The Town of Brookhaven began a capital improvements project at West Meadow Beach March 18. Photos by Rita J. Egan
While some residents are dieting and exercising in anticipation of the summer, a town beach is getting a makeover of its own.
Suffolk County plans to have a walking trail, dotted line in Old Field Farm that will wrap around West Meadow Creek and end at the beach. Photo from Kara Hahn’s office
The Town of Brookhaven will temporarily close the parking lot of West Meadow Beach in Stony Brook until Memorial Day weekend, May 25-27, according to a press release from the Town of Brookhaven Parks, Recreation and Sports and Cultural Resources Department. On March 18, the town began work on new curbs, sidewalks, plantings and pavilion renovations as part of the town’s parks capital improvement program. During the parking lot closure, residents will be permitted to park along Trustees Road.
Brookhaven Councilwoman Valerie Cartright (D-Port Jefferson Station) said the work will address necessary repairs to maintain the park that she called “cherished” by the community.
“West Meadow Beach is not only a beautiful, relaxing recreation location, but also an environmental marvel,” Cartright said. “Each year, I work with the Parks Department to continue my commitment to making improvements at West Meadow Beach.”
In 2017, the town refurbished the bathrooms’ interiors and exteriors and added new outdoor shower pedestals and a lifeguard tower, according to Ed Morris, town parks commissioner.
In the near future, Suffolk County will begin work at Old Field Farm to create a walking path that will lead to the beach, according to Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket). She said the goal is to finish the trail by Memorial Day.
Hahn said there will be a pedestrian entrance on West Meadow Road on the eastern side of the farm, and the trail will run along the creek and come out on Trustees Road before visitors enter the walking section of the path. She said she’s excited about the location due to the beautiful views of the creek and historic farm.
“This is part of my efforts to make our public lands accessible to our community for recreational and respite enjoyment,” she said.
In the past, the legislator has spearheaded initiatives for a parking lot and walking path at Forsythe Meadow Woods County Park in Stony Brook and a parking lot at McAllister County Park in Belle Terre.
The Old Field Farm trail will be closed during the six horse shows that take place at the location throughout the year so as not to disturb the horses; however, the park will be open for the public to enjoy.
For more information about the town’s capital improvement project at West Meadow Beach, residents can call 631-451-8696.
A deer tick is a common type of tick on Long Island. Stock photo
North Shore communities have found a partner in the battle against ticks and the diseases they carry.
“This new partnership is another example of local governments working together to save taxpayer dollars and protect the public health of our residents.”
— Steve Bellone
On March 6, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) announced the SuffolkSHARE Public Health Partnership. A part of the county’s shared services initiative, the new partnership will leverage the efforts of 10 local governments and the Suffolk County Department of Health Services to research and combat ticks and tick-borne illness, according to a press release from the county.
“This new partnership is another example of local governments working together to save taxpayer dollars and protect the public health of our residents,” Bellone said in the statement. “By taking collective action, we are expanding education, collection, and analysis to ensure that we have the information and resources at our disposal to deal with these illnesses head on.”
With the new partnership, towns and villages will be able to strengthen their efforts to combat ticks in ways that were previously prohibitive due to high cost and limited resources, according to the release.
The new partnership draws on efforts that include collecting data and procuring materials at lower costs while tracking progress over time. These processes are already underway by the Suffolk County Tick Control Advisory Committee, which researches and combats ticks and associated illnesses. According to the county, each year approximately 650 Suffolk residents contract a tick-borne illness, including Lyme disease.
Eight villages and two towns will work in conjunction with the county, including Asharoken, Northport, Head of the Harbor, Old Field and Belle Terre, according to the press release.
“Having the ability to work with other local governments and Suffolk County on this issue will give us the opportunity to address it effectively and affordably.”
— Bob Sandak
“Protecting public health is a priority for the Village of Belle Terre, and mitigating the risk of ticks and tick-borne illness is an important mission,” Bob Sandak, the Village of Belle Terre mayor, said in a statement. “Having the ability to work with other local governments and Suffolk County on this issue will give us the opportunity to address it effectively and affordably.”
Recently, Belle Terre moved to allow deer hunting within the village, citing that New York State is the only governing body that can restrict hunting. Sandak said at a Jan. 15 village meeting, where the possibility of deer culling in part with Port Jefferson Village was discussed, that in the near-mile radius of the village boundaries, there could be as many as 300 deer. It was expected that culling could bring the number of deer down to approximately 50.
The Department of Health Services will provide resources and guidance when it comes to ticks, while the county will facilitate testing of samples, collection of data and additional analysis. The cooperative procurement of corn, tickicide and other materials, as well as municipalities working together to collect samples to have them analyzed will happen at a cheaper rate due to consolidation, according to county officials.
The county health department and Suffolk County Department of Public Works Vector Control Unit will consult with villages launching their initial efforts at tick mitigation, tick-borne illness mitigation and deer mitigation, which may include municipalities sustaining a four-poster (also known as a deer feeder); using environmental controls, such as landscaping; and utilizing birth control. The participating local governments will assist the Department of Health Services with community education regarding the risk of ticks and how to avoid bites, tick collection for testing and health monitoring of residents.
According to the press release, North Haven, Saltaire and Shelter Island already operate four-posters. The deer feeders brush tickicide onto the animals to keep them free of ticks.
“While tick-borne illnesses remain a major concern amongst our community, we continue to look for new and innovative ways to protect the public’s health,” said Michael Levine, Village of Old Field mayor, in a statement. “Thanks to the work of County Executive Bellone and the creation of this new partnership, we will now be able to asses tick conditions, develop a comprehensive plan to combat this public health issues, and educate our residents on ways to stay safe.”
From the view of a Brit, drawing parallels to elections in the U.S.
Stock photo
By John Broven
Part 1 of 2
After 46 years, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is due to leave the European Union March 29 in an exercise that has been labeled Brexit. You may have heard the term on BBC World News, C-SPAN2’s “Prime Minister’s Questions” and John Oliver’s “Last Week Tonight” (HBO), or read about the ongoing saga in The New York Times or The Washington Post. Still, in general the United States media coverage has been relatively muted in what has been a complex, often hard-to-understand process. Yet there are enough parallel circumstances across the pond to warrant making it a big news event over here in the U.S.
John Broven. Photo by Diane Wattecamps
It certainly matters a lot if, like me, you were born in England and are not happy with the Brexit decision. Before I proceed with my personal observations, let me give a brief backdrop to the Brexit scenario.
Brexit is a crude abbreviation of “British exit” from the European political and economic union of 28 countries that allows seamless movement of goods and citizens between each member state. Britain’s withdrawal was determined by a referendum held June 23, 2016, in which the “leave” voters outpointed the “remain” side by 17.4 to 16.1 million. In percentage terms it was 51.89 to 48.11. The turnout was some 33.5 million voters out of a possible 46.5 million, 72.1 percent of the registered electorate. As I’ve been living over here for more than 15 years, I was not allowed to vote along with an estimated 700,000 expats and some 3 million EU citizens living in the UK. Gerrymandering, anyone?
The UK referendum
I well remember the day when Prime Minister David Cameron (Conservative) announced there would be a referendum for Britain to leave the EU after he was re-elected in the general election of May 7, 2015. He had been the country’s leader since 2010 in a coalition government with the pro-European Liberal Democrats, but against all expectation the Conservatives won the election outright. At the time I asked myself, “Why call a referendum?” What I didn’t know was that Cameron wanted to quell once and for all the rebellious EU leavers in his own party and thwart the rise of the populist United Kingdom Independence Party, led by Nigel Farage.
To my mind, Cameron compounded his disastrous decision of placing party politics on a national stage by agreeing to put the referendum to the people in the simplest of terms:
• Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union. Yes or No.
The openness of the referendum wording gave voters, fed up with years of austerity, a chance to kick the government without understanding the full consequences of their actions. The many dire economic warnings of a precipitous EU exit, ranging from the Bank of England governor to President Barack Obama (D), were riposted as fearmongering.
England and Wales voted to leave, Scotland and Northern Ireland did not. London voted overwhelmingly to remain, but the industrial North — the equivalent of our rust belt — predictably went to the leavers. Not surprisingly, the majority of the 50-and-overs, with their rose-tinted memories, voted to leave. On the other hand, the younger generation was largely in favor of remaining, feeling more European and with less attachment to the days of the British Empire. Interestingly, the peak share of any sector came from women between the ages of 18 and 24, with 80 percent voting to remain. Yet too many millennials, as over here in the last presidential election, did not bother to go to the voting booths.
As we have seen from the HBO film, “Brexit: The Uncivil War,” the Vote Leave campaign — led by notorious Cameron-backstabber Boris Johnson, U.S. President Donald Trump (R)-acolyte Farage, prominent Tory politicians such as the overbearing Jacob Rees-Mogg and double-dealer Michael Gove — were always a step ahead of Vote Remain, led by Cameron himself, future prime minister Theresa May and reticent Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. The leave effort was brilliantly masterminded by Dominic Cummings who outflanked his traditionally minded opponents by using computer algorithms devised by Cambridge Analytica, partly owned — whisper it low — by Robert Mercer from our own Head of the Harbor village on Long Island.
With new data available, Cummings understood there was a raft of disaffected voters that had been ignored by politicians of all parties for years. He proceeded to woo them with an appealing slogan, “Let’s take back control,” aided by a red bus carrying the false message that leaving the EU would save the British people £350 million a week (about $450 million), adding, “Let’s fund our NHS [National Health Service] instead — Vote Leave.” Without justification, it was said the country would be overrun by Islamic immigrants should Turkey be admitted to the EU. (It hasn’t.) It was a campaign of distorted facts, appealing to those who remembered the good old days when Britannia ruled the waves and the world map was colored mostly British Empire pink.
Earlier, I mentioned “parallel circumstances” in relation to the U.S. How about disaffected and ignored voters, a fear campaign based on immigration and Islamophobia, protest votes, absent millennials, discarded trade agreements, gerrymandering, a populist insurrection — and, I hate to say it, fake news. Does that sound familiar?
Events of June 2016
I was in England the week before the referendum and was astonished at how the youthful, vibrant atmosphere I felt on my last visit had evaporated into a sour mood. As a confirmed Europhile, I was even more amazed to see how finely balanced the polls were. The omens were not good, especially when state broadcaster, British Broadcasting Corporation, adopted a neutral stance giving equal time to both campaigns. Why did the leave campaign, with no governmental responsibility or track record, deserve the same coverage as the in-power remainers?
I was still in England when staunch remain campaigner and promising Labour member of parliament, Jo Cox, was murdered June 16, 2016, in her native West Yorkshire at age 41 by a right-wing extremist. Had politics become so divisive that a life had to be taken? Surely, I thought, the British people, with their long-held sense of justice and fair play, would rebel against such a dastardly act and vote for the “good guys” out of respect to Cox. The referendum campaign was halted temporarily, but a news blackout contrived to neutralize any widespread outrage at her death.
Referendum night June 23 was covered in full over here by BBC World News. Ironically, with the five-hour time difference, U.S. viewers were more up to date than the sleeping British public. I knew the writing was on the wall when early voting in Sunderland and Swindon went to the leavers. And yet Sunderland, in the relatively impoverished North East, was home to a major Nissan factory (jobs, jobs, jobs), with Swindon in the affluent South West housing a big Honda factory. Both Japanese car companies used their English bases for easy access to the European markets. What were the voters in those towns thinking by voting leave?
The leave campaign was victorious. A distraught Cameron resigned July 11, 2016, to be succeeded by May. It was up to her to negotiate a withdrawal agreement with the EU, with a leaving date eventually set for March 29, 2019 — the end of this month. The protracted negotiations have been rocky, to say the least, and the outcome has still not been resolved at this late hour thanks mainly to a problem that should have been foreseen at the time of the referendum but wasn’t: the Irish backstop. Stay tuned.
Part 2 will bring matters up to date, with crucial parliamentary votes due to be held this week. John Broven, a member of the TBR News Media editorial team, is an English-born resident of East Setauket, and has written three award-winning (American) music history books.
Early voting will take place in New York State before the Nov. 5 general election. Stock photo
By Lisa Scott
Voting is about to get easier for New Yorkers. New York has long been behind most of the country when it comes to voting. Our election laws were archaic, making it difficult for people to vote and resulting in low voter turnout. However, both the NYS Assembly and Senate passed several bills on election law, most of which have been signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D).
Not all are effective immediately and some will require additional money to be added in the state budget. Other reforms such as no-excuse absentee ballots and same-day voter registration must go through the NYS Constitution amendment process, which will delay their implementation for at least three years.
Early voting will take place for the first time in New York for the Nov. 5, 2019 general election. (Thirty-eight states and District of Columbia have already instituted in-person early voting.) Voters will be able to vote at designated poll sites 10 days prior to Election Day. Each county board of elections will follow the law designating the number of and placement of the early voting poll sites and notify voters of the days, hours and locations of the early polling sites. But all NYS county boards of elections (especially those like Suffolk County, which have large populations and geographic areas) face a myriad of challenges to meet the early voting law requirements.
The League of Women Voters of New York (LWVNY) estimates the cost of statewide early voting to be $9.3 million for implementation in the 2019 general election. The law requires one site per 50,000 registered voters over a period of 9 days with 8 hours of weekday early voting and 5 hours of weekend early voting.
The projected cost areas include poll sites (rental fees for 83 additional sites throughout NYS), staffing and training (training session costs and staffing compensation), voting equipment (some counties may need to purchase new equipment including electronic poll books), security (voting machines and ballots must be secure 24/7 throughout the period of early voting) and education (statewide mailings advising all registered voters — this would be a one-time cost).
In particular, electronic poll books (utilizing secure tablets or laptops with data downloaded in advance eliminating Wi-Fi/hacking concerns) are essential for Suffolk and similar multisite early voting counties in NYS. They allow greater ease and accuracy during the early voting period and will have long-term cost savings after their initial investment. They provide a fast check-in process, reducing the propensity for long lines. They reduce the need for provisional ballots because voters’ records can be searched for in multiple ways. And if a voter is in the wrong place, she can quickly be directed to the correct precinct in order to cast a regular ballot.
Additionally they can be updated right before the election, reducing the rush to enter registration and updates in time to print and distribute paper poll books; and they make postelection updates much faster and accurate. Three NYS counties conducted successful pilot projects utilizing electronic poll books last year.
As of mid-March 2019, Cuomo had not included funding for early voting in his January 2019 Executive Budget (and his February amendment proposals). LWVNY and other good-government groups have been lobbying NYS Senate and Assembly members to include early voting funding in their budget amendments in March. NYS law requires a budget by April 1 each year, so there will be substantial negotiations for the governor and the NYS Senate president and Assembly speaker in late March.
The governor contends that significant savings from a consolidated single state primary will be adequate to cover early voting costs. But there is only one primary date in 2019, so that money will only become available in 2020. Absent funding for early voting in the 2019 NYS budget, each county will have to find its own funding for early voting this year. Suffolk County will thus face a substantial unfunded mandate from NYS in a time of decreasing revenues and substantial borrowing.
Contact your NYS Senate and Assembly leadership and representatives and Cuomo now to ensure appropriate funding for a successful early voting rollout in November!
Lisa Scott is president of the League of Women Voters of Suffolk County, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy. For more information, visit https://www.lwv-suffolkcounty.org, email [email protected] or call 631-862-6860.
Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta. File photo by Rachel Shapiro
Suffolk County officials have set their sights on the wallet of a disgraced ex-police chief, looking to recoup costs of litigation.
Nearly three months after Suffolk County legislators tabled a proposal to sue former police chief James Burke over the $1.5 million settlement it paid out to his victim, the Suffolk County Legislature passed a measure March 5 to begin a lawsuit in an attempt to recoup compensation and salary Burke had received up to when he resigned in October 2015.
“Burke clearly breached the oath he took as an officer and the duty he owed the county to serve in his capacity faithfully and lawfully,” Legislator Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga) said. The Smithtown legislator was the main sponsor of the bill.
The bill would authorize the county attorney to file a lawsuit by using “the faithless servant doctrine,” which dates back to the 19th century and allows employers to recoup all compensation paid to an employee while they acted in a disloyal manner.
The resolution was drafted to recover the compensation paid specifically to Burke and no other county employee.
“It feels great,” Trotta said. “Finally a victory for Suffolk County taxpayers.”
Originally, Trotta wanted to recoup money from a 2018 settlement the county paid to Christopher Loeb, who was shackled and beaten by Burke back in 2012 as part of a cover-up. County attorney Dennis Brown said at a December 2018 Ways and Means Committee public hearing there was no basis for a possible lawsuit and there was no way to recover or recoup the settlement dollars paid in the lawsuit, according to previous reporting by TBR News Media.
In the federal civil lawsuit, the county agreed to pay the settlement amount for the civil rights offenses as they were the ex-police chief’s employer at the time. The county also paid the settlement for the actions of six other police officers who helped cover up Burke’s actions when he allegedly beat a handcuffed man for stealing a duffle bag from his vehicle.
At the same hearing, Howard Miller, a Garden City-based attorney with the law firm Bond Schoeneck & King, presented a case for the county suing Burke for his wages and compensation paid by the county under the faithless servant doctrine.
Miller mentioned that he had successfully represented clients at the state level in similar lawsuits, including the William Floyd School District.
“This doctrine is designed to create a deterrent to future acts like this, of corruption and misconduct,” Miller said at the December 2018 public hearing.
Brown also said in a statement that the Suffolk County Charter authorizes either the county executive or the Legislature to direct legal action. The resolution that was passed by the Legislature provides a framework specific to that action, but does not limit the ability of the county executive to pursue additional legal action.
Trotta hopes the measure sets a precedent that anyone, whether in government or not, will be held accountable for their actions.
“Former District Attorney Spota empowered and conspired with Jim Burke and Chris McPartland,” County Executive Steve Bellone (D) spokesperson Jason Elan said in a statement. “Clearly, all three fall under the faithless servant doctrine so any legal action to recoup taxpayer-funded salary and benefits should include each individual.”
According to a representative from the county executive’s office, Bellone signed the legislation to recover salary and benefits from Burke on March 11 and further directed a similar suit be filed against ex-District Attorney Thomas Spota and his top aide who have also been indicted on related charges.
Susan Baldridge, center, shown here with her daughter Felicia and brother Michael, was one of the winners in Smithtown’s housing lottery. Photo by Susan Risoli
There were applause and cheers at the Town of Smithtown’s March 11 affordable housing lottery for seven new homes located at Country Pointe Woods at Smithtown.
LIHP executive vice president James Britz and LIHP executive assistant Linda Mathews draw names for Smithtown’s March 11 housing lottery. Photo by Susan Risoli
Sixty people applied for the chance to qualify to purchase the owner-occupied, one- and two-bedroom units located on Route 111. The average projected purchase price is estimated to be $350,100. Twenty-one people attended the lottery, which was offered by the town together with Long Island Housing Partnership and 347 Building Company LLC.
The drawing of names was held at town hall. Applicants did not have to be present to be considered, and their housing applications were ranked and will be processed in the order in which their names were drawn.
Smithtown adopted a Municipal Workforce Housing Policy in October 2017, in accordance with New York State’s Long Island Workforce Housing Act. The policy requires developers who build subdivisions of five or more units to create 10 percent of the development for affordable housing.
To be eligible to participate in the affordable housing lottery program, an applicant must be a first-time homebuyer and must meet all program requirements including a total household income not to exceed 130 percent of the area median income for Nassau and Suffolk counties. Applicants must have an acceptable credit history as defined by the program’s guidelines.
At the March 11 lottery drawing, LIHP executive vice president James Britz said housing lotteries help people who otherwise might not be able to afford to live in Suffolk County and specifically in the Town of Smithtown. Attracting these people to live and work in the area “is a critical component in helping municipalities continue to grow,” he said. Those who apply for the Town of Smithtown housing lottery are “a very good combination of different age groups and generations,” Britz said.
Susan Baldridge, 44, was No. 10 in the drawing, and she proudly proclaimed herself “Smithtown born and raised.” Baldridge currently is renting a place in Smithtown. She is a single mother with two daughters and said the opportunity to own a home in the town she loves “seems like fate.” The mother brought her brother Michael — “my good luck charm” — to the drawing, as well as her daughter Felicia.
People that benefit from affordable housing lotteries, said Town of Smithtown supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R), are young people who grew up on Long Island but can’t afford to live here.
“This is a very expensive place to live,” he said, adding he believes affordable housing “can work to keep our talented young people. It’s been proven to work in other municipalities.”
The town’s next housing lottery will be held March 26 at 10 a.m. at town hall. Applications must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. March 22. The housing to be offered will be three one-bedroom rental units and one two-bedroom rental unit at the 36-unit Hudson Place at Kings Park development.
The Maryhaven Facility in Port Jefferson. Photo by Kyle Barr
A Port Jefferson school for children and young adults with developmental disabilities announced it would be shutting down gradually over the next two years.
The Maryhaven Center of Hope, whose entrance is located along Myrtle Avenue in Port Jefferson, announced it will shut down the school over time, regularly moving the children, aged 5 through 21, along with faculty to different Maryhaven facilities on Long Island.
The entrance gate to the Marhaven facility in Port Jefferson. Photo by Kyle Barr
“We have to stay open, and we want to stay open until every student is placed,” said Chris Hendriks, a Catholic Health Services of Long Island spokeswoman. “This population requires one-to-one care.”
Representatives from Catholic Health Services, which runs Maryhaven, said it would begin winding down the residential school program at the end of the 2018-19 school year. It’s 71 students will need to be placed in other programs.
“It is a very difficult decision to close this important program that we have been running for more than 50 years, and we are heartbroken that we must do that,” said Maryhaven President and CEO Lewis Grossman in a press release. “But this action is the only fiscally responsible option to secure a strong and vital future for Maryhaven’s many other needed programs.”
In a letter posted to the Maryhaven website, Grossman added he anticipates the program would be active throughout the 2019-20 school year.
Maryhaven, which aids over 1,500 children and young adults in total, has experienced a significant operating loss at the Port Jeff from 2018 at approximately $1.7 million, according to the press release. The facility off Myrtle Avenue is also aging at an unsustainable rate, Hendriks said. The school said it would cost more than $10 million to renovate the building, which was originally constructed in the 1930s. The spokeswoman added the reimbursement rates New York State supplies to the organization has declined in recent years.
“The state’s rates that give us the money for caring for these children has not kept up with the pace of cost of living.” the spokeswoman said. “For example, as of this week we got the rates for 2016, so we’re paying well in advance and then have to wait to be reimbursed back.”
Several Maryhaven students will be older than 21 after June, Hendriks said. The letter by the Maryhaven CEO said those age 21 or older will be eligible for adult placement through the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, and some will be able to transfer to other adult programs within Maryhaven.
Hendriks said Catholic Health Services is offering monetary incentives for the near 200 workers at the facility to stay on with the health care service provider until the end. Those who stay on will be moved to other Maryhaven or other service centers within the orbit of CHSLI.
For the students, Hendriks said where they attend after the Port Jeff facility is closed will be up to their respective school districts.
“This population requires one-to-one care.”
— Chris Hendricks
“The way it works is if, for example, the [Smithtown] school district can’t care for a child because they often have behavioral social, medical or behavioral issues, the school districts send them to our facilities and we take care of them,” she said. “Now, in this case it’s up to the school district to find a new location for them with the help of the state, and there are other locations to go to.”
Parents of children in the Maryhaven programs were brought in for a special meeting March 12 to discuss their options.
Many people who knew of the facility voiced their disappointment of the news on social media. Now a Change.org petition called Save Maryhaven’s Children Services!! has reached more than 8,500 people in support. The petition calls for U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) or Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), along with other state and federal representatives, to step in and give support to the ailing facility. Some signing the petition said they had children who attend the facility, others claimed they had worked with Maryhaven and were devastated to see it go.
“I’ve worked here for 10 years, and the dedication of staff is priceless,” said Jennifer Moore, of Brentwood, on the petition. “Everyone is like second family, we care so much for our clients. I am devastated for my fellow employees but even more so for the kids.”
Maryfran Fantigrossi, who has worked with the school for 30 years, said she has seen the good work the school does for its students.
“Special needs children need and deserve a residential school that will help [them] in all facets of their lives to be the best person they can,” Fantigrossi said on the petition. “Maryhaven has done that for years.”
Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn, center, receives the Brookhaven Community Leadership Award from Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Valerie Cartright and Holiday Inn Express owner John Tsunis. Photo by Rita J. Egan
A familiar face in the Three Village and Port Jefferson areas was honored for her career achievements the day before International Women’s Day.
On March 7, Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) received the Brookhaven Community Leadership Award at a ceremony held at the Holiday Inn Express Stony Brook. At the event, which was sponsored by the hotel and Gold Coast Bank, Hahn was surrounded by family members, friends and community members, including Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Valerie Cartright (D-Port Jefferson Station), Setauket Fire District Fire Commissioner Jay Gardiner, and Jane Taylor and Carmine Inserra, Three Village Chamber of Commerce 2nd vice president and executive director, respectively.
John Tsunis, owner of the Holiday Inn Express Stony Brook and CEO and chairman of Gold Coast Bank, said as a resident of Hahn’s legislative district he is a proud supporter of her and her work. The CEO admired her passing of policies that helped ensure emergency workers were trained in the use of Narcan to revive patients who overdose and a bill that increased background checks of daycare workers. He also called her a tireless advocate for domestic abuse survivors and a “champion of our environment,” citing her work to help to protect ground and drinking water along with her promotion of recreational activities at local parks.
“As we all know, Kara cares deeply for our community, because of her thoughtful leadership Kara was elected to serve as legislature majority leader in 2016 and again in 2017,” he said.
Cartright said when she first ran for town office in 2013 she felt “blessed” to know Hahn. The councilwoman described her county counterpart as a worker bee who looks at her job from different perspectives.
“What’s so special about Kara Hahn is that she not only looks at things from a legislator perspective, but she looks at it from a community member perspective — a perspective that she’s one of us,” Cartright said. “She’s gone through the process. She understands the struggles and tribulations that many of us have to face within our communities.”
Hahn said she was humbled and honored to represent the community. She described the legislative district as an area where people work together to help make it an even better place to live. She cited a recent example where a member of Cartright’s office reached out to her to ask how they could help members of a Port Jefferson Veterans of Foreign Wars post attend the Rocky Point St. Patrick’s Day Parade so they wouldn’t have to park too far away. Hahn reached out to the Holiday Inn Express, and Tsunis offered the hotel’s shuttle bus for the veterans’ use.
“That’s the kind of community we have,” Hahn said. “Everybody wants to chip in. Everybody wants to help. Everybody knows it’s a great place to live and knows that it can be even better. We have a vision for that, and we keep every day trying to find a way to make things better whether it’s for our environment or our schools.”
The Brookhaven Community Leadership award has been presented annually since 2014. Past winners include Charlie Lefkowitz, Three Village Chamber of Commerce vice president; Leah Dunaief, TBR News Media publisher; and Gloria Rocchio, president of The Ward Melville Heritage Organization.
Huntington town board listens to residents complaints at a March 5 meeting. Photo by David Luces
By David Luces
In response to the Town of Huntington proposed legislation to change the town’s traffic code, residents voiced their concerns and displeasure of the possible stricter penalties and its potential ramifications at a public hearing at Town Hall March 5.
The proposed amendments would increase fines for violations, enhance enforcement and help collect on parking violations. These changes are part of the town’s approaches to alleviate parking issues in Huntington.
Engineer and Huntington resident Daniel Karpen took exception to the changes, saying it would bar residents from obtaining town-issued permits until parking tickets are cleared up.
“I don’t know why one has to deal with the other — why would you want to penalize people who want to take their child to the beach but have to deal with a ticket when they couldn’t find a place to park,” Karpen said. “This is mean to the public.”
Part of the parking changes would also include a requirement that parking summons and tickets be answered within 30 days or face an imposed default judgment, the nonrenewal of their New York State motor vehicle registration and possible immobilization.
Karpen cited the reason residents are getting fined is because there is a shortage of parking spaces in Huntington. He said a year ago he came to a town board meeting asking for more small car parking lots in the area.
“I liked to know what progress has been made to put small car parking lots in downtown Huntington,” he told the town board.
Supervisor Chad Lupinacci (R) responded that the town has eyed several locations for additional parking areas and mentioned they are awaiting the final results of the $16,000 study of a proposed parking garage, which was approved in October, 2018.
“We do believe stronger enforcement will encourage a change in driver behavior and end the abuse of time limits for free parking, both of which we expect to have a positive impact on the parking experience in downtown Huntington,” Lupinacci said.
Currently, the fine for not paying for parking in one of the town’s metered spaces comes out to $25. If Lupinacci’s proposed changes are approved the charge would increase to $75. If an individual is caught without a permit in a handicapped spot, the charge would increase from a flat fine of $200 up to a maximum of $600.
Paul Warburgh, who has been a parking violation volunteer for the town for over five years, said under the resolutions the town would do away with the volunteers, and their duties would be taken over by the town’s uniform public safety officers.
“The volunteers are on duty seven days a week, 24 hours a day,” Warburgh said. “I’m on duty at the Stop & Shop at 8:30 in the morning witnessing fire lane and handicapped violations.”
He acknowledged the need for some changes to be made to the volunteer program, but it didn’t mean the town should get rid of it and asked the board to reconsider the proposal.
“Are we going to get a uniformed officer there at that time, or at the post office at night when people decide to pull into the handicapped parking spaces because they feel like they’re entitled to do so?,” Warburgh said. “We are the enforcement — we provide a public service and we try to do our best.”
Jeff Bartels, of Lloyd Harbor, brought up the issue of handicapped parking within the town.
“Who is getting some of these handicapped permits?,” he asked. “I mean I see these construction trucks [parked] — the guy is doing constructing and has a handicapped tag on his mirror. How can you be handicapped and be a contractor — that doesn’t really fit.”
Linked with the proposed changes is also an amnesty program. The town will be offering a one-time 40 percent discount on the balance of an unpaid parking fine through April 1 as it tries to deal with residents owing more than $1.8 million in about 4,700 unpaid parking summonses and penalties.
The Town of Smithtown Town Hall. File photo by Phil Corso
The Town of Smithtown is currently in the process of hosting a series of Public Input Workshops for each hamlet to take part in their overall master plan. Workshops are being held to ensure the plan for each of the hamlets reflects the vision of those communities. Check out the flyer for your hamlet’s workshop date, location, and time! This is a great chance to get involved in your local community, whether you’re new to the area or a lifelong resident.
Smithtown: Thursday March 7th, 7PM-9PM; Eugene Cannatoro Senior Citizens Center
Nesconset: Tuesday, March 12th, 7PM-9PM; Great Hollow Middle School
Hauppauge: Tuesday, March 19th, 7PM-9PM; Hauppauge Pines Elementary School
St James: Wednesday, March 27th. 7PM-9PM; St James Elemetary School
Commack: Thursday, April 4th, 7PM-9PM; Commack High School Art Gallery
Kings Park: Thursday, April 11th, 7PM-9PM; Kings Park High School
For further information, call Smithtown Town Hall at 631-360-7512.
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