By BERNADETTE GIACOMAZZO
The meeting, one of the first of its kind in this area, offered 9th District constituents a chance to interact directly with Skelos through a chat-room format.
"With the budget negotiations ongoing, this is a great opportunity for me to answer questions ... dealing with the budget and the budget process," Skelos typed to his audience. "And we'll do this again in the future."
Rockville Centre residents who took part in the forum expressed their concerns about the allocation of state budget funds to schools. As a village resident named Rich pointed out, last year former Gov. Eliot Spitzer proposed cutting the increase in state school aid from 13 percent to about 8 percent. Skelos assured constituents that he, and the Long Island Senate majority delegation, "fought for - and won - our fair share of aid" - an additional $105 million for Nassau and Suffolk county schools this year. He predicted that some $230 million more would be available in state aid for Long Island schools in the 2009-10 budget.
Arthur, from Cedarhurst, said that he and his wife were already facing financial difficulties because of rising school and property taxes. Their daughter, who is autistic, relies on state services during and after school, Arthur said. Skelos, explaining that the proposed $1.8 billion increase in state aid for 2009-10 follows a $1.7 billion increase this year, replied, "Through these state aid increases, local school districts should have the flexibility they need to continue these services."
Another issue on the minds of constituents was affordable housing. Residents of Rockville Centre, Oceanside and Lynbrook all expressed concerns about rising taxes and housing prices - which are reaching the point, they said, where it is becoming too costly to live on Long Island. "As the mother of three children in college, I am very concerned that they will leave Long Island after graduating due to high home prices," said Denise, an Oceanside resident. "Is there anything the state can do to help deal with our need for affordable housing?"
Skelos explained that the quality of life on Long Island - its proximity to New York City, its highly regarded public schools and its parks and beaches - creates tremendous demand for housing, which makes prices rise, but he agreed that it was important for up-and-coming public policy makers to focus on the next generation of Long Islanders, because, he said, "the 18- to 34-year-olds are leaving the Island at an astounding rate."
In addition, Skelos said, he recognizes that high property taxes are a problem for Long Island's senior citizens, and that he and the rest of the Senate Republican majority are working with Gov. David Paterson to increase the rebates for Enhanced STAR-eligible seniors. "[This should] provide substantially more relief to the seniors who are enrolled in the Enhanced STAR program," Skelos said.
Overall, the reaction from those who participated in the virtual meeting was positive. Tom Dunham, Skelos's director of operations, said the senator would host another session soon, and Seth, from West Hempstead, expressed his appreciation. "Thank you, Senator, for opening up the budget process in particular, and state government in general, to the people of New York," he wrote.
Comments about this story? BGiacomazzo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 240.
