Freeport mayor plays ball in school elections

Daily Point

Freeport mayor endorses in school board race

In a year when the highly unusual has become the norm in school board elections, Freeport Mayor Robert Kennedy’s entry into the endorsement game is just another piece of the puzzle.

Though not, perhaps, part of the broader pattern.

Political endorsements are flying in these races, most notably from gubernatorial candidate Andrew Giuliani, because the elections have become a proxy in the culture wars.

But race, gender and masks are not so much the issue in Freeport, where according to state enrollment data, 70% of the students are Hispanic, 22% are Black, and 5% are white.

In a letter sent to district residents, Kennedy endorsed board challengers Jacques Butler and Ben Jackson, who are running against incumbent and board president Maria Jordan-Awalom and Shuron Jackson.

Kennedy’s note touts his accomplishments — no village tax hikes for nine years, growing financial reserves, and decreased crime. But he also makes the case for his speaking out on school governance: “For Freeport to reach its full potential, we need a school district that is the envy of Long Island and the State. Too many people will say that it isn’t possible. That only other school districts can achieve great results. They are wrong.”

Mayor Kennedy, however, has filed a $45 million lawsuit against the district to decide ownership of the Cleveland Street playing fields. Kennedy says the fields are village property and tried to sell them to Amazon for a warehouse. He is planning to acquire fields and courts at Cow Meadow Park from the state as a substitute.

But the district says it owns the fields.

Kennedy told The Point that he has personally endorsed candidates before, will again, and believes it’s his responsibility as a resident to support candidates who, like these two, “have the experience, knowledge and dedication needed to properly oversee this school district.”

And asked how his endorsement related to frustration over the ballfield battle, Kennedy wrote he feels “No frustration at all!”, and said he’s confident the litigation will result in a clear title for the village.

Debra Mulé, who represents Freeport on the Nassau County Legislature, said she has never heard of Kennedy publicly endorsing or campaigning for a school board candidate in the past, and this move troubles her. She previously served as a village trustee for three years and a school board member for nine, and said that “the practice of the village and the school district has always been that they don’t get involved in each others’ politics, that they do their own thing.”

And current school board vice president Gaby Castillo, who is not seeking reelection, told The Point, “I think it really is one-dimensional, about the Cleveland Avenue fields. I just don’t think there would be this kind of intensity, or this increasing desire by village leaders to influence the district, were it not for that issue.”

Lane Filler @lanefiller

Talking Point

Sign of the times

When newly elected North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena was sworn in to office at Clinton G. Martin Park in New Hyde Park, she was surprised to see a park sign with her name on it — but she didn’t think much about it. Since then, her name has popped up on other park and ballfield signs.

The name game after elections is a staple of political perks. But it quickly became a fraught issue in North Hempstead, in part because during her campaign, DeSena made it one.

“I would not put my name on signs and plaques,” if elected, DeSena wrote in a social media post last September.

However, earlier this month, photos of the signs, with DeSena’s quote circled, started making their way around North Hempstead political circles. In most cases, the signs clearly had a spot where former Supervisor Judi Bosworth’s name had been — with DeSena’s name replacing it. In at least one, the sign looked entirely new. Then there were instances where the names of the council member or the parks commissioner had been apparently taped over.

The implication, of course, was that DeSena had broken her campaign promise.

But DeSena told The Point she didn’t order or even request any names on any signs. “I was surprised my name was on there,” she said. “I had not had any conversations with any department heads about it.”

Once it was there, DeSena said, she didn’t want to ask employees to do additional work to take it down, so she left the issue alone and didn’t say anything. Acting Town Highway Superintendent Harry Weed, who was responsible for taking care of the signs, confirmed DeSena’s account.

“Nobody told me to do that,” Weed told The Point. “I did it as a matter … of respect.”

Weed said he knew nothing about DeSena’s campaign promise, noting that replacing Bosworth’s name made sense and that “this had been done in the past.”

“I’m just doing what is in the best interest for the residents,” Weed said. “She never ordered me to do this.”

Meanwhile, when The Point contacted DeSena’s office this week to inquire about the signs, DeSena decided to take an additional step to make sure her name wasn’t added to any additional signs. On Thursday, Deputy Supervisor Joseph Scalero sent Weed an email noting that DeSena had never issued a directive regarding the signs.

“Accordingly, going forward, the Supervisor is directing that her name should not be placed on any new signs,” the email said.

DeSena told The Point she hoped town council members would follow suit.

But the controversy over the signs has emerged as battles continue within the town between DeSena, who was elected on the Republican line, and the majority Democratic town council, including one involving Weed.

At the start of her term, DeSena submitted a resolution seeking to appoint Weed as the permanent highway superintendent — but the council didn’t act on it. Earlier this month, Democratic member Veronica Lurvey submitted a resolution to appoint someone else to the role — Thomas Tiernan, who had served the town before but resigned after a Newsday investigation found he was the only highway superintendent to earn overtime.

The board is expected to take that resolution up at its meeting next week.

— Randi F. Marshall @RandiMarshall

Pencil Point

Pot meets kettle

For more cartoons, visit www.newsday.com/nationalcartoons

Puzzle Point

In the news

Welcome to this week’s news quiz, based on recent events. As usual, provide the answer for each clue, one letter per blank. The first letter of each answer, taken in order, spells the name of the U.S. senator who, after the failure of a Democratic bill to codify Roe v. Wade as federal law, said, “It’s hard, we have the responsibility of being in the majority, without being able to count on all of the votes in our column. And that’s tough.”

A link to the answers appears below.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development is doubling the size of a program meant to protect renters from this.

_ _ _     _ _ _ _ _ _ National laboratory at which the atomic bomb was created, now in danger of being evacuated because of a threatening wildfire in New Mexico.

_ _ _ _ Apple discontinued its last model of this once-revolutionary music-playing product.

_ _ _ _ Number of Republican senators who voted in favor of codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law.

_ _ _ _ _ _ Company that fired two workers who had ties to the grassroots union that led the first successful U.S. organizing attempt in company history.

_ _ _ _ _     _ _ _ _ Astronomers captured the first image of this deep-space phenomenon at the center of the Milky Way.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Energy company that is considering selling its interest in two planned offshore wind farms off the coast of Long Island.

_ _ _ Number of Democratic primary debates Gov. Kathy Hochul agreed to participate in.

_ _ _ _ The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moved Nassau and Suffolk counties up to this risk level for transmission of COVID-19.

_ _ _ _ _ Surname of both the Alabama inmate and the correction officer who went on the lam and were captured in Indiana.

_ _ _ _     _ _ _ _ _ _ A silk screen of Marilyn Monroe by this artist sold for $195 million, the most for a U.S. artist ever sold at auction.

_ _ _     _ _ _ _ _ Protesters in Warsaw doused Russia’s ambassador to Poland with this at an event to honor Soviet soldiers who fought in World War II.

_ _ _     _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ A judge blocked new state election district maps drawn by this Southern governor, saying they would hurt Black voters.

_ _ _ _ _ Percentage of Manhattan office workers who are back in the office full time, as per a survey by the Partnership for New York City.

_ _ _ _ _     _ _ _ _ _ Reclusive nation that ordered a nationwide lockdown after confronting its first admitted coronavirus outbreak of the pandemic.

Click here for the answers to the clued words and to the identity of the mystery U.S. senator.

— Michael Dobie @mwdobie