Challenger Liuba Grechen Shirley and Rep. Peter King spar in spirited debate about ny pml sec 109, ny const art 1 sec 3, nassau otb & his photo op partner kevin mccaffrey who won local 707 election by slim margin
Claude Solnik
Long Island Business News
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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.
Wofford, a Manhattan attorney, has $400,977 in his campaign account while James, the
New York City public advocate, has $383,808, campaign finance reports show.
New York City public advocate, has $383,808, campaign finance reports show.
Democratic challenger questions King's legislative record and abortion stance while the Seaford Republican credits GOP policies for the strong national economy.
Republican Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) and his Democratic challenger, Liuba Grechen Shirley, at a North Massapequa debate Thursday night. Photo Credit: Danielle Silverman
By Scott Eidlerscott.eidler@newsday.com @ScottyEidz
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) seek to issue treasury bonds tied to federal budget to fund Teamster pension shortfall. (Credit: Newsday / John Asbury)
Rep. Peter King and his Democratic challenger Liuba Grechen Shirley sparred Thursday night on divisive political and social issues in their first televised debate.
Grechen Shirley, 37, a progressive activist from Amityville, touted herself as an economic development expert and said King, a Republican from Seaford, has been in office since she was 12 and had “become complacent.”
King, 74, highlighted his bipartisan record and lengthy tenure as “good experience” to represent the district given his strong advocacy on behalf of Long Islanders and New Yorkers. He listed some of his accomplishments, including securing money to provide health care for 9/11 first responders and superstorm Sandy recovery.
“I don’t know any congressman ever on Long Island who’s done more for his district, more for Long Island, than I have,” King said.
The hourlong Fios-sponsored debate was held at Plainedge High School in North Massapequa.
Grechen Shirley spent much of the debate criticizing King’s record and the policies of President Donald Trump.
“I am not a politician. I’m a Long Islander,” she said. “I have had enough of career politicians and millionaires making really bad decisions for the rest of us. I have fought to make sure that working families have the opportunities that they need to succeed.”
She criticized King for his vote last year to repeal the Affordable Health Care Act and his inability to prevent House Republicans from passing tax cuts that reduced the state and local deduction for property taxes to $10,000.
“I have talked to people who cannot pay their grocery bill and buy their prescription medicine in the same week,” she said. “I know what it’s like to argue with your insurance company.”
King defended his legislative work and credited Republicans for the improving national economy
“I’m proud of my record,” King said. “Many of the things that she complains about, we’ve had eight years of Barack Obama. Right now, the economy’s doing much better.”
The two also clashed on a number of social issues roiling the country.
On abortion, King said he was pro-life and believed the legal reasoning underpinning the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, was flawed.
Grechen Shirley challenged King directly on the issue.
“I would like to know Mr. King,” she said, “why you do not trust women to make the best decisions for our bodies?”
On the handling of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination, which involved allegations of sexual assault against the nominee, King said it was “atrocious and outrageous” for Democrats in the Senate to “presume him guilty before there was any evidence at all.”
He called Democrats hypocritical for caring more about the victims of Trump’s travel ban than the rights of Kavanaugh.
“People … were so worried because people coming in from Sudan were denied their rights to the airport,” King said. “They didn’t give a damn about the rights of Judge Kavanaugh up there.”
The debate was interrupted a number of times, including by outbursts from teachers who told Grechen Shirley they wouldn’t mind being armed; a King supporter who objected to being banned from Grechen Shirley’s Facebook page; and a woman in a pink-knit hat symbolic of women’s issues protesting interruptions against Grechen Shirley.
The two also sparred on the role of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Grechen Shirley said she doesn’t support its abolition but added that there was a part of ICE that “is ripping breast-feeding babies away from their mothers and handcuffing their mothers.”
That part needs reform, she said.
King said that Border Patrol was responsible for taking children from their mothers.
“If you’re going to go to Congress and you want to be dismantling ICE on a false premise, you’re making a terrible mistake, and it will result in blood being spread because of that.”
Scott Eidler covers Nassau County government and politics for Newsday. Scott has worked at Newsday since 2012 and previously covered municipal government and education.
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