Nassau County taxes, LIPA rates, gun rights, George Santos, Brookhaven Town land swap, and NY chief judge

Where is Nassau’s full-time assessor?

I read about more Nassau County property assessment errors [“$139M in errors impact Nassau homeowners,” News, April 17]. Is it a joke? Can Nassau County residents trust any property values?

It appears obvious that Nassau County’s Department of Assessment property value rolls are filled with inaccuracies, inequities and inconsistencies, so why does County Executive Bruce Blakeman have an acting assessor running the department?

Why hasn’t Blakeman hired an experienced assessor with the proper credentials, or doesn’t Blakeman care enough about the property tax fiasco that affects so many county residents?

— Dave Beldner, East Rockaway

LIPA should explain new rates better

With all that’s been written about the Long Island Power Authority’s new time-of-day rates, it would be nice to get a clearer explanation for some of us seniors about exactly what we need to do [“Number of opt-outs could raise rates,” News, April 18].

In the article, LIPA says most customers would see a $3.50-a-month bill reduction without changing their behavior. Is LIPA saying we don’t need to curb usage between the hours of 3-7 p.m. weekdays during the summer? That is not what LIPA seemed to imply in previous articles. We’ve tried to figure out during those times whether we’d need to turn off air conditioning and not use other items using electricity.

We’re all for saving money and energy but would love a clearer explanation about what to do to accommodate the changes.

— Lois Nosowitz, Bethpage

Who decided on the time-of-day policy? The hours of 3-7 p.m. is when most people are getting home from work and starting dinner, and many might do laundry. LIPA is taking advantage of us, knowing we need to use more electricity at that time.

— Cyndi Handley, Medford

Guns dangerous in the wrong hands

People with guns in their homes can be dangerous, and innocent people get shot. A Black teenager in Kansas City, Missouri, simply rings the wrong doorbell and is shot twice by an 84-year-old white man [“Black teen’s shooter charged,” News, April 18].

A 20-year-old woman seeking a friend’s house in upstate New York mistakenly drives into the wrong driveway. She never gets out of her car and is shot twice and killed [“NY woman shot dead at wrong home,” Nation & World, April 19].

The world’s gone mad.

— Carole Condon, Long Beach

Change system that put Santos on ballot

Yes, Rep. George Santos (R-Nassau/Queens) must go [“Voters deserve a Santos exit,” Editorial, April 18]. The question I have, however, is how did he get on the ballot in the first place? Voters depend on vetting that would expose and eliminate unqualified individuals. Therefore, when you are in the voting booth, you can assume the candidates listed are qualified to properly represent you.

Voters must rely on the political parties to do proper vetting since we do not have the tools to do it ourselves. In the case of Santos, we were betrayed.

He is a disgrace, but the system that allowed him to prevail must be changed. If not, our faith in the American system will be diminished. Then what?

— Kenneth P. Lebeck, Plainview

I find it tragically ironic that someone who gave almost $200,000 to Rep. George Santos, a politician who openly campaigned on and supported the “Big Lie,” feels “personal humiliation” and betrayed by . . . a lie [“Filing shows loss for Santos in Q1,” News, April 16].

— Robert Emproto, Huntington

Everybody wins in town land swap

It was welcome news to learn that Brookhaven Town has acquired 152 wooded acres in Manorville in a land swap with a developer [“Trading spaces,” Our Towns, April 5].

The quid pro quo allows the developer to build additional housing units at a former horse racing site in Yaphank.

How ideal: preserving nature on one hand and providing more housing on the other.

That’s 152 acres saved from suburban sprawl.

I am glad to live in a region where enlightened governments have recognized the need for land preservation.

— Bruce Gaugler, Port Jefferson Station

Let politicians know we’re watching them

The editorial “A war on court’s independence” provided an insightful take on the process of choosing a chief judge for the New York Court of Appeals [Opinion, April 16]. Unfortunately, it has become highly politicized, but the editorial board has seen through it. This is a warning to Long Islanders to pay attention. It’s up to us to make our representatives aware that we are watching.

— Vincent O’Neill, Massapequa Park