Bethpage-Tribune_1973-02-15

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OLDBETHB^GE
also serving ISLAM) TREES
PLA1NY1EW PLAINEDGE SEAFORD
VOL. 7 NO. 13
Thursday, February 15, 1973
/ " Bethpage Rotary Busy! Busy! Busy!
10 cents per copy
PIGMENTOSA told the Kotarians about this "hereditary disease
that no one ever hears about." L-R-Rotary Program chairman Bob
I'acchio, President, Bob Moore Ms. Edith Gordon and Rotarian Leo
Schollland.
Caso Talks
HONORS AWARDED — Island Trees students Scott Fried and
David Maris were honored as outstanding students at the Belhpage
Rotary meeting at the Beau Se Jour Restaurant in Bethpage last
Thursday, February I. President Bob Moore presents certificates as
island Trees Director of Guidance, Alvitt Briskie nods in approval.
Briskie said, "David is an outstanding student interested in en
vironmcntal studies and planning to go on to college." He said
"Scott anticipates a pre-medical program at Adelphi, ultimately
hoping to become a physician."
The Rotary has been honoring students for many years and has
pursued a program of awarding many thousands of dollars in
scholarship giants to local students in the Bethpage-Island Trees
area. Photos by Jerry Augusta
Send
The BETHPAGE TRIBUNE
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\549 Stewart Ave.. Bethpage, N.Y. 1171-
"We are well on our way to
achieving my stated policy of tax
stabilization," Nassau County
Executive Ralph G. Caso said in
his State of the County message
last week. He pledged that tax
stability will remain his ad­ministration's
number one
priority. Caso expressed hope
that continuation of his budget
policies would produce another
property tax reduction in 1974
similar to the tax cuts that he
gave county residents during his
first two years in office. Caso's
first budget in 1972 reduced the
general fund property tax rate by
19 cents. His. current 19?3-btidget-cut
the tax rate another 12 cents.
Caso said that tight fiscal
controls, strict expenditure
review and governmental
reorganization had enabled him
to reverse the nine-year record of
the previous administration
during which "county spending
''rose"'ah'\:averagevv<>i';. 22 pervceht'
each year and taxes zoomed to
match."
"When I took office two years
ago, I inherited from the previous
administration an incredible $20
million deficit," Caso said. "We
not only closed that gap, but we
are firmly established on a pay-as-
you-go basis today."
Recalling his pledge when he
first took office to "turn on the
lights in welfare," Caso reported
that there had been a 45 per cent
reduction in the welfare caseload
during 1972 and a 67 per cent
reduction in the number of
families housed in hotels. He said
that these reductions netted
county taxpayers a saving of $2.5
million and that the department
had also picked up "millions of
dollars in federal and state funds
that were overlooked - Or ignored
^- by the previous ad­ministration."
"My administration's next
reform in the area of public
assistance will be an attack on
the staggering costs of
Medicaid," Caso said, adding
that he is already at work seeking
changes in the medicaid law in
Albany to give local governments
control over the program.
Caso reported a 10 per cent
reduction in major crimes
throughout the county in 1972 and
announced that he is adding 200
men to the police force to con­tinue
the fight against crime.
The county executive also
outlined his plans for con­struction
of a "dream park" on 06
acres of land at Mitchel Field.
The park, to be built with federal
assistance, will include an indoor
and outdoor swimming pool, an
indoor and outdoor ice skating
, rink, :a rtfle range, hatt of faniev
an outdoor theater" and an ar-tificiai
Jake-
Pledging to continue providing
maximum possible human
services at minimum possible
cost, Caso said, "The un­derprivileged,
the un­deremployed,
the handicapped,
the mentally retarded, the aged,
the infirm, the poor, the
minorities and the returning
Vietnam veterans must not be .
made pawns in our establishment
of parameters of progress in our
county."
Among other items highlighted
in the county executive's
message were:
• Takeover the private bus
companies in the county by the
Metropolitan Transportation
Authority (MTA) which, Caso
said, was necessary because the
bus system had been near "total
collapse." Caso said that he
anticipated rapid improvements
in new buses, routes and
schedules when the new system
goes into effect after April 1.
« The Office of Consumer
Affairs processed more than
11,000 consumer complaints
during 1972 and obtained more
than $200,000 in refunds and
adjustments for county residents.
The department's eight-month
survey of sales tax collections in
the county uncovered mass
confusion in supermarkets. Caso
said that a series of subsequent
meetings that he held with
supermarket operators and the,
state Internal Revenue Service
had resulted in reforms and
educational programs for store • .
employees "to ~proTeeT county" ~
shoppers against improper
collection of the, sales tax.
• The county is amending its
Pick-Six of ftrack betting
proposal to meet state objections.
" Caso expects his concept of exotic
ofitrack betting, to win state
approval.
• Thfe General Dynamic Care
Center at the Nassau County
Medical Center will open during
1973 with extensive medical
facilities and health education
programs. The center's
emergency room handled 70,000
cases during 1972 and is
cooperating with the federal
government this year in a
product-surveillance program to
monitor illnesses and injuries
caused by consumer goods.
• A new department of Drug
and Alcohol Abuse was created
during 1972 to deal with both
problems. During 1973, the
department will open a
detoxification unit at the county
medical center and establish
satellite outreach programs to
help hard-core addicts in their
own. communities. In addition, a
new program will be started to
reach what Caso called a "hidden
casualty'' — persons who abuse
legal medications.
Democrats Dispute Caso 'State Of County' Message
Leading spokesmen 'for the
Nassau Democratic Party this
week tore into County Executive
Caso's "state of the county"
message as "full of half-truths
and distortions and a thinly
disguised political speech in­tended
to launch his 1973
reelection campaign."
The Democratic blast at Caso's
message delivered Monday was
fired by Assemblyman John S.
Thorp Jr., a top contender for the
nomination to oppose Caso, and
Horace Z. Kramer, vice chair­man
of the Nassau Board of
Assessors and top Democratic
fiscal expert.
Kramer was asked to study and
analyze the Caso message by
Nassau.., Democratic Chairman
Marvin D. Cristenfeld.
:; 7 ^ttrp focused his attack on
XCVsb's claim that he. has
"stabilized" county taxes, while
Kramer's criticism covered a
wide range of topics.
"Caso boasts of reducing the
general fund tax by 19 cents for
1972 and 12 cents for 1973," Thorp
declared, "but would like us to
forget that he raised the county
sales tax by 1 percent in 1972 and
picked up $24 million in unex­pected
federal revenue sharing
for both 1972 and 1973.
"The sales tax increase is
equivalent to raising the county
property tax rate by 90 cents and
the revenue sharing money is
equal to 75 cents on the tax rate.
Caso could have reduced county
taxes by $1.65, but he cut only 31
cents and most of that was offset
by higher special district taxes.
Some stabilization!
"The fact is the Caso ad­ministration
has been the most
extravagant in Nassau history.
He has increased general fund
expenditures by $168.4 million,
the biggest three-year increase
ever to hit the taxpayers.
The Rockville Centre
assemblyman also sharply
criticized Caso's handling of the
Coliseum, "which has yet to show
one penny in profit to the people
whose tax dollars built it:"
Kramer hit out on these topics:
SOCIAL SERVICES - Caso
claims he cut welfare costs in
1972, but fails to mention that 1971
figures jumped sharply and all he
did was bring them back to 1970
levels. Also, tighter state
eligibility rule produced welfare
decreases all over the state.
REAPPORTIONMENT - Caso
finally came around to sup­porting
the Democratic call for
an equal-population-district
Board of Supervisors, but
violates the spirit of the change
by asking for only seven districts.
That would mean a population of
200,000 per district, far too large
for effective representation.
BUSES • Aitfg? fighting former
County Executive Nickecsonon it
for years, Caso now wants to take
over the private bus companies,
but he wants to make bus riders
(Continued on Page lb)