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Friday, January 5, 2018
Vol. 67, No. 1
N E W H Y D E PA R K
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HEALTH, WELLNESS AND BEAUTY GUIDE
GILLEN SWORN IN AS HEMPSTEAD SUPERVISOR
THE RETURN OF THE MOOCH?
PAGES 27-31
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PAGE 20
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‘New era’ in Nassau County Curran sworn in as the county’s first female, third Dem executive on Monday BY JA N E LL E CL AUSEN
PHOTO BY JANELLE CLAUSEN
Laura Curran (D-Baldwin) was sworn into her new position as county executive on Monday, as she promised to fight the culture of corruption and improve the fiscal health of Nassau County. Gov. Andrew Cuomo administered the oath.
Laura Curran became Nassau County’s first woman and third Democratic executive on a frigid New Year’s Day, marking what she said would be the beginning of a “new era” for the county while outlining anti-corruption measures and the need for smart economic growth. “To those who would cling to yesterday, who would rather see government work for the political class and not our residents, I have a message for you: those days are over,” Curran said before the dozens gathered. “Of course we’ll have our disagreements, but I truly believe there is no conflict too great for us to resolve, no problem to which we cannot find a solution.” Curran, previously a two-term county legislator and journalist, had run on the idea of ending “a culture of corruption” in Nassau County. She has voiced the need to appoint an independent inspector gen-
eral, reform the property assessment process and tackle the contracting system. Edward Mangano, a Republican, decided not to run for re-election as county executive after he was indicted on bribery charges. He has pleaded not guilty. During her inauguration speech at the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building in Mineola, Curran said the county must get its “financial house in order” and “break free of NIFA,” referring to the agency overseeing the financial affairs of Nassau County, fix the assessment system to make it “fair and transparent,” and face the challenge of restoring trust in government. Additionally, Curran emphasized the importance of economic development for Nassau County’s downtowns. She said the return of the Islanders “to where they belong” – to Belmont, within Nassau County – should mark the start of new smart Continued on Page 45
Town winds up 2017 with tax rush North Hempstead’s Town Hall were lined with parked cars. Groups of residents waited in the Town Hall board room, surrounding makeshift Post-it stickers in
BY A M E L I A C A M U R AT I A N D LUKE TORRANCE The
streets
hand, for their numbers to be called. They were there for one reason — to pay their taxes. A week that tax receivers usually have for the holidays was instead the busiest of the year with 9-to-5 office hours set for both Saturday and Sunday. “Everyone here seems to be handling a frustrat-
ing experience with grace and patience,” said Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth. But it could all be for naught. The Internal Revenue Service issued a statement last Wednesday saying that property taxes can only be pre-paid if that property had been assessed in 2017. Payments based on estimates or for years further in the future will
likely not be accepted. “We don’t know what the IRS is going to decide,” said Vicki DiStefano, a town spokeswoman. “It does seem that as long as it’s not a prepayment that is assumed, and is the actual assessment, it should be OK.” Under the new federal tax bill, deductions on state and loContinued on Page 45
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