Sen. Charles Schumer, Rep. Gary Ackerman and Supervisor Jon Kaiman gathered at Hempstead Harbor on Tuesday to dedicate what may soon be May Newburger Cove.
May Newburger was a Town councilwoman, New York State assemblywoman and the first female town supervisor in Long Island. Schumer wants to dedicate the section of Hempstead Harbor to Newburger because of her contributions to the Town of North Hempstead.
Schumer, Ackerman and Kaiman revealed the sign that will be placed at the site to demonstrate that they want the approval of the cove naming to be a quick process.
“May spent a lot of time breaking barriers,” Schumer said. “It’s the least we could do to break these barriers to get it done.”
The gesture was also an appeal to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to approve the designation. According to Schumer, “the process can take up to three years to finalize.” In his letter to the NOAA, he asked that their "agencies work together to expedite the town’s application in order to honor the many achievements of May Newburger.”
Ackerman noted that even though May Newburger couldn’t be at the revealing, she really appreciated what the town was doing for her. “She is a person of extraordinary strength,” he said. “This will be her living legacy…something that will last throughout the generations.”
According to Schumer, Newburger was an inspiration for North Hempstead as well as for women in local government. In his letter to NOAA, his reasoning for wanting the cove named after her was that, “Mrs. Newburger’s distinguished career in public service is very much deserving of this honor.”
