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Albany Snafu Sinks Gay Unions

Omnibus Bill Caps Limits On Same Sex Marriage, And Still The Rent's Too Damn High

Special to The Community Alliance Blog, via Al Jezeera

June 27 -- Albany, New York -- Weekend revelers, concluding their celebration of Pride Week, together with the long-awaited passage of New York's Marriage Equality Act, awoke this morning, bleary-eyed and dismayed.

Same Sex Marriage in New York, while not quite dead, has been dealt a serious blow.

"It seems that, in the New York State Legislature's haste to bring the Same Sex Marriage bill to the floor," said Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, "someone in bill drafting co-opted the language from other last-minute legislation, including the 2% Property Tax Cap and NYC Rent Control bills, essentially limiting severely Gay marriage in this State."

Silver, who announced during this weekend's Gay Pride Parade that he was a closet transvestite, and would hereafter only go by the name, "Shelly," said that as the Legislature now stands adjourned for the session, there is little that could be done to rectify the situation.

What had been called, both by political insiders and the media, "the big ugly," the Omnibus legislation -- which included the highly charged and extremely controversial measures on Same Sex Marriage, the Property Tax Cap, and Rent Control -- got caught in the hopper, with no one (not even Governor Andrew Cuomo, who signed the legislation into law just hours after it was passed by the State Senate) noticing the mix-up in the language.

"In essence," said Mr. Cuomo, appearing jovial despite the apparent setback, "the language of the legislation, as adopted and now the law of this State, caps the number of Gay couples that can marry in any of New York's 697 school districts at 2% per year. Period."

"The good news," Cuomo continued, "is that Gay couples, once married, will enjoy the benefit of affordable rent contolled living for the next three years!"

Reached for comment at his office in the Legislative Office Building, NYS Senator Dean Skelos, the Majority Leader who many say was responsible for bringing the measures to the Senate floor for a vote, demonstrated a restrained exuberance in his tone.

"Yes," said Skelos. "I noticed the language in the Omnibus legislation before it came to a vote. But who am I to stand in the way of progress?"

Given the modus operandi of dysfunction in the State Legislature, the linguistic blunders were not picked up, let alone addressed, by other legislators prior to the votes, and barely noticed thereafter.

"There was great concern over the language in the legislation," Skelos continued. "Guess this clears it up for most of us on the Republican side of the aisle." [It is noted that the Long Island delegation, while voting in favor of amendments to the language of the bill, voted "no" in its entirety, on the main body of the legislation.]

Representatives of the Cathotlic church, which vigorously opposed the Marriage Equality Act, appeared enraptured by the mix up in Albany.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan, speaking from the pulpit at St. Patrick's during morning Mass, called the Albany Snafu, "one of God's many mysterious and wonderous ways."

"We were concerned," Dolan countenanced, "about Man-Dates, and the impact upon religious institutions as well as the sanctity of marriage itself. The church, and Altar Boys everywhere, are most pleased with this unexpected but divinely propitious outcome."

Under the language of the law, as adopted, the Mandate provisions of the property tax cap legislation were rolled into the Marriage Equality Act so that, effective in August of this year, all New York State Man-Dates -- as well as Women-Dates -- shall be unfunded.

"They can marry, in small numbers," said an ecstatic opponent to Gay marriage, attending a prayer vigil inside the now vacant Senate gallery, "but they won't get a dime from New York!"

"Okay, but we still have rent control, right?", shouted a Gay rights activist from below.

"True," replied the voice from the Peanut Gallery, "but you're gonna pay higher tuition at SUNY and CUNY!"

Asked if the State Senate would return to Albany this year to mend the error of its ways, Senator Skelos, boarding a hot air balloon bound for his hometown of Rockville Centre, New York, exclaimed: "We can't come back. We don't know how to work this thing. Goodbye folks!"

And so, another remarkable year of business as unusual drew to a close in Albany, New Yorkers once again safe from the whimsical fancies and off-the-wall oddities of their State Legislators.

As for Gay Marriage, the property tax cap, and controlling the rent that's too damn high? In New York, where anything and everything -- by way of Omnibus legislation -- is possible, it's the law of the land!

Build Something -- Anything -- And They Will Come! Maybe.

From Blighthouse To Lighthouse To....

In a land where the vertically challenged rule the roost (or at least the Zoning Boards), where density is more or less a four-letter word, and Smart Growth, as it is typically defined, is something of an oxymoron, development -- and, where brownfields abound, redevelopment -- has become somewhat of a challenge.

With NIMBYists on every corner, mega-developers vying to trade open space for the next big thing, and zoning boards sitting as planning boards, doing neither with any alacrity or clarity, the road to rejuvenation, from downtown to the Hub, has been blocked with more obstacles than Carter had little pills.

Standing at the crossroads here in Nassau County, straddling the intersection of No Place and No Where (particularly where the street signs are missing, obliterated or hidden behind overgrown vegetation), residents are now faced with a referendum on the very future of Long Island. And while the question to be posed concerns whether we issue bonds -- some $400 million worth -- to build a new Coliseum, the real referendum ponders a more long term fate. Do we stand still, mired in yesteryear, leaving our island to be overrun by tumbleweeds, or do we move forward, laying the foundation for a viable, livable, smartly designed Long Island.

Frankly, standing still is not an option. To do nothing is to entomb Long Island in its own decaying infrastructure, assuring that the surveyed, who have been leaving our island in droves for decades (by the poll numbers, there should be no one left here but the squirrels), will yet again affirm that this is no place to live, to work, to raise families.

To build recklessly, on the other hand, by piecemeal, while increasing the tax burden to homeowners and business owners alike, is certainly not forward-thinking.

So, what to do?

Does a spanking new arena for the Islanders to have ice time -- or, for that matter, a minor league ballpark at Mitchel Field -- really change the landscape, opening the door not only to job growth but to a sustainable suburbia?

Sure, the Isles will have a new place to play, but, given the dirth of affordable housing, particularly for Generation Next, the diminishing job opportunities, the skyrocketing property taxes, and the ever-eroding tax base, where will their fans live?

What of the region's lack of transportation alternatives? Are we talking walkable here? You can get there from here, but only by car, through congested, pothole marked streets, with nary a Long Island Bus on the horizon. Light Rail, anyone?

Do a new arena, a minor leage ballfield, and, should the State, Feds and Indian Chiefs allow, a casino at Belmont park, truly change the dynamics of Long Island?

And what about Elmont's Argo, Baldwin's Grand Avenue and the many Main Streets, byways and downtrodden downtowns that dot Long Island? Will this be a "turn-the-corner" moment for communities across the island, or merely a pause in the disaster that has been the hallmark of planning, zoning and development in the region since the LI Regional Planning Board inked its very first Master Plan?

Panacea? Surely not. A fresh start for America's oldest suburb? Indeed!

We need to start down that road to revitalization sometime and somewhere. The "sometime" is now, not in 2035. The "somewhere" is the Nassau Hub, as cornerstone for rebuilding the spokes that are Long Island's neighborhoods.

Yes, we've managed to turn a $3.8 billion, privately financed, comprehensive plan to reinvent suburbia at the hub (the Lighthouse Project), into a $400 million, taxpayer financed, scantily detailed proposal to build a couple of stadium -- stadia?

Still, we need to get out of the starting gate.

Granted, there remain many more questions than there are answers. About revenues. About plans for the 77 acres surrounding the Coliseum. About who will develop what, when, and exactly where.

How do we preserve the suburban character of our Long Island while necessarily taking this region out of the 1950s and into the 21st century?

Hopefully, come August 1 (the date set for the referendum vote), we will be all the more knowledgeable and informed on the prospects of the hub as Ground Zero for the island's, if not the Islanders', resurrection. Then too, maybe we will have a clearer picture of what the plans are -- assuming there are any plans -- beyond the arena and the ballpark.

It's not simply about a new arena. On the line is whether Long Island's "Asphalt Wasteland" (we dare not conjure up visions of a paved over paradise) is transformed into a centerpiece of suburban renewal, sparking that long-awaited, much needed renaissance for points north, south, east and west.

"Build it and they will come?" That all depends upon the "it" to be built, and the "they" we hope to attract. That said, the imperative is clear. Have a plan. Not a notion. Not a sound byte. Not a shortsighted fix. A viable, doable, sustainable plan. Then, actually build something -- anything (well, almost anything) -- and let's begin to move Long Island forward together!
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Thoughts on the proposals for the Nassau Hub, a casino at Belmont, creating a truly sustainable Long Island? Post your Comments Below. Write us at TheCommunityAlliance@yahoo.com. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CommunityAlli.

Be a part of Long Island's tomorrows!

The Road To Redemption. . .

. . .Begins In West Hempstead


Photo courtesy of Ed Schnapp, Newsday

Perhaps not since God handed down the Ten Commandments to Moses at Mount Sinai has there been such a gathering of the powerful, the faithful and the huddled masses now, at long last, free.

Okay. The demolition of West Hempstead's notorious Courtesy Hotel might not have been the momentous occasion witnessed back in Biblical days -- when the community's efforts to shutter and raze the infamous no-tell hotel first began -- but don't tell that to the nearly 300 West Hempstead residents who showed up this day to see their hamlet bask in the warm, cleansing sunlight, finally out of the shadow of the discourteous Courtesy. Why, even Newsday was all a Twitter!

Dignitaries on hand included Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray, Council Members Ed Ambrosino, Jim Darcy and Dorothy Goosby, Town Clerk Mark Bonilla, Town Receiver of Taxes Don Clavin (who was lovingly booed by the adoring taxpayers in attendance ;-), State Assemblyman Ed Ra and County Legislator and West Hempstead resident Vin Muscarella.

Also present were civic and community leaders, clergy, firefighters, and auxiliary Police officers who stood shoulder to shoulder with the masses to usher in a new day for West Hempstead.

Yes, there were speeches and pats-on-the-back amidst the cheers from the crowd. All well-deserved considering the long, hard battle, fought, over nearly 15 years, to close the Courtesy.

Truth be told, this coming together of the community, and those who so doggedly and fiercely represent it, would not have happened today had it not been for the joinder of hearts and minds, from the man on the street along Hempstead Avenue to (you heard it here first) Supervisor Kate Murray at Town Hall.

The atmosphere was festive. There were speeches. There were photo ops. There was Kate Murray and Rosalie Norton, President of the West Hempstead Community Support and Civic Associations, donning hard hats, climbing aboard heavy construction equipment, and taking their respective whacks at the backside of the Courtesy, the crowd cheering them on as if gladiators in the arena. [No, not the Coliseum. Another story for a different blogpost...]

Good for them. Kudos. [Yes, we said kudos!] to Kate Murray, Rosalie Norton, Ed Ambrosino and the legion of elected officials and community stalwarts who worked tirelessly to see this new day dawn upon West Hempstead.

All right. So we threw everything we had at Kate Murray over the years, on this and other issues -- even as late as this morning. And who knows, we may do so again tomorrow. But, for the moment, the Supervisor of America's largest (and soon to be not as blighted) township deserves much credit for closing the book on what was a sordid and all too lengthy chapter in this hamlet's history. The closure and demolition of the Courtesy Hotel would not have taken place today without Kate Murray. Period!

On this, the 12th day of May, 2011, if but for a few glorious hours, we were all West Hempsteaders, and each of us, from those on the front lines since time immemorial, to the onlookers who just came by to see what was happening along this heretofore forgotten milepost on the Avenue, could stand tall.

Yes, Kate Murray was all smiles as the wrecking ball (actually, to our disappointment, there was no wrecking ball, just a huge dozer leaking hydraulic fluid) chewed into the Courtesy's facade. And so were we all!

If It Is Broke. . .

Why Ain't We Fixin' It?

You know that old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Meaning: It's working. Leave well enough alone.

Well, here on Long Island, things have been "broke" -- physically and fiscally -- for quite some time, and grumble as we may, seems we've been content to leave it alone rather than to even attempt a fix.

Infrastructure crumbling. "Downtowns" in the doldrums. Housing, even in a down market, unaffordable. Transportation system outmoded. Employment opportunities evaporating. Generation Next fleeing. Commercial centers, such as Nassau's hub, slowly becoming the Chernobyls of our island.

And those property taxes. New meaning to the chant of, We're Number 1! 

Yes, for too long, Nassau County had to play second fiddle to places like Westchester or Jersey. But now, we are firmly holding our own ('cause nobody else will touch it) in the highest property taxes in the nation category. Hooray for us!

Our prospects for unloading the burden? Not too promising, we're afraid. School taxes, which account for upwards of 60% of our property tax bills, are projected to continue to climb, while State Aid, in real dollars for our school districts (all 56 of them in Nassau, 127 island-wide) will likely fall.

School District administrators continue to rake in the big bucks. Teachers' Unions continue to demand more. Costs, from transportation to insurance, pensions to utilities, continue to skyrocket.

And here we remain, frozen in place, caught between the proverbial rock of wanting the best possible educational opportunities for our children, and the hard place of emptying our wallets to pay for what has too often become mediocrity and excess.

FixAlbany is little more than a special interest spin cycle. FixNewYork hangs its hat on that precarious 2% school tax cap, as if that was a cure-all. [Which part of "TAX INCREASE" don't we understand? Let's see. 2% per year. Ten years. Okay, you do the math...]

Consolidate school districts? Sure, but not ours.

Cap Superintendent salaries? All right. You go first.

Insist that Albany deliver on the guarantee of our State Constitution to provide a system of free public schools? Right. Freedom, even in our schools, is never free.

Do something to eliminate the inequities of State Aid, which favors upstate districts and shortchanges Long Island? Well, maybe next year.

Replace the regressive school property tax with a progressive income tax (or simply adjust the existing State income tax to earmark the dollars for our public schools)? Did someone say tax???

Tie the property tax to real income, rather than the artificial value of one's home? I'm still hearing the word tax...

Keep things the way they are, doing absolutely nothing, save talk a good game? Sounds like a plan to us!

Whether we're pining over school taxes, kvetching about special taxing districts, cursing the potholes or bemoaning the empty, dilapidated storefronts along "Main Street," other than paying hollow tribute to a bygone era (and paying that over the top tax bill), what are we really doing to correct our course, invest in our future, and right the mighty ship that once was the promise of suburbia?

Sure, they'll give us a farmer's market, or twelve, but with business districts little more than open sewers, housing, even in today's economy, out of reach, jobs nonexistent - and did we mention those outrageous property taxes - who's going to be left on Long Island to eat those delicious, organic, home-grown fruits and veggies?

Where development -- beyond the facetious ode to facade improvement by virtue of a wrought iron bench here, a planter there, and Victorian-style street lamps seemingly everywhere -- is no better than a four-letter word (with planning cum zoning rounding out the Scrabble board, letters all hoarded into one corner), just what are the prospects for a re-energized, reimagined, re-emergent Long Island?

Coliseum? Casino? Lighthouse Lite? Let's put it to a referendum, and then do nothing for the next ten years.

When talk -- or, worse still, Tweet -- supplants the very notion of action, and polls, surveys, conferences and endless visioning sessions have upended shovel to dirt, what is the hope for Long Island's future?

Believe it or not, we're optimists here at The Community Alliance. We truly believe that Long Island's best days, after far too many sleepless nights, are yet to appear on the horizon. Of course, we are realists, as well. Rather than to stand in place, immobilzed by fear, by inertia, by entrenched indifference, we need to begin to move forward. We need to take a long hard look at the big picture -- while taking into account the details -- and do more than merely consider our options. We need to take sustainable development, Smart Growth, and civic engagement well beyond the drawing board. Less talk. Much less. More doing. Much more.

It's broke, folks. Let's fix it!

Recycle. Reuse. Re, Er, Um, Whatever...

Remembering When Earth Day Really Meant Something

Back in the 1970s (why does that suddenly seem soooooooo very, very long ago?), when Earth Day, if not the Earth itself, was young, there was much ado, not only to commemorate, but actually to help heal, our planet.

Clean ups of parks, beaches, roadways, rivers and streams. Rallies to protect and improve the environment. Observances in every nook and cranny of this great land, from college campuses to local vest pocket parks.

Why, even the government joined in the celebration, clamping down on polluters, regulating emissions, and offering up public service announcements proding the nation to keep our planet clean.

Today, with more years behind it than many on this blue sphere have been alive, mention Earth Day, and, if you evoke more than a disengaged yawn, about all you'll hear is, "Oh yeah. Earth Day."

Sure, Google Earth Day (at least they remember), and you will no doubt find that our concern for Planet Earth abounds in cyberspace. Elsewhere, little more than mere mention.

Yes, towns, hamlets, civic and community organizations and, of course, those darn tree-hugging believers in the climate change hoax, recall the day, echoing its promise, evoking a faint hoorah. Still, Earth Day ain't what it used to was.

In our schools, there's little in the curriculum, other than a passing homage, perhaps, to Earth Day. Not enough time to expound on the virtues of keeping our planet safe for all creatures, great and small, what with the need to spend every classroom hour teaching to the tests.

Going Green used to mean something tangible. Doing something, proactively, to save the whales, cut down on CO2 and greenhouse gases, or help close that gapping hole in the Ozone layer. Today, Going Green is too often little more than a marketing tool. From Radio Shack to Starbucks, Earth Day is but a merchandising scheme to lure in the masses.

Why, even Congress (or at least one side of the aisle) has thrown Earth Day under the fume-spewing bus, hoping to end the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) role in oversight and regulation.

Granted, movements gain and lose momentum over time. They wane and ebb, much like the brown, oil-laden tides that blanket our shores with toxic waste. Wonder whether, a generation hence (if either mankind or any life on this good Earth will still be here), we'll be embracing the metaphors of Sustainability and Smart Growth the way we do Earth Day and Going Green? Sure, we'll have talked the talk. There's an abundance of that. But what will we have to show for it?

Clean air? Who needs it? Clean water? Highly overrated. Life as we know it? We'll worry about it tomorrow. Maybe.

Whatever happened to Keep America Beautiful? Remember those TV spots (pre-cable) featuring the Native American (we called them American Indians back then) shedding a tear over some inconsiderate boob tossing litter out of a car window? He'd be mortified if he had lived to see what we're doing to our poor planet today. And where's Woodsy Owl when we need him most?

Earth Day. Reduced, unlike Carbon emissions and water-borne carcinogens, to little more than a Hallmark moment.

We suppose that A Billion Acts of Green just don't go as far as they used to...

Happy, ho hum, Earth Day!

Passover Through The Ages

The Angel of Special Districts Passes Over The Houses Of Taxpayers [And He Stops Along The Way To Pick Up The Bread]

Hard to believe that we've been blogging this Passover Story going on seven years now, with absolutely nothing but matzo crumbs to show for it.

No surprise, then, that a recent survey shows that while New Yorkers as a whole favor consolidation of local government services, including special taxing districts, Long Islanders are more ambivalent, favoring, we suppose, not only the status quo, but greater cost and less efficiency as well.

We really do enjoy paying more while getting less, the notable exception being the folks in Town of Hempstead's Sanitary District 1, who not only continue to have their trash picked up at the back door (really?), but also get special sanitation trucks on the streets to pick up the leftover unleaven food during Passover.

Whether or not consolidating or eliminating local taxing districts, be they sanitary or fire, school or water, would actually save money or beget greater efficiency is a matter of ongoing debate. But, in the interest of our wallets and the efficacy of our Long Island, don't we owe it to ourselves, and our children (or so many of those who still choose to remain here) to at least try?

What is it they say about fools and their money?

Happy Passover to all!
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From The Community Alliance Blog, March 9, 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: (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?
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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.

"How'r They Doin'?"

"Not So Well," According To Former NYC Mayor Ed Koch

Long Island Legislators fail to live up to pledge

This may not surprise you (it certainly came as no surprise to us), but many of those same State Legislators who hail from Long Island -- signers all of Ed Koch's New York Uprising Pledge to reform redistricting -- have now reneged on their promise.

And here you thought their word was their bond. Well, it was, until the election was over.

We can go on and on about promises unkept and pledges broken, but why not let Mayor Koch tell it like it is. The sad tale of, "41 Dishonorable Legislators."
- - -

As you know, there are some lawmakers who, despite signing written pledges last year, are now standing in the way of redistricting reform. 41 of them, to be exact, including nearly the entire Republican conference in the Senate.

Make no mistake, this betrayal of the public trust can only be described one way: Dishonorable.

This week, thanks to your support, we were able to push back. Your generous contributions allowed us to send 100,000 automated "robo-calls" into the districts of lawmakers who reneged, so I could inform voters that their Senator or Assemblymember is breaking their promise, and holding up reform.

Click here to hear one of the calls yourself - this is the one to voters in Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos' district.

And the impact of the calls is snowballing. Media around the state - in Rochester, Westchester, Buffalo, Utica, Hudson Valley, Albany, Auburn, Long Island, Watertown, and more - is covering the pledge-breakers, and scorning them in editorials. Not to mention all the other groups that have put the new "Enemies" on notice - from ReShapeNY, whose members are holding forums in districts around the state, to the New Roosevelt Initiative, which just announced a rally in Senator Greg Ball's district.

At least one legislator got the message right away: The day after the robo-calls began, Sean Hanna, Assemblyman from Rochester, announced that he had just become a co-sponsor of the redistricting bill. I halted the calls to his district immediately, and congratulated him; we hold no grudges.

Below, you'll find a list of the 41 legislators who signed our pledges, and have so far reneged. They deserve the scorn of their constituents and - and all New Yorkers - for dishonorably breaking their word.

Sincerely,
Ed Koch
Founder, New York Uprising

These are the 41 lawmakers named "Enemies of Reform" this week, for reneging on their pledges. Please use the links to call or write them, and demand that they keep their word on redistricting.

ASSEMBLY

Al Graf, AD 5

Joseph Saladino, AD 12

Michael Montesano, AD 15

Thomas McKevitt, AD 17

David McDonough, AD 19

Edward Ra, AD 21

Bill Scarborough, AD 29

Ken Blankenbush, AD 122

Christopher Friend, AD 137

Andrew Goodell, AD 150

SENATE

Ken LaValle, SD 1

John Flanagan, SD 2

Lee Zeldin, SD 3

Owen Johnson, SD 4

Carl Marcellino, SD 5

Kemp Hannon, SD 6

Jack Martins, SD 7

Chuck Fuschillo, SD 8

Dean Skelos, SD 9

Marty Golden, SD 22

Andrew Lanza, SD 24

Bill Larkin, SD 39

Greg Ball, SD 40

Stephen Saland, SD 41

Roy McDonald, SD 43

Hugh Farley, SD 44

Betty Little, SD 45

Joe Griffo, SD 47

Patty Ritchie, SD 48

John DeFrancisco, SD 50

James Seward, SD 51

Tom Libous, SD 52

Tom O'Mara, SD 53

Michael Nozzolio, SD 54

James Alesi, SD 55

Joe Robach, SD 56

Cathy Young, SD 57

Patrick Gallivan, SD 59

Mark Grisanti, SD 60

Michael Ranzenhofer, SD 61
George Maziarz, SD 62

"Nassau County Is In A State Of Repair"

Or Is It, Disrepair?

"Repair" signifies that things -- like roads along Main Street, the infrastructure that is the foundation of our local economy, the tax base, long-eroding, the deficit -- are getting fixed.

Unfortunately, there is little, beyond the hollow rhetoric from both sides of the aisle, to indicate that Nassau County is on the road to recovery, let alone that the road is in the process of being repaved.

County Executive Ed Mangano is quick to point out the problems (and to blame most if not all of them on his predecessor), but falls short of offering real solutions. [Someone needs to clue us in on the numbers, too. If Mangano, as per his TV spot, turned a $133 million deficit into a surplus, how is it that we now have a $176 million deficit in Nassau County? We need more smoke to cover the mirrors here!]

The loyal opposition, meanwhile, is swift with its condemnation, telling us what we do not need -- a casino, for instance -- but offering little  more than homage to what we do need -- next-generation housing, among them -- without providing a roadmap (potholes sold seperately) showing how to get there.

State and Nassau County Democratic Chair, Jay Jacobs, calls Mangano's governance, "bumbling." With hindsight, it becomes all too clear that leadership during the Democrats' tenure wasn't all that much better.

So what's the problem and who's to blame? The old borrow and spend, hallmarks of both sides of the political spectrum, the stuff that county, town and school districts alike are made of, creating huge deficits and, ultimately, gargantuan paybacks, as in taxes, fees and rate hikes.

Who's to blame? Not Ed Mangano (he said so himself). Not Jay Jacobs. Not the Dems or the GOP. Heck, they've simply tried to give us, their constituents, exactly what we want. More of this. More of that. And then a bit of these and those to go along with them.

Never mind the cost. We'll worry about that later.

Well, folks, "later" is suddenly upon us. [Actually, it was upon us more than a decade ago, when Nassau County, in boom times, was at the brink of the financial precipice. We changed administrations, but every one of us wanted the good times to continue to roll.]

We can't blame the elected. After all, they are merely a reflection of our own sordid desires, and our unwillingness to pay the pipers for the tunes we demanded they play. And imperfect as they are in implementing our wishes, our representatives, bumbling and blithering, term after term, have given us what we have asked for -- sort of. A great colossus of government-induced spending for which there appears no end (nor cap) in sight.

Whom did we expect to bear the burden of paying for 56 separate school districts in Nassau County alone? What about those 200-plus special taxing districts, each emptying our wallets into their coffers? In a good economy -- make that a great economy -- Nassau floundered. And now, with markets wallowing, fiscal cupboards bare, NIFA barking at our heels, and inflation on the horizon? Exactly what did we expect?

Generation Next is fleeing. Seniors are struggling. The middle class is shrinking. The infrastructure -- much of it still mired, by the inertia of local government, in the 1950s -- is crumbling.

The mindset of the electorate here on Long Island? Apparently, doing nothing remains a viable option.

Perhaps Ed Mangano said it best (though not quite eloquently): "We're doing what the people are looking for..."

The cartoon character, Pogo, may not have been entirely off the mark when he said, "We have met the enemy and he is us!" Indeed, we have only ourselves to blame, really, for this awful mess we're in.
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From the cyberpages of patch.com:



The Democratic Response:

Nassau Dem Chair Responds to State of the County

Nassau Democratic Chair Jay Jacobs offers the following response to the State of the County.

It was hard to watch County Executive Ed Mangano stand before every resident of Nassau County and twist the truth about the situation we're in.

Mangano campaigned on a promise to improve our county’s finances, but his tenure as county executive has been marked by incompetence and fiscal irresponsibility.

The economy is struggling. There’s no argument about that. Too many of our neighbors can’t find jobs. Too many of our kids are leaving Long Island to seek their fortunes elsewhere – and why should they stay here? Our county executive has done nothing to help our communities weather this storm.

Mangano and the Republican majority in the county legislature promised to fix our county’s broken property tax assessment system, which overcharges homeowners by a total of $100 million every year. Their idea of a fix, however, was to make schools responsible for providing refunds to homeowners who pay too much.

The recession has forced school districts across Nassau to cut programs, fire teachers and raise taxes. Now that Mangano has made them responsible for doling out property tax refunds, they will be forced to make more cuts and increase their share of your property tax bill.

I want to emphasize this point: Ed Mangano wants us to believe that his budget doesn’t raise taxes, but he isn't telling the truth.

Mangano has also levied a new tax on nonprofit organizations, although he insists the new tax is a “fee.” This new tax charges nonprofits like hospitals and universities for using the county’s sewer system. To pay it, these nonprofits will have to raise tuition rates and levy fees of their own. Whatever you call this new burden, it amounts to more money out of your pocket.

Mangano needs to be honest with the people of Nassau County. He hasn’t fixed our broken assessment system. He simply shifted the burden away from the county. He didn’t pass a no-tax budget. He is forcing other entities to charge you for the costs of his policies. Our county executive can't keep treating the county budget like a shell game.

Under Mangano’s bumbling tenure, the state has had to take over the county budget. Simply put, our current county executive isn’t up to the challenge of governing during these difficult times. We need leaders who will make smart cuts and pursue real reform of our county’s assessment system, rather than passing the cost of the problem onto our schools. We need leaders who will support smart growth.

We don’t need a casino. We don’t need the traffic it would bring. We need next-generation housing. We need places for our kids to move when they get their first jobs. We need places for young people to congregate and socialize and form the bonds that hold communities together. With well-designed neighborhoods come new residents, who pay taxes and help our county invest in its future. We need a place for a new generation of Long Islanders to settle and grow.

We’re all in this together. That’s why we have to be careful about the cuts and investments we make in hard times – and Ed Mangano isn’t thinking in anyone’s future but his own. That’s why he slashed funding to Long Island Bus. That’s why he is imposing a new tax on hospitals and colleges. That’s why he wants to build a casino instead of a neighborhood. These proposals all sound good the way he spins them, but underneath his rhetoric, they are bad policies that will leave Nassau worse off in the long run.

Jay Jacobs is the chairman of the Nassau County Democratic Committee as well as the New York State Democratic Committee.

Bay Park Follies?

The Price (Tag) of Privatizing Public Parks

Our good friends at PARCnassau find the County Legislature's approval of the private use of Bay Park's athletic fields -- at taxpayer expense -- dismaying, to say the least.

Are we giving away our public parks and open spaces? And, at what cost to taxpayers, homeowners, and future generations of park-goers? A boon in revitalizing and maintaining a local community park, or a sellout to a private group with the public to bear the burden?

Read on, and feel free to comment below. They are your County parks, after all. Well, at least they were...
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Yesterday, Monday, April 4, 2011 the Rules Committee of the county legislature voted to allow the County Parks Department to finalize an agreement with Molloy College, Rockville Centre for the Occupancy and Use Permit for the Bay Park athletic fields. In effect, this commits COUNTY TAXPAYERS to underwrite Molloy College’s athletic program for $3 million up front and field maintenance costs for up to 30 years. This decision begs the question, why?

· Why was this proposal brought up in the Rules Committee instead of the Parks Committee?
· Why did the Republican majority ignore calls for further data that would insure an informed vote?
· Any logical reading of the agreement shows it to be, in fact, a lease and not a permit. Giving a private entity total use and control of most of a county park for up to 30 years is a lease, nothing less. Calling this a permit is just a way of avoiding scrutiny under the Alienation of Municipal Parklands case law which would require approval of the NYS Legislature. So, why was this done?

The vote was along party lines with the Republican majority outvoting the Democrat minority. (Will we ever see voting in accordance with personal knowledge and belief? Apparently not in Nassau County.) Testimony by PARCnassau and Vincent Esposito, former president of the Bay Park Civic Association against the proposal, stimulated a lively debate among the legislators about public access to the fields. A motion to table the matter until glaring omissions of public rights and access were investigated was totally ignored.

So who is the real loser in all this? The taxpaying Nassau County resident who will now have to finance a $3 million capital project bond to improve the fields for a private college to play on to the exclusion of the general public. The same residents will have to pay tax moneys to maintain those fields for up to 30 years for the private college’s sports and continuing exclusion of the public.

The only remaining hope is that either NIFA will nix this expensive agreement as not in the public interest or that the NYS Department of Parks will bring action to have this agreement brought under jurisdiction of the Alienation of Municipal Parklands case law. Any and all citizens of Nassau could and should petition NIFA and the State to weigh in on this issue.

For too long the very government entities charged with the fiduciary responsibility for our county parks have instead either violated or ignored that responsibility at the expense of the public that voted them into office. Shame on Them!

Park Advocacy & Recreation Council of Nassau
Bruce Piel, Chairman
246 Twin Lane East, Wantagh, NY 11793
(516) 783-8378
http://parcnassau.blogspot.com

Town of Hempstead Tries Harder

Redevelopment of Avis Site Begins on Old Country Road

It may have taken nearly a decade, but the long-abandoned former headquarters of Avis, the car rental company, situated on Old Country Road in Westbury, is coming down, making way for commercial and retail space, a stone's throw from the Roosevelt Field and Source malls.

Long ripe for redevelopment considering its decade-old brownfield status, it will be wonderful to see the old eyesore of the Avis site reinvented. It is also heartening to see the Town of Hempstead partnering with Equity One, a major player in the development of commercial properties, this toward the removal of what has long been a blight upon Old Country Road.

Hopefully, the new space, once completed, will be utilized wisely, and we will not see merely the addition of vacant storefronts and retail space that has plagued not only Old Country Road, but Main Streets across Long Island, since the economic downturn. Just down the road, the half empty Source Mall is floundering.

If "build it and they will come" heralds in a new era of prosperity for Old Country Road, the project may well be a boon for the local economy.

Clearly, the Avis building had to go. What was left of it was a ramshakled shell of its former self. Breathing new life into that Old Country Road could only be for the better.

Turning the corner, heading just south, lies yet another major corridor in desperate need of a facelift. Hempstead Turnpike, where another brownfield, the dilapidated Nassau Coliseum and the surrounding desolation of the Nassau Hub, awaits a renaissance of its own.

Onward and, one can only hope, upward!
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From the Town of Hempstead:

Knocking Down Old Offices & Building Up the Economy - Hempstead, Equity One Kick Off $100 Million Development at Former Avis Site


A decade after Avis Rent-A-Car moved its headquarters from Garden City to Parsippany, New Jersey, Hempstead Town and Equity One, Inc. knocked down some of the last remaining walls of the car rental giant's decrepit former corporate headquarters. At a media event attended by Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray, Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby and Jeffrey Olson, Chief Executive Officer of Equity One, Inc., the officials announced the upcoming construction of an impressive 330,000 square foot retail, banking and restaurant development that will boast a $100 million investment into the local economy through direct construction related expenditures. Also at the press conference were Hempstead Town Clerk Mark Bonilla, Receiver of Taxes Don Clavin.

"As we knock down this office building, we are building up our local economy," stated Murray. "While significant development projects have stalled across the nation during this economic crisis, Hempstead Town is proud to have worked together with a highly respected developer to bring about a progressive project at this Old Country Road site. At the same time, I would like to commend Equity One for investing in America's largest township."

Impressive in scale and aesthetically attractive, the new development will restore luster to a major Long Island commercial thoroughfare. The projected composition of the buildings will include over 315,000 square feet of retail space, almost 11,000 square feet of restaurant area and over 3,200 square feet designated for a financial institution.

Increased tax revenues, positive economic impacts as well as the creation of construction jobs and long-term employment are key benefits of the Equity One venture. Sales tax receipts totaling over $4.5 million are anticipated.

Permanent employment in management, retail service, business and financial operations, among other fields, is expected to result in over 600 jobs. During the construction phase an annual average approaching 500 workers will be employed. Finally, the total economic activity that would result from the construction of the former Avis site is projected to be in the range of $160 million.

"Creating jobs, stimulating the economy and generation of tax revenues are important, particularly in a difficult economy," stated Murray. "This Equity One venture will beautify Old Country Road, create a great new destination and expand our economy," added Goosby.

"We're thrilled to be here celebrating with Supervisor Murray and other elected officials. The Town of Hempstead has been a tremendous partner during the entire development process, and we look forward to working with them as we prepare to start construction on this wonderful project," stated Olson.

Officials from Hempstead Town and Equity One called the project a uniquely positive emblem of the resiliency of the area's economy, the strength of Hempstead Town's finances and the ability of Equity One to successfully develop vibrant construction projects through strategic planning and comprehensive economic analysis. Many developers have pointed to the importance of governments that are fiscally well managed with stable tax bases in selecting sites for economic investment. Hempstead Town boasts the highest Wall Street credit ratings available, and Supervisor Murray has already commenced work on a 2012 budget that will freeze all town taxes. Additionally, the resiliency of the town's tax base has been evidenced through increased sales tax revenues over the past three quarters (year to year comparison).

"We're pleased that Equity One has selected America's largest township for this important project," said Murray. "Progressive and reasonable development like this contributes to our stable tax base and bolsters the town's top-notch finances."

Olson noted, "Between this project and our recent acquisition of Westbury Plaza, Equity One will invest more than $200 million in this municipality. Old Country Road is one of the strongest retail corridors in the nation, and we believe our commitment to this area will be beneficial both to our company and to the surrounding community."

Hempstead Town officials played an important role in facilitating the development at 900 Old Country Road. Murray and the entire Town Board reviewed and approved the developer's site plan for the project. Ensuring that the development was consistent with surrounding real estate uses, determining that the construction could be accommodated by the local infrastructure and reviewing aesthetic impacts of the project were all issues that the Town Board considered when they approved the site plan. Additionally, the town's Board of Appeals granted variances that allowed for a reasonable increase in the allowable density of the development as well as relief from other zoning restrictions.

"Today we're knocking down walls and building up the economy at the same time," concluded Murray. "Working together, Equity One and Hempstead officials are beautifying a major business corridor, bringing about progressive development, creating jobs, stimulating the economy and generating tax revenues. This major project shows that even in difficult economic times, quality developers and financially strong governments can accomplish great things together."

Make Mine A Dissolution, On Rye

Rye Town Supervisor Leads Charge to Dissolve

When one hears about campaigns to dissolve municipal entities -- whether fire districts, water districts, or entire townships -- rarely are the proponents of such initiatives the very public officials who run (and benefit from) the place.

Come now the Town of Rye, NY, where no one less than the Supervisor himself, Joe Carvin, is leading the charge to, in effect, cut off his own nose despite his face. [Actually, Mr. Carvin waives the $17,000 salary offered by the Town.]

Granted, the Town of Rye, with an annual budget of $3.6 million, doesn't provide much in the way of services, same being provided by the villages that lay within its borders, or by the encompassing County of Westchester. Still, to even entertain the notion of eliminating an existing layer of government -- particularly one that does little more than collect taxes -- is appealing. That the wheels are being put in motion by the Town Supervisor himself is, to say the least, refreshing, if not extraordinary.

Now, dissolving the Town of Rye is not likely to save all that much in dollars and cents. Indeed, the Town itself is spending $50,000 in State grant money to study whether it should do itself in. [We're quite good at "studying" here in New York. "Doing," not so much...]

That said, efficiencies are not always readily visible on the balance sheet. Sometimes, there's that proverbial "read between the lines" in terms of eliminating duplication of effort, streamlining operations, and having one less layer of bureaucracy to deal with in picking up garbage, removing snow, fixing streets, and so on.

Of course, we'd be delusional to so much as think that any Supervisor, Mayor, Commissioner or Trustee here on Long Island would be so bold as to follow Rye Town's Carvin down the road to dissolution. Then again, with dwindling resources, changing demographics, and the migration of both young and old from our shores, economy may dictate where reason so refuses.

In an era when doing more with less -- or even less with less -- has become the calling card of fiscal conservatives, and doing without (as in, do we really need sanitation services 6 days per week?) has become the new normal, maybe, just maybe, more of us -- including a local official or two -- will give some serious thought to dissolving a couple of taxing districts (or at least to consolidating a few), and calling for lower (not merely capped) property taxes in the morning!
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From The Wall Street Journal:

Pondering the Why for Rye

RYE, N.Y.—Town Supervisor Joe Carvin wants to issue his own pink slip.

He's leading a charge to dissolve the Town of Rye, the 350-year-old municipality he's headed for three years. The town is the government version of a holding company, serving as a shell for the Westchester County villages of Port Chester and Rye Brook, and Mamaroneck's Rye Neck section.

Despite its $3.6 million budget, the Town of Rye doesn't provide any sanitation, health or police services; they are provided by the other municipalities and by Westchester County.

The town collects taxes, conducts property assessments and maintains two parks, a number of bridges and a court. It employs 18 people, and paid out close to $2 million in salaries and benefits last year. Mr. Carvin, a hedge-fund manager at Altima Partners in New York City, has declined the $17,000 salary his predecessor received.

"The question is: What exactly does the town of Rye do?" said Gary Zuckerman, a former Rye Brook village trustee.

This spring, the municipalities are using a $50,000 state grant to study the idea of doing away with the town.

The move comes amid a state-wide push to consolidate more than 4,000 local municipalities in an effort to pare away layers of bureaucracy that drive up costs and taxes.

The problem is particularly acute in Westchester, Rockland and Nassau counties, all among the top 10 counties with the highest property taxes in the U.S., according to an analysis of Census data by the Tax Foundation.

In 2009, then-Attorney General Andrew Cuomo proposed since-enacted legislation that allows citizens to launch a dissolution process without government approval—if they can get 10% of an area's registered voters to sign a petition. And last year the state gave $1.3 million to local governments to study municipal dissolutions and consolidations.

The push has yet to yield many consolidations. Last year's budget halved the state's $11.5 million appropriation to fund efficiency grants, and next year's budget is likely to keep the funding flat at $5 million. While at least a dozen municipalities have taken steps toward dissolution, only 38 villages have actually dissolved since 1920, according to a state report.

Last March, the village of Perrysburg in upstate New York voted to dissolve the village into the town. With 408 residents and a $290,000 annual budget, the village's population declined by 5% and the tax base was eroding. New York's Department of State estimates $125,000 in annual cost savings.

Currently, more than 30 local governments are looking into dissolution.

Dissolving local entities isn't easy. Over the years, municipalities have taken on billions of dollars in debt that other local governments don't want to assume. What's more, leaders of municipalities that seem prime for dissolution often have no interest in volunteering their jobs for elimination.

Mr. Carvin took office three years ago with the idea of consolidating the myriad local governments. His ideal solution would be to merge everything into the City of Rye. It split away from the town in 1942, and provides police, fire and trash services. Unlike villages, it has the power to tax residents.

"We'd go from lots of levels of government to just one and reduce expenditures by 20%...but we couldn't get the political support behind that," Mr. Carvin says. So he turned to Plan B: garnering support for dissolving the Town of Rye.

The growth of the villages over the decades has left the Town of Rye performing a hodgepodge of functions. It budgeted about $7,500 to put on holiday celebrations, $18,000 to run elections, $131,000 for legal expenses and $3,500 for veteran flags. More than $230,000 is used to pay down the town's $4.6 million debt.

Mr. Zuckerman, an attorney who moved to Rye Brook more than 25 years ago, pays taxes to New York state, Westchester County, the Blind Brook school district, the Town of Rye and the Village of Rye Brook.

"If it sounds confusing, it's because it is," says Mr. Zuckerman, who has been studying local layers of government for more than a decade. "We need to study what governments should provide and at what costs."

Write to Shelly Banjo at mailto:shelly.banjo@wsj.com

No Shelter from the Storm

Animal House!

Be prepared for what you are about to see. The woman in the video with the short hair is Pat Horan, the current director of the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter. She is the person who says "kill the kitty." By the way, Pat makes over $100,000 a year as a Town employee. Yes, we said over $100,000 a year. Just keep adding the alleged misdeeds to the list while padding the Town's payroll, and load on the insult to the ever-mounting injury!

Call Kate Murray, Town of Hempstead Supervisor, at 516-489-6000 and demand that Pat Horan, Shelter Director, be dismissed. Better still, let the buck stop with the Town Supervisor. Demand Kate Murray's immediate resignation!
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We Won't Get Fooled Again!

Or Will We???

Another tax year, and yet another promise by Town of Hempstead Supervisor, Kate "The Merciless" Murray, to "freeze" Town property taxes.

Take a look at Kate's press release, republished below, and those of tax years past, all alluding to a "freeze" of Town property taxes. Then, if you dare, pull out your property tax statements for this year, last year and the year before that, and tell us, were your Town property taxes "frozen?"

We suppose, like any big lie, this one, told long enough and spread far enough, through media ranging from the fabled "Murraygram" to the ever-regurgitated Town press release, will eventually be accepted as the truth.

The bottom line, of course, on that property tax bill, tells a much different story. The numbers, translating into dollars out of the pockets of homeowners and business owners, do not lie. The net increases in the tax levies convey a reality that stands in stark contrast to the hyperbole of Kate Murray's land of make-believe. Then again, a lie will make it half way around the world -- and all the way around Hempstead Town - before the truth has a chance to put its pants on.

To accept the notion that the Town of Hempstead "freezes" anything, but for the vision of suburbia, long-frozen in a 1950s myopic mindset of a Levitt home surrounded by that white picket fence, is to be delusional - or a GOP Committeeman on the Town's payroll.

One wonders whether residents will eventually wake up to the truth behind tax "freeze" and "holding the line," calling out the Supervisor, and holding our elected officials accountable. The day when beleaguered taxpayers will finally say, "Enough, already!"
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From the Town of Hempstead Ministry of Misinformation:

Murray To Present Tax Freeze Budget - Hempstead Town Boasts Highest Credit Ratings, Rock Solid Finances


"Budgeting during an economic crisis is not easy," cautioned Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray as she announced that she is crafting a budget that will freeze all town taxes for 2012. "I am working with my colleagues on the town board, and will present a tax-freeze budget that is accountable to taxpayers later this year. We will be able to do this because we have adhered to the simple yet profound Boy Scout credo, 'Be Prepared.'"

The Supervisor pointed out that controlling the town's discretionary costs, as well as preparing a multi-year fiscal plan and adjusting budgeted amounts such as mortgage recording revenues for the current economic downturn have resulted in rock solid budgets that have earned the highest available Wall Street credit ratings (Aaa, Moody's Investor Service; AAA, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services). Furthermore, Murray's administration has rejected reliance on "one-shot" (non-recurring) revenues to balance budgets and scrupulously avoided increased borrowing to meet ongoing government costs. These measures have protected the township's residents from the fiscal instability that plagues the federal government, New York State and many localities.

"Unfortunately, many other governments did not prepare and plan for the recession, leaving taxpayers to deal with painful cuts in government services and exposing future generations to the fallout of staggering budget deficits," stated Hempstead Town Senior Councilman Anthony J. Santino. "Kate Murray and I will not take taxpayers down that path. Because we have prepared for a difficult economy and budgeted carefully, we can offer a tax-freeze budget and maintain all services in force."

Perhaps the best indicator of the integrity and reliability of a particular government's budgeting practices lies in the reviews of independent financial analysts and the credit ratings of Wall Street rating agencies. In fact, the independent Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) has conferred its Excellence in Financial Reporting Award upon Hempstead Town every year since 2003. And, Moody's Investor Services, the respected Wall Street rating agency, has based its top rating of Hempstead's finances on "the town's prudent fiscal management characterized by conservative budgeting practices, development of multi-year financial forecasts..."

"Our straightforward approach to budgeting has earned the respect of credit rating agencies on Wall Street and won the trust of neighbors on Main Street," said Murray. "We'll continue to justify that trust with a budget that is responsible and holds the line on all town taxes."

The officials pointed out that a key benefit of aggressive fiscal management is that it allows the town to maintain important programs and initiatives that stimulate the economy and create jobs while encouraging development that expands the town's tax base. One such job-creating town service is HempsteadWorks, the town's one-stop career center. Almost 15,000 clients found employment in 2009 through this fee-free service center. Hempstead Town is also supporting the creation of local construction, engineering and associated jobs in the private sector through a $50 million capital improvement program. The program funds road and building construction, marine bulkhead work and other job-boosting projects. Finally, Hempstead's well-managed budgets and stable tax base have attracted three major development projects for the coming year that will create jobs and generate local economic activity.

"During tough economic times it's important that we do everything possible to help neighbors make ends meet," concluded Murray. "We're freezing all town taxes and at the same time crafting a local stimulus program, offering career services to job seekers, and encouraging responsible development that will pump needed private sector dollars into our local economy. In short, we've heeded the Boy Scout credo, "Be Prepared,' and taxpayers in our township are benefiting from our fiscally responsible budgeting practices."

A Tax Revolt By Any Other Name. . .

Tax Levies Rise As "Revolt" Subsides

They may have taken to the streets in Egypt, Yemen and Libya, but here on Long Island, there's every indication that our protests are limited to the penned gripe and the occasional public moan, ventures to the streets confined to a walk to the mailbox to pick up the latest Statement of Taxes.

That "line" they say is being "held" or "frozen" is moving again, steadily upward, as property taxes continue to spiral out of control.

Arriveth the Statement of Taxes for the Nassau County/Town of Hempstead 2011 General Tax Levy, and, lo and behold (more like, high and be shocked), someone's finger apparently got stuck on the "+" key.

County General Purposes tax levy, up 9.89%. County Police, up 6.05%. County Sewage Collection, up 11.88%.

Sure, there's only so much $435 million in County tax levies can buy, but didn't the County Exec say he wasn't raising our taxes? You can do the math, but clearly, the pluses outnumber the minuses in the "Change from Prior Year" column by nearly 48%.

So, how's that tax revolt working out for you?

Meanwhile, over at the Town of Hempstead, where Supervisor Kate Murray's "freeze" leaves us out in the cold, Parking District taxes rose by 12.33%. The Town Park District levy is up 9.07%. Kick up Town Lighting by 3.96%, Town Building/Zoning by 6.47% (must be for all those enforcement officers), and Town Highway Repairs/Improvements (who is kidding whom?) by 6.50%.

And while the tax levy for the Town Refuse Disposal District decreased by 19.46%, those who "enjoy paying more" for the privilege of the "local control" offered by the so-called special districts saw the tax levy rise in Sanitary District 6 by a whopping 15.07%. So, let us see. There's less garbage to dispose of, but more garbage to collect? Hmmm. Guess it's a matter of efficiencies...

Yes, the Town's General Purposes tax levy was essentially "frozen." The remainder of the Town's tax bill (save Refuse Disposal), more icing on the Town's cake.

The bottom line on the latest tax bill, for most Nassau County/Town of Hempstead homeowners, is a  nearly 6% net increase in property taxes. Not exactly a "freeze." Nowhere near "holding the line."

Mind you, this does NOT include school property taxes. Depending upon your district, that was an additional increase in the tax levy of upwards of 8%.

Hey, it's only money. Your money. Well, it was. Now it's their money...

Maybe next year, they'll talk "cap" instead of "freeze." Either way, that's more property taxes, not less, or even the same. [If a "freeze" means higher taxes, you can only imagine what a "cap" would portend!]

Okay. It costs alot to light the roadways and fix the streets. Apparently, it costs even more to keep taxpayers in the dark (we told you to close the lights when you leave LI) and turn biways into lunar landscapes (are we zoned for that?).

Tax revolt? Perhaps next year. For now, the only thing revolting is the property tax bill!

P.S. Wonder where the Town of Hempstead hid the $7 million tab for running the Town's Animal Shelter. Clearly, we need a special district for that...

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Ed TV

Nassau County Exec Sweeps Clean On YouTube

It's not even an election year for Nassau's chief executive, and yet, the posturing through political ads has already begun.

Inspired, perhaps, by the widespread use of the Internet to rally support around the world, Ed Mangano (who finds himself, at the moment, without so much as control over the county's finances, and at odds with the County Comptroller, a fellow GOPer) has posted an ingenious, though somewhat disingenuous video on YouTube, entitled, Ed Mangano: Cleaning Up Nassau's Problems.

Granted, 270 views is hardly "going viral," and Mineola is not Cairo, but hey, when it comes to pushing back against the Nassau Interim Finance Authority (NIFA), or, for that matter, the truth (as in, saving us from a 16.5% increase in the property tax and turning a $133 million deficit into a surplus, the fact-o-meter stretching its limits), taking a broom to the county's problems by virtue of video is pure Madison Avenue.

The video is short, slick, and, even we must admit, pretty clever. And for most within the County Exec's purview, particularly those of limited attention span and myopic hindsight, the ad will more than satiate.

Yeah. Sweep away all our problems. Or are the issues that confront our county, our Island, merely being swept under the rug?

Enjoy the video. One of many more cutsie spots yet to come, no doubt. Then ask yourself, whatever happened to the tax revolt that "swept" Ed Mangano into office, and are taxpayers really being saved from reckless spending, crushing debt and punishing property taxes, making Nassau County more affordable, or simply being sold the same broom, over and over again, at the check out counter?

Truly, we'd like to believe Ed, to see him succeed. Who wouldn't? After all, relieving the burden of the taxpayer, the homeowner, the senior, the under 40 crowd, is a cornerstone of Long Island's revival.
The proof, we suppose, will not be in what we see on the small screen, but rather, what we read on the bottom line. Watch those property tax bills, and stay tuned to Ed TV.

The Tumbleweeds Loom Larger On Long Island's Horizon

"Exit" Poll Finds LI's "Under 40s" Primed To Flee

Maybe it's the lack of affordable housing, or the dearth of jobs that provide a living wage. Perhaps the over-the-top property taxes are the cue, or the diminishing return on one's investment. Could be the general decline in Long Island's quality of life that's driving Generation Next away from here, or the spector of "downtowns" that are perennially depressed, "Main Streets" that are little more than open sewers, and those lofty visions of the suburban dream that have faded into memory, leaving only a nightmarish presence as defined by the ugliness of the Turnpike and the aloofness of local government.

Whatever the reasons -- and they are, to be sure, many and varied -- the young are poised to leave Long Island, in droves, further eroding the tax base, devastating the local economy, and leaving behind those who, by dint of their stubbornness or foolishness, must stay behind to foot the bills.

We watch the tides roll in and roll out on our Long Island. Day after day. Year after year. What washes ashore, aside from the occasional body or discarded tampon, is a mass of toxic seaweed that threatens, in its wake, to overrun the beach head.

Further inland, at places like the Nassau Hub, the tumbleweed gather outside the Coliseum like so many Tribbles, unruly masses ready to roll down the Turnpike, smothering everything in their path.

Maybe it's not simply the taxes, the housing shortage, the egregious cost of living, the jobs, the sheer magnitude of the down and out in our towns and hamlets. Maybe it's that local government, rarely proactive, and, of recent vintage, barely able to react with even so much as a knee jerk, has all but abandoned efforts to renew, revitalize, re-energize, or so much as read the writing on the crumbling walls of blighted brownfields.

And when reports and studies issue declaring, with admonishment, "Long Island's young people are leaving," populace and politicos alike, as if amused by Henny Penny's cry of "the sky is falling," do little more than shrug.

Guess what? The sky is falling!

Where opportunity knocks, local officials hide under the bed, never answering the door. Where big ideas are proposed, our local politicos think small. In lieu of future design, there is the default of resignation. Actions supplanted by words delivered on colorful leaflets in residents' mailboxes. Master Plans shelved. Citizens' visioning dismissed.

Projects ill-conceived. Plans left to turn to dust on the drafting board. Proposals rejected. Promises and artists' renderings regurgitated, rehashed, and recycled, but nary a shovel taken to the street.

"A better burb is coming." Yes, and so is the Messiah.

Even where there is progress, it is, at best, nominal, coming too late and costing too much. The "one step forward, two steps back" approach to everything from reclaiming downtrodden downtowns to reducing property taxes that are out of control.

Sad, we think, where the only quantifiable measure of progress is a township's disingenuous claim of having advanced the cause of transit-oriented development, when, truth be told (though who will be left to tell it?), town government did absolutely everything within its power to derail redevelopment.

The folks at Long Island Index aren't telling us anything new, really. We've heard it all before. Last year. The year before that. A decade ago.

And maybe that's the problem. Nothing changes. Not for the better, anyway. Mired in the past. Clueless about the future. We refuse to adapt. We choose not to evolve. We have truly become the town where time stood still.
- - -
From Newsday:

Report says rentals are key to keeping LI's young

by PAUL LAROCCO / paul.larocco@newsday.com

Adapt or watch a generation of young professionals flee.

That's the message to municipalities from this year's Long Island Index report, which is to be released Thursday. It again focuses on underutilized downtowns. With few exceptions, the 13 towns, two cities and 22 villages that participated have been slow to embrace smart growth, the report concludes.

Outdated master plans and zoning codes hurt, but the report lays most blame on restrictions for developing high-density rental housing that typically anchors downtown redevelopment and attracts young adults.

Of the Long Island residents age 18 to 34 who participated in an Index survey, 64 percent said they plan to leave in the next five years. Three-quarters of the total 807 Long Island residents polled said the loss of younger residents is a serious problem, compared with 40 percent of those in suburban New Jersey who also participated in the 8th annual report, "Getting It Done: Aligning Long Island's Development Processes with Sustainable Economic Growth."

"All my nieces and nephews are moving away. And all my old friends, they're gone," said Mira Garland, 33, a Mastic stay-at-home mom and survey respondent. "They complain they can't afford to live here."

Nancy Rauch Douzinas, president of the Rauch foundation, a Garden City charity that funds various family and environment programs as well as the Long Island Index, said, "it's obvious we have not kept pace." Last year, the index identified 8,300 acres with development potential in 150 Long Island downtowns.

Hicksville was one such area. The Town of Oyster Bay, which includes the large hamlet, didn't participate in the index's land use planning survey, but town officials have opposed increased density.

"This bigger-is-better, or denser-is-better, approach, where one size fits all, we don't believe in that," Hal Mayer, Oyster Bay's environmental consultant to the supervisor, said Wednesday. "Each community knows what's best for itself."

The index acknowledged some progress. It cited Patchogue, Amityville and Mineola villages and Babylon, Islip, Brookhaven, Riverhead and Hempstead towns as trying to reshape their downtowns.

But only Hempstead, Long Island's most-populated town, has undertaken a transit-oriented development. The district around West Hempstead's LIRR station is to include a 150-unit apartment complex within walking distance of the station, a town spokesman said.

The index concluded other towns mostly ignore potential around the Long Island Rail Road, creating "isolated station(s) in a sea of parking."

The Huntington Town Board in September rejected the transit-oriented Avalon Bay housing development in Huntington Station. Critics claimed the project would have overburdened the community while supporters called it key to revitalization.