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Skyler Johnson (left) and Rebecca Kassay (far right) at the Three Village Democratic Club meet the candidates event. Photo courtesy Serena Carpino

By Serena Carpino

Three Village Democratic Club held a meet-the-candidates night at the Setauket Neighborhood House Jan. 11. The two candidates, Skyler Johnson (D-Port Jefferson Station) and Rebecca Kassay (D-Port Jefferson), hope to represent New York State Assembly District 4, a seat currently occupied by Ed Flood (R-Port Jefferson). At the campaign event, Johnson and Kassay discussed pressing issues facing Long Island. 

Johnson, 23, has served in multiple leadership roles. He is on the board of the directors of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and the chair of the Suffolk County Young Democrats. He is also on the board of Temple Beth Emeth of Mount Sinai, the synagogue in which he was raised and is currently working for the Sound Justice Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to educating incarcerated individuals. 

Johnson has spent much of his political career in Albany and helped pass the Fair Access to Victim Compensation Act. He has been endorsed by former Port Jefferson Mayor Margot Garant as well as several members of the New York State Assembly and Suffolk County Legislature.

Johnson’s opponent, Rebecca Kassay, possesses both political and entrepreneurship experience. The 34-year-old is currently deputy mayor in the Village of Port Jefferson and a village trustee. Kassay is also a member of the Port Jefferson Rotary Club and owns with her husband The Fox and Owl Inn, a bed-and-breakfast in Port Jefferson. 

In 2013, Kassay was involved in creating a teen environmental program at Avalon Nature Preserve, as she hoped to “​​get them off their phones, get their hands dirty and build their confidence about [being] the future environmental stewards of this area.” During the COVID-19 pandemic Kassay contacted local community members who had been handmaking masks helping them to create a legitimate organization. With Kassay’s intervention, the group was able to donate over 40,000 homemade masks. 

The candidates discussed many issues, but two topics dominated the night: affordable housing and the climate crisis. 

When asked about the biggest issue currently facing New York state, both Johnson and Kassay agreed that it is the high cost of living. “We have a crisis on housing on our hands – of affordable housing,” Johnson said. He further explained that, for him, affordable housing is defined as that which is accessible to families who make between 60% and 120% of the area median income. Here, that would equate to an apartment rent of $1,700 per month. “I checked [how many apartments would be available] — about three. And I’m sure one of them is an illegal basement apartment,” he joked. 

The candidates also talked about recent environmental problems on Long Island. They addressed the latest extreme weather events including the severe rainstorms and flooding. 

Kassay reassured the audience that she wanted, “in no uncertain terms, for voters to know that the Democratic Party is the party that’s going to lead the way to make an economically and environmentally sustainable Long Island.”

The candidates were then asked about New York’s immigration crisis. 

Both Johnson and Kassay pointed out that immigrants are an important part of this country and pay a significant amount of taxes. They agreed that they would both like to see comprehensive immigration reform and a change in the attitude of how America views immigrants. 

Johnson further said, “Those who say that immigrants are not welcome are almost never on the right side of history,” and explained that much of the negative commentary about immigrants is “a fake narrative to throw immigrants under the bus.”

Finally, the candidates called out Flood’s voting record and criticized his stance on certain legislation. 

Flood’s consistent support for anti-vaccination movements is most embarrassing to Kassay. She disagrees with Flood’s position, especially given the presence of Stony Brook University in the district. She explained, “As an assemblywoman here I would be looking to the university for help instead of embarrassing them and embarrassing the entire district by going forth with anti-vax legislation and having that be a mark on the community.”

Johnson agreed and said that Flood has “taken some really egregious stances in his short tenure in Albany.” In particular, he pointed out Flood’s opposition to abortion care, LGBTQ+ rights and other bills “simply because Democrats proposed [them].”

He encouraged the audience to go on votesmart.org and further look into Flood’s voting records. 

 In their closing remarks, the candidates left the stage with powerful statements. 

“We really can’t afford to lose this race. Our community has been suffering under the leadership or lack thereof of Ed Flood.” Kassay said. “This campaign is about reconnecting people to the government that was built to serve and protect them — it’s about Long Island’s overwhelming cost of living and the climate crisis. It’s about defending women’s choice regarding their own bodies and then going up to that legislative body and doing a little more to make it more representative of our population.”

In his closing remarks, Johnson said, “I announced that I was running on Nov. 18. On Nov. 19, Jesse Garcia, the chair of the Suffolk GOP, had a quote in the paper attacking me.” He further explained that other Republicans attacked him on Twitter, and GOP members across the state liked those tweets. “So,” he said, “if you are not sure who will beat Ed Flood, just remember: The Republicans are worried about what would happen should I become the nominee.”

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Pixabay photo
Technology revolutionizes emergency preparedness

By Emma Gutmann

On Dec. 29, Steve Bellone (D) capped off his 12-year run as Suffolk County executive with an announcement about the advent of a technology that promises to revolutionize emergency preparedness and response across the county. 

Through Tableau — a data visualization and business intelligence tool — several dashboards with unique specialties were launched simultaneously. The Fleet Management Dashboard, Emergency Operations Dashboard and Snow Fleet Readiness Dashboard will work together to provide immediate and comprehensive data to the county’s Department of Public Works and the Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services. 

Rather than muddling through manual data entry and slow-moving communication, DPW and FRES staff will now have a constant stream of accurate statistics at their fingertips. This operational efficiency will not only save valuable time during emergencies but also boost cost savings and informed decision-making. 

The Fleet Management Dashboard will be an asset to several departments from Public Works to Highway & Grounds Maintenance for its insights into vehicle readiness, maintenance schedules and the operational status of the county fleet. With a countywide view of fleet activity, management can monitor trends over time and optimize operations.

Increased access to fleet availability through the Emergency Operations Dashboard will allow the Emergency Operation Center staff at FRES to view fleet readiness during urgent situations. The dashboard aims to enhance resource allocation and, thus, response efficiency for daily operations as well as Office of Emergency Management activation.

According to an infographic from New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, the OEM activates the State Emergency Operations Center “based upon the scope and magnitude of an incident, and the level of capability needed to effectively respond to the event.” There are four levels of activation that can be called if state-level monitoring or response is required: Enhanced Monitoring, Partial Activation, Full Activation and Full State/Federal Response. The Emergency Operations Dashboard is designed to bring about the quickest and most efficient response in these statewide matters and local matters alike.

Amid winter months, county personnel will benefit from the Snow Fleet Readiness Dashboard as well. This trailblazing technology is slated to save fleet staff approximately four hours per week by streamlining winter readiness reporting.

“In snow or other major weather events, we are able to see the in-service fleet status — fuel and salt levels — in real time,” FRES Commissioner Patrick Beckley said. “We can direct plows to areas in need and we can verify that roads have been plowed when in question.” 

Since their launch less than a month ago, the dashboards have already proven valuable to the Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services and Department of Public Works. 

“During the recent trench rescue in St. James, we were able to quickly identify the closest vacuum truck in the sanitation fleet and contact that division supervisor quickly,” FRES Commissioner Beckley said. “We are looking forward to the development and buildout of other fleet related dashboards.”

“Before the launch of the dashboards, our reporting process was manual, time-consuming, and reliant on multiple channels of communication such as emails, texts and calls, as well as various excel spreadsheets,” DPW Deputy Commissioner Leslie Mitchel said. “While we had the capability to generate reports, the process involved coordination between various DPW divisions and extensive manual data entry, consuming valuable time and carrying the risk of data inconsistencies due to basic human error and less user-friendly reporting tools previously utilized.”

Department heads are pleased with the new additions’ efficiency and are optimistic about the future of fleet and emergency management. The dashboard’s comprehensive view of previously scattered data, which is refreshed nightly, allows the workforce to focus more on strategic planning than tedious data entry.

With this innovative update to emergency procedure, Suffolk County is moving toward more data-driven decision-making for the convenience and safety of the public and personnel. It is the hope of the government that more dashboards will be added to this series to save time and provide guidance in other specialized areas.

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Domenico 'Dom' Parillo. Photo courtesy Bryant Funeral home

Domenico “Dom” Parillo, age 57, of Port Jefferson, passed away on Jan. 3. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Dom loved life to its absolute limits. Dom loved traveling to Atlantic City and Las Vegas where the atmosphere was as full of life as he was. Dom also cherished spending time with family, making memories and making people laugh with his quick wit and hilarious comments.

Moving to Port Jefferson in 1993, Dom immediately made his presence known by committing himself to the betterment of Port Jefferson. Either by assisting tenants or lending a hand to community sponsors, his goal was simple, to improve Port Jefferson for everyone. After 30 years of making a positive impact, it was easy to see why “everyone knows Dom.” He is survived by his sons Ralph Joseph and Dominick Anthony; ex-spouse Maria McCauley; father Raffaele; brother Pietro and his wife Lori; niece Victoria; nephew Peter; and longtime girlfriend Debra Pennell.

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Kerry Thomas

United Way of Long Island recently welcomed five new board members.

“We are fortunate to enjoy the partnership of such an accomplished, passionate group of business leaders, who want to give back to their communities through the United Way of Long Island,” said Board Chair Lynda Nicolino, Chief Legal Counsel at Bethpage Federal Credit Union. “They bring valued skill to the organization, and we look forward to working with them to advance the common good on Long Island.”

“Our Board of Directors are leaders in their industries who are committed to building a stronger community where they live,” said Theresa A. Regnante, President and CEO of United Way of Long Island. “Each one plays an important role, bringing a different perspective and area of expertise to our mission.”

Jerome Bost

Jerome Bost

Jerome Bost serves as the Director of Government Affairs & Communications for IBEW 1049, one of the largest unions on Long Island, representing the interests of over 4,000 members in the gas and electric industry. With over 15 years of experience in government, communications, and labor relations, Jerome previously served as a Director in Congressman Tom Suozzi’s office, managing federal agency inquiries, stakeholder communications, diversity initiatives, and critical congressional projects. He also worked for the Former Presiding Officer of Suffolk County Legislature, DuWayne Gregory. Deeply committed to community service, Jerome serves on the Advisory Board for Suffolk County Community College’s Eastern Campus and the Board of Directors for Young Life-Northeastern Division

Kerry Thomas

Kerry Thomas

Kerry Thomas, a licensed social worker from East Northport, is Chair of the Nassau-Suffolk HIV Health Services and Planning Council and member of the Clinical Quality Management Committee. He has 12 years of experience in HIV/AIDS supportive services. In his current role as Program Manager at Thursday’s Child, Kerry oversees the Ryan White Part A programs, Safety Net/AIDS Services Access Program, and HIV testing and outreach services. Throughout the years, he has collaborated with various partnerships such as NYS AIDS Institute Faith Communities Project and Ending the Epidemic initiatives. In addition, Kerry is Chair of the Northwell Health LGBTQ+ Transgender Program Client Advisory Board and participates in the planning and facilitating of Health Conference workshops.

Rosalie Drago

Rosalie Drago

With 30 years of New York-based economic and workforce development experience, Rosalie Drago of Greenlawn has dedicated her career to equitable and inclusive growth; building economic foundations for quality, sustainable employment, and prosperity for the region through a place-based approach. Before joining Haugland Group as Community Economic & Workforce Development Manager, Rosalie completed her term as the first female Commissioner of Labor in Suffolk County. Her department was responsible for removing barriers to work for Suffolk County’s 1.5 million residents, fostering a diverse local talent pipeline for business and unions and ensuring a safe, level playing field for Suffolk’s 15,000 licensed businesses. Prior to joining Suffolk County, Commissioner Drago served as Long Island Regional Director for Workforce Development Institute, a statewide non-profit, where she partnered with Long Island employers, labor unions, lawmakers, and educators to strengthen communities through the creation of a more skilled workforce.

Jaime Stojanowski

Jaimie Stojanowski

Overseeing Long Island, New York City and Westchester County, Jaime Stojanowski is the Consumer Region Executive for Bank of America Metro New York. With more than 25 years at the firm, she leads strategic client-focused growth, digital transformation, and operational excellence across more than 200 financial centers, serving millions of clients. She has excelled in a variety of leadership roles building diverse teams through mentorship with an emphasis on the next generation of talent. Jaime resides in Franklin Square with her husband and three children and is a community champion supporting volunteer efforts both personally and professionally.

William Misita

William Misita

Bill Misita joined Philadelphia Insurance Companies in 1999 as a Production Underwriter and was tasked with opening a NY office in an area where there had been minimal prior success. Bill started working from home before opening an office that grew to be the largest field production office in the country. He was one of PHLY’s top performers early in his tenure and earned the distinction of top producer in the country five times. Bill went on to serve as Regional Vice President of the Metro Region for eight years, helping to successfully guide the region through various challenges and underwriting initiatives to remain the largest region in the Company before moving on to become Senior Vice President of the Northeast Territory in 2021. In this role, Bill is responsible for overseeing over $1B in premium placed mainly through retail and wholesale insurance brokerage relationships, as well as participating in various recruiting, coaching, and developing activities for employees across all divisions of the organization.

To learn more about United Way of Long Island’s Leadership visit: https://www.unitedwayli.org/board-directors

About United Way of Long Island   

United Way of Long Island advances the common good, creating opportunities for a better life for all by focusing on three key building blocks: health, education, and financial stability. United Way invests in community partnerships to help our most vulnerable and at-risk residents through organizations and programs that grant equitable access to resources and services across the region. For more information about United Way of Long Island, visit www.unitedwayli.org, call 2.1.1 or follow them on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, and Instagram.

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Loader in front of a sand salt storage facility. Photo by Gavin Scarlatos

By Gavin Scarlatos

Rock salt has long been one of the primary methods used for combating the onslaught of snow and ice during the winter season. Known for its accessibility and cost effectiveness, rock salt impedes ice formation by lowering the freezing temperature of water and is a common deicing agent used both residentially and by transit authorities. 

The Town of Brookhaven Highway Department maintains numerous salt storage facilities with a combined rock salt capacity of nearly 25,000 tons. During any given snowstorm, the department sets out to treat its 3,700 lane miles of road with rock salt as a preventive measure against treacherous driving conditions. But the widespread dispersal of the sodium chloride chemical compound can lead to unintended consequences that have a negative effect on our trees and other landscape plants.

“Rock salt dries out and changes the pH of soil, and sometimes it even changes the form of fertilizer, so the plants can’t uptake the right amount of nitrogen and other available micronutrients,” said Nick Bates, Long Island district manager of The Davey Tree Expert Company. 

Davey Tree is one of the oldest and largest tree care companies in North America, providing research driven environmental consulting, arboriculture and horticulture services.

“The part of the tree taking in the water from the soil are its fine root hairs,” Bates said. “Rock salt burns the root hairs very easily and dries out the tree’s roots substantially, so the tree won’t be able to pull up water as effectively as before and will dry out or even die off.”

Bates emphasized how this process varies depending on the type of the tree or plant, pointing out how plants growing near the coastline are able to handle the salt intake efficiently while the species of plants located closer to the middle of Long Island are more susceptible to salt damage. 

“Arborvitaes and White Pines are most affected by rock salt,” Bates said. “Sometimes they are planted in traffic mediums and along highways. After the roads start getting salted, you’ll see the Arborvitaes turning a brown or yellow color while those planted away from the road will still be a nice, lush, beautiful green.”

Since exposure to rock salt is in some cases inevitable, Bates offered insight on how to best protect trees and other landscape plants against the damaging effects: “There’s quite a few things you can do. The best thing is to maintain the tree’s health in general, providing the tree with extra fertilizers will boost its ability to better handle external stressors. You can also give trees and plants extra water in the late fall before everything starts to freeze. Giving the trees a deep soaking means they’ll have more water in their systems for when the winter starts to dry them out. You can even give trees extra water in the spring as well, to help flush the rock salt out of the soil.” 

Bates added a warning. “There’s a fine line,” he said. “You don’t want to keep the plants completely flooded so all of the air in the soil gets pushed out and filled with water. The roots still need to be able to breathe.” 

Although traditional rock salt is still the cheapest and most practical deicing agent, there are more environmentally conscious alternatives that better protect plant life. Calcium chloride, while still damaging, does not burn the plants as badly as salt composed of sodium chloride, since it is less potent. 

Another approach is to add sand or even sawdust into the rock salt mixture, providing traction in icy conditions while mitigating the impact on vegetation by reducing the amount of salt being used. Also, preparing for rock salt exposure ahead of time by spreading gypsum or lime on soil in the late fall will reduce rock salt’s negative effects on trees and other landscape plants.

“One of the best things to combat the effects of rock salt is to plant the right trees in the right spots. If you live on a main road where a lot of salt gets spread, you could plant trees that are less susceptible to salt damage, and that’ll make your life a lot easier and the trees a lot happier,” Bates said.

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Smithtown school district’s Joseph M. Barton administrative building on New York Avenue. File photo

By Sabrina Artusa

Smithtown Central School District Board of Education reviewed, approved and adopted several policies Jan. 9, including a new policy regarding violence prevention protocol. 

Since labor laws specify school districts as employers, they have to have a workplace violence prevention policy. The board asserted that the policy echoes what is already being done.

One speaker, while partially pleased with the board’s handling of anti-Semitic incidents, criticized the ambiguity of each board member’s stance. “I know myself as a community member I want to see where each board member stands,” she said. She went on to say that the board should halt speakers when their speech ventures into hate rhetoric. “Allowing this to continue at board meetings is harmful,” she said, and mentioned a speaker who voiced anti-LGBT views while speaking at a meeting.

At the Dec. 12 board meeting, several parents spoke in opposition to the dismissal of the coach of the Great Hollow Middle School cheerleading team The speakers were satisfied with the coach’s performance and accused the board of failing to uphold their duty to protect their children’s emotional well-being, stating the board’s approval of her termination caused their children distress.

“We’ve been told many times by our school administrators, ‘[the coach’s] termination was a personal matter, and we cannot comment any further.’ This leads us to believe that this is a wrongful termination,” said Alexia Siderias, who has a child on the team.

At the meeting, community members said that, after communicating with other parents, they learned that a cheerleader allegedly threatened harm to her peers and was disrespectful to the coach. 

Another parent said, “Is every student’s well-being important to the Smithtown Central School District or only the ones who have parents on the Board of Education?”

The board also adopted a policy allowing a student with a disability to continue their educational program until they are 22, or until they earn their high-school diploma.

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One of the 2023 Nissan Leaf EV cars, parked in front of the FSC Campus Center. Photo from FSC

Farmingdale State College (FSC) recently announced the addition of two new electric vehicles to its campus vehicle fleet, bringing to five its total of electric (EV) or hybrid vehicles, and moving closer to its goal of going fossil fuel free by 2035.

The two 2023 Nissan Leaf vehicles are four-door compact size cars and join a 2013 Nissan Leaf, a 2013 Toyota Prius, and a 2013 Chevy Volt, all of which are driven by Campus Vehicles authorized operators. The cars are branded with the FSC logo on the front doors and a “FSC Electric Vehicle” logo on the rear doors, with the motif of a globe blanketed by a leaf. The cars retail for a base price of $36,000.

“With a maximum range of 250 miles, fast charging port and installed spare charger our electric vehicles are more than capable of handling all of our in-state driving for college business,” said Michael Cervini, Campus Energy Manager for FSC. “These cars will be used by staff traveling for recruitment or professional development purposes.”

“We expanded our EV fleet ahead of Governor Hochul’s executive order for all state agencies to achieve certain sustainability and emissions goals,” said Greg O’Connor, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for FSC. “Combined with our campus bike share program, water conservation initiatives and planned upgrades to our HVAC systems and installation of green energy technology in our new science building, the vision is to exceed those benchmarks.” FSC received an Honorable Mention as a Bike Friendly University from the League of American Bicyclists in October.

FSC hosted Long Island’s Car Free Day and Sustainable Mobility Showcase in September 2023, which promoted all aspects of sustainable transportation including EVs. In partnership with RESC and Transit Solutions, the Office for Sustainability launched the Sustainable Transit Ambassador Program, a focus group which brings stakeholders from across campus together to discuss improving sustainable mobility at FSC. An annual EV Symposium also seeks to educate the public on the benefits of EVs. In addition, students, faculty and staff have access to FSC’s Solar Carport Charging Station, which includes stations for 20 electric-charged vehicles.

O’Connor noted that the green energy program is part of the commitment to environmental issues that students are looking for when choosing a college.

“Students want their school to embrace the values that they do, using less energy, reducing carbon footprint and taking steps that will help to reverse decades of damage to our planet. We believe in those values as much as they do and are embarking on these plans to make a long lasting impact to the environmental health of Long Island.”

About Farmingdale State College

Farmingdale State College offers 46-degree programs focused on emerging, high-demand, and relevant careers to help prepare the next generation of leaders in technology, engineering, business, healthcare, science and the arts. With nearly 10,000 students, FSC is SUNY’s largest college of applied science and technology. More than half of our graduating seniors leave debt-free and 94% are employed six months after graduation or enrolled in graduate school. FSC is home to Broad Hollow Bioscience Park, which supports the development of biotech start-up companies and partners with surrounding businesses and research institutions along the Route 110 Business Corridor. Our engaging student experience, highly inclusive campus and sustained commitment to accessibility, affordability, and student support, helps make FSC one of the best values in higher education.

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Sweet Tea

This week’s featured shelter pet is Sweet Tea, a 1 1/2 to 2 year old fawn colored bully mix up for a adoption at the Smithtown Animal Shelter. This sweet girl was found almost one year ago as a stray, a recent mom & very underweight… wandering busy roads trying desperately to get into passing cars. Since then Sweet Tea has had many firsts, like learning she loves to swim, pose for photoshoots, and snuggle up to all humans she meets. She is as sweet as her name implies, and loves to be surrounded by people.

She would do best as an only pet. She wants to befriend other dogs, but is young and likes to rough house, so constant supervision and selecting appropriate play dates is recommended. Sweet Tea will be at the shelter for one year next month. The shelter staff’s hope is that she is lucky enough to miss that particular anniversary.

If you are interested in meeting Sweet Tea, please fill out an application to schedule time to properly interact with her in a domestic setting, which includes a Meet and Greet Room, the dog runs, and  Dog Walk trail.

The Smithtown Animal & Adoption Shelter is located at 410 Middle Country Road, Smithtown. Visitor hours are Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Sundays and Wednesday evenings by appointment only). For more information, call 631-360-7575 or visit www.townofsmithtownanimalshelter.com.

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Ward Melville High School. File photo by Greg Catalano

By Mallie Jane Kim

Three Village Central School District is set to restructure its schools starting fall 2025, after the Board of Education voted to officially adopt a plan to bring the district in line with New York State standards, moving sixth grade up to form middle schools and placing ninth grade in the high school.

The proposal was the most popular among all stakeholders in a survey last year of students, staff, parents and community members, but several public comments at the Jan. 10 school board meeting called for holding off on the decision.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and if you have something that’s boutique, that’s a good thing,” said district parent Kevin DeBlasi, who was one of the commenters to support keeping the district in its current configuration, in part to give students the extra time to mature. “Let them be kids as long as possible,” he said.

Superintendent of Schools Kevin Scanlon pushed back against the idea that change in school structure will damage the education children receive in the district. “Our uniqueness is not in our configuration. Our uniqueness is in the amount of care and concern that the people in this district show for the children that go here,” he said.

Trustee David McKinnon, who indicated he’s usually in favor of not changing things — just look at his house, he joked — agreed. “The problem is that reality is changing, much like my house is deteriorating,” he said. “Enrollment is declining a lot. Change is inevitable here at some point. We’ve reached the point where we have to do something.”

In an email read aloud during the public comments, district parent Michelle Schultz urged the board to wait on reconfiguring schools in order to consider the class of so-called “COVID kindergarteners.” Schultz pointed out that the students who will be sixth graders in 2025 are part of the same class that was sent home from kindergarten in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“They were prohibited from being within 6 feet of each other and did not have the opportunities to work in collaborative groups or build their social skills,” Schultz wrote, reminding the board that this group missed foundational elementary experiences like field trips, classroom celebrations and interacting normally — at a significant developmental age. “Making the change at this point will impact a group of children who’ve already lost out on a typical elementary school experience,” she added.

Scanlon, who has previously indicated the district has an unprecedented number of students in need of counseling services, validated her concern and said he is committed to addressing increased postpandemic mental health challenges. “We need to keep investing and investing in those things to make sure we have trusted adults at earlier and earlier ages to be able to address the needs of our students as they come through the system,” he said, but added that school configuration won’t change that need. “Regardless of the outcome of the vote tonight by the Board of Education — if we still stay in our current configuration, we are going to have to spend a lot of money to help support the children that are in our system. We have a lot of issues that still need to be addressed.”

Board member Jeffrey Kerman was swayed by the comments and twice made a motion to table the decision to move grades, but no one seconded the motion, so the vote went on. “This is a very large change for a district that is very, very successful, so if we’re going to change it, I want to know why, how, how much it’s going to cost, et cetera,” he said before voting “no.” “I’m not totally against changing it, but I want to know all the information before I vote on something like this.”

For his part, board vice president Vincent Vizzo, a former district teacher and principal, expressed mixed feelings, but said he spent time reviewing the research and survey results before deciding to vote “yes.” “It’s a hard decision for me to make, but at the same time, when I see what the community, what the teachers and what the students looked at and voted for, it makes it a little more simple for me,” he said.

In the administration’s recommendation to the board, Scanlon said closing or repurposing an elementary school should wait in consideration of potential upcoming New York State pre-K requirements, but that district budget considerations could include discussion of renting out a wing of an elementary school and/or part of the North Country administration building. 

“Given the current climate of the times, we need to just be careful with all of this occurring all at the same time. And if this is one factor that will alleviate the fear of some of our elementary parents, it’s worth considering,” Scanlon said.

School start times still in limbo

The board voted down a proposal to make secondary school start times later for the next school year but is expected to approve changing times to coincide with district restructuring in 2025-26, as originally proposed.

Start time change advocates had pushed the board to make time adjustments sooner despite an expected higher price tag associated with doing so while the district is still in its current configuration. At the same time, the current proposal only moves Ward Melville High School’s start time by 35 minutes to 7:40 a.m., which some advocates say is simply not enough. 

In the 2-4 vote, McKinnon and trustee Shaorui Li voted in favor of a time change for next fall, while long-standing later start time advocate Karen Roughley voted “no,” preferring to wait for an outside consultant to try to figure out more favorable start times without increasing transportation costs as much as the current estimate does. She expressed disappointment that any work by a consultant would come too late to make a time change decision for next fall.

Board president Susan Rosenzweig indicated the board would vote on later start times for 2025-26 at the Jan. 24 meeting.

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Photo by Raymond Janis

Fueling drug violence

I have been reading about the violence engulfing Ecuador with its drug gangs — and thinking. Some in our community are users of cocaine, and they have to be affluent since cocaine is not cheap. Do they realize that they are fueling this violence? Or do they just not care? How do they justify themselves?

Jane O’Sullivan

Setauket

LIRR and its president must do better in 2024

The MTA invested $11.6 billion in direct costs for construction of the Long Island Rail Road East Side Access to Grand Central Madison. Part of the scope of work involved upgrading the Harold Interlocking and signals west of the Woodside Station. This cost over $1 billion. These capital assets were previously updated in 1991 at a cost of over $100 million. 

The most recent work included upgrading and expansion of the signal system to accommodate new LIRR service to Grand Central Madison. How disappointing that less than one year later, there was another round of signal problems west of the Woodside Station. This resulted in service delays on Saturday night, Dec. 30. There was no service in or out of either Grand Central Madison or Penn Station for one hour around 10 p.m. 

This represents the most recent in a series of failures on the part of the LIRR to maintain consistent safe and reliable service 24/7 on the Port Jefferson and all 11 branches. Once again, the LIRR left coal in the stockings of commuters this holiday season. So much for any decent on time performance. 

Our New Year’s resolution is for new LIRR President Robert Free to do better in 2024.

Larry Penner

Great Neck

Epitaph

We now have politicians that apparently exist in a state of moral depravity. Witness the state of the nation presently. God bless America from a veteran to World War II and the Greatest Generation.

Leonard J. Henderson

       Port Jefferson 

Legal talented scientists are welcomed

A recent edition of The Village Times Herald featured an interview of Bruce Stillman, the president and chief executive officer of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. [“CSHL’s Stillman concerned about the effect of anti-immigrant talk, policies on US science,” TBR News Media, Jan. 11.] In the interview, Stillman lamented the “toxic talk” and “adversarial dialogue” that many Americans are expressing with regard to the invasion of our southern border by “immigrants,” eschewing the use of the correct legal term, which is illegal aliens. 

This hostility, he claimed, makes it difficult to hire very talented scientists from other countries.

I think Stillman should explain to his potential candidates that the concern of American citizens over immigration issues is not directed toward those who obey our laws and comply with our regulations, which almost certainly applies to those whom he is considering hiring. 

All Americans have tremendous appreciation for the incredible contributions made by (legal) immigrants of the past and present, including great Americans Andrew Carnegie, Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla, Wernher von Braun and Elon Musk, as well as many others.Once this distinction is clarified for the new hires, I have no doubt that they will happily follow the proper procedures, and I wish them long and fulfilling careers at CSHL.

George Altemose

Setauke

Communication necessary between community and BOE

It was with great frustration that I watched the video recording of the Port Jefferson Board of Education meeting of Jan. 9. At 35 minutes 50 seconds, during public comments, resident Gail Sternberg addressed many of the same concerns that I, along with my neighbors, share. She gave rational, factual and statistical information that she took the time to FOIA. She presented the information to the BOE. There was no response, and then she was “thanked for her comments” and simply told her time was up. Disappointingly, it appeared there was a dismissive tone for her broaching these uncomfortable topics. I was rather surprised to learn that the total student enrollment for the high school is projected to be less than 200 students within just seven years, and even lower thereafter. I also recently learned from reading Newsday that Port Jefferson School District has seven lawsuits filed against it for which we are potentially responsible. 

Along with these lawsuits and a decline of student enrollment, we have the current glide path of taxpayer expenses rising, due to loss of LIPA revenue contribution. All these issues are veering ahead at precisely the same time, and we have no large reserves for all of these expenses, thus creating an unfortunate “perfect storm.” It would be helpful if a special meeting is held where the community can ask questions, voice their concerns and try to understand what is ahead. The other surrounding school districts that are facing the dilemma of declining enrollments have already done so — to let the community know what is going on, and what remedies might be considered. 

We need to keep taxes down and spending curtailed if we want to bring in new families. A declining enrollment does not lend itself to having opportunities for socialization, sports programs and advanced courses. We cannot simply “kick the can down the road.” If we desire to keep our high school a thriving and financially viable school in the coming years, the time to start a conversation is now. 

I think it is the responsibility of the BOE to address the community so we can be educated voters in the future. I am hopeful the BOE will want to consider this community’s input when making decisions going forward and, if so, share with us what a plan B might look like. It is time to discuss the elephant in the room.

Darcel Weldon

Port Jefferson

Vote on proposed Terryville Fire District bond issue to upgrade facilities

I want to take the opportunity to alert the residents of Port Jefferson Station/Terryville to an important upcoming event impacting the safety and quality of life in our community. The Terryville Fire District has recently proposed several upgrades and repairs to the two facilities operating within their jurisdiction. These improvements would bring the headquarters on Jayne Boulevard and Old Town Road, Station 2, into compliance with current firefighting standards as well as replacing aging materials and equipment. EMS personnel and equipment needs have nearly doubled since the construction 50 years ago of Station 2 in 1974 and the main facility on Jayne Boulevard has not had any meaningful upgrades in over 20 years. 

The district has proposed to replace the roof and upgrade the existing siren at the headquarters as well as provide additional storage and training facilities within a new utility building at Station 2. 

I would suggest the district considers providing for public spaces and meeting rooms for community use as is the case in surrounding fire districts. The proposed bond to pay for all these renovations is $18 million.

Given the growth in our hamlet in past years and facing significant development pressures in the future from the proposed Jefferson Plaza project — and many others surrounding the 112 corridor — it is imperative our residents carefully evaluate this bond issue with an eye toward meeting the challenges we face over the coming decades. 

Unfortunately, the fire district reached out to the local civic association only recently, and I applaud Commissioner Lee Brett for his efforts. However, as president of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association, I appreciate their efforts to engage the community, it is hard at this late date to fully weigh the benefits of these improvements against the cost impact that might result in a projected tax increase to residents of about $10-$12 a month from passage of this bond. 

I am hopeful the fire district, with less-than-ideal outreach, will still be able to generate the community support needed to persuade my neighbors that approving the bond issue is a wise investment that will meet the needs of our area.

The vote will be held at the main headquarters on Jayne Boulevard Tuesday, Jan. 23, from 2 to 9 p.m. I urge concerned citizens to participate in deciding the ability of our first responders to rise to the occasion when called upon to help our community.

Ira Costell

President of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association

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