Readers Write: Suozzi’s vision needed to restore finances

The Island Now

Political campaigns and partisan wrangling often bring out the worst not only in candidates and office holders but in their supporters as well. It’s all too easy to become cynical or discouraged about whether there really is “change we can believe in” on either side of the political divide. Yet change is an inescapable fact of life; 88 years of living have taught me that. Our task is to make it positive and lasting.

I agree with The New York Times, Newsday, Gov. Cuomo and President Clinton and so many others in endorsing Tom Suozzi as the only candidate to restore our finances and lead us into the future.

This civil servant has devoted a lifetime to identifying needs and working on solutions so that people who need decent, safe, affordable housing can find it. Simultaneously, for the last 55 years, while working on New York State and international housing development, I have focused on housing for our own Long Island communities. 

Twenty years ago, The Kimmel Foundation was advised not to build in New Cassel due to the crime, drugs and prostitution in the area. We began working in 1995 and by 2001, we demolished an overcrowded and unsafe building. By 2003, we opened the doors of our senior housing (Apex I). The combined impacts of additional policing and our presence has made New Cassel a safer neighborhood for all. 

The two buildings that now stand on the Westbury/New Cassel border  have been cited in the local press and by community leaders as “a national model of success.” They represent only the first steps in the ongoing journey to building “transit-oriented” projects near our commercial centers to preserve the best elements and eliminate the worst problems that confront our home communities in Nassau County. 

This is a cause Tom Suozzi embraced as County Executive and continues to advocate today.  

My hope for success in the future rests with the wonderful friends and allies like Republican state Sen. Jack Martins, Democratic candidate Tom Suozzi, and Congressman Steve Israel. I will continue to work with these three dynamic political leaders to revitalize the economic growth of Long Island.

We must focus on the future, and we need concerned citizens, religious leaders and elected officials who have the courage to lead. In the past, I’ve worked with both parties who have recognized that focusing on “housing first” is fundamental to a healthy economy that keeps our young workers, protects our retirees, and improves the quality of life for all. 

Former Republican Assemblyman and chairman of the Nassau County Board of Assessors, Abe Seldin and the late Assemblywoman and North Hempstead Town Supervisor May Newburger, both of whom served on the Kimmel Foundation Board, are two such leaders from my own generation. 

Sen. Jack Martins, County Executive candidate Tom Suozzi, Congressman Steve Israel, Town of North Hempstead candidate Judi Bosworth, along with [state Assembly members] Michelle Schimel and Chuck Lavine and [Nassau County Legislator] Wayne Wink are all leaders for today who are helping Kimmel Housing make our communities safer, stronger, and more prosperous. I am proud to count them all as allies, and to support them in return. 

The Kimmel Housing Development Foundation has now formed a partnership with Selfhelp Community Services, one of the region’s largest and most effective providers of housing, home care and social services for seniors. 

Selfhelp has been dedicated to helping people age in place with independence and dignity for more than 75 years, and has recently incorporated the use of 21st century technology as an integral part of that mission. 

Howard Kimmel

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