Earth To Albany. Come In Albany.....

Is Anybody Up There Listening?

Earth Day (April 20) Is Lobby Day In The State Capital
Earthlings Encouraged To Speak Up

Our good friends at Citizens Campaign for the Environment remind us, and all New Yorkers, that April 20th is Lobby Day up in Albany, coinciding -- not necessarily by chance -- with Earth Day.

Could it be that we can attribute global warming to all that hot air coming out of the State Legislature?

Who knows?

We do know that if you want your voice to be heard over the din of dysfunctional droning, you have to speak up -- not only at the polls, but at your legislators' front doors.

Remember, a sustainable Long Island depends upon an environmentally sound and viable Long Island!
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Please Join Us for Earth Day Lobby Day 2010

Join hundreds of environmentalists from across the state in advocating for measures to protect New York’s land, air, water & people!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010
9:30 AM – 4:00 PM
New York State Capitol
Albany, NY

New York’s environmental resources are being threatened now as they never have been before.
Please join us for the 20th annual Earth Day Lobby Day in Albany, New York. Hear from government and environmental leaders, learn about current legislation, and lobby your state lawmakers on environmental issues that are important to you.

This event is free and open to the public, but you must pre-register to attend.

No experience needed, just a desire to protect NY’s environment.

Sign up now for Earth Day Lobby Day at: https://spreadsheets.google.com/
viewform?formkey=dDVadmtFQWFjWEp3THFjNWgtZWpzTlE6MA

Earth Day Lobby Day 2010 is being sponsored by Audubon New York, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Environmental Advocates of New York, the New York Public Interest Research Group, Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, and other organizations.

Thank you for joining us. We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,
YOUR FRIENDS AT CCE

Is Stony Brook "Dumping" On LI's Environment?

Threat of Southampton Campus Closure Disheartens More Than Students Alone

From our good friends at EastEndEnvironment.org, who remind us that the environment and sustainability are everyone's concern.

Is SUNY missing the forest for the trees? Can the Southampton Campus be saved? Are we once again merely paying lip service to sustainability here on Long Island? Did the State of New York squander taxpayer money yet again?

From Elmont in the west to Montauk in the east, we are all Long Islanders.

We report. You decide. We all take action!
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From EastEndEnvironment.org:
Take Action: State University (SUNY) to Dump Environmental Campus at Southampton
by Group Staff

State University (SUNY) to Dump Environmental Campus at Southampton
Read on to TAKE ACTION.

Yesterday, Stony Brook University’s new President Samuel Stanley stunned several hundred confused and saddened students by announcing his plan to essentially shut down the State University’s brand new environmental campus in Southampton. In the face of pending state budget cuts, Stony Brook’s new leadership claims it cannot sustain the campus that, ironically, hosted the university’s Sustainability Studies programs. Click here for a video of the rally.

Campus Dedicated to Sustainability Never Given a Chance
Just a few years ago, the East End community rallied behind Stony Brook University to save Southampton College from closure. Under its prior President Shirley Strum Kenny, Stony Brook agreed to take the campus over and invested $35 million in renovations and began a courageous effort to create a campus curriculum with heavy focus on conservation and sustainability. Students feel they were never given a chance to build the campus to its full potential. Click here for the Southampton Press coverage.

Campus Produces Volunteers, Interns, Future Employees
Over the years, the Group for the East End has recruited many volunteers, interns and professional staff members from Southampton College and recently reestablished that same positive relationship with the new SUNY campus as well. Our region depends on this campus to produce people who understand community planning and the conservation ethic that peacefully links humans and the natural environment on the East End.

Closure Will Negatively Impact Local Economy and Education
The Southampton campus contributes greatly to the local economy, from students and faculty who use local services and dine out in local restaurants to graduates who remain in the area and become part of our community. In addition, some local young members of the community rely on the university as a feasible means of achieving higher education close to home. Click here for the Southampton Town Supervisor’s support of the campus.

TAKE ACTION to Save the Southampton Campus

Given the level of investment made in the Southampton campus, we do not accept that the programs must be abandoned before they have ever been given a chance to succeed and have hope that our state leaders who have been crucial to the preservation of the Southampton campus.

Who’s On Our Side?
Click here to e-mail Senator LaValle and Assemblyman Thiele to express your support for their efforts to restore funding to SUNY Stony Brook at Southampton, so the campus may remain open and continue to grow as an asset to our region.

Who’s Against Us?
Click here to e-mail SUNY Stony Brook President Samuel Stanley. Let him know you oppose his decision to close the campus with little warning and no input from the students. You may also want to call his office at 631-632-6265 or mail a letter to:

The Office of the President
310 Administration Building
Stony Brook, NY 11974-0701

Click here to e-mail SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher. Let her know that you oppose the closure of the campus and ask her to take control to restore funding so it can remain open.

By Kate Schertel, Director of Community Outreach
MEDIA ADVISORY
Contact: Kate Schertel
(631) 765-6450, ext. 208
kschertel@eastendenvironment.org

Old Comptrollers Never Die!

The Best Of 'Em Don't Even Fade Away

Howard Weitzman is back!

No, there hasn't been a coup at the Nassau County Comptrollers' office, deposing George Maragos. [The voters will have to do that the next time around.]

Weitzman, now private citizen, is staying in the public eye, keeping up the fight against such evils as the special taxing districts and other lowly vestiges of government inefficiency, and maintaining a highly visible presence on the web -- www.HowardSWeitzman.com -- which looks suspiciously like his old Nassau County Comptroller's website.

We can see the wheels spinning at County GOP headquarters (that's all they do is spin). "Can he do that? He's hijacked county government?"

Actually, he can (and he has). And, from our perspective, the hijackers of good government are on the inside now, leaving us the job of getting them out.

Call it a shadow government, or leadership in exile, the fight for more efficient local government goes on -- http://www.howardsweitzman.com/agencies/Comptroller/biography.html -- and we at The Community Alliance are delighted to see our dear friend Howard Weitzman leading the charge.

While dismantling the fiefdoms that are the special districts and reforming local government may no longer be high order on the official website of the Nassau County Comptroller -- http://www.nassaucountyny.gov/agencies/Comptroller/specialdistricts.html -- thank heaven Howard is still steady on the course. http://howardsweitzman.com/agencies/Comptroller/specialdistricts.html

When government fails us, and government officials become derelict in their duties, citizen soldiers must march to the front lines.

Thank you, Howard, for taking your place in the trenches!
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Check out the Facebook page of the Nassau County Government Efficiency Project at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nassau-County-Government-Efficiency-Project/105651406142175?ref=ts and become a friend of community.
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Join The Community Alliance on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CommunityAlli

Look! Up In The Tree. . .

It's A Bird. It's A Balloon. It's A @#%&!* Plastic Bag!

Time To Ban The Bag In New York

Plastic bags. You know, the kind you get in the supermarket, where everything falls out or rips through. The bags that get caught under your car, clog our sewers, fly across ballfields, lodge under bushes, and last an eternity in landfills.

Plastic bags. Scourge of the environmentalist. Bane of the shopper. Product of billions of gallons of petroleum.

The plastic bag industry laughed loud, indeed, when they conned the public with the "it's reuseable" campaign. Stores began replacing the kraft paper bags (biodegradable) with plastic, sometimes offering both (as in, "paper or plastic"), but most often, now only packing plastic, into which two or three items can squeeze, at most (only to roll out in your car's trunk).

Sure, you could -- and should -- use those canvass bags. Most stores will even give you a credit when you do. Still, why not eliminate the plastic bag altogether, banning its use -- and misuse -- in New York State?

Bans on the plastic bag are not uncommon. In fact, in major cities such as Los Angeles,  San Francisco, London, and Beijing, bans have been in effect for several years. And, across the planet, the move to ban plastic bags is growing.

Considering the fact that New York lost its progressive edge with Teddy Roosevelt, and has been behind the curve on virtually every environmental and consumer issue for as long as anyone can remember, what will it take to adopt a plastic bag ban here in the Empire State?

Whole Foods has rid many of its stores of the dreaded plastic bag, and IKEA only offers them for sale. The NYC Council considered a ban in 2007, vigorously opposed, of course, by the Progressive Bag Alliance. [Darn those bag ladies...]

Here on Long Island, the plastic bag fluorishes, undaunted by concerns for the environment, the cost of its production, the insidious means by which it finds its way into our homes, our parks, our beaches, and along our roadways.

With Earth Hour just behind us, and Earth Day (April 22nd) right ahead, perhaps the time has come, at long last, for Long Islanders to join the movement to ban the plastic bag in New York, once and for all.

Consider it a matter of our quality of life, on the top ten list of things to do before we leave Long Island to Generation Next. [And add to that ever-growing list, removing cars from public roadways for street cleaning, and placing the trash at the curb in sealed containers.]

So, while you're writing, e-mailing and phoning your State Senators and Assemblymembers, beseeching them to lower property taxes, rein in spending, build affordable housing, equitably fund public education, and all the other good stuff we've been blogging about, don't forget to mention banning the plastic bag.

Bug the bag out of your county, town, and village officials, as well. Heck, if they can't -- or won't -- tackle the more global issues, at least they can -- and should -- take on the little ones. They, too, have a global impact.

It's time to Ban the bag, New York!

It's Still Not The Assessment, Stupid!

Annual Review Deemed Preferable To Once In Four Years

Could it be that Nassau County Exec Ed Mangano and his ill-conceived ilk just don't get it, or are they simply playing Nassau County homeowners for the fools that we apparently are.

Take a look at the letter you received in January from the Department of Assessment, and you will see something quite amazing. The market value of your residential property is right on the money.

In many cases, market value, upon which the assessment is based, is actually lower than the value of the house on the marketplace. How lucky can you get?

Once again, loudly, for those who suffer from Attention Deficit: IT'S NOT THE ASSESSMENT, IT'S THE TAX RATES!

You can review assessment weekly, or once in a decade. Reduce the assessed value to a single dollar. The tax rates, for county, town, special districts, and schools, will simply skyrocket to fill the gap.

Tax savings? Nil!

Propaganda of the Assessment as the root of all evil? Priceless!

Look. They're no fools who propose an assessment "freeze" or who "order" (are they authorized to do that?) reassessment every four years instead of annually. It makes good press, and, beyond believing in the Tooth Fairy or Santa Claus, lulls people into a false sense that government is really doing something to reduce property taxes.

Bottom line: Watch the bottom line. Fools and their tax dollars are, invariably, soon parted...
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From Newsday:

State says Nassau tax roll fair due to yearly review

by ELIZABETH MOORE / elizabeth.moore@newsday.com

Nassau County's much-maligned residential tax roll has won top marks for fairness from New York State, a result the state's Office of Real Property Services chalks up to its annual reassessments.

The county has improved steadily over the past few years and its 2009 roll got a higher grade for accuracy than any Long Island town or city save Shelter Island, which also updates its tax roll annually. It also did better than the city of Long Beach.

The findings add a new wrinkle to the complex politics of the issue for County Executive Ed Mangano, who was elected on a wave of taxpayer rage and Wednesday signed an executive order switching from annual to quadrennial reassessments. Mangano has charged that the assessment system "is broken, does not work and is not fair to taxpayers."

But as to the roll itself, the state has found exactly the opposite, seven years after court-ordered reassessments began. "Compared to most other municipalities on Long Island, Nassau's assessment roll has consistently shown greater equity as a result of its reassessments," said Geoffrey Gloak, spokesman for the state Office of Real Property Services.

"That's what you would expect from a municipality that's conducting reassessments on an annual basis. They tend to produce a more accurate roll."

A Mangano spokesman declined comment on the state's analysis, saying he had not seen it. But Legis. Howard J. Kopel (R-Lawrence), chairman of the government services committee, scoffed at the findings.

"I absolutely do not believe it," he said. "No one thinks their tax assessments are accurate . . . I think the fact that we've got so many grievances filed certainly suggests there's a problem."

The state's findings are even more favorable than the analysis produced last spring by county assessor Ted Jankowski Jr. Jankowski found myriad problems with the assessment and grievance system, but concluded the residential roll itself is far fairer now than the public realizes.

The county's grade comes in the form of a "coefficient of dispersion," a statistic measuring how closely the roll matches true property values judging from actual sales on the open market. The lower the C.O.D., the fairer the system; a C.O.D. of 10 or less is the national standard for areas as populous as Nassau.

Nassau's C.O.D. for its 2009 roll was 6.5, the state found. By contrast, Long Beach's 2009 tax roll scored 14.9; Brookhaven's 17.7, and Huntington's 13.9.

"No reassessment is perfect, no matter how big or small the locality," Gloak said, adding Nassau's good score "doesn't mean that there aren't other aspects of the county's system that are in need of change - for instance, the appeals process."

Fred Perry, a tax-grievance attorney, expressed skepticism about the state's methods, but agreed the roll is improved. "In the aggregate numbers, it's not as bad as people think," he said.

But Perry said there are still too many "ridiculous errors" and evidence of poor quality control.

Click Until It Helps!

Google Ads Aid Charities; Cost You Nothing

Since inception, The Community Alliance has utilized the "click-n-pay" services of Google Ads -- as seen to the left -- to raise money for causes near and dear.

Each time you click on any (or all) of the Google Ad links, The Community Alliance gets a few pennies, all of which are donated to worthy humanitarian causes.

To click costs you nothing, zippo, nada. The satisfaction gained from doing good? Priceless!

In the past, we've donated proceeds to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for Breast Cancer Research, the March of Dimes, and the American Red Cross, among other reputable charities.

Locally, we are supporting -- and encourage you to do so, as well -- LI2Day, a 2-Day Long Island walk to fight breast cancer, June 5 and 6, 2010.

With your "clicks," we will continue to give, and give some more, until it helps!

Thank you for your support.

The Sky Is Falling

As Are New York's Bridges

Chicken Little may have been afoul in crying wolf, but here in New York, our bridges and roadways are, indeed, on the verge of falling.

In the land where all that is of significance -- and even more which is not -- takes to the Internet, the dismal state of New York's infrastructure now takes center stage at NYBridgesAreFallingDown.com.

Okay, so the website is brought to you by the very folks who build those bridges -- the Associated General Contractors [much like "say no to the soda tax" is sponsored by the beverage manufacturers and bottlers] -- but hey, have you taken a ride over any of New York's bridges lately?

As if the potholes in our streets and highways weren't awful enough (anybody need a hubcap?), too many of our State's bridges are not only torture to drive over, they're downright dangerous.

According to the website, considered "deficient and in need of repair" are "6,470 bridges across New York State. Of the bridges deemed 'deficient,' 163 bridges received a rating the same or lower than the Crown Point Bridge (3.375) that was deemed unsafe and blown up in December." [Check out the most dangerous bridges in New York.]

Phew! Are we lucky they never built that bridge over Long Island Sound, or what?

In Nassau and Suffolk counties, most of the bridges are deemed "safe," with none designated as "very dangerous." [Not to worry. They're working on it!]

As for the other bridges in New York, in danger, if not of collapsing outright, then certainly of causing considerable damage to your automobile, proponents of their repair or replacement suggest that We, the People, take action, contacting our State representatives, and urging them to support the NYS Department of Transportation's Infrastructure Reinvestment Plan.

With the State's deficit now at more than $8 billion, and growing, one may ask where the money to rebuild these bridges will come from? [The soda tax is already spoken for.]

We suppose we shall cross that bridge, if at all, when it falls beneath us into the abyss.

Have Pun, Will Travel

"Mad As Hell" Paladino Joins GOP Race For Governor

If Rick Lazio (next in line to "fix Albany") thought his ascension to the GOP nomination for Governor would be a cakewalk, well, he had another guess (Steve Levy) or two (Carl Paladino) coming.

Oh, Lazio is still the likely nominee, Levy's dramatic switch from lifelong Democrat to the Party of "no", and Paladino's call for a statewide Tea Party party, notwithstanding.

Lazio is, after all, the true, cloth-coat Republican, he of the old school where the mindset remains mired in, "If you don't like the way things are now, let's go back to the way you didn't like things then."

Call Steve Levy an opportunist, as many loyal Republicans do, or a dyed-in-the-wool (there's that Republican cloth coat again) convert to the party of Bush, Cheney, Limbaugh, and Steele, he won't survive a primary fight, all the fiscal conservatism in the world aside. [Maybe it's the mustache, not seen in the Governor's office since the days of Thomas Dewey.]

With a stance on immigration that makes Peter King look like an Al Queada-hugging supporter of the Taliban, and the latest tiff over the eruption of street violence in Suffolk County now embroiling the emboldened County Exec, there's a growing sense that you don't have to be bluish (as in incensed Democrat) to loathe Levy.

The real opportunist, truth be told, is Carl "turn Albany upside down to take out the trash" Paladino, who, good mega-landlord that he is, blames someone else for the leaky pipes and crumbling plaster in the apartment building, but offers tenants in residence little more than platitudes when it comes to the fix. And wasn't it Paladino's bucks that helped elect to office many of the folks Carl now looks to trash?"

Carl isn't going anywhere, lest the misguided Tea Party activists, buying into Paladino's tome that more people will die under health care reform than perished on 9/11, alone come out to vote in November, ala Nassau County, regaling the "good old days" which, quite frankly, weren't very good at all.

It's fine to be "mad as hell," particularly at government, which, regardless of party control, has neither been effective nor representative for as far back as most of us can remember. [Here on Long Island, that time span is a week, more or less.]

Still, in the party of the cloth coat, there's only so much wool to be pulled over one's eyes.
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From the Albany Times Union:

Race begins with famous rant
Buffalo developer Carl Paladino banks on 'Network' line in gubernatorial campaign
By JIMMY VIELKIND, Capitol bureau

BUFFALO -- "Look," said Bill Paladino, surveying the marble-clad atrium where his father, Carl, was about to declare his candidacy for governor. "You see business partners, you see family, you see friends, you see working people. They all want change."

Below him, a crowd of hundreds murmured in the historic Ellicott Square Building. People sipped wine as a jazz band played "My Girl" and caterers carved beef onto kimmelweck rolls. A giant orange banner hung from the cast iron ceiling beams blared the theme of the campaign: "I'm mad as hell, Carl."

The hundreds of people gathered Monday night were fed up with Albany, their high taxes, and implacable legislators. They said they were mad as hell, echoing Paladino's theme and the famous rant in the 1976 movie "Network." It was that clip of Peter Finch's deranged TV anchor -- not a friend, not a party leader -- that introduced Paladino, who descended an ornate staircase and declared his intention to replace the "despicable government in Albany."

"Career politicians interested only in their own re-election have systematically destroyed the underpinnings of our economic growth," Paladino said. "Our businesses can't compete. Enough is enough. Are you fed up? Are you mad as hell?"

There was more bluster than platform in the 30-minute speech, which was remarkably soft in intonation considering its content. Paladino said he would declare a fiscal emergency when elected, and would focus on making public education more accountable.

He faces a long road. Wealthy from his role as one of the biggest landlords in Buffalo, Paladino has committed to spend as much as $10 million toward his campaign. He is seeking to petition his way into a Republican primary as well as create a statewide Tea Party; each feat will require him to gather 15,000 signatures from voters around the state.

Republican and Conservative leaders in Erie County are talking him up, but he has little support in other areas of New York. "You can buy a ground operation, but it's very expensive to do that, and you have to be very careful to hire good troops -- because, presumably, other Republicans who are seeking the nomination for governor will be looking for ways to get him off the ballot," said Steve Greenberg, a spokesman for the Siena research Institute.

And there will be plenty of mud for his opponents to sling at him. Paladino acknowledged in recent days fathering a daughter out of wedlock, and has in the past used ethnic slurs in interviews with the press. He has donated nearly $500,000 to politicians of both parties and holds millions in state leases. He has said more people will die from a just-passed federal health reform measure than were killed on 9/11.

"Wealthy, successful businessmen are not used to getting punched," said Erick Mullen, a media consultant who worked on the 2002 campaign of Tom Golisano. "If he can't take a punch and grow a thicker skin, he'll be unable to convince the party elite that he's the one who can carry the flag to victory."

Paladino was unconcerned, and said he was ready for whatever "smear campaign" is coming.

"But when they attack me, they attack you," he said. "If they don't know already, the Albany ruling class will soon learn the strength of our movement, and the remarkable day of reckoning that will come in November."

Jimmy Vielkind can be reached at 454-5081 or by e-mail at jvielkind@timesunion.com.

The Green, Green Grass of Long Island

A Cleaner, Greener, More Sustainable Community, From The Ground Up

Spring is in the air, and, as it turns out, in the soil below.

Birds are singing, tulips are blooming, the buds are bursting on the trees and there's new life being breathed into the grass beneath our feet.

And so we ask you to be kind to Long Island's environment, particularly the aquifers from which we get our drinking water, and into which seeps whatever we may pour down the storm sewers or heap upon our lawns and gardens.

Our good friends at the Long Island Neighborhood Network and the Sustainability Institute at Molloy College remind us that pesticides, herbicides, and inorganic fertilizers are out, while natural, organic feeding and weeding is in.

Go Green, Long Island, and breathe easy while you enjoy the green, green grass of home!
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From The Neighborhood Network:
2010 Organic Landscaper List

Available Now

Each year the Neighborhood Network compiles a list of Long Island landscaping companies that can provide 100% synthetic chemical-free service.

Each landscaper on the list meets educational requirements, demonstrates knowledge of organic methods, and signs an agreement with the Neighborhood Network to provide service that meets our organic standards to customers that contact them through our list.

You can find the list on our website at: http://neighborhood-network.org/landscapers
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Great Brookhaven Cleanup -- April 17th

Keep Brookhaven Beautiful and Keep America Beautiful, Inc., in cooperation with the Town of Brookhaven, invite you to join the Great American Cleanup(TM).

Last year, 4,000 Brookhaven residents joined over 2.3 million volunteers in more than 15,000 communities across America to pick up millions of tons of litter, renew parks, plant community gardens, beautify miles of roadway, and clean up rivers, lakes and seashores in their communities.

Great Brookhaven Cleanup -- April 17th
Plant-In -- May 15th.

To find out more and to volunteer visit:
Brookhaven Waste Management
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Pesticide Regulation

Legislative Priorities for 2010

The Neighborhood Network is supporting the passage of the following bills in the New York State Legislature.

•Local Control of Pesticides - A02662 (Englebright)
This bill would allow local governments to regulate pesticide use and notification more stringently than the State Department of Environmental Conservation

•School Grounds Pesticide Ban - A07937/S04983 (Englebright/Foley)
This bill would prohibit almost all use of pesticides on grounds, playgrounds and athletic fields of schools and daycare.

Contact your State Legislators to voice your support of these bills.

To find out who your State Senator and Assembly member are, visit the New York State Board of Elections web site at: http://nymap.elections.state.ny.us/nysboe/
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2010 Organic Turf Show Journal

You can find out more about the Organic Turf Show and download a copy of the Organic Turf Show Resource Journal at our website.

The Journal includes descriptions of the products and services displayed at the show and contact information for the vendors and speakers, as well as pictures from the show.

http://organicturfshow.org/
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Help Support the Neighborhood Network

To make a tax deductible contribution to the Neighborhood Network Research Center, you can call us at 631-963-5454, between 9:30 am and 9:00 pm to make a credit card donation by phone, or make a secure contribution online at: http://neighborhood-network.org/organization/join.htm
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Folks, it's YOUR Long Island. Keep it clean. Make it GREEN!

Discover Farmingdale, As Gateway To Sustainability

In Community We Trust: Prelude To Long Island 2020

Our friends at the newly formed Greater Farmingdale Community Land Trust write us:

"Folks at The Community Alliance, I read with interest your new message (Long Island 2020) toward partnering for a better LI. We agree too much lip service and studies that most often go nowhere. I am a civic leader in Farmingdale and co-founder of a new NFP ‘Greater Farmingdale Community Land Trust’. We have created a community-based planning team and a civic development tool toward a more sustainable future. This is a model for other communities to take a serious look at. Please find below our mission doc.

We welcome your comments and feedback toward spreading this model across Long Island.

Regards,
Chuck Gosline"

Well, Chuck, here's to spreading the word, and welcoming aboard civic and community leaders (and, hopefully, a few of our local elected officials, as well) from Elmont to Montauk, as we partner, and build (not merely study and plan, but build) that better burb.

As we've said many times over the years -- and we will keep on saying it -- the status quo is never good enough!

The time to "do" rather than just talk about doing is NOW!

Folks, let's hear from you at TheCommunityAlliance@yahoo.com. Get involved in the future of our Long Island community. Shape the tomorrows of your hometown. Be a part of the renaissance that will be the legacy of every Long Islander.
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From Discover Farmingdale Study Group

Greater Farmingdale Community Land Trust inc.
33 Waverly Place Farmingdale, Long Island New York 11735
‘an intergenerational community-based planning alliance for stronger communities’

Dear fellow Long Islander,
Over the past two years a number of residents, civic and community leaders have come together to form the Discover Farmingdale Study group. Our vision is to provide a forum for community members to engage in community based planning discussions that we believe can promote more community stewardship toward helping to improve the future health and welfare of the greater Farmingdale community.

After months of dialogue, debate, research and planning our Discover Farmingdale Study Group has drafted some ideas to consider. The group has looked at the potential opportunities within the four hamlets of the entire Farmingdale community and we have also gone into understanding the impacts to our neighboring communities. Those ideas include but are not limited to the potential for creating; some level of 100% permanent housing affordability, an intergenerational recreational community center, a performing arts theater in the downtown and some 100% affordable commercial business space for niche retail/small business entrepreneurs in our community.

Nassau and Suffolk Counties are among the Nation’s oldest ‘first suburbs.’ With that distinction come many concerns and challenges for our future. Long Island’s high property taxes, high energy costs, older infrastructure, and the fact that homeownership is further out of reach for many of our young people is also impacting the growth of local business. Over the past four years local economists have stated that; young people are fleeing LI at a greater rate than else where putting Long Island in a crisis due to the lack of housing affordability. Three local reports have confirmed this; Rutgers University, LIA and the LI Index have publicly stated that Long Island will need to build over 60,000 units of housing through 2020 if the region is to sustain and grow.

What have are our elected officials done to help maintain and grow quality jobs on Long Island? Another High-Tech firm has just left LI. Young people, your sons and daughters, continue to flee LI for jobs and housing much more affordable in other states.

Most people agree that the region needs more workforce-housing, yet little is being done.

The LI Regional Planning Council launched a Sustainability Project called ‘LI 2035’ that hopes to project opportunities for growth and act as a LI Master Plan for towns and villages to use as a guide toward more sustainable growth. Recently released findings state that opportunities exist in our downtowns particularly near LIRR train stations. The recent LI Index 2010 Report also touts that strategy as a viable redevelopment option. In our community, Farmingdale has two such opportunities, in our village and in the hamlet of East Farmingdale in the Town of Babylon. Many exist in other hamlets and villages across Long Island.

Can more be done? Yes, we believe so. But it will take the cooperative efforts of residents, civic groups, businesses and most importantly municipalities. Two years ago a small group of Farmingdale residents launched the Discover Farmingdale Study group, a community-based planning initiative toward addressing opportunities in the greater Farmingdale hamlets. Our study group has worked with local and national not-for-profits, local universities, interested residents and civics leaders toward building the framework for creating a civic – municipal partnership.

One such group is New Directions Community Based Research Institute. They continue to promote a proven model to Long Island policy makers. In January 2008 New Directions received key funding support from the Ford Foundation and Citigroup Foundation to design, develop and implement a model for Shared Equity 100% permanently affordable Housing on Long Island. They selected Farmingdale as one of their pilot communities of which could become a new suburban model for a civic - municipal partnership for communities across Long Island.

At the heart of this project will be the use of a civic tool called the Community Land Trust. This model, a NFP 501C3, has been used around the country with success for over twenty-five years. Simply stated, a community NFP corporation is formed and organized to develop projects that help create and maintain community assets. This is done uniquely by separating the land costs, utilizing one-time land subsidies, to preserve sites in perpetuity. Land is owned by the local NFP and the structure developed above the land is then owned/rented and/or leased by residents.

We have just formed the first CLT in Nassau County, Greater Farmingdale Community Land Trust inc. Our goal will be to help preserve and create community assets toward a sustainable future. We would like to gain the support of as many local organizations as possible, having at least one rep attend future workshops/meetings. Then, bring this info back to your local group and help gain the support from your membership. With that support we can more effectively lobby our elected and officials.

Thank you for your time and consideration, we look forward to your comments and support. You contact me at 516-346-7411 and/or via email at ckgosline@optonline.net.

Sincerely,
Chuck Gosline
DF GFCLT Team Lead
- - -
While the Long Island Regional Planning Council may have launched a sustainability project entitled LI 2035, frankly, we can't wait that long. [Check out Nassau County's web page for the LI Regional Planning Council. "Under Construction," like every other plan, idea, and concept on the county's drafting table. Suffolk's site, while up and running, is dated, offering little more than platitudes.]

A sustainable, liveable, more affordable, and viable Long Island by 2020. Roll up your sleves, folks, and grab a shovel. The great leap forward begins today!

The Party Goes On At The Special Taxing Districts

From The Party That Brought You Special Trucks To Pick Up Bread During Passover

Seems that reining in those renegade special districts isn't much of a priority for Nassau County's newly-elected Republican Comptroller, George Maragos.

Anybody surprised?

After all, the sanitary districts, water districts, lighting districts, waste disposal districts -- you name 'em, we've got 'em -- are the last great bastion of patronage and power for the Grand Old Party of No, and Mr. Maragos could well be the poster child for keeping that party (complete with 52" HDTVs and bottomless kegs) going.
- - -
From News12 Long Island:
Nassau activists urge special districts reform

(04/01/10) FLORAL PARK - Protesters pressed Nassau’s new comptroller Thursday to pick up where his predecessor left off on special tax district consolidation, but he is adamant against the idea.

Former Comptroller Howard Weitzman reported finding countless examples of waste in the county’s special tax districts, like fire, police, water and sanitation. He said taxpayers end up paying much more than they need to.

George Maragos, who now holds the job, says his first priority is fixing the county’s $250 million deficit.

“Advocating consolidation of special districts on a broad level, on a county level, for us makes no sense,” Maragos says.

Protesters say the tax districts should either be combined or eliminated.
- - -
No sense to Maragos. Nonsense to every homeowner and business owner in Nassau County who pays property taxes!
- - -
For more information on the special taxing districts, visit the website of Residents for Efficient Special Districts (RESD) at www.resd.info.

Ten Grand To "Build A Better Burb"

Long Island Index Offers "Reward" For A New (or Improved) Suburbia

Okay. So we've been offering up -- and asking for -- ideas to reinvent suburbia here at The Community Alliance going on the better part of a decade now. Maybe we haven't been giving folks enough of an incentive!

Well, here come our friends at the Long Island Index -- the people who, year in and year out, study the stuff that makes Long Island what it is, misery factor and all -- with a $10,000 prize ($2500 for a student) in the offing.

Have an idea for revitalizing "downtown?" A new beginning for America's oldest suburb? A plan whose time has come? [Certainly, we can't rely upon county or town government to come up with anything fresh and enticing, let alone innovative, now can we?]

Then you -- and perhaps your fellow Long Islanders -- may already be winners. ["Teams" are welcome to compete for the prize, as well. Come on, civic and community groups. There may be something in this for you!]

How about forming The Community Alliance team? Why not? Share the wealth. [If interested in leading our team and spearheading this project, e-mail us at TheCommunityAlliance@yahoo.com]

Go to BuildABetterBurb.org to find out more, access resources (coming soon, of course), and to register.

Not many (if any) Long Islanders on the judging panel, we see. Then again, we seem to have a knack on Long Island for exporting talent, along with our children.

The Regional Plan Association is in on this gig. You know. P-L-A-N. As in that dirty little four-letter word we've come to hear so much about in these parts, with so very little to actually show for it.

Anyway, it's a novel approach. Pay people to think and suggest for a better, brighter Long Island. [Hey, wait a minute. Isn't that what we've been doing with our elected officials since the day Levitt first broke ground on the Hempstead Plain? Hmmm.]

And, when you do come up with that wonderful idea (a plan, no doubt, that would stand Charlie Wang on his head), no worries about zoning restrictions or budget constraints. [Oh no. The town will take care of zoning, and money, since no one has any, is no object!]

Our intial recommendation to the panel of judges at Long Island Index would be to read our blog, beginning to end. Then read it again, out loud, with gusto. Next, offer that $10,000 "reward" for an idea that not only reads great on paper or sounds wonderful in theory, but actually comes to fruition. Otherwise, like "Cool Downtowns" and light rail, you end up with little more than an academic exercise, with more good money being thrown after bad.

Surely, there's a viable, workable, creative and expressive idea -- or hundreds  -- worthy of exploration, if not ten thousand enchiladas. [And half -- or was that twice? -- as many that have been quashed by local government or naysayed by NIMYism!]

As for the rest of you, get crackin'. Put those thinking caps on. Go for the gold.

And remember, when that light bulb, dim as it may be, does go off over your swollen head, send us your ideas for publication here at The Community Alliance blog. You can e-mail us at TheCommunityAlliance@yahoo.com. We welcome all suggestions.

We may not have ten grand to put in your pocket, but guaranteed, the recognition (not to mention the glory) will be priceless.

After all, Long Island 2020 is just around the next brownfield.
- - -
Index seeks a better ‘burb

by Michael H. Samuels

Long Island Index wants you to build a better suburb.

The Index, piggybacking on its 2010 report which detailed Long Island’s acres of “underperforming asphalt,” is holding an ideas competition, “Build a Better Burb,” in order to crown the best way to improve the area’s downtowns.

Along with the Regional Plan Association, the Index in its report identified 8,300 acres of property in Long Island downtowns that have the potential for development. The land, usually surface parking or empty lots, are ripe for improvement. The Index simply wants some ideas of how it should be developed.

“We do not want to get away from the suburban lifestyle,” Index Director Ann Golob said. “All we’re trying to say is that change is coming to Long Island. How are we going to manage it?”

The competition, which runs until June 21, is free to enter and open to the public. The winner will receive $10,000 and the jury will hand out another $12,500 in prize money.

In addition, the public will be invited to vote for The Long Island Index People’s Choice winner and $2,500 will go to the top project submitted by a student currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program.

The finalists will be selected on June 28, and posted on the Web site on June 29. The winners will be announced in mid-September, Golob said.

Details can be found on the Web site, http://www.buildabetterburb.org/

“We have no intention and no ability to take the designs and take them to fruition,” Golob said. “We’re not builders. We do not have land. But, if we could get some really exciting, creative ideas, that will help people get their heads around why this could work.”

To judge the competition, the Index has enlisted 10 jurors from the design and development arenas.

The jury includes Allison Arieff, design journalist, contributor to the New York Times “Opinionator” blog and GOOD Magazine; Teddy Cruz, principal of Estudio Teddy Cruz, San Diego; Daniel D’Oca, partner at Interboro, New York, and assistant professor, Maryland College of Art; Walter Hood, professor of landscape architecture, UC Berkeley, and principal of Hood Design; Rob Lane, director of the Design Program at the Regional Plan Association; Paul Lukez, principal of Paul Lukez Architecture, Boston, and author of Suburban Transformations; Lee Sobel, real estate development and finance analyst, U.S. EPA: Office of Policy, Economics and Innovation; Galina Tahchieva, partner at Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company, Miami, author of the forthcoming Sprawl Repair Manual; Georgeen Theodore, partner at Interboro, New York, and associate director of the infrastructure planning program at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

It will be led by June Williamson, an associate professor of architecture at the City College of New York/CUNY, and co-author of Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs, who said she’s looking for new, innovative ideas that will create debate. She said she’s expecting to find submissions based on designs and development throughout the world that are not being attempted on Long Island – yet.

The only criteria is that the idea has to use an area in a Long Island downtown. Don’t worry about the zoning, but whether the proposal will work in that location.

“This is a format that’s not beholden to a client or a specific budget,” Williamson said. “They have the freedom to be creative and expressive, exploratory and innovative.”

Williamson said she wishes to see teams of architects, urban designers, landscape designers and artists all working together to present their ideas. Golob added that she hoped the professionals would team up with area schools to develop ideas.

“Anyone from around the world can submit a design,” Golob said. “We want to be opening up people’s eyes to what might be possible, to break down the barriers and get people thinking differently.”

For information, visit www.buildabetterburb.org.
 

LONG ISLAND 2020

A Project of The Community Alliance

A New Era for America's First Suburb

Under The Boardwalk

Way Under. . .


Here at The Community Alliance, we typically take aim at town and county as models of inefficiency, ineptitude, and mediocrity.

Today, we extend the reach of communal wrath to the city -- of Long Beach, that is -- where none other than the NYS Civil Service Commission has found that the "civil service operation is so flawed that it is impossible to determine if employees are qualified for positions they hold or receiving salaries commensurate with their job title..."

[Read the release at http://www.cs.state.ny.us/pio/pressrel/longbeach.cfm]

And while the City of Long Beach, of recent vintage, has become inexorably intertwined with the Town of Hempstead, where parts and parcels are interchanged almost at will (as in City Manager, Charles Theofan, who bounces back and forth between the town and the City of Long Beach like a pinball), in this instance, at least, we felt that Long Beach deserved the dark spotlight all to itself.

Says the NYS Civil Service Commission, in pertinent part:

Two reports rated the effectiveness of Long Beach Commission operations on a 100-point scale. The administration of the appointment process received a score of 26, and the payroll certification program received a score of 0. In both cases, the Long Beach Commission was rated as "Not in Compliance" with Civil Service Law and Rules.

"The State Commission is particularly concerned because these serious deficiencies in the Long Beach Civil Service operations have persisted for at least six years, despite many changes in Long Beach Commission membership and staff," Commissioner Groenwegen said.

The Long Beach Commission has jurisdiction over at least 1,086 classified service employees—477 employed by the City, 576 by the Board of Education, and 33 by the Housing Authority, based on workforce data provided for the 2008 calendar year. The Long Beach Commission was unable to produce any definitive documentation of the number of Library employees. Of the classified workforce, 730, or approximately 67%, are in the competitive class.

The lack of basic records and documents regarding the appointment process makes it impossible for the Commission to certify many of the personnel transactions under its jurisdiction as being in accordance with Civil Service Law and Rules.

Sounds very much like the reports on the operations of the town's Sanitary Districts, doesn't it?

Read the full reports at:
http://www.cs.state.ny.us/pio/CityofLongBeachAppointmentProcessFinalReportMarch2010.pdf
http://www.cs.state.ny.us/pio/LongBeachCity%20PayrollCertMSPCR02-17-10.pdf

Incompetence, like water, seeks its own level, and we all know that it's not always (or often) the cream that rises to the top.

In Long Beach, we fear, that breach of both Civil Service rules and public trust flows from a willful vein, arrogance trumping fairness, and an intent to both deceive and deflect virtually built in to a system that serves its patrons rather than the public.

The question is no longer, "how long will they get away with it?", but rather, "how long will we, the people, allow such chicanery to go on?"

Folks, we can continue to pray to Mediocrities, that great god of Long Island, or, at long last, we can begin to rise above our own expectations and demand better, both of those who govern, and of ourselves, the governed.

In this season of renewal, the rebirth of hope, of passion, of community itself, let us all rise to the occasion.
- - -
A sweet Passover and joyous Easter to all of our friends (and especially to our enemies ;-).

Follow The Community Alliance on Twitter. www.twitter.com/CommunityAlli.

THE COMMUNITY ALLIANCE

New Visions For America's First Suburb

Tweet A Little Tweet For Community

Follow The Community Alliance On Twitter

www.twitter.com/CommunityAlli

The Community Alliance

A New Era For America's Oldest Suburb ~ Long Island 2020

An Invite To Breakfast

From Our Friends at the Long Island Breakfast Club

Join the Long Island Breakfast Club for a morning that very well could change everything (or, at the very least, fill your tummy with good food and your head with good thoughts).

LONG ISLAND BREAKFAST CLUB SATURDAY APRIL 3RD 9:00 AM
LOCATION: ADELPHI UNIVERSITY Ruth S. Harley University Center Rooms 201 203 $20.00 Fee

If You Change One Thing, You Change Everything
Speaker: Michéal Castaldo
Crooner/Composer/Connoisseur Italian Cultural Ambassador and Entrepreneur
RSVP vjanek@optonline.net

The painful process of looking for work is eased by joining the Spirited Group of the Long Island Breakfast club. They Meet They Eat and They Seek! FEEL YOUR OATS NOT YOUR FLAKES! You’ve had dozens of interviews for jobs you wouldn’t even accept as a gift. You’ve seen a career counselor to validate your strategy. You’ve followed the best advice culled from recent job-hunting venues! Net Result: The process, especially lead generation is too slow. One person however motivated can turn up only one lead at a time when it comes to job hunting, business leads or contacts. You are feeling like you will lose your mind! Stress No More..

About The Long Island Breakfast Club

The Long Island Breakfast Club was founded in 2006, an organization providing advocacy, support, career and employment counseling, referrals and good old-fashioned laughter to prepare experienced mature individuals for productive employment. Counted among the membership are women and men who have recently been downsized and looking for support to continue positive reinforcement to gain employment back in the corporate world. Membership is encouraged for any individuals who need the extra support to continue momentum in searching for jobs in the mid-life years.

This organization provides advocacy, support, career and employment counseling and referrals to prepare mature individuals for productive employment. To register email vjanek@optonline.net.


For More information visit www.longislandbreakfastclub.org

About Michael Castaldo

When the Academy of Calabria Rome-Toronto honored michéal in 1996 for his contributions to the Calabrian community in Canada, and when he received the “Calabria America” 2000 for his achievements as a composer/producer, michéal was inspired to rebuild Villetta Mimma Vittoria, the villa where he was born, making it available to his family and friends as well as opening it up as a rental to anyone ready for a Calabrian adventure. In 2004 he founded the first ever Olive Oil Cooperative in New York City, providing high quality organic olive oil from his family’s estate-grown extra-virgin olive oil to connoisseurs in North America. The Private Reserve Estate EVOO was founded in 1907 by his great grandfather Giuseppe Frisina who had just returned from New York City as a “bird of passage” helping to build the subway system. With savings in hand he purchased a parcel of land that had centuries-old olive groves. By the 1920s his grandparents, Michelangelo Pellegrino and Maria Antonia Frisina took the olive grove to the next level and now michéal’s uncles have over 20,000 orchards along the Tyrrhenian coast of Calabria in the foothills of Aspromonte. In short, The New York City Olive Oil Coop seed was planted a century earlier as a gift from a great grandfather to a great grandson. http://www.newyorkcityoliveoilcoop.com/.

To give back a bit of life’s sweetness, CASTALDO now runs www.LaDolceVitaFoundation.org whose mission is to take people suffering from the “blues” or illness on scenic joy rides in the country in his exotic convertible roadster, a customized Mazda Miata. His story and his car were featured as Miata of the Month in November 2007 in Miata.net

Nowadays michéal CASTALDO may be found on any given week performing light Italian opera; hosting an olive oil tasting complete with Neapolitan song or classic Italian pop standards; onstage at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center, the JVC Jazz Festival, the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, the West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival or hosting a house concert event at the home of a high-profile Italian-American family—in Italian, of course. With his current Italian CDs “Villa” and “La Dolce Vita ‘NAmerica” CASTALDO slows the tempo, reaches deeper into the soul and passionately takes you back to his Calabrian roots. www.michealCASTALDO.com

As If Extra Trucks During Passover Wouldn't Have Been Enough. . .

Now The Local Fire Department Gets Into The Act!

Simply because you can't make this stuff up doesn't necessarily mean that fact isn't more unbelievable than fiction.

The following post appeared, on the eve of the Passover holiday, on TheFiveTowns.com:

BURN YOUR CHOMETZ* SAFELY WITH US!!

Annual Community Wide Chometz Burning

Woodmere Volunteer Fire Department

20 Irving Place Woodmere

Between Broadway & Central Avenue

Monday, March 29, 2010

6:45AM - 11:45AM (Zman)

or

Lawrence Cedarhurst Fire Station

Corner Central and Washington Aves.

7am-11:30

*Chometz is bread, grains and leavened products not consumed during Passover.

Hmmm. Local fire departments involved in religious ritual? Talk about burning those tax dollars at the firehouse.

Folks, it's your money, and your local government. We're just watching them!

Yet Another Passover In The Special Taxing Districts

Why Is This Year Different From All Others?

Does it have something to do with those bitter herbs, more commonly known as special districts?

The Jews may have wandered the desert for 40 years (that's a heck of a lot of matzah), but they've got nothing on those special taxing districts -- from sanitation to water -- that enslave the populace like no Pharaoh ever did.

The Chosen People rose up, freed themselves from the shackles, and made an exodus (yes, we remember the movie of the same name) from an indentured subsistence.

Will the residents of Long Island, armed with the new law enabling elector initiated consolidation and/or dissolution [heck, David had only a slingshot and a small stone when he went after and felled Goliath], take up arms against wasteful, corrupt, and ineffective government entities (of which the special districts are many)?

We shall see, as the law goes into effect.

Meanwhile, back in the hinterlands, still under the yoke of sewer districts, parking districts, sanitary districts, fire districts, refuse districts, lighting districts -- you name 'em, we've got 'em -- very little, if anything, has changed by way of reform, or otherwise, since our 'bread trucks of affliction' story was first blogged way back when on March 9, 2005 -- some five years ago.

The special districts keep taxing. The special trucks picking up leftover bread during Passover are still rolling. And somewhere, somehow, for reasons known only to the GOP, then-counsel for the Town of Hempstead's Sanitary District 1, Nat Swergold, is collecting a pension. One (or two, perhaps three) that you and I paid for with tax dollars thrown away with the trash.

And so, on the eve of Passover 2010, with Easter hot on its heels (the Last Supper now conspicuously posting a calorie count), The Community Alliance is forced to bring you, without commercial interruption, the sixth coming of the Passover story.

In fact, here are links to all of them, but for the original, which is republished below in all its Pesachdik glory.

A Passover Story

A Passover Story -- Revisited

Tradition!

Passover Has Come To Hempstead Town Again

All is as it was then, except, you are there...

Wednesday, March 09, 2005
The Bread Of Our Affliction

A Passover Story, As Told By Counsel For Town Of Hempstead Sanitary District 1

An article appeared in a recent edition of the Nassau Herald on the subject of the Nassau County Comptroller's pending audit of several of the Special Districts, including Sanitary District 1. [We are reprinting the article below in its entirety, because you simply cannot make this stuff up!]

Commenting on the services provided by the Sanitary District, Nat Swergold, the chief counsel for Sanitary District 1, said "The district... accommodates the large Orthodox Jewish population in the area by arranging for special trucks during the eight holy days of Passover so bread can be disposed of, since observant Jews do not eat bread during the holiday."

Now, don't get us wrong. We appreciate the great lengths our Sanitary Districts go to in order to serve the public, but "special trucks during... Passover" to collect the bread?

What next? The fire districts placing extra fire trucks in service just in case the horse radish on the gefilte fish burns the roofs of our mouths? Or maybe the water districts will pump in extra water to our homes to help wash down the matzo?

Let's face it, Jews, be they Orthodox, Conservative, Reform or unaffiliated, are not hording bread prior to the holiday. Indeed, most Jews, logic dictates, try to consume the bread they do have in the house before Passover. Assuming any bread remains, most Jews I know (this blogger included), clean the house of bread BEFORE the start of the holiday, and not, certainly, "during the eight holy days" referred to by Mr. Swergold. Just what are these "special trucks" picking up?

Is this the best counsel for the Sanitary District can offer up as a raison d'etre for these Special Taxing Jurisdictions? If so, we've only one word for him: Gevalt!

One has to ask, do we really need three garbage collection days, a recycling day, a bulk pick up day and a yard waste pick up day, keeping in mind that it is Town Highways, not the Sanitary Districts, that sweeps our streets (all too infrequently) and plows the snow. Why - and we’re embarrassed to say this - there are some days when we have absolutely no trash to put out at the curb. Are we eligible for a rebate?

It doesn't take an Einstein - who, by the way, celebrated Passover in a secular vein - to realize that the existence of the Sanitary Districts, and other Special Districts within the township, cannot be substantiated "as is," and the cost to run these districts - special trucks for Passover aside - cannot be justified. At least not with a straight face. Why, in Sanitary District 6, we only have six Commissioners, shy of the ten required for a Minyan!

Clearly, what the Sanitary Districts are trying to put over on the taxpayers amounts to nothing less than unmitigated chutzpah.

According to Andrew Parise, the Mayor of Cedarhurst (which is in Sanitary District 1), "Curbside service wouldn't fly here." You mean to tell me they're picking up garbage at the door? [And here we are, in Sanitary District 6, paying twice the rate for mere curbside service.]

We just have two simple questions (reduced from four): (1) How many Sanitary District Commissioners does it take to change that dim light bulb over the head of the unwittingly inane Nat Swergold, and (2) How long will we, the taxpaying homeowners of the Town of Hempstead, allow ourselves to be played for fools?
- - -
FROM THE NASSAU HERALD:

Sanitary district audit planned County comptroller plans to explore consolidation of garbage pickup
By Andrew Coen

In an effort to save county residents money on the taxes they pay for services like garbage pickup and water, Nassau County Comptroller Howard S. Weitzman has announced plans to begin auditing some of the more than 400 special taxing districts throughout the county.

Sanitary District 1, which services the Five Towns and small portions of Lynbrook and Valley Stream, is among the five districts to be audited and considered for consolidation with other areas.

Other districts that will undergo audits include Sanitary District 2, which encompasses Baldwin, South Hempstead and Roosevelt; District 6, which takes in Elmont, North Valley Stream, Franklin Square, West Hempstead and Lakeview; the Port Washington Garbage District in the Town of North Hempstead, and the Syosset Sanitary District in the Town of Oyster Bay.

The districts were selected for audits based on criteria such as high tax rates, large accumulated surpluses and high tax increases in 2004-05, the comptroller said.

According to Weitzman, along with residents paying village, town and county taxes, there are nearly 400 sanitation and water districts with 1,600 different tax rates, amounting to a "hidden government" that adds to the already heavy tax burden. Weitzman said he would like to explore the feasibility of town governments' consolidating some of the special districts to save taxpayers money and operate them with greater efficiency.

"The growth of these special districts reflects the haphazard development of Nassau County in the last century, from a collection of unassociated towns, villages and hamlets," said Weitzman. "Some of [these districts] may be necessary and some may be well-run, but the persistence of so many separate governmental authorities, with their own employees and tax rates, tends to hide the true cost of local government and contributes to our high local tax burden."

Nat Swergold, the chief counsel for Sanitary District 1, said he does not see his district meeting any of Weitzman's criteria for an audit, since, Swergold said, the district does not have a high surplus, has one of the lowest tax rates in the state and has not had any hefty tax increases. "We are probably a target for this audit because we are the largest [sanitary district]," said Swergold, adding that Sanitary District 1 services more than 30,000 households.

According to Swergold, last year's tax rate for single-family residences in District 1 was $12.58 per $100 of the assessed value of a home, which is half the rate of District 2 ($24.62 per $100) and District 6 ($26.05 per $100).

"[District 1's] tax rates are much lower than the rest of the districts," said Cedarhurst Mayor Andrew Parise. "I don't know who would provide better service than we get here."

Swergold said that while he welcomes an investigation into his district, because it is well run, he does not think the audit is necessary, since the state comptroller audits the district periodically. He added that he could not envision any sort of consolidation of the areas to save money, since each sanitation district has different needs. "I think [consolidation] is not a good idea, because each area and each district is unique," said Swergold, who has been the attorney for District 1 since 1972. "There is no way we could keep these services if there were consolidation."

Swergold said that District 1 is unique compared with other sanitary districts, in part because its workers pick up trash in the rear of residents' homes, which means residents do not have to place garbage curbside unless they are disposing of heavy items. The district operates its own recycling plant in North Lawrence and, as a result, has the highest recycling rate of any sanitary district in the state, according to Swergold. The district also accommodates the large Orthodox Jewish population in the area by arranging for special trucks during the eight holy days of Passover so bread can be disposed of, since observant Jews do not eat bread during the holiday.

"Curbside service wouldn't fly here," Parise said of the unique services offered to residents in District 1.

According to Weitzman, the goal of the audits is to provide a better understanding of the districts'

expenditures, hiring and procurements practices and the efficiency of their operations. He said that additional audits of other special districts in the county would be considered depending on how the initial examination goes.

The comptroller's decision to initiate audits follows a January report by County Assessor Harvey Levinson that showed that many special taxing jurisdictions, like garbage and water districts, spend millions of dollars each year with little observation by the public. The report prompted Levinson to call on the comptroller to audit those districts in the county.

"Homeowners who pay widely different tax rates for the same services within a town are entitled to know how their ever-increasing tax dollars are spent," said Levinson. "I am confident that Comptroller Weitzman's independent examination of sanitation districts operating within the towns will lead to sensible cost-cutting measures, consolidation or possibly even the elimination of these unnecessary invisible governments."

The planned audits have the support of some top state officials, including Comptroller Alan Hevesi, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. "In beginning these audits, Comptroller Weitzman is addressing the need for greater public oversight of these taxing districts," said Hevesi. A 2002 audit of some of these special districts by then state Comptroller Carl McCall found that several districts kept unreasonably high reserve balances.

Weitzman's audits will examine administrative and operating expenses and the appropriateness of fund balances.

Comments about this story? ACoen@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
- - -
A sweet Passover and Happy Easter to all who happen upon this blog. Watch for the Sanitary District's special  bread trucks. And follow us on Twitter. www.twitter.com/communityalli.

The blog returns after our spring break, renewed, refreshed, and ready to take on the issues that impact upon our quality of life as Long Islanders. Join us!

Write to The Community Alliance at thecommunityalliance@yahoo.com.

The Community Alliance

New Visions for America's First Suburb

Watch The Closing Doors

MTA Cuts Go Through As Service Is Eliminated, Curtailed

Remember those public hearings on the then-proposed MTA budget cuts? We don't recall a single individual -- but for those on the MTA board -- who testified in favor of the MTA's mass transit massacre.

And yet, the ax has come down, and save for the student MetroCard, the public held little sway in the actions of this so-called public authority.

Can anyone say, "Dismantle the MTA!"

Almost makes one long for the days when Dick Ravitch ran the railroads, doesn't it?

Watch for more cuts, more fare increases, and more pain in the days to come.
- - -
From Newsday:
MTA approves $93 million in service cuts

 by PERVAIZ SHALLWANI. Special to Newsday

In an emotional decision sure to affect the commutes of people throughout the region, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted 11-2 Wednesday to approve $93 million in service cuts.

On Long Island, the changes will affect dozens of trains on nearly every line of the Long Island Rail Road, eliminate 13 bus lines and reduce service on two others.

But all those moves, set to be phased in this summer, only begin to address the $800-million shortfall the agency expects this year. MTA chairman Jay Walder said the agency still needs to grapple with another $400-million gap in order to balance its budget.

The cash-strapped agency's budget was thrown into further turmoil by the decline in tax revenues and a $143-million reduction in state funding.

"The service cuts that were put in place today will inevitably involve pain for our customers," Walder said. ". . . I wish we could take everything off the table. The reality is the financial situation doesn't allow it."

He said the agency will examine ways to continue reducing administration, renegotiate with major suppliers and drive down overtime. They also have begun meeting with union leaders to look at ways to trim the budget.

Yesterday's vote came after a tense meeting in Manhattan during which the public urged board members to reconsider the service cuts. Each board member spent a few minutes talking about the painful decision.

"This is really a very dark day for metropolitan users," board member Andrew Albert said. "These cuts are as if you went into a into a small town and told a quarter of the population that we are taking your cars away. This transit system is the jewel that keeps New York somewhat, not totally, but somewhat recession-proof."

New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn urged board members to use stimulus funds of up to $100 million to plug some of the expected $800-million budget gap.

"These are the worst cuts to the transit system probably in the system's history," Quinn said. ". . . Part of the reason we got this money was to prevent cuts. Just because the MTA didn't think about this option doesn't mean they shouldn't use it."

And a subway station agent who said she is likely to lose her job, Sabrina Greenwood, recounted an incident in January when a child ran under the turnstile and onto the train as his mother was buying a MetroCard. Greenwood said she alerted train authorities and the child was found one stop away, at 125th Street, and returned to his mother.

That would not have happened if an agent were not on duty, Greenwood said.

"They say all I do is sell MetroCards," she said. "I do more than sell MetroCards everyday. I save lives."
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Approved MTA cuts for Long Island

Long Island Rail Road

Babylon branch: Fewer trains during morning and evening rush hours

Ronkonkoma branch: Fewer train cars, discontinuation of one P.M. peak train and the elimination of service between Ronkonkoma and Greenport except for summer weekends

Port Washington branch: Fewer P.M. peak trains and less frequent trains during off-peak and weekend times

Long Beach branch: One fewer peak A.M. train and one fewer peak P.M. train

West Hempstead branch: About 17 fewer weekend trains

Atlantic branch: No night service to Brooklyn

Hempstead branch: Reduced number of train cars

Belmont Park Service: Discontinue all Belmont Park Special trains (Wed-Sun) except on day of Belmont Stakes

Oyster Bay branch: One fewer round-trip train on weekends

Port Jefferson branch: One fewer PM peak diesel train

Montauk branch: One fewer train from Hunterspoint

Discontinued bus lines:

N3, N17, N28, N53, N65, N66, N67, N87, N93, N94, N95

Buses with service modifications:

N1, N2, N14, N23, N25, N26, N88

For more details, see the MTA website at http://www.mta.info/newsCQ'd/stories/

Happy Days Are Near Again

A Second Bill of Rights Comes of Age

"We should widen the opportunities for adequate medical care."
--President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

As the United States Senate debates -- and the party of "no" attempts to stymie -- health care reform, we take heed of the words of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, spoken in a fireside chat some sixty-six years ago, expressing not only the hope, but the right, of all Americans to be secure, among other things, in their access to health care.

He implored our elected representatives then, as we do today, to afford every American "adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health," warning of threats to security at home, in the face of enemies abroad. People who are hungry, out of a job, and are denied access to adequate health care, said Roosevelt, " are the stuff of which dictatorships are made."

If there is such a thing as "deja vu, all over again," Franklin Roosevelt called it squarely, citing "the grave dangers of rightest reaction."

Should we yield to the cynicism of the right, retreating rather than advancing, succumbing to fear and ignorance, "then it is certain that, even though we shall have conquered our enemies on the battlefields abroad, we shall have yielded to the spirit of fascism here at home."

Franklin Delano Roosevelt would be pleased that, at long last, we, as a nation, are making great strides toward fulfilling his Economic Bill of Rights. We can almost see him breaking into that famous broad grin, cigarette holder clenched between his teeth, admonishing the obstreperous Republicans to govern or get out of the way, as America moves boldly forward.
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Franklin Roosevelt

Economic Bill of Rights (1944)

. . . an equally basic essential to peace is a decent standard of living for all individual men and women and children in all nations. Freedom from fear is eternally linked with freedom from want....

We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. "Necessitous men are not freemen." People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.

In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all-regardless of station, race, or creed.

Among these are:

The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries, or shops or farms or mines of the Nation;

The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;

The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;

The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;

The right of every family to a decent home;

The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;

The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;

The right to a good education.

All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won, we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.

America's own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for our citizens. For unless there is security here at home, there cannot be lasting peace in the world.

One of the great American industrialists of our day-a man who has rendered yeoman service to his country in this crisis-recently emphasized the grave dangers of rightist reaction in this Nation. All clear-thinking businessmen share his concern. Indeed, if such reaction should develop-if history were to repeat itself and we were to return to the so-called normalcy of the 1920s - then it is certain that, even though we shall have conquered our enemies on the battlefields abroad, we shall have yielded to the spirit of fascism here at home.

I ask the Congress to explore the means for implementing this economic bill of rights-for it is definitely the responsibility of the Congress to do so....
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And now, a recorded message to the Grand Old (and getting older by the minute) Party. [You know. The folks who say "no" to providing access to health care to all Americans; "no" to eliminating pre-existing conditions as a bar to health insurance coverage; "no" to women, who pay more for health insurance than their male counterparts; and "no" to our dependent children under age 26, who, but for the new law of the land, would have no health insurance coverage at all. Why, these blockheads even voted "no" on their own amendments.]

Light(house) At The End Of The Tunnel(vision)?

Myopia Is An Island, Revisited (Or, It's A Small World After All...)

"...We are still a people capable of doing big things..."
--President Barack Obama

Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray writes again. A letter to all 200,000 town homeowners -- on their dime -- urging them to think small.

"Scale back" the Lighthouse Project, she says, perhaps a Lighthouse Light. Create yet another new "zone" (a Special Lighthouse Taxing District, perhaps?). "Jump start" a process that has been stalled -- or was that detoured -- for more than a decade.

Jump start? Hmmm. That would require the cables to be attached to a live charge rather than a dead weight, wouldn't it?

A new zone? Narrowing the possibilities of what could be built, and diminishing the prospects of a much-needed rennaisance, not only for the Coliseum and Nassau County, but for the entire region?

Scale back? Yeah, we get it. Downsize our tomorrows here on Long Island. Supplant Herculean ideas with Lilliputian thoughts. Why go for the grand vision when the nearsightedness of diminutive will suffice?

Lighthouse? We thought you said, Blighthouse! That, dear friends, will require more study.

Then again, maybe Kate Murray has a point. Scale back. Start out small. Resurface the Coliseum parking lot. Paint the facade. Add some brick pavers, ornate trash receptacles, and a wrought iron bench, or two. Oh, yeah. And don't forget the Victorian-style streetlamps. We must have those.

Think small. Could it be that "small" is all the Town of Hempstead is capable of doing? Yes, the small stuff. A planter here. A hydrogen-fueled car there. A weed-eating goat. A solar-powered clam. A photo-laden press release for minutia.

Maybe the small stuff holds sway because Kate & Kompany haven't fared so well on the big stuff, like the redevelopment of Roosevelt Raceway, with its Archstone/Moldstone, clogged thoroughfares, and gentle, rolling asphalt landscapes, all in the shadows of Nassau's tallest structure, the Covanta incinerator tower.

Then again, the Town of Hempstead hasn't really gotten much of a handle on the small stuff, either, like opening a supermarket in Elmont, closing a no-tell hotel in West Hempstead, or so much as paving a street, virtually anywhere in the town.

Maybe, for Kate Murray and her ilk, small is best. Freezing all projects -- and all progress -- may even be better.

Rarely can small minds embrace big ideas. In Hempstead Town, even the little ideas, like the low-watt light of the Victorian-style streetlamp, flicker, albeit dimly (just bright enough to afford the camera-shutter the opportunity to open and close), and then, ever so slowly, die on the great Hempstead Plain.