The Long Island Railroad is calling its plan to create new lines to Grand Central Station on Manhattan’s East Side as its “Moonshot.” And I have to agree.

This is the biggest thing to happen to Long Island mass transit since, well, the railroad first made Great Neck its terminus, in 1866 (it was the Flushing and North Side Railroad back in those days). History has shown how the railroad enabled the development of America’s first suburban communities. It is the biggest development in our regional mass transportation plan since New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie turned his back on a $9 billion project to build a new tunnel under the Hudson River from New Jersey.

The East Side Access project is scheduled for completion by 2016. LIRR says it has two-thirds of the $7 billion in funding, but still has to find the remaining funding (perhaps from the money that Christie gave back?).

This is a huge win for Great Neck, one of the busiest stations on Long Island, which has seen service into Penn Station cut back to hourly in the off-peak periods. Indeed, the Port Washington line is one of its most popular, carrying 43,000 commuters each day.

Service into Manhattan will be significantly increased with the additional trains. And for those who need to go to the East Side, it will shave 20 to 40 minutes from the commuting time to backtrack. Being able to go directly to Grand Central provides access to the Lexington Avenue subways and Metro North, further linking the region into Westchester and Connecticut, which is the dream for those of us who would like to see more mass transportation and fewer climate-polluting cars. It also expands the geographical circle of job possibilities.

Access to the East Side will actually improve house values on Long Island because now, people who work on the East Side seek out homes in Westchester and communities along the Metro North line which goes to Grand Central.

“Many jobs, high-paying jobs, have gravitated to the East Side over the decades,” Joe Calderone, LIRR vice president of public affairs, told me. “So it makes a lot of sense…. This will keep Long Island competitive with New Jersey and the northern suburbs in terms of housing.”

Those who support mass transportation should be rejoicing, but already, there are local rumblings which may have a lot to do with misinformation and mischaracterizations.

No plan is perfect, though, and every project of this size – particularly one that goes through developed areas – is bound to cause some hardship or disadvantage some.

So it is important to reflect on what needs mitigating (we are going to propose three major proposals: support for north-south Middle Neck Road bus, support for expanded commuter parking facilities, and some mitigation to Thomaston if its property tax revenues are affected).

But considering how many people will benefit from the new service (50 percent of LIRR commuters go to the East Side), it is remarkable how few people will be adversely impacted by this expansion.

Indeed, the project pivots on the ability of the LIRR to extend its existing pocket track in Thomaston by the length of a train, 1,000 feet.

Village of Thomaston Mayor Robert Stern has falsely accused the LIRR and MTA of ignoring the community, and acting in despotic fashion. That is absolutely not the case. In fact, it is hard to understand where the mayor’s complaint lies (but I hope to find out at a village meeting on the LIRR subject the mayor called for Wednesday, Jan. 26, ostensibly for an “update,” without informing the LIRR or inviting a representative). The mayor has charged that the LIRR intends to ram the pocket-track extension through without rebuilding the bridge.

Mayor Stern has riled up the Great Neck Village Officials Association and newly elected state Senator Jack Martins during the senator’s December visit to the GNVOA, giving the impression that LIRR is seeking to do the pocket track before rebuilding the bridge. He seems to be basing this assessment on his analysis of the LIRR budget that suggests the LIRR’s capital plan provides for the pocket track project but funding for the bridge is more tentative. He further has conveyed the impression that the Long Island Railroad is going full steam ahead without considering the views, concerns or wishes of the community.

Indeed, GNVOA President J. Leonard Samansky, commented based on Mayor Stern’s comments, “The railroad has taken a position – and this is one of the problems, whether true or not – the LIRR and MTA have tried to position themselves to be rulers without any discussion among people affected. It leaves bad taste in my mouth…”

But, as mayor of Saddle Rock, whose residents are likely commuters, he said, “I think it’s a wonderful idea [for East Side access], provided there are protections for the peninsula and commuters – sufficient parking, safety, roads, public safety. Nobody has discussed them – not with me, for sure.”

Such hyperbole from Mayor Stern was reflected in a hostile meeting between Thomaston residents and the LIRR President last fall.

But I found no such arrogant disregard for the community during my conversation with Calderone.

In the first place, Calderone conveyed that all three things need to happen together: rebuilding the bridge, fixing the drainage problem and extending the pocket bridge by 1,000 feet, for a total cost of $40 million that would be spent in Great Neck.

“We know we need to do the bridge, so while we are doing the bridge, it makes sense to also address the drainage issue and the pocket track extension issue,” Calderone said.

He said that the bridge will need to be demolished and rebuilt, a $10 million project by itself.

“The new structure would be greatly improved – it won’t be open deck. It will have regular pavement,” Calderone said.

Now the residents who live near the bridge have the annoyance of the clanking, bouncing noise as vehicles rumble over the open-metal mesh. The bridge is rated for only three tons, meaning that trucks and some school buses have to take a longer way around.

“What we tell the residents is that this is an existing pocket track, used every day,” Calderone said. These are not diesel trains (which have greater noise impact); these are electric trains.” The trains would not be parked there overnight, but the pocket track is necessary to stage the train during the congested rush hour period.

Why does the pocket track have to be here in Thomaston, at all?

“This is where it makes the most sense – there is an existing one but we want the trains to come from Great Neck, one of the busiest stops,” Calderone said. “If we put pocket track anywhere west of Great Neck [such as between Little Neck and Great Neck Plaza], Great Neck won’t get the benefit of the service. The morning rush is very tight, very choreographed, so the train has to be there, it can’t have to back up. If we don’t get a pocket track and a little bit more yard in Port Washington, we won’t be able to offer the same level of service we would like to. It would give us better ability to offer more and better service to the entire branch.”

It is also important to point out that the pocket track is on the LIRR’s own right-of-way – this is not a case of eminent domain whereby the railroad would be taking over private property, nor of the village having the power to nix the deal altogether.

The Long Island Railroad – which has yet to start its environmental review process – indicates its willingness to mitigate impacts. In fact, on Monday, Jan. 24, we learned of a joint LIRR/MTA board committee meeting that morning, where LIRR President Elena Williams briefed the committee on the Colonial Road Bridge replacement and pocket track extension. She briefed board that the environmental assessment review was about to begin, with public sessions that could start in coming weeks.

That is hardly the action of an agency that is going full-steam ahead, ignoring the need to rebuild the bridge or that has yet to find funding.

“We want to work with the community – we’re a public authority. We have an obligation to work with the community,” Calderone said.

So at this point, all the village – and community – can do is carefully contemplate the potential adverse impacts and try to get the best mitigation it can.

The first problem is the 25 Thomaston homes who are closest to where the pocket track is being extended, who will likely be concerned about the visual and noise impacts. These can be mitigated by the sound barrier wall and by vegetation, which the LIRR has already agreed to, showing Mayor Stern a plan that calls for more than 350 plantings during a meeting at Sen. Kristin Gillibrand’s Long Island office last fall.

The second problem is the impact on property values of those 25 Thomaston homes who will be directly affected – and by extension, the possible impact on property tax revenues to the village of Thomaston.

Now, LIRR notes that overall, the new service will improve property values since people who work on the East Side might more naturally gravitate to Westchester and areas served by Metro North. But LIRR acknowledges that those 25 houses might be impacted, at least in the short term. And if those homes are impacted (I’m guessing they will see their property taxes reduced, which would be a benefit to them), then might Thomaston see some loss in property tax revenue?

This should be part of the environmental impact study, but if there are impacts on property values and to Thomaston’s tax revenue, my suggestion here is for LIRR to offer some kind of compensation, perhaps a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) for a period of time to those homeowners and the village. This is unlikely, to happen.

The Long Island Railroad actually raises another potential problem that would come with success: many more people coming to Great Neck station from the further reaches of the Peninsula and the surrounding areas, who might now be taking the bus to Flushing and the 7 train to the East Side. A traffic and use analysis needs to be done to determine if there will be many more “kiss-and-ride” drop-offs, creating more traffic, and more demand for commuter parking.

Commuter parking is now in the realm of the Great Neck Park District, which by a quirk of history, owns and operates the commuter lots. But for at least a decade, the commissioners have wanted to expand its parking lots – Commissioner Robert Lincoln has proposed perhaps double-decking the upper lot, or even expanding that lot over the LIRR tracks, itself. Perhaps there could be some funding mechanism that is part of the project that could make that happen, especially if federal funds might be involved (thanks NJ!)

What else should Great Neck be pushing for?

How about support for a trolley-style bus (free or nominally expensive) that would go up/down Middle Neck Road, to relieve congestion, especially if the LIRR is correct and the new Grand Central service will increase travel on the railroad. This part of the project can be tied to the Nassau Hub, which is also investigating how to improve mass transit. The Hub, of course, is designed to facilitate travel into the area around the Nassau Coliseum, but in the process, is supposed to also address environmentally friendly transportation, particularly making up for north-south transit gaps. Here, too, there might be federal funding available.

As for mitigation, he said, “We would welcome suggestion and will do the best we can.”

This would all benefit all of the residents of the Great Neck Peninsula.

“From what they discussed as a goal – to enhance and provide improved service – that to me sounds like something the community should embrace,” commented Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celender, based on her initial briefing. “But that being said, it does go behind people’s homes, and potential impacts have to be addressed. But what I heard was their willingness to mitigate to the extent they could – walls, vegetation, to mitigate the noise… We could have a lot of Great Neck residents benefiting from East Side access because already going there now. We think we need better service from Great Neck…..”

So do we.

Karen Rubin

Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano said Wednesday he will sue to stop the Nassau County Interim Finace Authority’s decision to take over the county’s finances.

“We will take legal action to protect the taxpayers of Nassau County,” said Mangano at a press conference Tuesday after NIFA voted unanimously earlier in the day to immediately take the county’s financial reins declaring that county leadership, particularly Mangano’s, had not done a convincing job in redressing the county’s fiscal woes.

In a resolution signe NIFA chairperson Ronald Stack, the authority said Mangano’s proposed $61 million in labor concessions “rings hollow” in light of the publicly stated resistance of union leaders to granting any concessions this year.

“There is no discernible evidence that one dollar of savings will be achieved,” NIFA’s resolution stated.

Earlier in the week, Mangano had trumpeted an agreement with Civil Service Employees Association workers that he said would save the county up to $70 million over the life of the contract.

Mangano said he is concerned with NIFA’s motivation, which he said is possibly to get him to raise property taxes.

“There is absolutely no reason for their action today. They are premature at best,” said Mangano. “Every resident should be very, very concerned.”

Nassau County Legislature Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt said he was angry that NIFA did not issue a wriitten notice before making their decision. Schmitt said he is “delighted” that the county executive is issuing a lawsuit.

“It is clearly another agenda at play here,” said Schmitt. “They are an ethically challenged group, trust me.”

NIFA assigned a very low success probability that actions proposed by the couty to offset the deficit would work, including $15 million in departmental consolidation or elimination, $10 million in police overtime, $10 million from a hiring freeze and $9.6 million from eliminating the MTA subsidy.

NIFA said the county faced a deficit of $176 million – far in excess of the 1 percent limit – $27 million in 2011 – that automatically triggered NIFA’s implementation of statutory controls.

NIFA further criticized the county’s plan to eliminate its obligations resulting from tax appeals in 2011 by borrowing $100 million. NIFA also said that the county’s plan to sell its rights to Mitchell Field leases could bring in $30 million, but that $30 million could not be treated as operating revenues in the same calendar year in which the revenue is received.

On the issue of obligations resulting from tax appeals, NIFA said Mangano did not have the necessary support of the Democratic minority in the county Legislature, including Diane Yatauro, D-Glen Cove, the minority leader who had publicly stated during a Jan. 21 conference call with the NIFA chairman that no agreement between her party members and Mangano exists.

In a statement released after NIFA announced its takeover, Yatauro called the decision a “sad day” for the county.

“We are entering uncharted waters. NIFA control will alter how we conduct our business. It will affect the lives of our workforce and our residents,” Yatauro said. She urged the county administration and her legislative colleagues to assume “a cooperative, non-combative manner” to help the county regain sound financial footing.

E.J. McMahon, a senior fellow with the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, said Mangano had misplayed his hand by seeking concessions from the unions while asserting that the county’s finances were in order. McMahon said the CSEA deal was the tipping point for NIFA.

“The CSEA deal made it inevitable because the deal fell well short of what the county needs to do,” McMahon said. “To give a two-year extension to an overly long contract in exchange for a very minor tweaking of step increments for new hires at a time when your supposedly not going to hire anyone is a definition of inadequate.”

NIFA said that finalizing a plan with the county could more than a month, with weeks or months needed after that to execute a plan. The county will need to prepare a revised financial plan as part of that process.

Schmitt said he will have more to say regarding NIFA’s motives at a press conference Thursday in Mineola.

Nassau County attorney John Ciampoli said he thought that NIFA’s decision was “predetermined” before it convened their public meeting on Wednesday,.

“It seemed to me that this was a process that the members of the board were hell bent on going through with,” Ciampoli said, “How can you abridge the elected government in Nassau County and abridge their right to govern? It’s quite amazing. It’s almost unfathomable.”

Ciampoli said the county will go to court “willy-nilly” over the NIFA decision. He said the county would review the NIFA resolution and wanted to examine information NIFA received from Skaaden Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Grant Thornton, a consultant for NIFA.

Mangano said the agreement comes at a time when concessions can only be achieved through voluntarily negotiations.

Just one day before the NIFA decision, Mangano announced Tuesday an agreement with Nassau’s largest union to save millions of dollars.

The agreement with CSEA achieves a minimum net savings of $70 million for taxpayers over the life of the contract while restructuring salary scales, and ensuring $60 million in savings before any increases in compensation as a result of this agreement, according to a statement issue by Mangano.

CSEA is the Nassau’s largest union, representing 5,600 full-time employees and close to 7,000 when including part-time and seasonal employees.

“Taking that demand seriously, CSEA and I worked tirelessly to achieve true savings and real reform,” said Mangano.

“The Nassau County Interim Finance Authority cannot achieve these long-term savings and can only freeze wages for 2011, which amount to $1.8 million for CSEA,” Mangano said in announcing

Mangano said he hoped the agreement would mitigate any risk associated with the balanced budget adopted by the Legislature, but that apparently was not the case.

The agreement includes $61 million in savings by restructuring salary scales. Mangano said the restructuring reduces the average compensation by 11.4 percent in the first seven years of employment.

“The men and women of CSEA have worked tirelessly for the benefit of Nassau County,” said CSEA President Jerry Laricchiuta. “We know the sacrifices families are making at home, and for that reason we will rise to the occasion once again by joining the county executive in achieving millions in labor savings over the next seven years.”

Reach reporter Rich Jacques by e-mail at rjacques@archive.theisland360.com or by phone at 516.307.1045 x203

Herricks High School alumnus Carly Brooke Pearlstein could be on the verge of stardom on “American Idol.”

So far, the 22-year-old Pearlstein has survived initial audition rounds to get to Hollywood on the reality series, including a daunting first round in a stadium filled with 17,000 other contestants.

Pearlstein, who graduated in 2007, recalled being in every play and musical produced while she was in high school. She was also a member of the choir and was selected for the 2006 All-State Jazz Choir.

She said that exposure to jazz transformed her musical taste, and her approach to singing because of the freedom it afforded her.

“I’m not a very good sight reader. With jazz, you can make up notes that fit into the chords,” said Pearlstein, whose favorite vocalist is Ella Fitzgerald.

Pearlstein chose “Summertime” as her audition song for “American Idol.” The initial audition in the New Jersey Izod Center lasted about 15 seconds, after waiting for 10 hours to deliver those several seconds. After two subsequent renditions of “Summertime” for producers in two other audition sessions, she made the cut and took the trip to Hollywood.

“I put my own little twist on it. I like to put my own pop riffs,” she said.

Pearlstein credits her musical theater acting at Herricks High with expanding the range of her vocal expression.

“Every show you do, you learn lessons from it. Every character has a different voice and you find different things to put in your music,” Pearlstein said.

She had a flirtatious interlude with Aerosmith’s Steve Tyler on “Idol.” But she’s not sure whether the performance that was recently videotaped on the west coast will make it to prime time. She knows what the outcome was – but she’s not saying. But she said she has thoroughly enjoyed the experience so far.

“I’ve never been exposed to the feeling of immediate success,” Pearlstein said. ” ‘American Idol’ is this thing where you can go from nothing to something is unbelievable.”

Pearlstein studying musical theater at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and auditioning for shows .

“I audition for shows all the time and sometimes you get the part and sometimes you don’t. And you wonder, did I pick the hardest work in the universe?,” she said.

But Pearlstein caught a break recently, landing a part in “The Great American Trailer Park Musical” which will open at the Montgomery Theater on Feb. 3 and then move to the Arden Theater this summer.

Her parents, Alan and Shelly, have supported her career choice.

“As a parent of someone going into this, it’s not an easy feeling,” her father said. “But through the years, she’s been very good. You have to follow your dreams.”

Daniel Warner, a senior linebacker at Great Neck South High School, has been nominated as a Old Spice Player of the Year finalist.

The mission of the Old Spice program is to motivate, inspire and recognize varsity high school football players who show outstanding athletic performance, strong leadership, and the will to win on and off the field.

Warner was excited to learn of his nomination when contacted by Blank Slate Media on Monday.

“I think it’s great. I’m glad to represent my school and be recognized for my ability,” said Warner, a 210-pound senior linebacker who lives in Great Neck Estates.

Warner said his style of play is patterned after all-pro linebacker Brian Urlacher of the Chicago Bears who always tries to motivate others around him to do better.

“He tries to be the heart of the defense,” said Warner. “I try to do that too.”

An all-conference football player in his junior year and a player in the Nassau County All-Star game in November, Warner also plays lacrosse and basketball at Great Neck South.

Warner, nominated by Great Neck South football coach Mike Passuello, will receive a certificate to acknowledge his accomplishment but possibly much more.

As a result of this achievement, Warner is now among a select group of players across the nation who are eligible to be honored in a full-page feature story in the USA Today later this year listing the top 50 Old Spice players nationwide.

“For the tenth straight year, Old Spice is recognizing high school football players who go above and beyond the call of duty,” according to a company press release. “The program honors athletes who are able to elevate their play and step up when the heat is really on.”

After graduation in June, Warner said will not make football a priority, but his time spent on the football field will help him succeed in college where he plans on pursuing a career in the medical field.

“I think the time and energy invested in it will play out in academics,” he said.

The Old Spice Player of the Year program is nationally sponsored by Proctor & Gamble, the makers of Old Spice Deodorant.

Reach reporter Rich Jacques by e-mail at rjacques@archive.theisland360.com or by phone at 516.307.1045 x203. Follow Rich Jacques on Twitter at twitter.com/richjacques.

The Kensington Board of Trustees unanimously passed a $3.3 million budget last week for 2011 that includes no cost increases to local residents.

But the regularly scheduled meeting was dominated by residents’ concerns over rising costs and board criticism of neighboring villages and Nassau County regarding security, snow removal and traffic.

Village of Kensington Mayor Susan Lopatkin at one point implied that the Village of Kensington did a better job than Great Neck Plaza in removing snow and, at another, suggested that Kings Points residents move to Kensington if they wanted improved police protection.

“I have friends in Kings Point who have been livid at what they perceive to be the lack of attention given by their police department and their local officials on what’s happening in that community … they should move here,” said Lopatkin.

Village Trustee Greg Keller at another point contended that morale was better in the Village of Kensington Police force than Great Neck Estates.

The officials’ criticism of the other municipalities followed their announcement that Kensington has kept costs at the same levels as 2010 despite higher costs.

“When we finished sharpening our pencils, the amount of money that we need to raise from taxes in this village has basically not changed because we were able to look at things very closely and make adjustments and changes were we needed to.”

But Lopatkin warned that residents could see some changes in taxes based on county assessments which affect village rates.

“If your assessment went down more than your neighbor’s, then your taxes will go down in the village and your neighbors’ taxes will go up – and vice versa,” said Lopatkin. According to the mayor, the total village tax value is down 8 percent for 2011.

Board members focused particularly on the mounting cost of funding the village’s six-member police squad – budgeted at more than $1 million for 2011.

Keller said police will remain the largest element of the village’s budget and expenditures will continue to increase to fund it.

“There is no question about it, it is a very highly paid police force,” said Keller, speaking about contract negotiations between the village and police expected to take place in about a year.

“How much money can we save on negotiating their salaries down or limiting the upside of their salaries and what does that going do to the quality of the service that we get?” he asked.

To justify the need and high costs associated with maintaining a police force, Keller compared police in Kensington to those in a nearby village.

In Great Neck Estates, Keller said, the relationship between residents and government with police is not nearly as good as in Kensington, and police there are not “paid as well.” He also said the morale in Great Neck Estates is “not nearly as good” as in Kensington.

Serving 325 homes and about 1,200 people, Kensington police will make an average of $164,769 this year, according to the 2011 village budget. The village will also pay police $257,487 for state-mandated retirement – an increase of 33 percent more than last year.

Keller said most costs associated with village police are driven by Nassau County’s “outrageous” rates.

“It makes our negotiations with this police force very difficult,” Keller said.

Even if the village were served by the Nassau County Police Department, it would not save much money, according to Keller.

“We would have to pay them a significant amount of money to provide the police service that we already have,” he said.

Brian Nevin, Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano’s senior policy advisor, questioned Keller’s contention when asked for comment following the meeting.

According to Nevin, village residents might actually pay less by switching to county police services.

“We ran one village and the average household would save approximately $1000 per year,” said Nevin, in a statement to Blank Slate Media.

Board members and residents also focused on unfunded pension liabilities got a lot of discussion.

“If it keeps on going that way, the village tax will be more than the school tax,” said longtime Kensington resident Alan Schlesinger, concerned that the identity of the village is being “dismantled” with the rising security costs.

“I don’t know what we can do, but clearly carrying a gun in Kensington is not as dangerous as being someplace in Hempstaed,” he said. “It may get to the point down the road where we stop being a village.”

Some praised Kensington’s recent snow removal efforts while criticizing efforts in Great Neck Plaza.

“They certainly didn’t put too much effort into their snow,” said one unidentified resident at the meeting. “With all their money do you think that at night they couldn’t have gotten a plow to clear up the streets?”

Lopatkin said the resident could write a letter to Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celender regarding plow efforts.

“All I can say was our snow was removed,” said Lopatkin.

Keller said Kensington’s streets are typically plowed better than those in Great Neck Plaza.

“Even 10 years ago you could drive anywhere in our village, then when you hit Great Neck Plaza and you couldn’t go anywhere,” he said.

Despite a string of unsolved break-ins that has apparently left some residents on edge in Kings Point and Great Neck Village, Kensington’s security initiatives are working, according to Lopatkin.

“I spoke to our police about what we should be doing here,” said the mayor. “The answer I got is we are known for having very frequent patrols on an irregular basis and that’s the hallmark of our ability to be protected.”

Officials from the villages of Great Neck Plaza, Great Neck Estates and Kings Point did not respond to a request for comment by Blank Slate Media.

Reach reporter Rich Jacques by e-mail at rjacques@archive.theisland360.com or by phone at 516.307.1045 x203. Follow Rich Jacques on Twitter at twitter.com/richjacques.

Mineola resident Rodger O’Gara only plays the Mega Millions lottery game when the jackpot gets big.

That’s what the retired New York Police Department sergeant said after he hit it big last week – winning $250,000 as one of 11 second place prize winners in the near-record Jan. 4 Mega Millions jackpot drawing.

“This is a big enough jackpot for me,” O’Gara said.

O’Gara, 45, bought his Quick Pick on impulse at Mineola Card & Smoke on Jericho Turnpike in Mineola – and it proved to be his best impulse buy of the new year.

“I was just getting a slice of pizza and ran into a friend. I saw he had lottery tickets in his hand so I headed next door to buy a few for myself,” O’Gara said.

He later checked his numbers on the results board at a gas station and said he “couldn’t believe it.”

He went and had the retailer at the store where he bought the ticket scan it just to make sure.

“The clerk told me I should get that ticket home safe because I had a big winner,” O’Gara said.

A married father of two, O’Gara said he plans to use the lottery windfall to pay and, “Pay for college for the kids.”

It was the 17th century playwright William Congreve who wrote that “Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast, to soften rocks or bend the knotted oak.”

It’s also a way to soften the impact of the post-holiday blues, when the next major American celebration is Super Bowl Sunday in early February. Meanwhile, there are plenty of Long Island concert venues to choose from with a diverse range of musical genres to offering opportunities to shake those blues.

Versatile young pop vocalist Diane Birch will perform at The Landmark on Main Street in Port Washington on Jan. 22. The singer-songwriter, who was raised in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Australia and Oregon, has toured with Joan Armatrading and performed at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Texas. Her vocals on her debut solo album “Bible Belt” demonstrate an expressive range in a mix of song styles that make her make her approach to song-writing difficult to define. She’ll be backed by a band of veteran musicians in the Saturday night concert where WFUV’s John Platt will preside as host.

Tickets can be purchase on The Landmark’s Web site at www.landmarkonmainstreet.org or by calling the box office at 516-767-6444.

The NYCB Theatre at Westbury – formerly the Westbury Theatre – has a slate of age-defying rock and pop groups over the next two months tailored to the tastes of baby boomers.

On Jan. 29, headbangers will welcome the appearance of the Edgar Winter Band, a hard blues rock band that still keeps kicking after all these years. Edgar Winter actually has a new album release called “Rebel Road,” evoking the territory it staked out as one of many rock groups that claimed the blues as its roots and fused that genre into the rock format.

On Feb. 12, the Temptations – a contemporary incarnation of the classic Motown vocal quintet – rolls into Westbury. You won’t see any of the original members of the group onstage. But the current generation of The Temptations still hearkens back to the hit tunes that put the group at the top of the charts with classics such as “My Girl,” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “Cloud Nine,” and “I Can’t Get Next to You.”

Blood, Sweat & Tears, a ground-breaking jazz/rock fusion group from the late ‘60s will open a double bill for Dave Mason, a rock veteran of that era, on Feb. 19.

Blood, Sweat & Tears was renowned for its exceptional horn section, which gave the band a unique sound at the time it started making its mark in Greenwich Village clubs before the band made it to the concert circuit playing larger venues. It borrowed material from the American jazz songbook, recording a fine rendition of “God Bless the Child,” a tune that had been popularized by the late jazz vocal legend Billie Holiday.

Dave Mason fits into the category of contemplative rock, with tunes like “We Just Disagree” and “Sad and Deep as You.” His also built his reputation during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, when he typically toured college campuses and larger concert halls.

Aaron Lewis, whose anguished vocals have defined the country rock band Staind, makes a solo appearance in Westbury on Feb. 20. Lewis projects the musical persona of a latter day Hank Williams and fans of the band will probably find an acoustic performance by him an intriguing variation on his musical themes.

Pop singer Clay Aiken of American Idol fame brings his “Tried and True” tour into town on Feb. 26, promoting his recent album release of the same name. It includes en eclectic mix of pop songs, from “It’s Impossible,” a ballad first recorded by the late Perry Como, to the Four Seasons’ hit “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and pop standards “Misty” and “What Kind of Fool Am I?”.

For those planning beyond the bleak edge of winter, Irish tenors Ronan Tynan and Andy Cooney will be in Westbury for a St. Patrick’s Day concert.

Tickets for the NYCB Theatre at Westbury can be purchase online at LiveNation.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000.

Fans of contemporary country music fans can catch Rascal Flatts with special guests Luke Brian and Chris Young at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Feb. 25. Cranking out hits like “These Days,” “Bless the Broken Road,” “What Hurts the Most” and “Take Me There” over the past decade, the trio is pumping up the volume for its latest release, “Nothing Like This,” featuring the country harmonies that have vaulted them to the top of the country charts.

Elvis Presley fans can belatedly observe the early January anniversary of his birth by attending the 17th annual iteration of “The Elvis Show” at the YMCA Boulton Center on Main Street in Bay Shore on Jan. 29. This celebration of the rock ‘n roll king’s repertoire will feature 40 performers, including Caroline Doctorow, The Lone Sharks, Bossa Nova Beatnicks and Joe Rock.

Information about the show is available at boultoncenter.org or by calling 631-969-1101.

Sen. Martins has told this paper that the incumbent state senator, Craig Johnson, whom he defeated after a lengthy court battle, has not reached out to help with the transition. Johnson, or at least a senior staff member, should have been briefing the new senator about important issues in the district, including financial and other commitments.

So far, says Martin, he hasn’t gotten a single call from Johnson or his team. If that’s true, it’s incredibly juvenile. For the sake of the district, Johnson should reach out to Martins and offer his assistance. That’s how a democracy works.

Blank Slate Media Editorial

The House of Representatives in Washington recently passed legislation reducing members office budgets by $35 million dollars or 5 percent.

This symbolic effort has little impact on our $14 trillion long-term debt, though it does set an example for others to follow. If the proposed new budget for Federal Fiscal Year 2011 was returned to 2008 spending levels and combined with a 5 percent across the board department by department cut, – we would save hundreds of billions.

The vote cut across party lines with 410 in favor and only 13 opposed.

How disappointing to learn that our Congress member Gary Ackerman was one of the greedy 13 voting no. Ackerman refused to go along with the rest of Long Island and virtually all of the New York City congressional delegation in supporting this legislation. Ackerman continues to believe that he deserves both his pay and that of his staff for all the great work they do representing constituents. Regardless of a public official’s party affiliation, voters are entitled to constituent services. Taxpayers are paying for district offices and staff to provide this basic function. Can anyone identify any other local elected official who does any less than Ackerman?

Perhaps Ackerman forgot that both he and his staff were not drafted for their jobs. If he or any of his staff don’t like their respective work-place conditions, they are free to resign and move on. He should allow his constituents to show him the door on the way out. Ackerman voted for several trillion dollars worth of stimulus, various bail out proposals and other increases in spending under President Obama.

Combined, they have contributed to increasing our long term deficit by $3 trillion dollars from $11 to $14 trillion today. These expenditures violated commitments by President Obama, former Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congressmember Ackerman to approve only “Pay As You Go” spending.

Today, despite all of these expenditures, almost 10 percent of Ackerman’s constituents, including my wife, are still looking for work.

Ackerman’s constituents don’t share many of the perks that members of Congress and their staff take for granted. Federal civil servants have accepted wage freezes. They can’t accept meals, gifts or trips from lobbyists and vendors. They aren’t allowed to accumulate frequent flyer mileage traveling first class or on military jets for so called “fact-finding” missions around the world, commonly known as “junkets”. Government employee jobs are legally classified as full time unlike public officials who are classified as “part time.”

This affords members of Congress far more opportunities to double dip and hold down second jobs. On average, members of Congress earn twice the salary of constituents they represent. Everyone knows about the hours, salaries and perks that members of Congress enjoy. This also includes staff to chauffeur them around Washington and in their home districts. Many members of Congress retire and relocate to the infamous K Street becoming lobbyists. Most retiring members of Congress have “golden” parachutes” and go on to enjoy the good life. I’m not aware of any former Congress members having problems meeting household bills or collecting food stamps.

Why doesn’t Ackerman support adopting 2008 spending levels in 2011 funding bills for all Federal agencies. Any exempted proposed increases in spending or reduction in taxes should be covered by “Pay as You Go” financing. Ackerman should insist that the IRS accelerate the collection of billions in uncollected back taxes owed by deadbeat individuals and corporations along with suspending billions in future tax refunds to those who continue failing to pay long overdue taxes or student loans. Everyone needs to do their fair share in bringing the budget deficit under control.

Ackerman has grown far too comfortable enjoying the perks of public office. He has not had to break a sweat triumphing over GOP challengers during the past decades.

Former Republican state Senators Frank Padavan (Queens), the late Michael Tully and Michael Balboni (Nassau) along with previous Town of North Hempstead supervisors or local state Assembly members whose districts overlapped never stepped up to the plate to challenge Ackerman.

Any one of them would have started off with significant name recognition and perhaps the ability to raise a million dollars. You need $1 million to fund weekly media buys, phone banks and numerous direct mail to compete against incumbents. Those already holding public office have perks such as pork barrel member item spending and numerous taxpayer funded district mailings.

Lucky for Ackerman, Republicans have consistently run unknown second- or third-tier candidates with no name recognition or funding to be competitive. As a result, Ackerman has been free to continue taking arrogant stands as opposed to mainstream middle of the road positions during his term in office. Ackerman appears to have a limited understanding of how many constituents are out of work or working two jobs. They have to survive on far less than he does.

The last Republican Congressmember from Queens was Seymour Halperin who after the 1972 reapportionment declined to run against Democrat Lester Wolff of Great Neck, when both were merged into one Queens/Nassau district. In 1982, GOP Congressmember John LeBoutellier briefly recaptured this seat for one term. The 5th Congressional District has been gerrymandered with the help of Democratic Assembly speakers.

This includes Sheldon Silver who will surely draw up favorable district lines under the 2010 reapportionment. This will continue insuring Ackerman has a job for life. An honest district would primarily contain all of Town of North Hempstead, staying within Nassau County, as opposed to wandering into significant parts of neighboring Queens.

Larry Penner

Great Neck

WARNING: The contents of this letter include facts and figures about the Village of Great Neck Plaza. All politically sensitive charlatans are warned to be suspicious of such details and steer clear of all facts.

Since the last issue of the News was void of many details, I thought I would take the liberty of filling in where the “Plaza Unveils 2011 Budget” article left off. The article didn’t mention that concerns were raised by Vigilant firefighters at the budget meeting about the lack of a signed 2010 contract with the fire company, or their unease with the 2011 numbers, which seem to be based on a guesstimate.

The article didn’t mention an inquiry made by the reporter regarding the salaries paid to the mayor and trustees (or the mayor’s public acknowledgement that she was and is unwilling to consider a salary cut during “these…extraordinary times” to ensure a balanced budget).

The article also didn’t mention that when compared to all other villages in the peninsula, as well as other more populated villages in Nassau County such as Mineola (which happens to have 13,000 more residents than the Plaza and a greater number of businesses), the Plaza’s salary structure for politicos is simply excessive. And finally, the article didn’t touch upon the questions I raised about the hidden costs associated with our politicians and why those figures – pension, health insurance, etc. – are not available for public inspection.

Following the meeting and months of questioning, the clerk-treasurer finally released some interesting figures.

In fact, I wonder if state Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel was referring to the information below when she touted “the Jean Team” as “the pinnacle of good local government” in the article “3 Plaza Candidates Kick off GN Campaigns.”

Perhaps Ms. Schimel was touting “the Jean Team” for accepting pension contributions from the village that are 12.8 percent higher than the national average; they receive 15.8 percent per year. Perhaps Ms. Schimel was touting the fact that the village pays health-insurance premiums for the part-time “Jean Team” and their families at an annual cost of $57,372, all while ordinary part-time village employees are not afforded the same benefit. Perhaps Ms. Schimel was touting the fact that as some people in our village (her constituents) are forced to go without health insurance because of the high costs associated with it, our very own politicians who work part-time get it for free.

From a business perspective, I’m impressed that Mayor Celender and Trustees Rosen and Schneiderman have been able to improve their own balance sheets for the businesses they own by managing to squeeze the village taxpayers out of more than $450,000 (an estimate based on 2010 figures) over the last 10 years for their health insurance, not to mention the hundreds of thousands more they collected in the form of a salary.

While none of us should be surprised by the sense of privilege that runs through “the Jean Team,” we should all take note of the incredible way in which they afford themselves such perks at our expense.

Michael S. Glickman

Great Neck

Williston Park Trustee Barbara Alagna is running for election to fill out the term of her seat until 2012.

Alagna declared her intention to run as an Integrity Party candidate with a kick-off party on Jan. 12. She was appointed to the village board of trustees last April to fill a vacancy created when Beth Swensen-Dowd was appointed associate justice for the village.

Before being appointed to the board, Alagna had served as secretary to the mayor, the board of trustee and the zoning board of appeals in Williston Park.

“I enjoyed the first year. I’m learning the process of the dynamics that go into running into the village. I did feel I had a running start with the knowledge I had. But I didn’t realize how intricate it was,” she said.

Alagna said she appreciates Mayor Paul Ehrbar’s relaxed but “focused” style, and said she didn’t want to upset the chemistry of what she thinks is a board of trustees with a good working rapport.

“It’s nice to feel that you’re contributing. I felt that we’re working well together and I didn’t want to upset that balance,” she said.

She said her paramount priority is to examine every line item in the upcoming budget and work to minimize the costs of running the village.

“I am very much interested in keeping the costs of running the village down. I’m looking at every aspect of the budget,” Alagna said. “We’re looking at everything, trying to cut costs wherever we can

I feel that in this day and age we shouldn’t be spending money that we don’t have or spending money us to spend.”

In her first year in office, Alagna has served as board liaison to the Senior Advisory Committee, the newly formed Williston Park Welcoming Committee, Operation Santa and Volunteer Appreciation Night.

She said she is unaware of any opposition to her candidacy at this point.

If elected, her current term will run through this year. That would complete what would have been the four-year term of her predecessor. To maintain her seat on the board, she would have to seek re-election next year. Another seat on the board will be open next year, as Trustee William Darmstadt has already indicated his intention to not seek re-election.

Three Herricks High School seniors have been recognized as semi-finalists in the annual Intel Science Talent Search, with a shot at making the finals of the competition later this month.

The three students – Julie Chang, Neil Pathak and Edward Vargas – were among 15 Herricks High students who submitted the requisite lab research, research papers and essays to apply for the contest.

Vargas’s project was to study the possibilities of being able to identify brains that exhibited the deformed shapes that characterize aspects of brain structure in schizophrenics. He compared two analysis methods in a magnetic resonance imaging tool for shape analysis called Spherical Harmonics-mat.

“Schizophrenia was probably the diseases that interested me most of what they worked with there since there’s so little known about it. Shape analysis seemed very promising for an investigative angle,” Vargas said.

Vargas conducted his research over two months this past summer after undergoing a period of training at the Psychiatry Neuroscience Laboratory in Boston, Mass.

The results showed that one of the Spherical Harmonics-mat formats called Iterative Point Index could successfully detect variations of more or less than two millimeters for protrusions in the brain and variations of more or less than four millimeters in the brain, Vargas wrote in his abstract on the project. He said that it confirmed prior research that indicated the validity of the method as a neuroscience tool.

Renee Barcia, science research teacher at Herricks High, said the students’ research was admirable for its real-world applications. In Vargas’s research, she pointed out that along with detecting signs of schizophrenia, the MRI imaging could aid in early detection of brain tumors.

Vargas said he was “very proud to share the glory with two other Herricks students.”

“It feels really surreal. I never thought I’d get this far,” said Julie Chang, who worked on comparative ultrasound methods to evaluate osteoporosis.

She and Pathak estimated that they had logged 40 to 50 hours per week in conducting their research as Simons Fellows last summer at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Stony Brook University. That was the same routine that Vargas said he maintained in Boston.

“It feels like our hard work paid off,” said Pathak, who added that he was “humbly proud” of the accomplishment.

Pathack studied the effectiveness of using single-walled carbon nanotubes – tiny microscopic structures – for precisely targeted chemotherapy and radiothermal therapy to destroy cancer cells. A specialized form of fluorescent microscopy was used to evaluate the impact of the nanotube delivery system in attaching the therapeutic substances to the biotin receptors on the surface of cancer cells.

His objective was “to create time-efficient delivery system, and his research indicated the novel drug delivery system of the nanotubes could be effective, based on three combinations of chemicals he used in the lab work.

Ultimately, Pathak, who will be attending Yale University next year, is aiming for a career as a doctor, either as a physician or as a researcher. His father, Naveen, and his mother, Isha, are both internists.

Vargas, who has been accepted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said he aspires to work in research. His mother, Yvanka Pachas, is a psychiatrist.

Chang is considering a career in bioengineering or biotechnology. Her parents, Lisa and Joe are both physical therapists.

Chang’s project explored the potential for quantitative ultrasound treatment as an alternative to X-ray treatment. Its potential is not well understood because knowledge about the behavior of ultrasound waves is lacking. She used qualitative ultrasound machine to measure the effects of broadband ultrasound attentuate and ultrasound velocity as methods to evaluate the structural properties of bone. Her research showed that understanding the interaction of qualitative ultrasound with bone will enable clearer interpretation of results from that technology for more effective diagnosis of osteoporosis.

“I compressed the bone to test their strength,” she explained.

Apart from her scientific interests, Chang is an accomplished young musician who plays violin in the Herricks High School Chamber Orchestra. She’s also been playing piano as long as she’s been taking violin lessons, since she was five years old.

Pathak plays tennis and said he has a strong interest in writing. He is currently editor-in-chief of the Herricks High School student newspaper, the Highlander.

In his spare time, Vargas said he enjoys reading philosophy, but doesn’t favor any particular philosophers.

“I think it’s always good to keep a healthy balance,” he said, adding that it’s a good way to get a broader perspective on things.

All three said they were cramming to meet their respective research papers cooperatively as the deadline loomed, and the sense of camaraderie between the three was evident as they spoke about that experience.

Now they’re playing a waiting game to see if they get to the finals. “You never know. We could get lucky,” said Vargas.

All three agreed that the Herricks High School science research program gave them a good grounding for their Intel lab projects.

“It’s outstanding work,” Bracia said, adding that the three had conducted graduate school level research. “They’re motivated, talented, dedicated science students who’ve been able to take on challenging work. They’ve fulfilled their potential.”