Luxury retail stores, such as the one shown above, have been targeted by ORC rings. Photo from Pixabay.
Organized retail crime, a nationwide retail theft phenomenon, has reached Suffolk County.
Last week, four individuals from Newark, New Jersey, were arrested by the Suffolk County Police Department for their alleged involvement in an ORC ring that stole $94,000 worth of luxury handbags from a Balenciaga store in East Hampton on March 3. Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney (R) held a press conference shortly after the arrests were made, announcing that those responsible for the theft will be prosecuted.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney (R), above, addressed the recent spike of organized retail crime in the area. Photo from Tierney’s office.
“The individuals in East Hampton, they stole $94,000 worth of bags and they were going to sell that on the secondary market, and they were going to make tens of thousands of dollars in profit,” Tierney said. “The purpose of last week’s press conference was to let people know we are paying attention and we are going to address it because, ultimately, the people who bear the costs of that theft are the consumers, the citizens of Suffolk County who have to pay increased prices for everything.”
ORC refers to the coordinated shoplifting carried out by professional theft rings. According to Tierney, there are stark differences between ORC and ordinary shoplifting.
“We’re trying to separate retail theft from these organized retail theft rings,” he said. “While we’re taking all retail thefts seriously, we want to put special emphasis on the organized retail theft rings, where individuals come in and they’re en masse stealing large amounts of merchandise with the specific purpose of reselling it on the secondary market for profit.”
Gus Downing is publisher and editor of The D&D Daily, an online publication that follows retail trends and raises public awareness for these issues. According to him, ORC has proliferated in recent years due to the rise of the online resale marketplace.
“Organized retail crime has been around a long time, but the internet and third-party selling online is really what took this into the stratosphere,” he said in a phone interview. “When you look at the internet and third-party sellers, and then you tack on the opioid epidemic and the cartels flooding the United States with fentanyl, and then you tack on the surge in crime generically, you’ve got a heck of a problem that is spiraling out of control.”
Downing said that a considerable proportion of mainstream opioid users require a revenue stream to finance their habit. According to him, ORC and drugs are inextricably linked together.
“It’s really all about drugs,” he said. “That’s what drives a person into a store to steal. They have to get the money, and what’s the easiest place to get it when you have millions of people online that would love a deal?”
Tierney has not yet noticed a connection between ORC and drugs in the area. According to him, large returns appear to be motivating the spike in ORC-related incidents throughout the county.
“There’s the sector of the population that are addicted to drugs — they might have mental health issues, and in a sort of ad hoc, unorganized manner they steal things for subsistence and whatever meager money they make goes to drugs or they’re stealing for food,” he said, adding, “Those people from the organized rings, I don’t see drugs and drug addiction being a factor in that. I see it being a profit margin.”
“Those organized gangs, they prey on the most vulnerable people in our society.”
— Barbara Staib, director of development and communications at The National Association for Shoplifting Prevention
Shoplifting education
The National Association for Shoplifting Prevention, based in Huntington Station, is an organization that works to curb retail-related thefts through education. According to Barbara Staib, director of development and communications at NASP, shoplifters can be separated into two categories: professional and nonprofessional.
“While not all shoplifters are involved in ORC, anybody who is involved in ORC is a shoplifter,” she said in a phone interview. “People don’t just jump right into being involved in organized gangs. They started as a shoplifter.”
According to its website, NASP offers online courses for adults and juveniles who need to complete a theft class as required by a court or probation officer. Staib suggested that programs such as these help to reduce recidivism of retail theft crimes, which in turn can deter recruitment into ORC rings.
Staib said NASP works with nonprofessional shoplifters. According to her, these individuals are often the most vulnerable to the predatory recruitment tactics of ORC ringleaders.
“Those organized gangs, they prey on the most vulnerable people in our society,” she said. “They prey on people that are homeless, people who are drug addicted, people who are perhaps in a bad place in their lives and need money.” She added, “From a societal point of view, ORC is very damaging.”
Tierney acknowledged the need to treat retail theft incidents in a case-by-case manner. He said the county offers various programs, such as Stoplift, for first-time offenders. However, he added that those who follow a pattern of criminal behavior will be held responsible for their actions.
“The people who stole the $94,000 worth of bags were not first-time offenders,” he said. “Those repeat offenders who are enriching themselves are completely different from first-time shoplifters,” adding, “Of course, we’re going to treat the first-time shoplifter a lot different than we are with those organized theft rings.”
Staib finds a silver lining through programs such as NASP that educate shoplifters. While she considers ORC a dangerous crime trend that requires strict penalties, she views shoplifting education as a way to counter the spread of ORC.
“We need to approach [shoplifting] in two different ways,” Staib said. “We need to approach ORC as a felony crime that meets harsh punishment.” Discussing ways to address nonprofessional shoplifting, she added, “Our message is that education is valuable at any point for someone who shoplifts.”
To learn more about the shoplifting education programs offered by NASP, visit the website www.shopliftingprevention.org.
Graphic above shows Bluff Point Road watershed in blue and proposed rain gardens in green.
Graphic from Nelson Pope Voorhis
On March 16, environmental advocates met with public officials at the Northport Yacht Club to announce the addition of four rain gardens along Northport Harbor.
Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said her organization has partnered with the Village of Northport and the yacht club to address water pollution. According to her, rain gardens are a cost-effective and simple way to protect the harbor.
“In short, a rain garden is a nature-based solution to man-made pollution,” she said. “Stormwater runoff carries with it pesticides and fertilizers and other pollution and contaminants into our surface waters across Long Island. This rain garden is very important because it will be removing thousands of gallons of rain before it goes into the harbor.”
Nelson Pope Voorhis, a Melville-based engineering firm, is making this vision a reality. According to Rusty Schmidt, landscape ecologist at Nelson Pope, the proposed rain gardens will act as a filtration system, flushing out debris and other sources of pollution, to discharge stormwater safely into the harbor.
“A rain garden is a shallow bowl that we put into the landscape and that we direct water to on purpose,” Schmidt said. “In this case, the water is going to be coming from Bluff Point Road, and as the water comes down the street it will go into these gardens first. That water will soak into the ground in one day or less — in this case it will probably soak in in a few hours because the soils are sandy — and that water will be cleansed and cleaned and get to a drinkable quality.” He added, “It’s still going out to Northport Harbor, but through the soil and without all the garbage.”
We once had a thriving, billion-dollar shellfish industry here on the Island, and this is an important measure to bring back those types of species.
— Assemblyman Keith Brown (R-Northport)
According to a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Northport Harbor and Northport Bay are both designated as priority waterbodies. Schmidt said that the proposed rain gardens would capture roughly 15,000 gallons of rainwater during a storm event, removing several harmful contaminants from the runoff before it reaches the harbor.
“Nitrogen is the number one pollutant to our bay, and we are eliminating a large volume of nitrogen from these rain gardens,” Schmidt said. “Nitrogen is the main component of growing the algal blooms, the red tides and the brown tides that are causing low oxygen and other problems in the harbor.”
The project is made possible by grants from the Long Island Sound Study and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Long Island Sound Futures Fund. Policymakers suggest this project will help to revitalize Northport’s decimated aquatic ecosystems.
“We once had a thriving, billion-dollar shellfish industry here on the Island, and this is an important measure to bring back those types of species,” said state Assemblyman Keith Brown (R-Northport). “I ran on a platform of cleaning up the Long Island Sound, the bays and the estuaries. The quality of them is a really important issue of mine, being from Northport.”
Ian Milligan, deputy village mayor and commissioner of Docks & Waterways, Police and Personnel, confirmed that the rain gardens near the yacht club will be the first of several planned to be installed throughout the village.
Local officials and environmentalists point to the site of a planned rain garden near Northport Yacht Club. Photo by Raymond Janis
“We have a huge runoff water problem here in Northport and it all ends up in the harbor,” Milligan said. “This is the first rain garden that we’re doing in Northport and I’m also happy to say that the village, through other grants and other programs, has three more that are going to be coming out this year.”
According to Esposito, these projects will lead to a cleaner, safer Northport Harbor.
“The bottom line is that this rain garden really will be a simple solution to rainwater pollution,” she said. “We will be using native plantings and taking an area right now that floods and reimagining that area as a beautiful garden that will be absorbing the rain and filtering those pollutants, thereby protecting the harbor.”
Esposito added that construction of the proposed rain gardens near Northport Yacht Club will begin this spring.
From right, Town Supervisor Ed Romaine, Councilwoman Jane Bonner and Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich with members of Cub Scout Pack 204. Photo from TOB
Town of Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine, Councilwoman Jane Bonner and Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich recently welcomed “Arrow of Light” Cub Scouts from Pack 204 in Miller Place to Town Hall in Farmingville.
The group held a lively discussion about Town government and the role of the Supervisor and Town Council. Part of their requirement to transition from Cub Scout to Boy Scout is to speak with local leaders about how they serve their community.
“Scouts visiting Town Hall is a longtime tradition and I am always happy to join my colleagues to speak with them about my career in government. These scouts asked very good questions and their enthusiasm gives me great hope for the future of this country,” said Supervisor Romaine.
Councilwoman Bonner added, “I really enjoyed our meeting with the Cub Scouts at Town Hall. They were so enthusiastic to learn more about how government works, and I was happy to spend the time talking with them. These boys are the leaders of tomorrow and from what I can see, we will be in good hands.”
“I really enjoyed meeting with the Scouts. I was so impressed by their well thought out and sophisticated questions. Explaining how government and politics work to young people really helps put into perspective what we’re here to do and I have every hope and confidence that these young people will grow up to be an active part of the community,” added Councilmember Kornreich.
Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine. File photo by Erika Karp
Fund reallocation would help up to 100 more households
In a letter to the Commissioner of the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (NYS OTDA), Supervisor Ed Romaine advised that the Town of Brookhaven return and reallocate $1.5 million in administrative funds received from the United States Department of Treasury as part of a second round of Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERA-2) funding to address the unmet needs of eligible Town of Brookhaven tenants and landlords.
In the letter, the Supervisor requested to have the NYS OTDA return the money to the Emergency Rental Assistance Program application portal, which is controlled by NYS OTDA for the benefit of Brookhaven residents. It is estimated that the reallocated funds can help an additional 80 to 100 eligible households that need assistance to pay for rental arrears and prospective rent.
“Although it appears that the pandemic is nearly behind us, there are still many Brookhaven Town residents who are experiencing economic hardship. The funds are available, and we should do whatever we can to provide assistance so they can stay in their homes,” said Supervisor Romaine.
“Because the Town worked well with our partnering non-profits and community-based organizations to perform outreach and get the word out, the response from residents was overwhelming. Now, we want to help even more people,” he added.
In his letter, Supervisor Romaine stressed the urgency of his request since the moratorium on evictions in New York State expired on January 15, 2022. To date, more than 3,700 applications have been submitted to the NYS OTDA and $21,837,851.00 in ERAP funding has been administered to 1,257 households through the Town of Brookhaven’s Department of Housing and Community Development.
A former village clerk is ready to take over the mayor’s seat.
Donna Koch
Village of Northport residents voted for Donna Koch for mayor on March 15. She beat out current trustee Dave Weber Jr. for the spot, with an unofficial result of 1,015-799.
Up until 2020, Koch worked as a full-time clerk for the village for 20 years. Two years before she took on the position, she was deputy village clerk.
In a March 10 The Times of Huntington & Northport article, Koch said she decided to run after attending village board meetings. She said she felt the board rushed through meetings and found department heads had nothing to report, including the treasurer. She also felt the board was disrespectful to residents.
“It was then I knew I wanted to run for mayor and bring this village board back to a position of respect, transparency, with open, honest, informative meetings,” Koch said.
Trustees
In addition to choosing between mayoral candidates Koch and Weber, voters selected three trustees, two for a four-year term and another for a two-year period. Mary Biunno ran unopposed for village justice.
At the end of the night, Meghan Dolan and Joseph Sabia won four-year terms with 1,034 and 982 unofficial votes respectively, and Ernest Pucillo gained the two-year seat with 880 votes.
In the March 10 article, Dolan, a litigator in both the public and private sectors, said that running for village trustee wasn’t something she ever thought she would do. The co-founder of Not In Our Town Northport, which works with the community, school administration and the police department to stand up against hate and bigotry, said her experience working in the village the last few years inspired her to run.
“In attending and speaking at the village meetings, it became clear to me that new voices — voices of women, parents and young people — are essential to continuing to make Northport Village the best it can be,” she said.
Joseph Sabia, who had an unsuccessful run for trustee three times and mayor once in the past, is the owner of Sabia’s Car Care.
He said not only as a business owner, but as someone who has been a member of the Northport Police Department and on the Northport-East Northport school board from 2011-14, he has seen a lot in the village. He also has been attending the village board meetings for 10 years.
“I’ve been living in the village for over 45 years,” he said. “I have a business here, and I live here, and I raised my family here, and after going to meetings, I realized how this place is run,” he said. “It’s very poor.”
Among the issues on the minds of
Koch, Dolan and Sabia are finances and stormwater runoff.
Pucillo could not be reached for comment. Final official vote counts were not available at press time.
When Stephen Shybunko decided not to run for mayor in Old Field — a position he has held for the last few months after the resignation of Bruce Feller — current trustee Tom Pirro stepped up to the plate.
Tom Pirro
On March 15, the unopposed Pirro won the election with 139 votes as well as village justice Mitchell Birzon, who also ran unopposed, with 132 votes according to village officials.
“It will be an exciting year,” Pirro said in an email the day after the election. “I’m looking forward to working as a team for the benefit of the village and its residents.”
Joining Pirro on the Village of Old Field board as trustees will be Tom Gulbransen and William Schaefer for two-year terms with 132 and 122 votes respectively and Morgan Morrison for a one-year term with 131 votes.
Adrienne Owen netted 88 votes in the two-year category, and Tom Cottone 81 votes in the one-year.
Schaefer served as village trustee in 2007-08 and had an unsuccessful run for mayor in 2008. In a March 10 The Village Times Herald article, Schaefer said he regretted seeing an increase of vitriol and conflicts of interest in Old Field and said he believed he could bring “an independent voice of reason and replace litigation and contention with compromise and mutual respect.”
In the same article, Morrison said he believed his experience working in IT would be an asset to the village. One idea, he said, “would be to utilize modern technology — such as license plate readers — to build upon the human presence of our constabulary.”
In 2020, Gulbransen, who was a former village trustee and deputy mayor, won a seat as a write-in candidate. In an email, he said he was impressed by the March 15 voter turnout: “It’s encouraging to see so many residents actively turn out to vote. Community communications have been challenging during the years of COVID sequestration.”
Changes are upon the Village of Old Field once again.
Before the end of 2021, Bruce Feller, who was elected as mayor in 2018, handed in his resignation and Deputy Mayor Stephen Shybunko took on the role for the remaining months. As the Tuesday, March 15, village elections approach, neither will be running for the position.
Tom Pirro
Pirro runs for mayor
Current trustee Tom Pirro is the only candidate running for mayor. Pirro was first elected as trustee in 2018.
Pirro said in an email he decided to run for mayor because he has “developed a keen understanding of our village, its challenges and opportunities.”
His goal, Pirro said, is to use his experience as trustee and professional experience as a CPA “to continue moving the village forward in a positive direction — all while maintaining our strong fiscal position.”
He along with trustee Adrienne Owen and trustee candidate Thomas Cottone are running on the Unity Party line. He said he also supports the reelection of Tom Gulbransen, who is running under the Sound Government Party line.
Pirro said he doesn’t feel there are any significant issues in the village.
“I have dedicated my efforts in ensuring fiscal discipline and steady leadership which have put the village in a very strong financial position,” he said. “I am excited to be a part of the lighthouse restoration project. This is an undertaking that is near and dear to me, as the lighthouse is not only the village’s public meeting space but is a beacon and symbol of the village itself.”
Pirro said during this tenure as trustee he worked to establish a strong financial standing for the village, and Old Field’s bond rating has gone from A1 to Aa2. He has also worked to streamline the building permit process and oversee the maintenance of roads and roadside drainage systems, which included necessary improvements and upgrades.
Two-year trustee candidates
Tom Gulbransen
Old Field residents will vote for two village trustees for a two-year term and one trustee for a one-year term.
Tom Gulbransen
Current trustee Gulbransen, who has lived in the village for more than 25 years, said in an email he is running again to continue the efforts of the board over the last few years.
He credits Shybunko, Feller and former mayor Michael Levine along with the board of trustees and residents for important improvements that have been made.
“Most improvements are ongoing, for example, the lighthouse restoration grant applications, the Old Field Point revetment repair grant and some fixes to village code about environmental protection,” he said, adding, “I’m also willing to serve again because it’s a privilege to collaborate with so many talented neighbors.”
The trustee said taking care of the village responsibilities “as cost-efficiently and effectively as possible within the time people have available to help” is one of the biggest things to tackle.
“Even within the village’s relatively small geographic scale, we face complex infrastructure challenges due to our historic buildings, miles of shoreline and fragile environs. Fortunately, the mayors, trustees and the village’s part-time staff have figured out how to juggle and or share tasks. And we make adjustments when residents point out our shortcomings.”
He said while, at times, there are misunderstandings or even contentiousness in the village, the residents “balance things out, remain neighborly and appreciative.”
Gulbransen is an environmental scientist, specializing in software and data sciences for the nonprofit Battelle Memorial Institute. He is also a volunteer firefighter and EMT, and chair of the Suffolk County Council on Environmental Quality.
Adrienne Owen
Adrienne Owen
Owen, who ran unsuccessfully in 2021, has been serving as trustee the last few months after Shybunko became mayor. She said in an email that when Shybunko asked her if she would be interested in filling his seat, she was honored even though it was only for three months.
“I have enjoyed being a part of Old Field’s board these past few months, and I look forward to the opportunity for a full term,” she said.
Serving on other boards such as for Harbor Country Day School in St. James, Owen said she feels she has been valuable in the trustee position.
“I believe I can bring some efficiencies when working with village subcommittees and personnel,” she said. “As I mentioned last year, I am all about process and procedure and there is always room for little improvements in any organization.”
Owen has also been an active member of Old Field’s Ways and Means and Welcoming committees through the years. She is currently the secretary for the Old Field Lighthouse Foundation.
Like Pirro, Owen said she doesn’t feel the village is facing any major issues.
“Fiscal discipline and steady leadership have put the village in a very strong position,” she said “Our board has been good stewards of the environment, and I pledge to continue that commitment. We recently completed some upgrades to the lighthouse beacon for the Coast Guard and are looking forward to a major restoration project for the Old Field Lighthouse and grounds.”
Owen isn’t the first Old Field trustee in her family as her husband, Jeff, served for six years. The couple along with their 16-year-old son have lived in the village since 2008.
William Schaefer
William Schaefer
William Schaefer, who has previously served as village trustee in 2007-08 and had an unsuccessful run for mayor in 2008, is running on the Bill of Rights Party ticket. He said in an email that his love for the village along with his desire to work with his fellow residents to make Old Field “an even better place to live” is what motivated him to run for trustee.
“While we have been well served by our previous mayors and many of our past and present trustees, I regret the increasing vitriol, intractability and conflicts of interest within our village,” he said. “Many years ago, we experienced the same discord for which, as a trustee, I bore some responsibility and which resulted in me losing the election for mayor. But I believe in redemption and honestly believe that I can bring an independent voice of reason and replace litigation and contention with compromise and mutual respect.”
Schaefer said he would like to see the refocusing of the village’s code enforcement toward “both rigorous and consistent and fair enforcement of our village code — to save our cherished environment — as well as strengthening of its service function.” He added he would honor the 2% tax rate cap.
Schaefer would also like to build on the work of former mayors Cary Staller and Levine, he said, as well as “the current efforts of trustees Gulbransen and [Rebecca] Van Der Bogart, expediting restoration of our precious lighthouse — much in the same way that we saved the Keeper’s Cottage.”
In addition to his prior experience as trustee, Schaefer has worked for the U.S. Department of Health, served as a clerk to a U.S. District Court judge, a Suffolk County assistant district attorney and an assistant attorney in the Organized Crime and Racketeering section of the U.S. Department of Justice. He has also taught criminal justice, law and political science at Long Island colleges.
One-year trustee candidates
Tom Cottone
Thomas Cottone
Dr. Cottone said in an email that this will be the first time he has run for trustee. He has been president of the Old Field Woods Homeowners Association since 2016 and has interacted with the board due to the position on numerous occasions.
“As a result, I have become more educated about village management, and the significant amount of effort involved in maintaining the stability and wonderful quality of our community,” he said. “I believe I can make valuable contributions to the board with my professional, civic and volunteer experiences.”
In addition to his position with OFWHA, he has been CFO for the Long Island Anesthesia Physicians and principal in strategic growth and practice development for LIAP as well as lead anesthesiologist for the organization where he developed the initiation and implementation of its COVID-19 response team. As well, he is CFO, partner and board member of the Wohali Resort in Park City, Utah, and managing partner of Setauket Partners, the investment arm of the resort. He is also a team member of Room4Love, the Setauket-based, nonprofit organization that helps children with cancer.
Cottone said he feels it would be an honor to serve with Pirro, Gulbransen and Owen as he believes they are “leading the village in a positive manner.”
The candidate said he believes the village has no substantive issues.
“I would like to see the village historic lighthouse efficiently undergo further needed renovation with available potential grant funds complemented by The Lighthouse Foundation donations,” Cottone said. “An improved lighthouse, along with the village park, will greatly enhance the sense of community in Old Field. Other items that I would focus on would be maintaining the successful environmental initiatives the current board has established, as well as identifying other opportunities, and reestablishing a welcoming committee for
new residents.”
He added that he would continue the current board’s trend with keeping taxes as low as possible.
Morgan Morrison
Morgan Morrison
Morgan Morrison is running on the Sound Government Party line. As a lifelong resident, he said in an email, he wanted to be more involved in the village.
“Having lived my entire life here, I’ve watched the village evolve over time, and I’d like to add my energy and commitment toward keeping it a place future generations can enjoy,” he said. “I believe people are drawn to live in Old Field because it is a unique environment. I’d like to preserve its character as we move into the future.”
He added he wouldn’t be influenced by professional conflicts of interests.
“I care strongly about the environment and security of our village,” he said. “I will advocate for what’s best for the village as a whole.”
The candidate said many in the village are concerned about the “costs of maintaining the safety and security of the village.”
“I believe in finding more cost-effective solutions for getting the largest value and quality of life returns from our village taxes so as not to increase them,” he said. “An easy and cost-effective method to increase our security would be to utilize modern technology — such as license plate readers — to build upon the human presence of our constabulary.”
Morrison has worked in IT and technology for nearly 15 years which has provided him with the opportunities to travel extensively. He is currently a technical and horticultural consultant. He said he feels his professional background can be helpful “to make the village meetings more accessible and to increase our safety.”
He also is familiar with village government as his mother Geraldine Morrison was a trustee and deputy mayor for three terms in Old Field.
“I know what the job entails, and I’m very familiar with the village code,” he said. “I know the capabilities — and limitations — of what technology can do to make our lives better. I work well with others, and I believe I have a lot of value to add toward keeping Old Field the wonderful place that it is.”
Residents can vote on March 15 from noon to 9 p.m. at the Keeper’s Cottage, 207 Old Field Road. In addition to voting for mayor and three trustees, voters will have the opportunity to vote for village justice. Mitchell Birzon, who ran for the post in 2021 to fill the remainder of the term left open after the death of justice Ted Rosenberg in September 2020, is unchallenged.
In the Village of Northport, residents will vote for a new mayor on Tuesday, March 15.
In addition to choosing between mayoral candidates Dave Weber Jr. and Donna Koch, voters will select three trustees, two for a four-year term and another for a two-year period. Mary Biunno is also running unopposed for village justice.
Weber and Koch recently answered questions via email about the mayoral race.
Donna Koch
Koch is no stranger to Village Hall. Until October of 2020, she worked as a full-time clerk until she had a parting of ways with the mayor, she said.
The candidate had been with Village Hall for more than 25 years. After starting her career as a crossing guard in the village in 1993, she spent a few years working part time in Village Hall and in 1998 became full-time deputy village clerk. In 2000, she took on the job of village clerk. After taking some time off, she realized she “missed Northport village government and started to attend village board meetings regularly.”
“With a different perspective, I could see what the residents saw,” she said. “A board whose sole purpose was to hurry through the meeting, with department heads having nothing to report, a treasurer who had nothing to report. And, with a total disrespect for the residents who do attend the meetings. It was then I knew I wanted to run for mayor and bring this village board back to a position of respect, transparency, with open, honest, informative meetings. This is an unprecedented time for the village. With four new spots up for election, experience will be key. I have that experience.”
She said taxes are a constant issue in
the village.
“We need to get our spending in check,” Koch said. “I will work with a board who takes a hard look at spending and finds ways to cut back. Do more with less. I will strive to achieve a zero tax increase.”
She also is concerned about keeping the “harbor clean, by mitigating stormwater runoff.”
She said the village needs “to dust off” several studies that were done “to see how we can implement them today.”
“I love the idea of rain gardens and more aesthetically pleasing remedies,” Koch said. “We as a board will look into every option that’s available.”
She said she would also aim to keep cannabis out of the village, control speeding on the roads, and put in new sidewalks, trees and curbs in the downtown area. She also has street congestion, parking and living in the post-COVID world on her mind.
Dave Weber Jr.
Dave Weber Jr.
Current trustee Weber said his experiences as a volunteer with the fire department and a downtown business owner, both for 26 years, have given him a unique perspective of the village regarding what it needs for long-term growth and sustainability.
“Joining the board of trustees in 2020, I have given our residents that voice that has been missing over the past administrations,” he said.
Among his accomplishments while trustee, he listed, “Transparency, calling out and getting professional guidance and new eyes into our finances when wrongdoing was discovered; fiscal responsibility, building relationships with federal and state as well as local elected officials to obtain grant monies to improve recreational facilities for our youth; environmental initiatives, continuing stormwater mitigation along Main Street with state funding for continued improvement of our water quality; aquaculture programs to clean and strengthen the condition of our harbor for future generations.”
Weber said the village’s lingering issues would be compounded by new hurdles as it transitions into a post-pandemic era. He listed commerce and stormwater mitigation as priorities once the new board takes office. He also said that building relationships between public/private partnerships and community organizations, in turn, can create a stronger village.
Weber said one example of partnerships has been how as trustee he has already built a relationship with the local community organization Not in Our Town and the Town of Huntington Anti Bias Task Force to address hate and antisemitism after incidents in the village.
He also said he would work to connect local businesses with the community and has a plan for stormwater mitigation.
“Building relationships with business owners and bridging residents and customers to those businesses to help fill storefronts and keep our downtown thriving is an initiative that I have already begun and will continue to do,” he said. “Stormwater mitigation or the ‘flooding on Main Street’ has and probably will always be an issue due to our Main Street being in a valley. Using federal money for dry wells and filtration as well as installing rain gardens along these key areas will help to alleviate the increase of nitrogen in our harbor. Partnering with key environmental organizations within the village to educate and get our community involved in this extremely important issue is currently happening, and will continue
if elected.”
Two-year trustee
Meghan Dolan Saporita
Meghan Dolan Saporita
Trustee candidate Meghan Dolan Saporita, a litigator in both the public and private sectors, said in an email that running for village trustee wasn’t something she ever thought she would do. Throughout her career, she has been a trial attorney and an assistant district attorney for Nassau County. She is the mother of school-aged children and is a current member of the Ocean Avenue PTA and a youth soccer coach in the village. Dolan Saporita is also one of the co-founders of Not In Our Town Northport which works with the community, school administration and police department to stand up against hate and bigotry. NIOT also heads up donation drives for Thanksgiving and the winter holidays as well as school supplies.
“My decision to enter the race was really organic, growing out of my work the past few years in this village, the relationships I have formed here, and the real opportunity for new and needed leadership in this particular election,” Dolan said. “In attending and speaking at the village meetings, it became clear to me that new voices — voices of women, parents and young people — are essential to continuing to make Northport Village the best it can be. I decided to enter the race because I am dedicated to Northport and because I am qualified, experienced, and professional, all qualities that Northport Village deserves in its leaders.
Dolan said she feels the biggest problem facing Northport Village is environmental.
“We have suffered from flooding in the downtown, which produces significant pollutants which then run into our Harbor,” she said. “We need to make tackling these environmental concerns a priority: addressing the infrastructure (with Federal money) to prevent flooding every time it rains, by committing to native plantings, by following through on commitments to a native tree planting program, in partnership with our incredible local nonprofit Northport Native Garden Initiative, by continuing work on our aquaculture programs, and by starting new initiatives in the village geared towards sustainability.”
Jim Izzo
James Izzo
James Izzo, who owns Cow Harbor Realty, said this is the first time he is running for village trustee. He said when he was president of the Northport Chamber of Commerce, he was slightly frustrated with what he felt was a lack of response from the village during the COVID-19 response by the existing administration.
“We just got to a point where our members needed a lifeline,” he said. “The village did not respond, and as the chamber, we offered multiple things that were safe in nature that could have easily been done and benefited our members and our small businesses. Initially they said, “no,” and then after a while, they just stopped responding completely. So, that level of frustration was my initial looking at what’s wrong and then evolved.”
He said when he moved from Asharoken to the village a year and a half ago, he started “seeing shortcomings that went well beyond how they treated the chamber and its members, but how they treated the residents. So, it really evolved from a level of frustration to a level of, “Oh my goodness, I have to do something.”
Izzo said there may be a myriad of issues in the village but have been identified and are easy to resolve. He said he feels the residents should be more involved in decision-making too, and he doesn’t feel there needs to be so many meetings behind closed doors. He said the village needs accessibility, caring and transparency.
“I’ve been self-employed all my life; and I’ve run my own companies; and I’ve been involved with business improvement districts; I’ve been on a number of boards, where you have a mission statement,” he said. “It seems to me, although in an elected capacity, [village] boards don’t have a mission statement per se, but they still have a mission.”
He added, “a good manager doesn’t solve the problems, a good manager anticipates future problems.”
“It’s more like you anticipate what could come up and you try to anticipate it and resolving before it escalates. So, I think now, what we’re seeing is maybe the tip of the iceberg, and maybe there’s other underlying problems that haven’t surfaced yet, and that’s my real concern.”
Joseph Sabia
Joseph Sabia
Joseph Sabia, the owner of Sabia Car Care, has unsuccessfully run for trustee three times and mayor once in the past.
He said as not only is he a business owner, but as someone who has been a member of the Northport Police Department and on the Northport-East Northport school board from 2011 to 2014, he has seen a lot in the village. He also has been attending the village board meetings for 10 years.
“I’ve been living in the village of over 45 years,” he said. “I have a business here, and I live here, and I raised my family here, and after going to meetings, I realized how this place is run,” he said. “It’s very poor.”
Sabia said as someone who is financially conservative, he feels the village having a more than $8 million fund balance while having a nearly $17 million budget is “ridiculous.”
“Our village, they over budget, underspend and they bank a lot of money,” he said.
He said a $4 million reserve would be enough for a village the size of Northport, and he also feels that the village needs to stop raising taxes needlessly, especially with rising inflation.
“You look at every and each individual department, you see how much money has been spent the year before. The real numbers. And that’s when you go back to which is called the zero-based budget. So, if they spent 4 million less you go back to the 4 million less and then raised taxes on the 4 million less than what Curtis’s and if you have the reserve that you have, which is eight and a half million, you don’t raise taxes at all.”
Sabia said he would do his best not to raise taxes, but he understands there are situations where it may be necessary.
He said other issues on his mind are the deteriorating conditions of roads, sidewalks and curbs in the village. Sabia added he has seen overgrown trees where the roots are breaking up the sidewalks. He also said the village has to look at the stormwater runoff issue on Main Street, and he believes rain gardens and catch basins can help.
One-year trustee
Michael Bento
Michael Bento
A financial professional and as someone just starting a family, Michael Bento said he can bring a unique perspective to the village board.
He said one of the key issues is the fiscal challenges that will be brought on by the school tax hike due to the LIPA settlement, and he plans to keep village taxes low to offset the effects. He said his goal is to fight for federal infrastructure funds that New York State will allocate and search for intergovernmental grants.
“To me the biggest problem facing our village is the impact of the LIPA settlement,” he said. “The school tax hike after the glidepath has been exhausted will make Northport unaffordable for many families if we are not agile and proactive with offsetting the pain on other tax lines, such as village taxes or instance,” he said. “I am looking to leverage my experience as a financial professional to find as many offsets as I can to help keep village taxes low without sacrificing the quality of our services.”
Bento also listed other issues in the village such as repairing roads, sidewalks and storm drains. The flooding on Main Street is also on his mind.
“The health of the harbor is also of great concern,” he said. “Infrastructure grants would also go a long way toward mitigating runoff, but also partnerships with NGOs [non-governmental organizations] and non-profits dealing with marine and environmental issues are also essential to keeping our waters clean for the next generation.”
While Bento has been a full-time resident since he his wife, Victoria, settled in the village in 2017, he said he would visit his grandparents in the summer when they had a house in Northport.
“We chose Northport because drawing from my own childhood experiences we could not envision raising our future kids anywhere else,” he said.
Ernest Pucillo is also running for trustee but could not be reached.
March 15
Residents will be able to vote for the Village of Northport mayor and trustees on March 15 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Northport Village Hall, 224 Main St.
New York Attorney General Letitia James today delivered more than $640,000 to five nonprofit organizations that are leading the fight against breast cancer. The funds were recovered by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) from organizations and individuals who defrauded New Yorkers into making donations that went into the pockets of telemarketers.
The OAG recovered the funds from the Breast Cancer Survivors Foundation, Inc. (BCSF), a sham organization, and Garrett Morgan, a telemarketer who misled donors into contributing to a sham breast cancer organization on Long Island. The $644,054.79 in restitution was distributed to the American Cancer Society, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, West Islip Breast Cancer Coalition, Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition, and Manhasset Women’s Coalition Against Breast Cancer.
“It is unconscionable that organizations and telemarketers preyed on the public’s generosity and deprived breast cancer patients of vital support during a time of tremendous physical, mental, and emotional distress,” said Attorney General James. “Today, I am honored to return these funds to the people and organizations that need them most. My office is proud to be a partner to these five incredible organizations and help them in supporting breast cancer patients and survivors throughout their journey.”
In 2017, OAG announced an agreement with BCSF and its president and founder. The BCSF posed in phone and mail solicitations as a medical center for breast cancer patients, when in reality it was a shell organization funneling donations to an outside fundraiser, which pocketed 92 cents of every dollar donated to BCSF. The OAG’s agreement required BCSF to shut down immediately and pay more than $300,000 in restitution, the last of which was received by OAG in 2021. The OAG also obtained $40,000 from BCSF’s auditors, McEnerney, Brady & Company LLC and Edmund Brady.
In 2013, OAG won a judgment against Garrett Morgan for fraud in raising funds for the Coalition Against Breast Cancer, a sham Long Island organization. The organization raised millions of dollars with solicitations that claimed there was a “mammography fund,” when there was none, and that donations would provide free mammograms to uninsured women. Morgan did not pay the judgment and, acting on a motion by OAG, the court appointed a receiver to collect or sell Morgan’s property to satisfy the judgment. In 2021, the receiver delivered $303,747.86 to OAG.
The OAG’s Charities Bureau selected five nonprofit organizations to receive the restitution funds, including:
The American Cancer Society ($314,054.79): The American Cancer Society will use the award to support an initiative that increases breast cancer screening in high poverty areas, including screening among women who have never been screened before or who are not up to date with screening. The initiative focuses on uninsured and underinsured women by partnering with community health centers. With funds from OAG, the American Cancer Society will launch a new cohort of community health centers to participate in the mammogram initiative.
“The American Cancer Society is committed to expanding access to care for all and removing barriers that prevent cancer patients from getting the care and treatment they need,” said Dr. Karen Knudsen, CEO, American Cancer Society. “The pandemic brought about dramatic declines in breast cancer screenings. We are grateful that funds from the New York Attorney General’s Office will expand our lifesaving initiative to increase cancer screening rates and ultimately save lives.”
Photo from Attorney General’s Office
Living Beyond Breast Cancer ($225,000): Living Beyond Breast Cancer, a national nonprofit organization, will use the award to support its Living Beyond Breast Cancer Fund, which provides one-time grants to help those on limited incomes manage the financial burden of breast cancer. Grants range from $500 to $1,000 and are for living expenses. Grants are paid directly to vendors or billers. Recipients of the one-time grants must be in active treatment for breast cancer or living with metastatic breast cancer, and have a household income under 400 percent of the U.S. federal poverty line.
“We are honored to have been selected by the New York Attorney General’s Office,” said Jean Sachs, CEO, Living Beyond Breast Cancer. “Living Beyond Breast Cancer was founded over 30 years ago to offer trusted information and a community of support for all people directly impacted by breast cancer. We annually serve over 600,000 people across the country. A critical program of ours is the Living Beyond Breast Cancer Fund, a financial assistance program that pays the bills for women in treatment for basic needs such as rent, utilities, and transportation. Since 2006, we have been able to disburse over 3,150 grants for an approximate total of $2,530,000 to women and their families. Since the pandemic began, we have doubled the number of grants available to give to recipients as a way to alleviate financial hardship faced by so many across the country. The funds provided by the New York Attorney General’s Office will allow us to continue this intensive support, and help women in treatment focus on their health and not on their bills.”
West Islip Breast Cancer Coalition on Long Island ($30,000): West Islip Breast Cancer Coalition of Long Island, Inc., will use the award to provide patients undergoing breast cancer treatment with services such as transportation, meals, childcare, house cleaning, wigs, advice, and support from former cancer patients.
“The West Islip Breast Cancer Coalition for Long Island, Inc. is extremely grateful to the Attorney General’s Office and its commitment to overseeing that funds raised to help women with breast cancer go to legitimate organizations that provide services to the many women on Long Island going through chemotherapy and radiation,” said Margaret Campise, president, West Islip Breast Cancer Coalition. “This award will ensure that many Long Island women will be taken care of through our ‘Lend A Helping Hand’ program, which offers free services like house cleaning, transportation to treatments, co-payments, wigs, prosthesis, and post-operative care. On behalf of the many women going through breast cancer, and the West Islip Breast Cancer Coalition for Long Island, I want to thank the Attorney General’s Office.”
Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition ($35,000): Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition, Inc., will use the award to provide an array of services to patients undergoing treatment for breast cancer and gynecological cancers, including transportation to medical appointments, housekeeping, meals, and childcare as needed during treatment.
“About 1 in 8 U.S. women (13 percent) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of a lifetime and when that happens a woman’s life, and the lives of those who love her, are thrown into turmoil as she undergoes a horrific treatment ordeal,” said Nick Radesca, volunteer & vice president of finance, Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition. “Because most people’s lives have been impacted by this disease, many willingly donate to breast cancer charities. I want to thank the New York State Attorney General’s Office for bringing unscrupulous individuals to justice and redistributing defrauded donors’ funds to legitimate organizations. Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition, Inc. will use its share to provide free support services such as transportation to and from medical appointments, housecleaning, financial assistance, childcare, meal preparation, and other needed services.”
Manhasset Women’s Coalition Against Breast Cancer ($40,000): Manhasset Women’s Coalition Against Breast Cancer, Inc., will use the award to support its outreach program, which provides services to patients in the form of transportation, childcare, house cleaning, wigs, and non-financial support including advice and general emotional support of other former patients.
“The Manhasset Women’s Coalition Against Breast Cancer congratulates the Office of the New York Attorney General’s Charities Bureau for their efforts in pursuing the shutdown of the Coalition Against Breast Cancer and the Breast Cancer Survivor’s Foundation, both fraudulent organizations,” said Lynn Minutillo, member of board of directors, Manhasset Women’s Coalition Against Breast Cancer. “The MWCABC is so very grateful to be designated as a recipient of funds secured in the settlements of these cases. The women with breast cancer with whom we engage will be better served financially, emotionally, and educationally. Be assured we will strive to be conscientious stewards of the funds entrusted to us.”
The recovered funds distributed today are part of OAG’s Operation Bottomfeeder, which is an initiative of the Charities Bureau to identify fraudulent charities and their fundraisers. This is done through an analysis of annual financial reports, fundraising contracts, and other documents that nonprofit corporations file with the Charities Bureau, and has allowed OAG to take appropriate enforcement action against those engaging in fraud. In 2020, as a part of Operation Bottomfeeder, Attorney General James announced a multi-agency agreement imposing a nationwide, permanent, ban on Outreach Calling, a for-profit fundraiser, from charitable fundraising. To date, Operation Bottomfeeder has recovered approximately $1.7 million from sham charities and their fundraisers and has redistributed that money to legitimate charities.
This matter was handled by Enforcement Section Co-Chief Yael Fuchs and Assistant Attorneys General Peggy Farber, William Wang, and Sharon Sash under the supervision of Charities Bureau Chief James Sheehan and Deputy Bureau Chief Karin Kunstler-Goldman. The Charities Bureau is a part of the Division for Social Justice, which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Meghan Faux and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.
Blue and gold lights at Huntington Town Hall Tuesday March 1 2022 in support of Ukraine's fight for freedom
Town electrician Tony Beigelbeck installs blue and gold lights at Huntington Town Hall
Blue and gold lights at Huntington Town Hall Tuesday March 1 2022 in support of Ukraine's fight for freedom
Blue and gold lights at Huntington Town Hall Tuesday March 1 2022 in support of Ukraine's fight for freedom
Town of Huntington Supervisor Ed Smyth lit Huntington Town Hall in blue and gold lights on February 26 in support of Ukraine’s fight for freedom.
“I have directed Huntington Town Hall to be illuminated blue and gold as we stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people fighting for their freedom,” posted Supervisor Ed Smyth on social media. “Thank you to Director of General Services Bill Musto, Town electrician Tony Beigelbeck and staff for their service around the clock.”
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