Politics & Government

Hempstead Town Notebook: Port Questions Town's Hurricane Clean Up, Town Responds

A weekly look-in at news from around the Town of Hempstead.

Gary Port Challenges Town on Hurricane Clean Up

Gary Port, the democratic candidate for Hemsptead Town Supervisor said he is furious with the lack of response from Supervisor Kate Murray after Hurricane Irene.

Port surveyed the damage in his area of West Hempstead, and spoke with the people. What he said he found was a lack of response from the town.

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“Both leading up to and following the hurricane which left thousands without power, the town government has been on cruise control, while Supervisor Murray is AWOL," Port said. “While we get deluged with largely useless mailers from the town on a bi-weekly basis, the one time we need information the Supervisor Murray is strangely silent.”

Town Reponds to Port's Accusations

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The following is from Mike Deery, Director of Communications for the
Town of Hempstead:

"It is sad that an uninformed Gary Port never made a single inquiry to Hempstead Town to receive information before making his misleading and inaccurate statements about the town’s response to Tropical Storm Irene. His tactics are disgraceful and transparent.

"In the immediate wake of Irene’s wrath last Sunday, Hempstead Town tree removal crews went to work removing 800 fallen trees for which the town is responsible across our area. Since then, our crews have worked around the clock, removing trees from harm’s way. As of Friday, Sept. 2nd, virtually every one of those 800 trees had been removed.

"Many of the trees, which the town removed, were dangerously entangled in power lines, and could not be removed until LIPA de- energized those cables. Once LIPA did its job at those sites, our highway crew members safely and quickly removed the implicated trees.

"Supervisor Murray and her staff have been in constant communication with LIPA to enlist responses in those dangerous areas, while also reporting outages and receiving updates on communities.

"Hempstead Town’s Sanitation Department has been providing ongoing special pickup for homeowner trees and other storm-related waste. In addition, the department has extended hours at its Merrick facility for waste drop-off.

"On Thursday, the town also jointly presented the New York State Insurance Mobile Resource Center at Merrick Road Town Park to provide residents with valuable information related to private homeowner’s insurance claims and other disaster relief programs.

"Finally, storm-related information has been posted on the town’s website, despite claims to the contrary by an out of touch Gary Port.

"Port’s decision to politicize a natural disaster that has claimed the life of at least one Long Islander is pathetic and distasteful. Town of Hempstead residents deserve better."

Town Announces Seaside Spectacular Car Show

The Town of Hempstead has announced that the sixth annual Seaside Spectacular Car Show will motor into Town Park Point Lookout on Saturday, Oct. 1 -- raindate is Sunday, Oct. 2. Check-in will take place between 10 a.m. and noon. The show will begin at noon.

Car collectors may pre-register by Friday, Sept. 24 with an entry fee of $10 per car. Day-of-show registration is limited to availability. The show is open to cars 1986 and older. To obtain a car show registration form, call the Town of Hempstead Office of Communications at 516-812-3272 or click here for a registration form.


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