NUMC, Nassau assessments, Capitol riot, and more

NUMC could benefit from sliver of taxes

Before former Nassau County Executive Thomas Gulotta’s administration spun off Nassau University Medical Center as a public benefit corporation, NUMC was refinanced for $70  million, which was used to plug the deficits spiraling out of control in Mineola [“Audit: A record deficit for NUMC operator,” News, July 10].

From day one, the hospital operated with an imposed deficit. Decades of patronage appointments of failed politicians with no administration experience at the hospital contributed to the mismanagement of what was, at one time, the most respected hospital on Long Island.

One option now is to allocate a line on the tax bill with funds dedicated to ensuring services are provided for the thousands of NUMC patients. Another tax?

Most residents would say no. Absolutely yes. A small sliver of residential property taxes, $52 million, supports Nassau Community College.

NUMC deserves no less, a few pennies from each property tax bill to keep NUMC solvent and provide expert care for the residents of Nassau County. This would avoid the necessity of the hospital administration begging the Legislature every year for millions of dollars to insure financial stability and provide essential services to the community.

 — James P. Kelly, Huntington

Nassau should look at full reassessment

An editorial cautioned Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman to use federal pandemic relief funds intelligently [“Spend fed funds wisely, Nassau,” Editorial, June 16]. May I suggest that the county use a portion for a full ground-up property reassessment, replete with updated photos, accurate inventories and proper valuations.

The pandemic wreaked havoc with the assessment rolls. Property values increased while the county froze assessed values. This rendered the property rolls established during the recent revaluation nearly worthless. The county compounded the problem by issuing tens of thousands of property assessment reductions to those who chose to grieve their assessments. We are now only a few years way from the inaccurate Edward Mangano-era rolls, which increased school tax rates.

A solution is not possible without increased vigilance by the Assessment Review Commission, and an updated post-pandemic assessment roll which will withstand scrutiny. The county has not had a full reassessment in more than 20 years, and many, if not most of the properties on the county website have outdated descriptions and photographs. Providing an accurate assessment roll is the county’s most basic obligation, and it can use the pandemic money to fulfill that obligation.

 — Jeff Gold, North Bellmore

The writer is a former member of the Nassau County Board of Assessors.

Trump already can be charged with sedition

The editorial “Alarming picture in Jan. 6 probe” [Opinion, July 13] said that when President Donald Trump tweeted to his loyalists that Jan. 6 “will be wild,” he clearly attached himself to the “lethal events” at the Capitol. I’d go further.

The Department of Justice has enough to charge Trump with sedition. He sent a mob, including militia groups that he apparently knew were armed, to the Capitol. He did not summon protection for congressional members or Vice President Mike Pence, whom he said deserved the outcome if he didn’t illegally “stop the steal.”

Trump had to be prevented by the Secret Service from leading the mob. He watched while violence raged within our Capitol, where people were badly injured and died.

Only much later would he tell them to “go home.” It was a request that witness Stephen Ayres, who pleaded guilty to a federal charge of illegally entering the Capitol, said he would have immediately obeyed as would have most insurrectionists.

Now we’ve learned that Trump may have tampered with a witness. Attorney General Merrick Garland should carefully consider the history of this moment.

 — Hank Cierski, Port Jefferson Station

School buses should become electric now

There’s a simple answer to spiraling fuel costs for school bus operators: electric school buses [“Bracing for gas price hikes in fall,” News, July 17]. Gov. Kathy Hochul intends to get us to 100% electric school buses by 2035. There’s no time like the present to make this valuable investment.

Electric buses are still more expensive than diesel ones, but they will more than pay for the difference because they run cheaply on much more predictably priced and cheaper electricity.

They also have low maintenance costs because they don’t need oil changes. They are a good deal, as well as being demonstrably healthier for students.

All the energy spent resisting this crucial step would be better spent providing a sense of urgency toward improving the future for us all.

 — Amy Posner, Lido Beach