CLOSE
Government

by -
0 776
Red-light camera tickets will be less expensive in the future after the Suffolk County Legislature voted to repeal the $30 administration fee. File photo by Phil Corso

Suffolk County red-light camera offenders will find their bill will be a little less in
the future.

County legislators passed a veto-proof resolution, 12-6, to repeal the $30 administration fee that was an addition to the $50 ticket at their general meeting Dec. 6. The resolution was sponsored by Legislator Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga). Trotta has been an opponent of the red-light camera ticket program since its inception more than a decade ago. The $30 administration fee was added a few years after the program began.

The bill now awaits County Executive Steve Bellone’s (D) signature.

All 11 Republican legislators were in favor of the legislation and Tom Donnelly (D-Deer Park) also voted for its repeal. The remaining Democrats voted against it.

Trotta has called the program a “money grab to generate revenue by the county executive.”

In a phone interview, Trotta said it’s the equivalent of people going a few miles over the speed limit.

“It’s not a safety issue, it’s a scam,” he said.

Suffolk County Legislature Minority Leader Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon) said in a statement that those who voted “no” did so because of the county’s budget.

“Repealing the administrative fee for red-light camera tickets is a fine idea and is not what our caucus has an issue with,” Richberg said. “This problem is we have a law on the books that says the Legislature cannot remove any funds out of the budget unless there is an offset, which there is not currently. Without a budget offset we are knowingly putting a $7 million hole in the county’s 2023 budget, which was voted on and passed less than a month ago. We’re not able to amend the budget until February, so until then there will be gaps that could lead to shortages in other areas.”

Trotta also acknowledged the problems with the budget. While he is against the red-light cameras entirely, he said removing them completely presently does not make sense.

“We’re in a bind where we have to be very careful,” Trotta said. “We have to start cutting before we can start cutting the cameras.”

Trotta said the current administration fee was deemed illegal by a state Supreme Court judge. The ruling was handed down in 2020, and the county has appealed it. With the red-light program being a state initiative, the county cannot charge more than other municipalities in the state, according to the court.

Marykate Guilfoyle, a spokeswoman for Bellone, said the county executive would sign the bill. Once Bellone signs the legislation and it is filed with the Office of the Secretary of State of New York, the law will take effect.

by -
0 688
Pictured above, Rich Schaffer (left) and Jesse Garcia (right). Left photo from Babylon Town website; right file photo from Suffolk GOP

In a year of narrow margins of victory and slim majorities in the U.S. House and Senate, Republicans made steady gains in Suffolk County. Following this outcome, TBR News Media spoke independently with Rich Schaffer and Jesse Garcia, respective chairmen of the Suffolk Democratic and Republican committees, for their views on the local outcome.

What is your initial reaction to this year’s midterm election results?

Schaffer: 

In Suffolk County, I think voters were clear in demonstrating that they had great concerns about some of the issues out of Albany, issues revolving around public safety, law enforcement and affordability. I think [Republican gubernatorial nominee U.S. Rep.] Lee Zeldin [R-NY1] spoke to that, and that’s why you had the results you had where I think he gathered about 59% of the [Suffolk] vote.

We, the Democratic Party, need to do a better job on messaging. The governor [Kathy Hochul (D)] delivered record amounts of state aid for education, and nobody even knew about it. The governor delivered record amounts of infrastructure monies that fixed the LIE and various roads throughout the county, and nobody knew about it. The governor held up the state budget to have tweaks made to the bail reform and criminal justice issues that were passed by the Legislature earlier this year, and nobody knew about it.

I think we failed at our messaging, and the Republicans did a better job on that.

Garcia:

I’m very proud of the reaction of the voters of Suffolk County and of the hard work of the Suffolk County Republican Committee members involved here. This is a process that began in the cold, wintery nights of February. It culminated with the night we call our Super Bowl, with a successful election night.

Our goal was to deliver 60% of the vote for Lee Zeldin. We did, we gave him a plurality of 100,000 votes. I couldn’t be more proud of the efforts we put in in Suffolk County, Long Island and throughout the state. Because of our efforts, we knocked off a 40-year Democratic incumbent lawmaker [state Assemblyman Steve Englebright, previously a Suffolk County legislator (Setauket)] and we came very close in two other seats, AD-11 and the 4th Senatorial District. 

All in all, it was a very successful night. More importantly, it was a successful night for the voters of Suffolk County.

Did your party meet expectations?

Schaffer:

I can’t speak to the county numbers because I don’t have all of them, but I’ve been looking at the Babylon numbers because I’m an elected official in Babylon. 

We underperformed in terms of turnout. Republicans had their normal turnout in Babylon. Blanks [i.e., those not registered with any party] and Democrats had about 10% to 15% less turnout than we would normally have in a gubernatorial election year. That alone speaks to my answer to the first question, messaging. And two, in terms of turning out people who would normally turn out for us, we didn’t do a good job doing that. We have to find out why they didn’t turn out.

Garcia:

We always set very lofty goals for ourselves. In my time as chairman of the Republican Party here in Suffolk County, in every election cycle we have flipped a blue seat. I have great confidence in this committee. When we set our minds to a goal, we meet them. On Nov. 9 and 10, we were in our headquarters plotting out the next election cycle and setting goals there for our town and our county. 

Based on these results, how is voting behavior in Suffolk County changing?

Schaffer:

I don’t know if it’s changing, but I would say that it’s always going to be a moderate to conservative place. The enrollment numbers are pretty much even, Democrat to Republican, and then there’s another third who are independent, blanks. 

You are seeing ticket splitting because Democrats are getting elected in various places. If there’s an answer to your question about changing, I would say that Suffolk County voters are voting in a more moderate to conservative way, whether they be a registered Democrat, Republican or not registered with any party. And maybe that’s to say that registration doesn’t determine how someone’s going to vote.

I think they’re going to come out and they’re going to vote based on how they feel about the particular issues of the day, and if you haven’t done your job on messaging then you’re not going to win that battle.

Garcia:

I think that it’s changing in a way that we are utilizing Republican governance as the proper way to govern at the town level, the county level, or the state and federal levels. I use our supervisors throughout the town, our Republican supervisors with Republican majorities, to show the voters that there’s a different way to govern, and I think that way is now being responded to.

Even deep blue seats in the strongholds of the Democratic Party — whether it be Babylon Town or in the 1st [Council] District of Brookhaven — we have had historic victories this year. While we’ve had successes at the townwide level, this year we finally broke through that ceiling and were successful at the [state] level by defeating Assemblyman Englebright.

I believe that the voter trends that we’re seeing are the results of the political infrastructure, on one hand. On the other hand, residents are recognizing the difference between Republican and Democratic governance.

Has your party altered its political strategy with respect to voting by mail? Do you foresee mail-in ballots playing a greater role in the future?

Schaffer:

Absolutely. I think any time you make voting more accessible, you’re going to get a better response from people. We were always champions of communicating with people who are on permanent absentee [ballot status], those who are in nursing homes or who are not able to get out and vote physically. 

Keep in mind, if someone requests a ballot early, or with early voting as much as 10 days out, you have to kind of move up your communications schedule so that you don’t lose the opportunity to communicate with those people and have an impact. If there’s a change in strategy, it’s probably moving up the communication schedule and doing it earlier.

Garcia:

I made a commitment to our leaders, to our candidates, our elected officials, our committee people and to the voters of Suffolk County that I will adapt. 

I will make sure that this party has the wherewithal to adapt to any and all shenanigans on the electoral side set forth by the Democratic majority in Albany.

We continue to do that on an annual basis, and this year — unlike in previous years — the absentee ballots were not as disastrous. 

As I said, I adapt each and every year our tactics, our approach and our strategies to any electoral shenanigans that the Democrats in Albany put into place.

What does your party have to do to win over more voters?

Schaffer:

More direct communication. I’ve told our party members that we have to get back to doing door-to-door. Obviously, COVID really knocked the you-know-what out of that. People have just given up on talking to people in an office, relying on text messages and emails. Mailings have kind of even dropped down now. It’s become who can get their message out on TikTok and Instagram.

I think people have become immune to that because they’re just pounded all day long with social media and technology, so I think we have to get back to more direct, one-on-one social interaction. The local election year next year, 2023, is a great year to do that because turnout does drop in ‘23 with a smaller group of people to communicate with. 

I think it’s important to do that and to get the party people to do that, because that’s the best way to have an impact on getting your people out and getting people to buy into your message.

Garcia:

We’re going to continue doing what we’re doing. We’re going to expand and grow our coalitions. We’re going to learn from the successes we had in 2022. Those areas that we think we can improve upon, we will. 

My goal right now is to reelect the incumbents in Brookhaven Town, in my capacity as Brookhaven Town [Republican Committee] chairman. 

And then to set my sights on the county executive’s seat, filling it with a Republican for the first time in 20 years, and to expand and maintain the Republican majority elected last year [in the county Legislature].

by -
0 598
At podium, Legislator Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holtsville), chair of the newly-formed Cyberattack Investigation Committee. Photo by Raymond Janis

County legislators convened at the William H. Rogers Legislature Building in Hauppauge on Monday, Dec. 5, announcing the formation of a bipartisan special committee to investigate the recent cyberattack against the county government.

A confirmed ransomware event was first reported in early September. [See story, “Suffolk County cyberattack offers a window into the dangers of the digital age,” Nov. 17, TBR News Media website.] The attack crippled the county’s IT infrastructure, shutting down the system for over a month, with systems slowly coming back online.

The county press release relating to the new committee indicated that, “Information regarding the effects of the attack continues to be made public, including the admission that the personal information of as many as 470,000 residents and 26,000 past and current employees has been stolen by the hackers.” 

Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst), presiding officer of the county Legislature, announced the appointment of Legislator Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holtsville) as chair of the newly formed special committee. With these two legislators, the rest of the committee will comprise Minority Leader Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon), and Legislators Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai), Jim Mazzarella (R-Moriches) and Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga).

“The purpose of this committee is to do one thing and one thing only, and that is to find out what happened and how we can prevent that from happening again,” McCaffrey said.

The presiding officer described the impact felt by county officials and residents alike due to the cyber event. He stated that sensitive information of county employees was likely accessed, with many details still unknown.

“There’s been an impact on each and every one of our residents,” he said, adding, “Employees, including myself, have now found out that our Social Security numbers have been compromised. We need to make sure that this doesn’t happen again.”

‘The best disinfectant is sunlight, so we’re going to open the windows and let the sun in.’

— Anthony Piccirillo

Piccirillo outlined his priorities and intended goals as chair. He regarded the Legislature as a coequal branch of the county government with a constitutional obligation to conduct oversight activities. 

“We’re going to execute our constitutional duty of oversight,” he said. “We passed a procedural motion that we now have subpoena power to call witnesses under oath and bring them in if they refuse to come in.”

The committee chairman added, “I do expect full cooperation from anyone that we ask to come in, but we do have that tool in our toolbox, where if people start to refuse to speak to the Legislature then we can have them here under subpoena.”

Piccirillo maintained that openness and transparency would be necessary to restore government operations and public trust.

“The best disinfectant is sunlight, so we’re going to open the windows and let the sun in here to shine and make sure that we get the truth,” he said. “We’re going to follow the facts and conduct the thorough investigation that the residents of Suffolk County deserve.”

Richberg detailed the collective shock and disbelief experienced by county officials when reports first circulated of the cybersecurity breach. He said a proper diagnosis of the problems leading up to the attack would help thwart a similar scenario from unfolding.

“I think understanding and diagnosing the problem from the beginning and having a bipartisan approach to asking the questions in the sunlight … is really important,” the minority leader said. “Most importantly, we need full structures for us to move forward, so this doesn’t happen again and that we are appropriately protected from anything that could happen to us in the future.”

Above, Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai). Photo by Raymond Janis

In an interview, Anker discussed the gravity of the moment and the importance of the government coordinating its response correctly. “I know we’re spending up to $12 million to address this, if not more,” she said. “We need to get all the experts in the field to address what we’re dealing with and how to best deal with it.”

Anker also addressed the criminal nature of this cyber intrusion and the need to grasp cybercrime trends and criminal culture online.

“The dark web, that’s where all of this stuff is happening,” the county legislator said. “It’s the Wild, Wild West of our times, and if we don’t address that in a more aggressive way, it’s going to ripple throughout our country.”

While the committee’s work is just getting underway, McCaffrey said the process will culminate in a report detailing its findings. “We expect to be able to roll this out and tell a good story about what happened from beginning to end,” he said.

by -
0 451
Pictured above, Lisa Di Santo and Town of Brookhaven Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden). Left from Di Santo’s Facebook page; right from the town website

In a race to fill former Brookhaven Town Clerk Donna Lent’s (I) seat, Town of Brookhaven Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden) will square off against community advocate Lisa Di Santo, of East Patchogue.

Lent announced her retirement last month, vacating her seat and triggering a special election for her expired term ending in 2025. [See story, “Brookhaven’s town clerk retires from public service.“] 

Both candidates were chosen unanimously by their respective parties during separate nominating conferences last week. In phone interviews with TBR News Media, the candidates discussed their professional backgrounds, reasons for pursuing the office of clerk and plans for the future.

Before entering elected office, LaValle, a lifelong Brookhaven resident, owned a title agency, assisting prospective homebuyers with vital records, such as liens, deeds and similar documents. He then transitioned into the mortgage business, where he still works today. 

In 2013, LaValle campaigned successfully to represent Brookhaven’s 3rd Council District, an office he has held ever since.

“Why I’m making this run for town clerk, I think it’s [because] we see in the paper every day with what just happened with Suffolk County, the hack that happened,” he said. “You can see very clearly that that’s something we don’t want to happen in Brookhaven. Managing people’s personal records is critical to our county and our township.”

Di Santo is a 50-year resident of Brookhaven whose background is in community advocacy. Before running for office, she was a social studies teacher, served as vice president of the Bellport Area Community Action Committee, and for over a decade was a trustee on the South Country Central School District Board of Education.

In her interview, she emphasized the need for citizens to have a stake in their local government and connect to the democratic process.

“When looking at the way the town functions, the town clerk plays a very important role in the accessibility of good government, accountability of good government and the security that’s necessary in good government,” she said. “In all of those three areas, I currently see that the town fails miserably.” 

The Democratic candidate added, “I’m running because I do believe wholeheartedly that the town clerk, especially now, needs to be an independent person and an independent voice to be certain that there is truly open government in Brookhaven Town.”

For LaValle, the protection of residents’ sensitive information is paramount. Like Di Santo’s proposal, he said he intends to promote efficiency and expand resident access to their records and to the office of clerk.

“We have to make sure records are secure, but we want to increase access,” the town councilman said. “We want to be able to have people with disabilities not have to come up to Town Hall to get handicap parking passes, and what have you.” 

He added, “We have to increase our internet capabilities to be able to service residents’ needs without making them have to come to Town Hall. And certainly, we have to work to increase the transparency within the government.”

LaValle contends that town clerk is a technically demanding position to learn and to hold. However, he maintains that his professional training within the public and private sector have prepared him in unique ways for the demands of the office.

“I believe that I have the ability and the experience to be able to do this job effectively, managing an over-30-person staff, and making sure residents are taken care of as we move forward,” he said.

On the whole, Di Santo viewed Brookhaven as failing in its obligations to promote open government. She cited the Freedom of Information Law request process as needing reform.

“You’d be hard to find an individual who has taken the time to participate in Brookhaven Town government who would tell you that the FOIL process is one of accessibility and accountability, and there’s a serious problem there,” she said. “If a citizen, a taxpayer, can’t access information, then how can the government represent those people?”

Di Santo said her campaign rests on the notion that quality governance requires informed and engaged citizenship. Given her advocacy background, she considered herself uniquely suited to this task. 

If elected, Di Santo said she intends to begin by reforming the scheduling of open meetings to bolster public participation. 

“When government continues to schedule meetings that are inaccessible to people, they’re sending a message that they do not want to have a democracy,” she said. “You can’t have a democracy without the participation of the people.”

Brookhaven residents will get the final word on these two candidates during a townwide special election on Tuesday, Jan. 17.

by -
0 497
Pixabay photo

The Village of Port Jefferson is in a complicated permit dispute with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation over its solid waste landfill at Harbor Hills.

The Port Jefferson Village Clean Solid Waste Landfill, a 1.9-acre kettle hole located on the Port Jefferson Country Club property, has been historically operated to facilitate branch and leaf removal services in the village. In 2017, the small landfill was impacted by changes in state regulations, throwing the future of these services into question.

In an exclusive interview, Mayor Margot Garant summarized the nature of the permit dispute between the village and DEC. For decades, the government has renewed its DEC permit every five years to continue operating the landfill. With its permit set to expire on Dec. 11, the village reapplied but met unforeseen resistance.

“Unbeknownst to us in 2017, there were changes in some of the regulations concerning landfills throughout New York state, and they became much more strict,” Garant said. “We got a letter that we weren’t meeting the needs of the new statutory regulations for landfills.” She added, “They basically had classified our little kettle hole to be regulated like a landfill equivalent to the Town of Brookhaven [landfill].”

Garant referred to the pre-2017 regulations as manageable for the village, requiring breakdown and transport of the debris, among other workable conditions. The new rules, however, will “be impossible for us to comply with,” the mayor said.

An unusual landfill 

David Tonjes is a research associate professor at Stony Brook University’s Department of Technology and Society. His research focuses on solid waste management and the environmental impacts of landfills.

While the Port Jefferson site is officially listed as a landfill regulated under the Long Island Landfill Law, Tonjes described it as distinct from other landfills throughout the area.

“It’s unusual because it doesn’t have a liner system, which is required for all landfills on Long Island,” he said. “As far as I know, it doesn’t have any landfilling functions, which is to take things in, cover them up, and manage the gas and leachate [that are] generated when you do that sort of thing.”

Garant agreed that the landfill does not fit neatly into a conventional classification category, given its prior use. Consequently, the village government is considering entering into negotiations with DEC to reclassify the landfill as a transfer station.

Garant said a change of classification could enable the village to continue using the site. “We realized we were managing this more like a transfer station than we were a landfill, and that’s going to be our approach with the DEC,” the mayor said. “As a transfer station, it means that [branches and leaves] are held here on a temporary basis, broken down and relocated, just like we were doing.”

She added, “If we have to abandon the kettle hole, we then have to put a barrier down, backfill it with clean fill, bring up the grade, and that’s going to cost us approximately $500,000 to do that, to abandon it.”

Tonjes said the Port Jeff landfill seems to fit some of the conditions for a transfer station. However, he noted that DEC guidelines for transfer stations are generally restrictive.

“Typically, a transfer station is a site where waste comes in and is kept under a roof for a period of time, and then it’s moved out to either a reuse point or disposal point,” he said. Depending on the materials stored, that temporary window of time could be as small as 24 hours.

An uncertain future

‘It calls for a degree of technical oversight and awareness that may be too expensive for the village to do.’

— David Tonjes

Conflicts with DEC over the long-term storage of branches and brush are not unique to Port Jefferson. Tonjes said several towns along the East End had met stiff opposition from DEC due to accumulations of storm debris. 

Such materials, if processed promptly, could have been reused. “When they grind it up, they end up with a pile of wood chips that no one really wants,” the associate professor said. “They’re really low-value material, they end up with stuff that should have been reused.”

Tonjes suggests Port Jeff is entangled within a broader conflict within New York state over the reuse of organic waste. By cracking down on the long-term storage of organic waste, DEC aims to reuse these materials before their reuse value diminishes.

While municipalities have historically been responsible for waste disposal functions, this may soon change. Given the ballooning costs associated with managing solid waste, Tonjes suggests these may soon be too burdensome for a small municipality such as the village.

“With the village being such a small entity and trying to run its own — in a sense — disposal facility, it calls for a degree of technical oversight and awareness that may be too expensive for the village to do,” he said.

Further complicating matters is the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. This 2019 law mandates New York to reduce economywide greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and no less than 85 percent by 2050 from 1990 levels. 

Enforcing these standards, Tonjes said, would require the complete overhaul of the state’s waste management apparatus.

Under this law, “all government actions have to comply with the notion of minimizing greenhouse gas emissions,” he said. “Almost all solid waste activities involve greenhouse gas emissions, so it’s clear that solid waste management will have to change dramatically to account for this new law.”

Meanwhile, Garant admitted that the changes in state law blindsided the village. For her, the permit controversy with DEC offers a window into the challenges small municipalities encounter when interfacing with higher levels of government.

“When large government makes change to a section of the code, they really don’t know the trickle-down impacts that they are making,” she said. “Wanting to be in full compliance, making an application six months ahead of time, now I’m in a situation where I’m in the middle of branch and leaf pickup, and I’m going to have a permit expiring.”

Tonjes said conversations surrounding solid waste management are only getting started. He suggests that finding a workable solution to these complex problems requires significant coordination between all levels of government.

“The future is going to get very interesting in terms of regulating how the state manages its garbage,” he said.

by -
0 1008
United States Supreme Court. Pixabay photo

By Nancy Marr

In December of this year, the case Moore v. Harper is scheduled for argument before the Supreme Court of the United States. Its decision will resolve whether there is a doctrine of constitutional interpretation known as the “independent state legislature” which would give state legislatures unreviewable power to redraw congressional districts and appoint state electors who cast votes for president and vice-president. It would remove the power from state courts, including the state’s highest court, to invalidate gerrymandered congressional districts drawn by state legislatures. 

The history

On November 4, 2021, the North Carolina General Assembly adopted a new congressional voting map based on 2020 Census data. The legislature, at that time, was controlled by the Republican Party and the gerrymandering was so extreme that an evenly divided popular vote would have awarded ten seats to ten Republicans and only four to the Democrats. According to the Brennan Center, the map was a statistical outlier more favorable to Republicans than 99.9999% of all possible maps.

In 2019 in Rucho v. Common Cause,  the Supreme Court held that federal courts lack jurisdiction to resolve claims of unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering because there is no prohibition of partisan districting in the U. S. Constitution. 

Subsequently, in the case Harper v. Hall (2022), a group of voters and nonprofit organizations affiliated with the Democratic Party challenged the North Carolina map in state court, alleging that the new map was a partisan gerrymander and violated the state constitution. 

In February 2022, the North Carolina Supreme Court agreed with voters and struck down the map, describing it as an “egregious and intentional partisan gerrymander designed to enhance Republican performance, and thereby gave a greater voice to those voters than to any others.”

The unrepentant legislature then proposed a second gerrymandered map, prompting a state court to  order a special master to create a fair map for the 2022 congressional elections. Unwilling to accept this outcome, two Republican legislators asked the U. S. Supreme Court to step in and reinstate their gerrymandered map.

In March, the Supreme Court rejected the legislature’s emergency appeal to put the gerrymander back in place. At the urging of four of the justices, the legislators filed a regular appeal, asking the court to review the case. In June, the Court agreed to do so. 

The issue 

In urging the Supreme Court to reinstate the gerrymandered congressional map, the North Carolina legislators were relying on a reading of the U.S. Constitution’s Election Clause known as the independent state legislature theory (ISL). The Election Clause (ARTICLE 1, SECTION 4) reads: The times, places and manner of holding elections for senators and representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by law make or alter such regulations…

Section 5 reads: Each House shall be the judge of the elections, terms and qualifications of its own members.

Proponents of the ISL theory reason that the Elections Clause gives state legislators exclusive authority to regulate all elections. This allows them to violate the state constitution (which disallows partisan gerrymandering) when drawing congressional maps and that neither the state nor federal courts have the power to stop them. Proponents of the theory also believe it gives the state legislature control over the electors who will certify the election, as advocated by deniers of the 2020 election results.  

Opponents of the ISL theory argue that the term “legislature” does not mean solely “the legislature.” The standard interpretation of “legislature,” by groups like the bipartisan Conference of Chief Justices, means the state’s general lawmaking process, including all the normal procedures and limits. The Cato Institute, a right-leaning think-tank founded and funded by the Koch Brothers, published analyses that concluded that the ISL theory relies on a “long rejected” interpretation of the Constitution that would disrupt “settled law.”

What is next?

The Supreme Court could decide Moore without having to address the ISL theory. The immediate issue in Moore is whether the voters across the country will have judicial remedy in state court to fight partisan gerrymandering. A majority of Americans want fair maps, with representatives determined by voters, not self-interested politicians seeking personal gain. Every state should use maps that guarantee that every vote counts equally and every voice is heard. 

Nancy Marr is Vice-President of the League of Women Voters of Suffolk County, a nonprofit nonpartisan organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy. For more information, visit www.lwv-suffolkcounty.org or call 631-862-6860.

by -
0 783

Special election to be held Tuesday, Jan. 17, following former Town Clerk Donna Lent's retirement

Photo from Di Santo's Facebook page

The following is a press release from the Brookhaven Town Democratic Committee:

The Brookhaven Town Democratic Committee has selected Lisa Di Santo, of East Patchogue, as the party’s candidate for Brookhaven Town Clerk. 

Former Town Clerk Donna Lent (I) vacated her seat earlier this month, triggering a special election to be held Jan. 17. [See story, “Brookhaven’s town clerk retires from public service.“] 

Di Santo was selected unanimously during a telephonic convention of the Suffolk County Democratic Committee on Friday, Nov. 25. 

Di Santo will face off against Town of Brookhaven Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden), the Brookhaven Republican Committee’s nominee.

“To be given the chance to be our next town clerk is nothing short of humbling, and I will give this opportunity nothing less than my very best,” Di Santo said.

by -
0 236

The Town of Smithtown Recreation & Senior Citizens Departments will host the annual Tender Years Treasury, a holiday shopping experience where kids can independently shop for family gifts. The unique independent shopping experience for children will be held on Saturday, December 3 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Eugene Cannataro Senior Citizens Center, 420 Middle Country Road, Smithtown.

“This is a crowd favorite! Kids enjoy surprising mom, dad, siblings, grandparents and good school friends with a special present they hand picked with allowance money. All of the gifts are handmade with care, by local and very talented senior citizens, all reasonably priced at $5 or less. The team at Smithtown Recreation & Senior Citizens Department love putting this annual event together and it shows on the faces of every family member participating,” said Smithtown Town Supervisor Ed Wehrheim.

The festivities include an upscale boutique, cookie decorating, holiday crafts, a homemade quilt raffle, balloon sculptures, free gift wrapping and refreshments courtesy of the PTA. Adults can rest and relax in a waiting area while kids independently choose their holiday gifts for family and friends. Additionally, children can bring a letter to Santa Claus with return address information to receive a letter from the North Pole in return.

Children, grades K-5, are chaperoned by Smithtown Senior Center & Recreation Department staff as they make their own decisions on purchasing handcrafted gifts made by local senior citizens. The gift items are all priced at five dollars and under. Parents and/or older siblings may walk little shoppers around after 12:45PM. For more details, residents can call Smithtown Recreation at 631-360-7644.

by -
0 642

Special election to be held Tuesday, Jan. 17, following former Town Clerk Donna Lent's (I) retirement

File photo by Kyle Barr

The following is a press release from the Brookhaven Town Republican Committee:

Jesse Garcia, chair of the Suffolk County and Brookhaven Town Republican Committees, announced Tuesday, Nov. 22, that Town of Brookhaven Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden) will be the Republican and Conservative Party’s nominee for Brookhaven Town Clerk. LaValle was nominated to the position unanimously during a convention of Brookhaven Republicans held in Medford.

The position of town clerk opened following the retirement of Donna Lent (I) on Nov. 14. [See story, “Brookhaven’s town clerk retires from public service.“] A special election to fill the vacancy will take place Tuesday, Jan. 17, to serve out the unexpired term through December 31, 2025.

“I am proud to accept the Republican and Conservative nominations to run for Brookhaven Town Clerk,” LaValle said. “I am excited to get this campaign started, and I look forward to getting out and talking to residents about my vision for the future of our clerk’s office.”

Kevin LaValle was elected as town councilman in 2013, representing Council District 3, where he has served until now.

 

by -
0 848
Pixabay photo

The recent ransomware attack against the Suffolk County government has sparked questions regarding our relationship with technology. 

We often take for granted the convenience offered by our devices. Today, we can communicate at lightning speed thanks to email and text messaging. A week’s supply of groceries is just a few clicks away. And many can carry out a full day of work without leaving their homes. 

The digital revolution has permeated nearly every facet of our lives, finding the quickest, simplest, most convenient solutions to almost all of our daily problems. But are there consequences to our increasingly digital way of life? If the Suffolk County cyberattack has taught us anything, the answer is an emphatic “yes.”

While our county officials work through the ransomware situation, we must take a closer look at our technologies at home. What kind of sensitive records are stored within our smartphones and personal computers? How much could someone with access to these devices learn about us?

While most give very little thought to these matters, we must take a greater interest in our personal cybersecurity. If hackers can infiltrate the county’s network, crippling the government’s entire system for over a month, they can invade your home computer, too.

The digitization of all records is not the answer to our problems. Our social security cards and birth certificates are safer in the filing cabinet than on our computers. If we refrain from uploading these sensitive records to our devices, we deny hackers the chance to use them against us.

To protect oneself against ransomware, the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, an operational component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, recommends installing antivirus software, firewalls and email filters. CISA also advises upgrading all applications and operating systems, as outdated programs are frequent targets for ransomware.

Users can defend themselves, too, by verifying email senders and cautiously approaching all email attachments. One should only use a single card for all online purchases to prevent access to multiple financial accounts. Most importantly, people should stay current on cybercrime trends to remain ahead of the curve.

Remember that hackers cannot access records we do not upload. With caution and common sense, we can better protect ourselves from the growing threat of ransomware and other malicious activities online.

Prev1...707172...220Next Page 71 of 220
TBR News Media is your local news and entertainment website.
We provide you with the latest breaking news and information for your community.
Contact us: [email protected]

Most Viewed

©