Friday, June 16, 2017
THE PULSE OF THE PENINSULA
Vol. 92, No. 24
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GUIDE TO SENIOR LIVING
LIRR UNVEILS SUMMER PLAN
PAGES 33-40
PAGE 2
COUNTY SUES DRUG COMPANIES PAGE 6
WPG
5 candidates making their cases to voters
COUNTING THEIR BLESSINGS
Bral, Gilliar vying to be VGN mayor; three compete for two trustee seats BY JA N E LL E CL AUSEN With Election Day rapidly approaching, Village of Great Neck Mayor Pedram Bral and challenger Rebecca Gilliar are making their ďŹ nal pitches to the public. The election on Tuesday is essentially a referendum on the responsiveness, transparency and eectiveness of the Board of Trustees. The mayor’s seat and two trustee seats are at stake. While Bral conďŹ rmed on Tuesday that he will not attend a planned mayoral forum, despite being oered two separate dates, he said that he intends to hold an “Ask the Mayorâ€? session on Monday, the day before the election. “I’m not going to be able to make it on any of the other nights that they oered,â€? Bral said. “But I will have an open ask the mayor session Monday night from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Shiraz.â€? Bral, 46, said that due to prior engagements, time constraints and relatively short notice, none of the
oered dates would work. Among those engagements, he said, was the graduation of Fellows at the Maimonides Medical Center. “People can come in and ask any questions they want,â€? Bral said. North Shore Action, a political activist group, said by email on June 8 that the group oered Tuesday the 13th and Thursday the 15th as two other options to Bral and Gilliar. Gilliar, 74, conďŹ rmed her attendance for June 14 and availability for June 13. The mayoral forum was set to occur on Wednesday at the Great Neck Library. There Gilliar was to answer questions submitted by the public in advance and talk with residents. “We will hold a Candidates Forum with only one candidate, if we are unable to schedule a Forum with both candidates,â€? North Shore Action said in the email to Gilliar and Bral. Gilliar has said that the village Continued on Page 58
PHOTO BY JANELLE CLAUSEN
The Rev. Kathleen Edwards introduces Rabbi Robert Widom, a longtime partner of St. Paul AME Zion Church in Great Neck. See story on page 4.
7 USMMA students barred from graduating are involved in a federal investigation into alleged sexual misconduct, a congressman said on Seven members of the U.S. Tuesday. U.S. Rep. Peter King, chairMerchant Marine Academy’s men’s soccer team will not be man of the academy’s Board of graduating Saturday as they Visitors, a congressional over-
BY ST E P H E N ROMANO
sight panel, told Newsday the players were involved in an incident on a bus in September. Five of the students ďŹ led lawsuits on Monday and Tuesday, hoping to be permitted to Continued on Page 58
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