As voters cast their votes for trustees in the Village of Old Field March 21, only two names were on the ballot, current trustees Rebecca Van Der Bogart and Morgan Morrison.
The candidates received 51 votes each out of 58 votes cast. Van Der Bogart ran for the first time in 2021, and Morrison in 2022 to fill a vacant seat.
Rebecca Van Der Bogart and Morgan Morrison are seeking second terms on the Village of Old Field’s Board of Trustees. The two are unchallenged in the March 21 election.
Rebecca Van Der Bogart
Van Der Bogart ran for village trustee for the first time in 2021. A global account manager for the furniture company MillerKnoll, the trustee and her wife have lived in the village since 1997. Before her time on the board, she volunteered with the Crane Neck Association and was on the zoning board of appeals. She is also one of the founding members of Friends of Flax Pond.
As trustee, Van Der Bogart is in charge of municipal buildings and parks, and oversees the maintenance of trees on the sides of village roads, including sending out BID requests to local arborists. She has also been active in restoring the Old Field Point Lighthouse.
Morgan Morrison
Born and raised in Old Field, Morrison has worked in IT and technology for nearly 15 years, which has provided him with the opportunities to travel extensively. He is currently a technical and horticultural consultant, and recently joined the Cornell Cooperative Extension Suffolk County board.
Morrison, acting streets commissioner in the village, ran for the first time in 2022 for a one-year term for the seat that Adrienne Owen was appointed to after Bruce Feller stepped down as mayor and Stephen Shybunko replaced him, leaving a trustee seat vacant.
Old Field Point Lighthouse
Van Der Bogart said continuing on the lighthouse project is one of her top priorities.
The candidates said the village is responsible for the facility’s upkeep, which includes Old Field’s Village Hall, even though the U.S. Coast Guard owns the lighthouse. If not maintained, the Coast Guard can take back the facility.
Morrison said he and the trustees look forward to restoring the lighthouse to its “former glory.”
“We’re really excited to break ground in restoring the lighthouse,” he said.
While it will not be altered, Van Der Bogart said renovations are extensive and will include repairing leaking lanterns, replacing light panes and the roof, regrading and more.
“It’s not a big building, but it’s a complicated thing because you have a working lighthouse,” she said. “It’s used as a navigational point.”
Van Der Bogart said the board has been working well together, “attacking the restoration and renovation of the lighthouse to tighten up the building envelope so water doesn’t penetrate and it’s going to last another 200 years.”
Morrison agreed that the lighthouse is a priority for the trustees.
“All of the trustees are one big unified team, everybody is on the same page about making progress with this project,” Morrison said.
Van Der Bogart added the trustees have been fiscally responsible in approaching the work on the lighthouse, and taxes in the village won’t be raised. The local nonprofit Lighthouse Foundation is raising funds for its restoration.
Cellphone coverage
Morrison said while knocking on doors in the village, he and Van Der Bogart have also heard from many residents who are concerned about the spotty cellphone coverage in the village.
Morrison said it’s noted that most people don’t want an unattractive cellphone pole in their neighborhood.
“We’re working on finding a solution that works,” he said.
Morrison said one of the options they are looking into are miniature cell sites that cover a few square miles.
Election day
Old Field residents can vote for two trustees on Tuesday, March 21, from noon to 9 p.m. at the Keeper’s Cottage, 207 Old Field Road.
On Wednesday, April 13, two guest speakers presented to the Port Jefferson Harbor Commission on the state of Port Jeff Harbor and its future.
George Hoffman, co-founder of the Setauket Harbor Task Force, shared the history of the harbor commission over the last two decades.
“Up until 2000, the commission hadn’t been created and every village kind of did its own thing and the [Town of Brookhaven] did its own thing,” he said. “You had overlapping regulations in terms of boat speeds and where you could clam and where you could moor.”
This changed after the 2000 Port Jefferson Harbor Management Plan, which directed the various coastal municipalities in the area on how to best manage the harbor. Today, the villages and the town coordinate their efforts through the harbor commission, which harmonizes laws to monitor boating safety, establish mooring fields and regulate maritime traffic. While the villages have succeeded in these areas, Hoffman suggests the commission now has the experience and know-how to devote greater attention to water quality.
“Now that you have all of the other issues kind of resolved, I think now it’s time to consider how this commission can start to help manage the harbor itself as an environmental entity,” Hoffman said.
MS4 regulations
During the first hour of a storm event, rain often carries harmful contaminants from lawns, roads and sidewalks, discharging oils, bacteria and particulate metals into nearby surface waters. This phenomenon poses a hazard to marine life.
In an effort to reduce contamination of surface waters during storm events, new state regulations will require coastal municipalities to develop a more comprehensive stormwater management program. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation released guidelines regulating small municipal stormwater sewer systems, known as MS4s. “I actually think that the Port Jeff Harbor Commission could be a great vehicle to help all the municipalities comply.”
— George Hoffman
Under the existing policy, local governments are given wide latitude over the maintenance of their MS4s. “In the ’50s and ’60s, we never really gave a thought about stormwater — we just figured if it goes into the harbor, then it will dilute and everything will be fine,” Hoffman said. “We found out that that’s just not the way to go. This really has significant impacts.”
With stricter directives and harsher penalties under these new regulations, Hoffman noted the need for personnel: “That’s never a good thing for municipalities because you have to fund those positions and budgets are always tough no matter where you are.” He added that the Port Jefferson Harbor Commission — which includes officials from the town as well as the villages of Port Jefferson, Belle Terre, Poquott and Old Field — already have the infrastructure in place through the commission to coordinate their efforts in complying with these directives.
“I actually think that the Port Jeff Harbor Commission could be a great vehicle to help all the municipalities comply,” Hoffman said. “If every village has to go out and hire its own computer programmer to do the mapping of the stormwater, and has to hire somebody to run the public meetings and has to identify all the groups that are interested — it seems to me that it would be better if we all pulled together through this commission and handle all of our MS4 responsibilities together.”
Acknowledging the limitations of an all-volunteer commission, Hoffman’s plan would have the various villages appropriate funds to hire part-time personnel to oversee MS4 regulatory compliance: “This can actually save your villages money because if everybody pools their resources together, you can probably just get one person in here — and it wouldn’t even have to be a full-time position — to help manage the MS4 regulations.”
Public outreach is also a major component of these new guidelines. Hoffman said that under the current policy, public hearings are not mandated. Now, municipalities must hold public hearings to identify the stakeholders in their areas and report on the quality of their surface waters. Again, Hoffman said the commission can make it easier to satisfy this condition.
With greater emphasis on water quality, he said the commission can also tap into the Long Island Sound Study, a program that offers grants to protect and restore the Sound.
“The Long Island Sound Study has been in existence now for 20 years,” Hoffman said. “It’s a pact between Connecticut and New York and all of the federal monies for the Long Island Sound go through it.” Referring to the Setauket Harbor Task Force, he added, “Our group is part of the Citizens Advisory Committee and we’re very active members of that group — that’s the one that gives out the grants for $10 million.”
Planting oysters and clams
Alan Duckworth, environmental analyst with the Town of Brookhaven, also addressed the commission during the meeting. His presentation highlighted a recent undertaking by the town to improve water quality of its harbors through the planting of large numbers of oysters and clams.
In recent years, the town has attempted to strengthen its understanding of the quality of its harbors and bays, and also the pathogens and contaminants that pollute them. While traditional testing indicates that the quality of Port Jeff Harbor has improved, Duckworth notes some notable deficiencies in these testing schemes.
“There are so many pathogens in Port Jeff Harbor and elsewhere,” he said. “Some of them are from humans, but a lot of them are from water fowl. DEC does checks for pathogens and uses E. coli as a marker.” However, acknowledging the limitations of these tests, he added, “They don’t separate human E. coli from avian E. coli. Obviously some of the pathogens are coming from human waste, but a lot of it could be coming from birds.”
The town grows approximately 1.5 million oysters and another 1.5 million clams every year that it puts out into various harbors and bays. The addition of these shellfish populations aids the local fishing industry as well as recreational shellfishing.
The oyster and clam populations serve as “filter feeders,” flushing harmful contaminants from the waters and spitting out filtered water. These shellfish have a beneficial impact on water quality, according to Duckworth.
The town’s planting activities also attempt to restore the natural populations that once flourished along the Island coastline. “What we see today is only a fragment of what used to occur around Long Island in the bays and harbors,” Duckworth said, adding, “Through disease and through overfishing, in some areas the natural populations are 1% of what they used to be. We put out oysters and clams to hopefully kickstart the next generation.”
“About 100,000 oysters are removing about 50% of the microalgae, which is a fantastic result.”
— Alan Duckworth
With funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Long Island Sound Futures Fund, the town has been able to track the effects of these shellfish populations on the quality of its surface waters. Measuring water quality with an instrument called a sonde, researchers performed two experiments — one within an area of 100,000 oysters in Port Jeff Harbor and another approximately 60 feet away from the oysters, which served as the control. Measuring the removal of microalgae by the oysters, the researchers found “about 100,000 oysters are removing about 50% of the microalgae, which is a fantastic result,” Duckworth said.In a separate test for turbidity, a measure of the number of sediments floating around in the water, he said, “They also remove about 50% of these sediments, which improves water clarity. That’s really important for photosynthetic organisms and things that require sunlight.” Duckworth added, “If you have 10 feet of dirty water, all of the things that live on the bottom and require sunlight can’t photosynthesize. When you clean that water, it’s really important for the animals and plants that live there.”
A final experiment tested whether these plantings have any effect on restoring the natural populations of shellfish in the harbor. The researchers put out bags of empty oysters shells and found that baby oysters began to move into those shells, an indicator that the planted oysters are adapting to their new environment.
“The oysters that we put out are now adults, they’re now producing larvae, and those larvae are actually finding places to settle, in this case the oyster shells,” Hoffman said. “They‘re actually reseeding Port Jeff Harbor.”
Reflecting upon these studies, Hoffman concluded that the work being done is having a positive effect on water quality and points to an optimistic future of the harbor. “This is a good story,” he said. “We’re showing that, yes, the oysters that we put out are cleaning the water, but they’re also helping to reseed and restock the natural populations that we all want to bring back.”
When Stephen Shybunko decided not to run for mayor in Old Field — a position he has held for the last few months after the resignation of Bruce Feller — current trustee Tom Pirro stepped up to the plate.
On March 15, the unopposed Pirro won the election with 139 votes as well as village justice Mitchell Birzon, who also ran unopposed, with 132 votes according to village officials.
“It will be an exciting year,” Pirro said in an email the day after the election. “I’m looking forward to working as a team for the benefit of the village and its residents.”
Joining Pirro on the Village of Old Field board as trustees will be Tom Gulbransen and William Schaefer for two-year terms with 132 and 122 votes respectively and Morgan Morrison for a one-year term with 131 votes.
Adrienne Owen netted 88 votes in the two-year category, and Tom Cottone 81 votes in the one-year.
Schaefer served as village trustee in 2007-08 and had an unsuccessful run for mayor in 2008. In a March 10 The Village Times Herald article, Schaefer said he regretted seeing an increase of vitriol and conflicts of interest in Old Field and said he believed he could bring “an independent voice of reason and replace litigation and contention with compromise and mutual respect.”
In the same article, Morrison said he believed his experience working in IT would be an asset to the village. One idea, he said, “would be to utilize modern technology — such as license plate readers — to build upon the human presence of our constabulary.”
In 2020, Gulbransen, who was a former village trustee and deputy mayor, won a seat as a write-in candidate. In an email, he said he was impressed by the March 15 voter turnout: “It’s encouraging to see so many residents actively turn out to vote. Community communications have been challenging during the years of COVID sequestration.”
All told, 203 people voted.
Changes are upon the Village of Old Field once again.
Before the end of 2021, Bruce Feller, who was elected as mayor in 2018, handed in his resignation and Deputy Mayor Stephen Shybunko took on the role for the remaining months. As the Tuesday, March 15, village elections approach, neither will be running for the position.
Pirro runs for mayor
Current trustee Tom Pirro is the only candidate running for mayor. Pirro was first elected as trustee in 2018.
Pirro said in an email he decided to run for mayor because he has “developed a keen understanding of our village, its challenges and opportunities.”
His goal, Pirro said, is to use his experience as trustee and professional experience as a CPA “to continue moving the village forward in a positive direction — all while maintaining our strong fiscal position.”
He along with trustee Adrienne Owen and trustee candidate Thomas Cottone are running on the Unity Party line. He said he also supports the reelection of Tom Gulbransen, who is running under the Sound Government Party line.
Pirro said he doesn’t feel there are any significant issues in the village.
“I have dedicated my efforts in ensuring fiscal discipline and steady leadership which have put the village in a very strong financial position,” he said. “I am excited to be a part of the lighthouse restoration project. This is an undertaking that is near and dear to me, as the lighthouse is not only the village’s public meeting space but is a beacon and symbol of the village itself.”
Pirro said during this tenure as trustee he worked to establish a strong financial standing for the village, and Old Field’s bond rating has gone from A1 to Aa2. He has also worked to streamline the building permit process and oversee the maintenance of roads and roadside drainage systems, which included necessary improvements and upgrades.
Two-year trustee candidates
Old Field residents will vote for two village trustees for a two-year term and one trustee for a one-year term.
Tom Gulbransen
Current trustee Gulbransen, who has lived in the village for more than 25 years, said in an email he is running again to continue the efforts of the board over the last few years.
He credits Shybunko, Feller and former mayor Michael Levine along with the board of trustees and residents for important improvements that have been made.
“Most improvements are ongoing, for example, the lighthouse restoration grant applications, the Old Field Point revetment repair grant and some fixes to village code about environmental protection,” he said, adding, “I’m also willing to serve again because it’s a privilege to collaborate with so many talented neighbors.”
The trustee said taking care of the village responsibilities “as cost-efficiently and effectively as possible within the time people have available to help” is one of the biggest things to tackle.
“Even within the village’s relatively small geographic scale, we face complex infrastructure challenges due to our historic buildings, miles of shoreline and fragile environs. Fortunately, the mayors, trustees and the village’s part-time staff have figured out how to juggle and or share tasks. And we make adjustments when residents point out our shortcomings.”
He said while, at times, there are misunderstandings or even contentiousness in the village, the residents “balance things out, remain neighborly and appreciative.”
Gulbransen is an environmental scientist, specializing in software and data sciences for the nonprofit Battelle Memorial Institute. He is also a volunteer firefighter and EMT, and chair of the Suffolk County Council on Environmental Quality.
Adrienne Owen
Owen, who ran unsuccessfully in 2021, has been serving as trustee the last few months after Shybunko became mayor. She said in an email that when Shybunko asked her if she would be interested in filling his seat, she was honored even though it was only for three months.
“I have enjoyed being a part of Old Field’s board these past few months, and I look forward to the opportunity for a full term,” she said.
Serving on other boards such as for Harbor Country Day School in St. James, Owen said she feels she has been valuable in the trustee position.
“I believe I can bring some efficiencies when working with village subcommittees and personnel,” she said. “As I mentioned last year, I am all about process and procedure and there is always room for little improvements in any organization.”
Owen has also been an active member of Old Field’s Ways and Means and Welcoming committees through the years. She is currently the secretary for the Old Field Lighthouse Foundation.
Like Pirro, Owen said she doesn’t feel the village is facing any major issues.
“Fiscal discipline and steady leadership have put the village in a very strong position,” she said “Our board has been good stewards of the environment, and I pledge to continue that commitment. We recently completed some upgrades to the lighthouse beacon for the Coast Guard and are looking forward to a major restoration project for the Old Field Lighthouse and grounds.”
Owen isn’t the first Old Field trustee in her family as her husband, Jeff, served for six years. The couple along with their 16-year-old son have lived in the village since 2008.
William Schaefer
William Schaefer, who has previously served as village trustee in 2007-08 and had an unsuccessful run for mayor in 2008, is running on the Bill of Rights Party ticket. He said in an email that his love for the village along with his desire to work with his fellow residents to make Old Field “an even better place to live” is what motivated him to run for trustee.
“While we have been well served by our previous mayors and many of our past and present trustees, I regret the increasing vitriol, intractability and conflicts of interest within our village,” he said. “Many years ago, we experienced the same discord for which, as a trustee, I bore some responsibility and which resulted in me losing the election for mayor. But I believe in redemption and honestly believe that I can bring an independent voice of reason and replace litigation and contention with compromise and mutual respect.”
Schaefer said he would like to see the refocusing of the village’s code enforcement toward “both rigorous and consistent and fair enforcement of our village code — to save our cherished environment — as well as strengthening of its service function.” He added he would honor the 2% tax rate cap.
Schaefer would also like to build on the work of former mayors Cary Staller and Levine, he said, as well as “the current efforts of trustees Gulbransen and [Rebecca] Van Der Bogart, expediting restoration of our precious lighthouse — much in the same way that we saved the Keeper’s Cottage.”
In addition to his prior experience as trustee, Schaefer has worked for the U.S. Department of Health, served as a clerk to a U.S. District Court judge, a Suffolk County assistant district attorney and an assistant attorney in the Organized Crime and Racketeering section of the U.S. Department of Justice. He has also taught criminal justice, law and political science at Long Island colleges.
One-year trustee candidates
Thomas Cottone
Dr. Cottone said in an email that this will be the first time he has run for trustee. He has been president of the Old Field Woods Homeowners Association since 2016 and has interacted with the board due to the position on numerous occasions.
“As a result, I have become more educated about village management, and the significant amount of effort involved in maintaining the stability and wonderful quality of our community,” he said. “I believe I can make valuable contributions to the board with my professional, civic and volunteer experiences.”
In addition to his position with OFWHA, he has been CFO for the Long Island Anesthesia Physicians and principal in strategic growth and practice development for LIAP as well as lead anesthesiologist for the organization where he developed the initiation and implementation of its COVID-19 response team. As well, he is CFO, partner and board member of the Wohali Resort in Park City, Utah, and managing partner of Setauket Partners, the investment arm of the resort. He is also a team member of Room4Love, the Setauket-based, nonprofit organization that helps children with cancer.
Cottone said he feels it would be an honor to serve with Pirro, Gulbransen and Owen as he believes they are “leading the village in a positive manner.”
The candidate said he believes the village has no substantive issues.
“I would like to see the village historic lighthouse efficiently undergo further needed renovation with available potential grant funds complemented by The Lighthouse Foundation donations,” Cottone said. “An improved lighthouse, along with the village park, will greatly enhance the sense of community in Old Field. Other items that I would focus on would be maintaining the successful environmental initiatives the current board has established, as well as identifying other opportunities, and reestablishing a welcoming committee for
new residents.”
He added that he would continue the current board’s trend with keeping taxes as low as possible.
Morgan Morrison
Morgan Morrison is running on the Sound Government Party line. As a lifelong resident, he said in an email, he wanted to be more involved in the village.
“Having lived my entire life here, I’ve watched the village evolve over time, and I’d like to add my energy and commitment toward keeping it a place future generations can enjoy,” he said. “I believe people are drawn to live in Old Field because it is a unique environment. I’d like to preserve its character as we move into the future.”
He added he wouldn’t be influenced by professional conflicts of interests.
“I care strongly about the environment and security of our village,” he said. “I will advocate for what’s best for the village as a whole.”
The candidate said many in the village are concerned about the “costs of maintaining the safety and security of the village.”
“I believe in finding more cost-effective solutions for getting the largest value and quality of life returns from our village taxes so as not to increase them,” he said. “An easy and cost-effective method to increase our security would be to utilize modern technology — such as license plate readers — to build upon the human presence of our constabulary.”
Morrison has worked in IT and technology for nearly 15 years which has provided him with the opportunities to travel extensively. He is currently a technical and horticultural consultant. He said he feels his professional background can be helpful “to make the village meetings more accessible and to increase our safety.”
He also is familiar with village government as his mother Geraldine Morrison was a trustee and deputy mayor for three terms in Old Field.
“I know what the job entails, and I’m very familiar with the village code,” he said. “I know the capabilities — and limitations — of what technology can do to make our lives better. I work well with others, and I believe I have a lot of value to add toward keeping Old Field the wonderful place that it is.”
Residents can vote on March 15 from noon to 9 p.m. at the Keeper’s Cottage, 207 Old Field Road. In addition to voting for mayor and three trustees, voters will have the opportunity to vote for village justice. Mitchell Birzon, who ran for the post in 2021 to fill the remainder of the term left open after the death of justice Ted Rosenberg in September 2020, is unchallenged.
Old Field residents will choose from three candidates for two trustee seats on the village board when they go to the polls March 16.
Incumbent Stephen Shybunko, a manufacturing business owner, and Adrienne Owen, the lead member of production supervisory at Renaissance Technologies, will be running on The 1927 Party ticket, while Rebecca Van Der Bogart, a global account manager for the furniture company Herman Miller, is running on The Good Neighbor Party ticket.
Mitchell Birzon will be running for village justice to fill the remainder of the term left open after the death of justice Ted Rosenberg in September. The term will conclude April 1, 2022, and Birzon is unchallenged.
Stephen Shybunko
Shybunko is the only incumbent on the ballot and has been a trustee for more than 12 years. He was first appointed to the village board and went on to be elected six times. He is currently the deputy mayor, and has served in the position for eight years after being appointed by former Mayor Michael Levine and then current Mayor Bruce Feller. Shybunko said before running again he discussed his intentions with his family and received encouragement from the mayor and the other board members.
“I genuinely enjoy the interaction with residents and get great satisfaction in governing on a local level where results are quickly realized and change can be instituted swiftly when needed,” he said.
Living in Old Field for 30 years with his wife, Kerry, and raising three children, Kyle, 31, Stephen, 30, and Kathryn, 25, he feels that maintaining the beauty of the village is important.
“Being good stewards and maintaining the beauty and diversity of the environment is always important,” he said. “Balancing the fragile ecosystem with property development is a task that requires knowledge, experience and the ability to respect and listen to all stakeholders.”
Shybunko said he believes he possesses the qualities to take on that task, and he is “always willing to learn more and educate myself on best practices going forward.”
“Old Field’s waterfront properties and continuing development provides both a challenge and an opportunity to lead the way on responsible development,” he said.
In a letter to residents, he listed the board’s achievements during his tenure, including “sound village finances.” He said Old Field has continuously enjoyed “the lowest fiscal stress scores as reported by the New York State comptroller,” among all towns, villages and school districts in the state. With only two years left on a 10-year loan that was used for roads, the village will save $180,000 on taxes when the loan is paid off, Shybunko said. He said he currently doesn’t see any large expensives on the horizon for Old Field.
Adrienne Owen
While Adrienne Owen may be a new candidate on this year’s ballot, she is extremely familiar with the Old Field board. Her husband, Jeff, is currently a board member. After serving six terms, her husband decided not to run in 2021.
She said in an email it was Feller who planted the seed in her head about running at a birthday party back in 2019. She spent seven years on the board at Harbor Country Day School in St. James, and when she started, she said she had no related experience.
“I am an eager learner,” Owen said. “While a non-for-profit school board and an incorporated village board are different, the fundamentals of board service are the same. My experience on the HCDS board made me see how fulfilling giving my time and my energy to an organization I really cared about could be.”
She said she doesn’t see the village “facing any issues of great significance.”
“The board has always been populated with strong leadership during my residence,” she said. “Mike Levine was a dedicated mayor for a very long time, and Steve Shybunko has been a devoted deputy mayor. I am thrilled Steve is continuing the tradition of running for trustee with an Owen.”
While she doesn’t see any huge issues in the village, Owen added processes and procedures can always be improved.
“I think I will provide a fresh perspective in this regard,” she said. “I have extensive experience working on tight and balanced budgets, and I have good management skills. I will approach all issues by doing my own due diligence and listening to all perspectives.”
Owen has lived in the village with her husband since 2008 and their son, Grant, is about to turn 15.
Like Shybunko, she wishes to see new beautification projects in Old Field.
“We are about to embark on a major restoration and renovation of the Old Field Lighthouse,” she said. “I am secretary of the Old Field Lighthouse Foundation and, if elected, I will be the liaison between the board and the foundation.”
Rebecca Van Der Bogart
Van Der Bogart is also a new name on the ballot for trustee, but familiar with village business.
She volunteers with the Crane Neck Association and is on the zoning board of appeals for Old Field. She and her wife, Hayley Devon Ogle, have lived in the village since 1997.
Among the items Van Der Bogart would like to see improved in the village is communication among residents. She said sometimes residents are too quick to report a problem to the village, like a floodlight shining in their window, before communication with their neighbors. She believes in being a good neighbor and that’s why she picked it as her platform.
“I know it sounds funny, but I believe that people should communicate with each other, and work together and make this community — make our neighborhood — as great as it could be,” she said. “Have dialogue with each other, try to help each other.”
Van Der Bogart added as a resident she tries her best to attend village meetings and believes she will bring a different perspective to the board. She said while Old Field is known for having wealthy people, that’s not the case for every resident.
“We’re not all millionaires, and I think that should be represented on the village board,” she said.
Van Der Bogart added not only as a neighbor but also as a businessperson her goal is to make sure that everybody has a better experience when dealing with village government, likening it to a customer-service approach.
In the past, Van Der Bogart has worked with the village to curb issues brought on by deer such as eating vegetation and Lyme disease. On the village’s deer committee, she worked with the New York State Department of Conservation, local elected officials and deer hunters. She also investigated villages such as Quogue to see how they approached their deer problems, she said, not wanting to have massive amounts of deer killings.
“I said, ‘You know, here’s the problem, people are starting to get sick now, people who are getting tick-borne diseases,’” she said. “There’s a direct correlation that the more deer, the more ticks, the more tick-borne diseases.”
The village changed the code to allow residents to use deer fencing. With this, Van Der Bogart said homeowners could protect their properties and health without resorting to hunting.
“So, it kind of was the happy medium for everybody, and I felt really proud of working on that,” she said.
The election for two trustees and village justice will take place Tuesday, March 16, from noon to 9 p.m. at the Keeper’s Cottage, 207 Old Field Road.
By Kyle Barr and Rita J. Egan
Cops said that over the past week there have been a rash of car thefts and vehicle break-ins within the Three Village area.
Now several Port Jefferson residents have also reported vehicles were stolen from their property as well, though police said they are still investigating if the same perpetrators were committing the robberies in both areas.
Suffolk County Police provided TBR News Media a list of 16 total car thefts and break ins. The list shows a total of four cars were stolen from residences in Stony Brook Aug. 23. Two of those vehicles, a 2020 Nissan and a 2019 Volkswagen were recovered — the former was found in Connecticut while the latter was located in Stony Brook. Two other cars, a 2016 Mazda and a 2009 Acura, have so far not been located, according to police.
The 12 other incidences were petit larcenies of property from cars in Stony Brook, Setauket and Old Field. Several items electronics like laptops or earphones, while others were purses, money and car keys. All incidents took place within the 6th precinct.
Suffolk County Police Detective Lt. Sean Beran said all incidents were from unlocked vehicles. The investigation is ongoing, according to Beran, though he added there are a couple of people of interest.
Uniformed and plainclothes personnel have been patrolling the area, and the Special Operations Team has been assigned to the case. Beran said no additional break-ins or thefts were reported after Aug. 23 in the Three Village community.
Beran said it’s important for car owners to remember to lock their vehicles, make sure they have their car key FOB and remove belongings even when parking a car in a driveway.
Police confirmed that more car thefts have since been reported by locals in the Port Jefferson area as well. A man in the Harbor Hills section of the village on Landing Lane said two cars were stolen from his driveway at around 1:45 a.m. Friday, Aug. 28.
One vehicle was a 2020 Honda Accord and another was a 2016 Honda CRV, according to the Port Jefferson man’s posts on social media. Cops also said that a 2013 Mercedes was also stolen from Sands Lane in Port Jeff. That vehicle has since been recovered nearby.
Police said it is still under investigation whether the Three Village and Port Jeff car thefts are connected.
People can contact the 6th Precinct with information at 631-854-8652 or submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS (8477), utilizing a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com.
Suffolk County Village Officials Association, which represents 32 villages, hosted a special presentation on the opioid crisis Sept. 26 at the Lake Grove Village Hall.
District Attorney Tim Sini (D), Suffolk Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart and Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. (D) all spoke to the group about how the crisis has fueled a regional surge in illegal firearms seizures and sex trafficking crimes.
Most criminal cases in the county, the officials said, relate to opioid epidemic.
People initially became addicted to prescription painkillers and over time, as demand increased, supply went down, and prices went up. So, people gravitated toward heroin, the DA said, which is more potent and more dangerous. Drug dealers, who realized that money can be made, began cutting their product with the synthetic opioid fentanyl, and more recently with fentanyl variations known as analogs. Fentanyl, Sini said, originates in China and is coming into the United States through the Mexican border. The drug is also being sent into the U.S. over the Canadian border and from China through the U.S. mail.
County officials said they are drilling down as hard as possible.
Since 2016, the federal government assigned an analyst exclusively to Suffolk County Police Department to examine overdose information with maps and weekly and monthly overdose reports. The mapping system, known as High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program, or HIDTA, provides a real-time picture of overdoses. It also helps identify and coordinate candidates for the county’s preventing incarceration via opportunities for treatment program known as PIVOT for short.
“Everything we do is driven by analytics,” Hart said.
The county has also been using court-sanctioned surveillance methods such as phone tapping and search warrants to crack down on drug crimes. It issued more than 350 narcotics search warrants in 2018 and has eavesdropped on more than 150 phone lines. Consequently, the county has seized greater amounts of certain drugs and illegal firearms.
The officials said during their presentation that it’s targeting dealers who cause overdoses and charging them with manslaughter. Sini said that through surveillance, he’s learning that tougher manslaughter statutes result in dealers turning away from deadly drugs to instead
peddle nonlethal drugs.
In 2018, the county also launched a sex trafficking unit that has identified and interviewed more than 200 sex trafficking victims. It has arrested 34 people for 235 counts of sex-trafficking related charges and learned during the interviews how drug traffickers use opioids to addict young women to keep them dependent.
Toulon said that they’re gathering information while the women are in the sheriff’s facility, which is providing other useful information on drug and sex traffickers.
Victims, while in the sheriff’s facility, are involved in vocational and educational programs and put in touch with nongovernmental organizations that assist with counseling, drug treatment and job training. A big problem, though, Toulon said, is housing.
County officials emphasized that human trafficking is happening right here, right now in our communities. It can affect anyone from your neighbor to your niece and nephew.
Officials are also calling for the use of different terminology for prostitution.
“It’s a modern-day form of slavery and needs to be called what it is: sex trafficking,” Hart said. The force has historically arrested the women and that was the case, Hart said, but the county’s approach is shifting and officials are now looking at the women as victims.
Officials are asking people to trust their own instincts.
“If you’re at a 7-Eleven and you see an older man in a car with a young woman who looks distressed, call or text us,” the officials said.
The county initiated a Text-a-Tip program. To reach officials, text TIP SUFFOLK to the number 888-777. Residents can confidentially share any information related to illicit or suspicious activity, including drug use or trafficking, Toulon said.
Paul Tonna, who serves as executive director of the village organization, said in a telephone interview after the event that a group of mayors were previously given a private presentation on the topic in graphic detail. The situation, he said, is horrible. The women are being forced to perform six or seven sex acts a day. He is calling for people such as PTAs and religious groups to sponsor awareness campaigns with officials.
Local villages have resources, Tonna said, such as constabulary that can also become the eyes and ears of county officials.
“We’re not here to say you need to do more,” Sini said. ”We need to think outside of the box. Because of collective efforts, we can make greater strides.”
Ann Marie Csorny is director of Suffolk County Department of Health Services’ Community Mental Hygiene Services. The Prevention Resource Center, run by the Family Service League, she said, offers effective tools for those working to prevent drug and alcohol abuse. Villages and towns, she said, should tap into coalitions that exist or start to build their own coalitions.
“Communities can have a great impact in terms of preventing or reducing drug use, alcohol abuse and related problems when they understand and promote coalition building,” she said. “This can be very exciting in that involved communities promote civic engagement and the building of shared understanding, shared norms, shared values, trust, and cooperation.”
A contentious campaign has led to change in the Village of Old Field.
Attorney Ted Rosenberg won a run-off election against incumbent Ron LaVita for village justice April 3. Rosenberg defeated LaVita 189 to 146, according to village court clerk Marianne Feller. Out of the 335 votes, 65 were absentee ballots — 39 for Rosenberg and 26 for LaVita.
LaVita has held the unpaid position for 20 years, and in previous elections ran unchallenged. The run-off was held after the two candidates tied 114 each in the March 20 general election.
Rosenberg said he’s glad the campaign is over and is looking forward to serving the village for the next four years.
“[Residents] can expect me to impartially adjudicate cases and treat everyone fairly, treat everyone the same,” Rosenberg said.
Despite their differences during the campaign, he said he respects LaVita.
“My opponent campaigned very hard, very tenaciously, and I admire that,” he said.
LaVita said he was disappointed with the results.
“I am also disappointed in, and do not think I deserve, what in my opinion were the scurrilous attacks and rhetoric made against me,” LaVita said. “This is not Washington politics, and the ends do not always justify the means.”
During the campaign for village justice, allegations were hurled by both candidates. Rosenberg alleged during his campaign that LaVita did not have a certificate of occupancy for his home since making renovations 15 years ago. In spring 2017, LaVita said he paid the requested permit fees in anticipation of obtaining a CO. In July of that year, he was granted an extension, which expires in July 2018.
Among allegations made by LaVita, he said Rosenberg, who served as village associate justice, represented an accident client who sued the Village of Old Field and the constable. Rosenberg confirmed he represented a client against Old Field and said he checked with the mayor first, who said there was no conflict of interest created for taking on the case.
Despite the loss, LaVita said he’s grateful for the time he served as village justice.
“I want to thank all my friends and supporters in the village for allowing me to proudly serve them for the past 20 years and for supporting me throughout a very hard-fought election,” LaVita said.
By Rita J. Egan
Residents of the Village of Old Field are asking the mayor and trustees, “Can you hear me now?”
The Keeper’s Cottage was filled to capacity Feb. 13 with residents and bordering neighbors expressing concerns over the proposed installation of a cellphone tower at Kaltenborn Commons, a small park located at the intersection of Old Field Road and Quaker Path and surrounded by homes. This is the second time both residents and nonresidents had the opportunity to speak and ask questions about the tower; the first opportunity being at a Jan. 9 public meeting.
A board vote to approve signing a lease with telecommunications tower site developer Elite Towers was not held during the meeting. Mayor Michael Levine said with the upcoming March 20 village elections, two new trustees would be starting in April, and the board agreed the new members should weigh in on the decision.
Former board member John Von Lintig, who lives directly across from the park, presented a petition signed by 100 residents who are against the installation of the cell tower.
“The opposition of the cellphone tower, or pole as you call it, is primarily based on aesthetic reasons, which tie very closely to the impact on real estate immediately in the vicinity of the tower,” Von Lintig said.
“The opposition of the cellphone tower, or pole as you call it, is primarily based on aesthetic reasons, which tie very closely to the impact on real estate immediately in the vicinity of the tower.”
— John Von Lintig
He cited the National Institute for Science, Law & Public Policy’s survey of 1,000 respondents on the impact of cell towers and antennas on real estate properties. He said according to the survey, 94 percent responded that cellphone towers or antennas in a neighborhood would impact their interest in a property and the price they would pay. Von Lintig said 79 percent answering the survey said under no circumstances would they buy a home within a few blocks from a tower or antenna. He said the decline of real estate prices can be anywhere between 2 and 20 percent.
John Damianos said when the land was granted to the village by Hans V. Kaltenborn in 1950 it was meant to be used for recreational purposes. He said the addition of the pole would turn it into a commercial facility.
“When I moved here there were many naturalists and environmentalists,” Damianos said. “A lot of people talked about Flax Pond and other places. They were strongly in favor of preserving natural spaces, open spaces, including this one.”
Jeff Schnee, who recently attended a board of trustees work session to discuss the technologic alternatives to a tower, said a better solution would be using distributed antenna systems. He said there is one in front of Ward Melville High School, and it consists of a 14- to 15-foot microwave antenna and a controlling box.
“[The phone companies] can put that in our neighborhood about every 20 poles in the areas that need it and that’s not intrusive,” Schnee said. “You don’t have to look at it, it doesn’t put out much power.”
Schnee asked if a cellphone tower was necessary with 5G technology, which uses millimeter waves and not microwaves, on the horizon. He said the technology uses receivers and transmitters, which would be every cellphone, Wi-Fi-enabled car and cable box. He said an area such as Old Field, where people buy the latest technology, would be perfect for 5G, and it’s possible it might be available in 2020.
Deputy Mayor Stephen Shybunko said after further research the board found that 5G would not replace 4G entirely as 5G does not penetrate walls and windows and therefore would not work well for voice transmission. Schnee said he believes more research needs to be done and said the debate on the potential of 5G could lead to the formation of a committee of residents who could research the topic before a decision is made about the tower.
Physicist Oleg Gang said a committee would be ideal to also research potential health risks. The scientist handed out a sheet with a list of studies regarding the effects of cell towers on health. Gang showed a meter he used recently when near a comparable tower in Belle Terre. He said the measurements of radio frequency power near the tower — 100 feet to 0.3 mile — indicate RF radiation levels a few times higher than holding a cellphone to one’s ear 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Board members said they would be open to a committee comprised of Old Field residents. Levine reiterated what was covered at the last board meeting, that the lighthouse is not an option for the Village of Old Field to install a cellphone tower as the U.S. Coast Guard has not given approval. Also, if the village decides not to install a pole, there is still a chance that Stony Brook University will do so on its Sunwood Estate property as the university has filed a request for proposals to install a cellphone tower. If this occurs, the village would not have a say as to where the university installs it on the property and would not generate any revenue from the SBU pole.
Many residents in attendance said they would rather not have better cellphone service, or any service at all, if it negatively affects them and their neighbors in Setauket.
“I would rather pay higher taxes than shaft my neighbors down the road a mile and a half,” one resident said.
After the meeting, Von Lintig said he was optimistic and believed it makes sense to involve new board members in the process.
“As a former village trustee knowing most of the current members well, I believe they will take these concerns under serious consideration and do the right thing to preserve the bucolic nature of our village,” Von Lintig said.
