Alice Moreno/Herald
A spooky welcome kicked off Halloween Family Fun Day last Saturday at Arthur J. Hendrickson Park, where hundreds of families gathered, many in costume, for a wide range of seasonal activities. Story, more photos, Page 3.
By ANGELINA ZINGARIELLO azingariello@liherald.com
When Walter Mejia arrived in Valley Stream as a 10-year-old immigrant from El Salvador in 2006, he couldn’t have imagined that nearly two decades later he would be recognized among New York’s most influential Latino leaders.
Mejia, now 29 and a resident of East Patchogue, has been named for the second consecutive year to City & State’s Latino Power 100 list, which highlights leaders shaping the state’s political and business landscape.
The honor recognizes Mejia’s growing role in public service and his leadership as the founder
and president of New York Republican Latinos, an organization focused on civic engagement and outreach within the Hispanic community.
After immigrating to the United States, his family settled down in a one-bedroom apartment on South Grove Street, near Rockaway Avenue, where his parents, Tatiana and Jimmy, raised him and his younger brother, Eduardo.
“The only time we would come here was when we would come from vacation, and that’s about it,” Mejia said. “But moving and having the realization
that
is it, and you’re never
By ANGELINA ZINGARIELLO azingariello@liherald.com
When a last-minute cancellation left an open dinner slot at the Ronald McDonald House, the Valley Stream Kiwanis Club didn’t hesitate to act.
Within hours, members mobilized to ensure that families with hospitalized children would not go without a warm meal. The effort involved coordination between club members and local supporters, highlighting both the club’s ongoing community service work and its connections with area businesses.
for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald house last year and had decided to make it an annual event, so there was no hesitation on our part.”
here was no hesitation on our part.
TINA CAsTELLuZZO President, Valley Stream Kiwanis Club
Ronald McDonald House reached out to the Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Center when the originally scheduled group was unable to provide dinner on Oct. 11. The Kiwanis Club of Valley Stream received a call for help through that network. According to club president Tina Castelluzzo, when the request came, there was no uncertainty to step up.
“My club was all in,” Castelluzzo said. “We prepared dinner
This year, with fewer volunteers than before, the club opted to order food instead of cooking on-site. Castelluzzo reached out to AP Pizza & Cafe, explained the situation, and asked if the business might be willing to contribute garlic knots and to-go containers. The restaurant agreed to help. Club supporters Joe and Nydia Corace then stepped in to provide dessert, rounding out the meal with cupcakes. Members of the club delivered the food, prepared the trays and packaged the meals so families could easily pick them up after long days spent at the hospital with their children.
“To be able to bring a glimmer of brightness, a helping hand, a smiling face, and a warm meal to these families who are going through so much is priceless,” Castelluzzo said. For membership coordinator
Continued on page 28
the friends you left behind, your
your grand-
Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is celebrated by millions of people around the world, especially in South Asia. It marks the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil. While rooted in religion, it also has strong cultural and social traditions. This year, it is celebrated on Oct. 20.
n Diwali is celebrated over five distinct days
Diwali isn’t a one-day festival; it spans five days, each with its own meaning.
It usually begins with Dhanteras, a day for cleaning and shopping, followed by Naraka Chaturdashi, when homes are decorated. The third day is the main Diwali day, when people worship Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and light oil lamps or candles to invite good fortune. The fourth day, Govardhan Puja, often involves symbolic offerings to honor prosperity. The fifth, Bhai Dooj, celebrates the bond between brothers and sisters.
The celebration is based on the Hindu lunar calendar, usually falling between mid-October and mid-November. Families decorate with rangoli, exchange sweets and enjoy fireworks. Even though practices vary across India and other countries, the theme of light overcoming darkness remains central throughout all five days.
n
Diwali is observed by more than one religion
Though Diwali is most commonly associated with Hinduism, it’s also a major festival for Jains, Sikhs and some Buddhists.
Hindus often celebrate the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after defeating the demon king Ravana, a symbol of good triumphing over evil. For Jains, Diwali marks the liberation, or moksha, of Lord Mahavira, their 24th spiritual teacher. Sikhs commemorate Bandi Chhor Divas, when Guru Hargobind Ji was released from imprisonment along with 52 other men. Some Buddhists, particularly in Nepal, observe Diwali as part of their Tihar festival, honoring gods, animals and ancestors. While the stories differ, all share the themes of freedom, justice, light and spiritual awakening.
This makes Diwali a unifying moment for multiple faiths, not just one.
—
By ANGELINA ZINGARIELLO
n Diwali is a social, cultural and economic event
Beyond its religious origins, Diwali plays a major cultural and economic role, especially in places with large South Asian communities. Homes are cleaned and decorated with flowers, lights and colorful rangoli patterns to welcome prosperity. Families dress in new clothes and prepare or exchange homemade sweets like ladoo and barfi. Fireworks and sparklers are common, especially on the main Diwali night. Markets see a sharp rise in shopping, from gold and clothing to electronics and gifts, making it one of the biggest retail seasons in India.
In Valley Stream and other parts of the U.S., local communities organize Diwali events, cultural shows and dance performances to keep traditions alive. Whether religious or not, the festival becomes a time for family, food and shared joy, reflecting values anyone can appreciate.
Hundreds of children and families gathered at Arthur J. Hendrickson Park in Valley Stream on Oct. 18 for the annual Halloween Family Fun Day, a beloved village tradition held for more than two decades.
The free event, organized by the Valley Stream Recreation Department, featured music, costumed characters, crafts and plenty of seasonal fun.
The day included a special sensory-friendly hour to provide a quieter environment for children who prefer a calmer experience, followed by activities for all attendees, including pumpkin painting and games. Each child received a goodie bag, and families came together to show off their creative and spooky costumes during the costume contest.
After the daytime festivities, the celebration continued at Barrett Park with an outdoor screening of “Wicked” as part of Halloween Movie Night. Families who couldn’t attend the morning and afternoon events still had the chance to enjoy treats and Halloween fun.
The annual event draws the community together and highlights the creativity, excitement, and family spirit of Val
Stream during the
— Angelina Zingariello
The Fifth Squad reports the arrest of a Long Beach man in connection with a robbery that occurred on Oct. 18 at 3:35 p.m. at the Valero Gas Station, 758 Franklin Ave.
According to detectives, 34-year-old Austin Harthman entered the gas station, caused a disturbance, and brandished a knife while demanding a lighter. The 25-year-old victim, fearing for their safety, complied, and Harthman left without paying.
Police located Harthman and arrested him without incident. He is charged with Robbery in the First Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree. His next court date is Oct. 27. As of press time, he does not have an attorney.
— Angelina Zingariello
The Fifth Squad and Nassau County Police Department are investigating two recent cases of criminal mischief in Valley Stream.
The first incident was reported on Oct. 13 at 2:18 p.m., at a Catherine Street residence. Fifth Precinct officers found that two American flags and multiple political campaign signs in front of the residence had been defaced.
The second incident occurred on Oct. 14, at 10:30 p.m., on Roosevelt Avenue.
Officers on routine patrol observed that four political campaign signs had been defaced in front of a residence. Investigations are ongoing. Anyone with information about either incident is asked to contact the Nassau County Fifth Squad at 516-573-6553, Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244TIPS, or call 911. All callers will remain anonymous.
— Angelina Zingariello
parents, it’s a totally different feeling.”
Mejia and his family arrived in Valley Stream at a time when they were seeking to escape gang violence in El Salvador. Adjusting to a new language and culture came with challenges, including discrimination in school. He attended Brooklyn Avenue School, then Memorial Junior High School and graduated from Valley Stream Central High School in 2015.
Mejia continued his education at Nassau Community College and earned his bachelor’s degree in political science, with a minor in public policy, from the City College of New York in 2020.
Shortly after college, he first became involved with Hispanic outreach through an existing political organization, before launching New York Republican Latinos in 2022. He aimed to connect with Latino communities across the state and encourage civic participation built around shared cultural values, such as family, faith and patriotism.
That same year, he joined the New York State Assembly Republican Conference as a communications coordinator. Working with multiple state legislators, Mejia relocated to Albany and developed a deeper understanding of state government. Later that year, Minority Assembly Leader Will Barclay promoted him, and Mejia now serves as executive director for the Assembly Minority Conference’s Office of Community Affairs, focusing on connecting Latino residents with resources and the representatives who can address their needs.
IMejia credited Valley Stream with helping to shape his career path. He spent much of his youth in the same apartment building, and the community’s schools, teachers and programs left a lasting imprint on him. He recalled the support he received from language department teachers, who encouraged him when he was still adapting to a new environment. Those interactions, along with his experiences as a student learning English, have helped to push him through the bridge-building work he now prioritizes in state government.
His work has included involvement in statewide campaigns and local efforts, as well as serving on the Hispanic Advisory Board for Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine.
For Mejia, the recognition by City & State proves to be a testament of what immigrant communities can achieve through persistence and civic involvement.
t’s a testimony of hard work, resilience and what we can do when other people tell us it’s impossible.
Walter MejIa New York Republican Latinos
Mejia also recognizes the personal significance of his journey, from struggling with language barriers as a child to meeting national and state leaders as an adult. He has described the experience of shaking the hand of President Donald Trump as a milestone symbolizing how far he has come since his early years in Valley Stream.
His organization, New York Republican Latinos, has become a platform for outreach across New York City, Long Island and upstate regions. The group seeks to increase Latino representation in government and to encourage engagement in local issues, which Mejia views as critical to community empowerment.
“It’s a testimony of hard work, resilience and what we can do when other people tell us it’s impossible,” Mejia said. “I admire our community a lot, because how many times have we heard that coming to America is one of the most difficult decisions ever, and that the things that we want to do are impossible, but it’s a testimony of accomplishing what others may say is impossible, and we make it possible. So at the end of the day, I don’t do this for me.”
Mejia also gives special thanks to Assemblyman Ed Ra for his unwavering support, his pastor for serving as his spiritual mother and advisor, and to his church family at Iglesia De Amor in Hauppauge.
While Mejia now lives in Suffolk County with his wife, Stephanie, and their 10-month-old daughter, Isabella, Valley Stream remains a foundation of his identity, where he first experienced both hardships and support, developing the sense of community he carries into his work.
Being named to the Latino Power 100 for a second year reflects both the journey of his family and the enduring ties to the Valley Stream community where it began.
The holidays should be a time of joy, tradition, and togetherness. But for too many Long Island families, putting a holiday meal on the table is a struggle.
Through Long Island Cares’ Gather & Give Holiday Program, your gift helps us purchase the holiday staples families cherish — from stuffing and potatoes to vegetables and more.
Your $10 = 6 Meals
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PICKING UP WHERE she left off last fall when she earned All-County honors, Ventura has reached new heights while leading the Jets to a 10-2 start in Nassau Conference II field hockey. Through Oct. 16, the Adelphi University bound standout was leading the county in goals with 20 to go along with 8 assists. She began 2025 with a bang, scoring all three of East Meadow’s goals in a win over New Hyde Park. Ventura has more than 50 career goals.
Friday, Oct. 24
Football:
Football:
Football: Freeport at Oceanside
Football: Sewanhaka at Division
Football: Hempstead at Plainview
Football: Hewlett at Manhasset
Football: Long Beach at MacArthur
Football: East Meadow at Glen Cove
Football: Plainedge at Malverne
Saturday, Oct. 25
Football: South Side at V.S. South 11 a.m.
Football: Wantagh at Carey 11 a.m.
Football: Clarke at Floral Park
Football: V.S. North at Elmont
Football: Garden City at Calhoun
Football: Baldwin at Mepham
Football: New Hyde Park at Kennedy
p.m.
Football: Roslyn at V.S. Central 2 p.m.
Football: Lynbrook at C.S. Harbor 2 p.m.
Football: East Rockaway at Locust Valley 2 p.m.
Football: West Hempstead at North Shore 2 p.m.
Football: Lawrence at Oyster Bay 2 p.m.
Football: Syosset at Massapequa 3 p.m.
Football: Herricks at Uniondale 3 p.m.
Nominate a “Spotlight Athlete”
High School athletes to be featured on the Herald sports page must compete in a fall sport and have earned an AllConference award or higher last season. Please send the following information: Name, School, Grade, Sport and accomplishments to Sports@liherald.com.
By BRIAN KACHARABA bkacharaba@liherald.com
Valley Stream Central’s boys’ volleyball team has surged to one of its best seasons in recent years, sitting at 12-3 and poised for a longawaited playoff return in Conference 1B.
The Eagles, who hadn’t qualified for the postseason since roughly 2017, have rebuilt themselves into a contender under coach Kevin Mayer, transforming a 3-13 record in 2023 and a 9-8 finish last fall into a potential playoff breakthrough.
“It’s been fantastic,” Mayer said. “It’s been just a rewarding experience. It’s great to see the kids put everything together. A lot of returners from last year that played varsity and then a lot of returners that played JV last year are now making an impact with us. It’s been a great year — a lot of fun.”
The Eagles’ rise has also been powered by chemistry and a selfless mindset.
“I think just everyone on the team being unselfish, working hard together one through 14, not really caring who gets the kill or who gets the set,” Mayer said. “Everyone’s buying into that mentality.”
Central’s three losses have come against two of the stronger programs in Nassau County — twice to undefeated Levittown District and once to Herricks.
Against Levittown on Sept. 11, the Eagles were up two sets to one before falling in five. They also dropped a fourset rematch Oct. 15. Between those two matchups, VSC rattled off seven straight victo-
Ron Manfredi/Herald
ries — all in straight sets, winning 21 consecutive sets overall.
Following the second Levittown loss, the Eagles bounced back in dominant fashion,
sweeping Freeport on senior night to mark their most recent win.
Mayer credits much of the success to a core group of juniors who have taken on leadership roles this season.
Setter Keith Gestopa has been the offensive catalyst with 523 assists while collecting 71 digs and 20 serving aces.
“He’s very athletic and he can dish it to anywhere on the court,” Mayer said. “He can kind of really make our offense pretty creative.”
Gestopa has been setting up a trio of juniors in Shawn Shah and Matthew Serrano –whom are both approaching the 200-kill plateau – and newcomer Logan Autar, who recently surpassed 100 on the season. Shah is also among the top three on the team in aces, blocks, and digs.
“He’s taking his game to the next level too,” Mayer said of Shah. “Just like Keith, he was with us last year and was a starter and just kind of really just grew into just a phenomenal player.”
All-County junior libero Andre Ocava could be in line for another such honor by digging out exactly 200 balls to go with 51 aces and 38 assists.
Autar is Central’s top blocker with 77 and junior Jayden Coleman and Shah have both cleared 20 in that category. Mayer also lauded the contributions of seniors Waseem Elhoriny and Ian Jagnanan.
The team’s final five matches will all be on the road — or close to it. This Thursday’s match against Westbury, originally scheduled at home, will now be played at Valley Stream North due to a homecoming event.
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Valley Stream residents came together on Oct. 17 for Noche de Domino, a community celebration hosted by the Valley Stream Latino Society as part of Hispanic Heritage Month.
The event was held at VFW Post 1790 on Merrick Road and presented in partnership with Latina Moms Connect, the Puerto Rican Coalition for a Better Community, the VFW post and Green Acres Mall.
What started a few years ago as a casual gathering has grown into a beloved annual tradition, offering a relaxed, inclusive space for neighbors to socialize and share in a game that holds special meaning for many Latino families. Attendees enjoyed friendly competition, shared stories and celebrated the rich diver-
sity of Latin American cultures represented in the community.
During the evening, the Valley Stream Latino Society received a citation from Mayor Ed Fare, recognizing their efforts to strengthen cultural connections, celebrate Latino heritage and foster community engagement in the village.
The event highlighted the society’s mission to promote unity and cultural pride, and this year’s celebration also extended to a second location in Brentwood on Nov. 1, reflecting organizers’ goal of reaching even more communities while keeping the spirit of tradition and togetherness alive.
— Angelina Zingariello
By MELISSA BERMAN mberman@liherald.com
Howard Kopel is a well-known face in Nassau County’s 7th Legislative District, in office since 2010 and serving as the Legislature’s deputy presiding officer since 2024, after Richard Nicolello retired.
“I’ve been getting a lot of nice things done for the district, and hopefully for the entire county,” Kopel told reporters during a Herald Roundtable session. “I’m hoping to continue that, as we’re supporting some good causes and keeping taxes from going up.”
Kopel, 72, a Lawrence resident for 38 years, is a self-described “reformed lawyer” who owns a title insurance company in Valley Stream. He has prioritized keeping taxes from rising, safety in Nassau County and building bipartisan relationships.
His legislative priorities this election cycle haven’t changed a great deal, and a main point of concern for him is affordability. He is critical of the county’s cost of living and aims to preserve the suburban quality of life.
“In my area, we have infrastructure that is over 100 years old,” he said, “(from) a time where nobody dreamed of having one car in every driveway, let alone four in some of them. We have gridlock in the neighborhood very
often, and the state trying to force apartment houses into the area.”
Kopel said he is in favor of development, but not overdevelopment if the infrastructure can’t support it. “We don’t want to see that happen,” he said.
“There’s not a lot of open spaces, and as it is you can barely move on Broadway.”
He noted one of the major construction projects that will likely lead to increased traffic volume in the Five Towns, the Woodmere Club. What was originally proposed as a 284-single-family-home plan has turned into the current iteration of 160 age-restricted condominiums in the portion of the property in the Village of Woodsburgh. The Town of Hempstead unanimously voted to reserve a decision on the Woodmere Club project at a public hearing on July 1.
“We don’t have a lot of capacity there,” Kopel said. “People moved out of Brooklyn and Queens — we don’t want to find ourselves back there.”
On affordable housing, he noted that the barriers to affordability are interest rates and supply and demand in many areas, while some areas can afford more housing and redevelopment. “You’ve got to put it where it’s wanted, where it’s feasible and makes sense,” Kopel said.
Asked about the uptick in antisemitism and other forms of hate in recent months, he praised the work of the Nas-
Jeff Bessen/Herald
Legislator Howard Kopel, the incumbent in the 7th District, addressed key issues affecting his constituents, including housing affordability and development, at a Herald Roundtable.
sau County Police Department’s 4th Precinct, and said education helps eradicate antisemitism.
“Education is important, of course,”
he added. “Maturity is important and police are important — the 4th Precinct are great people and very helpful. I think we’re doing well. You’re always going to have something; there will never be nothing.”
Regarding the old Five Towns Community Center, on Lawrence Avenue, Kopel said it was poorly run and was falling down and decrepit for many years. It is now being transformed into a community center by the Marion & Aaron Gural JCC with the Police Activity League and a consistent presence from the NCPD. Kopel helped push the initiative as a board member of the JCC.
“That is going to do wonderful things for that neighborhood,” Kopel said. “I think you’re going to see some tremendous improvement and some development in that area. It’s moving towards a good resolution with the county.”
Editors’ note: Democratic candidate Alec Fischthal did not respond to the Herald’s requests for an interview.
In the midst of abundance such as we have never known, why are so many people unhappy? It may be that pursuing happiness is too vague a concept. Instead, we recommend pursuing peace of mind. Peace of mind can be found by eliminating those situations or circumstances that are preventing you from achieving it. Impossible, you say? Not if you are determined to fnd a way. Someone once said, “Tell me what it is that you want that you can’t have, and I’ll ask you what it is you aren’t willing to do.”
Recently, a client contacted me for advice on a family matter. She was the executor of an estate where the decedent had been in a second marriage and the two families were bickering over an old motorcycle, some personal effects and a relatively small amount of money. She wanted out as executor but her brothers wanted to fght. I asked her brothers whether they wanted peace of mind or to be right, since they couldn’t have both. They fnally relented.
Too many people want the thing but are un-
willing to pay the price. You want out of the relationship or situation but the other side is asking too much? Pay the price and get on with your life, it’s worth it. It doesn’t have to be fair, it just has to get done. Emerson said “Do the thing and you will have the power.” Many of the issues we see people grappling with involve fghting something or someone in a way that resembles Don Quixote tilting at the windmill. They are fghting all by themselves. We say “stop fghting”. Let it go.
We also meet a great many worriers. Worried about everything all the time. Perhaps it is no more than a bad habit. Why do we say that? Whenever we solved a client’s worry, they immediately started worrying about something else! Churchill recounted a dying friend telling him, “You know, Winston, I had a lot of troubles in my life. Most of which never happened.”
Finally, from the Canadian thinker, Brian Tracy, “Set peace of mind as your highest goal, and organize your life around it”
By LUKE FEENEY lfeeney@liherald.com
Nicole Aloise, a Democrat running for Nassau County district attorney, is focusing her campaigning on public safety, community investment, and experience forged in courtrooms.
“I firmly believe in the job of a prosecutor,” she said. “It’s all I’ve done in my career.”
Aloise, 41, has worked as a prosecutor for 16 years in both Nassau and Queens, most recently as a senior assistant district attorney in the Queens Homicide Bureau. She began her legal career in 2008 after graduating from St. John’s University School of Law. While in Queens, she secured more than 20 violent felony convictions and helped establish case law by making use of NYPD body camera footage for the first time in a trial in New York City.
Aloise moved with her family from Astoria to Garden City in 2019. From 2019 to 2023, she prosecuted homicides and violent felonies as senior litigation counsel in the Nassau D.A.’s office. She returned to Queens for a brief period before stepping down in 2024 to launch her campaign.
Despite its staff of hundreds, one of the largest D.A.’s offices in the country, it has fallen behind, Aloise said. “The office now being run,” she said, “is not appropriate for a 2025 D.A.’s office.”
She criticized what she called a lack of courtroom experience in the office’s current leadership, and said that has led to high staff turnover. The issues that are central to her platform include strengthening the county’s Hate Crimes Bureau, especially when it comes to antisemitic and anti-Asian attacks; sup-
porting a statewide “death by dealer” law to hold drug suppliers accountable in fatal overdoses; and increasing funding for youth, mental health and violence prevention programs.
Aloise has also pledged to pursue tougher prosecutions in drunken-driving cases, and expanding cooperation
‘It’s been my life’s work,’
By LUKE FEENEY lfeeney@liherald.com
For Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly, pursuing justice and supporting crime victims isn’t just a job — it’s a passion.
“It’s been my life’s work,” she said. “I have worked in every bureau in the office. I have been a boss, a supervisor, and I’m very passionate about what we do.”
Donnelly, 61, a Republican and a longtime prosecutor, defeated former State Sen. Todd Kaminsky in 2021 to become district attorney — the fourth consecutive woman to hold the office. A Garden City resident who graduated from Fordham Law School in 1989, she is seeking a second term on a platform of public safety, gang enforcement and law enforcement support.
Since taking office in 2022, Donnelly has created three county law enforcement units. The Firearms Suppression and Intelligence Unit, focuses on illegal gun sales and weapons trafficking. “We’ve had an uptick of guns being taken off the street, and I wanted to know why,” she said. The Pharmaceutical Diversion and Cybercrimes Unit targets opioid diversion by medical professionals and prosecutes cybercrimes, including dark web activity. The Hate
with local police departments. “I’ve got the best experience to be in this job,” she said, “because I won’t be asking anybody to do something I myself personally haven’t done, and I will know what resources and guidelines to put into place to make sure they’re successful.”
Like the Republican incumbent, Anne Donnelly, Aloise has criticized New York’s 2020 discovery and bail reform laws. “It absolutely makes our job harder,” she said. “I’ve been outspoken about these laws since prior to their inception.”
But, she noted, she successfully worked under the same rules in Queens, and argued that the county badly needs an upgraded functioning discovery system. “They have one in Queens,” she added. “They have one in Suffolk.”
“I won’t run a stagnant office,” Aloise said. “I’ve got the passion, I’ve got the energy and I’ve got the vision to make the Nassau’s district attorney’s office one of the premier offices in the country — because we have the resources, if used correctly.”
Tim Baker/Herald
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly is seeking a second term as the county’s top prosecutor.
Crimes Unit is tasked with investigating bias-motivated violence and boosting community outreach, training and reporting.
“There’s always going to be crime,” Donnelly said. “The important aspect of maintaining or keeping Nassau safe
is to target the crimes that we see increases in.” She has been an outspoken critic of New York state’s bail reform and Clean Slate laws, which she described “problematic,” and argued they allow repeat offenders back onto the streets.
She also raised concerns about the state’s discovery reform law, passed in 2020, which requires prosecutors to quickly share evidence with defense attorneys. Under the law, prosecutors originally had 20 to 35 days after a defendant’s arraignment, depending on pretrial custody, to provide all evidence — with a possible 30-day extension.
“It’s not like we’re trying to hide anything from them,” Donnelly said. “Getting all the information within the window is the challenge.” A 2025 amendment now allows cases to proceed if prosecutors show “good faith and due diligence” in providing evidence.
On the subject of the 2019 bail reform law, which eliminated cash bail for many non-violent offenses, she pointed to aggravated animal abuse and DWI as examples of “violent and dangerous” offenses that don’t meet the law’s definition of violence.
With nearly 250 attorneys and a staff of more than 450, the Nassau County district attorney’s office is one of the largest in the country. Donnelly said that her management experience stands in contrast to her challenger in next month’s election, Democrat Nicole Aloise. “She’s a very nice person, but has never managed one person,” Donnelly said. “I don’t think she’s the person for it. I think I am.”
By JOSEPH D’ALESSANDRO jdalessandro@liherald.com
Katherine Fritz became the new regional president and CEO of the Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank, a Long Island Cares nonprofit that benefits people dealing with food insecurity, on Oct. 8.
Fritz has over 30 years of experience working for nonprofits. She joined LIC in 2019, just before the coronavirus pandemic began, which left many Long Islanders dealing with food insecurity.
“During that really crazy time period, I had to help the organization move forward quickly with fundraising and communicating with our donors about how money was being spent,” she said.
Fritz told the Herald that her leadership will prioritize patience, understanding and stability while pursuing the group’s goal of eliminate hunger on Long Island. “The mission of the organization is always going to be at the forefront of everything I do,” she said.
Crawford estimated that Fritz, as a fundraiser, managed to bring in $8 million for the organization in five years, which was “a testament to how hard she works, how she builds her team and stewards our donors,” Crawford said.
“After a nationwide search, the Board of Directors of Long Island Cares found its next leader down the hall from the boardroom,” board President David Herold stated in a news release. “She will lead us in meeting the ever-increasing need ahead, which is what the battle against the challenging climate surrounding food insecurity requires.
I think we are going to be able to help a lot more people.
KIm CRAwfORD Marketing director, Long Island Cares
Before Fritz’s appointment, she was the organization’s vice president for development and communications. Her predecessor, Paule Pachter, retired earlier this year after serving for 17 years.
Marketing Director Kim Crawford has known Fritz from her beginnings at LIC. “She has a passion and a kindness that she is able to balance with her leadership, which is why she has such an incredible team now,” Crawford said. “I think we are going to be able to help a lot more people.”
“We believe that with her steady hand on the tiller, our mission will be advanced and the future of the people we serve will be brighter,” Herold added.
Fritz’s major goals include increased collaboration among more than 300 LIC food pantries, schools and community centers, supporting advocacy efforts and addressing the root causes of hunger — all while making LIC’s 2025-30 financial plans into realities.
“We’re in another critical time for food banking with the current government shutdown, in addition to the federal cuts that have already been enacted,” she said. “We need to focus on ensuring that we can provide appropriate food to the people in the community that are really needing assistance right now.”
Heading into the holiday season, LHC plans to provide healthy food for people of all cultural backgrounds and dietary restrictions in Long Island’s
diverse communities.
“There’s so many ways for people to help support their neighbors,” Fritz said.
To volunteer, donate or find food, visit LICares.org.
By MADISON GUSLER mgusler@liherald.com
Sheharyar Ali isn’t a career politician — and that’s the point of his campaign.
Ali, 32, is running for a seat in the Nassau County Legislature, in the newly redrawn District 14, which includes Lynbrook, portions of Valley Stream and Malverne. His campaign focuses on quality-of-life issues that he says residents have been frustrated with for years — from public safety to housing costs to zoning.
“I grew up in this community,” Ali said. “I’m raising two boys in this community, and unfortunately I feel like the community just isn’t the same anymore. Instead of complaining about it, I decided to do something.”
Ali, who lives in Elmont with his wife and sons, launched his own law firm, Sheharyar Ali Law Group, in Valley Stream earlier this year. A graduate of Sewanhaka High School, he studied political science and then earned a law degree from St. John’s. He previously served as a prosecutor in the Brooklyn and Nassau County attorneys’ offices.
In 2023, Ali ran for a seat in District 3, challenging, and losing to, incumbent Legislator Carrié Solages. He said he hears the same concerns from residents that he heard during that first campaign.
His platform includes preserving the suburban quality of life in area communities. “I believe local officials should focus on local issues,” Ali said. “You want to make sure that you can pick up your phone, call your legislator, and they’re there to help and guide you to the appropriate resources.”
That’s a skill he said he has developed while serving as a prosecutor. “You’ve got to work with the county executive, your colleagues on the Legislature, the town, the villages,” he said. “There are a lot of moving
Tim Baker/Herald
Sheharyar Ali is an Elmont resident and a former prosecutor who wants to reduce crime rates and make Long Island more affordable for young families.
parts, so building relationships, listening to people, talking with them and getting things done, that’s what it’s about.”
Ali is focused on affordability. “As a young person trying to raise a family, I know how difficult it is,” he said. “I’m a big proponent of community, transit-oriented development.” Referring to the development of housing and community spaces around public transit, he complimented recent developments near the Lyn-
Legis L ative District 14
brook LIRR station. But he also strongly believes in preserving neighborhoods’ character, and opposes state control of local zoning laws to protect residential communities from overdevelopment.
Ali supports efforts for the county to be “stronger” on crime. “I want to make sure I work with the Police Department and the D.A.’s office to make sure we have laws that are enforced, and we don’t let criminals get away without consequences,” he said.
After hearing from residents near the Queens border that they don’t feel supported by police, Ali reached out to the 5th Precinct and learned that officers feel understaffed and overworked, with resources focused on Green Acres Mall. If elected, he said, he would address safety issues by providing more funding to the NCPD, and look into how units are assigned to see if resources are being utilized efficiently.
“I would love to expand the Problem-Oriented Police program,” he said. “I firmly believe that community-oriented policing can solve a lot of problems.”
Ali said he would learn as much as he could before tackling community concerns. “I’m new to politics,” he said. “I’ve never been a legislator before; I’ve never held an elected position before. I want to learn as much as I can about how this job is done — how to be a good, effective legislator.
“I actually want to make difference,” Ali said. “I want to make a change.”
By MADISON GUSLER mgusler@liherald.com
After four years on the Valley Stream District 24 school board, Cynthia Nuñez is ready to represent her community. Nuñez, 47, is running for a seat on the Nassau County Legislature in the newly redrawn District 14, which includes Lynbrook, portions of Valley Stream and Malverne. Her platform highlights communication with constituents and legislative transparency.
Nuñez and her husband have lived in Valley Stream for 16 years, and raised two children. A Suffolk County native, she studied professional legal studies at St. John’s University, and is currently pursuing an MBA at NYU. She is the director of legal operations at Labaton Keller Sucharow, where she focuses on data privacy and consumer rights violations. “I represent the little guy who’s been wronged by the big conglomerate,” she explained.
Nuñez has been a school board trustee since 2022. She ran for the position after realizing that her son didn’t receive the opportunities her daughter had a few years earlier.
“We chose to live in South Valley Stream, particularly District 24, because of the wonderful opportunities the school district had to offer,” she said. “Six years later, we realized those programs weren’t there anymore. That propelled me to run for the school board.”
As a trustee, Nuñez helped restore programs, supported the construction a sensory playground, and secured a $500,000 grant for the district. “I addressed a need for the community,” she said. “I can do that on a large scale, and that’s what I’m prepared to do on the
Tim Baker/Herald
Cynthia Nuñez, a member of the Valley Stream District 24 school board, is running for legislator. If elected, she hopes to create a more transparent Legislature.
Legislature.”
If elected, Nuñez would like to tackle county finances and transparency. “I need to know where the money is going and I need to share that with the community,” she said. “I need the community to understand where our taxes have been allocated so we can figure out if
it’s in the best interests of this district. If not, then let’s create a plan and see where we can implement changes.”
Nuñez is an alternate committee member for Valley Stream’s Board of Zoning & Appeals, appointed by Mayor Edwin Fare. She believes her relationship with Valley Stream officials would help her succeed as legislator.
“I come from a lifetime of service,” she said. “Service is entrenched in me. I’ve dedicated my life to giving a voice to those that don’t have one. My experiences on the school and the BZA boards have demonstrated, with proven results, that I can help my community as a whole.”
Nuñez is also a member of the National Association for Latino Officials, the New York State School Boards Association’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee, the Valley Stream Beautification Club, and the high school Parents Club.
“One of the benefits of this position is that I’m advocating for issues that directly impact myself and my family,” she said. “I think we need to have a voice that will raise the concerns of our constituents.”
Nuñez is a proponent of town halls. “What I’m hearing is that people are being spoken at instead of spoken with,” she said. “We need to create a freeway of communication. Constituents have a right to voice their concerns before decisions are made, not after.” If elected, she said is committed to working with her colleagues. “I cannot, in good conscience, just collaborate with Democrats and think that will resolve everything,” Nuñez said. “We have to be able to collaborate as a unit.”
Candidate profiles, ballot Information and more inside! LOCAL ELECTIONS
Republican John Ferretti, appointed Hempstead Town Supervisor in August following Don Clavin’s resignation, is running to retain the position with a focus on fiscal discipline, public safety, and community values.
On the issues:
A former Nassau County legislator, Ferretti, a lifelong Levittown resident, has emphasized his record of opposing tax increases and supporting responsible budgeting.
officials to increase patrols at houses of worship and co-authored legislation to prevent individuals from concealing their identities during acts of intimidation.
In addition to his focus on safety and fiscal management, Ferretti has positioned himself as a defender of suburban neighborhoods, opposing proposals for high-density housing developments he believes would alter the character of local communities.
Democrat Joe Scianablo, a Marine combat veteran, former NYPD officer, and prosecutor, is running for Town of Hempstead supervisor with a pledge to restore transparency, lower taxes, and hold local government accountable.
During his tenure, he led efforts to reduce county taxes by $70 million and block $150 million in proposed hikes. He has said government should operate within its means, similar to the financial discipline of local families.
Ferretti’s platform highlights a commitment to maintaining public safety and supporting law enforcement. As a legislator, he helped expand police presence, reopen a closed precinct, and invest in advanced public safety technology. He also worked with town
Before his election to public office, Ferretti served as Chief Deputy County Clerk, overseeing a staff of more than 100 employees and managing over $240 million in annual revenue. Ferretti has also prioritized strengthening community infrastructure and ensuring that development and town policies reflect the needs and values of local residents, supporting initiatives that preserve open spaces and enhance the quality of life in Hempstead.
Scianablo, a Garden City resident, says families across the town are feeling the strain of rising costs, from a 12 percent property tax hike to increases in water, power, and fuel bills. He is calling for a full financial audit of all departments, a freeze on nonessential spending, and new measures to root out waste and corruption.
On the issues:
Joseph Scianablo Party: Democrat
If elected, Scianablo said his first 100 days would include converting all town streetlights to LED to save $1 million annually, implementing zero-based budgeting where every dollar is justified, and exploring shared services with nearby towns to eliminate duplicate
costs. His platform emphasizes “commonsense solutions,” including proactive infrastructure maintenance, performance-based funding, and energy efficiency upgrades. He has also vowed to hold monthly town halls and establish resident oversight to keep taxpayers informed.
Scianablo said improving public safety and supporting veterans would also be key priorities. Drawing on his law enforcement background, he aims to strengthen trust between communities and public safety departments. As a Marine veteran, he wants to expand access to healthcare, housing, and employment programs for fellow veterans. He has also criticized the closure of the Safe Center and pledged to expand domestic violence services by working with Nassau County and community partners.
Elaine Phillips, the Republican Nassau County Comptroller, is seeking re-election on a platform centered on fiscal responsibility, government efficiency, and taxpayer protection. Since taking office in 2022, she has focused on modernizing Nassau County’s financial systems, strengthening oversight of county spending, and ensuring residents receive measurable value for their tax dollars.
payments owed to Nassau County, identified inefficiencies in procurement and contract management, and implemented updated auditing procedures to prevent waste and fraud. She has also emphasized modernization, leading efforts to digitize accounting systems.
A former New York State senator representing the 7th District, Phillips previously served as mayor of Flower Hill, where she managed local budgets and enacted cost-saving reforms. Before entering public office, she built a successful career in finance with senior roles at J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, and MetLife, bringing private-sector expertise to government operations.
As comptroller, Phillips has prioritized accountability and transparency in county finances. Her office has recovered millions in outstanding
On the issues: Phillips has focused on strengthening fiscal stability, monitoring contract performance, and scrutinizing the county’s partnerships with major public entities such as the MTA. She has also overseen audits addressing delayed payments to small businesses and service providers, ensuring timely reimbursements and greater financial clarity. Phillips points to her background in both finance and local government as key to her pragmatic approach to fiscal management. She has emphasized longterm planning, responsible borrowing, and efficiency-driven reforms designed to safeguard public resources.
Wayne Wink, the Democratic candidate for Nassau County Comptroller, is running on a platform centered on transparency, fiscal integrity, and restoring independence to the county’s chief financial office. With more than two decades of public service, he brings extensive legislative and administrative experience to the race.
Wink
A resident of Roslyn, Wink began his career in local government on the North Hempstead Town Board, where he served from 2003 to 2007. He was later elected to the Nassau County Legislature, representing the 10th District from 2007 to 2014, which includes parts of Great Neck, East Hills, Roslyn, and Manhasset. During his tenure, he developed a reputation for fiscal diligence and constituent advocacy, focusing on responsible budgeting and government accountability.
In 2014, Wink was elected North Hempstead Town Clerk, a position he held until 2021. In that role, he oversaw
modernization of the town’s recordkeeping and licensing systems, implemented digital accessibility initiatives, and ensured compliance with open government and transparency laws. His administrative experience as clerk further solidified his focus on efficiency
On the issues: Wink has framed his campaign for comptroller around independence and transparency. He emphasizes the need for unbiased financial oversight, ensuring that county contracts, audits, and expenditures are handled with integrity and free from political influence. His platform includes expanding digital access to county financial data, improving internal controls, and strengthening collaboration with local municipalities to enhance fiscal efficiency. Wink holds a bachelor’s degree from Union College and a law degree from St. John’s University School of Law.
Howard Kopel, a Republican, and legislator since 2009, replaced Richard Nicolello as the Legislature’s Presiding Officer after he retired in 2024.
Kopel, 72, is a selfdescribed “recovering attorney” who owns a title insurance company in Valley Steam. He has prioritized keeping taxes from raising, safety within Nassau County and building bipartisan relationships. Kopel is a Lawrence resident for 38 years.
Upon taking office he has pushed and secured a state-of-the-art system at the Bay Park sewage treatment plant and advocated for open space maintenance and infrastructure improvement On the issues: He wants to define affordable housing properly wile finding appropriate locations and believes government
control create housing shortages. He said that current barriers are “interest rates” and price jacking due to high demand and low supply in certain areas.
Kopel addresses the gridlock on Rockaway Turnpike and Nassau Expressway and is concerned about more traffic from multiple transitoriented development projects in the Five Towns. He supports development but opposes over-development that exceeds infrastructure capacity such as the Woodmere Club. Kopel wants to “preserve the suburban way of life.”
To address antisemitism and racial hate crimes, he praised the work of the Nassau County Police Department Fourth Precinct and said the Five Towns “doesn’t have a lot of crimes, thankfully.” He added that education and maturity are important.
Democratic candidate Alec Fischthal did not respond to the Herald for an interview.
Sheharyar Ali, a Valley Stream-based attorney, is making his second run for a seat in the Nassau County Legislature this time for the newly redrawn District 14, which includes parts of Lynbrook, Valley Stream, and Malverne. Ali, 32, grew up in Elmont and is raising his two young sons in the area. After graduating from Sewanhaka High School and earning his law degree from St. John’s University, he served in the Brooklyn and Nassau attorney’s offices before opening his own law firm earlier this year
On the issues:
Kate Murray is running for re-election as Town Clerk of Hempstead. She was first elected to the position in 2002 and returned to the office in 2019 after serving as Hempstead Town Supervisor from 2003 to 2016, making her the first woman to hold the position.
She has also served in the New York State Assembly representing the 19th District.
On the issues:
As Town Clerk, Murray has focused on improving accessibility and convenience for residents. Her initiatives include the “One-Stop Passport Shop,” online access to permits and licenses and commuter parking permits available directly at LIRR stations. She oversaw the construction of a $6 million multipurpose center for the ANCHOR Program, which offers programs in
athletics, aquatic activities, theater, computer skills, nutrition and social engagement. Murray’s office has also advanced renewable energy initiatives, including a green energy park and a solarpowered government office recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency for its zeroemission design.
The Town Clerk’s Office handles vital records, marriage licenses, permits, public notices, town board records, official records and historical archives dating back to 1644. The office also performs wedding ceremonies and processes applications for zoning changes, public garages, and other municipal permits.
Democratic candidate Yveline Dalmacy has not responded to requests for an interview for a roundtable.
Ali Party: Republican
Frustrated by what he sees as declining quality of life, Ali said he’s focused on local issues from public safety to affordability and suburban preservation. “I’m just trying to play my part to help my community,” he said. Ali lost a bid in 2023 for District 3. After redistricting moved his neighborhood into District 14, he said
he feels better positioned to represent residents.
“The same concerns that residents had when I was campaigning two years ago are the exact same concerns that they still have,” he said.
Ali supports community-based policing, expanded funding for the Fifth Precinct, and hiring more officers. He also wants to ensure local zoning remains in local hands. While backing transitoriented development near train stations, he opposes overdevelopment in residential areas.
Ali is focused on tackling the boring, every day issues of the local communities, from road repaving to a tree falling in the road. “You want to make sure that you can pick up your phone, call your legislator, and they’re there to help and guide your to the appropriate resources that are available,” Ali said.
“I don’t want to be the politician that just talks,” Ali added
Cynthia Nuñez, a longtime Valley Stream resident and school board trustee, is running for the Nassau County Legislature in the newly redrawn District 14, which includes parts of Lynbrook, Valley Stream, and Malverne.
Nuñez, 47, has lived in Valley Stream for 16 years with her husband and two children. She has served on the Valley Stream District 24 Board of Education since 2022 and helped lead the restoration of programs, construction of a sensory playground, and secured a $500,000 grant for the district.
Cynthia Nuñez Party: Democrat
“Service is entrenched in me,” Nuñez said. “I have dedicated my life, my professional career, to helping out the small guy, to giving a voice to those that don’t have one.”
Professionally, she is director of legal operations at Labaton Keller Sucharow, where she focuses on data privacy and consumer protection. She is currently pursuing an MBA at NYU.
Her campaign centers on fiscal accountability and communication. If elected, Nuñez said she would conduct a full review of county finances and push for more transparency in how tax dollars are spent. “I need the community to understand where our taxes have been allocated so we can figure out if it’s in the best interest of this district,” she said. “If not, then let’s come with a plan and see where we can implement these changes.”
She also supports creating forums for residents to weigh in before decisions are made. “What I’m hearing when I’m knocking on doors is that people are being spoken at instead of spoken with,” she said. “We need to create a freeway of communication.”
Nuñez emphasized bipartisan collaboration and said she would work with all 19 legislators, regardless of party. “We have to be able to collaborate as a unit.,” she said.
Amendment to Allow Olympic Sports Complex In Essex County on State Forest Preserve Land. Allows skiing and related trail facilities on state forest preserve land. The site is 1,039 acres. Requires State to add 2,500 acres of new forest land in Adirondack Park. A yes vote authorizes new ski trails and related facilities in the Adirondack forest preserve. A no vote does not authorize this use.
Enmienda para Permitir Complejo Olímpico de Deportes En el Condado de Essex en Tierra de Reserva Forestal Estatal. Permite el esquí e instalaciones relacionadas de pistas en tierra de reserva forestal estatal. El sitio es de 1,039 acres. Requiere que el Estado añade 2,500 acres de nueva tierra forestal en el Parque Adirondack. Un voto afirmativo autoriza nuevas pistas de esquí e instalaciones relacionadas en la reserva forestal Adirondack. Un voto negativo no autoriza este uso.
I. Koslow
E. Williams
Hempstead Supervisor
actual ballot, but a composite of several sample ballots so as to reflect all the districts within the communities covered edition of the Herald. Complete reporting on candidates running in districts covered by the Herald may be found at under the Elections ’25 tab. For election results after the polls close Tuesday night, go to LIHerald.com
Hempstead Town Clerk
Municipal
Yveline L. Dalmacy Kate Murray
County Legislator
Legislador del Condado Distrito 7
J. Fischthal
County Legislator
Cynthia Nunez
Howard J. Kopel
County Court Judge
Nicotra Bednar Donald X. Clavin, Jr. Robert G. Bogle Howard E. Sturim
E. Pipia
Sheharyar Ali
Justice of the Supreme Court
la Corte Suprema
Kenny
Mark A. Cuthbertson
Margaret C. Reilly
Joseph C. Pastoressa
Steven A. Pilewski
James W. Malone
Carl J. Copertino
Bronwyn M. Black-Kelly
District Court Judge
Boultadakis
Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties
Age: 65
Legal career: Bronwyn Black-Kelly has served as a Suffolk County District Court judge since 2023, following a long career in both public service and private practice. From 1990 to 2022, she was a partner at the Law Offices of Black & Black, a general practice firm. Earlier in her career, she worked as an assistant district attorney in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office from 1985 to 1989.
Black-Kelly earned her law degree from Hofstra University School of Law in 1985, and her bachelor’s degree from Fairfield University in 1981. She was admitted to the state bar in 1986, and is also admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York and the U.S. Supreme Court. She is a member of both the Suffolk County and New York State bar associations.
Endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties Age: 59
Legal career: Since 2018, James Malone has been a District Court Judge. From 2014-2017, he was a principal law clerk for State Supreme Court Justice William Condon. He received his undergraduate degree from Clarkson University in 1983 and a law degree from Touro College, Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center in 2005.
Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties
Age: 69
Legal career: Judge Carl Copertino currently presides over family cases in the Family Court of Suffolk County and has served as a New York judge for 13 years.Previously, he spent five years as an attorney with the New York City Transit Authority. He received his law degree from Fordham University School of Law in 1981. He was admitted to the New York State bar in 1981.
Endorsed by Republican and Democratic parties
Age: 59
Legal career: Mark Cuthbertson, a lifelong Huntington resident, focused his legal career on commercial real estate, municipal litigation, and the representation of municipalities and notfor-profit cemeteries.
Admitted to practice in New York and Connecticut, Cuthbertson earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Albany Law School of Union University. There, he served as the executive editor of the Symposium for the Albany Law Review. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Villanova University.
In addition to his legal practice, Cuthbertson has served on the Huntington Town Board since 1998, where he has worked to reduce and stabilize taxes while advancing environmental protection and smart growth initiatives. He sponsored legislation preserving hillside areas and open space throughout the town.
Endorsed by the Conservative party Age: 36
Legal career: Matthew McDonough, of Massapequa, has been admitted to practice law in New York since 2019. He is also admitted to the District of Columbia, the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Southern districts of New York, the U.S. Tax Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. McDonough, a graduate of the City University of New York School of Law at Queens College, he earned his Juris Doctor before serving a clerkship with the State Supreme Court. In 2020, he opened his private practice in Babylon, focusing on municipal and public sector law. He works often with local governments, businesses and residents on municipal policy, taxation and regulatory compliance.
Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties Age: 66
Legal career: Justice Joseph C. Pastoressa has served on the state Supreme Court in Suffolk County since 2012. Before that, he was an acting Supreme Court justice from 2004 to 2011, while also serving as a Court of Claims judge. Earlier in his career, Pastoressa worked in private practice, and later as a principal law clerk for a justice on the state Appellate Division, a Court of Claims judge and a state Supreme Court justice. He earned his bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University, and graduated cum laude from Brooklyn Law School.
Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties Age: 69
Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties Age: 64
Legal career: Paul Kenny, a Glen Head resident, began his career in 1986 as a court attorney in the New York City Criminal Court and later joined a general practice firm in Queens. He served as co-counsel to the State Court Officer’s Association. From 1992 to 2007, he worked in the Kings County Supreme Court Law Department, as a court attorney-referee for matrimonial matters, and from 2000 as the deputy chief court attorney. He was appointed chief clerk of the Appellate Term, Second Department in 2007 and edited the Election Law Handbook for more than a decade. He serves on the Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission, is an instructor at Lehman College, an adjunct professor at the NYC College of Technology and lectures at the Appellate Division, Second Department and State Judicial Institute on election law.
Endorsed by Republican, Conservative, and Democratic parties Age: 61
Legal career: Steven A. Pilewski is a longtime member of the state’s court system, with more than two decades of experience in judicial chambers. From 2000 to 2022, he served as principal law clerk to Justice Guy J. Mangano Jr. in the state Supreme Court in Kings County. Before that, he worked as a principal appellate law clerk for the Appellate Term of the 2nd Department from 1995 to 2000. Pilewski earned his law degree from Touro College in 1994, and received a bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University in 1989. He has been a member of the Suffolk County Bar Association since 1999.
Legal career: Margaret Reilly has served as a Nassau County Surrogate’s Court judge since 2016. She was previously a Nassau County Supreme Court Justice from 2012 to 2015, an acting justice from 2007 to 2012, and a twice-elected County District Court judge from 1998 to 2011. Earlier in her career, Reilly practiced law as a deputy Nassau County attorney, the Stewart Manor village prosecutor and a senior associate at Mulholland Minion & Roe and the Law Office of Vincent D. McNamara. She has lectured at Hofstra and Touro law schools, co-chaired the Nassau County Courts’ Women in the Courts Committee, and served as an adjunct professor in trial advocacy at St. John’s.
Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties
Age: 54
Legal career: Nancy Nicotra Bednar is a lifelong Nassau County resident raised in Elmont. She lives in Rockville Centre.
A 1993 Notre Dame graduate with a bachelor’s in English, she graduated from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City in 1996 She has over 25 years of legal experience working with the Innocence Project to her leadership roles in the Nassau County Attorney’s Office and state courts.
In 2003, Bednar became a deputy bureau chief-for the General Litigation Bureau in the County Attorney’s office until 2008. Then a senior principal law clerk for Appellate DivisionSecond Department She is now a principal law clerk in the County Supreme Court
Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties
Age: 68
Legal career: Bogle has served as a New York judge for over 40 years and began his term after election in 2015. He also serves as a supervising judge of the Village Courts in the county. He received his law degree from Hofstra University in 1982 after receiving his bachelor’s degree in political science from Niagara University in 1979. Bogle has received awards such as the Magistrate of the Year Award from the State of New York in 2006 and the Frank J. Santagata Memorial Award from the Nassau County Magistrates Association in 2008. A lifelong resident of Valley Stream, he and his wife, Kathleen, have two children. He is a Knights of Columbus member.
Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties Age: 56
Legal career: Donald X. Clavin Jr. is the former Town of Hempstead Supervisor who served almost 3 terms from 2020-2025. He stepped down in August. Clavin was the Town of Hempstead Receiver of Taxes from 20012019.
Previously Clavin worked as a trial attorney and as deputy county attorney in Nassau County’s Attorney’s office. Clavin holds a law degree from Hofstra University and a bachelor’s in history from Canisius College. Clavin lives in Garden City with his wife and two children. He has stated “tax relief” as his top priority. He also helped develop the town’s 2019 and proposed 2020 budgets, including tax cuts. He has also hosted public information forums
Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties Age: 61
Legal career: Robert E. Pipia is a judge on the Nassau County District Court in the 10th Judicial District of New York. He was first elected in 2014.
Before that, Pipia was the executive assistant to then Town of Hempstead Supervisor’s Office. This followed his work as deputy town attorney for the town’s Attorney’s Office where he served as the Americans with Disabilities Act compliance coordinator.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from SUNY Albany in 1987, and earned his law degree from Hofstra University in 1992. He was licensed in New York in 1993.
Born in Queens and raised in Elmont, he attended the Henry Viscardi School.
Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties
Age: 39
Legal career: Maria Boultadakis is a candidate for district court judge in Nassau County’s 2nd District. She was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2012 and is registered with the New York State Unified Court System. She earned her law degree from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. Boultadakis has served as a law clerk for three New York State Supreme Court justices, and she also held the position of deputy county attorney in Nassau County from 2022 to 2023.
Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties Age: 55
Legal career: Karen L. Moroney serves as a judge in the Nassau County District Court, first elected in 2007, she was re-elected in 2013 and is currently serving a five-year term that expires at the end of this year.
Since 2017, she has also served as principal law clerk to Justice Sharon M.J. Gianelli of the Nassau County Supreme Court, and previously held similar roles for three other county Supreme Court justices. Her legal experience includes work as an attorney for the state Supreme Court and as an assistant district attorney in Queens County from 1992 to 1999.
Moroney earned her law degree from St. John’s University School of Law and was admitted to the bar in 1992. She is also admitted to practice before multiple federal courts.
Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties Age: 41
Legal career: Diana Hedayati is an attorney based in Plainview and a candidate for district Court judge in Nassau County’s 3rd District. She was admitted to the New York State Bar in 2010 by the Appellate Division, First Judicial Department and is currently registered with the New York State Unified Court System.
Hedayati graduated from Pace University School of Law. Her professional background includes over a decade of legal experience in the public sector, with a focus on administrative and regulatory law.
Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties Age: 66
Legal career: Howard E. Sturim is a New York Judge in the Supreme Court of Nassau County and has served for 10 years. His career began as an assistant district attorney for the Nassau County District Attorney’s office from 1991 to 2004. He prosecuted misdemeanor and felony cases then became head of the Arson Unit and Major Offenses Unit. He then became a principal law clerk for the state Court of Claims to Alan L. Honorof before his term as New York Judge began in 2016.
Sturim earned his bachelor’s degree from the New York Institute of Technology in 1987 before receiving his law degree from Hofstra University in 1990 in the Maurice A. Deane School of Law.
Cross endorsed by Democratic, Republican and Conservative parties Age: 60
Legal career: James A. Saladino is a district court judge in Nassau County, appointed in March of this year. He has over 30 years of legal experience, including service as a judge, law clerk, prosecutor and private practitioner. From 2019 to 2024, he served as a district court judge in Suffolk County, presiding over criminal and civil matters. Before that, he spent eight years as a principal law clerk in the New York State Supreme Court and practiced law as a partner at Saladino & Hartill, LLP. Earlier in his career, he was an assistant district Attorney in Suffolk County from 1991 to 2002.
Saladino earned his law degree from St. John’s University School of Law and a B.A. from Boston University. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1991.
Maureen O’Connell, Nassau County Clerk since 2006, is seeking re-election to continue her work modernizing the office and expanding services for seniors and non-English-speaking residents. With over 30 years in public service, O’Connell brings experience as both a registered nurse and attorney, having previously served in the New York State Assembly and as Deputy Mayor of East Williston
On the issues:
state’s earliest Supreme Court e-filing systems and integrated digital connections with state and local agencies. She has also prioritized digitizing historical documents, making decades-old records more accessible for residents, particularly seniors who often need to retrieve property information.
During her nearly two decades as clerk, O’Connell has overseen a major transformation of the office’s operations. Under her leadership, millions of backlogged documents were processed, and the office transitioned to a fully digitized system for court and land records. This modernization has allowed residents and attorneys to file and access official documents online, reducing the need for in-person visits.
O’Connell implemented one of the
In an effort to protect homeowners, O’Connell launched a Property Fraud Alert Program, allowing property owners to receive email notifications if deeds or mortgages are filed in their name, helping to prevent fraud.
If re-elected, she plans to continue digitizing older records and expand parking at the Mineola office. She also intends to further adapt services for residents who speak languages other than English, building on the existing language line currently in place.
A lifelong Nassau County resident, O’Connell lives in East Williston and teaches nursing at SUNY Farmingdale.
Joylette E. Williams, a longtime educator and community leader, is running for Nassau County Clerk with a platform focused on modernization, accessibility, and administrative efficiency. A county resident since 1993, Williams has spent over two decades in public service and education, currently serving as a professor of English at Nassau Community College and a two-term member of the Hempstead School Board.
Williams holds a Ph.D. in English and is completing a second doctorate in Higher Education Administration at the University of Connecticut. Her academic and professional background includes extensive experience in document management, recordkeeping, and organizational leadership—skills she says directly translate to the responsibilities of the clerk’s office.
Her public service includes prior roles as a Village of Hempstead trustee and current board member of the Town of
Hempstead Industrial Development Agency. Williams is also actively involved in civic organizations, including the NAACP, the Chamber of Commerce, the Lions Club, and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, among others
On the issues: If elected, Williams plans to prioritize the digitization of county records, improve online access to public documents, and expand the use of the clerk’s mobile outreach van to underserved communities. She also proposes extending office hours one day a week to better serve working residents and increasing language accessibility for non-English-speaking residents.
Williams advocates for reducing or waiving fees on property transactions for groups such as seniors, veterans, first responders, and first-time homebuyers, citing Nassau’s fees as higher than neighboring counties.
Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is seeking a second term, emphasizing public safety, fiscal stability and preserving suburban character as the foundation of his administration. He said Nassau remains the safest large county in America, citing expanded law enforcement ranks, a stable budget and seven Wall Street bond-rating upgrades as evidence of sound fiscal management. Blakeman has repeatedly highlighted that county taxes have not increased during his tenure and that Nassau’s average home value has risen, which he sees as proof of prosperity and stability.
A central point of pride for Blakeman has been Nassau’s partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — the first of its kind in the country — which dedicates jail space and crosstrained detectives to assist federal agents. He said the agreement improves safety and has strong support among Hispanic residents who want “safe
neighborhoods and strong schools.” On crime prevention, Blakeman defended his creation of a volunteer emergency database, which critics have called a militia, describing it instead as a vetted roster of former police and military members who could be mobilized Blakeman continues to challenge the state’s takeover of Nassau University Medical Center, calling it “illegal” and harmful to residents who rely on it as a safetynet hospital. He contends the move is part of a broader state plan to reduce local control and diminish services. On housing, he opposes state-mandated density requirements, arguing that Nassau is already one of the nation’s most developed suburban counties and that zoning decisions should remain local.
Overall, Blakeman’s campaign message centers on fiscal prudence, public safety and protecting Nassau’s suburban quality of life.
Democratic Nassau County Legislator Seth Koslow, of Merrick, is running for county executive on a platform centered on transparency, fiscal accountability and restoring public trust in local government.
A former Queens assistant district attorney and small business owner, Koslow said his decision to run was motivated by frustration over what he views as secrecy and mismanagement under the current administration. He cited ongoing problems at Nassau University Medical Center and the county jail as examples of a government unwilling to answer questions or plan for the future.
Koslow criticized County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s creation of a civilian militia, saying it undermines law enforcement and creates liability, and argued that Nassau’s shortage of detectives poses a more urgent safety threat. On fiscal issues, he said the county must better track its spending, cut
waste and redirect resources toward infrastructure, housing and public services. He supports using county-owned properties for new mixed-use housing and simplifying the permit process for small businesses to boost local revenue without raising taxes. Koslow also said he would end Nassau’s cooperation agreement with federal immigration authorities, arguing it strains community relations and overextends county resources.
On social policy, he has rejected measures like the county’s bans on transgender athletes and public masking as divisive distractions from more pressing issues of affordability and public safety. His approach, he said, would emphasize collaboration with state and regional leaders, community input on major development projects such as the Nassau Hub, and long-term planning to keep future generations living and working on Long Island.
Anne Donnelly, a Republican and prosecutor for over 30 years, defeated former State Sen. Todd Kaminsky in 2021 to become Nassau County’s top prosecutor; becoming the fourth consecutive woman to do so.
Donnelly, 61, is campaigning on her record as a career prosecutor who has prioritized public safety, gang enforcement and support for law enforcement. She is a Garden City resident and took office in 2022.
On the issues:
To address gun violence and online drug trafficking, she created a Firearm Suppression Unit and a Cyber Crimes and Pharmaceutical Unit. Her office has also expanded education programs in schools and invested in hate crime prevention efforts.
Nicole Aloise, a Democrat and candidate for Nassau County District Attorney, is mounting a campaign centered on addressing crime in the county, community investment and public safety.
run for district attorney.
Upon taking office she assembled a team of prosecutors and law enforcement officials—including a former police commissioner—to focus on violent crime, narcotics, and unsolved cold cases.
Donnelly also assisted in the Gilgo Beach serial killer investigation and helped close multiple cold cases from the 1960s and 1970s. Donnelly has said her administration prioritizes justice for vulnerable populations, including animals, and has prosecuted abusers under animal cruelty laws.
Donnelly has been an outspoken critic of New York’s “Cashless Bail” and “Clean Slate” laws, which she argues put repeat violent offenders back on the streets. She has called for their repeal while voicing continued support for police.
Before her election, Donnelly served 32 years in the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, most recently as deputy bureau chief of the Organized Crime and Rackets Bureau. Her cases included murder-for-hire schemes, narcotics rings, and a counterfeit electronics bust that led to the largest asset forfeiture in county history.
Donnelly holds degrees from Fordham University and Fordham Law School.
Aloise, 41, brings 16 years of experience as a prosecutor in both Nassau and Queens counties, including recent work as a senior assistant district attorney in the Queens Homicide Bureau. She began her career in 2008 after earning her law degree from St. John’s University. In Queens, she helped secure more than 20 violent felony convictions and made case law by introducing the first NYPD body camera footage used in a New York City trial.
From 2019 to 2023, she served in the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office as senior litigation counsel, prosecuting violent felonies and homicide cases. She returned to Queens in 2023 and continued her work until stepping down in 2024 to
On the issues: Her platform includes strengthening the county’s Hate Crimes Bureau to better address attacks on Jewish and Asian communities, supporting the creation of a “death by dealer” statute to hold drug traffickers accountable in fatal overdose cases, and boosting funding for mental health, youth and violence prevention programs.
Aloise has also pledged to crack down on DWI cases through the county’s Vehicular Crimes Bureau and continue partnering with local police departments to improve public safety.
She lives in Garden City with her family, serves on her school’s PTA, coaches youth soccer and teaches legal ethics as an adjunct professor at Molloy University.
ATTENTION STUDENTS:
THE HERALD IS HOLDING A CONTEST TO DESIGN
HOLIDAY WRAPPING PAPER
THE WINNING DESIGNS WILL BE PRINTED AS HOLIDAY GIFT WRAP IN 12/4/25 & 12/11/25 ISSUES OF YOUR HERALD COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
Who can enter: There will be 2 categories: Students in grades k-5. Students in 6-12
One entry per student
Deadline: Entries must be received by 5 p.m. Friday, November 14, 2025
Requirements: All entries should have the student’s name, age, address, telephone number, email, grade and school printed on the back. Design can be reflective of all religious holidays. Entries will not be returned.
nizations. Castelluzzo emphasized the same point when describing why the club responded so quickly to Ronald McDonald House’s request: service is what the organization is built on.
Mail or hand-deliver to:
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Milagros Vicente, the experience was straightforward but meaningful. The group has done similar volunteer dinners before, and this time, they adapted their approach to making it work with fewer hands. She described how Ronald McDonald House provides all the necessary equipment and kitchen access, which makes it easier for volunteers to focus on serving the families. The club arranged and displayed the meals so families could help themselves at their convenience, making the experience as simple and comforting as possible.
Both Castelluzzo and Vicente emphasized that supporting organizations like the Ronald McDonald House aligns closely with Kiwanis’s mission. Service is central to the Kiwanis organization, locally and globally. For the Valley Stream chapter, this means focusing on community projects that benefit children and families, whether through scholarships, youth leadership programs or direct service.
Local business involvement is also a crucial piece of that service. Castelluzzo noted how support from places like AP Pizza & Cafe allows the club to stretch its resources further. Whether businesses donate food, supplies or gift cards, those contributions help the club direct more funding toward community programs.
• Must use 8 1/2 x 11” unlined paper, copy paper or construction paper.
• Be creative & original.
• Use bright colors.
• Fill the entire page.
“Seeing the faces of people when we volunteer and seeing their faces of how grateful they are, that’s rewarding in itself, right?” Vicente said. “I believe that it doesn’t really matter how many people are involved in something, but the quality of it is what matters the most.”
Throughout the year, the club sponsors Key Clubs and Builders Clubs at several local schools, funds scholarships and supports students’ participation in conventions. The club also runs community projects, from collecting personal care items for veterans to stocking Little Free Libraries at schools and hosting awareness events.
Vicente explained that being part of Kiwanis is about collective community action. She views the club as a group of people who come together to give back in many different ways, whether through direct volunteer work, fundraising drives or support for other orga-
For both Castelluzzo and Vicente, being involved with Kiwanis carries personal meaning. Castelluzzo, who has been part of the club since it was rechartered in 2018, said her greatest source of pride comes from the club’s role as a “parent organization” to its student service clubs. Supporting young people as they learn to lead and serve is central to the club’s work. Vicente, who has been a member for three years, described herself as someone who has always valued volunteering. She finds it rewarding to be part of a group that does what she considers impactful work in Valley Stream.
The recent dinner at Ronald McDonald House is one of many service projects the club organizes throughout the year, but it reflects the essence of its approach: quick action, community partnerships, and a focus on supporting families during difficult times. For the families staying at the house, the warm meal offered a small but meaningful comfort. For the Kiwanis members, it was another chance to live out their mission of service.
The Valley Stream Kiwanis Club continues to welcome new members and volunteers. Its meetings and activities are open to anyone interested in giving back to their community. Information about upcoming projects and membership opportunities is available on the club’s Facebook page.
23
Veterans Toiletry Drive
The Chamber of Commerce and village are collecting toiletries to support veterans in need. Donations can be dropped off at multiple locations throughout the village.
• Where: Valley Stream Library, Pool, and Village Hall
• Time: Noon-10 p.m., through Nov. 14.
• Contact: (516) 845-7878
Parents of kindergarten and 1st grade girls are invited to learn about joining Girl Scout Daisies – Valley Stream/ Five Towns. The session shares details on activities, troop life, and how to get involved in the largest girl-led organization in the world.
• Where: Elmont Public Library,700 Hempstead Tpke., Elmont
• Time: 6:30 p.m.
• Contact: 516) 741-2550
24
Meet Pop Artist Alex Smetsky Renowned NYC artist Alex Smetsky discusses his artwork and techniques at Henry Waldinger Memorial Library. Participants will then help create an interactive painting to be donated to the library. Registration required.
• Where: 60 Verona Place
• Time: 4 p.m. (Tween/teen session 6 p.m.)
• Contact: valleystreamlibrary.org or call (516) 825-6422
25
Cars & Cigars
Charity Car Show Stream Auto Outlet hosts an indoor/ outdoor evening showcasing classic and custom cars to support Long Island Cares Food Pantry. All precedes benefit local hunger relief efforts. $40 in advance, $50 at door.
• Where: 324 W. Merrick Rd.
• Time: 6-10 p.m.
• Contact: streamautooutlet.com
‘Uncle
Under New
matters before the board. Public attendance is welcome.
• Where: Village Hall Auditorium, 123 S. Central Ave.
• Time: 6:30 p.m.
• Contact: (516) 825-4200
OCT 30
Little Learners Art Lab
Each week in this engaging workshop, participants are introduced to handson materials, artmaking, and inspiration from artists and techniques. Young kids, ages 2-5, build critical thinking skills, expand vocabulary, and support imaginations as they play, create and explore. This week create a pumpkin patch pal. $4 with museum admission.
• Where: Museum Row, Garden City
• Time: 11:30 a.m.-noon
• Contact: licm.org or (516) 224-5800
• Where: Tilles Center, LIU Post campus, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville
• Time: 7 p.m.
Music Director Cristian Maˇcelaru leads the Orchestre National de France on its frst U.S. tour in nearly 10 years, performing with Grammy-winning pianist Daniil Trifonov. Their brief three-concert tour, with a stop at Tilles Center, culminates in a much-anticipated return to Carnegie Hall. Founded in 1934 and prized as France’s leading orchestra, the Orchestre National frst toured in North America in 1948. Joined by the pianist-extraordinaire (whose career has taken him far and wide, to Paris, throughout France, and to the most prestigious classical music venues in the world), the Orchestre National de France, the orchestra performs repertoires that lie at the core of its identity: Maurice Ravel (to commemorate the 150th anniversary of his birth), Elsa Barraine and Camille Saint-Saëns. Their brilliant repertoire features Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, along with Elsa Barraine’s Symphony No. 2 and two works by Ravel — Concerto in G and Daphnis et Chloe Suite No. 2 — with Trifonov as soloist on both of the program’s concerti. Under the baton of Cristian Maˇcelaru, this masterful program stuns in the musical story it provides, bringing the listener on a picturesque journey from start to fnish. The programming of Elsa Barraine’s Symphony No. 2 with its gumptous string lines that compliment the playfulness of the work’s structure sits beautifully in the program with Ravel’s Daphnis & Chloé. The two piano concertos bring different stylistic characters to the stage, with Saint-Saëns offering late romantic era lushness and Ravel offering the lavish fancy. Hearing these two works performed by Trifonov, a performer with a dedication to perfecting concerto repertoire for piano, is iconic.
their Halloween home from the bony fngers of big business. The company is run by a skeleton, after all! With puppeteers and actors from LICM’s Theater, this musical adventure will tickle your funny bone as a Halloween treat for the whole family. $5 with museum admission ($4 members). $10 theater only.
• Where: Museum Row, Garden City
• Time: 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., also Oct. 26
• Contact: licm.org or (516) 2245800
Enjoy the glorious grounds of Old Westbury Gardens with your pooch (leashed of course), With fall dog parade and costume contest on Sunday. Prizes awarded to best dog costumes, including Prettiest, Most Handsome, Most Original, Best Duo or Group, Funniest. Costume contest participants must register.
• Where: 71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury.
• Time: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.: also Oct. 26, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., with costume parade/contest, 3-5 p.m.
• Contact: oldwestburygardens.org or call (516) 333-0048
Haunted Halloween
Step back in time at Old Bethpage Village Restoration for some
Halloween fun. Enjoy safe trick or treating, a kids’ costume parade and contest, witch-broom making, pumpkin painting, and other family fun. Meet the Headless Horseman and listen to a reading of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Enjoy the spooky fun while you appreciate the colors and beauty of the fall season in the farms, woods, and fields of the historic site. $15, $12 seniors and children 5-12.
• Where: 1303 Round Swamp Rd., Old Bethpage
• Time: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Contact: oldbethpagevillageresto ration. org or call (516) 572-8409
Pre-Halloween
OCT
Fun
Valley Stream Historical Society invites families to afternoon of storytime, crafts, activities and treats. Costumes are welcome; free for all attendees.
• Where: Pagan-Fletcher Restoration, 143 Hendrickson Ave.
• Time: 1:30 p.m.
• Contact: (516) 872-4159 or vshistorical@gmail.com
• Contact: ticketmaster.com or tillescenter.org or (516) 299-3100
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Long Island Chapter holds their Long Island Out of the Darkness Community Walk at Jones Beach. Register to walk or become a sponsor.
• Where: Field 5, Jones Beach, Wantagh
• Time: 10 a.m.
• Contact: Carrie Aronson at (516) 865-3944 or afsp.org/ longislandwalkwest
OCT
District 30 BOE meets The District 30 Board of Education holds its regular session to address district goals and policies. Reports from committees and administrators are also presented.
• Where: Shaw Avenue School Library
• Time: 8 p.m.
• Contact: valleystream30.com
OCT
Valley Stream Board of Zoning and Appeals meets Valley Stream BZA holds a decision meeting to review and fnalize
OCT 31
Halloween Storytime and Parade
Henry Waldinger Library invites kids to come in costume for Halloween stories, a paradeand simple DIY crafts. Treats provided for all participants. Open to children in grades K-6. Registration required.
• Where: Where: 60 Verona Place
• Time: 4 p.m.
• Contact: valleystreamlibrary.org or call (516) 825-6422
NOV
1
Long Island Turkey Trot
Step into November with the Long Island Turkey Trot 5K.
• Where: Eisenhower Park, Parking Field 2
• Time: 9 a.m.
• Contact: EliteFeats. com/25LITurkeyTrot
Having an event?
Items on the Calendar page are listed free of charge. The Herald welcomes listings of upcoming events,
Valley Stream Union Free School District 13 marked Hispanic Heritage Month with a series of classroom lessons and interactive projects across all its schools, highlighting the histories, cultures and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans.
Throughout the month, students at every grade level examined the impact of Hispanic figures in fields such as the arts, sciences, politics, sports and social justice. Lessons featured research projects, multimedia presentations, and creative displays focused on notable individuals, including Celia Cruz, Sonia Sotomayor, Roberto Clemente and Dolores Huerta.
“At Valley Stream UFSD 13, we encourage our students to understand and value the diverse perspectives that enrich our world,”
Judith LaRocca, Superintendent of Schools, said. “Through these interactive lessons and student-led projects, we are building cultural awareness and empowering our students to
LEGAL NOTICE
become thoughtful, informed citizens.”
In addition to studying biographies, students explored key historical moments that have shaped Hispanic heritage and examined the lasting influence of leaders, past and present. The district designed these activities to encourage cultural appreciation, inclusivity and academic engagement.
The celebration featured a variety of schoolwide events and student work, including collaborative mural projects, video and presentation showcases, storytelling sessions, and themed bulletin boards.
Valley Stream UFSD 13 emphasized that these learning experiences reflect its ongoing commitment to celebrating cultural diversity and supporting students in becoming informed, engaged members of their communities.
— Angelina Zingariello
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NASSAU
U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR RESIDENTIAL ASSET SECURITIES CORPORATION, HOME EQUITY
MORTGAGE ASSETBACKED PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-KS2, -againstRONALD AUGUSTIN, ET AL. NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the Offce of the Clerk of the County of Nassau on August 3, 2023, wherein U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR RESIDENTIAL ASSET SECURITIES CORPORATION, HOME EQUITY MORTGAGE
ASSET-BACKED PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES
2007-KS2 is the Plaintiff and RONALD AUGUSTIN, ET AL., are the Defendants. I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction RAIN OR SHINE at the NASSAU COUNTY SUPREME COURT, 100 SUPREME COURT DRIVE, NORTH SIDE STEPS, MINEOLA, NY 11501, on November 6, 2025 at 2:00PM, the premises known as 235 DOGWOOD ROAD, VALLEY STREAM, NY 11580; tax map identifcation 37-541-43; and description:
ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, WITH THE BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS THEREON ERECTED, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE INCORPORATED VILLAGE OF VALLEY STREAM, TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD, COUNTY OF NASSAU AND STATE OF NEW YORK . Premises will be sold subject to provisions of fled Judgment Index No.: 606069/2021. Scott H. Siller, Esq., as Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC, 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES. 156127
LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF NASSAU, U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR LBTREEHOUSE SERIES VI TRUST, Plaintiff, vs. GURPREET KAUR, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to an Order Confrming Referee Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on April 10, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public
auction on the front steps on the north side of the Nassau County Supreme Court, 100 Supreme Court Drive, Mineola, NY 11501 on November 17, 2025 at 2:30 p.m., premises known as 55 State Street, Valley Stream, NY 11580. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Incorporated Village of Valley Stream, Town of Hempstead, County of Nassau and State of New York, Section 37, Block 621 and Lot 22. Approximate amount of judgment is $470,988.99 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of fled Judgment Index #602927/2023.
Jaime D. Ezratty, Esq., Referee
Friedman Vartolo LLP, 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff. Firm File No.: 241389-1 156284
LEGAL NOTICE PUBLIC AUCTION NOTICE OF SALE OF COOPERATIVE APARTMENT SECURITY BY VIRTUE OF DEFAULT in a security agreement executed on November 17, 2000 by Edward C. Stokes and Sharon A. Stokes, and in accordance with its rights as holder of the security, Nationstar Mortgage LLC, by Kim Carrino, Auctioneer, will conduct a public sale of the security consisting of 435 shares of common
stock in 510-530 DuBois Avenue Owners, Inc. and all rights title and interest in and to a proprietary lease between corporation and debtor for UNIT 4A in a building known as and by the street address, 510-530 Dubois Avenue, Apt. 4A, Valley Stream, NY 11581 together with fxtures and articles of personal property now or hereafter affxed to or used in connection with UNIT 4A on November 17, 2025 at 9:30AM North Facing Front Steps of the Nassau County Court House, 262 Old Country Road, Mineola, NY 11501, in satisfaction of an indebtedness in the principal amount of $10,273.78 plus interest from January 01, 2025 and cost s, subject to open maintenance charges. The secured party reserves the right to bid. Ten percent (10%) deposit by bank or certifed funds required at Auction, payable to the attorneys for the secured party. Closing within 30 days. Such sale shall be subject to the terms of sale.
GROSS POLOWY LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive, Suite 100 Williamsville, NY 14221 (716) 204-1700
ATTORNEYS FOR SECURED CREDITOR 87335 156406
PUBLIC AND LEGAL NOTICES… To place a notice here call us us at 516-569-4000 x232 or send an email to: legalnotices@liherald.com
Valley Stream 24 school district welcomed back nationally recognized education leader Ray McNulty for a professional development workshop as part of the district’s ongoing Vision 2030 initiative.
This marks the third year of implementing Vision 2030, which focuses on engaging students and preparing them for a rapidly changing world.
McNulty, President of the Successful Practices Network and former Commissioner of Education for Vermont, worked with administrators, sixth-grade departmentalized teachers, library media specialists, technology teachers and pilot project kindergarten teachers.
The workshop emphasized student engagement and 21st-century skill development through the Rigor and Relevance Framework, a model McNulty helped develop to connect academic learning with real-world application.
Vision 2030 now concentrates on
expanding pilot projects, integrating artificial intelligence into teaching and learning and enhancing authentic student engagement within the curriculum. During the sessions, staff collaborated with McNulty to align instruction with the district’s Vision 2030 cornerstones and explore strategies that promote student voice, intellectual engagement and authentic learning.
The workshop reflects the district’s commitment to professional development as a key component of Vision 2030, aiming to cultivate future-ready learning environments and equip students with critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration skills.
Through its partnership with the Successful Practices Network, Valley Stream 24 continues to strengthen classroom practices and maintain its focus on innovative educational approaches.
— Angelina Zingariello
Q. With winter coming, we’re realizing that our windows are drafty and hard to open. It’s time to replace them after 40 years in our house. As we start shopping around, are there windows you recommend, and why? We keep seeing commercials for replacement windows, and were wondering if there’s a difference since our window openings aren’t standard. I took some measurements, and some of the windows are very uniform — like 4 feet tall, and others are off by 2 or 3 inches and those don’t match one another. Will the new windows be custom fit to the openings, or will we need to change the openings? I’m concerned, because our house is brick, and it seems like not every window is going to fit. What should I look for when talking to a contractor, and will we need a permit?
A. The most important thing to look for with windows is energy compliance and the strength and ease of operating the hardware. Windows that will lose more energy are a poor investment, followed by those that can’t be opened easily as they age. The strength of the frames goes hand in hand with the window operation, because less costly vinyl windows are made of less costly materials that will distort over time and directly affect the seal around the frames, making for more difficulty opening and closing.
Lately I’ve noticed that clients are searching for unique styles and brands from faraway places and even other countries. One person asked me to look at a lift-out window from Southern California that was meant for a café serving counter, but they wanted to use it for a second-floor bedroom. The window was a push-out-and-up type that didn’t look like it could handle our weather in the Northeast. There was no energy data to show resistance to our winters, and nothing published that could pass our local codes.
Another client is getting windows from Poland. They’re very strong, triple-pane units that cost less and will probably comply with the energy codes, but it was a struggle to get the energy data in a format required in your state codes.
The rule with most building departments in your area is that direct replacement doesn’t need a building permit, but altering window sizes does. You should still verify this with your building department, because you want to avoid receiving a warning or summons during the installation and then having to stop to get plans made and permits filed.
Custom window sizes require creating extra framing to attractively insert standard sizes. If you reduce the window opening, it must still comply with safety requirements. Consult either a local official or an architect to be sure that you comply. The codes vary for existing window openings, which require 4 square feet versus altered openings that bump the required size up to 5.7 square feet. The architect can also give you some guidance about wood versus vinyl, fiberglass versus metal, etc. Good luck!
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GIRLS SIZE 10, Hoodies, Long-sleeve tops & pants, New with Tags $10. Text (917) 420-5814
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IKEA SOLID OAK: Unassembled, Media Storage Cabinets, New in Box: DVD, CD VCR $50 each. 516-486-7941
MIKASA SENTIMENTS CARAFE, glass, new, boxed, inscribed with Happiness, Success, Wisdom and Friendship. $25, 516-678-0694.
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opiNioNs
The federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1. I can’t stand it. I’ve been back and forth to Washington, but the Capitol is relatively quiet. Federal workers are missing paychecks; Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare applications can’t get processed; flights are being delayed; and without any action come Nov. 1, millions of Americans will be notified that their health insurance premiums are going up by over $1,000 — per month!
Why can’t we fix this? Republicans have the White House and majorities in both the Senate and the House, but they need eight Democratic votes in the Senate to pass a government funding bill. Despite the high stakes and the need for high-level bipartisan negotiations to end this crisis, no one is talking. Why?
Republicans say they won’t negotiate until the government is reopened. House Speaker Mike Johnson hasn’t called us back to Congress for a month. Senate Majority Leader John Thune refuses to budge, and President Trump continues his my-way-or-the-highway
“Nposture, unilaterally — and likely unlawfully — firing federal employees, cutting projects in Democratic states and eliminating programs to try to impose his will, making this shutdown as painful as possible.
The Democrats are just as dug in. They warn that those health insurance premiums will soon skyrocket because Republicans refuse to extend the tax credits that keep the premiums down. We’re running out of time.
We need a solution that staves off spikes in health insurance premiums.
If the credits expire, 22 million Americans, including more than 100,000 Long Islanders, will see their premiums spike. Healthy people all over the country will choose to forgo coverage, which will shrink the risk pool and raise premiums for everyone. The results will be catastrophic.
The crazy thing is, most Democrats want to reopen the government, and many Republicans want to extend the tax credits. The problem is that no one trusts one another. Republicans want to open the government with a handshake promise to talk about health insurance later. Democrats want it dealt with as part of the reopening. There must be compromise, often a dirty word in D.C.
Normally, I’d advocate for trust. I don’t believe shutdowns should be used
as negotiating tactics for these kinds of policy debates. But these aren’t normal times. For the past nine months, the administration has ignored the Democrats, unilaterally eliminating jobs and cutting key programs, reversing budget decisions without warning and generally steamrolling Congress’s constitutional authority over “the power of the purse” and the use of the military in our cities.
Johnson and Thune have refused to negotiate with Democrats. I’ve voted to keep the government open more than 40 times over my five terms in Congress. Each time, the governing majority has negotiated with the minority party, with the understanding that they simply don’t have the votes on their own.
How can Democrats reasonably be expected to trust that health care will be dealt with after the reopening in an environment of such fear, anger and distrust in Washington?
Nevertheless, we need to find a way to reopen the government as soon as possible, or things will only get worse. We need a solution that also staves off spikes in health insurance costs.
That’s why I’m leading a bipartisan effort with Republican Congresswoman Jen Kiggans. Our bill, the Premium
Tax Credit Extension Act, would extend the credits for one year, protecting families while giving Congress time to reach a broader health care deal. It’s not perfect. Like most of my Democratic colleagues, I’d prefer extending the credits permanently. But we’re in the minority, and we can’t let our aspiration for perfection stop us from achieving the good. Republicans, who can’t open the government without Democrats, must also see that truth.
The sticking point in this shutdown is health care affordability: Polling shows that the top concern in our country is the cost of living, and health care costs are a key contributor. At Trump’s inaugural address, he said he would “rapidly reduce prices.” I, like many Americans, hoped that he would.
Now inflation is up, costs are climbing, and Americans feel duped. They want us to reopen the government, prioritize lowering costs —health care a big part of that — and stop playing partisan games while they pay the price.
For many Americans, Washington hasn’t just shut down this month — it’s felt closed for far too long. We need to reopen it in every sense: by rebuilding trust, negotiating honestly, and committing to working together to find solutions for the people we represent.
Tom Suozzi represents the 3rd Congressional District.
o man can step into the same river twice.” — Heraclitus, 500 B.C.
After spending the past few years in Florida, my husband and I decided this season to rent a place near Woodmere, where we lived in the same house for 51 years. I taught in the local schools, our kids grew up here, and our roots in the community run deep.
We’ve been back in town for about two months.
I don’t have meteorological data, but I believe we’ve had the most glorious autumn weather ever experienced in southwestern Nassau County. Until the nor’easter, of course, which brought back memories of Hurricanes Belle and Irene and Sandy.
I took myself to Woodmere Dock and found the seascape of the bay, the waterside holes of the Rockaway Hunting Club and the vast marshes all the same. I imagine I’m one of few people who
recall that the dock was owned at one time by the Ike family, who rented rowboats by the hour and owned an access road to the dock known as Ike’s Lane.
You can go home again, but if you do, be prepared. Everything is the same, but entirely different. And, of course, you are different, too. Our old house looks as if we closed the door and walked away yesterday. The tiny memorial to our dog Sheba still rests in a flower bed where we buried her ashes.
You can go home again, but be prepared. Everything is the same, but entirely different.
The second day up North, I walked into a doctor’s office and into a friend from our kids’ high school days. We looked the same, other than dusted and stamped by time. That afternoon, a woman jogged by our rental house, and I realized she was in a book group I ran 25 years ago. I kept running into people who looked as if a makeup artist had worked them over. And they did double takes when I reintroduced myself.
Things are where I remember them — firehouses and supermarkets and a few restaurants. But some stores are now banks, and many small businesses
have been replaced by medical megapractices, gyms or nail spas. Community boards advertise unfamiliar events and groups. I felt like Emily in “Our Town,” when she returns from the dead to revisit her 12th birthday and realizes that no one ever appreciates the everydayness of their lives while they’re living them. I took the LIRR to the city from Lawrence one day. I didn’t know where or how to park, how to buy a ticket or how to find the train schedule. Since I last rode the Snail, it went digital. I got a tutorial from my granddaughter and enjoyed a glorious day with her traipsing through downtown Manhattan. BTW, despite the fearmongering of many Floridians, the subway was clean, and it all felt safe.
Penn Station was emblematic of my experience, looking completely new and kind of brazen and futuristic, but foundationally the same. Track 19 is still Track 19, and the train back to Lawrence still left from there.
Another day, I drove from the Five Towns to Astoria. I hadn’t driven in city
traffic for six years. That was hell and a half. I felt gratified that my memory of the roads was accurate, and the Van Wyck still went to the Grand Central and then to Steinway Street — but what a holy mess the roads are. Everything is under construction, and cement trucks terrorized me all the way from here to there. My Waze app told me to go right so I could go left, and then an 18-wheeler backed into my lane. More people gave me the finger salute during that 50-minute ride than in all of my years driving. The Woodmere and other towns of my younger self have evolved and, in some cases, disappeared. That’s what happens. New people, new shops, new activities festoon the old infrastructure. All the little back roads are the same, though. I realized I knew 10 different ways to drive anyplace.
I also know the origin stories, the history, of people and places, and it all came flooding back as I zipped about town. I felt grounded in the way you can only feel when your present is layered with rich memories of the past.
It’s autumn in New York again, and it’s good to be home.
Copyright 2025 Randi Kreiss. Randi can be reached at randik3@aol.com.
For decades, justice in Nassau and Suffolk counties often depended on eyewitnesses, confessions and detective work that, while diligent, was limited by the science of its time. But today, the breakthroughs of modern forensic science are rewriting history, freeing the innocent and holding the guilty accountable.
Last week, the Nassau County district attorney’s office announced a stunning development in one of Long Island’s most haunting cold cases, the 1984 murder of 16-year-old Theresa Fusco in Lynbrook. Fusco disappeared after finishing her shift at the Hot Skates Roller Rink. A month later, her body was found in a nearby wooded area.
For nearly 40 years, her family lived with grief and confusion, compounded by the wrongful convictions of three men whose lives were destroyed before DNA technology could prove their innocence. Those men — Dennis Halstead, John Kogut and John Restivo — spent nearly two decades in prison before DNA testing cleared them in 2003.
Now, that same science has brought the case full circle. Investigators linked Richard Bilodeau, 63, of Center Moriches, to the crime after obtaining DNA from a discarded smoothie cup earlier this year. When tested, it was a 100
percent match with evidence preserved from the Fusco crime scene.
“Science and DNA evidence doesn’t lie,” the district attorney’s office stated. And it doesn’t coerce confessions. It doesn’t forget. It doesn’t play favorites. It tells the truth when the truth is hard to find.
The Fusco case isn’t just about closure — it’s a lesson in progress. Four decades ago, detectives couldn’t imagine a world in which a cold case could be revived by a few microscopic cells. Today, the Nassau County forensic unit has reopened a number of cases, identifying both victims and suspects through genetic technology once considered science fiction.
Science is also central to another major Long Island case now unfolding in court: that of Rex Heuermann, the Massapequa Park architect accused of being the Gilgo Beach serial killer. There, too, DNA stands at the center of the search for truth. Prosecutors are relying on cutting-edge testing from Astrea Forensics, a California lab that analyzes even the tiniest hair fragments. Defense attorneys have tried to discredit the science as “magic,” claiming that New York courts haven’t yet accepted it.
But experts such as Dr. Kelley Harris,
The following letter was sent to Nassau County legislators.
The South Shore Women’s Alliance is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to advocating for the rights of women and families. In line with this mission, SSWA hosted “Not Me” workshops for parents and their daughters, in which the Safe Center LI, of Bethpage, played a crucial role, providing instruction on fundamental prevention and protection strategies, as well as education on the warning signs and cycles of abuse.
In addition to serving as the primary center for people affected by domestic violence and sexual abuse, the Safe Center operated as an advocacy center for child-abuse prosecutions, maintained a crisis-intervention hotline and offered an advocate-response program that dispatched trained volunteers to emergency rooms to assist survivors of rape, sexual assault and domestic violence.
The Safe Center was the lifeline for over 5,000 people each year, providing crucial resources and support to victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence, the only center of its kind in Nassau County. It is unconscionable that County Executive Bruce Blakeman allowed it to close.
Nassau provided $2.9 million to the Safe Center in 2023. But when asked for county grants to keep the center going, Blakeman failed not only to provide the needed funding, but also to facilitate a takeover by another organization, forcing the center to shut its doors.
The Safe Center board’s former president, Shanell Parrish-Brown, said, “The county sort of left the Safe Center
a University of Washington geneticist, defend the method as “elegant and powerful”— a reminder that while justice is constant, the tools to attain it evolve. Every forensic innovation, from fingerprints to fiber analysis to DNA sequencing, was once new and controversial. Yet each step forward has given law enforcement stronger, fairer tools to uncover facts that human memory or intuition alone could never provide.
Whether it’s exonerating the innocent, as in Fusco’s tragic case, or convicting the guilty, as prosecutors hope in the Gilgo Beach murders, forensic science is reshaping the path toward justice on Long Island. It demands accuracy. It demands accountability. And it demands that we trust evidence grounded not in guesswork or coercion, but in chemistry, genetics and time-tested truth.
For the Fusco family, science may finally bring the closure they’ve waited for since 1984. For the families of the Gilgo Beach victims, it may soon bring answers to a mystery that has haunted this area for years.
From Lynbrook to Massapequa Park and across Long Island, one message is clear: Science keeps faith with the facts — and with the people who deserve justice.
out to dry.”
As reported in Newsday, County Legislator Seth Koslow “said the impending closure could have been avoided with better county planning.”
“This was a failure of leadership in Nassau to ensure the safety of these children who have been victimized once and are now being victimized again by the Blakeman administra -
tion,” Koslow said. “This wasn’t something that just fell out of the heavens — people saw this coming.”
Why weren’t there hearings about the future of the center when the financial problems first became known? Why hasn’t the Legislature’s Health and Social Services Committee held hearings about how it might save the center?
kratom is a substance that has caught the attention of legislatures across the country — in New York especially, due to its wide usage as a stimulant and because of its alleged medicinal properties, but mainly as a cause of recent tragic deaths. I believe you should be aware of the risks of kratom, its compounds and synthetic derivatives. According to Dr. Marty Makary, commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “Concentrated, synthetic 7-OH” — the herb’s chemical byproduct — “may be the fourth wave of the opioid epidemic.”
Kratom is a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia. Its leaves are sold on the market as tea, powder, pills, tablets or capsules. It is found in energy drinks, vapes, herbal supplements and gummies. Unregulated kratom products have been found to contain lead.
People use kratom to treat conditions such as pain, insomnia, anxiety, depression, opioid use disorder and withdrawal, and to boost energy and enhance wellness. Depending on the dosage,
however, it can produce both stimulant effects and opioid-like sedative effects. Its risks include liver toxicity, seizures and addiction.
The use of kratom started to become mainstream over the past decade. It’s relatively inexpensive, but according to industry statistics, the industry is valued at between $1.3 billion and $5.62 billion, and is projected to grow rapidly. This is concerning!
TThe FDA has not approved any uses for kratom, and it is not lawfully marketed in the United States. The FDA describes it as lacking medicinal value, and has raised concerns about risks it says are similar to those of using morphine. The FDA warns consumers to avoid usage until it is better understood.
Although it occurs naturally in the kratom plant, it is considered a synthetic substance in its potent form, in commercial products. The recommendation is now under review by the DEA.
he head of the FDA says it ‘may be the fourth wave of the opioid epidemic.’
In 1970, Congress established five schedules of classification for controlled substances, Schedule 1 being the worst, and granted the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FDA the authority to determine which substances could be added or removed from those schedules.
In July, the FDA announced that it would recommend to the DEA that 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, the powerful compound found in kratom, be classified as a Schedule I substance.
Even more egregious is how Blakeman uses women’s trauma as a political ploy in mailings and TV ads against his opponent, while abandoning survivors of rape, abuse and domestic violence — effectively casting them onto the streets.
The South Shore Women’s Alliance gathered hundreds of Nassau resident signatures urging that, rather than spending millions of dollars on outside legal fees for frivolous culture war lawsuits or for his own personal militia, Blakeman reinstate the county’s only domestic violence center.
The SSWA requests that Nassau County allocate funds in the 2026 budget for opening a new facility that shelters and provides the services that the Safe Center provided to women and children of Nassau County.
Until the review is complete, New York can’t pass legislation that deviates from a federal classification standard because of the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Although this was a step in the right direction, the kratom plant itself was not included in the recommendation. I recently signed a letter written by the chairman of the Assembly’s Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee requesting that the DEA and FDA add kratom products as a Schedule I substance.
At least half of the states in the U.S. regulate kratom, often including age restrictions. As of this year, Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C., have banned it, and classified it as a Schedule I substance. Florida and Missouri have banned synthetic 7-OH.
The inconsistency of these laws demonstrates exactly why federal regulation streamlining the classification and use of kratom is so vital. While it may have medicinal benefits, the focus should be
ernment is a nonpartisan group concerned about transparency, accountability and integrity. We believe Mr. D’Esposito is wholly unqualified for this job, and ask that you block his confirmation.
Anthony D’Esposito’s history of questionable hiring practices has been well documented. While at the New York City Police Department, he reportedly broke labor rules by working a second job. More recently, D’Esposito was at the center of a scandal. In September 2024, it was reported that that while he was serving as a congressman in the 4th District, he put his fiancée’s daughter and his mistress on his congressional payroll, despite the House Code of Conduct prohibition against employing spouses, relatives and stepchildren.
on harm reduction. Individual choice needs to be respected, but I believe public health is at stake.
We have taken action in New York state. I co-sponsored two bills that passed unanimously in June and are awaiting Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature. One would require manufacturers of kratom products in New York to include a warning label stating that the product hasn’t been approved by the FDA, and is prohibited from being labeled as all natural. The other bill would prohibit the sale of kratom to anyone under age 21. It is vital that we protect this age group, just as we do with the sale of alcohol and marijuana.
It is paramount that these bills be signed, and that kratom products be classified as Schedule I substances. The tragic deaths of too many New Yorkers have shown how dangerous and addictive kratom can be. Some people seeking alternative remedies to pain, insomnia, anxiety, fatigue and other problems have unknowingly been at risk, and some have died believing this substance was natural, safe and had therapeutic value.
Unfortunately, this sounds all too familiar. “We got burned with fentanyl. We got burned with prescription drugs,” Makary said. “We cannot get behind the eight-ball again.”
Judy Griffin represents the 21st Assembly District.
CLAUDIA BORECKY Executive director, South Shore Women’s
Alliance
The following letter was sent to United States Senate Majority Leader John Thune. It has been reported that the U.S. Senate is advancing the confirmation of former Congressman Anthony D’Esposito to be Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Labor. Nassau Residents for Good Gov-
There are also questions about his judgment. D’Esposito was part of the GOP’s slate of 2022 freshmen candidates for Congress, which included the disgraced George Santos, who was expelled in 2023 (and just released from prison). D’Esposito reportedly had a close financial relationship with Santos, and coordinated with him during their concurrent 2022 House campaigns, sharing a campaign treasurer (who later pleaded guilty to conspiring to defrauding the U.S. government) and raising money together through the Santo D’Esposito Nassau Victory Committee.
D’Esposito says that if confirmed, he will bring “grit, independence and accountability to the Department of Labor.” In fact,
his record is antithetical to that position and that promise. As detailed above, his record is one of corruption and a general disregard for ethical considerations.
President Trump chose D’Esposito despite his ethical lapses amid lingering questions about his hiring practices. But the Senate doesn’t have to.
Here in Nassau County, we have seen up close D’Esposito’s labor practices, which we believe should disqualify him from consideration. Instead of advancing D’Esposito’s confirmation, it should be blocked.
