_________ Oceanside/island park ________
HERALD VOL. 60 NO. 21
O’Side highlights mental health
JCC hosts 5K for a cause
Page 3
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MAY 22 - 28, 2025
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School district budgets pass in O’Side and I.P. By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com
Courtesy Leanne Van Bramer
Leanne Van Bramer has deep connections to Island Park, and will make village history when she becomes the first woman to lead the Memorial Day Parade on Saturday.
I.P.’s first female grand marshal to lead Memorial Day Parade By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com
When Leanne Van Bramer got a call from Island Park Mayor Michael McGinty early last month, she thought it was just a friendly checkin. What she didn’t expect was to be asked to serve as grand marshal of this year’s Memorial Day Parade, making village history as the first woman ever to have the honor. “I was so shocked,” Van Bramer said. “He said, ‘I love you, I love your family,’ and then asked if I’d be the grand marshal. I couldn’t believe it. I asked, ‘What does that even consist of ?’ and when he told me I’d be leading the parade, I was just so honored. I was shocked to even know that they never had a woman for
grand marshal in Island Park.” “We’ve never had a woman grand marshal, and I’ve known her mom and her uncle since they were little kids,” McGinty said. “They’re a wonderful family, and Leanne is very special. She’s got a wonderful child, she’s a great mother, and they talk about her at Mount Sinai South Nassau because she’s very good at her job. We’re talking about a real quality gal.” A 30-year-old critical care nurse at Mount Sinai South Nassau, Van Bramer has deep roots in the community, even though she was raised in Florida. Her mother, born and raised in the village, brought the family back to New York in 2008, when Leanne was 13. They moved into the home in which her mother had grown ContInueD on Page 12
Voters in Oceanside and I s l a n d P a rk o n T u e s d ay approved their districts’ 2025–26 budgets, library propositions and school board contests. In Oceanside, Proposition 1— the $186.7 million school budget—passed by a vote of 1,333 to 910, representing a 2.93 percent increase with a 1.1 percent rise in the property tax levy. Proposition 2—the library funding measure—passed by 1,292 to 941, securing the Library of Things, Seed & Cutting Library, Tonieboxes for young children and added security personnel, at an average cost of $36 per household annually. School board incumbent President Michael D’Ambrosio was re-elected unopposed, with a total of 1,602 votes, and Trustee Robert Transom was re-elected unopposed, with 1,418 votes. In Island Park, Proposition 1—the $45 million school budget—increased spending by
1.51 percent but carried no change to the tax levy and passed by a vote of 298-180. District officials credited a $2.3 million surge in state aid— driven by an adjustment to the district’s combined wealth ratio following last year’s property-assessment settlement—and strategic draws on reserves and fund balances for offsetting rising costs. Proposition 2, authorizing a five-year lease-purchase agreement for three 30-passenger school vans, passed with a vote of 310-164. The $1.77 million library budget passed easily, 351-108, funding a new Hoopla subscription, discounted attraction tickets and community programs from Pokémon Club to outdoor concerts. School board President Jack Vobis ran unopposed and was re-elected to a full term with 320 votes. Yvonne Graci was elected as new Island Park Library vice president with 359 votes, running unopposed, succeeding Joe Pontecorvo.
School budget results for Oceanside/I.P. OCEANSIDE
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YES 1333 VOtES
X NO
910 VOtES
ISLAND PARK
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YES 298 VOtES
X NO
180 VOtES
For more results information, go to liherald.com/oceanside