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Friday, February 10, 2023
Vol. 72, No. 6
N E W H Y D E PA R K
VALENTINE’S DINING & GIFTS
DeSENA SAYS BUILDING DEPT. RESISTED AUDIT
MIXED RESPONSE TO HOCHUL BUDGET
PAGES 25-32
PAGES 3
PAGE 12
Floral Park’s Bill Corbett dies at 85 Vet served as village justice, prosecutor BY B R A N D ON D U FF Y
PHOTO COURTESY OF BILL CORBETT JR.
Floral Park’s Bill Corbett pictured in Antarctica, where was assigned to Operation Deepfreeze for two years in 1959 and 1960. Air Force First Lieutenant Corbett served as part of the 9th Troop Carrier Squadron (H).
Floral Park’s William “Bill” Corbett died Jan. 30 at the age of 85. Corbett was a former village justice, veteran and founder of Corbett Public Relations. Corbett’s wife, Ann, is a former mayor of the village and the first woman elected to the position in the more than 100-year history of the village. “My father was known throughout the community for always wanting to help people and going out of his way for them,” Corbett’s son, Bill Jr., told Blank Slate Media. “What he truly loved most was his family. He
was married to my mom for 56 years and they were truly inseparable life partners. He was very proud of her when she first became mayor of Floral Park and was always proud of all his children.” Corbett was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to John and Mildred Corbett before moving to Astoria and leaving at the age of 8 for Floral Park. It was from there that he made a lasting impact in the village he would call home for over 77 years. “Floral Park has been known for a strong sense of community involvement for decades. Bill Corbett is one of the few who took that to another Continued on Page 46
Hochul proposes $455M for Belmont BY B R A N D ON D U FF Y The $227 billion budget proposal from Gov. Kathy Hochul for the 2024 fiscal year includes $455 million for redeveloping and renovating Belmont Park. If approved, the project will create new tracks, parking and a clubhouse.
Modernizing Belmont Park has been at the forefront of the 2023 legislative agenda for We Are N.Y. Horse Racing, a business and labor coalition that unveiled its plans in Albany in November. The Elmont racetrack was last renovated in 1968. The coalition of horse racing industry leaders has long been pushing
the state to approve and back a $455 million bond. Officials said the bond would not use taxpayer money and be paid back with racing revenue over 30 years. The horse racing industry in New York generates $3 billion in annual economic activity while sustaining 19,000 jobs, according to the New York Racing Association.
Improvements at the park could bring back the Breeders’ Cup to Long Island for the first time since 2005, officials have said. The cup would be an additional marquee event on the horse racing calendar, which includes the Belmont Stakes, the third leg in the Triple Crown competition along with the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in Maryland.
NYRA attempted to get similar financial support in the 2022 budget with a $450 million bond but was unsuccessful. NYRA’s previous efforts to obtain funding for a new grandstand and track improvements also failed. “Belmont Park stands at the center of the statewide racing ecosystem, Continued on Page 47
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