Open Letter to the Board of Education

For a board that has forever championed the term “transparency” as the hallmark of its administration and governance, now is the time and the opportunity for this board to demonstrate to the entire community of Oyster Bay-East Norwich its commitment and dedication to such a valuable concept.

With the departure of Superintendent of Schools, Phyllis Harrington, our school district finds itself at a most crucial crossroad. The transition from former Superintendent Harrington to the new superintendent can and should be a seamless transition.

From the Desk of Assemblyman Charles Lavine: May 3, 2013

Prepare for 2014 STAR Exemption Filing

Homeowners, who first filed for New York State’s School Tax Relief program (STAR exemption) in 1998, are looking at some new regulations that will require them to register again in order to receive their 2014 exemption.

These new rules are tied to a New York State Comptroller’s report that indicates that abuse and fraudulent filings for the Basic STAR program, on the part of some people within New York State, have cost all of us as taxpayers millions of dollars to date and promised to cost millions more if nothing changed.

How's The Water: April 26, 2013

On Saturday, April 27, the Town of Oyster Bay, the North Oyster Bay Baymen’s Association (NOBBA) and Friends of the Bay will, once again, join forces to sponsor the annual Oyster Bay Harbor Cleanup Day. Volunteers are needed from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the boat ramps in Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park, Larrabee Avenue, Oyster Bay.

This annual event is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2013, and the co-sponsors are hoping for an especially strong turnout of volunteers so the heavy debris loads created by Superstorm Sandy and the winter’s nor’easters can be cleared away. Local Baymen, among the hardy few who are on the water in every season, report that our beaches and shores are showing the effects of the extraordinary weather this past year.

Prices Too High, We Won’t Buy: The 1969 Long Island Meat Boycott

As communities today struggle to recover from the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression, let’s take a look at how one community on Long Island faced a financial crisis during the 1969 recession…

During the summer of 1969, the cost of living was soaring and meat was increasingly more expensive. Middle-class consuming families were choosing to buy cheaper cuts; while, many working-class families as well as senior citizens on fixed incomes were finding it impossible to afford even the cheapest cuts of meat like hamburger. Unwittingly following in the footsteps of thousands of housewives before them, two women in Levittown kicked off a consumer protest that gained national attention.

Letter: Very Bad, But No Worse

While I’m in total agreement with John Owens’ “Buttafuocoed” views about Long Island, I have some disagreements with John Collins’ reaction letter published last week (“Joey’s Legacy”).

Collins is absolutely right when he says that “[Long Island] lacks political leadership that has any sense of vision for this area. The politicians are too vested in partisan politics and patronage. They lack the intelligence, experience and commitment to develop any bold, creative solutions to Long Island’s challenges...how dysfunctional the governmental process is in both counties. It is a half-century history of one stupid decision after another.”

From Long Island Wins: April 19, 2013

Older Than You Think

I’ll spare you the family photos of the Eiffel Tower and the parking lot where King Richard 111 was buried, but I’m just back from a family trip to France and England.

There’s nothing like going abroad to pick up a new appreciation for a great American habit of mind: we are people of the present. Americans tend to believe that we can and should remake the world anew in our own image, and that all solutions come from bringing the freshest possible thinking to today’s challenges.

How’s The Water?: April 12, 2013

Osprey Watch

One of our surest signs of spring around Oyster Bay and Cold Spring Harbor is the return of our ospreys. Males should be arriving any day now, and their female companions should follow in a couple of weeks from their wintering grounds in Florida and South America.  Ospreys mate for life, and often return to the same nest year after year.

Ospreys inhabit every continent except Antarctica, and populations appear to be healthy and stable after a serious decline in the 1960’s and 70’s, probably due to the pesticide DDT.

There are a number of nesting sites around our Bay and Harbor, many on purpose-built platforms, easily recognized by the large tangles of sticks, which form the foundation of the nest.

Nassau County Comptroller’s Report: April 12, 2013

Do-It-Yourself Grievance

Homeowners who have not filed property assessment appeals in the last two years should file prior to May 1, 2013 deadline

Home prices fluctuate annually throughout Nassau County due to market conditions. In some cases, the price fluctuations may be uneven within the same area or amongst individual homes. The annual property re-assessment process, from the creation of the tentative roll to the end of the grievance process, is intended to deliver a final roll, which is as fair as possible, and free of errors. The grievance part of the process is intended to give homeowners the opportunity to point out and correct any errors in their individual assessment. 

How’s The Water?: April 5, 2013

Refuge At Risk Revisited:

A Progress Report

Back in October of 2005, Defenders of Wildlife, a well-respected national environmental organization, selected the Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge as one of America’s 10 most endangered national wildlife refuges. The selection of the Oyster Bay NWR from more than 540 refuges nationwide served as a wake up call for many people. The fact that this NWR was literally in the back yard of Sagamore Hill, the home of President Theodore Roosevelt, who created the national wildlife refuge system, was an irony that was not lost on our community.

The Defenders of Wildlife report listed a number of issues that threatened the health of the bay. Among those issues were failing septic systems and outdated sewage treatment facilities, pollution from boating activities, and development projects that would further erode important habitat and increase sewage flow into Oyster Bay. Also listed as jeopardizing the health of the bay were “the future redevelopment and decontamination of two sites where massive heating oil storage tanks have leached pollutants into the water. Exxon-Mobil’s plans for the tanks no longer in operation on Cold Spring Harbor have yet to be disclosed. Tanks on the eastern waterfront owned by Commander Terminals LLC are still in operation, and it is unlikely that Commander will address contamination concerns any time soon”

A Look On The Light Side: March 29, 2013

The Cobbler’s Tale

Once upon a time, there was a cobbler whose child ran around town without any shoes.

“Look at her,” one villager whispered to another. “Barefoot again! Is he such a workaholic he can’t make his own daughter one pair of shoes?”

“Maybe he’s lazy,” continued a third. “Or greedy, and wants to keep all the merchandise for himself.”