Freeport mayor claims Obama 'supports' him
Photo credit: Chris Ware | Freeport Mayor Andrew Hardwick. (July 10, 2012)
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At the center of the debate is a campaign flier put out by incumbent Mayor Andrew Hardwick that superimposes his photo on a larger image of Obama, with the headline: "President Obama supports Mayor Hardwick."
The White House referred questions about the flier's claim of support to the Democratic National Committee. DNC spokesman Patrick Burgwinkle responded emphatically yesterday: "Mayor Hardwick has not been endorsed by the president."
Dan Taylor, a Hardwick spokesman, initially told Newsday that Obama had "endorsed" the mayor, but later said he meant to say "supports" as stated on the flier. "The flier says everything," he said.
Hardwick said in a statement that he had called the White House for help at some point after superstorm Sandy devastated Freeport and talked to one of Obama's aides.
Later that day, Hardwick said, he received a call back from an unnamed presidential aide "who advised that President Obama supports the mayor and with that would send the head administrator of FEMA to Freeport to meet with him."
A day later, Hardwick said, he met with William Craig Fugate, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Hardwick, a registered Democrat, is being challenged by trustee Robert Kennedy, also a registered Democrat, who was a member of Hardwick's slate four years ago. Kennedy is running on the "Unity Home Rule" coalition ticket.
Kennedy and other Hardwick critics complain the mayor misused the president's name and assistance for his own political ends.
"The president is supporting everybody who is affected by Sandy, not specifically supporting Andrew Hardwick," Kennedy said. "This is a political ad, not a public service announcement for people who were affected by Sandy."
Robert Zimmerman, Long Island's only Democratic national committeeman, said, "It is absurd to think that President Obama has taken sides in the Village of Freeport mayoral election. It's disgraceful and dishonest for Andrew Hardwick to misuse President Obama's name."Dewey Smalls, who ran against Kennedy in the past but supports him this year, said, "We have a great president. [Hardwick] . . . disrespected the man by saying something like that."
Zimmerman should speak up in defense of NY Const. ARt. 1, Sec. 3 and the rights of New York State Bettors. Apparently Democrats and Republicans agree that they can fix a single holy day and that the Gregorian and Julian Calendars are equal.
The President at least works for a country that fixes only December 25 as a holiday for federal workers.
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.
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