.
If you don't bother to vote or to show up at Town Hall to voice your opinion (whether on raises or, as our neighbors in West Hempstead will be doing on December 11th, on the fate of a crime-ridden no-tell hotel), that's your option. Sad and selfish, perhaps, but its your call.
To not have the opportunity to even know there's a vote or a town meeting [even Chavez and Putin didn't keep their elections secret], whether or not you avail yourselves of the opportunity to truly exert at least some semblance of "home rule" and "local control," is simply unacceptable.
- - -
Suozzi: Special district elections matter
There's storm clouds on the horizon, and from the looks of it, they're downright nasty.
Unfortunately, most Long Islanders don't even see this one coming, and will barely realize what hit them until its too late.
We're talking money whisked out of your pockets, folks, as if through the vortex of an F5 tornado.
Oh, it won't be all at once, as in a sudden lightning strike or cloud burst. Still, a trickle here at the water district's faucet, or an open hydrant over there at the fire district, and before you know it, its the Jamestown flood.
What are we talking about?
For starters, Fire District and Water District elections, both of which take place, at uncertain times and unusual locales, next Tuesday, December 11th.
And then there's the Hempstead Town Supervisor who'd like to fatten her wallet by lightening yours, looking for the Town Board members to vote her -- and themselves -- nice raises at their meeting on December 11th. [10:30 AM, Meeting Pavilion, Town Hall, 1 Washington Street, Hempstead.]
If the November 6th general election saw a turnout of roughly 19%, what do you think the numbers will look like for the fire and water commissioner elections? 3%? 4%? We should only be so lucky!
That some reading this blogpost are hearing about fire and water district elections for the first time is sad -- mainly because it means you haven't been reading.
Truth is, few people "out there" realize that there are special district elections on Tuesday, and, based on past poll watching, even fewer actually care.
Here's what our friends at the Nassau GOP Watch had to say:
The Unknown Elections
Some local fire district and water district elections are coming up. It's almost a state secret to find out where and when. If you are lucky you can find a sign if the election is contested. If not, no voting for you.
My water district election is Tuesday Dec. 11th from 4pm-9pm...... Yes, that's 4pm to 9pm.
At my normal polling place?
Nope.
At the North Massapequa Firehouse on N. Broadway.
Confusing much?
Call your local water district and fire district headquarters to find out when you have an election.
Here is a story in Newsday that mentions the race for South Farmingdale Water District Commissioner.
"TAX TALK: With a cluster of sanitary and water district elections next week, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi is calling a news conference tomorrow on special taxing districts. In one of the elections, lawyer Craig Heller, who's been working on reorganization proposals with the Democratic executive's office, opposes Kurt Ludwig, a public information official for the Town of Oyster Bay, for a commissioner seat in the South Farmingdale Water District. Broader battle lines are forming; the district in a newsletter argues against the prospect of district consolidations, declaring that "hometown rule makes sense."
Yeah. "Hometown rule." That's the kind of "local control" Chavez was calling for in Venezuela, and Bush's "friend" Putin enjoys at the Kremlin. [We wonder if they have special districts in the former soviet republics?]
As for Town of Hempstead officials giving raises to themselves, whether or not deserved (NOT in the case of Supervisor, Kate Murray), a Letter to the Editor in Newsday says it all:
Hempstead pay hikes 'ridiculous'
Twenty-five thousand dollars in raises from 2006 to 2008 ["Supervisor backs pay raise for self, others," News, Nov. 27]? Where do you find such a job? Oh yeah - Town of Hempstead supervisor!
I don't disagree that raises are important, even for our elected officials, but this is ridiculous. It borders on bribery when the people who are going to approve such a raise are themselves receiving a raise. If the board members don't approve Supervisor Kate Murray's raise, they don't receive their own $5,000 raises.
Our government is supposed to be a system of checks and balances, but this really tips the scale toward the side of corruption. Someone outside the realm of the Hempstead Town Board should be responsible for approving or denying these raises. I wish I could approve my own raise!
Christine Gietschier
Westbury
Oh come on, Christine. It takes a lot of money in one's pockets to ruin -- er, we mean, run -- America's most blighted township.
And after all, didn't you (certainly, not us) vote for these raises when you re-elected Kate Murray for another two years? You mean you didn't see this coming?
Much like the special district elections of December 11th, we suppose.
Look. How you vote in an election is your business, as is whether you are pro or con on raises at Town Hall, the County Seat, or elsewhere.
That you should be aware that these things involving YOUR money are going on, literally behind your backs, is quite another matter.
If you don't bother to vote or to show up at Town Hall to voice your opinion (whether on raises or, as our neighbors in West Hempstead will be doing on December 11th, on the fate of a crime-ridden no-tell hotel), that's your option. Sad and selfish, perhaps, but its your call.
To not have the opportunity to even know there's a vote or a town meeting [even Chavez and Putin didn't keep their elections secret], whether or not you avail yourselves of the opportunity to truly exert at least some semblance of "home rule" and "local control," is simply unacceptable.
- - -
Suozzi: Special district elections matter
The House That Levy Built?
They're Talking Affordable Housing -- Again
Folks have been asking why we haven't made much hay -- or any, for that matter -- of the Steve Levy/Jim Morgo proposal to expend some $87.5 million to get the Downstate Suburban Workforce Housing for Economic Sustainability Act off square one.
After all, Levy has stood in the forefront of innovative initiatives, and whether one agrees or disagrees, from property tax to immigation, Levy has been Johnny on the spot with ideas, many of which -- like a credit card with property tax credits back instead of cash or reward points -- actually make sense. Jim Morgo, now a Deputy County Exec in Suffolk, once headed up the Long Island Housing Partnership, leading the way on the affordable housing front.
Certainly, $87.5 million toward the cause of keeping our children on Long Island and jump-starting a faltering economy by building homes our young workforce can afford to own, is nothing to sneeze at.
So why the big yawn?
Well, maybe its because this workface housing initiative -- by whatever palliative moniker it is being heralded as today -- is nothing new.
In fact, we've heard it all before, from Albany to the County Seat, with affordable housing measures considered, and even brought up for a vote, in the State Legislature -- year after year -- only to be stalled in one Senate committee or another, fated for untimely death.
Indeed, in February, 2006 -- soon-to-be two years ago -- we blogged (among myriad posts on affordable housing options) on the Long Island Workforce Housing Initiative. Read, Assembly Gives 'Thumbs Up' To Affordable Housing.
Not much, if anything, has happened since. Well, not on the streets, anyway.
Perhaps the nuances of the Levy/Morgo plan -- with incentives rather than mandates -- will make this go 'round of the affordable housing carousel more appealing, at least to the leadership of the State Senate, if not the NIMBYistas living in our own backyards, who themselves do more to stifle progress toward a sustainable Long Island than even the most dysfunctional legislature.
Then again, with the shortsightedness of both the electorate and local government -- to whom "density" is doom, and "income thresholds" somehow don't equate with "these are our children we're talking about" -- we can't be very optimistic that there will be all that much support for this incarnation of the affordable housing start.
And in a State Legislature that can't even muster enough votes to get a bigger, better bottle bill out of committee, well, let's just say we wouldn't hold our breath for the passage of a suburban workforce housing initiative, especially for us lowly downstaters.
Will this $87.5 million being bantered about be the much-needed catalyst for brick-and-mortar, or merely the seed money (as in "$87.5 million here, and $87.5 million there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money") for further studies of a growing problem that begs for practical solutions, not political pandering.
We at The Community Alliance support the Downstate Suburban Workforce Housing for Economic Sustainability Act (for whatever our support may be worth), and encourage our readers to contact their State Legislators, demanding that they introduce and pass affordable housing initiatives early in the upcoming session.
If the State Legislature does not act, prudently and appropriately -- and if Long Islanders don't lay NIMBYism and provincialism aside, insisting that their legislators do just that -- it will be too bad. Too bad for us. Too bad for our children. Too bad for the economic future of Long Island.
- - -
From the Editorial pages of The New York Times:
A Place to Call Home: Something’s Got to Give
A long-simmering crisis in housing has led the counties of Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Dutchess to unite behind legislation encouraging municipalities to build more housing that regular people can afford. It is called the Downstate Suburban Workforce Housing for Economic Sustainability Act. It is a solid attempt to confront a chronic suburban problem and deserves wholehearted support in Albany.
The plan was unveiled last Wednesday at a meeting on Long Island that brought together planning and housing officials from all those counties as well as representatives of municipalities, home builders and nonprofit housing organizations. The hosts were the Suffolk County executive, Steve Levy, a dogged champion of the housing cause, and his deputy Jim Morgo, who in an earlier life as a housing advocate spent years chipping away at the granite cliffs of Nimbyism — the entrenched local hostility to “affordable housing” of any shape and size, and one of the main reasons for the fix this region is in.
Mr. Levy and his allies realize that they are never going to build affordable units by decree; under the sacrosanct principle of home rule, local officials who insist that subsidized housing will be built over their dead bodies need never fear for their corporeal dignity. The Workforce Housing act, therefore, relies on the use of carrots and more carrots, sweetened slightly by euphemisms like “workforce housing,” which emphasizes the fact that businesses will not move to or stay in the region if their employees — including the daughters and sons of Nimby parents — cannot afford to live here.
The act dreams up creative ways to cajole municipalities into building new housing willingly.
After setting target goals for housing units by municipality — an idea that has been tried, with some success, in Westchester — the state would help a participating community meet those goals in a number of ways. It would give money for planning and developing “Housing Opportunity Areas,” designated zones where units would be built at higher-than-usual density, with at least 20 percent of them set aside for people who meet income thresholds. It would give cash payments for each new affordable unit built, reimburse communities for the costs of new schoolchildren and lend money at no interest for public infrastructure improvements.
The act, in other words, tries to anticipate and counter the innumerable, often frantic objections that communities raise any time anyone wants to build or rebuild a handful of town houses or apartments here or there. New housing is seen as utterly incompatible with a long-held vision of suburban Eden — the detached, single-family home with enough space around it, from yard to driveway to street, for its inhabitants to feel unoppressed by other people.
It has taken a long time, but more people are realizing that such a vision is unrealistic, untenable and inhospitable to life in suburbs as we know it. A group of twentysomethings held a news conference on Long Island last week to promote an organization, Stay on Long Island, whose mission is to make suburban housing more affordable for young people. The next day, a columnist for Newsday reminded readers that the recent carbon-monoxide deaths of tenants in West Babylon in what appeared to be slumlord apartments were an obvious symptom of the housing shortage, which has forced untold numbers of poor people to crowd into unsafe, unsightly, dilapidated apartments.
In Johnny Mercer’s song, the meeting of irresistible force and immovable object leads to happy romance. In the real world, like the New York suburbs, the irreconcilable clash of housing demand and Nimbyism leads to a painful standoff, and to people ricocheting off to points north, south and west of here. That is a recipe for economic ruin and decay, and the reason that Mr. Levy, Mr. Morgo and their counterparts across the region are struggling to persuade local communities, gently but insistently, to finally face up to the problem and fix it.
- - -
Prior to posting this blog, we visited StayOnLongIsland.com. We attempted to click on the link, What the future holds. Nothing happened. We hope this wasn't prophetic. . .
- - -
There are stirrings in the State Legislature -- notably, the Assembly -- on affordable housing measures along the lines called for by the Levy/Morgo proposal. We will keep you abreast of all developments.
- - -
Chanukah begins tonight at sundown. A happy Chanukah to all who celebrate. May the spirit of these festive lights burn bright throughout the year (and may the cost of oil needed to keep those lights burning be much less prohibitive).
Folks have been asking why we haven't made much hay -- or any, for that matter -- of the Steve Levy/Jim Morgo proposal to expend some $87.5 million to get the Downstate Suburban Workforce Housing for Economic Sustainability Act off square one.
After all, Levy has stood in the forefront of innovative initiatives, and whether one agrees or disagrees, from property tax to immigation, Levy has been Johnny on the spot with ideas, many of which -- like a credit card with property tax credits back instead of cash or reward points -- actually make sense. Jim Morgo, now a Deputy County Exec in Suffolk, once headed up the Long Island Housing Partnership, leading the way on the affordable housing front.
Certainly, $87.5 million toward the cause of keeping our children on Long Island and jump-starting a faltering economy by building homes our young workforce can afford to own, is nothing to sneeze at.
So why the big yawn?
Well, maybe its because this workface housing initiative -- by whatever palliative moniker it is being heralded as today -- is nothing new.
In fact, we've heard it all before, from Albany to the County Seat, with affordable housing measures considered, and even brought up for a vote, in the State Legislature -- year after year -- only to be stalled in one Senate committee or another, fated for untimely death.
Indeed, in February, 2006 -- soon-to-be two years ago -- we blogged (among myriad posts on affordable housing options) on the Long Island Workforce Housing Initiative. Read, Assembly Gives 'Thumbs Up' To Affordable Housing.
Not much, if anything, has happened since. Well, not on the streets, anyway.
Perhaps the nuances of the Levy/Morgo plan -- with incentives rather than mandates -- will make this go 'round of the affordable housing carousel more appealing, at least to the leadership of the State Senate, if not the NIMBYistas living in our own backyards, who themselves do more to stifle progress toward a sustainable Long Island than even the most dysfunctional legislature.
Then again, with the shortsightedness of both the electorate and local government -- to whom "density" is doom, and "income thresholds" somehow don't equate with "these are our children we're talking about" -- we can't be very optimistic that there will be all that much support for this incarnation of the affordable housing start.
And in a State Legislature that can't even muster enough votes to get a bigger, better bottle bill out of committee, well, let's just say we wouldn't hold our breath for the passage of a suburban workforce housing initiative, especially for us lowly downstaters.
Will this $87.5 million being bantered about be the much-needed catalyst for brick-and-mortar, or merely the seed money (as in "$87.5 million here, and $87.5 million there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money") for further studies of a growing problem that begs for practical solutions, not political pandering.
We at The Community Alliance support the Downstate Suburban Workforce Housing for Economic Sustainability Act (for whatever our support may be worth), and encourage our readers to contact their State Legislators, demanding that they introduce and pass affordable housing initiatives early in the upcoming session.
If the State Legislature does not act, prudently and appropriately -- and if Long Islanders don't lay NIMBYism and provincialism aside, insisting that their legislators do just that -- it will be too bad. Too bad for us. Too bad for our children. Too bad for the economic future of Long Island.
- - -
From the Editorial pages of The New York Times:
A Place to Call Home: Something’s Got to Give
A long-simmering crisis in housing has led the counties of Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Dutchess to unite behind legislation encouraging municipalities to build more housing that regular people can afford. It is called the Downstate Suburban Workforce Housing for Economic Sustainability Act. It is a solid attempt to confront a chronic suburban problem and deserves wholehearted support in Albany.
The plan was unveiled last Wednesday at a meeting on Long Island that brought together planning and housing officials from all those counties as well as representatives of municipalities, home builders and nonprofit housing organizations. The hosts were the Suffolk County executive, Steve Levy, a dogged champion of the housing cause, and his deputy Jim Morgo, who in an earlier life as a housing advocate spent years chipping away at the granite cliffs of Nimbyism — the entrenched local hostility to “affordable housing” of any shape and size, and one of the main reasons for the fix this region is in.
Mr. Levy and his allies realize that they are never going to build affordable units by decree; under the sacrosanct principle of home rule, local officials who insist that subsidized housing will be built over their dead bodies need never fear for their corporeal dignity. The Workforce Housing act, therefore, relies on the use of carrots and more carrots, sweetened slightly by euphemisms like “workforce housing,” which emphasizes the fact that businesses will not move to or stay in the region if their employees — including the daughters and sons of Nimby parents — cannot afford to live here.
The act dreams up creative ways to cajole municipalities into building new housing willingly.
After setting target goals for housing units by municipality — an idea that has been tried, with some success, in Westchester — the state would help a participating community meet those goals in a number of ways. It would give money for planning and developing “Housing Opportunity Areas,” designated zones where units would be built at higher-than-usual density, with at least 20 percent of them set aside for people who meet income thresholds. It would give cash payments for each new affordable unit built, reimburse communities for the costs of new schoolchildren and lend money at no interest for public infrastructure improvements.
The act, in other words, tries to anticipate and counter the innumerable, often frantic objections that communities raise any time anyone wants to build or rebuild a handful of town houses or apartments here or there. New housing is seen as utterly incompatible with a long-held vision of suburban Eden — the detached, single-family home with enough space around it, from yard to driveway to street, for its inhabitants to feel unoppressed by other people.
It has taken a long time, but more people are realizing that such a vision is unrealistic, untenable and inhospitable to life in suburbs as we know it. A group of twentysomethings held a news conference on Long Island last week to promote an organization, Stay on Long Island, whose mission is to make suburban housing more affordable for young people. The next day, a columnist for Newsday reminded readers that the recent carbon-monoxide deaths of tenants in West Babylon in what appeared to be slumlord apartments were an obvious symptom of the housing shortage, which has forced untold numbers of poor people to crowd into unsafe, unsightly, dilapidated apartments.
In Johnny Mercer’s song, the meeting of irresistible force and immovable object leads to happy romance. In the real world, like the New York suburbs, the irreconcilable clash of housing demand and Nimbyism leads to a painful standoff, and to people ricocheting off to points north, south and west of here. That is a recipe for economic ruin and decay, and the reason that Mr. Levy, Mr. Morgo and their counterparts across the region are struggling to persuade local communities, gently but insistently, to finally face up to the problem and fix it.
- - -
Prior to posting this blog, we visited StayOnLongIsland.com. We attempted to click on the link, What the future holds. Nothing happened. We hope this wasn't prophetic. . .
- - -
There are stirrings in the State Legislature -- notably, the Assembly -- on affordable housing measures along the lines called for by the Levy/Morgo proposal. We will keep you abreast of all developments.
- - -
Chanukah begins tonight at sundown. A happy Chanukah to all who celebrate. May the spirit of these festive lights burn bright throughout the year (and may the cost of oil needed to keep those lights burning be much less prohibitive).
Monday, December 03, 2007
Grab Those Lysol Cans. . .
The Toxic Mold Task Force Is Riding Into Town
Call it the latest of many Blue Ribbon -- Black Spore? -- panels created to study (and, in theory, solve) the problems that plague New Yorkers.
Yes, take that, mold and mildew. Governor Spitzer now convenes the New York State Toxic Mold Task Force.
Not that the problem isn't a most serious one. It is. [Its at least as worthy of a panel, commission, or task force as is, say, local government efficiency and competitiveness, demographics and reapportionment, or solid waste management (aren't they all one and the same?)
Still, on a certain level, it does strike the funny bone -- which really isn't that humorous at all -- and makes one wonder, does every problem, large and small, require the establishment of a commission, task force, or Blue Ribbon panel in order to work toward a solution. [Or, more aptly, to work toward the study of alternative solutions, to be followed by a poll, a referendum, the issuance of a bond, and the creation of a special task force to find out where all that bond money went to.]
Perhaps what New York needs is a Blue Ribbon Task Force On Government Commissions?
The mother of all such commissions, it could be elevated, by legislative edict, to a permanent standing (okay, sit if you must) body -- the authority of all public authorities, if you will -- to study and examine everything and everyone. Affordable housing to Zoning. We're on top of it.
In the interest of bi-partisan cooperation, Governor Spitzer can call upon the former Governors of the Empire State -- living and dead -- to serve on the Task Force. George Pataki. Mario Cuomo. Hugh Carey. Are they all still alive? Was Hugh ever?
We could even bring back the Clintons -- George and DeWitt -- not to mention William Seward (Albany needs a good folly) and Malcolm Wilson (we're pretty sure he's not still alive -- they've renamed the Tappan Zee bridge after him, didn't they?).
Imagine the public hearings? Would Mario Cuomo let anyone get a word in edgewise?
But seriously, about that mold. Where does it come from? Why is it attacking New Yorkers? Can anything be done to stem the tide? Is it caused by illegal immigrants taking up residence in illegal accessory apartments? Is this a matter for Homland Security? FEMA?
Only The Shadow knows, and, alas, he has yet to be appointed to the Task Force.
- - -
The New York State Toxic Mold Task Force will meet on Tuesday, December 4, 2007 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. in the Boardroom of the New York State Nurse's Association Headquarters office, 11 Cornell Rd, Latham NY.
The Task Force was created by Section 1384 of Chapter 356 of the Laws of 2005. The Task Force is charged with preparing a report to the governor and the legislature that assesses the current body of knowledge on toxic mold, provides the status of toxic mold in the state, and assesses the feasibility of any further actions to be taken by the legislature or state agencies. At this initial meeting, the Task Force will address overall Task Force objectives and operating rules and information related to assessment and mitigation practices for mold and dampness in buildings in New York. The meeting is open to the public, and a 30-minute public comment period will be included on the meeting agenda for members of the public to address the Task Force. Individual public comments will be limited, depending on the number wishing to comment, but in any event no more than five minutes.
For further information and to register your attendance, please contact: Sarah Brazzell at seb03@health.state.ny.us or (518) 402-7511.
Call it the latest of many Blue Ribbon -- Black Spore? -- panels created to study (and, in theory, solve) the problems that plague New Yorkers.
Yes, take that, mold and mildew. Governor Spitzer now convenes the New York State Toxic Mold Task Force.
Not that the problem isn't a most serious one. It is. [Its at least as worthy of a panel, commission, or task force as is, say, local government efficiency and competitiveness, demographics and reapportionment, or solid waste management (aren't they all one and the same?)
Still, on a certain level, it does strike the funny bone -- which really isn't that humorous at all -- and makes one wonder, does every problem, large and small, require the establishment of a commission, task force, or Blue Ribbon panel in order to work toward a solution. [Or, more aptly, to work toward the study of alternative solutions, to be followed by a poll, a referendum, the issuance of a bond, and the creation of a special task force to find out where all that bond money went to.]
Perhaps what New York needs is a Blue Ribbon Task Force On Government Commissions?
The mother of all such commissions, it could be elevated, by legislative edict, to a permanent standing (okay, sit if you must) body -- the authority of all public authorities, if you will -- to study and examine everything and everyone. Affordable housing to Zoning. We're on top of it.
In the interest of bi-partisan cooperation, Governor Spitzer can call upon the former Governors of the Empire State -- living and dead -- to serve on the Task Force. George Pataki. Mario Cuomo. Hugh Carey. Are they all still alive? Was Hugh ever?
We could even bring back the Clintons -- George and DeWitt -- not to mention William Seward (Albany needs a good folly) and Malcolm Wilson (we're pretty sure he's not still alive -- they've renamed the Tappan Zee bridge after him, didn't they?).
Imagine the public hearings? Would Mario Cuomo let anyone get a word in edgewise?
But seriously, about that mold. Where does it come from? Why is it attacking New Yorkers? Can anything be done to stem the tide? Is it caused by illegal immigrants taking up residence in illegal accessory apartments? Is this a matter for Homland Security? FEMA?
Only The Shadow knows, and, alas, he has yet to be appointed to the Task Force.
- - -
The New York State Toxic Mold Task Force will meet on Tuesday, December 4, 2007 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. in the Boardroom of the New York State Nurse's Association Headquarters office, 11 Cornell Rd, Latham NY.
The Task Force was created by Section 1384 of Chapter 356 of the Laws of 2005. The Task Force is charged with preparing a report to the governor and the legislature that assesses the current body of knowledge on toxic mold, provides the status of toxic mold in the state, and assesses the feasibility of any further actions to be taken by the legislature or state agencies. At this initial meeting, the Task Force will address overall Task Force objectives and operating rules and information related to assessment and mitigation practices for mold and dampness in buildings in New York. The meeting is open to the public, and a 30-minute public comment period will be included on the meeting agenda for members of the public to address the Task Force. Individual public comments will be limited, depending on the number wishing to comment, but in any event no more than five minutes.
For further information and to register your attendance, please contact: Sarah Brazzell at seb03@health.state.ny.us or (518) 402-7511.
Even If The Town Is Right---
---Its Wrong!
The Town of Hempstead may well be correct when they tell us -- through propaganda guru, Mike Deery -- that the Town bears no legal responsibility for the mold debacle at Archstone at Moldbury.
After all, the laws on the books allow (we won't say "permit." That's a dirty word in Hempstead Town) the Building Department to delegate its duties to other spheres of influence, be they contractors, architects, engineers, or agents of the developers who foot their bills.
"Basically we rely on third-party inspections for projects of this nature because it's so big," Ray Schwarz, the Town's supervisor of inspection services for the Buildings Department, told Newsday.
How big? Soooooo big! Too big, apparently -- even at just 400 units -- for the overseers of America's largest township.
Wow. If Archstone is too big for Hempstead Town to handle, what will they make of the Lighthouse project at the Nassau Hub?
An even bigger mess, with a moldier outcome, we presume.
Tecnically speaking, the laws on the books give Hempstead Town the right to pass the buck to so-called "third-party" inspectors, most of whom owe their allegiances -- and their next meals -- not to the taxpayer, but rather, to the developer.
Its a cop out, of course. A legal loophole. The ultimate escape clause, where the Town can say with a straight face, "We're not responsible."
Its a kind of "don't look, don't tell."
If we actually inspect, sign off, put our own seal of approval on it, and something should go wrong -- as it sometimes does -- the Town is on the hook.
On the other hand, if we turn the other cheek, give the other guy the duty to make sure that everything is on the up and up, and you should discover an abundance of "water intrusion" forcing hundreds of residents onto the streets, the Town is in the clear.
In short, where the Town can pass the buck, it does so gladly and most willingly.
Look, its simple. Where there is no responsibility -- at least no legal responsibility -- there will be no one held accountable at Town Hall. Delegate the task, along with the public trust, and you're good to go.
Accountability. Highly overrated.
The old "hear no evil, speak no evil."
Its the same old story in Hempstead Town. Just look at the Town's special districts. They may operate under the Town's name, with interlocking directorates and interchangeable personnel, but, in fact, they are all seperate legal entities unto themselves, over which neither Town nor Town Supervisor may exert or claim any semblance of control.
Hey, if it works for the Sanitary Districts, why not for a little mold around the windows?
- - -
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "You can't be everywhere at once." Mike Deery, spokesman for the Town of Hempstead, commenting to Newsday on the Town's reliance on architects and engineers certifying their own work. Deery told Newsday, "most construction is completed when inspectors aren't watching."
No, Mike, the Town, unlike photos of Kate Murray, the Town Supervisor, can't be everywhere. Still, the Town has to be somewhere, sometime.
And we agree with your unwitting statement to the effect that, in Hempstead Town, most things happen when no one is watching.
- - -
For a real life view of the impact of the tragedy at Archstone upon real life people, check out http://www.thencameisaiah.blogspot.com/.
The Town of Hempstead may well be correct when they tell us -- through propaganda guru, Mike Deery -- that the Town bears no legal responsibility for the mold debacle at Archstone at Moldbury.
After all, the laws on the books allow (we won't say "permit." That's a dirty word in Hempstead Town) the Building Department to delegate its duties to other spheres of influence, be they contractors, architects, engineers, or agents of the developers who foot their bills.
"Basically we rely on third-party inspections for projects of this nature because it's so big," Ray Schwarz, the Town's supervisor of inspection services for the Buildings Department, told Newsday.
How big? Soooooo big! Too big, apparently -- even at just 400 units -- for the overseers of America's largest township.
Wow. If Archstone is too big for Hempstead Town to handle, what will they make of the Lighthouse project at the Nassau Hub?
An even bigger mess, with a moldier outcome, we presume.
Tecnically speaking, the laws on the books give Hempstead Town the right to pass the buck to so-called "third-party" inspectors, most of whom owe their allegiances -- and their next meals -- not to the taxpayer, but rather, to the developer.
Its a cop out, of course. A legal loophole. The ultimate escape clause, where the Town can say with a straight face, "We're not responsible."
Its a kind of "don't look, don't tell."
If we actually inspect, sign off, put our own seal of approval on it, and something should go wrong -- as it sometimes does -- the Town is on the hook.
On the other hand, if we turn the other cheek, give the other guy the duty to make sure that everything is on the up and up, and you should discover an abundance of "water intrusion" forcing hundreds of residents onto the streets, the Town is in the clear.
In short, where the Town can pass the buck, it does so gladly and most willingly.
Look, its simple. Where there is no responsibility -- at least no legal responsibility -- there will be no one held accountable at Town Hall. Delegate the task, along with the public trust, and you're good to go.
Accountability. Highly overrated.
The old "hear no evil, speak no evil."
Its the same old story in Hempstead Town. Just look at the Town's special districts. They may operate under the Town's name, with interlocking directorates and interchangeable personnel, but, in fact, they are all seperate legal entities unto themselves, over which neither Town nor Town Supervisor may exert or claim any semblance of control.
Hey, if it works for the Sanitary Districts, why not for a little mold around the windows?
- - -
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "You can't be everywhere at once." Mike Deery, spokesman for the Town of Hempstead, commenting to Newsday on the Town's reliance on architects and engineers certifying their own work. Deery told Newsday, "most construction is completed when inspectors aren't watching."
No, Mike, the Town, unlike photos of Kate Murray, the Town Supervisor, can't be everywhere. Still, the Town has to be somewhere, sometime.
And we agree with your unwitting statement to the effect that, in Hempstead Town, most things happen when no one is watching.
- - -
For a real life view of the impact of the tragedy at Archstone upon real life people, check out http://www.thencameisaiah.blogspot.com/.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Property Tax Cut By 60 Percent?
It Could Happen Here! Well, Maybe. . .
The figures vary school district by school district, but everyone from the comptroller to the receiver of taxes to John & Jane Q. Public can tell you, upwards of 60 percent of Long Island homeowners' property tax bill goes to pay for local schools.
So, on a typical LI home with a full assessment of, say, $500,000, some $7200 of that $12,000 property tax bill accounts for school taxes.
Wouldn't be nice if we could make some of that school tax -- dare we say, all of it -- disappear?
"Dream on," you say?
Well, maybe so, but if a proposal bantered about by State Senator and Deputy Majority Leader Dean Skelos of Rockville Centre gains a foothold, it is possible that, over the next ten years (nothing in New York happens overnight), the school portion of our hefty property tax bills -- that's 60% or more -- could be eliminated.
Under what we will call the Skelos Plan, newly hired teachers would immediately become State employees, with the State of New York taking over salaries, pensions, and other contractual obligations.
"Teacher salaries, pension and health care costs represent about 70% of our local school district budgets," said Skelos.
"Each year, roughly 1 out of every 8 Long Island and Upstate teaching position is filled by a new teacher," according to the dean of the Long Island delegation. "By making each newly-hired teacher a state employee, the state will take over their salary and health insurance costs and make the school district’s contributions to the Teacher Retirement System. As a result, the state will assume nearly eight and a half percent of each school district’s budget each year. With 36,000 teachers in Nassau and Suffolk county school districts, this will eventually alleviate over $3 billion in local property taxes... Through this new approach, I believe that a $3,000 property tax cut is within our reach."
$3000? Okay, not quite half of that $7200 school property tax tab for our homeowner-by-example, but still, a nice chunk of change. And it sure beats the few hundred bucks Albany has dained to put back in our pockets via that ersatz "rebate," money that should never have been taken out of homeowners' wallets in the first place.
So even if we save 70 percent of that 60 percent of that property tax bill (are you still with us?), that's the equivalent of our $500,000 homeowner saving roughly $5000 per year.
A nice day's work, no?
Though teachers' unions may squawk -- and with them, the Assembly Speaker, Sheldon Silver -- the Skelos Plan is worthy not only of the "roundtable discussion" the Senator calls for, but most serious consideration by local school boards (who themselves have proven worthy advocates of both homeowners and our children), PTA and community groups, and, yes, every State Legislator (for whom 2008 is an election year, we might add).
Assuming (and you know what happens when you assume) the Skelos Plan has a chance at being more than fodder for the media -- and there hasn't been much of the talk since Senator Skelos outlined the Property Tax Relief and Excellence in Education Act back in September, we're afraid -- why not think of the proposal as Phase One in the total elimination of the school property tax?
Yes, we at The Community Alliance are calling for nothing short of funding, in the entirety, of every suburban school district's budget by the State. Period.
No more 8% or 16% or some other half-baked, almost magical formula for the redistribution of taxpayers' money. No more disparity in State Aid between upstate school districts and their Cinderella counterparts from Westchester County on down. No more unfunded mandates from Albany. And, best of all, no more school property tax!
Oh , you'll still have local control -- for whatever it may be worth -- over hiring, firing, and the like, and individual school districts will maintain their identities, but not their outlandish administrative and operating expenses.
The revenue stream would be constant. No more guesswork in how much aid will trickle down from up the river.
Ah, but how to pay for this shift of the school financing burden from the back of the homeowner to all taxpayers throughout New York?
That's the simple part.
Your STATE income tax dollars at work!
Today, roughly 25 cents of every dollar paid by Long Islanders in State income taxes actually comes back to Long Island. Increase that by, say, half, and you've already made up the difference, or come pretty darned close.
Need some extra money in the State budget for our children's education?
Show us a single session where our State Legislators haven't come up with the "extra" big bucks when they need it, either to bail out some agency or fund a pet project back home.
Just cut a portion of the pork, and you can be sure that there will be plenty of bacon for New York's schools.
Or maybe we simply eliminate a few of those so-called public authorities. You know. The last great bastions of political patronage and waste that have "bonded" New York in debt up to its ears. Out of the revenue stream of hundreds of such tax dollar-sucking authorities, we're certain that the higher authorities in the Senate and Assembly can draw sufficient funds to adequately and equitably finance New York's schools.
Then there's the lottery. More Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs), perhaps? Sure, its a gamble. But aren't our children worth a buck and a dream? Hey, you never know!
Dollars -- and sense -- tell us (and we're not economists, or even accountants, here), that the necessary funds would be (and probably are already) available out of current State revenues to fully finance New York's schools without the burdensome and regressive property tax. Why, an educated guess tells us that the powers-that-be wouldn't even have to raise the State income tax by a single cent, scare tactics by naysayers notwithstanding.
All we need to do, as State Senator Dean Skelos so aptly suggests, is to " think outside of the proverbial box and develop a plan that fundamentally reforms the status quo in a way that makes sense."
Now, coming from Albany, wouldn't that be refreshing?
The figures vary school district by school district, but everyone from the comptroller to the receiver of taxes to John & Jane Q. Public can tell you, upwards of 60 percent of Long Island homeowners' property tax bill goes to pay for local schools.
So, on a typical LI home with a full assessment of, say, $500,000, some $7200 of that $12,000 property tax bill accounts for school taxes.
Wouldn't be nice if we could make some of that school tax -- dare we say, all of it -- disappear?
"Dream on," you say?
Well, maybe so, but if a proposal bantered about by State Senator and Deputy Majority Leader Dean Skelos of Rockville Centre gains a foothold, it is possible that, over the next ten years (nothing in New York happens overnight), the school portion of our hefty property tax bills -- that's 60% or more -- could be eliminated.
Under what we will call the Skelos Plan, newly hired teachers would immediately become State employees, with the State of New York taking over salaries, pensions, and other contractual obligations.
"Teacher salaries, pension and health care costs represent about 70% of our local school district budgets," said Skelos.
"Each year, roughly 1 out of every 8 Long Island and Upstate teaching position is filled by a new teacher," according to the dean of the Long Island delegation. "By making each newly-hired teacher a state employee, the state will take over their salary and health insurance costs and make the school district’s contributions to the Teacher Retirement System. As a result, the state will assume nearly eight and a half percent of each school district’s budget each year. With 36,000 teachers in Nassau and Suffolk county school districts, this will eventually alleviate over $3 billion in local property taxes... Through this new approach, I believe that a $3,000 property tax cut is within our reach."
$3000? Okay, not quite half of that $7200 school property tax tab for our homeowner-by-example, but still, a nice chunk of change. And it sure beats the few hundred bucks Albany has dained to put back in our pockets via that ersatz "rebate," money that should never have been taken out of homeowners' wallets in the first place.
So even if we save 70 percent of that 60 percent of that property tax bill (are you still with us?), that's the equivalent of our $500,000 homeowner saving roughly $5000 per year.
A nice day's work, no?
Though teachers' unions may squawk -- and with them, the Assembly Speaker, Sheldon Silver -- the Skelos Plan is worthy not only of the "roundtable discussion" the Senator calls for, but most serious consideration by local school boards (who themselves have proven worthy advocates of both homeowners and our children), PTA and community groups, and, yes, every State Legislator (for whom 2008 is an election year, we might add).
Assuming (and you know what happens when you assume) the Skelos Plan has a chance at being more than fodder for the media -- and there hasn't been much of the talk since Senator Skelos outlined the Property Tax Relief and Excellence in Education Act back in September, we're afraid -- why not think of the proposal as Phase One in the total elimination of the school property tax?
Yes, we at The Community Alliance are calling for nothing short of funding, in the entirety, of every suburban school district's budget by the State. Period.
No more 8% or 16% or some other half-baked, almost magical formula for the redistribution of taxpayers' money. No more disparity in State Aid between upstate school districts and their Cinderella counterparts from Westchester County on down. No more unfunded mandates from Albany. And, best of all, no more school property tax!
Oh , you'll still have local control -- for whatever it may be worth -- over hiring, firing, and the like, and individual school districts will maintain their identities, but not their outlandish administrative and operating expenses.
The revenue stream would be constant. No more guesswork in how much aid will trickle down from up the river.
Ah, but how to pay for this shift of the school financing burden from the back of the homeowner to all taxpayers throughout New York?
That's the simple part.
Your STATE income tax dollars at work!
Today, roughly 25 cents of every dollar paid by Long Islanders in State income taxes actually comes back to Long Island. Increase that by, say, half, and you've already made up the difference, or come pretty darned close.
Need some extra money in the State budget for our children's education?
Show us a single session where our State Legislators haven't come up with the "extra" big bucks when they need it, either to bail out some agency or fund a pet project back home.
Just cut a portion of the pork, and you can be sure that there will be plenty of bacon for New York's schools.
Or maybe we simply eliminate a few of those so-called public authorities. You know. The last great bastions of political patronage and waste that have "bonded" New York in debt up to its ears. Out of the revenue stream of hundreds of such tax dollar-sucking authorities, we're certain that the higher authorities in the Senate and Assembly can draw sufficient funds to adequately and equitably finance New York's schools.
Then there's the lottery. More Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs), perhaps? Sure, its a gamble. But aren't our children worth a buck and a dream? Hey, you never know!
Dollars -- and sense -- tell us (and we're not economists, or even accountants, here), that the necessary funds would be (and probably are already) available out of current State revenues to fully finance New York's schools without the burdensome and regressive property tax. Why, an educated guess tells us that the powers-that-be wouldn't even have to raise the State income tax by a single cent, scare tactics by naysayers notwithstanding.
All we need to do, as State Senator Dean Skelos so aptly suggests, is to " think outside of the proverbial box and develop a plan that fundamentally reforms the status quo in a way that makes sense."
Now, coming from Albany, wouldn't that be refreshing?
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Roosevelt Field Had Lucky Lindy
The Hempstead Plain Has Moldy Murray
They're descending upon the mold-encased Archstone apartments in Westbury. [Read Newsday's, Archstone Westbury dwellers deluged with offers.]
Movers. Realtors. Mold-Removers.
Like cockroaches out of the woodwork, it has become a field day in the shadows of the Covanta incinerator for those who would prey upon the most vulnerable -- in this instance, Hempstead Town's soon-to-be additions to the homeless population.
Let not the opportunity pass for she of the photo opportunity to make the most of what is a resident's worst nightmare.
That's right, ladies and mold spores, Hempstead Town Supervisor, Kate Murray, was there as well, distributing Murraygrams, offering to relocate the dispossessed into illegal accessory apartments throughout the township.
"We absolutely want to help these folks get away from the mold and on with their lives," said America's favorite Town Clown.
"After all, we at Hempstead Town gave our seal of approval -- or at very least, turned our backs -- on poor construction, inferior materials, and who knows how many building code infractions."
Looks like a new Blight Study is in order, Madam Supervisor. The Town's gonna have to condemn about 800 apartment units in Westbury, because your Building Department paid about as much attention to the details at Archstone as "Wrong Way" Corrigan did to his compass.
Asked whether the Town's lack of oversight at Archstone would impact upon Hempstead's supervision of the proposed Lighthouse project at Nassau's Hub, Murray barely batted an eyelash.
Pointing to the vast wasteland upon which sits the dilapidated Coliseum, Murray smiled.
"See that building over there? No, not the Coliseum Deli. That one, over THERE! One day, all you will see are green fields, as we make Nassau’s lovely hub an even better place to live, work, and raise mold spores."
That's green. As in MILDEW.
Thanks, Kate. Give yourself a raise and send us a mailing in 2009.
They're descending upon the mold-encased Archstone apartments in Westbury. [Read Newsday's, Archstone Westbury dwellers deluged with offers.]
Movers. Realtors. Mold-Removers.
Like cockroaches out of the woodwork, it has become a field day in the shadows of the Covanta incinerator for those who would prey upon the most vulnerable -- in this instance, Hempstead Town's soon-to-be additions to the homeless population.
Let not the opportunity pass for she of the photo opportunity to make the most of what is a resident's worst nightmare.
That's right, ladies and mold spores, Hempstead Town Supervisor, Kate Murray, was there as well, distributing Murraygrams, offering to relocate the dispossessed into illegal accessory apartments throughout the township.
"We absolutely want to help these folks get away from the mold and on with their lives," said America's favorite Town Clown.
"After all, we at Hempstead Town gave our seal of approval -- or at very least, turned our backs -- on poor construction, inferior materials, and who knows how many building code infractions."
Looks like a new Blight Study is in order, Madam Supervisor. The Town's gonna have to condemn about 800 apartment units in Westbury, because your Building Department paid about as much attention to the details at Archstone as "Wrong Way" Corrigan did to his compass.
Asked whether the Town's lack of oversight at Archstone would impact upon Hempstead's supervision of the proposed Lighthouse project at Nassau's Hub, Murray barely batted an eyelash.
Pointing to the vast wasteland upon which sits the dilapidated Coliseum, Murray smiled.
"See that building over there? No, not the Coliseum Deli. That one, over THERE! One day, all you will see are green fields, as we make Nassau’s lovely hub an even better place to live, work, and raise mold spores."
That's green. As in MILDEW.
Thanks, Kate. Give yourself a raise and send us a mailing in 2009.
Different Figures, Same Conclusion: School Property Taxes Are Too High!
Is The World Sirois?
From the Levittown Tribune:
Taxes Outpace Inflation?
On Wednesday, Nov. 7, the New York State Comptroller's office claimed that school taxes in the state have outpaced inflation two-fold, thereby promoting the myth that school taxes are irresponsibly exorbitant. The reporting omitted important information that does not support - and, in fact, negates - the myth of excessive school taxation.
To begin with, any comparison of increases in school taxes to the general rate of inflation is invalid and inflammatory, because school districts, as well as other governmental units, do not purchase many of the things, such as private homes, that have suppressed the rate of inflation during recent years. A more valid frame of reference would be those increases experienced by other governmental units, including the State of New York itself.
The fact is, that increases in school expenditures and taxes pale in comparison to recent increases in both expenditures and tax receipts of New York State. For example, the average increase in school taxes for the 2007 year, as reported by the Comptroller, was 5.9 percent compared to a 9.4 percent increase in total taxes collected by New York State during the same period. During this period a similar pattern existed relative to expenditures, wherein, school expenditures increased about 5 percent as compared to an increase in total expenditures on the part of New York State of 6.9 percent. The bottom line is that New York State has posted expenditure and tax increases at considerably higher rates than that of schools throughout the state. When compared to the State of New York, increases in expenses (3.93 percent) and taxes (3.96 percent) in the Levittown School District are exceptionally responsible and efficient.
State and county politicians are fond of making the claim that 60 percent of our taxes go to school districts. When challenged on this statistic, they readily concede that the 60 percent figure includes only property taxes, and does not include all of the other taxes (e.g., income and sales taxes) that we pay to the state and/or counties, but not to our school districts. When everything is considered, school taxes account for about 40 percent, not 60 percent, of all local and state taxes paid by the average citizen in the state.
The omission of information that would enable valid comparisons and evaluations of school taxes is disingenuous at best, and is a strategy that should be abandoned by our state and county politicians, and one that should not be abetted by the popular media.
I am not suggesting, here, that the increases in taxes and/or expenditures on the part of New York State have been irresponsible. What I am suggesting is a) that the myth of school taxation is, in fact, just that, a myth; and, b) that, in comparison with New York State, our school districts have been paragons of responsibility and efficiency.
Herman A. Sirois, PhD
Superintendent, Levittown Public Schools
- - -
And if we take federal taxes paid – with expenditures under No Child Left Alive (we mean Behind) – into account, our total tax burden for education is less than 20%.
Fact is, prudence of local school boards and the burden of unfunded mandates and contractual obligations aside, the school portion of the property tax is 60+ percent of the property tax bill here on Long Island.
If, as Dr. Sirois contends, the school tax burden borne by Long Islanders is a “myth,” then surely, we are all living a dream -- or is it nightmare? -- in the fantasyland of educational finance.
Our local school districts, with a few exceptions, may well be responsible and efficient, with annual increases in school tax levies both reasonable and prudent, particularly in light of the increase in expenditures over which school boards and administrations have little or no control, coupled with diminishing returns from Albany.
The way we finance education in New York State, unfortunately, is neither responsible nor efficient, and whether the “true” figure is 60% of our tax bill, 40%, or something else, conconcted, extrapolated, or otherwise, the tax burden for the average LI homeowner is both untenable and unacceptable.
Unfunded mandates, the “upstate”/”downstate” disparity, and the paucity of our income tax dollars coming back to Long Island from Albany (perhaps 25 cents on the dollar, if we're lucky), among other inequities, underscore the sad reality that funding education through a regressive property tax shortchanges not only the taxpaying property owner, but our children as well.
It is high time we begin to think – and act – outside of that property tax box!
From the Levittown Tribune:
Taxes Outpace Inflation?
On Wednesday, Nov. 7, the New York State Comptroller's office claimed that school taxes in the state have outpaced inflation two-fold, thereby promoting the myth that school taxes are irresponsibly exorbitant. The reporting omitted important information that does not support - and, in fact, negates - the myth of excessive school taxation.
To begin with, any comparison of increases in school taxes to the general rate of inflation is invalid and inflammatory, because school districts, as well as other governmental units, do not purchase many of the things, such as private homes, that have suppressed the rate of inflation during recent years. A more valid frame of reference would be those increases experienced by other governmental units, including the State of New York itself.
The fact is, that increases in school expenditures and taxes pale in comparison to recent increases in both expenditures and tax receipts of New York State. For example, the average increase in school taxes for the 2007 year, as reported by the Comptroller, was 5.9 percent compared to a 9.4 percent increase in total taxes collected by New York State during the same period. During this period a similar pattern existed relative to expenditures, wherein, school expenditures increased about 5 percent as compared to an increase in total expenditures on the part of New York State of 6.9 percent. The bottom line is that New York State has posted expenditure and tax increases at considerably higher rates than that of schools throughout the state. When compared to the State of New York, increases in expenses (3.93 percent) and taxes (3.96 percent) in the Levittown School District are exceptionally responsible and efficient.
State and county politicians are fond of making the claim that 60 percent of our taxes go to school districts. When challenged on this statistic, they readily concede that the 60 percent figure includes only property taxes, and does not include all of the other taxes (e.g., income and sales taxes) that we pay to the state and/or counties, but not to our school districts. When everything is considered, school taxes account for about 40 percent, not 60 percent, of all local and state taxes paid by the average citizen in the state.
The omission of information that would enable valid comparisons and evaluations of school taxes is disingenuous at best, and is a strategy that should be abandoned by our state and county politicians, and one that should not be abetted by the popular media.
I am not suggesting, here, that the increases in taxes and/or expenditures on the part of New York State have been irresponsible. What I am suggesting is a) that the myth of school taxation is, in fact, just that, a myth; and, b) that, in comparison with New York State, our school districts have been paragons of responsibility and efficiency.
Herman A. Sirois, PhD
Superintendent, Levittown Public Schools
- - -
And if we take federal taxes paid – with expenditures under No Child Left Alive (we mean Behind) – into account, our total tax burden for education is less than 20%.
Fact is, prudence of local school boards and the burden of unfunded mandates and contractual obligations aside, the school portion of the property tax is 60+ percent of the property tax bill here on Long Island.
If, as Dr. Sirois contends, the school tax burden borne by Long Islanders is a “myth,” then surely, we are all living a dream -- or is it nightmare? -- in the fantasyland of educational finance.
Our local school districts, with a few exceptions, may well be responsible and efficient, with annual increases in school tax levies both reasonable and prudent, particularly in light of the increase in expenditures over which school boards and administrations have little or no control, coupled with diminishing returns from Albany.
The way we finance education in New York State, unfortunately, is neither responsible nor efficient, and whether the “true” figure is 60% of our tax bill, 40%, or something else, conconcted, extrapolated, or otherwise, the tax burden for the average LI homeowner is both untenable and unacceptable.
Unfunded mandates, the “upstate”/”downstate” disparity, and the paucity of our income tax dollars coming back to Long Island from Albany (perhaps 25 cents on the dollar, if we're lucky), among other inequities, underscore the sad reality that funding education through a regressive property tax shortchanges not only the taxpaying property owner, but our children as well.
It is high time we begin to think – and act – outside of that property tax box!
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
How To Save $4.3 Billion
NOW The Governor Wants To Know What We Think!
Shortly after his election, then Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer asked New Yorkers for their ideas and their advice. [The link for submission of ideas no longer exists. Perhaps that's where the Governor went wrong on Day One!]
They gave the Governor guidance by the bulk e-mail full. Unfortunately, Mr. Spitzer didn't take it!
At The Community Alliance, we offered the new Gov some sage wisdom as well: (1) Make friends, not enemies; (2) Be a diplomat, not a sheriff; (3) Surround yourself by people with the right stuff, listen to what they have to say, and, every once in a while, take their advice.
He didn't listen to us, either.
As a budget gap of some $4.3 billion looms in Albany, the Governor is asking, once again, for the advice of Empire State residents on just how to close the distance between balance and deficit. [Unless the State is the MTA -- an entity all to, and all for itself -- don't look for a surplus to be pulled out of a hat!]
You can e-mail the folks at the Budget Director's office at budgethearing@budget.state.ny.us. Operators are standing by. We're sure they'd love to hear your ideas for saving the State money.
Anyway. How to eliminate a $4.3 billion dollar budget gap? Hmmm.
As Steve Martin would say, "First, find $4.3 billion dollars." [How does the State lose $4.3 BILLION? Did they gamble it away at the Indian casinos? Didn't their mothers teach them, "If you don't have it, you can't spend it?"]
Okay. Okay. Ideas. . .
How about we go after those member items the Senators and Assemblymembers dole out to local favs each year. [They're not in the budget, but they should be.]
Oh, you can keep the pork for the "public" good in there (save the bridges to nowhere). Just axe the "private" handouts that go to, say, fix a Sons of Italy post in Yonkers, or to restore the facade of a cathedral in Albany.
That should be a few million dollars right there.
Next, consolidate -- or just do away with -- some of those 800+ public authorities, which operate on taxpayer money, behind closed doors, and with little or, in many instances, absolutely no oversight -- legislative or otherwise.
Take a look at the 860 public authorities listed on the State Comptroller's website.
We're certain you can come up with at least a dozen that are expendable, saving countless millions. [Do we really need an Agriculture and New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund? And what exactly does the Industrial Exhibit Authority do?]
We're sure that similar cost-saving measures can be taken at the multitude of State agencies -- without sacrifice to those who actually serve the public good, rather than no good at all.
Even the best can be pared down, and still be efficient. Here's a list. Have a go at it! [For starters, we'd take a whack at the Bridge Authority (how many of those do we need, for goodness sake?), the Employee Assistance Program (fend for yourselves, like the rest of us), the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Commission (is there really such a thing?), and the Commission on Lobbying (is this a club where all the lobbyists go for lunch? Last we heard, the lobbyists were doing a fine job taking care of their own interests without a commission, thank you).
Surely, the fat trimmed and the excesses curbed, there's a few million dollars more to be saved in Albany. [And tell us, what's with Corcraft Products (Dept. of Correctional Services, Division of Industries) being on the Agency list? Are they the official vendor for bunk beds and cleaning supplies for New York's penal institutions and state colleges? Whatever happened to competitive bidding? Or is New York in the furniture business now?]
Okay. We've barely saved a billion dollars, let alone 4.3.
Still, with your help, New Yorkers -- a snip, snip here, and a chop, chop there -- we have faith that the budget gap can not only be closed, but there will be a few dollars left over for the State to mail income tax forms and instructions to each and every one of us come January 2nd.
By the way -- How can a budget hearing be "closed out?" No one even knew it was scheduled. And since when does anyone attend public hearings? [Especially those scheduled on a Friday, between 10 AM and 1 PM, in Hauppauge, no less!] Must be one of those "by invitation only" public hearings, where the few get to speak for the many.
- - -
Click HERE for the testimony from the November 17th Hearing held in Buffalo.
Click HERE for the testimony from the November 17th Hearing held in Rochester.
[We didn't see too much in the way of testimony from John Q. Public on either of those lists. In fact, none at all. Funny (or not so). These are the very people the Governor and the Budget Director should be listening to!]
- - -
Spitzer wants your ideas on closing $4.3 billion budget gap
BY JAMES T. MADORE
james.madore@newsday.com
ALBANY -- Gov. Eliot Spitzer wants your ideas on Friday about how to close the projected $4.3 billion gap in next year's budget, along with spending priorities.
Budget director Paul Francis will hold a "town hall meeting" from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the H. Lee Dennison County Office Building, 100 Veterans Memorial Highway in Hauppauge. The public session can also be viewed on the Internet at www.budget.state.ny.us.
All the speaking slots have been filled. But a spokesman said residents were welcome to attend the hearing and to e-mail their suggestions to budgethearing@budget.state.ny.us. The comments will be reviewed by budget analysts and posted online, he said.
Friday's meeting, the only one scheduled for Long Island, is among a series being held in advance of Spitzer's presentation in January of his budget proposals for 2008-09.
Francis said, "With troubles on Wall Street leading to decreases in projected revenues, we need to find ways to do more with less. That means engaging the public as we determine our priorities for how to best use the state's limited financial resources, while minimizing the burden on taxpayers and keeping our business climate competitive."
Copyright © 2007, Newsday Inc.
Shortly after his election, then Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer asked New Yorkers for their ideas and their advice. [The link for submission of ideas no longer exists. Perhaps that's where the Governor went wrong on Day One!]
They gave the Governor guidance by the bulk e-mail full. Unfortunately, Mr. Spitzer didn't take it!
At The Community Alliance, we offered the new Gov some sage wisdom as well: (1) Make friends, not enemies; (2) Be a diplomat, not a sheriff; (3) Surround yourself by people with the right stuff, listen to what they have to say, and, every once in a while, take their advice.
He didn't listen to us, either.
As a budget gap of some $4.3 billion looms in Albany, the Governor is asking, once again, for the advice of Empire State residents on just how to close the distance between balance and deficit. [Unless the State is the MTA -- an entity all to, and all for itself -- don't look for a surplus to be pulled out of a hat!]
You can e-mail the folks at the Budget Director's office at budgethearing@budget.state.ny.us. Operators are standing by. We're sure they'd love to hear your ideas for saving the State money.
Anyway. How to eliminate a $4.3 billion dollar budget gap? Hmmm.
As Steve Martin would say, "First, find $4.3 billion dollars." [How does the State lose $4.3 BILLION? Did they gamble it away at the Indian casinos? Didn't their mothers teach them, "If you don't have it, you can't spend it?"]
Okay. Okay. Ideas. . .
How about we go after those member items the Senators and Assemblymembers dole out to local favs each year. [They're not in the budget, but they should be.]
Oh, you can keep the pork for the "public" good in there (save the bridges to nowhere). Just axe the "private" handouts that go to, say, fix a Sons of Italy post in Yonkers, or to restore the facade of a cathedral in Albany.
That should be a few million dollars right there.
Next, consolidate -- or just do away with -- some of those 800+ public authorities, which operate on taxpayer money, behind closed doors, and with little or, in many instances, absolutely no oversight -- legislative or otherwise.
Take a look at the 860 public authorities listed on the State Comptroller's website.
We're certain you can come up with at least a dozen that are expendable, saving countless millions. [Do we really need an Agriculture and New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund? And what exactly does the Industrial Exhibit Authority do?]
We're sure that similar cost-saving measures can be taken at the multitude of State agencies -- without sacrifice to those who actually serve the public good, rather than no good at all.
Even the best can be pared down, and still be efficient. Here's a list. Have a go at it! [For starters, we'd take a whack at the Bridge Authority (how many of those do we need, for goodness sake?), the Employee Assistance Program (fend for yourselves, like the rest of us), the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Commission (is there really such a thing?), and the Commission on Lobbying (is this a club where all the lobbyists go for lunch? Last we heard, the lobbyists were doing a fine job taking care of their own interests without a commission, thank you).
Surely, the fat trimmed and the excesses curbed, there's a few million dollars more to be saved in Albany. [And tell us, what's with Corcraft Products (Dept. of Correctional Services, Division of Industries) being on the Agency list? Are they the official vendor for bunk beds and cleaning supplies for New York's penal institutions and state colleges? Whatever happened to competitive bidding? Or is New York in the furniture business now?]
Okay. We've barely saved a billion dollars, let alone 4.3.
Still, with your help, New Yorkers -- a snip, snip here, and a chop, chop there -- we have faith that the budget gap can not only be closed, but there will be a few dollars left over for the State to mail income tax forms and instructions to each and every one of us come January 2nd.
By the way -- How can a budget hearing be "closed out?" No one even knew it was scheduled. And since when does anyone attend public hearings? [Especially those scheduled on a Friday, between 10 AM and 1 PM, in Hauppauge, no less!] Must be one of those "by invitation only" public hearings, where the few get to speak for the many.
- - -
Click HERE for the testimony from the November 17th Hearing held in Buffalo.
Click HERE for the testimony from the November 17th Hearing held in Rochester.
[We didn't see too much in the way of testimony from John Q. Public on either of those lists. In fact, none at all. Funny (or not so). These are the very people the Governor and the Budget Director should be listening to!]
- - -
Spitzer wants your ideas on closing $4.3 billion budget gap
BY JAMES T. MADORE
james.madore@newsday.com
ALBANY -- Gov. Eliot Spitzer wants your ideas on Friday about how to close the projected $4.3 billion gap in next year's budget, along with spending priorities.
Budget director Paul Francis will hold a "town hall meeting" from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the H. Lee Dennison County Office Building, 100 Veterans Memorial Highway in Hauppauge. The public session can also be viewed on the Internet at www.budget.state.ny.us.
All the speaking slots have been filled. But a spokesman said residents were welcome to attend the hearing and to e-mail their suggestions to budgethearing@budget.state.ny.us. The comments will be reviewed by budget analysts and posted online, he said.
Friday's meeting, the only one scheduled for Long Island, is among a series being held in advance of Spitzer's presentation in January of his budget proposals for 2008-09.
Francis said, "With troubles on Wall Street leading to decreases in projected revenues, we need to find ways to do more with less. That means engaging the public as we determine our priorities for how to best use the state's limited financial resources, while minimizing the burden on taxpayers and keeping our business climate competitive."
Copyright © 2007, Newsday Inc.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Mold Forces Evictions At Town's First Mixed Income Residential Development
And No One Thought To Ask, "Where Were The Town Of Hempstead Building Inspectors?"
Its a terrible thing. Forced out of your home -- or, in this case, your rather expensive rental apartment -- because the entire complex has been overrun by mold.
We're not talking Jello here. This is the black, moist, yucky stuff that makes you cough, choke, and, in some cases, deathly ill.
Things are so bad at Archstone in Westbury -- built on land that was once part of the Roosevelt Raceway property, and in the shadows of the Covanta incinerator, which burns the Town's garbage -- that the entire development, housing hundreds, will have to be evacuated.
Remediation, if such a thing is possible with invasive mold and serious "water intrusion" problems, is expected to take a year or more.
Sure, the folks at Archstone screwed up big time. Shoddy construction. Bad material. Clearly something -- or many things -- amiss in the building of this now mold-infested facility.
But what of the culpability of the Town of Hempstead?
Where were the Building Inspectors? Aren't there codes on the books to prevent just such disasters? Was there no enforcement (a rhetorical question)?
Who issued permits? Who signed off on the work? Who issued the Certificates of Completion and/or the Certificates of Occupancy?
Who will be held accountable? Who? Who? Who?
Town spokesman, Mike Deery, expressed disappointment, but nowhere did he, on behalf of a Supervisor who now wants an 8% raise for the great work she's done in Hempstead Town, accept responsibility.
Somebody messed up here. Okay, quite a few people messed up here. The developer. Maybe architects. Possibly engineers. Perhaps the builders. Certainly, the folks responsible for the official stamp of approval, from initial variance to C of O -- the people whose government enterprise at Town Hall is so old that even its mold has mold -- the elected and the anointed at the Town of Hempstead.
There's gonna be one heck of a lawsuit, and a whole bunch of people looking for apartment space in Hempstead Town -- legal and otherwise!
- - -
Driven from home
Mold and mildew force hundreds of people in Westbury community to leave their apartments
BY ZACHARY R. DOWDY zachary.dowdy@newsday.com Staff writer Bill Mason contributed to this story
Hundreds of residents of a brand-new luxury complex in Westbury - home to New York Jets players and low-income residents alike - were told last night they have four months to leave the mold- and mildew-plagued buildings, which residents said have sickened them with respiratory ailments.
The sprawling, 21-building Archstone Westbury community on Corporate Drive, a year-old complex once viewed as a promising mixed-income housing experiment, is being cleared of all residents in more than 400 apartments in the wake of reports of what officials called "pervasive water intrusion problems."
"Archstone must therefore serve formal lease termination notices to all residents, who will be required to relocate by March 31, 2008," read the company's news release, a version of which was given to residents by officials who went door to door last night.
"Reconstruction, which will take approximately one year or more to complete, is expected to begin as early as April 2008," it continued. "Archstone-Smith recently discovered extensive water intrusion, in which water has seeped in through the exterior skin of the property, and conducted an in-depth investigation to assess the extent of the problem."
Residents of the three-story, brick-faced units in the gated community near The Source mall called the situation outrageous and disgusting and said they've endured leaky windows and grotesque mold growing right in their homes.
Katie Coleman, 27, the wife of Jets defensive end Kenyon Coleman, said she and her 2- and 3-year-old children developed nasty coughs soon after she moved into the complex in March, so she got the air in the home tested and complained to management, which she said did not address the problem. But she got a clue that something was really amiss when she saw a massive mold mushrooming on a windowsill in her three-bedroom apartment. She moved out in August.
"I couldn't clear my throat and my kids had coughs," she said. "Archstone said there wasn't anything wrong, but I had water damage in my apartment and my children were sick."
Archstone officials said they recently realized the problem affected all 20 apartment buildings, where regular rents are $2,400 for a one-bedroom apartment to $3,400 for a three-bedroom apartment, and the clubhouse. The affordable housing units, assigned through a lottery, make up about 20 percent of the complex rent for about a third of the market value.
David Pendery, a spokesman for the Englewood, Colo.-based company, said residents would be given "relocation assistance packages" amounting to a month's rent and another sum of between $1,300 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,900 for a three-bedroom apartment.
He also said that the renovations would take about a year and that the company could not guarantee that each tenant would be able to move back into their units.
In 2003, Archstone-Smith agreed to pay $25 million in damages to 800 tenants of a high-rise complex in Bal Harbour, Fla., for mold problems. The settlement was earmarked to pay for property damage and health-related issues stemming from a mold outbreak.
Town of Hempstead officials said they had high hopes for the complex, which was among the county's first mixed-income housing programs.
"We think this is a serious concern, and we hope that Archstone will take every step to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their tenants at the Westbury location," said Mike Deery, a town spokesman. "Certainly, the town was optimistic and certainly hopeful when it announced that Nassau County's first mixed-income rental housing development was to be built in the Town of Hempstead."
Pendery said Archstone-Smith owns or is an owner in 350 properties across the country, an empire comprising 89,000 units.
Staff writer Bill Mason contributed to this story
Copyright © 2007, Newsday Inc.
Its a terrible thing. Forced out of your home -- or, in this case, your rather expensive rental apartment -- because the entire complex has been overrun by mold.
We're not talking Jello here. This is the black, moist, yucky stuff that makes you cough, choke, and, in some cases, deathly ill.
Things are so bad at Archstone in Westbury -- built on land that was once part of the Roosevelt Raceway property, and in the shadows of the Covanta incinerator, which burns the Town's garbage -- that the entire development, housing hundreds, will have to be evacuated.
Remediation, if such a thing is possible with invasive mold and serious "water intrusion" problems, is expected to take a year or more.
Sure, the folks at Archstone screwed up big time. Shoddy construction. Bad material. Clearly something -- or many things -- amiss in the building of this now mold-infested facility.
But what of the culpability of the Town of Hempstead?
Where were the Building Inspectors? Aren't there codes on the books to prevent just such disasters? Was there no enforcement (a rhetorical question)?
Who issued permits? Who signed off on the work? Who issued the Certificates of Completion and/or the Certificates of Occupancy?
Who will be held accountable? Who? Who? Who?
Town spokesman, Mike Deery, expressed disappointment, but nowhere did he, on behalf of a Supervisor who now wants an 8% raise for the great work she's done in Hempstead Town, accept responsibility.
Somebody messed up here. Okay, quite a few people messed up here. The developer. Maybe architects. Possibly engineers. Perhaps the builders. Certainly, the folks responsible for the official stamp of approval, from initial variance to C of O -- the people whose government enterprise at Town Hall is so old that even its mold has mold -- the elected and the anointed at the Town of Hempstead.
There's gonna be one heck of a lawsuit, and a whole bunch of people looking for apartment space in Hempstead Town -- legal and otherwise!
- - -
Driven from home
Mold and mildew force hundreds of people in Westbury community to leave their apartments
BY ZACHARY R. DOWDY zachary.dowdy@newsday.com Staff writer Bill Mason contributed to this story
Hundreds of residents of a brand-new luxury complex in Westbury - home to New York Jets players and low-income residents alike - were told last night they have four months to leave the mold- and mildew-plagued buildings, which residents said have sickened them with respiratory ailments.
The sprawling, 21-building Archstone Westbury community on Corporate Drive, a year-old complex once viewed as a promising mixed-income housing experiment, is being cleared of all residents in more than 400 apartments in the wake of reports of what officials called "pervasive water intrusion problems."
"Archstone must therefore serve formal lease termination notices to all residents, who will be required to relocate by March 31, 2008," read the company's news release, a version of which was given to residents by officials who went door to door last night.
"Reconstruction, which will take approximately one year or more to complete, is expected to begin as early as April 2008," it continued. "Archstone-Smith recently discovered extensive water intrusion, in which water has seeped in through the exterior skin of the property, and conducted an in-depth investigation to assess the extent of the problem."
Residents of the three-story, brick-faced units in the gated community near The Source mall called the situation outrageous and disgusting and said they've endured leaky windows and grotesque mold growing right in their homes.
Katie Coleman, 27, the wife of Jets defensive end Kenyon Coleman, said she and her 2- and 3-year-old children developed nasty coughs soon after she moved into the complex in March, so she got the air in the home tested and complained to management, which she said did not address the problem. But she got a clue that something was really amiss when she saw a massive mold mushrooming on a windowsill in her three-bedroom apartment. She moved out in August.
"I couldn't clear my throat and my kids had coughs," she said. "Archstone said there wasn't anything wrong, but I had water damage in my apartment and my children were sick."
Archstone officials said they recently realized the problem affected all 20 apartment buildings, where regular rents are $2,400 for a one-bedroom apartment to $3,400 for a three-bedroom apartment, and the clubhouse. The affordable housing units, assigned through a lottery, make up about 20 percent of the complex rent for about a third of the market value.
David Pendery, a spokesman for the Englewood, Colo.-based company, said residents would be given "relocation assistance packages" amounting to a month's rent and another sum of between $1,300 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,900 for a three-bedroom apartment.
He also said that the renovations would take about a year and that the company could not guarantee that each tenant would be able to move back into their units.
In 2003, Archstone-Smith agreed to pay $25 million in damages to 800 tenants of a high-rise complex in Bal Harbour, Fla., for mold problems. The settlement was earmarked to pay for property damage and health-related issues stemming from a mold outbreak.
Town of Hempstead officials said they had high hopes for the complex, which was among the county's first mixed-income housing programs.
"We think this is a serious concern, and we hope that Archstone will take every step to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their tenants at the Westbury location," said Mike Deery, a town spokesman. "Certainly, the town was optimistic and certainly hopeful when it announced that Nassau County's first mixed-income rental housing development was to be built in the Town of Hempstead."
Pendery said Archstone-Smith owns or is an owner in 350 properties across the country, an empire comprising 89,000 units.
Staff writer Bill Mason contributed to this story
Copyright © 2007, Newsday Inc.
Raises For Elected Officials?
Sure. Why Not? As Long As Homeowners Get Corresponding Tax Cut!
Pay raise, shmay raise.
You're not going to get us embroiled in the age-old argument of whether elected officials "deserve" a pay hike. [The electorate, being what it is, "deserves" what they get, and that includes elected officials who vote themselves raises right after the election, as if by mandate.]
Part-time office holders receiving full-time pay? Nonsense. Any County Legislator or Town Councilman worth his or her salt is on the job 24/7 -- fielding phone calls, attending community meetings, foregoing family, privacy, and a life in the name of public service.
Yes, but they hold other, full-time jobs, don't they?
So, you too can run for public office, and practice law, run a business, drive a limo, or write a blog. Who's stopping you? [The Democrats are always looking for bright, energetic candidates. Call Jay (not related to Judy) Jacobs for a petition.]
We would never begrudge elected representatives from securing for themselves (as would we all from our respective employers) compensation commensurate with their duties -- or should we say, with the diligent performance of those duties.
No one in his or her right mind would take a job as County Legislator for $42,000, or for that matter, Town of Hempstead Councilmember for $56,500. Unless you are independently wealthy, retired, or right out of college without a family to support or a mortgage to pay, you'd go broke.
If you want to attract good people to public service, you have to pay a decent, living wage, at least somewhat in-line with salaries in the private sphere.
But wait. This is not corporate America, where CEOs rake in millions, and ballplayers quadruple that. This is government work, on the people's payroll.
There has to be accountability, transparency, and a duty owed to the "shareholders" -- in this case, the taxpayers who foot the bill for every dollar that goes into the bank account of a legislator, for health and medical benefits of part-time (or no show) employees, and for pensions and perks for special district commissioners.
More than this, the shareholders need (say "deserve," if it makes you feel better) to be paid dividends when their elected reps get raises.
Call it a quid pro quo or tit for tat.
If the Town Supervisor gives herself an 8% raise, then every property owner in the township gets a corresponding 8% tax cut. [For this year, given that we've already paid our tax bill, we'll take an 8% rebate. You get the raise in your pay check when we get the rebate check in our mailbox!]
County Legislators want a raise of 25%? 50%? 75%?
No problem. Just give us taxpayers corresponding property tax cuts of 25%, 50%, or 75%.
Heck, you can double your salaries -- yes sir, 100% increases -- provided that you rip up our property tax bills and call it even.
We think this is a perfectly fair, and entirely equitable, arrangement. The elected get more money. Those who elect get to keep more money. Its a wash.
And who will pay for these increased salaries when the revenues raised by taxes decrease and the pot nears empty?
Not to worry. They can always float a bond, or "freeze" taxes while imposing a hike in the tax rate. If history is a guide, you'll be none the wiser when the next election rolls around.
- - -
Hempstead supervisor seeks 8-percent raise
BY EDEN LAIKIN
eden.laikin@newsday.com
Weeks after Republicans were re-elected to a majority in Hempstead, town Supervisor Kate Murray will propose giving herself a nearly 8 percent pay raise, the largest of any supervisor on Long Island.
Murray is proposing $55,000 in pay increases effective in January 2008 that will also include a bump in salary for the six town council members, the town clerk and the tax receiver.
Hempstead is the only town in Nassau County to award raises to its elected officials for 2008, proposed budgets show.
The biggest pay hike of $10,000 would go to Murray, bringing her salary to $140,000. That's a 7.6 percent increase. Her last raise came in 2006 when she got a $15,000 increase. If the raise is approved by the town board, Murray will become the second-highest-paid supervisor on Long Island. Huntington Supervisor Frank Petrone will earn $150,850 next year, a 4.5 percent raise. North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman is third with $133,000 and no pay increase for 2008. Fourth is Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto, who will continue to earn his 2007 salary of $125,000 next year.
"The town board works very hard for the residents of Hempstead," Murray said. "We're America's largest township, and I believe the salary adjustments are justified."
The six members of the Hempstead town board would each receive a $5,000 raise, bringing their part-time salaries to $61,500. That's also a 7.6 percent increase. They last received $5,000 raises in 2006.
Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby, the lone Democrat on the board, said she doesn't think the pay raise is out of line.
"I know I work full-time and I have to because of the needs of my community," Goosby said. "I really serve the people well and work hard for it."
Town clerk Mark Bonilla will receive a $7,500 raise, bringing his salary to $96,500, plus $23,000 he earns as the town's registrar. That 7.6 percent increase is also Bonilla's first raise in two years.
A resolution will be introduced at today's town board meeting to schedule a public hearing for Dec. 11 on the proposed pay increases, town officials said.
Hempstead's receiver of taxes, Donald Clavin Jr., would receive a $7,500, or 7 percent increase, bringing his salary to $110,000. This raise, however, is historically not subject to a public hearing.
All the raises must be approved by the town board.
The town contract calls for a yearly pay increase of about 4 percent. None of the officials have received raises since 2006.
Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi created a controversy earlier this year when he proposed a hefty pay raise that would increase his salary from $109,394 to $174,614. The county legislature must vote on that. Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy earns $174,613 a year.
Supervisor salaries
How Hempstead's proposed pay hike would stack up:
TOWN 2007 2008 RAISE
Huntington $144,354 $150,850 4.50%
Hempstead 130,000 140,000 7.69
North Hempstead 133,000 133,000 --
Oyster Bay 125,000 125,000 --
Riverhead 108,863 113,000 3.80
Brookhaven 107,500 110,489 2.78
Smithtown 104,376 107,600 3.09
Islip 103,500 103,500 --
Southampton 101,950 102,000 0.05
Babylon 98,676 98,676 --
East Hampton 92,914 96,863 4.25
Southold 86,992 86,992 --
Shelter Island 66,543 70,000 5.20
Source: Towns
COMPILED BY EDEN LAIKIN
Copyright © 2007, Newsday Inc.
Pay raise, shmay raise.
You're not going to get us embroiled in the age-old argument of whether elected officials "deserve" a pay hike. [The electorate, being what it is, "deserves" what they get, and that includes elected officials who vote themselves raises right after the election, as if by mandate.]
Part-time office holders receiving full-time pay? Nonsense. Any County Legislator or Town Councilman worth his or her salt is on the job 24/7 -- fielding phone calls, attending community meetings, foregoing family, privacy, and a life in the name of public service.
Yes, but they hold other, full-time jobs, don't they?
So, you too can run for public office, and practice law, run a business, drive a limo, or write a blog. Who's stopping you? [The Democrats are always looking for bright, energetic candidates. Call Jay (not related to Judy) Jacobs for a petition.]
We would never begrudge elected representatives from securing for themselves (as would we all from our respective employers) compensation commensurate with their duties -- or should we say, with the diligent performance of those duties.
No one in his or her right mind would take a job as County Legislator for $42,000, or for that matter, Town of Hempstead Councilmember for $56,500. Unless you are independently wealthy, retired, or right out of college without a family to support or a mortgage to pay, you'd go broke.
If you want to attract good people to public service, you have to pay a decent, living wage, at least somewhat in-line with salaries in the private sphere.
But wait. This is not corporate America, where CEOs rake in millions, and ballplayers quadruple that. This is government work, on the people's payroll.
There has to be accountability, transparency, and a duty owed to the "shareholders" -- in this case, the taxpayers who foot the bill for every dollar that goes into the bank account of a legislator, for health and medical benefits of part-time (or no show) employees, and for pensions and perks for special district commissioners.
More than this, the shareholders need (say "deserve," if it makes you feel better) to be paid dividends when their elected reps get raises.
Call it a quid pro quo or tit for tat.
If the Town Supervisor gives herself an 8% raise, then every property owner in the township gets a corresponding 8% tax cut. [For this year, given that we've already paid our tax bill, we'll take an 8% rebate. You get the raise in your pay check when we get the rebate check in our mailbox!]
County Legislators want a raise of 25%? 50%? 75%?
No problem. Just give us taxpayers corresponding property tax cuts of 25%, 50%, or 75%.
Heck, you can double your salaries -- yes sir, 100% increases -- provided that you rip up our property tax bills and call it even.
We think this is a perfectly fair, and entirely equitable, arrangement. The elected get more money. Those who elect get to keep more money. Its a wash.
And who will pay for these increased salaries when the revenues raised by taxes decrease and the pot nears empty?
Not to worry. They can always float a bond, or "freeze" taxes while imposing a hike in the tax rate. If history is a guide, you'll be none the wiser when the next election rolls around.
- - -
Hempstead supervisor seeks 8-percent raise
BY EDEN LAIKIN
eden.laikin@newsday.com
Weeks after Republicans were re-elected to a majority in Hempstead, town Supervisor Kate Murray will propose giving herself a nearly 8 percent pay raise, the largest of any supervisor on Long Island.
Murray is proposing $55,000 in pay increases effective in January 2008 that will also include a bump in salary for the six town council members, the town clerk and the tax receiver.
Hempstead is the only town in Nassau County to award raises to its elected officials for 2008, proposed budgets show.
The biggest pay hike of $10,000 would go to Murray, bringing her salary to $140,000. That's a 7.6 percent increase. Her last raise came in 2006 when she got a $15,000 increase. If the raise is approved by the town board, Murray will become the second-highest-paid supervisor on Long Island. Huntington Supervisor Frank Petrone will earn $150,850 next year, a 4.5 percent raise. North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman is third with $133,000 and no pay increase for 2008. Fourth is Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto, who will continue to earn his 2007 salary of $125,000 next year.
"The town board works very hard for the residents of Hempstead," Murray said. "We're America's largest township, and I believe the salary adjustments are justified."
The six members of the Hempstead town board would each receive a $5,000 raise, bringing their part-time salaries to $61,500. That's also a 7.6 percent increase. They last received $5,000 raises in 2006.
Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby, the lone Democrat on the board, said she doesn't think the pay raise is out of line.
"I know I work full-time and I have to because of the needs of my community," Goosby said. "I really serve the people well and work hard for it."
Town clerk Mark Bonilla will receive a $7,500 raise, bringing his salary to $96,500, plus $23,000 he earns as the town's registrar. That 7.6 percent increase is also Bonilla's first raise in two years.
A resolution will be introduced at today's town board meeting to schedule a public hearing for Dec. 11 on the proposed pay increases, town officials said.
Hempstead's receiver of taxes, Donald Clavin Jr., would receive a $7,500, or 7 percent increase, bringing his salary to $110,000. This raise, however, is historically not subject to a public hearing.
All the raises must be approved by the town board.
The town contract calls for a yearly pay increase of about 4 percent. None of the officials have received raises since 2006.
Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi created a controversy earlier this year when he proposed a hefty pay raise that would increase his salary from $109,394 to $174,614. The county legislature must vote on that. Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy earns $174,613 a year.
Supervisor salaries
How Hempstead's proposed pay hike would stack up:
TOWN 2007 2008 RAISE
Huntington $144,354 $150,850 4.50%
Hempstead 130,000 140,000 7.69
North Hempstead 133,000 133,000 --
Oyster Bay 125,000 125,000 --
Riverhead 108,863 113,000 3.80
Brookhaven 107,500 110,489 2.78
Smithtown 104,376 107,600 3.09
Islip 103,500 103,500 --
Southampton 101,950 102,000 0.05
Babylon 98,676 98,676 --
East Hampton 92,914 96,863 4.25
Southold 86,992 86,992 --
Shelter Island 66,543 70,000 5.20
Source: Towns
COMPILED BY EDEN LAIKIN
Copyright © 2007, Newsday Inc.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)