Margolin to run for Valley Stream mayor

Gibson resident Joe Margolin has become the first official candidate for mayor of Valley Stream. Margolin made the announcement last week before a group of about 75 people at the VFW hall.

The meeting on Jan. 20, which drew mostly Gibson residents, also focused on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s flood map changes, a driving force behind Margolin’s decision to run for election on March 15. He has been outspoken in recent months in his opposition to the flood map changes, which have saddled many homeowners with four-figure flood insurance bills.

“Like most of you, I’m a victim of FEMA,” Margolin said. “It’s a horrible thing. The damage that’s done is irreparable.”

He said that the average cost of flood insurance for a homeowner in Valley Stream over the life of a 30-year mortgage is about $60,000. He estimated that because of that, his home is worth that much less, and his assessment should reflect that, which would lower his property taxes. Margolin said he would challenge his home’s assessment this year, and he encouraged all 2,500 homeowners in the flood zone to do the same. “We pay our taxes,” he said. “We maintain our property, and now we have something we can’t sell.”

He said that if he loses his assessment challenge, he will take his case to small claims court and sue for the maximum $5,000. “Imagine if the county has to pay every one of us $5,000 every year, as long as we live in Valley Stream,” he said.

Margolin said that if he is elected, the flood map issue would be the first order of business for him every day. He pledged to go to Washington to meet with FEMA officials at his own expense. He was critical of the current village administration for adopting the flood maps in the first place.

Carol Crupi, who ran the meeting, said that the village could have done more to prevent the current situation and costly flood insurance. “To say that we were greatly disappointed is an understatement,” she said. “We need to make a change in Village Hall.”

Crupi announced that Michael LoCascio, another Gibson resident and president of the Valley Stream Lions Club, would be joining Margolin on the ballot. LoCascio will run for one of two trustee seats that will be up for election this year. Margolin and LoCascio plan to run on the Citizens Independence ticket.

“We need to get as many people out to vote as possible,” Crupi said. “It’s a very important election. We have to come out in force and vote.”

A check on the maps

After twice coming to Valley Stream to meet with residents, representatives of FEMA announced that they would conduct 100 spot checks in Nassau County to verify that elevation data used in the new flood maps is correct. Twenty of the checks were done in Valley Stream.

Crupi reported that while the spot check information was supposed to be released in mid-December, FEMA is now more than a month behind. She said that when the data is released, she wants FEMA officials to come back one more time to answer questions about the spot checks and how they were conducted.

FEMA has used “junk science” to put Valley Stream in the high-risk flood zone, Crupi said, adding that the agency ignored the village’s “impeccable” records dating back to the 1930s, which show no history of coastal flooding.

Assemblyman Brian Curran (R-Lynbrook), who attended the meeting, told residents to continue to push their federal representatives for relief. He said he is seeking meetings with U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, as well as with Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. “Don’t ever get distracted from where the real problem is,” Curran said. “That is the federal level.”

Crupi discussed plans to form a new civic association, the Valley Stream Community Association. It would be open to residents in all sections of the village, she said, and she would serve as its first president. “This is an opportunity for all the resident of Valley Stream to get together and share their concerns,” Crupi said.