The Community Alliance

• Closing The Door On "Gated" Communities

  Nassau's Localities Should Follow Lead Of NYC In Fighting Blight
  
  Ban the gate!
  
  Yes, the gate. You know, that metal pull-down security gate over the glass storefront, often marred by grafitti spelling out sundry epitaphs.
  
  The gate. As seen along the Grand Concourse, Jamaica Avenue, and Main Streets and [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: December 04, 2009, 7:23am EST
  

• Promises, Promises

  Does GOP "Tax Revolt" Portend A Return To The Days Of Smoke And Mirrors?
  
  What we at The Community Alliance have been saying, going on six years now, is capsulized in a New York Times editorial. One that postulates that frustratrated, if not angry taxpayers took aim at the [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: December 04, 2009, 7:20am EST
  

• Out Of Many, One?

  Will Consolidation Of Taxing Districts Save Money?
  
  Long Island. 125 school districts. 132 fire districts. 340 town special districts. Who can keep count any more?
  
  Next door, in a city of 8 million, a single school system. [Within the single system, schools exceeding standards, others barely making the [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: December 03, 2009, 8:22am EST
  

• A Cool(ing) Tower Grows In Hempstead Town

  Pssst. It's Not The Lighthouse
  
  A tower is set to rise in Westbury off the Merchant's Concourse. A monument to a "cool downtown," perhaps? No, more like an additional cooling tower for the Covanta "waste-to-energy" (read as, incinerator) facility, that now boasts the tallest structure [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: December 02, 2009, 7:59am EST
  

• When "Twenty Miles Of Ugly" Just Doesn't Cut It

  Seeking Cool Name For Hempstead Turnpike Corridor In Elmont
  
  As we blogged way back when, "a blight in Elmont, left untreated, will eventually infect every tree in Wantagh."
  
  And we're well on the way!
  
  Elmont: Blighted.
  
  West Hempstead: Blighted.
  
  Uniondale: Blighted.
  
  Baldwin: Blighted.
  
  Hey, can't [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: December 01, 2009, 8:02am EST
  

• Tweet Tweet, Tweet Tweet, Our Blog Goes Tweet Tweet Tweet

  Tweet If You Love Community!
  
  Follow The Community Alliance (just keep back 200 feet ;-) on Twitter, and follow the folks who give a damn about the quality of life on our Long Island.
  
  That's us. That's you. That's our friends around the corner and neighbors clear across [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: December 01, 2009, 12:53am EST
  

• A Town Where Even The Dead Find No Peace

  Raise The Buried, And The Salaries Of Town Officials, In America's Largest Township
  
  It was less than two years ago, shortly after her re-election as Hempstead Town Supervisor, that Kate Murray decided she deserved a raise. And so it was. Kate & Kompany, as if by public mandate, [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 30, 2009, 7:59am EST
  

• That Was No Man With A Gun. . .

  It Was Merely Town Supervisor Kate Murray, Demanding A Raise!
  
  Yet another Thanksgiving at West Hempstead's Courtesy Hotel. . .
  
  Man charged in robbery attempt in hotel hallway, Newsday, Walking down a hall at the Courtesy Hotel in West Hempstead, a 29-year-old man was confronted [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 27, 2009, 12:24pm EST
  

• Home For The Holidays

  And An Opportunity To Feed The Hungry
  
  We take a break from the madness here at The Community Alliance blog, with a heartfelt wish that all of our readers and their families enjoy not only the warmth and spirit of the season, but of the cherished time spent [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 24, 2009, 12:32pm EST
  

• And The Beatings Go On...

  Barely Out Of One Election, Right Into Another
  
  The ballots from the November 3rd vote for County Executive are still not all counted -- and may not be until the week after Thanksgiving -- and here we are, headed into yet another election (in December, no less), this time [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 23, 2009, 10:35am EST
  

• Be Careful What You Wish For

  You May Just Get It
  
  When the counting is finally over at the Nassau County Board of Elections (do you think they use fingers as well as toes?), Ed Mangano may just be Nassau's next County Executive.
  
  Who would have thunk it? Certainly not Tom Suozzi, the pundits, [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 20, 2009, 11:20am EST
  

• Public Authorities To Get Greater Oversight

  Maybe We Should Have Asked For The Winning Mega Millions Numbers! ;-)
  
  We asked for it, and the NYS Assembly delivers. Accountability and transparency -- well, at least a bit -- at New York's multitude of Public Authorities.
  
  With billions in debt, and millions in unaccounted for tax [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 20, 2009, 7:42am EST
  

• Conjure Up A Vision Of Community

  To Create Sustainability, Livability, And "Smart Growth," You Must First Envision The Possibilities
  
  We take you back to the founding days of The Community Alliance, somewhat after the Neanderthals roamed the central plains [and before they de-evolved for a more sendentary -- and, apparently, permanent -- life (if you [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 19, 2009, 8:38am EST
  

• Fire In The Belly Of The Beast

  Students At Risk In Illegal Basement Apartments
  
  Illegal accessory apartments. Long a scourge in towns and hamlets across our island. A clear and present danger to their occupants. An onerous tax burden to law-abiding homeowners. A chronic problem for our schools. A major dtractor from our suburban [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 18, 2009, 9:54am EST
  

• If The Town Can Raise A Wall In Elmont. . .

  Why Can't They Raze A Blighted Movie Theater Or A Hotsheet Hotel?
  
  Kudos to the Town of Hempstead for lending a hand to Habitat of Humanity here in Nassau County, raising a wall on a new home being built in Elmont.
  
  The more affordable housing starts,' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 17, 2009, 9:29am EST
  

• Albany Must Cut Where It Hurts The Most

  Close To Home In Legislators' Pocketbooks And Pork Barrels
  
  If the State of New York is, indeed, running out of money, as Governor David Paterson contends (and as the numbers so reflect), just where in the budget does the State Legislature cut?
  
  Health care? Education? Those who rely' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 16, 2009, 3:38pm EST
  

• When The Pot Calls The Kettle Black

  Dumb And Dumber At The New Nassau County Legislature
  
  Forget, for the moment, that, come January, when the GOP regains control of the County Legislature, it will be, literally, back to the past. The same regime, if not the very same people, who brought Nassau to the brink [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 13, 2009, 10:54am EST
  

• Please Don't Drink The Water

  On Long Island, When It Rains, It Plumes
  
  For years, we at The Community Alliance have been saying, "There must be something in the water."
  
  Why is it, after all, that we have more than our fair share of kooks, killers, Lolitas, and the lot? And how [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 12, 2009, 10:27am EST
  

• Town Budget: $386 million*

  Town Payroll: $74 Million**
  Town's proclivity to dupe residents into believing their taxes are "frozen?": Shameless!
  
  *2010 Budget, Town of Hempstead
  **2009 Payroll (year to date), Town of Hempstead (2221 employees). Does not include Town Special Districts.
  
  As Town Supervisor Kate Murray says in the 2010 Preliminary' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 11, 2009, 11:52am EST
  

• Suozzi: County Exec Should Run Schools

  The Community Alliance: State Should Fully Fund Public Education
  
  More fodder for the media, raw meat for the disloyal opposition, and yet another fearless, if but feeble stab to inoculate us from the plague that is upon all of our houses -- the school property tax.
  
  Nassau County [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 11, 2009, 7:41am EST
  

• The Resistance Is Coming!

  Enlist In The Movement To Take Back Our Town In 2011
  
  Wherever there is blight, The Resistance will be there!
  
  Wherever special taxing districts run amuck, The Resistance will be there!
  
  Wherever zoning is by exception, rather than rule, The Resistance will be there!
  
  Wherever patronage, [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 10, 2009, 8:45am EST
  

• The Big Chill At Hempstead Town Hall?

  You'd Never Know There's A Tax "Freeze" In America's Most Blighted Township
  
  
  Wonder where all of your money goes, Town of Hempstead taxpayers? How smiling Kate Murray continues to win election as Supervisor by ever-widening margins? How the faithful are compelled to vote the party line, year after' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 09, 2009, 8:26am EST
  

• Schmitt: Leave In The "M" For Misery

  Taxpayers Suffering. Job Losses Climbing. Foreclosures At Record Highs. And Peter Schmitt Is Handing Out Raises To His Legislative Aides
  
  Call it shameless. Call it chutzpah. Call it being completely out of touch with the reality of Long Island's economy. Or just call it Peter "Full Of" Schmitt doing' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 06, 2009, 12:21pm EST
  

• Does Corzine's Fall Foreshadow Paterson's Fate?

  Indicators, Pundits, And The New York Times Would Say So -- And Have
  "I am blind; I am not oblivious. . .I am running for Governor in 2010."
  -- Gov. David A. Paterson
  
  A tumbling local economy. Massive layoffs. Skyrocketing property taxes -- in fact, the highest in the [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 06, 2009, 7:24am EST
  

• Will Shift In Nassau County Legislature Be Perk Or Pan For Parks?

  PARCnassau Is Hoping New Legislature Will "Do Us Proud"
  
  Will Nassau County's parks fare better under a Republican Legislature than they have under the Dems? [Did the parks -- at least the ones deemed by the County to be "active" -- do so badly under the Democrats?]
  
  And' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 05, 2009, 2:28pm EST
  

• The Schmitt Hits The Fan In Nassau County

  Perfect Storm Of Bad Economy, High Taxes, And Democratic Malaise Give GOP Big Night
  
  The Democratic majority -- whose tenure at the helm was so much less than remarkable -- in the Nassau County Legislature. Gone.
  
  Howard Weitzman -- who, through poignant audits, served as watchdog over the [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 04, 2009, 10:48am EST
  

• Take That, Glen Beck, Sarah Palin!

  Dems Take Back NY's 23rd CD For First Time Since Civil War
  
  A caution to New York Republicans, enamored, of late, with the conservatives (those of the Beck, Limbaugh, and Palin ilk), while bashing the moderates in their own party.
  
  Ahh. Divide yourselves, and be' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 04, 2009, 8:22am EST
  

• What We Have To Say At The Blog May Not Matter Much. . .

  What You Have To Say At The Polls May Make All The Difference In The World!
  
  Read, Million Dollar Garbage, only at The Community Alliance blog.
  
  Today, Tuesday, November 3, VOTE!
  
  Tell them you're not taking their garbage anymore...
  
  Polls are open in New' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 03, 2009, 12:01am EST
  

• Million Dollar Garbage

  Talkin' Trash In The Town That Murray Bilked
  
  The Father. The Son. The Sanitary District Supervisor.
  
  No, not some religious dogma adhered to by Monks bound to a vow of silence. Just the taking by the Town of Hempstead of public tax money -- your tax dollars' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 02, 2009, 12:01pm EST
  

• Trick Or Trickle In Hempstead Town

  The Golden Age Of Tricks, Pranks, And Freezes Continues In America's Largest TownshipAnd Town Residents Are Left Out In The Cold Once Again, Holding The Kate-O-Lantern Take off that terrifying mask, Kate Murray. You're frightening the children -- not to mention, Town of Hempstead taxpayers.
  All [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 31, 2009, 9:06am EDT
  

• Bigger (A Smidge), Better (A Bit) Bottle Bill Goes Into Effect October 31

  Beginning On Halloween, Those Water Bottles (on which you will pay a nickel deposit) Become Returnable
  
  A victory (sort of) for environmentalists, who decry the ageless plastic water bottle as a mainstay of the landfill for the next billion years, and for those of us who loathe seeing those [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 30, 2009, 10:51am EDT
  

• Psst! Have We Got A Proposition For You

  Actually, We Have Two Of Them
  
  Unbeknownst to most voters (and even those in the know often have trouble finding them on the ballot), there are two (2) Propositions on Tuesday's ballot, both to amend the State Constitution. [No, they're not proposing to eliminate the State Legislature. How unfortunate.]
  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 29, 2009, 2:01pm EDT
  

• It's Not Only About The Islanders

  It's About Saving Nassau County From The Dust Bowl
  
  If the Lighthouse Project was only about keeping the hapless, and nearly winless, Islanders at the Nassau Coliseum (home to the International Great Beer Expo), we would almost certainly be inclined to say -- no, to' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 29, 2009, 8:52am EDT
  

• Fresh Start Versus Status Quo In Nassau's 8th LD

  Tumminello Challenges Muscarella For Seat In Nassau County Legislature
  
  If Vincent Muscarella, the longtime Republican incumbent representing Elmont (part), Floral Park (part), Franklin Square, Garden City South, Stewart Manor, and West Hempstead in the Nassau County Legislature, appears to have a familiar face, it could be because that [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 28, 2009, 10:33am EDT
  

• What Can Browne Do For You?

  Judging From His Lack Of Accomplishment On The Town Zoning Board, Not Very Much
  
  At the News12 Debates, the candidates for the 5th Legislative District -- incumbent, Joseph Scannell (D) and challenger, Christian Browne (R) -- were asked about vacant stores on our Main Streets, and [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 27, 2009, 11:51am EDT
  

• If TV Spots Decided Elections. . .

  . . .Nassau County Dems Would Win In A Landslide!
  
  You can't sit in front of the television set, this last week or so before elections, without being barraged by TV commercials for -- or against -- candidates for public office.
  
  Yes, most offer the typical borish "vote'" [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 26, 2009, 2:15pm EDT
  

• You Be The Judge

  An Official Voters' Guide To The Judiciary
  
  "Justice is blind," or so the saying goes, and the judiciary is looked upon by the public as impartial, fair, and above the political fray.
  
  Of course, just look at the ballot -- and the lawn signs -- and you will' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 26, 2009, 9:43am EDT
  

• Property Taxes, Then And Now

  A 10-Year Retrospective On Your Local Property Tax Levy
  
  Its not too often that we wax nostalgic, longing for those "good old days", here at The Community Alliance, but, having recently received his Statement of Taxes, this blogger figured he'd take a step back in time to see' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 23, 2009, 9:11am EDT
  

• "New Face, Fresh Start"

  Gaspare Tumminello Challenges Long Time Incumbent In Nassau's 8th LD
  
  Democrat Gaspare Tumminello's campaign slogan is "New Face, Fresh Start." The new face is his. The fresh start is what he hopes to give residents of the 8th Legislative District, where the incumbent, Republican [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 22, 2009, 7:15pm EDT
  

• Could BioTech Be The Future Of Long Island?

  At Least One Long Island Assemblyman Sees BioTech As A Potential Cure For Island's Economic Ills
  
  
  Tom Alfano Joins Women's Health Advocates in Announcing Cancer Drug Therapies at Cold Spring Harbor Lab
  
  
  Long Islanders were the first in the nation to receive a new report today [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 22, 2009, 9:05am EDT
  

• "Some Girl?" Is "That Girl" In Support Of Lighthouse Project

  Nina Petraro Bastardi, Candidate For Nassau County Legislature, Sheds Light On Her Support For The Lighthouse
  
  We asked candidates to stick in their two cents here at The Community Alliance blog, and the guest posts are just rolling in.
  
  Here's a post from Nina Bastardi, Democratic candidate for' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 21, 2009, 8:33am EDT
  

• A Meeting Of The Mindless In Hempstead Town. . .

  . . .Or, Three Hen In A Room
  
  Oh, we didn't create this TV spot (credit the Nassau County Democratic Committee), but its as good as it gets vis-a-vis Town of Hempstead politics.
  
  Kate "Murraygram" Murray (Town of Hempstead Stuporvisor), Joe "Am I still breathing, or did'" [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 20, 2009, 4:15pm EDT
  

• "Balloon Boy" Hoax Had Hempstead Connection

  Will Town Taxpayers Be Tethered To Ballooning Tax Hike?
  
  Just when you thought that, not everything in the world could possibly revolve around or emanate from Hempstead Town Hall, comes word from the Sheriff's Department in Larimer County, Colorado.
  
  "It was a conspiracy of gargantuan proportion," said [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 20, 2009, 10:48am EDT
  

• School Tax Deadline Approaches

  Almost As Many Ways To Pay As There Are School Districts
  
  First, we want to thank -- we think -- all those who e-mailed over the weekend (more than 300 of you) regarding our endorsements of candidates for the November 3rd elections. [We didn't think you cared!]
  
  Oddly,' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 19, 2009, 10:32am EDT
  

• The Community Alliance Endorses. . .

  The Best Choices For A Better Community
  
  You know where we stand on the issues, and that which matters most to the Long Island community, its people, and our collective quality of life.
  
  We take our responsibilities to community seriously, and our endorsement of candidates, who, we believe, [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 16, 2009, 10:01am EDT
  

• Kristen McElroy Speaks Out

  Kate Murray's Absence From The Community Speaks Volumes
  
  Where is Kristen?
  
  Perhaps the most asked question of the heretofore phantom campaign of Kristen McElroy, Democratic challenger for Town of Hempstead Supervisor.
  
  Well, it seems that Kristen was confined to bed with a difficult pregnancy, kept from' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 16, 2009, 8:23am EDT
  

• Paterson Proposes More Cuts In Aid To Municipalities, Education. . .

  . . .While Pledging No New Taxes
  Who's Kidding Whom?
  
  A 10% cut in the 2010-11 New York State budget in aid to counties, cities, towns and villages? And how does the Governor think these municipalities will make up the deficit? We'll clue you in. INCREASED PROPERTY TAXES!
  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 15, 2009, 2:46pm EDT
  

• Poll: Property Taxes Most Importsnt Issue, Say LIers

  Ya Think?
  
  Another DUH! moment here in America's first and oldest suburb.
  
  A Newsday/Siena Research Institute Poll concludes that a majority of Long Islanders (or at least those who have not been in a coma for the past decade) believe that property taxes are the number one [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 15, 2009, 8:10am EDT
  

• Ed Mangano? Tax Revolt?

  Tom Gulotta? Fiscal Conservative?
  
  Sure. Mention "tax" and "revolt" in the same breath -- let alone on the same lawn sign (when the local GOP lackeys aren't stealing the opposition's placards) -- and you raise eyebrows, if not votes.
  
  Visions of tea parties, and their Alice In' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 14, 2009, 10:29am EDT
  

• Its "Spay/Neuter Day" At The Town Of Hempstead!

  Anyone Thinking What We're Thinking?
  
  Downtown declining. "Main Street" imploding. Property taxes exploding. Brownfields encroaching. Illegal accessory apartments proliferating. Roadways crumbling. Planning procrastinated. Zoning abrogated. [Shall we go on?]
  
  And all Kate Murray, the Stuporvisor of the Town of Hempstead, can come up with is a day to' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 13, 2009, 9:59am EDT
  

• On The Waterfront

  Glen Cove Redevelopment Sails On Call it "hello, Columbus" (and a happy Columbus Day Sail to you all), but while Town of Hempstead officials twiddle thumbs and mince words over the Lighthouse Project, the City of Glen Cove is poised to move forward [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 12, 2009, 9:32am EDT
  

• Its Still The Property Taxes, Stupid!

  Nassau County Has 2nd Highest Property Tax Burden In The Region[We've Even Got New Jersey Beat!] Hey, we may be second (only to Westchester County), but we try harder, right? Those property tax rates -- phony freezes by County and Town notwithstanding -- continue to' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 09, 2009, 8:31am EDT
  

• Kristen McElroy Lives!

  Website, Facebook For Dem Challenger In Town Of Hempstead
  
  Do our eyes deceive us? Is Kristen McElroy, Democrat for Town of Hempstead Supervisor, actually mounting an 11th-hour campaign? Could it be?
  
  Well, McElroy now has a website -- other than the one which has her running for Senate [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 08, 2009, 10:56pm EDT
  

• We Are All "Aware" Of Breast Cancer

  Now We Actually Have To Do Something To Wipe It Out In Our Lifetime
  
  October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
  
  You already knew that, didn't you?
  
  But did you know that, each year, it is estimated that nearly 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 08, 2009, 8:04am EDT
  

• Inherit The Wind (And The Sun, Too)

  Town To Use Wind Power, Solar Energy To Grow Clams
  
  Folks, put this one in the "you can't make this stuff up" pile.
  
  Only from the Town of Hempstead (Kate Murray, Stuporvisor), where, get this, alternative energy will be used -- what else would you expect? -- to' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 07, 2009, 8:42am EDT
  

• Going Rogue In Hempstead Town

  NEWS FLASH! If Re-Elected, Murray To Resign Supervisor's Post
  Will Seek Governor's Seat -- In Alaska
  
  Move over, Sarah Palin!
  
  You're not the only one to quit while in office (or, for that matter, to pen a 400 page book, in less than four months, when it' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 06, 2009, 12:38am EDT
  

• A Cool Reception For "Cool Downtowns"?

  90/10 Solution Evinces Mixed Reviews
  
  They came. They listened. They pondered the future of Nassau County. And they wondered, amidst the lofty proposals and the enduring rhetoric, when will America's first suburb truly witness a rebirth?
  
  Seems to us that this vision of New Suburbia, this ideal [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 05, 2009, 10:40am EDT
  

• Help Get The MTA Off Our Backs

  Vote For George (Charlie) O'Brien On Election Day -- Or Walter ;-)
  
  Now you citizens of Boston,
  Don't you think it's a scandal
  How the people have to pay and pay
  Fight the fare increase!
  Vote for Charlie O'Brien
  Get poor Charlie off the' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 02, 2009, 1:46pm EDT
  

• Ra, Ra For The Lighthouse Project

  Hempstead Town Attorney And His Local Republican Club Reap Contributions from Consultant Hired By Town To Study Environmental Impact of Lighthouse Project
  
  If isn't all in the family for Town of Hempstead officials, then, certainly, its "pay it close to the vest," with contributors to the GOP cause --' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 30, 2009, 6:05pm EDT
  

• Who's Watching Out For The Special Taxing Districts?

  Karl Schweitzer, We Presume!
  
  Yes, Karl Schweitzer, President of the Long Island Special Districts Association. [Did you even know that such an organization existed? A union of special districts, banded together? For what, you ask? Why, to insulate and protect themselves from us, the taxpaying public, of [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 30, 2009, 8:48am EDT
  

• Hey Big Spender. . .

  And You Thought We Didn't Need Campaign Finance Reform
  
  With the general election a little over a month away, the money flows out of the campaign war chests like water down the Hudson River to the sea.
  
  And may the biggest spender win!
  
  Here's the tab for' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 29, 2009, 10:39am EDT
  

• There Are None So Blind. . .

  . . .As Those Who Still Do Not Embrace The Dire Need For Health Care Reform
  
  If you can watch the following video, published by the St. Petersburg Times at tampabay.com, and conclude that our health care system is on the right track, and drastic reform, largely to [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 28, 2009, 5:48pm EDT
  

• The 'New Suburbia' Comes Into Focus

  90/10 Master Plan Presented By Nassau County Executive
  
  We're not convinced that 90/10 is quite the right mix, as we meander down Hempstead Turnpike, turning the corner at the intersection of Ugly and Blighted.
  
  Still, turning the corner -- from downtrodden to upscale, from the 1950s to the' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 25, 2009, 11:24am EDT
  

• When Legislators Write Us On Our Dime

  Its All About Them, Seldom About Us
  
  This blogger received the most recent District Report (timed for release just prior to the upcoming election) from his Nassau County Legislator. A Report which, as we all know, but our legislators apparently forget (or is it that they just don't care?),' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 25, 2009, 8:58am EDT
  

• A Journey Of A Thousand Blogposts. . .

  . . .Begins With A Singular Passion For Community
  
  Without Goliath, David would just have been some punk throwing rocks.
  --Billy Crystal
  
  A milestone, of sorts, here at The Community Alliance blog. Our one thousandth -- count 'em, 1000 -- blogpost.
  
  And to think, it all' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 24, 2009, 8:07am EDT
  

• The Morning After The Lighthouse Hearing

  Legitimate Concerns And Unreasonable Delay
  
  Traffic congestion, the likes of which we haven't seen since, well, the last time we drove down Merchants Concourse near Old Country Road.
  
  One-bedroom apartments from $234,000 (with units priced at more than $1 million). Certainly no way to ease the housing crunch' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 23, 2009, 10:45am EDT
  

• Re-Elect Kate Murray Town Of Hempstead Supervisor. . .

  . . .When:
  
  1. The Town of Hempstead gives the green light to the Lighthouse Project;
  
  2. The revitalization of Grand Avenue in Baldwin is delivered, as promised;
  
  3. The former Argo movie theater in Elmont is razed, and replaced by a supermarket;
  
  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 22, 2009, 11:17am EDT
  

• Light Rail Essential To A Sustainable Long Island

  Success Of Light Rail Amidst Phoenix Sprawl Quiets Critics
  Advocates Hope To Spur Nassau County To Take A second Look
  
  Maybe you can get there from here. Trouble is, you need a car to do it.
  
  The automobile is choking us on Long Island, from the polluted air [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 21, 2009, 12:21pm EDT
  

• Lighthouse Hearing Tuesday, September 22

  Come Out To Support Nassau's Future
  
  On Long Island, we not only save lighthouses, we build them!
  
  A public hearing before the Hempstead Town Board has been scheduled for the Lighthouse project tomorrow and all supporters are needed to attend. The hearing will take place on Tuesday, September [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 21, 2009, 11:03am EDT
  

• Join the 90/10 Coalition Today

  Be Part of the Future of Nassau County
  
  
  “New Suburbia”, County Executive Tom Suozzi’s plan for the future of Nassau County, is ready to be unveiled to the public next week. In order to gauge support for the plan, the 90/10 Coalition was born [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 18, 2009, 12:20pm EDT
  

• Have The Dems Given Up On Hempstead Town?

  The Invisible Campaign For Town Of Hempstead Supervisor
  
  The Town of Hempstead, officially, America's largest township, goes by many names: The Town That Time Forgot; The Land Of Make Believe; America's Most Blighted Township; Home of the Murraygram.
  
  Now, it may be proclaimed that [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 17, 2009, 10:59am EDT
  

• No "New" Property Taxes For Nassau

  Yes, But What About The "Old" Ones?
  
  Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi makes that "read my lips" promise of no new taxes. Terrific. As if Nassau's taxpayers, pockets already picked clear down to the lint (why, they've even taken the lint), could bear yet another tax, fee, or' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 16, 2009, 10:28am EDT
  

• Just How Safe Is Long Island's Drinking Water?

  New York Ranks High On List Of Clean Water Act Violations
  
  Far from the pristine watersheds of the Hudson Valley and the Catskills, where clean water flows from crystal clear reservoirs to the boroughs, the aquifers that supply water to 2.7 million Long Islanders -- for drinking, cooking, [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 15, 2009, 8:13am EDT
  

• Excitement Builds In Elmont

  Assemblyman Tom Alfano Has High Hopes For Elmont's Resurgence
  
  We are pleased to bring you an Op-Ed post by Assemblyman Tom Alfano, whose 21st AD includes Elmont.
  - - -
  Step Up. Clean Up. Take Pride In Elmont.
  
  Excitement is building. Momentum is going our way. Consensus [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 14, 2009, 12:18pm EDT
  

• Long Island Breakfast Club To Host Evening In Tuscany

  Okay. Its Actually An Evening In Westbury, But The Smells, Sights, And Sounds Will Say Italy.
  
  From our friends at The Long Island Breakfast Club, yet another opportunity to connect, network, volunteer for the good of community, and, of course, eat:
  
  CELEBRATE A TROVE OF TUSCAN TREASURES [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 14, 2009, 8:44am EDT
  

• 2.4 Million Dollars For The Fence. . .

  . . .Or Is It For Brick Pavers, Decorative Benches, Stylized Trash Receptacles, And Victorian-Style Street Lamps?
  
  Governor Paterson recently handed the Town of Hempstead a check for $2.4 mil, via a State grant, fought for by Senator Dean Skelos and Assemblyman Tom Alfano, intended to revitalize an underutilized [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 14, 2009, 8:24am EDT
  

• Joe Wilson's War

  The Decline Of Decency, Character, And Reason In Post-911 America
  
  A recent survey, taken for whatever these polls may be worth, showed that only one-third of Americans believe that our nation faces an imminent attack by terrorists.
  
  Unfortunately, the apparent two-thirds of Americans who think we are safe [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 11, 2009, 11:07am EDT
  

• The Hobgoblin Of Little Minds

  "NO!" : Its Not Just The Credo Of Washington Republicans
  
  If you think the "just say no" folks are only obstructing in the halls of Congress, well, you'd better think again.
  
  In Albany, the Senate GOP leaders -- the great reformers who coup coup cachooed all New Yorkers' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 11, 2009, 10:43am EDT
  

• Get Smart

  Town Zoning Board Nixes "Smart Growth" Redevelopment In Elmont
  As proponents of the principles of Smart Growth, we often scratch our heads and wonder how localities -- in this instance (as in so many others), the Town of Hempstead -- can routinely "talk" smart growth, [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 09, 2009, 8:02am EDT
  

• Newsday Slams Local Assemblyman For Failing To Sponsor A Single Bill

  At The Community Alliance, We Know Better
  Tom Alfano's Representation Is Much More Than The Sum Of Bills Introduced
  
  Chided for not introducing a single bill during this past legislative session -- and the only member of the NYS Assembly not to introduce legislation [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 08, 2009, 11:36am EDT
  

• Just Who Is Stalling The Lighthouse Project, Anyway?

  Town Consultants Not Being Paid By Lighthouse Group
  Final Environmental Impact Report Delayed
  
  Could $80,000 owed be holding up a 3.7 billion dollar project?
  
  Well, so it would seem.
  
  Apparently, the consulting firm (Frederick P. Clarke Associates) retained by the Town of Hempstead to do the environmental [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 08, 2009, 9:13am EDT
  

• Back To School With President Obama

  Espousing A Political Agenda? Corrupting Our Youth?
  Not Quite The Duplicity The Right Would Have You Believe
  
  The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 08, 2009, 8:43am EDT
  

• New York Launches Taxpayer Accountability Website

  Governor Paterson Shows Us The Money
  Now, If They Would Only Stop Spending It!
  
  This week, Governor David A. Paterson launched a new website from his recently-created Office of Taxpayer Accountability. [Hmmm. Creating a new level of government to save money. An interesting concept. Must be part of the [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 04, 2009, 10:15am EDT
  

• When Yesterday's "Yes" Becomes Today's "No"

  In Albany, As In Washington, Minority Just Says No
  
  We're simply amazed -- well, not really -- how the political party in power (be it Dem or GOP) spends taxpayer money like there was no tomorrow, while the party out of power, having no qualms about spending when they' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 04, 2009, 9:49am EDT
  

• Tag, New York. You're It!

  New License Plates In 2010 Enough To Drive NY'ers To Poor House As if a whole host of new and additional fees weren't enough, New York State has come up with yet another way to take money out of the pockets of its citizens: The [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 01, 2009, 2:36pm EDT
  

• Town Of Hempstead To Hold Public Hearing On Lighthouse Project

  Supervisor To Call For September 22 Hearing On Future Of Nassau Hub
  
  For those who simply cannot wait for the Murraygram to be delivered to their mailboxes, here's the scoop -- although you might need a shovel, given all the self-serving aggrandizement as to the Town's/Supervisor's accomplishments -- directly' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: September 01, 2009, 12:01pm EDT
  

• When It Rains, It Pours

  FEMA Establishes New Flood Zones For Long Island
  
  While Morton Salt may have coined (or at least trademarked) the phrase -- When It Rains, It Pours -- its the new flood zone maps for Long Island, drawn by the Federal Emergency Mamagement Agency (FEMA, the folks who [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 28, 2009, 2:15pm EDT
  

• Remembering Ted Kennedy

  The Passing Of The Torch Bearer -- Edward M. Kennedy, 1932-2009
  
  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 26, 2009, 2:57pm EDT
  

• Nassau County Parks: Public Or Private?

  Lament Over Public Neglect And The Prospect Of Privatization
  
  Our good friend Bruce Piel of PARCnassau cares deeply about the county's parks and open spaces. So much so that he chides Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi and his administration at every turn for, on the one hand, failing to [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 25, 2009, 9:05am EDT
  

• On Town Hall Meetings And Counter-Tea Parties

  Long Islanders Stand Up To Hecklers, Agitators, And "Wingnuts"
  
  Our friends at YesWeCanLI report on a health care reform rally from Merrick, New York.
  - - -
  When outside agitators come into a community, does one sit idly by or does one take a stand?
  
  When outside [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 24, 2009, 2:26pm EDT
  

• Keeping Our Kids On Long Island. . .

  . . .After They've Seen The Property Tax Bill
  
  We've heard all the reasons -- many of them spot on -- for the so-called "brain drain" on Long Island.
  
  High property taxes. Lack of affordable housing. No jobs. Poor public transit. Traffic.
  
  Now what about the reasons [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 13, 2009, 10:18am EDT
  

• Of Blenders, Toasters, And Property Tax Assessors

  A Point-Counterpoint On The Nassau County Assessment
  
  Here at The Community Alliance blog, we've gone back and forth, time and time again, about assessment, reassessment, the role of the Assessor, and what it all means to the homeowner/property taxpayer.
  
  Views differ sharply on what's wrong with the assessment [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 10, 2009, 8:09am EDT
  

• A Government Entity Consolidated, Is A Property Tax Dollar Saved

  Trimming, Sharing, Consolidating, To Create Efficient, Cost-Effective Government
  
  Before the NYS Senate adjourned its recent, turbulent session, they did manage to pass some landmark legislation, including the Breastfeeding Mothers' Bill of Rights. [We kid you not. May sound silly, but it is important. The dissemination of information, the' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 05, 2009, 3:24pm EDT
  

• ...

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 05, 2009, 2:11pm EDT
  

• A Pause In The Disaster

  The Community Alliance Blog Stands At Ease
  
  No, we're not resigning, quitting our post to serve some higher order. [Frankly, we like it right here on the front line, the short-order cooks (and bottle washers) of community].
  
  We're simply taking our annual summer hiatus, recharging batteries, re-energizing spirits, [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: July 25, 2009, 7:15am EDT
  

• BREAKING NEWS: Taco Bell Ad Star Gidget the Chihuahua Dies at 15

  Last Words: "Yo Quiero Universal Health Care"
  
  The end came suddenly and sadly for Gidget the Taco Bell Chihauha late Tuesday, when the 15 year old former spokesdog collapsed and died of a stroke at her home in Santa Clarita.
  
  Nearly deaf, and, according to those close [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: July 23, 2009, 7:00pm EDT
  

• Something Isn't Kosher In Albany

  Oh Yeah, Its The Pork
  New Rules To Share Funds, Services, Going Forward; For Now, Majority Takes Bacon
  
  Fundamental fairness would suggest that, when it comes to sharing the wealth among New Yorkers -- in this instance, member-item money given to State Senators and Assemblymembers, to be doled out [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: July 17, 2009, 9:34am EDT
  

• Dick Tracy Calling Go Go Gomez

  The High Cost Of That Tw0-Way Wrist Radio
  
  Time was, all a good cop needed was a badge, a nightstick, and a paddy wagon to cart off the criminals. How much could that cost?
  
  Today, in Nassau County, at least, we pay the hefty sum of $161,119,742.66 for [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: July 16, 2009, 8:25am EDT
  

• Facing Foreclosure?

  Nassau County Bar Association To Offer Free Clinic
  
  Chances are, even if you can make those monthly mortgage payments in these tough times of economic turmoil, those pesky property taxes are still eating you alive.
  
  Well, that's another tale for another day.
  
  For now, hope and help [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: July 15, 2009, 9:23am EDT
  

• In Albany, Honeymoon Was Over Before It Started

  Partisanship Strips People Of Their Voice In Government
  
  
  
  Never mind the marquee issues, like same-sex marriage and control over the NYC public schools (less sexy, but no less divisive).
  
  Seems that the NYS Senate, now coup-less, still can't get its act together, notwithstanding a quorum,' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: July 14, 2009, 1:43pm EDT