Long Island towns briefs

LONG BEACH

Eramo throws hat into Assembly race

Democratic Long Beach City Councilman Anthony Eramo announced his candidacy yesterday to replace retiring Assemb. Harvey Weisenberg (D-Long Beach), vowing to fight for South Shore residents recovering from superstorm Sandy.

Eramo, 40, whose Long Beach home was destroyed in the October 2012 storm, faces a Democratic primary against former U.S. Attorney Todd Kaminsky, who declared his candidacy last month. Weisenberg, 80, who has represented the 20th Assembly District since 1989, has endorsed Kaminsky, 36.

At a news conference yesterday on the Long Beach Boardwalk, Eramo said he will fight to make sure Sandy victims "have the resources they need to return to financial stability."

Eramo, a Verizon field technician who was elected to the City Council in November, is a member of the Communications Workers of America union and a former co-chairman of the Nassau County chapter of Working Families.

Nassau Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs said Lawrence School Board trustee Asher Mansdorf and Long Beach attorney Robert Solomon have also expressed interest in the Assembly seat. Mansdorf will decide on the race later this week, a spokesman said. Solomon did not respond to a request for comment.

Nassau Republican Party spokesman Anthony Santino said the GOP will pick its candidate next week.

SOUTH FARMINGDALE

Town board OKs water system bonds

The Oyster Bay Town Board yesterday approved the South Farmingdale Water District's plan to sell $6.8 million in bonds to pay for system upgrades.

Willis Carman, attorney for the district, told the board the money would be used to repaint the aging water tank at Langdon Road, improve secondary mains and add security cameras at unmanned facilities.

Gary Loesch, the district's consulting engineer from H2M in Melville, said the water tank was built in 1953 and last painted in 1997. He said painting would cost $2.5 million, because the process is complicated.

Loesch said the bond financing would raise the tax rate for district residents by $2.85 per $100 of assessed valuation. That means the owner of the average house would pay $28.50 more per year.

The bonds will also pay for installing filters to remove iron from well water and adding new pipes to resolve problems that reduced water pressure and hampered firefighters.

GREAT NECKTeacher tells of 'Live' contest experienceGreat Neck South High School teacher John Motchkavitz was surrounded by his colleagues and his son, Ryan, 14, Tuesday morning when he tuned the TV to "Live With Kelly and Michael."

There he was, one of five finalists on the screen, waiting to find out whether he would win the show's Top Teacher Contest.

It was not to be.

Stacie Starr, a teacher at Elyria (Ohio) High School, won the top title and the grand prize, a 2014 Ford Escape.

Motchkavitz said he still felt like a winner. "The whole experience has been great and so uplifting," said Motchkavitz, 46, a technology teacher, volunteer firefighter and Great Neck native.

His colleagues in the school's Business and Technology Department had nominated him, and he learned late last month that producers selected him as one of 12 semifinalists.

He earned enough online votes to move up to the finals and a guest appearance on the show on May 13, during which producers aired a video package shot in Great Neck of Motchkavitz teaching, coaching the school's robotics team and volunteering at the Great Neck Alert Fire Company.

There were also interviews with his students, colleagues, fellow firefighters and his first-grade teacher, Anna Schweiger.

As the video played, Motchkavitz said he stood next to fellow guest and former New York Yankee Willie Randolph. "Willie and I watched the video together," he said. "It was really cool."

During the broadcast, Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan presented him with a finalist trophy and two surprise gifts: 30 Intel-powered Dell Latitude 10 tablets for his school, and a weeklong Alaskan cruise.

Motchkavitz said Alaska has been on his bucket list. He plans to take the cruise next summer.

He added that the best part of the contest has been the outpouring of support from current and former students, colleagues, friends, his own teachers and the community at large.

"I'm proud that I'm a product of this place," he said.

Great Neck Schools Superintendent Tom Dolan said of Motchkavitz, "He is always a winner in the eyes of Great Neck."

NASSAU COUNTYFleet Week events

at schools and parks

This year's Fleet Week New York, the 26th annual event of demonstrations by the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard, includes exhibitions in Nassau County starting tomorrow.

Besides demonstrations at schools in the county, these two free events will be open to the public:

East Meadow -- From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, at Eisenhower Park, the Navy will display operational equipment and hold its mine countermeasures aerial demonstration. Helicopters will be on display, and the Navy Band Northeast will perform.

Freeport -- From noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, at Randall Park, the Navy will repeat its mine countermeasures aerial demonstration. The two MH-60S helicopters used will land and be on display.

GLEN HEAD

Boaters to get refund for electric service

The Oyster Bay Town Board yesterday voted to refund the fees paid by 61 boat owners at Tappen Beach Marina for electric service for this entire season because power was shut off after a February fire.

While all of the boaters are scheduled to have electricity again within a month, the town decided to return a total of $12,649.50 to the 61 boaters as compensation for the inconvenience.

The town is moving to overhaul the marina, where the docks have deteriorated and the wiring caused a fire in February.