The-Leader_2005-02-10

              70th Year, No. 6 Freeport, N.Y. 11520
The Community Newspaper
Thursday, February 10, 2005
•'••-• ^opt.iTOiujE GSQ[D)g*aiaE.ti|^j(gij'g® mm GANG, GUN and
STREET VIOLENCE?
iPiensa que sus f>f/os BsHan protegielos €le /as pandHlaSr ItMs armas de fuego y la vfoleitcler en la calle?
HINK AGAIN! iPienselo otra vezl
Educate yotfrsetf to belter educate yaur children!
The Damian Corrente Memorial Youth Foundation \Anvw.damiancorrente.org
Gang Awareness Suppression and Prevention Program
Office of Victims of Crime
Parents of Murdered Children 631-384-5240
S.T.R.O.N.G. Youth, Inc. wvAv.strongyouth.org
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the US Department of Justice.
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freeport school budget news. Raab runs for mayor. „...„.....
B Freeport. Baldwin have waivers.
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page 6 -.page 19
by Pam Corrente
The Damian Corrente Memorial Youth Foundation, the Office of Victims of Crime, S.T.R.O.N.G. (Struggling to Re-unite Our New Generation) Youth, and Parents of Murdered Children, recently announced at the Freeport Long Island Rail Road sta­tion, a poster campaign designed to. "Stop the Violence!"
With the cooperation of the Metropolitan Transit Authority, we are posting messages written in both English and Spanish in every train station from Nassau County to Manhattan. In a con­centrated effort to stop the gang, gun, and street violence, we are offering education to parents, warnings to kids, assistance for crime victims, and alternative solutions to the very serious problem of children killing children. We urge every concerned member of the community to join us in this effort.
Nassau County legislators and other elected officials have been invited to participate in our campaign to stop the violence. Our efforts require the commitment of every person concerned with the safety of our children. This campaign is not about words and promises; it's about taking action!
Among the people and organizations supporting this program is John Gillis from the National Office of Victims of Crime, June Ginty of Parents of Murdered Children, Freeport Police Chief Mike Woodward, a member of the Gang Awareness Suppression and Prevention effort, Sergio Argueta of S.T.R.O.N.G. Youth and a well-known Long Island advocate for preventive solutions, and the Damian Corrente Memorial Youth Foundation.
DeM and taices
by Jim Golding
Freeport trustees heard complaints from a resident at Monday's board meeting over what he called the village's "outlandish debt" and an increase in taxes over the past two years of nearly 22.75 percent.
Peter Norris said he filed three Freedom of Information requests to the village for a statement on its outstanding debt that went unanswered and received the information from the New York State Comptroller's Office, which indicated Freeport's bonded indebtedness as of a year ago was $154,405,537.
"You started out with $30 million and now it's five times that," Mr. Norris said, adding that the figure could be another $6 million or more if the past year's bonds were included. He also questioned why funds from the Electric and Water Departments were trans­ferred for use in the general fund.
Mayor WiUiam Glacken said the figures represented capital improvements for a new power plant and other projects and the fund transfers from the two departments were "payments in lieu of taxes." He said if the utilities were private "they would be assessed a tax."
The mayor added, "The village has always done this. It is per­fectly proper and a normal practice of any municipality that oper­ates a utility."
He emphasized the importance of having a new power plant "that will serve the community over the next 40 years," adding, "I think that's a good investment."
Mr. Norris said revenues from the utilities should have been used directly to pay for the new construction and improvements and that other capital projects should have been spaced out over time. He compared Freeport's budget to a bucket with a large hole, with more funds flowing out than are coming in. "You're confusing the capital budget with the operating budget,"
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