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Comptroller takes aim at LIRR spending described as “crumbling infrastructure” at stations like Floral Park and Valley Stream. While the comptroller’s call Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips called on the for accountability is well-intenLong Island Rail Road last tioned, argues Rachael Fauss, a month for a full “accounting” senior policy advisor at the government watchdog of how it spends g r o u p Re i nve n t taxpayers’ $32.5 milAlbany, it is misdilion each year for rected. If she were basic upkeep and genuinely interested service of its transit in whether commutsystem. ers are getting what Wi t h cl o s e r they pay for, focusfinancial scrutiny ing on the agency’s of less than 1 peroperating budget for cent of the Metroeveryday service politan Transportaand maintenance t i o n Au t h o r i t y ’s misses the mark on budget, Phillips how station upkeep aims to settle a is funded. question raised by That money her and fellow counmainly comes from ty Republican leadthe MTA’s capital ers: Are commuters plan — a massive, getting their monELAINE PhILLIPS m u l t i - ye a r b l u e ey’s worth? print designed to Phillips is con- Nassau County pay for LIRR station vinced the answer is Comptroller repairs, as well as no. new trains and the “With the money spent on this upkee p, you restoration of aging columns would think the MTA stations and crumbling overpasses. would be five-star hotels — not five-alar m safety hazards,” Comptroller’s focus is too Phillips said at a news confer- narrow, experts say The LIRR has not drawn the ence in Long Beach, as attendees held up photos of what she ContInued on Page 10
By JUAN LASSO
jlasso@liherald.com
W
Juan Lasso/Herald
Jean Philidor, a carpenter, narrowly avoided losing his hand after a seemingly minor injury to his palm became dangerously infected thanks to intervention at Long Island Jewish Valley Stream Hopsital, underscoring the unpredictable risks of physical labor.
He nearly lost his limb and his livelihood due to a pinch By JUAN LASSO jlasso@liherald.com
Jean Philidor, a 38-year-old carpenter, spends his days hammering nails, lifting heavy beams, and building the infrastructure that keeps New York City’s economy humming. From the runways of Kennedy Airport to the hospitals of Staten Island, Jean’s work has touched many landmarks around the city. It’s the kind of labor that demands strength, precision, and resilience—the kind of job where one can’t afford to be distracted by pain. Or, so Jean thought, until a seemingly minor injury threatened everything for which he had worked.
In early March, at his Valley Stream home. Jean was walking through a doorway when the doorknob unexpectedly caught his palm. The injury seemed trivial at first—just a little pinch, a slight red mark. As a construction worker, he had experienced his fair share of bumps and bruises, and he thought little of it. The following days unfolded like any other: Jean went to work, didn’t think much of the pain, and carried on with his projects at JFK, where he was working on a major renovation. By the night after, however, things began to take a worrying turn. Jean woke up with his hand burning with a fiery pain that was unlike any he had experienced ContInued on Page 15
ith the money spent on this upkeep, you would think the MTA stations would be fivestar hotels — not five-alarm safety hazards.