Joseph Creamer should help see that Howard Colton Esq.

gets a Free Opinion from Attorney General Eric Scheiderman so the Greek Bettors of Freeport et al may bet at the Freeport Branch of Nassau OTB any day of the year on their way to the Patio. See NY Const. Art. 1, Sec. 3 and below article from libn.com

 

can you hear me now Freeport Village Attorney Howard Colton. We want you to ask for a FREE OPINION so we can bet ( and then take our winnings to The Patio).

 

HI-

Thanks for the help. The item’s below. I’d be happy to mail you a copy, if you give me a mailing address.

Claude Solnik

(631) 913-4244

Long Island Business News

2150 Smithtown Ave.

Ronkonkoma, NY 11779-7348 

Home > LI Confidential > Stop scratching on holidays

Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012

Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.

 

Restaurant, Freeport battle over noise

Originally published: July 2, 2012 11:27 PM
Updated: July 2, 2012 11:31 PM
By PATRICK WHITTLE  patrick.whittle@newsday.com

Photo credit: Newsday/Danielle Finkelstein | Joseph Creamer said Freeport began unfairly cracking down on his business -- including denying a public assembly license, which he needed to acquire to operate a bar -- after he hosted a June 2011 fundraiser for village trustees William White and Jorge Martinez. (June 28, 2012)

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Joseph Creamer envisioned The Patio as a classic Long Island waterfront bar where patrons could sip drinks by Freeport's docks while listening to live music.
But Creamer's dream has devolved into a feud between the proprietor and village leaders. Creamer said the squall is politically motivated, but village officials say the bar, which opened just over a year ago, simply is a nuisance.
Creamer said the village began unfairly cracking down on his business -- including denying a public assembly license, which he needed to acquire to operate a bar -- after he hosted a June 2011 fundraiser for village trustees William White and Jorge Martinez.

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White and Martinez are opponents of Mayor Andrew Hardwick. Martinez and White both declined to comment, citing a lawsuit Creamer filed.
"The mayor has preached time and time again about economic development," Creamer said. "He is forcing a beautiful, clean, brand-new Freeport business to shut its doors."
But Hardwick and other village officials say The Patio, on South Main Street near a residential neighborhood and a row of marinas about a mile from Freeport's famed Nautical Mile, disturbs the surrounding community because of excessive noise and drunken patrons.
"The bottom line is not everything is a great fit," Hardwick said. "This is not personal; I want everything to be successful, but there's certain things you can't put in a neighborhood."
Freeport officials were granted a temporary restraining order against The Patio that requires the business to shut down by midnight every night.
The village has denied The Patio's ability to host live music.
Creamer must apply for a new assembly license because he is operating his business illegally without one, village attorney Howard Colton said.
"Right now, he shouldn't be operating," Colton said.
Creamer has filed a notice of claim in U.S. District Court in Central Islip that accuses the village of violating his civil rights by interfering with his ability to run his business. Creamer said he is seeking to operate his business without the midnight curfew and to host live music at a reasonable volume.
A lawsuit seeking attorneys' fees and loss of income will likely follow, Creamer said, adding that he has difficulty packing the bar-restaurant because of the curfew and lack of music.
Creamer, of Freeport, said the village has issued him more than a dozen citations, totaling more than $6,000, for operating without a public assembly license.
However, he said, the village has groundlessly denied his applications for the license.
"I want to be afforded the same rights that everyone in this village is allowed," Creamer said. "I don't want to be met with grief and opposition from the village I pay an enormous amount of property taxes to."