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Friday, February 10, 2023
Vol. 72, No. 6
VALENTINE’S DINING & GIFTS
HERRICKS STUDENT, MIXED RESPONSE MOM DIE TO HOCHUL BUDGET
PAGES 25-32
PAGES 2
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Build dept. complies with audit DeSena says she had to intervene BY B R A N D ON D U FF Y North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said Thursday she recently had to intervene on behalf of an audit she had requested of the town Building Department by the Nassau Country comptroller when certain documents were not turned over. “As part of the independent audit, the county comptroller is fully within their rights to request any and all information they deem relevant to the process, so refusing a records request and potentially impeding the comptroller’s audit is quite alarming,” DeSena said in a statement. “When I was notified by auditors that the department wasn’t complying, I immediately stepped in, and reiterated to the commissioner directly that the department is to cooperate fully and fulfill any request from the comptroller’s office.” DeSena said since she made her request the Building Department has provided the requested records to the auditors. She said they included details surrounding the last 200 permit applications to come into the department. “Going forward, our Building Department must be open, honest, and transparent in this process and without any delays,” added DeSena, a Republican. Continued on Page 47
PHOTO BY ROBERT PELAEZ
3rd District residents gathered at the Roslyn train station Tuesday morning before traveling to Washington D.C. to call on U.S. Rep. George Santos to resign. See stories on pages 3, 6.
Pereira blasts Hochul housing plan Mineola mayor objects again to state stepping in to ensure more units BY B R A N D ON D U FF Y Mineola Mayor Paul Pereira said the Board of Trustees is against any proposals that would take away local power in response to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed budget, which includes a plan that would require the village and Long Island to help solve the state’s housing shortage.
Hochul unveiled her program to build 800,000 new homes in New York over the next decade during her Jan. 10 State of the State address. “What the governor’s proposal would do is eliminate our ability to control our zoning in our village,” Pereira said during the Feb. 1 Board of Trustees meeting. “A developer that comes into the village and is
told ‘no’ by the village would then go to a state agency in Albany where they can essentially override our decisions.” The mayor’s remarks were reiterated by other members of the board, with Deputy Mayor Janine Sartori calling it a “quality-of-life issue” and Trustee Donna Solosky urging residents to reach out to their local
elected officials. “I recommend you educate yourself on these issues and contact your local legislators and show them you are against it,” Sartori said. Included in the plan is allowing housing proposals that are denied at the local level to go to a “state housing approval board” or the courts. Continued on Page 46
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