Suozzi and Meli Head to Head on ‘The Job of Mayor’

Most employers hiring an employee know best what to ask their candidates at a job interview. However, in politics, the candidates tend to tell the employer what their own job description will be.

The position of mayor is a paying job, with a $100,000 salary, a car and full benefits. The mayoral candidate also runs with six council members who are paid $60,000 in total.

• What exactly is the job you and your council are being hired to do in 2012 and 2013?
• What information do voters need to rate their perspective employees? 
• What questions would you have voters ask your opponent in order to understand who is more qualified to do the job?

Suozzi, Meli to Meet for Public Debate

Record Pilot Hosting - Saturday, Oct. 29 at Wunsch Arts Center – 4 p.m.

Some community members asked the Record Pilot to sponsor and moderate a debate between the two candidates vying for the position of mayor of the City of Glen Cove for the 2012-13 term. This debate will be held on Saturday, Oct. 29 at the Wunsch Arts Center, located at Finley Middle School, 1 Forest Ave., Glen Cove. The start time is 4 p.m. and there will be a brief “meet and greet” session after the debate for voters to talk to each other and meet the candidates for mayor and city council.

Glen Cove Board of Ed Members Question Drop in Test Scores, Demand More Data

The Glen Cove Board of Education held a special workshop meeting to discuss curriculum issues at the high school Monday night, including test scores and the possibility of hiring Math & ELA coaches. The discussion was a continuation of one that began last month in a series of workshops that will take place throughout the school year in an attempt to fine tune all issues that have surfaced and to make sure the district is heading on the right track.

Superintendent Dr. Joseph A. Laria explained that the discussion items on the agenda were divided into categories of issues that are “urgent and important,” “urgent,” and “important.” He said that the curriculum committee would be in place by the beginning of November, if not sooner, then left the floor open to the trustees to start the night’s discussion.

Comptroller’s Warning – Glen Cove Budget

A letter from Deputy Comptroller Steven Hancox in the New York State comptroller’s office was released on Tuesday, Oct. 18, reviewing the City of Glen Cove’s budget for 2012 and warning around $2 million to $2.5 million in possible budget shortfalls.

Because of the City of Glen Cove’s budgetary deficit in the year 2006, the letter explained, Glen Cove was authorized to borrow $12.8 million in 2007, and as part of the arrangement, has to submit a proposed budget to the comptroller each September. This year’s budget was submitted as required and the deputy comptroller stated that the city council must either adjust the proposed budget based on the review from the comptroller, or the city council must send a letter explaining why it will not adjust the budget based on the recommendations.

Waterfront Development Slated to Start This Coming Year

$68.49 Million Budget Hearing Raises Several Discussions

Good news for many and bad news for many, Mayor Ralph V. Suozzi stated at the City of Glen Cove City Council meeting this Tuesday in City Hall that the waterfront development is slated to start this coming year.

“The developer told me they plan to do something in the third or fourth quarter [of 2012],” the mayor said during the city’s first of two budget hearings.

Glen Cove Detectives Seek Alleged Armed Robbers

Local Residents Bound and Assaulted Downtown

The City of Glen Cove was abuzz this weekend as word spread about a helicopter sighted overhead and a beloved member of the local community who had been the victim of a horrible assault in a downtown home.

Glen Cove police have not released names as of this printing, but Lt. Thomas Fitzpatrick of the GCPD provided details about the crime. According to police, at roughly 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 8, a 911 call for a robbery was called in for a residence on North Lane, downtown. The two residents of the home a 77-year-old father and 48-year-old son, along with a female business associate were confronted by two men in ski masks with what the victims believed to be guns.

Suozzi and Meli Head to Head on the City’s Financial History

Mayor Ralph V. Suozzi

Question:

What is your understanding of the long-term, financial history of Glen Cove, its current finances, and what are your financial plans for the city for the next two years?

Answer:

Despite a difficult economy, I’ve improved our city’s financial health by $53 million.

Q&A: Candidates for Oyster Bay Town Supervisor

Anton Newspapers asked Republican incumbent John Venditto and Democratic challenger John Capobianco to respond to the following questions.

John Venditto

What would you suggest the Town do to get back to an AAA bond rating?

To begin with, I have proposed a no tax increase budget for 2012. The concern of our bond rating agency is that the Town’s reserves have gone down. Those reserves will be replenished by cutting back on overtime and increasing user fees. Also, in light of the recent North Hempstead court decision, the Town is seeking to recoup funds from the Verizon settlement, which would be used to help build up the Town’s reserves.

Public Argues YES, NO for Waterfront Development

Apparently, much of the comment at the Sept. 20 Planning Board hearing in Glen Cove City Hall may have been moot, because it was beyond the purview of the Planning Board. (It was explained that the board was only there to review RXR Glen Isle’s plan and make sure that negative environmental impacts were “mitigated.”) However, if economic and social concerns were outside the scope of the hearing, the collective feedback from community members showed how divided Glen Cove still is on the development. Many present communicated that the merit of the overall project has yet to be proven or that the project does not fit in their community. Many others are tired of the 10-year argument and just want things to get rolling.

State Senate Hearing Calls Out LIPA’s ‘Failure’ After Irene

LI Senators Say Investigation Needed Before LIPA Renews National Grid Contract

Senator Carl Marcellino questioned LIPA and National Grid representatives last week, introducing a State Senate hearing with wording that many on the island might use at this point: “What the hell happened?”

After Tropical Storm Irene left many Long Island residents, municipal facilities and even emergency responders without power for days, and some for over a week, New York state senators held a hearing, first, to determine what went wrong in LIPA and National Grid’s storm preparedness plans and, second, to call for a delay in the renewal of the contract between LIPA and National Grid until an independent review can be done to see if Long Island could be better served by a different arrangement.