I am an employee of Nassau OTB, a New York public benefit corporation, that closes on Roman Catholic Easter Sunday and Palm Sunday in preference to the same holy days observed by members of the Eastern Orthodox Church on different Sundays. NY Const Art 1, Sec 3 precludes the State of New York from such religious preference. I am not a Christian and believe that people should be able to freely choose their days of work, prayer and/or betting on horses at Nassau OTB, a public benefit corporation. The New York State Lottery is open every day of the year and the slot machines in NY are open every day of the year. I would like to be able to work on days that others may observe as days of prayer. I acknowledge that the US is a Christian nation and the only religious holiday on the US federal calendar is Christmas.
Would the Church express its opinion on this matter to its member Governor Andrew Cuomo who is my Governor and charged with seeing that the laws of the State of NY are "faithfully" executed?
My contact information is set forth below along with a background article. More background material is available upon request.
Sincerely yours,
Nassau OTB Cashier
> 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.
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
even in Shelter Cove, California.
George Maragos joins the crusade and goes straight to to the top, can't get no higher, to see that Nassau OTB, a public benefit corporation, is open on Roman Catholic Palm Sunday and Easters in 2015 and forevermore.
Pope Francis' emissary to the US cannot express an opinion on retroactive raises, but he can tell the faithful what Rome has to say about religious preference and keeping people from doing as they please in NY as a matter of Vatican Law which outranks Republican and Democratic Party Leaders?
Nassau County Comptroller George
Maragos seen on Oct. 8, 2014. Photo Credit: Howard
Schnapp
Maragos, a Republican, moved to recoup more than $30,000 in retroactive raises already paid to five election board workers, who have close ties to top county Republican leaders. He also refused to grant similar retroactive raises to five Democratic appointees.
On Monday, the comptroller mailed certified letters to the five Republicans, whose pay hikes ranged from $3,000 a year to nearly $40,000 annually, saying that because of a "clerical error" his office had approved raises retroactive to July 1.
Data2014 Nassau County raisesDataSearch payroll data on Long Island After the county's financial control board lifted a three-year wage freeze last summer, Maragos had warned that he would not approve retroactive raises for appointees.
Maragos noted in his letters that outside legal counsel had found the state constitution bars retroactive wage increases to appointees as illegal gifts of public money. He directed the five to return the overpayments in a lump sum or in installments.
The letters went to:
Joseph V. Ra, son of Hempstead Town Attorney and Franklin Square Republican leader Joseph Ra. The younger Ra got a $10,000 raise as he was promoted from a $96,328 chief election officer to a $106,238-a-year deputy clerk.
Diane Alleyn, longtime secretary and assistant to Joseph Cairo[PRESIDENT OF NASSAU OTB], the North Valley Stream Republican leader who is Mondello's top lieutenant in the county party. Alleyn, an administrative aide, received a $5,000 raise to $120,409.
Nancy Staab, secretary and assistant to Republican Elections Commissioner Louis Savinetti, received a $7,500 increase as she was promoted from administrative assistant to the $66,566-a-year Republican manager of accounts and special reports.
Administrative aide Wanda Foss, wife of a top Mondello committeemen in his West Levittown Republican club, who received a $3,000 raise, to $78,000 annually.
Foss declined to comment. The other four could not be reached.
Republican Elections Board counsel John Ryan said he will fight Maragos' directive. Ryan said the state constitution gives election commissioners sole discretion on how to spend their approved budgets.
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