Jankowski Was Scapegoated While on Track Toward True Assessment Reform

My name is Tony Brita.  In July, 2008, former County Executive Tom Suozzi appointed me Vice Chairman of the Nassau County Board of Assessors. I served as acting County Assessor when elected assessor Harvey Levinson resigned in November, 2008, and worked in that capacity until voters approved a charter change making the Assessor’s role an appointed position, ostensibly to remove it from politics.  After Suozzi appointed Ted Jankowski County Assessor, I stayed on as a Deputy Assessor, reporting directly to Jankowski until I resigned in May, 2010 to return to the private sector.

From Long Island Wins: November 19, 2010

Thanksgiving: A Tradition of Welcoming

As we all learned in elementary school, the first Thanksgiving holiday set the tone for centuries to come. During the initial winter that the Pilgrims spent in Plymouth, Massasoit, the leader of the Wampanoag tribe, donated food stores to the settlers. In turn, the Pilgrims invited members of the tribe to a three-day feast after their first harvest in 1621.

What Every Long Islander Should Know: November 12, 2010

A Big Step Toward a Smaller Carbon Footprint

“Greenhouse” gases: pleasant-sounding name for carbon dioxide, methane, and other carbon-based gases that threaten to destroy ecosystems, play havoc with weather patterns, raise sea levels worldwide, and inundate much of Long Island.

Parenthood Plus: October 29, 2010

Friendly Fire?

Mary Tillman is the mother of Army Ranger Pat Tillman, who was killed in Afghanistan. She wrote the book Boots on the Ground by Dusk, which detailed her attempt to find out the truth about her son’s death and exposed a cover-up by the Pentagon and the White House. Mary Tillman dedicated the book to “all military families, who are seeking to understand the sacrifices their sons and daughters have made. They too are entitled to the truth from their government.”

Letter: Disappointed in Venditto

I was disappointed but not surprised to hear that John Venditto just proposed a tax increase because, after all, this continues the pattern of the all-Republican Oyster Bay Town Board. Despite the fact that seven out of ten other towns on Long Island have found a way to hold the line on taxes, Oyster Bay has followed its normal playbook of increasing taxes in a non-election year. This maintains the practice, which has led to a 45 percent increase in taxes over the last six years. This translates to an average tax increase of approximately $600.00. My one hope is that Councilwoman Rebecca Alesia cannot possibly vote for this increase, inasmuch as she is running for re-election on the Tax Revolt line.

Peter J. Clines

From Long Island Wins: October 22, 2010

Regardless of the Victims, Hate Crimes Hurt Us All

“Three men in the Bronx – two of them teenagers – held against their will and tortured by a group of young men because they were suspected of being gay.

Letter: Distracted Driving - A Serious Problem for All

As we all know, distracted driving has become a very serious problem for our state and our country. In New York State at least one out of five motor vehicle crashes has distracted driving listed as a contributing factor. In 2009, nearly 5,500 people died in crashes involving a distracted or inattentive driver and more than 440,000 were injured.

Letter: National Survey on Drug Use and Health

The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently released its national survey on Drug Use and Health and sadly there weren’t too many surprises. Drug use among adolescents nationwide increased between 2008 and 2009, reflecting the trend we’ve seen here on Long Island - a trend that’s accelerated into 2010.

Letter: Water District Receives Settlement Fund

On behalf of the South Farmingdale Water District and Board of Commissioners, I have very exciting news to report; news that will give confidence and comfort to all residents in the South Farmingdale Water District.

FMAP Contingency Plan Cuts to Senior Health Care No Longer Needed

Times are tough enough without unnecessary cuts to health care for older adults!

On Sept. 16, the Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation was the host site for a Town Hall meeting to discuss the repeal of a Federal Medicaid Assistance (FMAP) Contingency Plan that had recently been adopted by the State, under the assumption that no federal fiscal relief for states would be approved by Congress.