Mayor’s Report: Village Of Westbury Adopts 2012-2013 Budget

No tax levy increase for second consecutive year

On April 19, the village board adopted the 2012-2013 budget for the Village of Westbury, and I am pleased to report that, as a result of the village’s fiscal discipline and conservative budgeting practices, for the second consecutive year, village residents will see no increase in the tax levy over last year’s budget (well below the state-mandated 2 percent tax cap). 

In addition, this budget represents the third budget in the last four village budgets in which overall expenses are lower year-over-year. With this budget, the average village residential property owner will pay only $966 for all village services in the coming year. It is important for residents to note that, as a result of fluctuating property values, reflected in the village’s 2012 assessment roll update, individual properties may experience small fluctuations (upward or downward) in the actual taxes that they pay, even though the overall tax revenue collected by the village for the coming year will be the same as last year. In fact, since the completion of our revaluation program in 2009, the village has experienced an overall 9.6 percent reduction in the aggregate assessed valuation of all properties in the village.

Tales Of A Power Mom – Westbury Resident Shares Her Story

Donna La Scala’s essay published in Chicken Soup for the Soul series

Given the state of the economy and the dual-income requisite for many families nowadays, “stay-at-home moms” may not be as prevalent as they were years ago.

Good thing nobody told that to Westbury resident Donna La Scala.

The one-time schoolteacher and later Wall Street 9-to-5er (although Long Island to Manhattan commuters might argue that 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. is a more accurate representation) had juggled her city career and motherhood before deciding on giving herself the best of both worlds: working from home and raising a family.

Westbury Resident Indicted On Bid-Rigging, Bribe Charges

A.G. Schneiderman, DOI say Joseph Sdao took $20K in kickbacks

On April 13, New York State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn announced the indictment of Westbury resident Joseph Sdao, a former project manager for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, for pocketing more than $20,000 in bribes to rig Bronx playground contracts, according to the indictment.

Sdao is charged with five felonies, including two counts of second-degree bribe receiving, one count of third-degree bribe receiving and two counts of combination in restraint of trade and competition, a violation of the Donnelly Act. He was arraigned on April 13 in Bronx Criminal Court before the Honorable Justice Denis J. Boyle.

Little Big League: Road To (And From) The Majors

Tommy “Digger” Donohue recalls 1967 team, MLB career

Baseball players, young and old, learn the game’s fundamentals in Little League: hitting the cut-off man, catching with two hands, running through first base on a grounder … the list goes on, longer than the centerfield fence at the old Polo Grounds.

America’s pastime leaves an indelible imprint on the youth. How could a young ball player forget a walk-off home run, throwing a no-hitter or pulling off a successful squeeze bunt or triple play?

Village Board Increases Housing Violation Fines

New law raises minimum, maximum fines for repeat violators

The Village of Westbury Board of Trustees took action on several significant matters at its April 5 meeting, including the enactment of a new local law that will be the village’s latest tool in curbing illegal housing.

“Virtually every part of the village is affected to some degree or another by illegal housing, and there are certain parts of the village that are affected significantly,” stated Westbury Mayor Peter Cavallaro.

CP Civic Provides Updates on Myriad Happenings

Hub, new businesses, construction among topics

For a community as small as Carle Place, the cozy hamlet sure sees a lot of action.

The Carle Place Civic Association addressed residents at the high school library on March 21 regarding the Nassau Hub study, the Gallery at Westbury Plaza center, Carle Place-Mineola flood remediation, local construction projects and more.

‘Sweeping’ Security Changes for SAT/ACT Testing

NCDA Rice announces test-taking overhaul

High school students: Get ready for your close-up. The SATs and ACTs now want a photo of you.

The requirement that photos be uploaded at the testing site is just one of the new security measures that will now govern SAT and ACT test-takers. In the aftermath of the arrests of 20 local students late last year, all charged with either taking SAT or ACT exams for other students or having paid someone to take the test for them, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced a “sweeping security overhaul” to prevent further cheating. DA Rice was joined by executives from the College Board and the ACT exams at a press conference on Monday, March 26, as she outlined the new rules.

Westbury Mayor, Village Justice Prioritizing Safety

Two leaders talk local issues with CP Civic Association

While Westbury Village Mayor Peter Cavallaro and Village Justice Thomas Liotti admittedly don’t agree on much, the two local leaders, who both live in Westbury, are making safety here in Carle Place and Westbury a point of no contention.

“It gets pretty hot between us sometimes,” explained Cavallaro, regularly cool and collected in his ways.

Pathfinder Award Winner Charges Forward

Westbury Business Leader Taniella Jo Harrison Honored

When Garden City resident Taniella Jo Harrison wakes up every morning, finding new ways to help others is likely on her mind. In 10 short years, the busy executive vice president of Tri-County Home Nursing Services in Westbury has taken her family’s business and increased revenue by nearly 500 percent, quadrupling the size of her company’s work force.

A Fort Lauderdale, FL native, it seems Harrison’s path to success was destined from childhood. One of her earliest memories was when she and her sister would come to New York every summer to visit their grandmother, Ella Ferguson, owner of Tri-County. “When my grandmother opened her first office on 42nd Street in Manhattan 30 years ago, she introduced us as the president and vice president of Tri-County. Of course, we were 8 and 9 years old. That kind of stuck in mind,” she said.

Westbury Grad Publishes Book, Born in Forty-Two

Michael P. Kost witnessed construction of Berlin Wall

The times, they are a-changin’.

Michael Kost, who attended Westbury High School from 1957 to 1960, remembers simpler days: Sadie Hawkins dances, cruising down Hempstead Turnpike (trying to “make a statement” for girls on the sidewalks), respect for one’s elders, malted milkshakes after football games and $2 bleacher seats at Yankee Stadium.