According to the latest Travel Advisory, all scheduled international commercial passenger services to India shall remain closed till 1830 hrs GMT of April 14, 2020. In view of these temporary travel restrictions, all Indian nationals are advised to:
I. Stay safe and isolated within the residential premises and follow the advisories updated on CDC web site https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/ and other state and federal advisories relevant to COVID19.
II. Please follow social distancing norms and avoid any non-essential local travel.
III. Approach the local health department officials in case you or your family member(s) experience any of the symptoms mentioned in the CDC website https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/
V. Please also continue to check the website of the Embassy of India in Washington DC (www.indianembassyusa.gov.in) and social media (Twitter & Facebook) for latest updates. In case required, please contact the Indian Embassy or one of Indian Consulates depending upon your location in the US at the 24/7 helpline details mentioned below.
Former New York State Senator Elaine Phillips is confident that she will be elected Nassau County Comptroller this November. Speaking to The South Asian Times, she said, “I have experience in both the public and private sector and the skills to be the taxpayers’ watchdog. To be the independent voice, to make sure that the taxpayers are told the truth of what is happening with the County government.”
Phillips is running on Republican, Conservative and Tax Revolt Party lines. Her opponent, Democrat Ryan Cronin is a corporate attorney who twice ran unsuccessfully for State Senate.
Elaine Phillips’ background in the financial sector stands out. An MBA in finance from Penn State, she worked for JP Morgan and in Goldman Sachs for a long time. In 2010 she started a new phase, to give back to the community. “I got involved as a trustee in my village, Munsey. I served in many volunteer roles. I became Mayor in Flower Hill. I went on to get elected to the New York Senate, representing the northwest quadrant of Nassau County,” she says.
The Comptroller’s role, Phillips argues, is critical, because “we watch over our community’s taxes. To make sure that our tax dollars are used effectively, efficiently and transparently.” She cites the anomalous reassessment in the County. “We were told that for 50% of people taxes will go up and for 50% they will go down. Instead, we found that for two-thirds of homeowners their assessment went up. This is where the Comptroller should step in and order an audit. Why did that happen? What changed and why were we not informed of the change? Then again, the legislature was told in last December that the County was going to have a deficit. And now we have a surplus!”
As Comptroller, she says her job will be to make sure that the county administration and the legislature do their job. To go in and do the analysis. And report to the people.
Phillips is critical of the Democratic Party which has not asked the sitting county Comptroller Jack Schnirman to step down even after District Attorney Madeline Singas, from his own Democratic party, issued public reports faulting him for accepting payouts illegally when he worked as Long Beach city manager. He is not seeking re-election.
“I am proud to be a Republican,” Phillips says, “because I can go to bed every night knowing that I have always given my best to my community, in the most ethical standards that I can live by. People are concerned how far Democrats’ reforms have gone about the call to defund the police. They are concerned how an administration is raising taxes when that is the last thing we should be doing.”
Yet, she claims she is not a gotcha kind of person. “We need bipartisan effort, and I said it in the Senate, we need both parties, we need checks and balances. And that is exactly why I should be elected Comptroller. To bring the independent voice. County Executive Laura Curran has been at my house for dinner. We know each other, we will work together. County legislative majority leader Rick Nicolello too has been to my house. We will work together to make sure that taxpayers of Nassau County get what they deserve,” she says.
Elaine Phillips has come to know the South Asian community in the past couple of years. “They have prospered here on Long Island, thanks to the economic support, the living environment, the school districts. All people want to live here. We got to protect that. Here on Long Island, we can feel secure, financially and because of law enforcement support. Home ownerships is also important and keeping taxes as low as we can.”
Hicksville, she points out in particular, is a community which is vibrant with small and mid-sized businesses. “And we need to keep it that way. Incidentally, part of Hicksville was in my state Senate district.”
A month ago, she attended a press conference in Hicksville that talked about the need for America and Americans to support India and other South Asian countries devastated by Covid. Earlier this month, she attended another press conference on the steps of the Nassau County legislative building in Mineola, to honor the young spiritual teacher Ishan Shivanand who donated PPE for India.
Phillips credits her widening knowledge of the South Asian community to her association with Ragini Srivastava, who is running on the Republican ticket for North Hempstead Town Clerk: “She is an inspiring woman who has worked hard with many community leaders for Covid relief efforts in India. She is the one who takes me to the community events.”
As County Comptroller, how can I help the South Asian community, Phillips asks rhetorically? “The same answer: to ensure that their tax dollars are used the way they should be. To have community groups, particularly businesses that come in like in Hicksville and in New Hyde Park where we can have forums to talk about how we can keep economic development going, how do we keep our religious communities vibrant. How do we keep our communities and our children to be able to afford to live near us? I did that as a Mayor, I believe I did that as a Senator. I want to continue to represent the people of Nassau County. And I do want my children and grandchildren to live here near me!”
Incidentally, two of Phillips’ three daughters have lived and done some volunteer work in India. And she recalls, “I have travelled with my family to India three years ago. I found it a vast country with so many different cultures just like the United States.”
Phillips’ final pitch to be elected Comptroller: “I got into public service, and I seek voters’ support to get back into public service because I care about our communities, and I want to ensure that Nassau remains a safe and vibrant County.”
Contact: Elaine Phillips for Comptroller on Facebook.
In an exclusive interview with The South Asian Times, Elaine Phillips, running for Nassau County Comptroller, asserts that she has the requisite experience and skills for the job. (Photos provided)
Oyster Bay, NY: Supervisor Joseph Saladino and Councilwoman Laura Maier invite residents to express their patriotism and the American Spirit in advance of Independence Day by decorating their homes in red, white and blue with lights, flags or other decorations from now through July 14th. To support our economic recovery, residents are encouraged to make decoration purchases of at least $17.76 from small businesses.
“This contest unites our community through patriotism and love while supporting our local economy,” said Supervisor Saladino. “Buying decorations from small businesses is also an important way for us to show our support of small businesses while celebrating our American spirit.”
“We’re experiencing some trying times in our world and bringing back our patriotic spirit can unite us as Americans,” said Councilwoman Maier. “We hope our residents will join us in decorating their homes as American celebrates its independence.”
The Town will illuminate Town Hall in red, white and blue.
New York: Last summer when the pandemic was still raging in America, the International Day of Yoga (June 21) events had to go virtual. This year amid the reopening of the country, many events in-person and virtual have been planned to celebrate the day established by the UN in 2014 at the behest of Prime Minister Modi.
In the tristate area, FIA and the Consulate General of India are organizing a one-hour yoga and meditation program on Sunday, Juen 20 at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ.
In Washington, the Embassy of India in partnership with Friends of Yoga is organizing a virtual celebration on 20 June at 10:00 AM. Keeping in mind the prevailing situation, the theme of the IDY 2021 has been set as “Be with Yoga Be at Home”. The live demonstration of Yoga Protocol will be broadcast through Embassy’s social media channels.
Tirlok Malik, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, is hosting a Happy Life Yoga event on June 19th, virtually on Zoom and social media.
In Houston, the Consulate General of India in partnership with a number of organizations is marking the occasion with outdoor events on June 20 and June 21.
Bellerose, Queens: Calling for an end to the hateful attack ads by a group from outside Council District 23 against one of his opponents, City Council Candidate Harpreet Singh Toor issued the following statement, “My campaign is built on bringing people together. That is the only way we will solve the problems facing District 23, and put an end to the epidemic of hate crimes plaguing our communities. So when an ugly piece of hateful mail dropped in my mailbox, viciously attacking a young member of our community who also is running for City Council in District 23, I naturally was extremely disturbed. Many of you may know I do not support this candidate, or agree with her policies. At the same time, however, I am proud that a young woman from our community has made the decision to become engaged in the political process and run for office. And I am appalled that a group of wealthy Manhattanites, with no connection to our community, is attempting to decide our future by launching a smear campaign against one of our own.
I invite these smart, successful people to join me in a tour of District 23. I would happily show them how they can direct their considerable philanthropic activities to our senior centers, our food banks, our schools and libraries. How they might use their experience as major real estate developers to solve our problem of lack of public transportation, or even help build the hospital we so desperately need.
Working together we can accomplish much. And I hope that is how they decide to truly help the voters of District 23.”
New York, NY: Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York announced on Tuesday that “we can now return to life as we know it” because the state had hit his vaccination-rate threshold.
Earlier this month, Cuomo said he would lift “virtually all” Covid-19 restrictions once 70% of New Yorkers had received at least one dose of a vaccine.
Cuomo said on Tuesday that restrictions would be “relaxed as of today, effective immediately.”
“Remember June 15th. Remember today, because it is the day that New York rose again,” Cuomo said at Manhattan’s One World Trade Center, adding that June 15 was also his late father and former Gov. Mario Cuomo’s birthday.
Masks will still be required on public transit, but otherwise New York’s landscape of state mandates will be drastically diminished.
Counties and localities can still implement their own restrictions, and Cuomo said New York would still observe guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Businesses can also keep their own mask policies.
Cuomo did not clarify policies on masks and social-distancing measures in schools.
New York’s vaccination drive has been most successful in regions around New York City and to the north – Long Island and the area around the capital, Albany, have the highest rates of single doses administered.
Washington, DC: The House passed legislation Wednesday that would establish June 19 as Juneteenth National Independence Day, a US federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, sending the bill to President Biden who is expected to sign it after returning from his Europe tour.
The legislation was previously blocked by conservative Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin in 2020 but he dropped his objection this week despite his concerns, allowing the bill to advance out of the chamber.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer thanked the bill’s bipartisan sponsors, which included Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D), Sen. John Cornyn (R) and Sen. Ed Markey (D).
On June 19, 1865, Maj Gen Gordon Granger announced in Galveston, Texas, the end of slavery in accordance with President Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation. In 1980, Juneteenth became a Texas state holiday. In the decades since, every state but South Dakota came to officially commemorate Juneteenth, but only a handful of states observe it as a paid holiday.
