Join Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone for a blood drive in honor of Scott Martella on Thursday, Aug. 3at both the H. Lee Dennison Building, 100 Veterans Memorial Highway in Hauppauge, and the Suffolk County Fire Academy, 103 East Ave. in Yaphank from 9:30 a.m to 3:30 p.m.
Martella, who was the Communications Director for Suffolk County, was killed in a three-car crash on the Long Island Expressway in Manorville in 2016 at the age of 29.
“Scott Martella was one of the most dedicated public servants that I have had the pleasure to work with. He touched the lives of countless individuals and this year’s blood drive will help honor his passion for giving back and his commitment to serving others,” said Suffolk County Executive Bellone.
Environmental advocates protest outside the William H. Rogers Legislature Building in Hauppauge on Tuesday, July 25. Photo by Raymond Janis
Cries for liberty and demands for clean water were heard outside the William H. Rogers Legislature Building in Hauppauge Tuesday, July 25.
For the second straight month, the Republican-led Suffolk County Legislature shot down a proposed 1/8 penny sales tax creating a local match program for state and federal subsidization for wastewater infrastructure.
The 10-7 vote to recess was along party lines, effectively dooming the measure from reaching the November ballot.
According to environmentalists and county officials, individually operated cesspools have grown increasingly problematic, with leakage from septic tanks contributing to brown tides, rust tides, algal blooms and fish kills.
Dave Calone, Democratic nominee for Suffolk County executive. Photo by Raymond Janis
In a rally, dozens of environmental advocates and community members joined Democratic candidates Tuesday morning, who collectively condemned the course taken by the majority.
“Today, the most fundamental need of water meets that most fundamental of American values — the right to vote,” said Dave Calone, Democratic nominee for Suffolk County executive. “The county Legislature needs to act. They need to give the people of Suffolk County the right to have a say about their own future.”
Joining Calone and others were several Democratic candidates running for county seats, including former New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright of Setauket and pediatrician Eve Meltzer-Krief of Centerport.
Englebright, a geologist by training who had previously served as chair of the Assembly’s Committee on Environmental Conservation, tied clean water initiatives to regional economic development.
“Our two largest industries on Long Island are tourism and agriculture,” he said. “Both of them require clean water.”
He added that Long Island’s sole-source aquifer is continually “in motion,” with contaminated groundwater “changing the chemistry and ecology” of the county’s harbors and bays.
“Do you think the tourists who visit us, who put the money into our restaurants, hotels and motels, will want to come out here if there are dead fish and putrid algae masses in the harbors?” Englebright said.
Skyler Johnson, chair of Suffolk County Young Democrats. Photo by Raymond Janis
Meltzer-Krief maintained that the Legislature is depriving county residents of limited grant opportunities from the state and federal governments.
Skyler Johnson, chair of Suffolk County Young Democrats and former candidate for New York State Senate, referred to the Legislature’s posture as “willful apathy.”
“The Republican majority in the Legislature is throwing young people’s futures under the bus,” he said, adding, “We cannot afford to be using water that is polluted. It is not fair for our residents, our children or our future.”
Legislators quarrel
Inside the Legislature building, Republicans and Democrats went back and forth on the issue.
Majority leader Nick Caracappa (C-Selden) indicated that the “bill as it sits right now is not right.”
“We disagree on resolutions all the time,” he said. “Let’s get together and fix it, and we can.”
Eve Meltzer-Krief, candidate for Suffolk County Legislature. Photo by Raymond Janis
Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai) said the majority is passing up on “the opportunity of a lifetime.”
“If we keep waiting … the water will get worse,” she said. “It will cost us more to fix the water. People will be getting sick. We’ll be losing money on our economy.”
Legislator Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga) suggested there are surpluses within the county budget better suited for reallocation for sewers. He said he objected to introducing new taxes with alternatives on the table.
“Stop taxing the people and run the government more efficiently,” he said.
Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) said she was saddened by the decision, suggesting that as the body delays funding “our water gets dirtier.”
“If we wait to get it just right, the money gets allocated elsewhere,” she said. “Why should we wait for clean water?”
A second measure that would consolidate the county’s 27 sewer districts was also tabled.
As the Legislature recesses, wastewater infrastructure will likely remain central as campaign season ramps up.
Employees of St. Catherine of Siena Hospital. Photo courtesy of Leg. Trotta's office
The Suffolk County Legislature created an annual recognition program so that each legislator would designate a Healthcare Hero from his or her legislative district to acknowledge their work and service to the community.
Legislator Rob Trotta named St Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown as his district’s Healthcare Hero for 2023. St. Catherine is a member of the Catholic Health, and is a 296- bed, not-for-profit community hospital that has served the residents of Smithtown for more than 50 years.
Committed to providing the highest quality of care, St. Catherine offers multidisciplinary experts in numerous specialties including bariatric surgery, behavioral health, cardiovascular care, diagnostic imaging, dialysis, emergency medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, robotic surgery, sleep medicine, stroke, woman child care, women’s health, wound care and much more.
“As the legislator representing St. Catherine’s, I have had the opportunity to know its staff, nurses, doctors ,and administrators as well as experiencing its high level of care on a personal level. St. Catherine is a tremendous asset to the community as they sponsor important events such as its annual Community Health Fair, blood drives, blood pressure checks at senior centers and complexes, clothing and food collections, flu vaccines and recognition ceremonies for EMS workers and the hospital staff,” said Leg. Trotta.
Republican Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine visited Stony Brook University to address Suffolk County’s environmental concerns at a forum against Democrat Dave Calone in the race for county executive.
On Monday, July 17, the New York League of Conservation Voters, alongside Citizens Campaign for the Environment, filled the Sidney Gelber Auditorium at Stony Brook University for a two-hour debate with both candidates running for Suffolk County executive, replacing Steve Bellone (D) whose 12-year term will be ending in November.
More than 200 people listened to both Calone and Romaine discuss what both parties found to be most important regarding climate change, offshore wind, water quality, open space conservation, environmental justice, sustainable transportation and farming. NYLCV President Julie Tighe was moderator. The event began with Calone answering the dozen questions submitted prior to the event followed by Romaine. Each response was set to a 2-minute time limit.
Dave Calone
Moderator Julie Tighe with Dave Calone.
“We need to protect what makes us special, because what makes us special — whether it’s our beaches, our water, etc. — drives our economy,” Calone said. “And we need a thriving environment to make sure that (a) people want to live here and (b) people can live here.”
Calone said his experience in environmental concerns, as well as being a state and federal prosecutor, stem from his previous accomplishments in the private sector, planning commission and nonprofit space.
He said he supported renewable technologies by getting the ball rolling for off-shore wind production as early as 2012, leading the effort as Suffolk County Planning Commission chair to cut red tape and boost solar energy production. He added he fought for water quality by running the county’s first wastewater financing summit and helping to draft the county’s water quality ballot initiative.
“People in Suffolk County care about the environment,” Calone said. “I am the candidate with the broadest environmental experience in Suffolk County to run for Suffolk County executive.”
Calone criticized county Republicans for their handling of the Brookhaven landfill, which Romaine rebutted, touting his efforts to shut down the landfill.
Ed Romaine
Moderator Julie Tighe with Ed Romaine.
Romaine, who has been Brookhaven Town supervisor since 2012, served in the county Legislature starting in 1985 and was deemed a fighter for the environment by authoring Suffolk’s first Clean Water Act. He was then elected to Suffolk County clerk, staying in that role for 16 years. In 2005, he was again elected to the county Legislature where he sponsored several environmental bills including Michael’s Law, which banned explosive fuel gels in the county.
As Brookhaven Town supervisor, Romaine has led other environmental initiatives, including protecting one of Brookhaven’s largest waterways, the Carmans River. He also sits on the board of the Central Pine Barrens Commission where he helps oversee and safeguard over 105,000 acres worth of land and groundwater. He is an avid supporter of farmland and wetland preservation on the East End and said he has worked to reduce waste and entice the growth of green energy in Brookhaven Town.
“Redevelopment is the way to go as opposed to new development,” Romaine said. “We only have one island and we need to save what is left.”
Agreeing on one thing in particular, Calone and Romaine both support adding the Clean Water Restoration Act to the Nov. 7 ballot. This vote could create one countywide sewer district and fund other improvements to water quality.
Legislator Stephanie Bontempi (right) at the Boys State and Girls State reception at the Northport American Legion.
Suffolk County Legislator Stephanie Bontempi (R – 18 th L.D.) recently attended a reception at the Northport American Legion honoring the 2023 students of the Boys State and Girls State programs. As proud parents, members of the American Legion and elected officials looked on at the event, the youths shared about their individual experiences and what they learned.
“Boys State and Girls State are terrific programs that really do not get the attention that they deserve,” said Bontempi. “The programs are unique in that they don’t only provide a practical education in civics, but also promote patriotic values that inspire young people to be engaged citizens and leaders.”
A noteworthy component of the programs has the students act out the legislative process by taking on simulated elected roles and tackling a relevant issue. Exercises like these, combined with other educational activities, fill an often overlooked gap when it comes to preparing young adults for the future in this increasingly complex world.
“Without understanding government on a basic and local level, many people are shortchanging themselves,” added Bontempi. “The earlier people are equipped with this knowledge, the easier it will be for their voices to be heard. I am so grateful that the American Legion continues to deliver these opportunities to the up-and-coming generations.”
If you would like to learn more about the Boys State and Girls State programs, please visit: https://www.legion.org/boysnation/about.
The sand tiger shark, pictured above, is one of several shark species that inhabit the surrounding waters of Long Island. Photo by Christopher Mark from Wikimedia Commons
Last week’s Fourth of July celebrations brought fireworks, family gatherings, barbecues and interactions between people and sharks.
Independence Day has increased the number of brushes between these apex predators and humans over the last two years, particularly as people head to the beach in larger numbers around the holiday.
Christoper Paparo, Southampton Marine Science Center manager at Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. File photo
Sharks go “wherever there’s salt water” and they often follow bunker fish, which can come closer to shore, said Christoper Paparo, Southampton Marine Science Center manager at Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. People encounter sharks around Independence Day because “there are more people around state parks on the Fourth of July weekend.”
Despite potential hysteria and concern about the dangers posed by sharks, most of the encounters around Long Island are “minor” and “not life threatening,” Paparo added.
The waters in the area are a nursery for many species of fish, including sharks. Young sea turtles, dolphins and whales also live along the more protected shoreline.
In recent weeks, five people have reported shark bites along the South Shore. In one incident, a shark bit a 15-year-old boy on the heel and toes. He was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Also last week, a 15-year-old girl was injured with puncture wounds from an unknown source at Robert State Moses Park.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, at podium, urged residents to take protective measures to minimize the risk of shark encounters. Photo from Bellone’s Flickr page
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) recently announced that the county would step up its surveillance efforts, adding two high-tech drones at the ocean beaches.
“Shark bites and shark incidents are something that we’re going to have to be addressing on a more regular basis,” Bellone said at a press conference at Smith Point County Beach announcing the new measures. “It’s simply going to be a part of the routine of what we do out here every day in terms of the monitoring that our ocean lifeguards do.”
Surveillance teams go out on wave runners and paddle boards, while lifeguards also use binoculars to watch over swimming areas.
The county will train lifeguards as drone operators.
“This is not a simple thing,” Bellone said. “This is something that requires skill and expertise.”
As county beaches await the arrival of these new drones, the beaches have area fire and rescue available to respond to any needs.
“Our goal here is first and foremost to keep residents safe,” Bellone added, “and to provide a sense of reassurance and comfort, knowing that when you come to the beaches, we have every tool at our disposal ready to assist.”
New surveillance drones, pictured above, will help the county government monitor shark activity along its beaches. Photo from Steve Bellone’s Flickr page
Protective measures
Bellone urged the public to take measures to minimize the risk of shark encounters.
The county executive advised people not to swim at dawn or dusk when sharks might be feeding. He also cautioned against swimming toward schools of fish, which might attract sharks who can’t differentiate between a fish and a person swimming.
“Always swim in a lifeguard-protected area,” he added. “Don’t swim when lifeguards are not on duty.”
People who paddle board, kayak or surf should go out in groups.
The sharks in the area are a reflection of a healthy ecosystem, Paparo indicated.
“You need everything below [a shark] to support it,” he said. “If there are no fish or the water is polluted, you won’t see sharks.”
Sharks rely on other senses besides eyesight to find their prey. A swimmer in murky waters can send the same type of electromagnetic signal a shark picks up from a school of fish on the surface of the water.
The sharks “hone in” on the similar sounds, Paparo added.
Paparo also suggested people should avoid swimming near seals, which are prey for great white sharks. That’s not often a problem around Long Island as seals are more prevalent in Massachusetts.
Taking measures like avoiding swimming in murky waters will “increase the odds of not encountering them,” Paparo said.
A range of sharks swim around the waters of Long Island and can include sand tigers, dusky and sandbar sharks.
“We do have mako, blue, thresher, southern, black tip, spinner, scalloped hammerhead and smooth hammerhead,” Paparo said.
Paparo added that the numbers of bites this year — five so far — are still infrequent, especially compared with injuries people sustain in car accidents or other activities.
Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon, second from left, with the family of Andrew McMorris, a Boy Scout fatally killed by a drunk driver in 2018. Photo courtesy Toulon's office
Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon (D) recently joined roadway safety advocates to announce a summer campaign targeting drunk driving.
Beginning during the July 4 holiday weekend, Toulon’s Office will increase DWI patrols and checkpoints from Huntington to the East End, continuing these measures throughout the summer in an effort to keep Suffolk’s roadways safe. According to the Sheriff’s Office, its DWI team has already had record-high impaired driving arrests this year, with a nearly 40% increase in DWI/DUI arrests from 2022.
Coined “Operation H.E.A.T.,” the initiative aims to ramp up already heightened efforts to mitigate these increases.
“The ‘heat’ is on this summer for drunk and drugged drivers in Suffolk County,” Toulon said during a press event Thursday, June 29. “Our deputy sheriffs will be out in full force patrolling the roadways with an eye out for impaired drivers. If you don’t drive sober, you will be pulled over.”
Joining Toulon was the family of Andrew McMorris, a 12-year-old Boy Scout who was fatally hit by a drunk driver in 2018 while hiking with his Scout troop. The driver in that crash was found guilty of aggravated vehicular homicide and sentenced to 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.
“The Andrew McMorris Foundation asks everyone this summer and always to please make a promise to never drink and drive,” said Alisa and John McMorris of the Andrew McMorris Foundation. “Call a cab, call a friend, save a life, start a trend. You don’t have to be a superhero to save someone’s life. Just take the keys.”
Paige Carbone, regional executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, also attended the meeting. She offered her support for the department initiative, emphasizing the need for stricter enforcement.
“Summer is one of the deadliest times of the year on our highways,” she said. “MADD supports Operation H.E.A.T. and will join the efforts by providing staff and volunteers to participate in checkpoints across the county this summer.”
The regional director added, “Our mission is to end drunk driving, and MADD encourages alternatives, such as designating a non-drinking driver, rideshares and using public transportation. That can prevent these crimes from happening.”
Toulon also offered these tips:
If you are hosting a party, designate a sober driver or arrange alternate transportation to ensure guests get home safely.
If you’ve been drinking and don’t have a designated driver, ask a sober friend for a ride home, call a taxi or rideshare service or stay for the night.
Take the keys from a friend if you think they are about to drive while impaired.
For more information on the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office, please visit www.suffolksheriff.com.
One of over a dozen derelict buildings that remain on the Lawrence Aviation Superfund site in Port Jefferson Station. File photo by Raymond Janis
UPDATE: The June 29 community availability session at the Port Jefferson Village Center for the Lawrence Aviation Industries Site is postponed. DEC will notify the public once a new community meeting date is scheduled.
To ensure careful and thorough cleanup efforts at the former Lawrence Aviation Industries Superfund Site in Port Jefferson Station, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation scheduled a community availability session at the Port Jefferson Village Center, 101 East Broadway, tonight, June 29, from 6-8:30 p.m. This event has been postponed to a later date.
Experts from NYSDEC, the state Department of Health, NYSDEC-contracted engineering and demolition firms, the Suffolk County Landbank Corporation and the Suffolk County Department of Health Services will be available for one-on-one interactions with community members. Multiple stations will be set up at the Village Center, with representatives available to discuss specific areas of interest.
Participants can attend any time during the session.
The community availability session will present information about the planned demolition, cleanup activities and future use at the LAI Site. Handouts of the presentation materials will be made available during the session.
Eliminating possible exposure to site-related contamination in the local community will be a point of emphasis. The updates include the latest information regarding the planned demolition of derelict buildings and provide progress to address contaminated soils and groundwater on the property.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Legislator Nick Caracappa shake hands during signing ceremony. Photo from Steve Bellone’s Flickr page
A countywide housing initiative recently got a bit sweeter for veterans and people with disabilities.
Public officials, veterans and disability advocates together with community members gathered Friday, June 9, at the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge, where Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) ceremonially signed two landmark pieces of legislation.
U.S. Census Bureau data indicates Suffolk County is home to over 56,000 veterans, the highest concentration of any county across New York state and among the highest in the nation. The census also indicates that 6.1% of the county’s 1.5 million residents are with a disability under 65.
Under the new local laws passed unanimously by the Suffolk County Legislature last December and signed officially by Bellone in January, funds and housing units will now be set aside to accommodate veterans and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“We are committed to, in this county, making sure that everyone in our community is included,” Bellone said during the recent ceremony.
Legislator Leslie Kennedy speaks during the signing ceremony event. Photo from Steve Bellone’s Flickr page
The two bipartisan legislative packages were introduced by Majority Leader Nick Caracappa (C-Selden) and Legislators Leslie Kennedy (R-Nesconset), Kara Hahn (D-Setauket), Stephanie Bontempi (R-Centerport) and Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai), among others.
Caracappa, who chairs the county’s Veterans & Consumer Affairs Committee, noted the sizable veteran and disabled populations, suggesting the county is pursuing a proper course for these historically underserved communities.
“We have far too many veterans on our streets [who are] homeless,” he said. “We have far too many individuals, family members, neighbors, friends with disabilities who are willing, able, ready for a life of independence and dignity.”
Kennedy decried the lack of initiative across all levels of government in supporting these demographics. “We would be nowhere without our veterans, and we have done so little to assist them as life goes on,” she said. “This is us moving forward.”
The county legislator added, “For those with impaired abilities, they deserve to live on their own.”
Trish Calandra of Wading River, in an emotional address, shared the story of her two children with autism, who are both now living on their own.
“To see them living this great life was something I really needed to help others achieve,” she said. “There’s still more to do. We need to get this across this state. We need to get this across this country. We have so many people who need assistance and need help.”
At podium, Tom Ronayne, director of Suffolk County Veterans Service Agency. Photo from Steve Bellone’s Flickr page
Tom Ronayne, director of Suffolk County Veterans Service Agency, celebrated the legislation, noting that Suffolk County has “set the bar high.”
“For the people who are most directly affected by what is happening here today, their lives are changed profoundly,” he said. “They can lay down and go to sleep knowing that they have a safe, affordable place to live and that tomorrow will not challenge them in the ways that yesterday may have.”
He concluded, “Welcome to Suffolk County because this is how we do it here.”
Legislator Stephanie Bontempi greets attendees at the event. Photo from Leg. Bontempi's office
On June 8, at the Huntington Public Library (Station Branch), Legislator Stephanie Bontempi (R – 18th L.D.) joined with Legislator Manuel Esteban (R – 16th L.D.) and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s office to co-host a Senior Medical ID Card event.Although the event was geared toward seniors, the cards were issued to anyone 18 years of age and older.
Legislator Manuel Esteban poses for a photo at the information table with a Deputy Sheriff and the venue’s librarian. Photo from Leg. Bontempi’s office
“It really is essential to have your most vital medical information on you at all times, especially if and when you are not able to speak for yourself,” said Bontempi.“Whether it’s an allergy or another serious medical condition, the sooner first responders know about these issues, the better they can assist you; that’s why I got one for myself.”
Those attending the event filled out a form to outline their essential medical information and the best person to contact in case of an emergency.This information was then transferred to a photo ID card produced and issued right on the spot within minutes.
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