LIuncoverednews

                                                                                   George Santos This blog tries to write news that is not covered by other media: Hence the name: Liuncoverednews. But finding something new to write about Congressman-Elect George Santos is hard. It seems that every news outlet in the nation is now writing about every aspect of the strange Republican's life since the New York Times revealed two weeks ago that Santos' public resume is filled with lies and misrepresentations. It's not even certain where he lives. Queens? Huntington? It was obvious to old-timers in the news business that the New York Times story was an orchestrated political hit against a member of the slim new Republican majority U.S. House. Otherwise, why didn't the Times --  or nearly anyone else -- report Santos suspect background before the election? Only two small weekly chains in the North Shore Nassau Congressional Third District hit Santos about his questionable pas

                                                                              Nassau Legislature today as police officers are honored. Josh Lafazan seat, second chair from the far right,  is empty. Democratic Legis. Josh Lafazan of Woodbury earns $81,125 from Nassau County. In two weeks, his salary jumps to $84,370. Pretty good pay for a part-time job. Yet Lafazan seldom shows up for his official county duties, such as attending county legislative sessions, even though they are generally held only twice a month. While he was running unsuccessfully for Congress this year, Lafazan was nowhere to be seen at the meetings as he attended "remotely"  because of the coronavirus pandemic. Oddly, Covid-19 didn't prevent him from appearing in person at news conferences or other events, even events he hosted in legislative offices, according to his own social media posts. Today, Lafazan held a 10:30 a.m. news conference at the legislature to call on Republicans to cut red light came

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Political branding is back. Notice how prominent Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman's name is on the county sign for Christopher Morley Park in Roslyn. Remember when Democrat Laura Curran took her name off of some 70 county signs after she was first took office in 2018? The drive to remove elected officials' names on county signs hit its heyday back then.  It had been a long-standing practice for politicians to put their names on all county signs and other public property. Former Republican County Executive Ed Mangano even had his name printed on the small pencils used to score golf games at Eisenhower Park. But for a short while, good government types questioned the practice. Here's what what Curran told Newsday in 20

                                                                             Paolo Pironi Josh Lafazan It may still be 2022 but the 2023 county election campaign has begun. Last week, Republican Paolo Pironi, a businessman who came close to beating incumbent Legis. Joshua Lafazan of Woodbury last year, announced he is back in the race for the 18th legislative seat. And he demanded that Lafazan, who switched his voter registration from non-affiliated to Democrat before he ran unsuccessfully for Congress this year, give back the tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations he received from a PAC bankrolled by former cryptocurrency king Sam Bankman-Fried. Bankman-Fried, head of the now bankrupt FTX cryptocurrency exchange, was arrested last week and charged with swindling $8 billion dollars from investors while fraudulently diverting the money for personal use and illlegal campaign contributions, mostly to Democrats. Bankman-Fried and fellow FTX executives poured at least $70 millli

                                                    Nassau Legislature Payroll                                      At least one Nassau County legislator -- Democrat Arnold Drucker of Plainview  -- contends that Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman should not have taken his ordinance-ordered salary increase this year along with retroactive pay hikes turned down by his Democratic predecessor. "We don’t need to increase salaries at a time when taxpayers and residents need relief from the county," Drucker told Newsday. "That should come in the form of a tax reduction, not a salary boost.”  Arnold Drucker But Drucker and his legislative colleagues had no problem taking their ordinance-ordered pay increases this year and will take a four-percent hike next year. See the chart above, prepared for the legislature. What's that saying? Rules for thee but not for me. A spokesman for Drucker did not return a request for comment. The legislature approved pay hikes for

                                                                                  To mask or not to mask? A salient factor was missing from the news coverage yesterday of the mask mandate controversy at Nassau Community College. And it has nothing to do with health or prevention of the Covid-19 coronavirus: There is a proposed collective bargaining agreement for a new college administrators union  pending before the Republican-controlled Nassau legislature, which is expected to vote on it in two weeks. Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman submitted the deal for approval in November.  That is prelude to the mask controvers, which began -- and ended -- yesterday. To recap: A school administrator around noon on Friday announced that Nassau Community College would require masks to be worn indoors by students and visitors because of a spike in coronavirus infections as well as increases in other respiratory infections, including the flu. A few hours later, the school rescinded the or

                                                                                Atlantic Beach Bridge As of September there was a new majority on the five-member board of the Atlantic Beach Bridge Authority, appointed by new Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman. And now, for the first time since 2007,  there are increases in the tolls to cross the lengthy drawbridge that crosses the Reynolds Channel, connecting the Nassau Expressway in Lawrence to Park Street in Atlantic Beach. The toll bridge is one of only three ways to drive off and onto the Long Beach island.  A press release from the authority doesn't say when the board voted to raise the tolls or what the vote was. But it does say the toll for passenger cars will go up 50 percent on Jan. 1,  from $2 to $3. After the planned roll-out of EZ pass in mid-2023, the toll for passenger vehicles registered outside Nassau County, such as New York City, will go up 100 percent; from $2 to $4. while the toll for most other vehicles