Curran mocks Blakeman, while his name gets even bigger at Eisenhower Park

                                                                                


  

Former Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, a Baldwin Democrat defeated by Republican Bruce Blakeman, has not taken many public digs at her successor since losing her bid for re-election in 2021.

Instead, she has been busy appearing as a political commentator on various television and radio shows.

But apparently Curran couldn't help but mock the mistake in Blakeman's letter to Stuart Markus, organizer of a tribute concert to the late Harry Chapin, a musician who founded Long Island's food bank, "Long Island Cares." 

Blakeman accused the organizers of playing politics after they complained about the large Blakeman signs overpowering the sign for the Harry Chapin Lakeside Theater in county-owned Eisenhower Park. Newsday posted the Blakeman letter on its website today along with a story about the dispute.

Chapin, a Huntington Bay resident, died on July 16, 1981, in a car crash on the Long Island Expressway on his way to the Lakeside Theater at Eisenhower Park. A month after his death, parks officials named the theater in Chapin's honor, Newsday explained. 

In his letter, Blakeman says, "The fact that you would suggest I am using Harry Chapin's name to promote myself is ludacris and incredibly arrogant on your part."

Curran circled "ludacris" and tweets that the correct spelling is ludicrous. "Not to be confused with the rapper."

Ludacris (from Wikipedia)


Curran, by the way, removed county official names from some 70 county signs when she took office, saying the parks and public buildings  belong to the taxpayers, not to elected officials.

Politicians, primarily Republicans, had posted their names on parks and public property signs for years. 

As soon as Curran left office, Blakeman put his name on county signs.

But it appears he has enlarged his already large signs.

In July, several readers of this blog and Newsday readers complained about the large Blakeman signs in Eisenhower Park. In Newsday's Letters to the Editor on July 8, one reader complained that a sign at the Harry Chapin theater on July 4 that displayed Blakeman's name was longer than the American flag. Another reader complained about five signs "proclaiming Bruce A. Blakeman as county executive, including one exceedingly large banner extending over two-thirds of the stage,"

Newsday included this photo with their letters:

From Newsday, July 8, 2023. Credit Howard Schnapp

A reader of this blog sent his photo from the county's production of Rent. It may be difficult to see but Blakeman's name is between the Harry Chapin sign and the Rent sign.

That was in July.

Now look at the Harry Chapin theatre signs now (from Newsday).

From Newsday Aug. 26, 2023 (credit Howard Schnapp)


 


Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 27, 2023 at 11:21 AM

    Suozzi started this trend. He put his name on everything, (including the theatre) and even had his face made in bronze and put on the 9/11 memorial

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousAugust 28, 2023 at 8:53 PM

    spelling isn't his forte, unless its his name on a sign!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousAugust 29, 2023 at 4:47 PM

    Much ado about nothing!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CSEA retirees file suit to stop new contract insurance change (Updated)

Image
Civil Service Employee Association retirees today were in court attempting to stop a change in health insurance included in a new union contract scheduled to take effect Jan.1. The "Nassau Retirees Legal Fund" and eight other CSEA employees argue in a class action lawsuit filed today against Nassau and County Executive Bruce Blakeman in Nassau Supreme Court that they face  " imminent and irreparable medical, emotional, and financial harm because the County intends to deprive them of promised health benefits in 2024." The new contract negotiated between the union and Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman and ratified by members in August changes the health insurance from New York's Empire plan -- which provides platinum coverage -- to the New York Excelsior plan. The Excelsior plan is more costly for union members but less expensive for the county.  Update:  The state, meanwhile, has increased rates for the Excelsior plan -- in come cases by more than 40 pe
Read more

Nassau CSEA contract deal -- talk of the county for two days -- finally announced (UPDATED)

Image
Talk around Nassau County for the past two days has been that Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman had struck a new labor agreement, signed Monday, with the county's largest union, the Nassau Civil Service Employees Association. The CSEA, which include most non-law enforcement county employees, has been working without a contract since the end of 2017. As of June, there were 3,359 fulltime CSEA members. An announcement went out late today but it didn't say much: A spokesman for Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman did not respond to an email today asking when the CSEA deal would be announced. Everyone is looking at the CSEA because exempt employees -- county workers who are hired and fired at will -- traditionally are given the same benefits as the union members. But the exempts are not happy with some of the rumors about the agreement: one is that the CSEA will take a lesser health insurance plan in return for an upfront payment, perhaps of $1,500, for each member.
Read more

Eisenhower Park restaurant to be run by D'Amato client

Image
                                                                                A Manhasset group with ties to the food service business has won its bid to run a county-owned restaurant, cigar club, and golf concessions in Eisenhower Park,  replacing longtime operator Anthony Capetola. Capetola, a colorful Republican lawyer, has operated Carltun on the Park since 1995 through various license agreements and extensions under four different county executives, Republican and Democrat. But the county selected EGB Hospitality LLC of Manhasset from two proposals for a new 15-year operating license that begins this fall, with another five-year option, according to the deal submitted to the county legislature for approval on Monday. Lawyer Elias Trahanas, of Great Neck appears to be the lead principal in the five-member EGH group, along with his brother Bobby.  EGB Management Team Both Elias and Bobby trace their food service roots to the family-operated Golden Reef Diner in Rockville Centre, s
Read more