Asking the experts
James Dzurenda is a consultant who led Nevada state corrections for three years. He was former first deputy commissioner of the New York City jails and commissioner of the Connecticut state prisons. Credit: Howard Schnapp
Daily Point
How are jails dealing with coronavirus?
In New York City, positive coronavirus tests among both inmates and corrections officers at Rikers Island have advocates for the incarcerated arguing that any inmates who can be released safely should be, lest an epidemic of illness sweep through the captive population.
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—Lane Filler @lanefiller
Talking Point
Assessing the assessors
So just how is reassessment and a potential five-year phase-in going to affect those who will vote on it, the members of the Nassau County Legislature and the county executive? It depends on where they live, what their homes are worth, and most important, how aggressively they’ve appealed their own taxes each year.
After years of conversation and debate, the Nassau legislature is finally moving forward with the Taxpayer Protection Plan. A vote is expected Monday. The phase-in, if it passes as expected, also will slow the process of lowering the taxes of those who’ve overpayed.
See the complete results here.
—Lane Filler @lanefiller
Pencil Point
Real heroes
Andy Marlette
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Final Point
Burning questions
Many Long Islanders stopped by Tom Suozzi’s telephonic town hall Thursday night. As detailed in Thursday’s newsletter, Suozzi robocalled 100,000 households in his CD3 after 7 p.m. and 18,000 stayed on the line to hear Northwell Health chief executive Michael Dowling and Dr. Marie Carney, a former Nassau County health commissioner, talk about the coronavirus and take questions. About another 1,800 people called in on a separate line Suozzi posted on social media.
Some of the questions were about public health, and others were poignant and personal:
- Would it be safer for my 75-year-old brother who lives upstate to move in with us because he lives with his daughter who is a nurse? The answer from Carney was yes.
- Can I get a test since I am caring for my elderly parents? The answer was no.
- Could Northwell’s North Shore Hospital be expanded on site if needed? Dowling said yes.
Suozzi’s message was to stay calm and informed, and to keep washing your hands. He told The Point Friday that about 500 constituents either were in the queue to ask questions or left their inquiries on his office line afterward. CD3 staff is working on responding to them all. Asked about his takeaway, Suozzi said, “People need more information. We need to repeat the same things over and over. Because we are close to it, we think everyone must know the basics already. They don’t.”
—Rita Ciolli @RitaCiolli
