Mayoral candidates:
Lauren Sheprow – 956
Kathianne Snaden – 796
Trustee candidates, two seats:
Bob Juliano – 1,244
Stan Loucks – 935
Candidates for village justice:
Tara Higgins – 1,381
With two trustee seats up for grabs on June 20, the Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce hosted a Meet the Candidates event at the Village Center Tuesday evening, June 14.
The candidates had their first Meet the Candidates forum last month during an event hosted by the Port Jefferson Civic Association. The two declared trustee candidates, incumbent trustee Stan Loucks and former village clerk Bob Juliano, tackled a range of subjects throughout the night. The following offers insight into a few key areas.
Juliano said any bond issue or proposal for changing terms of office should go out to public referendum. He maintained the public should have input on matters immediately impacting them, such as taxes.
Besides publishing legal notices, Juliano said that he would “really just plaster the village and let them know” that a public hearing was taking place.
Loucks said that any large project should have a public referendum, agreeing that the changing of terms from two to four years should have had a public referendum.
Loucks addressed the need for more green spaces in Port Jeff. He said the village should “go after” them when they become available, including the undeveloped parcel located immediately east of Mather Hospital.
Loucks also touched upon the underutilization of Roosevelt Park, which he suggested was a decent size green area currently serving little or no use. “Residents in those areas are more hesitant about the parking,” he said, “but that is one green area that we are going to begin to use.”
Juliano said he would support the village obtaining the undeveloped parcel near Mather. While the former clerk said it was Mather Hospital’s right to take down the trees last year, he suggested that Port Jefferson should acquire some of that property and keep it green to help the environment.
Juliano also addressed the perceived lack of open space left in the village, saying that if space became available, he would advocate that the village take a look at it to see if it’s feasible to acquire, “even if it’s just purchased and just kept in its natural state.”
Juliano said that if the Port Jefferson Power Station were to shutter, the village would still receive some taxes on the property. Furthermore, Juliano said he would advocate seeing if there was another use for the land before additional public revenues declined.
Loucks concurred, saying that he didn’t know what it would cost to decommission the plant but adding that it’s “beautiful waterfront property.”
Loucks said he does not believe Port Jefferson has overdeveloped. Instead, he said there is a need for housing, citing Conifer’s Crossing Apartments project that had 1,400 applicants for around 40 units.
Juliano also agrees that there is a need for housing in the village but advocated for condominiums instead of apartments. He also said the Building Department was in disarray, and a senior planner and senior engineer were necessary, along with a strengthening of the Code Department.
Juliano said that the village has no say as far as what happens with the Brookhaven Industrial Development Agency but that he has a plan to make sure if the IDA grants property tax relief, then they will start at whatever taxes they are paying now and not go down to zero. What it should be, he said, is if they’re paying a certain amount of dollars, they’ll continue to pay that, and then any exemptions rise from that down.
Loucks highlighted the little control the village has over the IDA. He said that they can go to their meetings and make recommendations, but ultimately the IDA makes its own decisions.
Port Jeff Village residents will weigh in on these two candidates Tuesday, June 20. Voting will occur at the Village Center from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The Village of Port Jefferson is nearing a crossroads.
Residents will enter the polls this Tuesday, June 20, to decide on a successor to Mayor Margot Garant. After 14 years leading the administration, the incumbent is stepping down to head the Democratic ticket for Town of Brookhaven supervisor against Deputy Supervisor Dan Panico (R-Manorville).
Garant’s seat is being contested by Deputy Mayor Kathianne Snaden and trustee Lauren Sheprow. In an exclusive office debate spanning nearly two and a half hours, the mayoral candidates pitched their respective visions to the voters.
Introductions
Defeated by just four votes in her first bid for trustee in 2018, Snaden won election to the board the following year and has since secured several liaison posts before taking over as deputy mayor in 2021.
She said she first ran for office “to be the voice” of the people, bringing their wishes to Village Hall and putting their priorities into action.
“I am ready to run for mayor because I want to use all of that institutional knowledge, all of my experience, to do even more for the community,” she said.
Sheprow entered the board 10 months ago, unseating former trustee Bruce Miller during last year’s village election. She has since helped establish multiple advisory committees while serving as commissioner of communications, among other liaison positions.
She said she is running to take the village government in a new direction.
“I have been hearing a lot from residents and how they would like to see a fresh start for Port Jeff,” she said. “That’s what I was responding to when I decided to run.”
Petitions
This year’s mayoral contest took an unusual plot twist very recently, on May 30, when the Suffolk County Board of Elections opted to remove Sheprow’s name from the June 20 ballot over faults in her petitions.
“I take full responsibility for not putting my cover sheet on the petition submission,” Sheprow said. “But you know what? I don’t care. I’m running a write-in campaign. I would never stop fighting for the people of Port Jefferson.”
Snaden, whose campaign brought about the charges, said using the Freedom of Information Law to assess the opposition’s petitions is standard practice.
“We all have to follow the same rules,” she said. “It’s our job as candidates to know the laws and follow the laws.”
Budget
The candidates offered competing perspectives on the village’s present finances.
Snaden regarded the current fiscal health as “excellent,” noting the relatively low-interest rates the village pays when borrowing money.
She acknowledged “the budget can always use some tweaking,” adding, “there are some needs that I believe need an increase in budget.”
Chief among them are salaries, Snaden said: “Bringing those numbers up would be imperative for getting the highest quality employees we can.”
Sheprow suggested the village’s Moody’s rating, a measure that calculates an organization’s relative credit risk, “can be improved,” saying her administration would strive for a AAA bond rating [compared to the current Aa3].
The trustee proposed instituting an advisory committee of certified public accountants and other financial professionals to assist the village board in preparing its budget.
“A zero-based budget is so important,” Sheprow said. “Also, having that budget committee [will help] create a budget that is responsible to the taxpayers.”
Revenue
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced new regulations targeting existing power plants, placing a cloud of uncertainty over the Port Jefferson Power Station.
With questions surfacing about the possible decommissioning of the plant, the candidates were asked whether the village should begin preparing for further losses of public revenue.
Sheprow again advocated for expert consultation.
“I think we need to include the Advanced Energy Center at Stony Brook University,” she said. “Maybe we can come up with ideas about how to bring advanced energy initiatives into that location.”
Snaden said continued collaboration with wind power companies, such as Ørsted and Eversource, would remain pivotal in “bringing green energy to Long Island through the Village of Port Jefferson.”
To account for potential losses in public revenue, she also proposed “increasing our tax base through responsible development.”
Staffing
Both candidates agreed the administration is understaffed but departed on possible solutions.
Snaden emphasized hiring a planner for the building and planning department and additional personnel for the code enforcement department.
She indicated the practice of assigning multiple administrative titles to a single staff member is “absolutely not” sustainable.
“I think that’s where the budget needs to be enhanced — to hire the right people to head up these departments and divide up more of the tasks,” she said.
Sheprow maintained the hiring process should follow “a [human resources] system and policy.”
“The idea that I have, should I become mayor, is to bring in someone to take a deep dive into the organizational chart of the village,” she said. “I find there are some conflicts of interest for these positions and roles for people who wear multiple hats.”
Public meetings
To boost attendance at public meetings, Sheprow supported overhauling the village’s municipal website.
“It is not responsive,” she said. “If there’s a village board meeting coming up, it should be on the front page on the carousel of the website.”
She also favored a more dynamic social media presence on behalf of the village, with suggestion boxes and other modes of “active responsiveness” between board members and residents.
“I think we need to set up — here we go again — another committee to hear and review complaints and take [them] forward to the Board of Trustees.”
Snaden discussed the value of live streaming public meetings.
“Bringing the meetings to [residents] in their living rooms, recorded so they could watch at a later date, was key” during the COVID-19 public health emergency, Snaden said, proposing to expand and enhance these methods post pandemic.
She also touched upon the role of the Port eReport in dispersing information to the public.
In welcoming more citizens into the local decision-making process, Sheprow expressed pleasure at the reformation of the Port Jefferson Civic Association, saying, “That means the people care, that the people in the community want to get involved.”
She said the chance for more frequent communications between residents and trustees during board meetings is “a huge opportunity for us.”
Snaden said, “Regular meetings with whoever wants to have a voice,” combined with an active social media presence, would be crucial for welcoming more residents into the process.
“I also believe there’s an aspect of people going to meetings when there’s a negative issue or problem,” she added. “As a person who always looks for the positive in things, I like to believe that a portion of the people not coming to meetings are very happy with what’s going on.”
Open government
Another central administrative function is the swift distribution of time-sensitive documents, such as public minutes and agendas.
Snaden returned to hiring when asked about expediting the release of these materials.
“That rests now on the clerk’s [Barbara Sakovich] responsibility list,” she said. “She’s just overwhelmed with the amount of work,” adding, “I believe we could help by bringing in more people to divide up those duties to get [those documents] out there.”
Sheprow favored implementing a “proactive communications system,” including an internal newsletter, to bring the information to staff and the public more expeditiously.
“We need somebody who’s creating content,” she said. “The content would include a press release after every meeting [saying] here’s what happened.”
Building density
During the May 1 public hearing on possible zoning code changes for the Maryhaven Center of Hope property, several community members voiced concerns about increased villagewide building density.
Sheprow raised objections of her own.
“The proposals and the sketches that have been drawn for this space are looking like we’re bringing city life into a transitional [not entirely commercial nor residential] area of Port Jefferson,” she said. “The surrounding communities are horrified by the prospect of seeing four stories from their backyards.”
Snaden noted, “Density is already here,” referring to some existing apartment and condominium developments neighboring Maryhaven.
In moving through the building and planning stages, she said, it will be necessary to continue consulting traffic and environmental studies, which she indicated are “always done as a matter of course.”
“Residential use has been proven to be the softest use, environmentally speaking,” the deputy mayor added. “My concern is that if we don’t move ahead with … some type of a code change, then as of right, an office park could move in, causing more issues for the neighboring community.”
Parking garage
The village is also working to mediate longstanding parking issues, with both candidates detailing how a proposed parking garage could offset shortages.
“There has to be a careful balance with that — without overbuilding but creating the parking spaces that are needed,” Snaden said of the parking structure.
She also supported continued public-private partnerships for shared parking agreements.
Sheprow called for establishing a parking committee, composed primarily of business owners, to help manage the village’s municipal parking apparatus.
She referred to the proposed garage as “an idea I think residents need to hear and weigh in on.”
Flooding
During a recent climate resilience forum at Village Hall, local architect Michael Schwarting shared alarming projections of more frequent and intense flood events in Lower Port. Each candidate was asked how the village could mitigate these concerns.
“Utilizing an engineer or planner to lead that process,” coupled with a new grant writer to help underwrite new projects, could “move the village forward conceptually,” Sheprow suggested.
Snaden proposed daylighting hidden underground water bodies to offset increases in flood load. “I would like to continue building bioswales,” she added, “making gardens in conjunction with these bioswales.”
Concluding remarks
Sheprow expressed appreciation for the residents throughout the campaign process.
“I’m having a lot of fun talking to people and learning more about everyone in our community,” she said. “There’s a lot of love for this community, and I would just be grateful to represent them and have their trust put in me.”
Snaden reiterated her past experiences in positioning her for the responsibilities of mayor.
By “voting my opponent in as mayor, you lose me entirely — you lose my experience, knowledge and love for this community,” Snaden said. “However, if you vote for me, Lauren stays on as a trustee, and you have us both.”
Voting information
The public will be the ultimate arbiter of these two mayoral candidates on Tuesday, June 20. Voting will take place at Port Jefferson Village Center, where polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Seven-term incumbent Port Jefferson Mayor Margot Garant is leaving the village government, instead making a run for Town of Brookhaven supervisor under the Democratic ticket.
In a contest to fill Garant’s seat, Deputy Mayor Kathianne Snaden is running against trustee Lauren Sheprow, who is now a write-in candidate. In an exclusive interview, Snaden opened up about her plans for economic development, East Beach, recreation, parking and more.
What would be your top priority for the coming term, if elected?
Using my institutional knowledge and experience in every aspect of the village.
One of the things I had just started working on and want to take to the next level when I become mayor is economic development. Over the last year or so, Kevin Wood — our parking and mobility [administrator] — has been in charge of economic development.
I’d like to start a task force to bring together business and restaurant owners, the chamber of commerce and the Business Improvement District. I want to reach out to developers and real estate brokers and have a committee or task force that will be able to connect with other businesses — national businesses, restaurants and retail establishments — to see what they need to come into our village to continue to make our downtown a thriving district.
Doing that task force will be beneficial to take our village to the next level, where it needs to go. We’re very lucky to have a vibrant downtown, and we must keep that going. It benefits the residents and the entire village as a whole.
If elected, how do you intend to help guide East Beach bluff stabilization efforts and maximize the use of the village-owned Port Jefferson Country Club?
Fortunately, we have a map forward with that.
We’ve been working with our coastal engineers, and the Board of Trustees voted unanimously on their plan, which includes finalizing the bluff stabilization with the FEMA grant — the $3.75 million.
Once the bluff is stabilized, we will move to the redevelopment of the property at the top of the bluff. Our coastal engineers, the experts in this field, were able to give us a plan for pickleball and tennis courts, which is key to bringing back that membership.
We were very sad to lose that membership when we had to shut the courts down for reconstruction, but I’m hoping this new racket sports complex will bring back that membership.
The best part about that is all of that project will be self-sustaining, paid for by the membership. This will not be on the backs of the taxpayers, which is very important to me. I support that whole plan.
What is the role of the village board in overseeing new developments and redevelopment projects?
Working very closely with our planning and building departments and our Zoning Board of Appeals if that’s one of the routes a developer takes. Careful and responsible development, always looking at traffic studies and environmental impacts. Always talking to the surrounding residents and the residents as a whole.
Keep in mind that development will help to increase our tax base. At this point, with the LIPA glide path continuing and going into its final stages, we must be very mindful of our tax base, making sure that it’s solid.
How can the village alleviate its parking capacity challenges, balancing the competing interests of residents, businesses and tourists?
As we know, parking is a big issue in Port Jefferson because we’re not getting any more property.
One of the things I did when I started as parking liaison was work with our Parking Department head to build our Barnum parking lot. That was key.
When I found out that we have about 640 spaces in the village and over 300 were used by employees, I said, “We have to do something.” Employees need to park, but that’s a large portion of our parking capacity.
For an employee — let’s say a waitress, for example — that doesn’t make a huge salary, it would be a huge hit to pay for parking every shift they have. But if we incentivized them to park in the Barnum lot free of charge, I felt that that would be very helpful. That parking lot has 43 spaces, I believe, and it has been very successful.
I continue to work with the Business Improvement District and the chamber of commerce, adapting to their changing needs. As times changed — and during COVID, the needs changed — we were able to pivot on the fly, changing the parking for the needs of the businesses.
One of the other things I’ve done and continue to work on is the PASSPort rideshare service. The idea behind PASSPort was that even though we do have resident parking, it’s limited. To alleviate residents’ parking in the other spaces that visitors can park in, they can take the PASSPort rideshare service.
One of the other things I started about four years ago was working with an engineer and our head of parking for a potential parking structure. That’s been in the works for a few years. Initially, there was an issue with the location and cost of the structure, as well as whether it would yield enough spaces to pay for itself.
One of the things I pride myself on is never saying “no.” There’s always a path to solve a problem. When I hear, “We can’t,” I say, “How can we?” And I gather the best minds in the room to figure out the best path forward that benefits the entire community.
What is your preferred method for public engagement?
That’s the reason I ran for trustee in the first place — I ran to be the voice of residents of the village of Port Jefferson.
I enjoy speaking to people, hearing their concerns. Having the ability as deputy mayor to take their problems to Village Hall and get that problem addressed immediately has always been very important to me.
When I see the back-and-forth on a platform like Facebook, being able to answer resident questions in real time with factual information has always been something I’m happy to do. I would continue to always be available to people on social media.
Another thing I brought to the village and would continue to expand on is technology changes. We started live-streaming board meetings during COVID, and I was a strong advocate for continuing that once COVID ended.
The other thing I started was our [Port] eReport, our newsletter. I got people on board to help write the newsletter and gather the information. It expanded and expanded, and it is what it is today because of that initiative.
I’m a “my door is always open” kind of person. I’ve always been very proud of my openness and ability to communicate with folks on many levels.
What is your professional background, and how does it apply to the role of a village mayor?
I worked as a paralegal for almost 20 years in the Buffalo area of upstate New York and on Long Island.
In litigation, I worked on the insurance defense side for Ford and Hyundai motor companies. I did insurance defense cases for them and did a lot of work as a family law paralegal for attorneys here on Long Island.
I have been deputy mayor for the last two years and trustee for four years. I have been commissioner of building and planning, commissioner of public safety, liaison to parking and mobility, the Zoning Board of Appeals, the planning department, beautification, the Business Improvement District and have worked closely with the chamber of commerce.
My vast experience in the village and my institutional knowledge of all of the workings of the village have all come into play to get me where I am today.
By Leah Chiappino
Northport Pridefest kicked off its month-long celebration of Pride Month June 1 with a ceremonial Pride flag raising at Northport Village Hall.
The flag raising was accompanied by four churches ringing their bells for two minutes, Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian and Roman Catholic congregations, as “a celebration that God loves us all,” according to Pridefest’s co-director Joe Schramm whose company, Schramm Marketing Group, is producing the event in partnership with the village.
“There’s often been a lot of pushback from religion, religious groups, and the church bells basically told us that those groups don’t necessarily represent the organized religions of America,” Schramm said.
Following the flag raising, there was a 30-minute ceremony. About 125 people attended, according to Schramm, including Northport Village Mayor Donna Koch; Asharoken Mayor Dr. Greg Letica; Northport Village trustee Meghan Dolan, a co-director of Pridefest; trustee Dave Weber, the first openly LGBTQ+ elected official in Northport Village history; former trustee Henry Tobin; Northport Village Chief of Police Chris Hughes; Huntington Town Supervisor Ed Smyth (R); Huntington’s Receiver of Taxes Jillian Guthman (D); and Huntington Town councilmembers Joan Cergol (D), Dave Bennardo (R) and Sal Ferro (R). Suffolk County Legislator Stephanie Bontempi (R-Centerport) sent a representative, and State Assemblyman Keith Brown (R-Northport) sent a statement. Also in attendance was Juli Grey-Owens, the chairperson of Suffolk County LGBTQ+ Advisory Board and executive director of Gender Equality NY.
“What is really amazing to me is that all those elected officials came from the village, town, county, and state, to say that they embrace the LGBTQ+ and are here to stand by us and safeguard our rights to live and love as we wish,” said Schramm.
A resident of Northport for 23 years, the area has always been a safe and welcoming place for Schramm.
“I think that Northport has long been a very accepting and inviting welcoming community for the LGBT communities,” he said. “And so I moved here 23 years ago because I knew that. … And I know that in recent years … quite a few LGBT members have moved here from other parts of New York City or Long Island because they know that Northport, it’s not only beautiful, it’s a really welcoming and safe community for the LGBT people who identify.”
Schramm, who is the first vice president of the Northport Chamber of Commerce, said several members have been talking about having an event like Pridefest for several years.
“We have people put out pride flags and, the like, but there’s never been a concerted effort to work together,” he said.
He approached Dolan, who also serves as the village commissioner of parks with the idea. Dolan was having “conversations internally at village hall,” about doing an event for Pride month.
“We came together and said, ‘Well, let’s make this happen.’” Schramm said.
Schramm contacted fellow village residents he knew were members of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as Koch, whom he said came onboard the right way. Planning meetings were held at village hall, and the group grew to nearly 50 volunteers, from the LGBTQ+ community, along with parents of LGBTQ+, and allies.
Northport Pridefest’s mission contains six key goals: “Celebrate LGBTQ+ history; embrace the various segments that define LGBTQ+, inform the LGBTQ+ community of services available to them, educate the public about LGBTQ+ issues, empower the protection of equal rights and inspire leadership and cooperation.”
Pridefest in the Park, the second Pridefest event will be held June 17, in the Village Park.
“[The flag raising] was a little bit more formal, and Pridefest in the park will be a lot more fun,” said Schramm.
Featuring a pre-tea “afternoon music festival,” the event will kick off at 1 p.m. with the national anthem, followed by a short concert by the Long Island Gay Men’s Chorus and a DJ. At 2 p.m. LGBTQ+ youth will speak on the six components of the mission statement. The program will close with a performance by the Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company. There will also be vendors, and the Northport Historical Society Museum will be running its The PRIDE! Pop-up Exhibit. Some restaurants on Main Street will be promoting “tea” drink prices.
A petition to stop potential development of Stanhope Stables, located on the corner of Downs and West Hills Roads in Huntington has garnered outrage from the community, resulting in a petition on change.org that has garnered over 2,100 signatures as of June 6.
When contacted by TBR News Media for a comment Friday, June 2, town spokesperson Christine Geed said that Supervisor Ed Smyth (R) “has not received a copy of the proposed application nor a copy of any petition, therefore he cannot comment.”
Geed said applications are first reviewed by the Planning Board for “merit and completeness,” and then “sent to the Town Board to determine if any action will be taken.” Geed later confirmed that an application from B2K Development was received by the town clerk in late March, and then forwarded to the planning department in early April. The “zoning change request is to go from R80 zoning to R5. Or, more specifically from two-acre zoning to 1/8 of an acre,” Geed said.
David Burman, a principal at B2K said in a statement that “B2K Development will acquire the property subject to entitlements.” They are proposing to build “59 single-family homes on 16 acres, with 20% being under ‘affordable housing’ requirement of the Town of Huntington,” according to the statement.
“Our decision to propose single-family homes at market rates is a reflection, in part, of our desire to mirror the surrounding residential neighborhood, creating a development consistent with efforts to protect the community’s quality of life while offering housing opportunities for a new generation of Long Islanders,” the statement read.
When asked if the developer had acquired other stables in the area, a spokesperson for B2K said they did not have that information.
“B2K Development typically does not comment on unrelated properties or questions relating to business strategy,” the spokesperson said.
Historical concerns
Kat Hankinson, the petition’s organizer, said she is mostly concerned about the changes the proposal will have to the Whitman Historical District.
“It’s like the old Huntington that has been here for hundreds of years, way before all of this commercialization and overdevelopment started happening,” said Hankinson. “So it’s the character of the neighborhood, its historical character, its rural character, that is going to be irrevocably altered.”
According to a 2018 report by the town on historic preservation, the district consists of properties near the intersection of West Hills Road and Chichester Road, and is a local landmark. Town Historian Robert Hughes said in an interview the district is made up of a handful of houses that have a connection to the Whitman family, who have relation to the famed poet, Walt Whitman.
“[The homes] sit on large lots and date back to the 17th and 18th century and create a rustic historic feel as you’re driving down West Hills Road,” he said. West Hills Road and Downs Road are considered historic roadways
Hughes said Stanhope Stables is adjacent to the Whitman Historical District, but the property has a home dating back to 1785 and barns that are also several hundred years old. According to Hughes, the house was built for Samuel Oakley in 1785, and later was inherited by his son, Solomon Oakley. Solomon operated an inn and later used the property for farming. It stayed in the Oakley family until after Soloman died in the 1870s. In 1891, it was purchased by Henry Coe, a wealthy New Yorker who used the property as his summer home. Then it was acquired by a lawyer named Lewis Case Ledyard, around 1950. He used it as a casual “gentleman’s farm” that had horses, cows and chickens. In 1987, it was established as Melody Equestrian Center and later changed ownership to Stanhope Stables.
In order to preserve the structures, the town’s historic preservation commission has been “looking into designating the house and barn at the stables as historic landmarks under town code,” Hughes said.
Increase in traffic
Hankinson said she also worries about the increase in sewage and traffic.
“Right next to the stable, there’s a church and then there’s Walt Whitman High School, and so kids are always walking to school, along the side of the road,” she said. Hankinson has rescue horses herself and already hesitates to ride them in the area, due to traffic, she said.
“I don’t feel safe on the roads because there’s so much traffic coming through and a lot of it is through traffic,” she said. “They’re not people in the neighborhood who would go slowly. They’re people just driving through and throwing garbage out their windows and so there’s another concern that an increase in traffic is going to make it even less safe for pedestrians, students and also people who want to take their horses out.”
Organization efforts
Neighbors have been helping Hankinson organize settings and hand out flyers. They have held meetings and have a Facebook group in opposition to the stables.
Several residents plan to speak at the June 13 town board meeting in opposition to the proposal. Hankinson said she sees an opportunity to create a community space, like a land trust and public park, like Caumsett State Park in Lloyd Harbor.
“The public can go and enjoy and ride horses, and you know, my concern, beyond the overdevelopment ,.. is this possible perception that the equestrian community is somehow … out of touch or not really part of the public, but the stables are businesses that people depend on,” she said, noting local farriers and stable hands, and horse supply stores, like Dover Saddlery, in South Huntington, that depend on the equine community.
Dr. Marvin Glassmann, the first vice president of Nassau-Suffolk Horsemen’s Association, who advocated for horses and their quality of life, said he was also concerned about the changing character of the neighborhood, but that the area’s “whole way of life” could change. Blacksmiths and hay delivery would lose out.
“It would be phenomenally bad,” he said.
According to its website, the stable, around for many years, has 18 acres and 75 stalls. It offers riding lessons, training, leases and sales. It is owned and operated by Nancy Henderson.
“On the weekends you’ll see families pulled over on the side of the road with little children holding them up at the fence to look at the horses,” Debbie Porter, another area resident in opposition to the proposal, said. “So even people traveling through get to experience this little patch of country [will be affected].”
Decades-old fears over a possible Long Island “brain drain,” or people in their 20s and 30s leaving the region, have not been quelled. Instead, some are worried that the brain drain has spread to other age demographics as well.
Martin Cantor, director at the Long Island Center for Socio-Economic Policy, suggests every age demographic is looking to escape the Island.
“The young don’t come and stay,” he said. “Most kids, if they go away to college, don’t come back. The middle class is leaving because it’s too expensive.”
While some suggest that this may be due to a lack of housing options, Cantor is not entirely on board with this diagnosis. “There is a general feeling out there that they want to blame people leaving [on the] housing options and, to an extent, yeah,” but this doesn’t paint the complete picture, he said. “It’s because we’re just too darned expensive to live here, plain and simple.”‘We’re just too darned expensive to live here.’
— Martin Cantor
Sal Pitti, former vice president of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association, is moving to Florida. His case exemplifies how even prominent local leaders feel the squeeze of high costs, fleeing the communities they helped build and grow due to financial pressures.
“I’m retired from the NYPD, so I’m pretty much on a fixed income,” he said in a phone interview. “My wife’s been working, and her salary has gotten better over the last few years … but with the rising amount of taxes and everything else that’s going on on Long Island, it’s pretty much going to be unsustainable.”
Instead of waiting a few more years, Pitti and his wife decided to take advantage of the recent high spot in the housing market and were able to sell their home relatively quickly.
Problems also arise with Long Island’s minimum wage, which currently stands at $15 — the same as for New York City and Westchester, with the rest of the state at $14.20. Even though the Long Island rate is more than double the $7.25 national minimum wage, it is still not nearly enough to afford a two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent.
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s 2021 Out of Reach report, the minimum hourly wage necessary to afford a two-bedroom apartment in the Nassau-Suffolk HUD Metro Fair Market Rents Area is $39.13. This means that two local adults working full time on minimum wage could still not afford an apartment.
In an interview, Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) described his conversation with one homeowner who, along with her husband, works a minimum wage job. To afford the mortgage, she had to work two shifts.
The simultaneous problems of low wages and high rents represent a conundrum for policymakers. The interplay of local and societal factors can make this puzzle even more problematic.
“I don’t know what the answer is,” Kornreich said. “I don’t know how we value work in a way that allows people to do important work that’s societally vital” while also paying workers “enough that they can afford just to live a basic existence.”
While Long Island’s minimum wage will continue to increase — set to reach $17 an hour by 2026 — that would still not be enough to afford a two-bedroom apartment.
Village of Port Jefferson Mayor Margot Garant described her administration’s efforts to cater for affordable housing options.
“There is nothing that we’re going to do to stop building more workforce housing as long as I’m involved,” Garant said.
The village mayor described the heavy demand for affordable housing, with roughly 1,300 applications being submitted for Conifer Realty’s Port Jefferson Crossing project in Upper Port that offers 45 apartments based on the median income in the area.‘It just shows the need for clean, affordable workforce housing.’
— Margot Garant
“It just shows the need for clean, affordable workforce housing,” Garant said.
While new affordable housing units may partially help alleviate some of the housing shortages throughout the region, it is not a solution to the overarching problem of high expenses.
To ease economic pressures on Long Island, Cantor urged policymakers to worry about costs and cut spending where possible.
“Nobody is worrying about costs,” he said, suggesting regional income taxes replace property taxes. “This way, people pay based upon what they earn, not the value of their assets.”
Margot Garant, a seven-term incumbent, is stepping down as mayor of the Village of Port Jefferson to head the Democratic ticket for Town of Brookhaven supervisor. In an open contest, trustee Lauren Sheprow and Deputy Mayor Kathianne Snaden are vying to fill Garant’s seat.
Less than a year into her first term on the village’s Board of Trustees, Sheprow, who is running as a write-in candidate as of now, has her sights set on the office once occupied by her father, Hal, who served as mayor from 1977-91 with a one-term break.
In an exclusive interview, Sheprow offered her plans for communications, East Beach, parking and more.
What would be your top priority for the coming term, if elected?
There are several priorities. Fiscal responsibility is number one.
My first step will be to establish a finance and audit committee. In this village, the mayor has decided to be the finance commissioner, but there is no committee assisting the finance commissioner. The finance commissioner is working with the treasurer, and [they are] doing it themselves.
I support creating a committee of CPAs and people who work in finance who can inform our process, coming in with ideas, suggestions and opportunities to shape our budget a little bit differently — a little healthier and more disciplined.
Job two is establishing a board of ethics. It’s something that is highly recommended by New York Village Law.
Another aspect is being resident centric, having two-way communication with the residents. Right now, the two-way communication with the residents is once a month at a [general] meeting [of the village board].
We need a brand-new, professional municipal website. When you use it now, it’s so difficult. If you go to the Town of Brookhaven’s website, it’s so easy to navigate. That’s what I want to see for Port Jeff.
We can also do well to start listening to our chamber [of commerce] members and the Business Improvement District, hearing their feedback. There’s a lot of opportunity for success in how we do business with the merchants.
If elected, how do you intend to help guide East Beach bluff stabilization efforts and maximize the use of the village-owned Port Jefferson Country Club?
When I became a trustee, I was appointed liaison to the food and beverage licensee at the county club. I was interested in improving the relationship with the licensee and the member experience up there.
I started a task force made up of some members and a nonmember resident. We started meeting with management and came up with some real opportunities for improvement.
They changed the menu to be more community and family oriented. We discussed having socials and other events for members, and they ended up implementing that. There are still a lot of challenges that exist with that relationship, but it’s improving because of the task force.
Right now, we’re waiting to hear whether or not we’re getting that federal money [$3.75 million]. There’s some back-and-forth, I think, between FEMA and us.
I’d like to see the tennis program come back — and not just with two courts. I’d like to see six courts, at least, so we can welcome our tennis membership back. I’d also like to see the pickleball program come together and thrive.
What would be the best way to design that? We have engineers draw drawings, but shouldn’t we be relying on a real designer that has worked on country club designs before?
Let’s get someone in there who knows what they’re doing, looking critically at the space they have to work with and making the best recommendations based on their experience with other facilities.
What is the role of the village board in overseeing new developments and redevelopment projects?
The first thing we should do is hire a planner. We need a senior planner who can advise, direct and inquire. I’m not an engineer, architect or planner. But there are some very good engineers, architects and planners out there, and we need them on staff. It is our role to hire those positions.
I think we can commission a study to look at open space. How would you treat green space? You first have to understand what green space actually exists, and then get our planner and engineer to take a look at how to address these things.
The opportunities are there. We need to understand what they are and then get the advice of a senior planner to figure out how to move this village forward.
How can the village alleviate its parking capacity challenges, balancing the competing interests of residents, businesses and tourists?
I’ve been speaking with business owners, restaurant owners and residents, and there is a strong need for a parking committee. We need to understand what the business owners are seeing, hear their feedback and try to act upon it.
The parking committee should be made up primarily of business owners, but you also need residents who can weigh in on aesthetics and real-world experiences.
We also have to look at building a parking structure. They have parking structures that are architecturally appealing and can adhere to the architectural integrity of the community. That’s a design element, but the question of where comes into play.
If a big decision is to be made about a parking garage, then residents need to be heard on that.
What is your preferred method for public engagement?
I’m enjoying the face-to-face connections with people. I’m learning so much about the village, and people are so open to speaking with me right now. That’s my favorite way to communicate with people and engage.
If we have messages that we need to communicate in a broader sense, an upgrade to our website is essential. Sharing information through The [Port] eReport is good — it’s a good resource. But, again, it’s talking at people, not listening to people.
I feel we need to start suggestion boxes, surveys and phone banking. We need a community relations effort that hasn’t existed since I’ve been around.
All these things — code enforcement, parking, engagement with the school district — are all community relations functions that, if we do well, we’ll have residents feel they’re listened to and have a responsive government. That’s the goal.
What is your professional background, and how does it apply to the role of a village mayor?
I have been a public relations professional for pretty much my whole career. My most recent position was as the chief media relations officer at Stony Brook University, where I worked for 16 years. Prior to that, I was the public relations director at Mather Hospital for four years.
I consider my experience at Stony Brook the most illuminating. Stony Brook is a campus of about 44,000 people between students, staff and hospital employees. They have all of the infrastructure that a municipality has.
As I was working at Stony Brook, I was responsible for communicating a lot of the things that were going on at campus to the media. Everything that I was involved with there and helped communicate is very similar to what is happening in the Village of Port Jefferson. It’s similar in scope — Stony Brook was just much greater in size.
While at Stony Brook, I interacted with representatives from the federal, state, Suffolk County and town governments, building a lot of relationships with people in those jurisdictions. I was privy to how they did business and operated, so I feel very prepared.
Editor’s note: This interview was conducted before the Suffolk County Board of Elections removed Sheprow’s name from the mayoral ballot May 30. See story, “Suffolk County elections board removes Port Jeff mayoral candidate from ballot.”
Note to our readers
We intend to interview each of the declared candidates for village office, starting with those running for trustee, then mayor. In keeping with past practice, we first interview incumbents seeking reelection, followed by nonincumbents, selected alphabetically.
A cloud of mystery hangs over Stony Brook University and Suffolk County municipalities as Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) contemplates whether to house asylum seekers at state university campuses.
Spectrum News NY1 reported last week the governor was exploring housing asylum seekers entering the state across three SUNY campuses, including SBU. The governor’s office has yet to clarify its plans as of press time.
New York State Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio (R-Riverhead) said she has been in contact with the governor’s office. According to Giglio’s contact there, Marissa Espinoza, the proposal to house asylum seekers at SBU “is not happening.”
“I’m hoping that that’s not the plan because we really need those dorms for students,” Giglio said. “The taxpayers just can’t afford to take care of more people. We can barely afford to take care of our veterans and homeless.”
In the face of uncertainty and preparing for the prospect of new migrants, Town of Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) also expressed apprehensions about the proposed plans.
Though acknowledging the town does not have jurisdiction over state property, the Brookhaven supervisor referred to potential movements of asylum seekers into SBU as “probably a mistake.”
“I’m concerned about the impact on the school district,” Romaine told TBR News Media in an exclusive interview. “Twenty to 30 years ago, you had single men coming up here and sending money back home. Now, they’re coming up as a family.”
He added, “I’m concerned about the impact that would have on the Three Village school district which, to my understanding, is laying off teachers this school year.”
Ivan Larios, manager of organizing and strategy for the Long Island branch of the New York Immigration Coalition, has been among a vocal group of immigration proponents advocating that Suffolk County welcomes asylum seekers. [See story, “Republican lawmakers, immigration advocates clash over asylum seekers,” May 25, TBR News Media.]
In a phone interview, he outlined the reasons for considering asylum requests, appealing to policymakers on humanitarian grounds.
“People are coming here because they’re running away from persecution, political unrest and violence,” he said. “Immigrants are already a part of our community, and they make Long Island richer and better.”
Giglio contended that Suffolk County is ill-prepared for the challenges of providing services to asylum seekers.
“We have people that are living in the woods in encampments across the street from our parks,” the assemblywoman said. “Our hospitals are not ready for it, the need for services that we can’t provide. We can barely take care of the homeless people we have now.”
Romaine, who is running for Suffolk County executive in November’s election, when asked whether the county is prepared for an influx of new migrants, said “no.”
“I sympathize with asylum seekers,” Romaine said, “But I am concerned about migrants coming to this country without adequate preparation, and I don’t believe we have adequate preparation.”
Larios suggested arguments advanced against asylum seekers can be deceptive. He maintained that asylum seekers are not diverting public resources and attention from already-vulnerable communities across the state.“We believe elected officials should be working in finding solutions instead of saying, ‘No, we can’t take more people.’”
— Ivan Larios
“There are rumors that asylum seekers have displaced veterans or homeless people in other localities around the state, but these are lies,” the immigration advocate said. “These are lies that have been perpetrated to create division.”
But, he added, “There are issues taking place with, for example, housing, but … we believe elected officials should be working in finding solutions instead of saying, ‘No, we can’t take more people.’”
Meanwhile, County Executive Steve Bellone (D) issued an emergency order, May 26, regarding the continuing asylum-seeker crisis. In a press release he said, “Today, I issued an emergency order as New York City continues to grapple with a shortage of available housing options for families and individuals fleeing desperate circumstances and legally seeking asylum. We remain supportive of Governor Hochul’s coordinated and humane approach to addressing this crisis and this emergency order serves to protect the local communities from bearing any costs associated with the potential arrival of asylum seekers.”
The emergency order repeats the county’s calls “for a coordinated approach in which New York State will serve as the lead agency, working to identify potential federal and state sites to temporarily house asylum seekers,” the release added.
The mayoral race in the Village of Port Jefferson just took a shocking twist.
In the upcoming village election on June 20, trustee Lauren Sheprow and Deputy Mayor Kathianne Snaden are vying to succeed incumbent Mayor Margot Garant, who is running for Town of Brookhaven supervisor. Following a meeting of the Suffolk County Board of Elections on Tuesday, May 30, Sheprow’s petitions were ruled invalid. This ruling removes Sheprow’s name from the ballot.
In a statement, Sheprow said her opponent challenged her petitions due to an error on her cover sheet. In the face of the decision, she pledged to continue her mayoral campaign, now running as a write-in candidate.
“My opponent’s campaign and its lawyers challenged my petitions, and due to an issue with the cover sheet, the Suffolk County Board of Elections on May 30 determined that my name cannot be placed on the ballot,” Sheprow said in a statement.
She added, “I am committed to continuing my campaign for mayor even if it means I’ll be a ‘write-in’ candidate. It may be an uphill battle, but I will not quit the people of Port Jefferson.”
A statement issued by The Unity Party, the ticket under which Snaden is running alongside trustee Stan Loucks, clarifies how the challenges to Sheprow’s petitions first came about.
“The Unity Party requested, through the Freedom of Information Act, all documents related to Ms. Sheprow’s petition filing,” the statement said. “Upon discovering several defects, including the lack of a cover page, resident signatures on blank petition forms and other inconsistencies, a challenge to Ms. Sheprow’s election documents was filed. The SCBOE reviewed the challenge and found the deficiencies identified to not only be fatal, but also incurable.”
In the same statement, Snaden commented on the outcome: “While this decision will be disappointing to some, we should take pride that the law and process were followed. I have the utmost respect for the integrity of the bipartisan SCBOE and the decisions they make. Following the rules with transparency and integrity are the hallmarks of good government.”
The Suffolk County Board of Elections declined to comment for this story, referring inquiries to the Village of Port Jefferson clerk’s office.
In a phone interview, Village clerk Barbara Sakovich said she was not involved in the decisions leading up to the ruling, maintaining that her position is strictly administrative.
“A mayoral challenge was submitted, and it then was brought to the Board of Elections,” she said. “The commissioners met, and the determination was made by them, not at the village level.”
Sakovich said the appeals process will be open until the end of business on Friday, saying, “I’m assuming if there is any change, the Board of Elections will notify me.”
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