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Authors Posts by Rita J. Egan

Rita J. Egan

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Above, Mallory Braun, right, plans to open a new bookstore in Huntington Village, and is being mentored by former Book Revue owner Richard Klein, left. Braun was a manager at Book Revue, above, before it closed. Photo of Braun and Klein by E. Beth Thomas

A couple of months after the Book Revue in Huntington village closed its doors for the last time, a former store manager is ready to start a new chapter.

She has already began acquiring books, below, for the new store. Photo from Mallory Brown

Mallory Braun, of Stony Brook, launched a Kickstarter campaign Nov. 1 to raise funds for a new bookstore in the village in the spirit of Book Revue. Her goal is to raise $250,000 in 45 days on the crowdfunding platform, and she plans to call the business The Next Chapter.

Opening her own business is something that the 28-year-old started thinking about seriously after the Book Revue’s owner, Richard Klein, announced the store was closing this summer.

“It was never something that was on the front burner, but it’s been something that I have had interest in for quite some time,” she said.

Braun said she enjoyed working at the Book Revue and learned a lot when she was employed there. For less than a year she was a bookseller, before going on to be manager, a position she held for more than five years. After a while, Braun said she specialized in used and rare books

She said the plan is to open a store within walking distance of the former Book Revue storefront. Right now she has a store in mind and if her fundraising attempts are successful, she believes she’ll have the funds necessary to open the store in that location. If not, she has two other locations she has considered as a backup.

Klein has been helping her through the process.

“He’s advising me on all business matters,” Braun said. “He’s using his connections from 44 years in the business to help me, and he’s generally being there in a support role.”

The Book Revue, like many businesses in the state, had to close temporarily during the height of the pandemic. It was closed to customers for about three months, but the business tried to be innovative, she said, in order to survive.

“We still sold books every day that we were shut down,” Braun said. “We were selling books on Instagram, on social media, and we were selling books by cracking the door open.”

She added that customers would call and pay by credit card and then would pick up orders curbside.

“You have to be flexible, and you have to be able to change with the times,” Braun said. “And that was what I was thinking then and that’s what I’m thinking now.”

Right now, she is juggling a few jobs. In addition to preparing to open a new business, she babysits for a family in Roslyn and also works for an online business called J & J Lubrano Music Antiquarians, a rare book online business in Syosset.

Through the years Braun, who holds degrees in journalism and Italian studies, has learned about the importance of juggling responsibilities, which she says require discipline and good time management.

“I have to be pretty disciplined, but I’m lucky because I have a lot of people who are really looking out for me and are willing to be flexible,” she said.

Braun said she learned a lot from Klein and her experience has taught her “to find people whose opinions you trust and also to keep your own counsel.”

Klein said he told Braun that opening a business is something one has to really want, and he feels she does, adding he wouldn’t be providing moral support if he didn’t think so. He said it’s important for a person to have tenacity and determination when opening a business.

“You don’t let anything stop you, and you don’t let obstacles bother you,” he said. “You just keep going. And you will face all kinds of difficulties and defeats along the way, but if you just keep getting up and keep working at it, that’s more than half the battle. First, you decide to act, and then the rest is tenacity.”

Klein said Braun is energetic, smart and determined, and “she has a lot of good ideas.”

He also feels The Next Chapter will continue the legacy of Book Revue.

“When she gets this off the ground, I think it’s going to be a place that people are going to enjoy coming to,” Klein said.

Braun said the new bookstore will deal in used, remaindered, rare and collectible books as well as vinyl records. Slowly but surely, she has been acquiring books and records that people have been donating or selling to her.

The number of new books will be limited, at first but her plan is to increase the selection over time.

The budding entrepreneur said she also plans to have workshops, classes, author readings and book signings “to reincarnate the spirit of Book Revue.”

She said she believes the new store will add some character to the village.

“I think people will be pleasantly surprised when they come to a new space and look around,” she said.

To donate, visit www.kickstarter.com/projects/bookrevue/book-revue-the-next-chapter. As of Nov. 3, more than $50,000 has been donated from over 420 backers. If the goal of raising $250,000 is not met in 45 days, all funds will be returned to donors.

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File photo

During a virtual press conference Nov. 4, U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY3) said he has a lot to think about before the end of the month.

Suozzi said he has been seriously considering running for New York governor in 2022, but he said he will not make a decision until the end of November.

“I’d love to be the governor of New York State, and I think I’ve got a great record of accomplishment,” he said. “I think I’d be great at the job. I have a vision for the state of New York. I know what needs to be done.”

Over the next few weeks he will meet with political consultants to determine if he has a good chance of winning. He added he believes he could win a general election but he wasn’t sure about a Democratic primary.

To date, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, state Attorney General Leticia James and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams have stated their intentions to run in the Democratic primary in June of 2022.

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File photo by Desirée Keegan

For the past six years, Suffolk County Legislator Leslie Kennedy (R-Nesconset) has represented Legislative District 12, which includes the southern section of the Town of Smithtown and western Brookhaven. This year she is running once again, and while Mike Siderakis will be listed as the Democratic candidate come election day, the candidate who ran unsuccessfully for state senator against Mario Mattera (R-St. James) last year stopped actively campaigning this summer.

Before taking on the role of county legislator, Kennedy worked for 13 years as a legislative aide for Donald Blydenburgh (R-Smithtown) and her husband John Kennedy Jr. (R-Nesconset), who for the last six years has been Suffolk County comptroller. When her husband won his bid for the comptroller’s seat, she stepped into his former position in a special election six months before she had to run again.

“I love my job,” Kennedy said during a recent phone interview with TBR News Media.

COVID-19

Kennedy said the last two years have been tough dealing with the issues the pandemic has presented as well as the restrictions that went along with it to curb the virus. She said the changing rules made it challenging.

“It created all sorts of new issues,” she said.

The former nurse said she believes in wearing masks and getting vaccinated, but she did take issue with the state’s shutdown orders of businesses. The legislator and her office staff were busy earlier in the year helping residents get immunized when it was first difficult to find appointments. She said they secured more than 500 vaccination appointments. “I think that our purpose should be to aid and assist human beings and not to torture them,” she said.

Kennedy also said she is concerned with some of the anti-mask and anti-vaccine rallies and some of the information and arguments that are out there, even though she respects everyone’s rights to express their concerns and opinions.

“They have the right to their opinions, but let me tell you my opinion and how I feel the way I do,” she said. “And then you can keep your opinion or you can think about mine.”

Legislative bills

Kennedy said regarding sponsoring bills she chooses wisely. “I tried to put in a limited amount of bills and just do more government,” she said.

She is most proud of her initiatives that have helped preserve land, and the legislator said it’s important to get out there and meet with all of the people involved and discuss all the options with them.

An example of her preservation efforts is the 2018 acquisition and preservation of the Hauppauge Springs that she led along with Seatuck Environmental Association. The 42-acre property is located on the south side of Route 347 in Hauppauge and there had been a builder interested in constructing eight houses on land at part of one of the headwaters of the Nissequogue River. 

Kennedy said she made sure to meet with both the owner of the property and the builder’s lawyer. It was an issue the county legislator was extremely familiar with, as she said it was on the county’s list of environmentally sensitive priority properties for more than 20 years.

“Putting up those houses would have been the end of the Nissequogue River,” she said, adding waste from them would go into the headwaters.

County budget

With more money coming the county’s way in 2022 due to COVID-19 aid, Kennedy said she agrees with paying off pension debts and other monies the county borrowed. However, she said Suffolk should also save as much as possible because she fears it will run out of funds by 2023.

“I would love to give everybody who wants things everything, but we can’t,” she said.

The 12th Legislative District includes Smithtown, Nesconset, Hauppauge, the Village of the Branch, Lake Grove and parts of St. James, Commack, Lake Ronkonkoma and Centereach. The district is bounded roughly by Route 25 to the north, Commack Road to the west, Townline Road to the south, and Oxhead Road to the east, with Veterans Memorial Highway running through the heart of the district northwest to southeast.

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Photo by Rita J. Egan

The race between Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini (D) and prosecutor Ray Tierney, who is running on the Republican and Conservative lines, has been a contentious one. At the forefront, Tierney has questioned whether Sini has been as tough on crime as the DA himself has said, especially regarding the MS-13 gang.

The two sat down with TBR News Media’s editorial staff Oct. 11 to discuss several issues including the biggest ones facing Suffolk County.

Meet the candidates

Sini was first elected to the DA’s office in 2017 and is running for his second term. His background includes being an assistant attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York where he ultimately specialized in violent crimes, which included prosecuting murder trials. He went on to serve as Suffolk’s assistant deputy county executive for public safety and was appointed to the county police commissioner position in January of 2016.

“I love my job,” Sini said. “I wanted to serve in my own backyard.”

Photo by Rita J. Egan

Tierney also grew up in Suffolk County. He began his law career in the Suffolk DA’s office under DA James Catterson (R).

The challenging candidate left the DA’s office in 1999 and went on to work for a private firm and returned to the DA’s office in 2002 and remained for another six years.

He then worked in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York as an assistant attorney for more than 11 years.

He left the office in 2019 to become an executive assistant district attorney in the Kings County District Attorney’s office where he was in charge of the violent criminal enterprises bureau, crime strategies unit and body worn camera unit.

In order to run for Suffolk County DA, Tierney had to leave the Brooklyn office and is currently Suffolk Regional Off-Track Betting Corp.’s chief counsel for compliance and enforcement.

Statistics

Sini said crime since he became police commissioner and even as DA has gone down each year. He said since he’s been in office violent crimes are down by about 30% and overall crimes more than 20%. He added year-to-date crime is down 7%.

“We’ve been very effective in keeping Suffolk safe, and also moving the criminal justice system in the right direction, but we knew that we had to reform the DA’s office and that’s why I ran initially,” he said.

Weeks before his election Sini’s predecessor, former DA Tom Spota (D), was arrested. Sini said the office has been reformed in various ways. There has also been the hiring of more than 100 people, an increase in diversity and an overhauling of the training program.

Tierney disputed Sini’s crime statistics saying shootings are up in Suffolk County, and he wants to use his experience in crime strategies to bring those numbers down.

“Statistics can be manipulated,” Tierney said. “What we’re going to do is we’re going to index the crimes.”

Tierney has criticized Sini’s approach during his campaign. He said the DA’s office will announce numerous indictments via press releases but he said the office doesn’t send out as many announcements about convictions.

“I don’t dispute for a fact that he has very splashy arrests,” Tierney said. “I’m talking about results.”

He also criticized Sini for the number of times his office has used plea bargaining, giving the example of a drug dealer that Sini charged with a top count in 2021. However, he said, a year earlier that same dealer was charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance and then allowed to plea.

“If he’s a kingpin in 2021, why do you give him a misdemeanor in 2020?” Tierney said.

Sini said pleading in certain cases is not unusual, and the DA’s office may not have the evidence needed in 2020.

MS-13 gang

Photo by Rita J. Egan

Tierney said Sini talks about the biggest MS-13 gang busts and asked for defendants’ names, pleas and sentences. He also asked why not one was charged with murder. 

“If you have a crime strategies unit, if every two weeks you’re letting the statistics come out the stats will speak for themselves,” the prosecutor said.

Tierney said doing so is an example of being independent from the police and county executive.

Sini said his office has been part of one of the largest MS-13 takedowns, where 96 people were indicted in one county. The case involved three years of wiretapping investigations. The takedown netted a multitude of arrests, and Sini said his office is now prosecuting the cases and is having a lot of success.

The DA said the reason why many were charged with murder conspiracy instead of murder was because law enforcement was able to stop the killings from happening due to the wiretaps used in the investigation.

“Our detectives would go out and stop the violence, and then we charged the defendants in some cases with murder conspiracy,” he said. “We stopped 10 murders from happening that way.”

He said the office, in addition to murder conspiracy pleas, has received pleas to assault and criminal possession of weapons, which have significant sentences attached to them.

“We’re making a difference in terms of MS-13 on Long Island, there’s no denying that,” Sini said. “And it’s not just the DA’s office, and we’re not suggesting otherwise. It’s a collaborative effort from the local police department, all the way up to our federal government.”

Tierney said there were 46 gang members on the indictment, and each one was responsible for two murders, which Sini interrupted and said it was murder conspiracy.

“Now he said he thwarted 10 murders,” Tierney said. “Now how exactly did he thwart those 10 murders? By arresting them? Well, the manner in which he arrested them was, he had this big splashy takedown after two years and then he arrested all 96 at once. So, in order for that statement to be true, that would have meant that as he prepared his press release, as he called all the media, as he got everything all ready for the takedown, the night before 10 murders became apparent. And then he took those individuals down.”

Tierney said he has a problem with that style as “that’s not how it works when we do our MS-13 indictments.”

“We take them down as soon as possible,” he said. “We don’t care about the indictment. We care about the results, and you can’t thwart 10 murder conspiracies, all at once, it’s an impossibility. There’s no way that 10 murder conspiracies come to fruition at the exact date of the takedown.”

Tierney said Sini seals his cases because he doesn’t want the public to see the plea bargains that he has given.

Sini said that was false since indictments are public, except for certain cases that may need to be sealed due to cooperators or under certain circumstances, and it’s appropriate to do so.

Drug epidemic

Sini said the drug epidemic has been one of the most significant public safety problems for more than a decade. He said the approach is investing in prevention, treatment, recovery and law enforcement.

“Law enforcement even plays a role in treatment, too, because you can create and implement diversion programs, where you get low-level offenders who are suffering from addiction into treatment programs,” he said.

He added drug offenders also need to be aggressively investigated and prosecuted.

“We’ve done that,” he said. “I’ll give you two examples, both in terms of bringing operators and major trafficker charges the top felony counts, these are significant prosecutions, and we’re leading the state on doing that.”

He said the sentences can be 25 years to life. 

Tierney said he feels the most significant public safety problem is the rise of crime in the county, whether gun violence or the opioid epidemic.

He added it’s important to keep an eye on the U.S. southern border as powder fentanyl is being brought into the country. The powder form is sprinkled into cocaine unbeknownst to the buyer.

Summing up

Sini said that Tierney has criticized him for not having as much trial experience as he, and said that’s just an issue of age, since he is younger than the challenger. The DA said that while prosecuting is part of the job there is more to it.

“We’re running to be a CEO of a major law firm,” he said. “I have significant managerial experience with a track record. He has zero.”

Sini said he believes his office has done “great work on a number of different fronts,” and he’s running on his record.

“We brought some of the most significant cases in the region on a variety of public safety fronts — the drug epidemic, gang violence, human trafficking, environmental crime.”

Tierney said he never thought he would get involved in the political process.

“I think what we’re seeing is our leadership is gaslighting us,” he said. “We’re being told everything’s great, everything’s wonderful. They are talking points.” 

Tierney said the main function of the office is to prosecute.

“We are dismissing cases,” he said. “We’re not indicting cases. This is the management of the office, but to say you’re a CEO and a manager’s office, it is the prosecutor’s office. We need someone to prosecute those cases.”

The winner of the DA race will hold office for the next four years.

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Photos from candidates

While the race for Suffolk County legislator in the 18th Legislative District got off to a rocky start with contentious mailers sent by both candidates, the tone was civil during a TBR News Media Zoom debate with candidates Mark Cuthbertson (D), currently serving as Town of Huntington councilman, and Stephanie Bontempi, a newcomer to the political field.

County Legislator William “Doc” Spencer (D-Centerport) has served the district for nearly a decade, but decided not to run this year. He is currently facing charges for allegedly trading oxycodone for sex.

Meet the candidates

Bontempi, who grew up in Sweden and came to the U.S. for college and decided to stay in New York, is a fifth-grade teacher at The Green Vale School in Old Brookville. The wife and mother, of three grown children, has lived in Centerport for 30 years.

She’s the chairperson of Town of Huntington’s Beautification Advisory Council and has been a member of several local organizations. In addition to teaching, she has a degree in finance and two graduate degrees in education-related subjects.

She said with more time on her hands now that her children are grown, she decided to run for office and be a “voice for the people in our community.”

“I’ve seen a decline in our area,” Bontempi said. “Our taxes are going up, roads failing, the environment, water quality and so forth … rather than complain, I want to try to do something about it.”

Cuthbertson has been a town councilman for more than two decades. He grew up in Huntington Station and graduated from Walt Whitman High School. He’s a husband and father of three children. As a councilman as well as an attorney, he said he’s been involved in local government in a public and private capacity. He said he has “good grounding” when it comes to not only town issues but county issues. 

“I really feel that I can bring the breadth of my experience to the county and work with the county executive, who has been a friend for 24 years, to do things for the 18th Legislative District.”

He added he’s proud of helping to preserve and protect more than 1,000 acres of land in the Town of Huntington and contributing to the town’s triple-A bond rating.

County budget

Cuthbertson said there are several things that are good in the proposed Suffolk County budget, including $125 million for wastewater infrastructure which he thinks is key. He also agrees with the $35 million for main street recovery to help businesses hit by COVID-19 and money put aside if the pandemic becomes an ongoing issue.

“I think the good parts of this budget are the reserve funds,” he said. “I think that’s been a key to our success in the Town of Huntington is when you have good years — not just squandering that money on spending — reserving it for things that you have to pay in the future. So, there’s money that’s going toward tax stabilization. There’s money that’s going toward debt service reserve fund and insurance reserve fund, pensions and payouts of employees which are important.” 

Bontempi said one has to be careful when using the term surplus, especially since the county has additional funds due to federal government aid and not taxpayers’ money.

“We have to be very careful with how we utilize this money,” Bontempi said.

She added the county has pulled money from the budget for a long time and money has been taken out from the funds for sewer stabilization and environmental causes.

“I would suggest that we replenish the areas where money has been taken out, definitely,” she said. “I would suggest that we repay some of our debt to lower our interest expenses.”

Bontempi added the county’s Department of Social Services needs more attention. She said the department is overwhelmed and understaffed leading to not having the proper resources to serve the community.

Cuthbertson agreed that being able to staff social services at adequate levels is important.

“We have 7.2% of this county living in poverty, and there are outcomes there that are very difficult and beyond people in poverty, that are in difficult circumstances that need the help of government,” he said.

Suffolk County Police Department

Bontempi said after people’s physiological needs are met the next fundamental need to thrive is safety.

“We need to feel safe in our homes,” she said. “We need to feel safe dropping our children at the school bus. We need to feel safe walking our dogs. So, I am very much a proponent for law enforcement.”

She added because of this she feels police officers should be provided funding for adequate training and to be well equipped.

Cuthbertson said it’s well known that SCPD officers make good money and county residents know “a police officer joins the force and in a short period of time, with overtime, he’s probably making in excess of six figures.”

He added it’s important to continue giving police the resources they need but also to demand accountability. Cuthbertson said it’s important to evolve and embrace “the mental health piece of the police reform plan to embrace other issues.”

It’s important to look at issues in Suffolk County, he added, where studies show Blacks and Hispanics are more likely to get pulled over or be part of an escalated situation.

“Let’s compensate our police adequately and well, but let’s ask that they embrace change and accountability, and I think 99% of the police force do,” Cuthbertson said. “I think it’s a matter of just a cultural shift that hopefully is going on.” 

Sewers

He said with approximately $286 million from the American Recovery Plan, there’s a possibility that some funding will go to Huntington Station sewering. He said there has been a study of the area and the direction the town should go and the best alternatives to connect to an existing sewering system.

“I think by partnering with the county we could affect some really great change for the environment for economic development in one fell swoop,” Cuthbertson said. 

He added they have to do a better job in talking to residents about replacing their septic systems with low-nitrogen units.

Bontempi agreed that sewers are important. She said in addition to Huntington Station, areas north of Route 25A need to be looked at, too. She said higher-density areas and elevated areas have more toxins seeping into the ground and making it to local waterways.

She added the new low-nitrogen septic systems need more work as they are expensive to install, even with the county grant.

“We have to protect our water,” she said. “There is no question about it.”

The two agreed there are difficulties with getting sewers in certain areas of the district due to topography.

William “Doc” Spencer

Both candidates said regarding Spencer they would like to continue his work to help save the environment such as the plastic bag initiative. Bontempi added she applauds his work in saving open space, such as Coindre Hall Park that overlooks Huntington Harbor. Both candidates said Spencer’s work regarding the opioid crisis is also important to continue.

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Photo by Rita J. Egan

Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga) is running for reelection once again in the 13th Legislative District after taking his seat in 2014. Also on the ballot are Democrat Kevin Mulholland, who isn’t actively campaigning, and Michael Simonelli on the Conservative ticket. Simonelli didn’t respond to TBR News Media’s request to participate in the debate.

The 13th Legislative District includes Smithtown, Fort Salonga, Kings Park, San Remo, Nissequogue, Head of the Harbor and St. James, as well as portions of Commack and East Northport. The district is bounded by Route 25 to the south, Larkfield Road to the west, the Long Island Sound to the north and the Brookhaven town line to the east. 

Trotta said he wants to run again because he wants “to clean up.”

“I hate to say that I dwell on corruption, but I do,” the county legislator said. “I think you need someone like me who’s the thorn in the side to keep people straight because quite honestly they’re not straight.”

While fighting corruption may be at the forefront of his mind, Trotta said what he enjoys most about his position is helping his constituents, especially senior citizens, and acknowledging the good works of community members such as Eagle Scouts. 

Trotta said he takes exception with some of Simonelli’s campaign tactics where the Conservative candidate has called Trotta a “communist” and has said the county legislator wants to defund the police, which he said is not true at all. 

He said his opponent’s campaign is based on Simonelli being a police officer, but Trotta said his opponent has performed no police function in the last 10 years. Simonelli serves as treasurer of the Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association.

According to Simonelli’s campaign website, he is an active police officer in Suffolk and has been for 21 years. For nine of those years, he has also been a Suffolk PBA executive board member.

Suffolk County Police Department

Trotta, who was a SCPD officer for 25 years and on the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force for over 10, has been vocal about wasteful spending in the police department, but said he does not believe in defunding the police. His concern is about salaries, overtime and pensions. He said there are 16 people in the SCPD who taxpayers are paying $300,000 each a year even though they don’t perform an active police function and don’t go on calls.

He added this cost taxpayers millions each year and could be the equivalent of hiring 100 new officers. Trotta said he believes the police should be paid well, but increases shouldn’t be three times the cost of living. He said this has been done six out of eight years.

“How do you get that much in raises when [the county has] no money?” he said. “We borrowed $550 million from the pension fund, we drained the clean water fund for $250 million.”

He said he’s not against county police officers getting salary increases. 

“Just make it the cost of living,” he said, adding the police officers contract includes that if the cost of living goes up more than 5% they can reopen their contract.

“The roads and everything else suffers when you’re paying 2,300 people a third of your budget — a billion dollars,” Trotta said.

County budget 

Photo by Rita J. Egan

The 2022 county budget will have a surplus, and Trotta said it’s not the norm and is due to millions of federal aid, stimulus aid and unemployment supplement.

“I’m happy to see that the [Steve] Bellone administration (D) is actually going to pay down some of our debt with it,” he said.

But Trotta still has concerns as he said sales tax revenue was up 20% which led to millions of dollars, but the county is budgeting flat this year. He said no one can predict, though, if sales revenue would go down, and he said he would budget the same as in 2020.

Sewers

Simonelli’s campaign is saying Trotta is against sewers but the county legislator said that couldn’t be further from the truth. Long Island Environmental Voters Forum recently endorsed him.

Recently, Trotta has been advocating for current Kings Park sewer district residents and businesses impacted by an expansion of the Kings Park sewage treatment plant to vote “yes” on Dec. 14 for sewers for Kings Park’s business district.

He is in favor of working toward ensuring that Smithtown’s Main Street and Lake Avenue in St. James also are hooked up to sewer systems in the future. 

Election law

One of Trotta’s biggest concerns is election law. He said the PBA collects $1 a day from every police officer and probation officer, and village department members in Amityville, Northport and Ocean Beach. While the departments can opt out of this, an individual police officer cannot.

He said state election law 17-156 is clear in stating “all campaign contributions must be voluntary.”

He said county District Attorney Tim Sini (D) benefits from this procedure with contributions around $500,000 and County Executive Bellone around a million dollars. Trotta said he has a problem with his opponent Simonelli being the treasurer of the PBA, and therefore being responsible for transferring the money.

The county legislator held a press conference about the matter on Oct. 21. (For the full story, see page A5)

Fighting corruption

Trotta said he’s not afraid of fighting corruption, and he knows he works for the taxpayers.

“I don’t respond well to people bullying me,” he said. 

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Route 25A in Setauket and Port Jefferson, pictured above in 2020, included numerous potholes and was in severe disrepair. File photo by Rita J. Egan

After a summer of slowdowns due to roadwork, it’s finally smooth sailing down Route 25A from Nicolls Road to Main Street/East Broadway in Port Jefferson.

State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) said he’s delighted the work is completed.

“It’s been something we’ve been advocating for a number of years, and it’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally here, and it’s a beautiful job that they’ve done,” he said.

Before roadwork could be carried out by the New York State Department of Transportation, National Grid had to perform gas main replacement work, which involved maintenance of the underground distribution system. Work in East Setauket was scheduled to be completed by Memorial Day and in Port Jefferson by the end of June, according to a National Grid spokesperson. In August, National Grid returned because work took longer than expected in some spots.

The utility company’s work was necessary before milling and repaving of Route 25A by the DOT could begin. The project restored the road’s pavement by removing the existing asphalt overlay, repairing any damage to the underlying base and resurfacing with new asphalt.

Englebright said last week there were still small spots here and there that still needed residual work done by the DOT, and crews were at the locations.

“There were a number of holdups and glitches and delays,” Englebright said. “Quite frankly, the DOT did its best to overcome them, but there were some things that they didn’t really anticipate and found to be more complicated than they thought.”

The assemblyman said even though the work took a little longer than anticipated it was still done in the fall time frame that the DOT originally hoped for with the job.

In January 2020, former  Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced $151 million in new funding to complement $743 million in direct state aid provided through the PAVE NY Initiative for local road and bridge projects. Of the allocation, $6.6 million was planned to help renew the Route 25A stretch, according to a press release from the governor’s office.

Englebright brought the severity of local road conditions to the attention of the state DOT. The designated areas have been subjected to serious degradation due to water seepage into road seams and large clusters of filled potholes creating rutted, uneven and unsafe surfaces. One of the worst sections was the roadway near the East Setauket Post Office to CVS, but other sections had deteriorated rapidly, including the hill from Poquott into Port Jefferson.

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A scene from the Oct. 17 DEI rally. Photo from Shoshana Hershkowitz
A scene from the Oct. 17 DEI rally. Photo from Shoshana Hershkowitz
A scene from the Oct. 17 DEI rally. Photo from Shoshana Hershkowitz

School doors across Suffolk County may have been closed to study on Sunday, Oct. 17, but at the Long Island Welcome Center between exits 51 and 52 on the expressway, education was on many people’s minds.

Long Island Parents for DEI headed up the Commack rally to show support for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in public schools. The event drew dozens of parents, educators and advocates and was cosponsored by Suffolk Progressives, Moms Against Racism and student-led Voices for Change.

The subject of diversity, equity and inclusion programs in local schools has been a topic of debate at many school board meetings earlier this year, including Smithtown Central School District. DEI programs aim to make every student feel included and to create a culture of open-mindedness and objectivity regarding race, ethnicity, gender, culture, sexual orientations and disabilities.

In an email after the rally, Shoshana Hershkowitz, founder of Suffolk Progressives, said she believes the misconception many have is that they think the DEI “curriculum is divisive.”

“DEI allows us to gain empathy and understanding for experiences and perspectives that are different than ours, and I believe it is ultimately an excellent preparation for our students becoming global citizens of the 21st century,” she said.

Many have confused the program with critical race theory, which is an academic concept that looks at how racism is embedded in legal systems and politics — and not just a matter of individual bias or prejudice.

According to a press release before the rally, the protesters’ goal was “to highlight the broad support for DEI initiatives.” Among those who stopped by to show support were Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) and county Legislator Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon).

Long Island Parents for DEI president, Amanda Cohen-Stein of Miller Place, founded the group in June to respond to what she described as “the rise of extremist groups on Long Island” who have not only targeted DEI learning but also mask wearing in schools.

“We chose to connect with three other fabulous organizations — Suffolk Progressives, Moms Against Racism and student-led group Voices of Change — to hold our first-ever rally this past Sunday to support our mission of promoting the DEI initiative passed down by the NYS Board of Regents and to deliver the truth about DEI to our boards of education and our communities,” she said in a statement. “I felt it was important to hold this event at the L.I. Welcome Center on the LIE to amplify the message that the hate these people are displaying toward diverse groups of students and other human beings will not be tolerated on L.I. and that the majority of Long Islanders do not support this extremist behavior.”

She added Parents for DEI has started a nonprofit with the goal “to continue to bring the truth about DEI to every school district and community on Long Island. We are working toward ensuring that our L.I. schools implement DEI programs and follow through on the commitment to be equitable and inclusive.”

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A Walmart customer donates to Stan Feltman’s fundraising efforts for fellow veterans. Photo by Rita J. Egan

Stanley Feltman of Coram, a 2019 TBR News Media Brookhaven Person of the Year and World War II veteran, died Sept. 23. He was 95.

Stan Feltman was a B-29 tail gunner in the United States Army Air Corps.

Feltman was known to many as the veteran who sold poppies at the Middle Island Walmart to raise money for his fellow veterans. Often he would have a shopping cart filled with articles and wartime photos. Some days he would take a break from his regular location and collect money at the Walmart in Centereach or East Setauket.

In a 2019 TBR News Media interview, Feltman said he had met so many generous people through the years. He usually would collect between $80 and $100 after standing there for two hours. One day a gentleman shook his hand and noticed he was cold and bought him a jacket from the store. One woman gave him a $20 bill one day saying it was for him to keep.

“I took the $20, and when she left, I threw it in the pot,” he said. “I don’t need the money.”

A member of the Jewish War Veterans of the USA Col. Mickey Marcus Post 336, Feltman would bring the donations to the post’s monthly meetings where he and his fellow members decided where the money should go. Post Comdr. Norman Weitz said over a few years they have been able to donate more than $21,000 thanks to Feltman’s fundraising efforts. The post is a regular contributor to many veterans causes, including the Long Island State Veterans Home at Stony Brook University.

“My father was more proud of what he did with selling poppies for the veterans than anything he did in the war,” his son Richard said in a recent phone interview. “That was to him most important — selling poppies was his lifeline.”

His son said he and his brother Scott were proud of his father not only because he was a WW II vet but also because he gave back to other veterans.

“The fact that he was giving back to other veterans who might need help and providing them money to be able to give them things that they may have needed — especially those vets coming back from the War on Terrorism and not necessarily getting what World War II vets got when they returned — I couldn’t be happier with my father,” Richard Feltman said.

Stanley Feltman, who was born April 5, 1926, in Flatbush, Brooklyn, was a B-29 tail gunner and double ace in the U.S. Army Air Corps, which he joined after he graduated from high school in 1944. Feltman one time after being shot down had to escape on a raft. When a fellow soldier slipped off the raft into shark-infested waters, Feltman dove down to save him and grabbed him by the collar. Feltman earned the Bronze Star Medal for saving the man’s life. The medal wasn’t the only one earned during his service, as he gained more medals in total throughout his time in the Air Corps, even though they were no longer in his possession.

Richard Feltman said local elected officials helped the family reissue many of his father’s medals when he was inducted into the Four Chaplains Society in 2020 for the work he had done selling poppies.

During this time in the Army Air Corps, he became an amateur boxer. One day when he was being bullied by another soldier for being Jewish, he punched him. When a drill sergeant witnessed the fight and Feltman’s skill, he encouraged Feltman to take up boxing where he was undefeated. After his time in the service, Feltman went on to become a carpet salesperson.

In addition to raising money for veterans, Feltman participated in lectures at schools and senior groups, including Erasmus Hall High School where he attended while growing up in Brooklyn. He also was interviewed for the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, an initiative established to collect and preserve firsthand remembrances of wartime veterans.

Feltman was predeceased by his wife, Marilyn. He leaves behind his two sons Richard and Scott and five grandchildren. Funeral services were held Sept. 24 at New Montefiore Cemetery in West Babylon.

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Town of Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim, at podium, was joined by town, county and state officials and community advocates to make a plea to Gov. Kathy Hochul to help the town secure a path to sewer infrastructure. Photo by Rita J. Egan

The steps of Smithtown’s Town Hall were packed the morning of Oct. 12 as elected town, county and state officials, as well as community leaders from the hamlets of Smithtown and Kings Park, were on hand to talk about sewers and make a plea to the state’s new governor.

Town of Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim signs a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul to help the town secure a path to sewer infrastructure. Photo by Rita J. Egan

The group signed a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) asking her to help to secure a path to a sewer infrastructure in the town. Those speaking at the press conference spoke about the lack of a sewer system in the town having a negative impact on economic growth and the health of waterways, especially Smithtown Bay.

Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) said the group has worked “tirelessly for years to make this project come to fruition.”

“For nearly 50 years, the goal of providing sewers for the Smithtown business district had seemed out of reach, resulting in vacant storefronts in the downtown area and continued discharges of untreated wastewater into our environment,” the supervisor said. “Now, at long last, a clear solution has been identified. A victory is in sight for both of these business districts. This is truly a historic day for the Town of Smithtown and the future of our town.”

A $20 million grant was announced in 2017 by the state that would have helped bring sewers to the town’s business districts. According to Wehrheim, a lack of a site for a system stalled the project. Recently, the Smithtown Sewer Working Group, which includes local business and community leaders, has worked for 18 months to identify a site for a recharge facility and named a parcel owned by the state Office of Mental Health at the former Kings Park Psychiatric Center as a possible location. The hopes are to connect Main Street, Smithtown and the Kings Park business district to a system.

The plan would include removing an abandoned building. The facility would use only 2 acres of 17 of the land.

Smithtown United President Timothy Small called the working group an “example of your government and community working together for solutions.”

He added that under current conditions the sewer recharging facility would lead to an 87% reduction of the amount of nitrogen dumped into groundwater which eventually makes its way to the Nissequogue River. He said after a complete “downtown buildout consistent with the draft Smithtown Master Plan” the nitrogen reduction would be 71%.

Michael Kaufman, a member of the civic group Smithtown United and the town’s working group, said hooking up central business districts to a sewer system is the “gold standard for solutions” to avoid environmental issues such as nitrogen from septic waste being released to nearby bodies of water. He added that a recent water quality report showed that Smithtown Bay is one of the most oxygen-deprived areas east of New York City. This deprivation means that it’s difficult for fish to survive.

“That’s why no one can really go fishing in Smithtown Bay anymore,” he said.

Kaufman said the damage is identical to issues the area had in the 1990s.

“We know what the source is, and we also know how it gets out into the water,” he said. “Basically, [it goes] west right into the Nissequogue River and then just flows down the river and then it goes into the Smithtown Bay where it unfortunately stays for a couple of days.”

Among those representing chamber and civic groups was Kings Park Chamber of Commerce President Tony Tanzi who called the proposed facility “an absolutely wonderful thing.” He said he felt it helped the community as a whole for many reasons, listing qualities such as a viable downtown, lessening pollution of rivers and protecting open space. He added from the chamber of commerce’s perspective it could restore economic viability to the downtown.

“We’ve got the ability to preserve 15 acres of open space in perpetuity,” Tanzi said. “You’ve got the ability to protect our drinking water. You’ve got the ability to protect the Nissequogue River and the Long Island Sound and preserve our drinking water for future generations, which is really what we’re all here trying to do.”

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