A Hempstead Town production

Daily Point

Where was Sparky?

Without any fanfare or grand opening celebration, without an appearance by New York Islanders’ mascot Sparky the Dragon or speeches or ribbon cutting, and without notifying elected officials who represent the area or even the developer who worked on the project, Hempstead Town officials reopened Elmont Road Park on Friday. The unpadlocking of the gates came just a week after town officials had said safety issues and other concerns meant it could not open yet.

Once they discovered the park had been open, State Sen. Anna Kaplan, Assemb. Michaelle Solages, Nassau County Legis. Carrié Solages and New York Islanders’ senior director of community relations Ann Rina showed up to the park Friday with a ribbon and several pairs of scissors, celebrating the park’s opening with their own ribbon-cutting and speeches streamed on Facebook.

What’s unsurprising is the town’s legendary sign operation came through with a large banner gracing the gates, saying “NOW OPEN!” Below that news is a list of names: Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin; Council members Dorothy C. Goosby, Thomas E. Muscarella, Anthony P. D’Esposito, Christopher Carini, Dennis Dunne, Sr. and Melissa Miller; Town Clerk Kate Murray, and Receiver of Taxes Jeanine C. Driscoll.

— Randi F. Marshall @RandiMarshall

Talking Point

Steady race in CD2

Unlike the stream of candidates flowing in and out of the 1st Congressional District during the recent redistricting fiasco, neighboring CD2 has seen a lot less action. Democrat Jackie Gordon switched from CD1 back to CD2, where she ran in 2020, but the Republicans seeking the nomination remain the same. Incumbent Andrew Garbarino and those running to his right — Robert Cornicelli, a former aide to national security adviser Michael Flynn, and NYPD detective Mike Rakebrandt — have been in it from the start.

Garbarino has the support of the Suffolk County GOP, which gathered the needed petitions to get on the ballot, while Cornicelli and Rakebrandt were on their own, a more costly effort to meet the strict requirement that party insiders have long used to trip up novice candidates.

During the initial round of petitioning, Vincent Messina, the attorney for Garbarino, raised objections at the Suffolk County Board of Elections to both challengers and, for good measure, also filed a preemptive lawsuit in state Supreme Court. In those actions, Garbarino’s team made specific, individual challenges to signatures. But the filing process was put on hold when redistricting went haywire. A judge ordered new lines and reopened the filing process.

At the time, a second chance to file was considered a boon for Cornicelli and Rakebrandt.

Now they both had a road map to cure any possible mistakes on their petitions. Yet when the process to submit new signatures recently ended, neither challenger had done so.

Cornicelli told The Point that these insider games were reminders of the corrupt political process he was running against. Garbarino, he said, was trying to drain his campaign funds by making these legal challenges, and he wonders how Rakebrandt, who is also challenging his petitions, had the funds and legal talent to do so.

Cornicelli predicted his original filing will withstand scrutiny. “We will be validated,” he said.

There will be a hearing, possibly as soon as next week, on Garbarino’s efforts to knock Cornicelli and Rakebrandt off the ballot. “We are confident of our position, we believe we will prevail,” Messina told The Point.

— Rita Ciolli @ritaciolli

Pencil Point

They don't know Jack

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Final Point

In the news

Welcome to this week’s news quiz, based on recent events. As usual, provide the answer for each clue, one letter per blank. The first letter of each answer, taken in order, spells the name of the House Jan. 6 committee witness who said in testimony: “Donald Trump and his allies and supporters are a clear and present danger to American democracy. That’s not because of what happened on January 6. It’s because to this very day the former president, his allies, and supporters pledge that in the presidential election of 2024 if the former president or his anointed successor as the Republican Party presidential candidate were to lose that election, that they would attempt to overturn that 2024 election in the same way that they attempted to overturn the 2020 election but succeed in 2024 where they failed in 2020.”

A link to the answers appears below.

_ _ _ _ _      _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Long Island comedy legend making his feature film directing debut on a movie he co-wrote titled “Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story.”

_ _ _ _ _ _ International shipping company being sued by two female cadets from the Merchant Marine Academy for failing to protect them from sexual assault and harassment.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ The Federal Reserve raised its key interest rate by three-quarters of a point in its attempt to battle this.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _      _ _ _ _ _ _ The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection has requested an interview with the activist wife of this Supreme Court justice.

_ _ _ _      _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Theater/film star currently headlining a Broadway musical who tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time in less than six months.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ Advanced sixth-graders in New York could be taking courses in this branch of math under new rules approved by the state Board of Regents.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ New York’s Court of Appeals rejected an animal rights group’s attempt to declare that a female of this species at the Bronx Zoo is a person.

_ _ _ _ _ Singer who changed the lyrics of a song after being criticized for unintentionally using a slang word considered derogatory by disability advocates.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Pixar animated film that’s been banned by the United Arab Emirates because it shows a kiss between two lesbian characters.

_ _ _ Delivery company that unveiled a slimmed-down, battery-powered, four-wheeled cycle-vehicle to more efficiently haul packages in Manhattan.

_ _ _ _ _ Number of Republican gubernatorial candidates who appeared in person for Monday’s debate.

_ _ _ _ _ Automaker whose cars have been involved in 273 crashes in less than a year while being driven in Autopilot mode.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _      _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Once-dominant web browser retired Wednesday by Microsoft, which no longer will support it.

_ _ _ _ _ _ Company that placed an engineer on leave after he said the company’s AI was sentient.

Click here for the answers to the clued words and the identity of the House Jan. 6 committee witness.

— Michael Dobie @mwdobie

Programming Point

The Point will be back on Tuesday, June 21. Happy Juneteenth!