Asambleísta Ramos se Pronuncia en contra de medidas del Town de Islip

Para Distribución inmediata                                                                                                                 Contacto: Phil Ramos 631 435 3214

Asambleísta Ramos se Pronuncia en contra de medidas del Town de Islip

Potencial cierre de dos parques ubicados en Brentwood y Bay Shore  afectarán a comunidades del área.

Asambleísta Ramos insta a la comunidad a pronunciarse en contra de las pretensiones de las autoridades del Town de Islip por afectarlos doblemente.

Incumpliendo sus promesas de campaña las autoridades del town de Islip decidieron por votación unánime el pasado mes de noviembre castigar a sus residentes con un incremento del 28% de impuestos. Argumentaron que la nueva carga tributaria era para evitar el despido de personal así como para no recortar servicios a la comunidad.

Un molesto asambleísta Phil Ramos dijo: “Las autoridades del Town de Islip han vuelto a mentirle a nuestra comunidad, ya que el departamento de servicios humanos fue eliminado del town, además han disminuido considerablemente la oferta de programas sociales dirigidos a los jóvenes y adultos mayores y hoy amenazan con castigar una vez más a nuestra comunidad con el cierre de dos importantes centros de recreación de nuestras familias”.

Ramos continuó diciendo: “No debemos quedarnos callados ante la intención del town de Islip de cerrar los parques Roberto Clemente y el Parque de las piscinas Casamento. Las comunidades de Brentwood, Bay Shore,  Central Islip y West Islip serán afectadas con la medida. Estas áreas están mayormente habitadas por comunidades de las minorías hispanas y afroamericanas”. La pregunta que hace Ramos es, “¿Porqué escogieron estos parques y dejan fuera de los recortes otras áreas menos pobladas por minorías?

Ramos lamentó “la falta de sensibilidad de las autoridades del town de Islip con nuestra comunidad”, la cual, agregó “ha sido seriamente afectada por la crisis económica y los desastres naturales recientemente ocurridos”. El asambleísta estatal expresó “es paradójico que mientras las autoridades federales, estatales y del condado estamos trabajando para traer ayuda para nuestros sufridos residentes, al concejo municipal únicamente se le ocurra castigarla con aumento de impuestos y recorte de servicios”, sentenció.  “Nuestras comunidades han logrado una baja significativa en los índices de violencia, estoy altamente preocupado por el impacto negativo que tendrán estos recortes para nuestros jóvenes y miembros de la comunidad en caso de ser aprobados en su totalidad como lo pretenden las autoridades del town”

Ramos continuó diciendo: “Hago un vehemente llamado a mi comunidad para que se pronuncie en contra de estas agresiones del town de Islip y exijan justicia en esta situación.

Los residentes del town deben de hacer sentir su rechazo a estas medidas. Deben llamear a la oficina del supervisor Tom Croci al (631) 224-5500; o mandar cartas a 655 Main Street, Islip, New York 11751 y correos electrónicos  a supervisorsoffice@townofislip-ny.gov haciendo saber saber su posición. “Es importante que nuestra comunidad se manifieste” concluyó diciendo un enfadado Phil Ramos.

Hempstead OKs controversial agreement on downtown plan

Originally published: January 15, 2013 9:42 PM
Updated: January 15, 2013 9:44 PM
By AISHA AL-MUSLIM  aisha.al-muslim@newsday.com

Photo credit: Handout | An artist's rendering of the proposed development on North Main Street in Hempstead Village.

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Hempstead Village has approved a controversial community benefits agreement for its $2.5 billion downtown redevelopment plan, despite protests from activists, residents and business owners opposed to the deal.

The board voted 3-2 Tuesday night to approve the agreement with the project's master developer, Renaissance Downtowns UrbanAmerica.

Reaction to the decision was mixed, with some in the audience of about 100 people clapping, and others shouting "shame!"

Mayor Wayne J. Hall Sr. voted in favor of the resolution, along with trustees Livio Rosario and Henry Conyers. Trustees Donald Ryan and Perry Pettus opposed the move. "I feel this is the best way to protect my village," Rosario said.

The agreement requires the developers to make "good faith efforts" toward giving the first 25 percent of construction and permanent jobs to village residents, as well as 25 percent of contracts to local or minority contractors. In addition, at least 10 percent of residential units must be affordable housing. Failure to comply with the agreement could trigger fines, stop-work orders or even jail time.

The downtown project is expected to create about 3,500 permanent and 10,000 construction jobs. Now that the agreement has been approved, the developer can submit a site plan.

"This has to be one of the biggest days for Long Island. It now truly clears the path for jobs and economic development. I am a man of my word and I am going to prove that," said Donald Monti, chief executive of Renaissance Downtowns, who is working with Urban America Advisors on the downtown makeover.

Community activists had demanded that the agreement guarantee local jobs and provide more affordable housing, as well as protections for existing small businesses and residents who could be displaced.

"I am devastated. I never thought this was going to happen," said resident Diane Goins, a member of New York Communities for Change. "All we want is a guarantee for those jobs. We will continue to be watchdogs."

In September, residents and business owners sued the village's board of trustees, Community Development Agency and master developer to block the project. Hall said Tuesday that a NassauCounty judge has dismissed the suit.

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/liers-favor-assault-weapon-ban-poll-finds-1.4440104

LIers favor assault weapon ban, poll finds

January 12, 2013 by YANCEY ROY / yancey.roy@newsday.com

Long Islanders overwhelmingly favor banning assault weapons, high-capacity ammunition magazines and armor-piercing bullets in the wake of the Newtown school massacre, according to a Newsday/Siena Research Institute poll.

Amid a national debate over increasing restrictions on assault weapons, the poll found that a large majority of Islanders believe controlling gun ownership is more important than protecting the rights of Americans to own guns. They also believe society has become more violent over the past decade, and fault television, movies and video games for abetting the violence.

But they oppose banning civilian ownership of handguns by 55 percent to 42 percent, and don't want armed guards in schools -- 53 percent to 44 percent.

Overall, Don Levy, director of the Siena Research Institute, said the survey shows widespread support for toughening of gun laws -- especially on assault weapons.

Nationally, Vice President Joe Biden is leading a gun violence task force and will deliver final recommendations to President Barack Obama by Tuesday. The proposals are expected to include a ban on assault weapons and restrictions on high-capacity magazines.

The poll found that Islanders made a distinction between handguns and semiautomatic weapons, such as the Bushmaster AR-15 used in the December mass shooting that killed 26 people at a Connecticut elementary school. A majority of residents don't think handguns should be banned and don't want the names and addresses of gun owners to be available in an easily accessible database.

The survey by telephone of 807 Island residents was conducted Jan. 3 and Jan. 6-9 as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and state legislators negotiated new, more restrictive gun laws. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

Pushed by Cuomo, the gun proposals include tightening the definition of an assault weapon so that purchasers can't evade the state's current ban by buying a gun and certain accessories separately, and increasing penalties for the purchase and sale of illegal guns.

Senate Republicans have said they are open to changes, including reducing magazine capacity, though during last year's regular session they resisted Democrats' calls to change the assault-weapons laws.

"Long Island is a good test case for the question of: Is there enough public sentiment to move the State Senate?" Levy said.

All nine Long Island senators are Republicans -- but numerous sources have said upstateRepublicans have the most concerns about the legislative proposals.

 

Ban on semiautomatics

In the survey, 67 percent of Long Islanders favored a federal ban on semiautomatic weapons, compared with 31 percent who opposed the move. Democrats favor a ban 74 percent-25 percent, and Republicans, 62 percent-35 percent.

Asked about New York's assault weapons ban, which Cuomo has said is riddled with loopholes, 74 percent favored "more restrictions" on such weapons and 5 percent wanted fewer. Eighty-two percent of Democrats and 71 percent of Republicans support more. Most of the poll surveying was conducted before Cuomo unveiled his proposals Wednesday.

Seventy-two percent said high-capacity ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds should be banned, which is one focus of the post-Newtown federal debate.

In 1994, Congress outlawed sales of magazines that held more than 10 bullets, but the ban lapsed in 2004. New York State currently has a 10-bullet limit. Cuomo and legislative leaders have been discussing lowering the maximum to seven rounds.

Susan Hills, 59, a retired registered nurse in Brookhaven hamlet, agreed with the majority on each of those survey questions.

"Although I have mixed feelings, I don't think the average citizen needs to own a gun," said Hills, one of the survey respondents who agreed to be interviewed. However, she wouldn't ban handguns.

By 64 percent to 32 percent, Islanders said limits on gun ownership were more important than protecting the rights of gun owners. Democrats took that view by 83 percent-15 percent, andRepublicans support it 52 percent-43 percent.

Robert Reid, 49, of Baldwin, a police officer in a Nassau County village, agreed. "Controlling gun ownership is a bigger priority than the American right to own guns," he said.

But Robert Hayes, 58, a Ronkonkoma claims adjuster who is on disability, disagreed, saying he favors restrictions on semiautomatic weapons but opposes a ban. He said putting armed guards in schools would be a good thing, as would arming teachers.

"I know some teachers who already go armed," he said.

 

Arming teachers opposed

He's in the minority on both counts, since Islanders were against armed guards, 53 percent-44 percent, and opposed arming teachers, 69 percent-28 percent.

Other findings:

54 percent of the respondents said recent, high-profile shootings reflected "broader problems in American society," while 43 percent said these were "just the isolated acts of troubled individuals."

63 percent said society had become more violent over the last decade, while 25 percent said there was no change and 11 percent said less violent.

A slight majority -- 52 percent to 45 percent -- agreed with the position that television, movies, music and video games were in some way responsible for generating violence in society. Of those who thought media were an issue, 63 percent said video games were the "most responsible" for an increase in violence.

By 61 percent-36 percent, Islanders said the names and addresses of gun owners shouldn't be made available in a readily accessible database.

A lower Hudson Valley newspaper, the Journal News, put online the names and addresses of legal pistol owners in Westchester and Rockland counties. The newspaper obtained the data after the Newtown shootings under the state's open records laws.

The publication sparked a strong reaction from critics and defenders and threats against Journal News staffers. Since then, officials in Putnam County have refused the paper's request for records of its handgun owners, and two legislators from the area said they would seek to change the law to make pistol permit information confidential.

With Sid Cassese

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/another-mangano-suozzi-race-in-the-cards-1.4403617

Another Mangano-Suozzi race in the cards?

Published: January 3, 2013 5:56 PM

By ROBERT BRODSKY  robert.brodsky@newsday.com

Photo credit: Howard Schnapp | Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano, right, speaks with former County Executive Thomas Suozzi in Mineola. (Dec. 2, 2009)

Former Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi insists he will not run for his old job in November. But Democratic Party chairman Jay Jacobs is not taking no for an answer.

Jacobs said he plans to spend the next month lobbying Suozzi, a close friend, to mount a challenge against GOP County Executive Edward Mangano. Jacobs' comments came as NassauDistrict Attorney Kathleen Rice announced that she would run for re-election, bypassing a run for higher office.

"There is not a better candidate for county executive than Tom Suozzi," Jacobs said. "So, my goal is to get him to change his mind."

Suozzi, who served two terms before losing a tight race to Mangano in 2009, said his mind is made up. "I am not running," he said Thursday. "I am really enjoying my time with my family and my career."

Ten months before the election, the Democratic field remains unsettled.

The list of potential candidates includes Roslyn school board member Adam Haber, who has publicly declared his candidacy, North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman and Legis. David Denenberg of Merrick.

"I am someone who is committed, who cares and who can make a difference," said Haber, an East Hills resident who previously worked in finance and commercial real estate.

Denenberg said he is "seriously considering" a run against Mangano but also would consider challenging GOP Comptroller George Maragos.

"My priority is to serve the county in whichever way I can do the most good," he said.

Former County Comptroller Howard Weitzman, a Democrat, said he also is eyeing a rematch with Maragos, who beat him in 2009.

Kaiman's office did not return calls for comment.

Jacobs had flirted with a run for county executive if he could not persuade Rice or Suozzi to enter the race. But Jacobs said he is now comfortable with the potential field of candidates. "Barring something extraordinary, it will not be me," he said.

Democrats expect to choose their nominee by the end of the month, Jacobs said. Mangano spokesman Brian Nevin said "residents know that Ed Mangano froze property taxes for three straight years and cut wasteful spending by hundreds of millions of dollars. That's something voters will surely remember in November."