Serving Roslyn, East Hills, Roslyn Estates, Roslyn Harbor, Roslyn Heights, Greenvale, Old Westbury and North Hills
$1.50
Friday, August 4, 2023
Vol. 11, No. 31
HOME & DESIGN
ROSLYN NATIVE TRAINING MLB DRAFTEES
KEY WITNESS AGAINST MANGANO SENTENCED
PAGES 21-32
PAGE 3
PAGE 6
Lawsuit alleges county map unfair to Dems Residents, Dem Committee say new districts detrimental to voters of color BY C A M E RY N O A K ES Nassau County residents and the Nassau County Democratic Committee filed a lawsuit against Nassau County’s recently redrawn legislative map, citing an alleged illegal partisan advantage for the Republican Party in county Legislature elections. “This is an illegal map that prevents all voters, especially voters of color, from electing candidates of their choice,” NAACP New York State Conference Civic Engagement Chair H. Scottie Coads said. “This lawsuit is about ensuring everyone’s votes mean something.” The new Nassau County Legislative District map, which would be in effect for the next 10 years, was approved Feb. 27 by the Republican-controlled Legislature along party lines. The map was presented on Feb. 21 by the majority caucus. The map set off a firestorm when Democrat Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams (D-Freeport) criticized the Republican legislators for working in “secrecy” so they could keep their advantage over the next decade. Abrahams has been placed into a district inhabited by more Republicans than the current 1st District. Democratic County Legislator Arnold Drucker expressed in a February
statement his displeasure with the proposal that splits Plainview and redraws the lines in his district. “The current proposal is an extreme partisan gerrymander that carves apart Plainview and other communities across the 16th Legislative District,” Drucker previously said. “This is not about the political fate of one person over another – it is much more significant. This is a brazen attempt to dilute and render irrelevant the voices of all Democrats residing in the 16th District and it must not stand.” Legislator Josh Lafazan will also be pushed into the 16th Legislative District, represented by Drucker, according to the map. Other changes to North Shore areas include the expansion of the 10th District into Munsey Park, Plandome and Plandome Manor. The lawsuit cites the same grievances Democratic legislators previously expressed, attributing the reason for the suit to a favoring of the Republican Party with the purpose of ensuring a permanent GOP majority through the new district map. The parties bringing suit say that the new map achieves this Republican advantage by consolidating Democratic voters into two districts and by diluting their vote in three other districts. They say this mainly takes place in commuContinued on Page 43
PHOTO BY BARBARA KAPLAN
Aerosmith tribute band Pump rocked Gerry Park on Wednesday in a concert hosted by the Roslyn Chamber of Commerce and the Town of North Hempstead. See story on page 10.
JCC to offer paid jobs for adults with disabilities BY C A M E RY N O A K ES The Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center will soon be employing adults with disabilities with the help of a $35,000 grant to continue its mission of supporting individuals with special needs and bridging their unemployment gap. The JCC’s Vocational Life Skills Training Center is a year-round, day habilitation program that provides adults 21 and older with special needs vocational training, educa-
tional workshops, life skills training and socialization opportunities. The center’s day habilitation program caters to about 35 participants and the whole center provides for about 50 individuals. Individuals with special needs can attend high school until they are 21 years old, so the center continues education and support for individuals when they age out of local schools. Heather Schulz, the director of the Vocational Life Skills Training
Center, said the purpose of the center is to assist individuals’ in their quest for independence. Schulz said the center received a $35,000 grant from the UJA-Federation which will go towards paid jobs at the JCC for program participants. Individuals would be earning $16 an hour. “Our hope is that it will motivate some individuals to work towards a paid job right here and then open up other opportunities,” Schulz said. Continued on Page 42