Serving Roslyn, East Hills, Roslyn Estates, Roslyn Harbor, Roslyn Heights, Harbor Hills, Greenvale, Old Westbury and North Hills
$1
Friday, December 14, 2018
Vol. 6, No. 50
HOLIDAY GUIDE
ROSLYN HOTEL EATERY DEBUTS
SUOZZI VIES WITH OCASIO-CORTEZ
PAGES 35-54
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Reassessment hits hardest on North Shore Home to three of five districts with greatest anticipated tax increases BY J E S S I C A PA R K S Nassau County Executive Laura Curran’s proposed reassessment has put county residents into two camps: those that will see their property taxes increase and those that will see a decrease. Many homeowners who will see increases in their property taxes are on the North Shore. Great Neck, Port Washington and Manhasset are three of the top five districts to be hit with the most property tax increases of $5,000 or more, according to a report by Newsday. The report ranks Great Neck second with 910 increases expected over $5,000. Port Washington is fourth with 776, followed by Manhasset, which can expect 664 homes seeing such an increase. Curran, at a news conference!held at a taxpayer’s home in Baldwin on Tuesday, called it “the day of reckoning.” She said she is bringing equality to the tax rolls
and protecting those who have been overpaying their share of taxes for a number of years. Former County Executive Edward Mangano froze the tax rolls in 2011. “I am changing a corrupted assessment system that was created and maintained by a corrupt administration,” she said. Those who will see increases are typically those who have filed grievances about the tax assessments on their homes in the past, Jeffrey Gold, an attorney and former member of the Nassau County Board of Assessors, said. When people grieve and win a reduced assessment, the county still needs to generate the same amount of money. That leaves other residents who have not grieved to pick up the bill. Under the new reassessment plan, which covered all homes, it is expected that 52 percent of county residents will see an increase and Continued on Page 74
PHOTO BY TERI WEST
European Decorative Arts Co. owner Scott Defrin with the Vase de Paix by Léon Aimé Joachim Lecointe, which Defrin values at $140,000. Defrin said he anticipates it will end up in a museum.
Decorative European arts store moves to Greenvale BY T E R I W EST There’s a museum in a Greenvale shopping center. Technically, it’s not a museum because the items – rare, decorative European objects dating
from 1600 to 1900 – are all for sale. It’s not uncommon for them, however, to find their way from the store into museums. East Hills’ Scott Defrin owns the store, European Decorative
Arts Co., and!manages the coming and going of its relics. He studied at two of the world’s largest auction houses and built his business in New York City over 20 years ago. Continued on Page 75
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