norma flunks comparative religion 101
there are at least two reputable easter subdays and when nassau otb is open people bet and
people work or not as they wish or not
new york state treats bettors as nassau county bleeds taxpayers. the vig is too high and the overhead is not worth its price and exhibits an arrogant and entitled attitude
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
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.
Majority Republicans on the Nassau County Legislature have decided to back the most hotly debated fee hike in County Executive Edward Mangano’s 2017 budget: a $105 surcharge on all traffic and parking tickets to pay for new police officers.
Republicans late Monday filed amendments to Mangano’s $2.9 billion budget, which would raise $82.5 million in new and increased fees — $66 million from the new “public safety fee.” Property tax rates remain flat.
The amendments eliminate a proposed $2 million chargeback to towns and cities for election costs and hikes in alarm permit and mortgage recording fees, which were expected to raise nearly $7 million.
To make up for the lost revenue, the GOP proposes reducing “overestimated” debt service and social services costs. Lawmakers will meet Monday to vote on the amendments and the overall 2017 spending plan.
Political analysts say Mangano, a Republican, may find it tougher to achieve his agenda after federal corruption charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, fraud and obstruction were filed against him last week. Mangano has pleaded not guilty.
The $105 ticket surcharge, however, will not be a casualty.
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While the fee has generated public complaints, lawmakers heeded the administration’s warnings that killing it would leave the county with no real alternative to fund the hiring of 150 new police officers and 81 civilian police department employees.
Acting police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter testified at budget hearings that public safety would be “impaired” and community policing and investigative units would be slashed without the fee.
“We were faced with a difficult decision, and we realized that making a tough choice is better for Nassau’s residents than making no choice,” said presiding officer Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow).
She criticized legislative Democrats for offering no budget amendments, although in previous years the minority’s bills rarely gained Republican support.
Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams (D-Freeport) said it would have been “futile” to file amendments.
“Frankly, County Executive Mangano’s 2017 proposed budget is too broke to be salvaged with simple amendments,” Abrahams said. He called on Gonsalves to reject the public safety fee, calling it an “illegal tax.”
Asked about lawmakers’ retention of the ticket fee, Mangano’s finance deputy Eric Naughton said: “The legislature continues to work with the administration to strengthen Nassau’s finances while freezing property taxes, intensifying police resources and maintaining quality of life services for residents.”
Upon legislative approval, the county’s state fiscal control board, the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, must vote on the budget. A spokesman for NIFA chairman Adam Barsky declined to comment Tuesday.
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