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Bankruptcy attorney Cooper Macco hopes to unseat incumbent Keith Brown in the 12th Assembly District. Macco’s photo from candidate; Brown’s photo from his Facebook page

In the New York State Assembly race in the 12th District, incumbent Keith Brown (R-Northport), who was elected to the office in 2020, is being challenged by Democrat Cooper Macco. The latter is a consumer bankruptcy attorney who lives in Halesite.

Brown’s campaign didn’t respond to requests from TBR News Media to participate in a debate with Macco at our offices. Macco was interviewed over the phone. Brown’s camp also did not respond to a request for a phone call, and his comments in this article are taken from an Oct. 26 debate with his opponent hosted by the League of Women Voters of Huntington and his campaign website.

In addition to northern and eastern sections of Huntington, the 12th Assembly District also includes the northeast section of Babylon and northwest section of Islip.

Cooper Macco

For Macco, it was his clients experiences that led him to the state Assembly race.

“Working as a bankruptcy attorney kind of showed me a lot of the issues facing Long Islanders right now, particularly financial issues that you’re seeing everywhere as a result of the high cost of living, the lack of affordable housing, lack of health insurance, high medical costs related to loss of insurance or other unexpected illness or injury,” he said.

Long Island needs to have its fair share of the New York State budget, he said, “in order to expand infrastructure and make much-needed capital improvements. I think that, right now, we are seeing a lot of money leave Long Island to go upstate.”

In addition to addressing infrastructure budgetary concerns, Macco said it’s also important to preserve water quality.

“As Long Islanders, I think we are so lucky to have the water around us, the natural resource around us,” he said. “I think we need to make sure that we can preserve that for future generations. We have such high nitrogen levels in the water which leads to algae blooms, fish kills as a result of that. Largely that’s due to cesspools and septic tanks that are leaching into our groundwater.”

He added the district needs to move toward self-contained home wastewater treatment centers and to expand Huntington and Northport sewers, “including in some residential areas.”

Financially, he said he would seek to help working families with expanding universal pre-K, child care tax credits and grants for child care providers.

“You see a lot of families on Long Island who are put in a situation where surviving on a single income on the Island is very difficult,” he said. “And a lot of times you have a family, young family, that has child care needs, and in such certain situations, you see people working just to afford child care. The cost of child care on Long Island is only getting higher, it’s only getting harder to find that in an affordable way.”

He added he feels pre-K programs help with food insecurity, too.

“The most innocent, the most vulnerable children have a place where they can get one or two meals a day without issue and that can start at a younger age,” he said.

Macco said currently the universal pre-K system is good, but it’s still on a lottery basis. He said he will aim to make it a global option for all.

Regarding public schools on Long Island, Macco said while there are excellent schools in the district, more funds can always be used.

“I think we need to make sure that money in the budget is going into public schools, and not being rerouted by entities looking to operate charter schools and operate for-profit institutions that are only taking money from the public schools,” Macco said.

He is a proponent for expanding public transportation on Long Island, including a more comprehensive railroad system in Suffolk County with the mode of transportation connecting into more areas. The hope, he said, is for fewer people relying on driving everywhere. “The cost of living and working on Long Island is high,” he said. “So, we need to make sure that people who work on Long Island can live on Long Island.”

Touching on the subject of cashless bail, Macco said he would like to see slight amendments such as more judicial discretion, but said he supports bail reform as it is overall.

“It’s important to remember the purpose of bail and the purpose of the bail reform,” he said. “Bail reform was to prevent underprivileged people who couldn’t afford cash bail, to avoid sitting in jail for several months or a year awaiting trial. People are innocent until proven guilty.”

Keith Brown 

Brown, who is a practicing attorney, said during the League of Women Voters debate that his career experience has been an asset during his two-year tenure as an assemblyman.

“What sets me apart from my opponent is really my experience,” he said. “It’s that 27 years of building relationships, of working as a municipal lawyer in all of the towns throughout Long Island.” 

He gave the example of working with five layers of government to get Northport Harbor dredged. Brown said working with elected officials throughout the years led to him getting the help he needed in this pursuit.

During the debate, the assemblyman said his top concerns are public safety, hyperinflation and the opioid epidemic. He added there is a supermajority in both houses, and it’s important to have checks and balances.

“New York state is a mess right now, and it’s a mess because it’s been controlled by one party for far too long,” Brown said.

The assemblyman said while there have been measures to help residents during the recent rise in inflation, including the gas tax moratorium, he believes there also needs to be assistance when it comes to groceries and heating oil.

“There’s a lot of hurting people out there,” he said. “We have food insecurity here in Huntington and Babylon and in Islip. These things are happening around us.”

On his campaign website, Brown said the New York State budgets in two years rose from $176 billion to $212 billion.

“We should cut unnecessary, wasteful spending, help drive inflation down and demand more fiscal conservatism in Albany,” he wrote.

The assemblyman also commented on bail reform at the Oct. 26 debate.

“We have seen the harmful effects of cashless bail in the state of New York,” he said.

In order to reform the current law regarding cashless bail, he said meaningful and comprehensive revisions need to be done. He would elicit the help of judges, district attorneys, public defenders and victim rights groups.

He said one of the downfalls of bail reform has been that addicts no longer have the choice of treatment in lieu of incarceration if arrested.

Brown is a member of the Assembly’s Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee. According to his campaign website, he has advocated “that the Opioid Settlement Fund be distributed as quickly as possible and given Suffolk County recommendations on where these funds should be allocated.”

On his campaign website, Brown calls to “fully repeal bail reform, restore judicial discretion and eliminate crime from our streets and public transportation.”

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Former county legislator Susan Berland and incumbent Mario Mattera will be on the ballot for state senator in the second district. Photos by Raymond Janis

TBR News Media isn’t endorsing anyone in the race for state Senate in the 2nd District because the editorial staff feels both candidates are equally qualified.

While it may be difficult for a newspaper to choose who to endorse in this race, it’s a win for voters. Whichever candidate succeeds, we will have someone who is qualified and committed to doing the best for New York state and the 2nd District.

Berland has decades of political experience behind her, and it’s evident her experiences with the Town of Huntington and Suffolk County will be an asset in Albany if she wins.

Mattera has learned a great deal during this two-year term as senator. He has quickly evolved from a freshman senator to a knowledgeable elected official. We are confident that he will stand by his promise that he will not be working to change New York State’s abortion legislation, and if gubernatorial candidate Zeldin wins, we will hold Mattera to his word that he will not work to reverse those laws in the state.

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Pictured above, Suffolk County Comptroller John M. Kennedy Jr. (R). Photo by Rita J. Egan

After serving in the office for the last eight years, Suffolk County Comptroller John M. Kennedy Jr. (R) is seeking reelection.

His challenger, Democratic Party nominee Thomas Dolan, is not openly campaigning and therefore could not be reached for comment.

‘I think Suffolk County still needs a shakedown.’

— John Kennedy

In an exclusive interview, Kennedy defined the function of the comptroller’s office, its central role in the fiscal stability of the county government, and why he is pursuing election to that office yet again.

He described his responsibilities as overseeing the county’s financial operations. However, the scope of the office goes well beyond this purpose, with auditing powers and administrative duties related to the former Office of Treasurer.

“It has been a great gig,” Kennedy said. “I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Eight years into it, I think we’ve been able to do some good things.” He spoke of his opponent, “I hear he’s a very nice individual.”

Kennedy said he has several programs and policy initiatives he intends to get off the ground if reelected. Among these is upgrading the county’s financial infrastructure to improve the office’s operations and connect currently disconnected frameworks.

“One of the components in that is unifying the capital budget function,” he said. “It is critical from a budgeting perspective, from a management perspective, that we bring all those disparate databases together so that we have continuity and good stewardship of our money.”

Kennedy also plans to request two additional auditors from the county Legislature to oversee the expenditures of approximately $185 million in opioid-related settlements to Suffolk County. [See story, “Suffolk County launches grant application program to fight opioid crisis,” TBR News Media, July 28, also TBR News Media website.]

“Many have said that they want to see contemporaneous oversight of the opioid settlements,” the county comptroller said. “We received $25 million [so far] … but unfortunately, there is a propensity in government for money to go to all different types of things.” 

He added, “Our electeds, our advocates, our treatment community want to make sure that there’s good, contemporaneous oversight regarding expenditure and use of those funds.”

Kennedy augmented his audit staff from 19 to 34 members during his two terms in the comptroller’s office. He viewed this as progress and committed to increasing the number of auditors at his disposal.

“I’ve been very aggressive with [hiring] our audit staff,” he said. “I think we need to do more of that. I want to bring that on in some other aspects of the office, including IT.”

Having served in this capacity for some time now, he believes he possesses the requisite experience and institutional knowledge to discharge the county’s finances responsibly.

“This is the kind of office that lends itself to almost limitless opportunities,” he said.

But it has yet to be smooth sailing for Kennedy or the public fund. Citing an analysis, by New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli (D), which considered fund balance and borrowing cycles, among other concrete financial measures, he acknowledges that Suffolk County ranks near the bottom among the state’s 62 counties in terms of fiscal responsibility.

“It’s indisputable that going back two or three years ago, we were the 62nd in ranking out of all 62 counties in the state of New York,” Kennedy said. “The most recent evaluation has moved us up.”

Despite Suffolk’s checkered financial record, the comptroller believes this assessment requires further context. He contends the analysis measures Suffolk against other counties throughout the state, which are less populated and with budgets dwarfed by Suffolk County’s $3.8 billion annual budget.

Instead, he favors an “apples to apples” method of comparing the county’s finances to those of the “Big Five”: Suffolk, Nassau, Erie, Monroe and Albany counties.

“They’re the largest concentrations of cities, budget size and municipal function,” he said, adding, “We’re somewhat comparable with them.”

Still, Kennedy supports “serious fiscal reform,” stating that he intends to embark upon a “shakedown” of the county government.

“I think Suffolk County still needs a shakedown,” he said. “The underlying platform and premise for us is unsustainable. Unless we do something to address the proliferation of things that we have — and the areas where we’re not delivering services adequately — I think we will be destined for serious financial strife in ‘24.”

The county government may be able to get through the 2023 fiscal year comfortably, according to Kennedy, due to substantial financial reserves generated during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, he foresees those reserves drying up and the effects to be felt within a year. 

“We are on a runaway train with inflation,” he said. “We are seriously, seriously compromised internally in our financial structure.”

Throughout the interview, Kennedy named several individuals with whom he disagreed on policy grounds. In the face of these differences, he finds that he still manages to build bridges across the aisle and discover common ground. 

“The middle [of the road], registered, undeclared [voting population] keeps growing,” he explained. “My sense with folks that are in that category is they want to talk about the issues, hear about what’s important to them, and know what you’re going to do with the opportunity they give you.”

Kennedy asserted that the general public is decreasingly tolerant of partisans and political extremists. Instead, the regular voter thirsts for tangible results from the government. The county comptroller says his efforts to reach across the aisle have generally been reciprocal.

“What I’m talking about with them is the operations, the nuts and bolts of government,” he said. “I’m not talking about whether you’re pro-abortion or pro-life, or whether you believe in cashless bail or whether you want to legalize heroine.”

He added, “I’m talking about how to pay bills, how to recruit and keep talent, how to do the things necessary for the vast majority of people that interact with the county government.”

Whether Kennedy will apply his “nuts and bolts” political philosophy to other realms of the county government is still to be decided. Next year, the highest post in Suffolk County, the office of county executive, will be up for grabs.

Kennedy received the Republican nomination for county executive in 2019, but was defeated by incumbent Steve Bellone (D). When asked if he would pursue that office again, Kennedy responded, “We’ll see what the future brings.”

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Above, state Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk). Photo by Raymond Janis

In New York’s 1st state Senate District, an enlightening policy debate has been ongoing between the two major party nominees. TBR News Media will support incumbent state Sen. Anthony Palumbo in that race.

Palumbo’s experience in Albany impressed us. Despite being a member of the legislative minority, he has wielded his power successfully, getting several necessary measures signed into law. As a token of their appreciation for his service, voters should give him a vote of confidence this November.

This endorsement is not without conditions, however. Some have criticized Palumbo, a resident of the East End, for not being more accessible in the western parts of his district. 

Constituents want to see their representatives at community events, civic meetings and other forums, not just during election season. As District 1 has shifted due to redistricting, we look forward to seeing more of Palumbo in this neck of the woods.

As for his opponent, Skyler Johnson is a remarkable young man. His intellect, knowledge of the issues and dedication moved us. Johnson will be a leader in this community in the coming years. When he gets his shot, we know he will accomplish incredible feats eventually. When he does, our community will benefit immensely from his service.

In the meantime, we will stand behind the incumbent for this cycle. This November, the staff of TBR News Media endorses state Sen. Anthony Palumbo’s campaign for reelection.

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Republican Party nominee Edward Flood and incumbent state Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket). Photos by Rita J. Egan

In New York’s 4th Assembly District race, incumbent Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) is up against Republican Party challenger Edward Flood. During an office debate with TBR News Media, the two candidates confronted various issues, from affordability to the environment, prescription drug costs and more.

Introductions

Before entering government, Englebright was a trained geologist, museum curator and educator. He served as a Suffolk County legislator and then ran for the state Assembly, where he has served since 1992. 

He is chair of the Assembly’s Committee on Environmental Conservation. He said he is running for reelection to continue his work promoting clean air and water, among other legislative issues. 

Flood is a practicing attorney based in Port Jefferson. He is also an assistant town attorney for the Town of Brookhaven, where he tries quality-of-life cases and environmental crimes. He said he is running because he has observed changes in the area’s cost of living and heightened public safety concerns, and seeks to rectify those issues.

LIRR electrification

On the subject of electrifying the Port Jefferson Branch line of the Long Island Rail Road, Englebright advanced his multiphased approach. First is cleaning up any remaining contamination of the Lawrence Aviation Superfund site, a 126-acre property at the core of the electrification plan.

The assemblyman then favors moving the terminus of the North Shore line onto the Superfund site, enabling a new rail yard to support the electrification process. 

“At this point, we have something that has transformational potential for the entire region,” he said. “We should be looking at this as what it is, which is a regional, statewide and even national model.”

Flood agreed with Englebright, referring to electrification as “the common sense thing to do.”

“It’s kind of a win-win because it will reduce contaminants going into the air … and it will also help speed up the process of getting rid of the Superfund site,” he said. “Like any other project with the MTA, the MTA drags their feet.” The challenger added, “I think we get the short end of the stick with them as Suffolk County residents, where they like to have our money but don’t like to give us a seat at the table.”

Declining student enrollment

One of the critical issues facing policymakers of this region is declining student enrollment in school districts throughout the area.

For Englebright, attracting families with students requires cutting costs where possible. He cited the Comsewogue School District, which put solar panels on top of the Terryville Road Elementary School, as an example of exploring creative ways to limit costs within the district.

“That was an experiment of sorts,” the assemblyman said. “That installation was completed in ‘96. Today it’s saving that school district $40,000 a year, just that one roof.”

Flood held that attracting and keeping families with children on Long Island is a matter of lowering the cost of living.

“I think that’s the overwhelming reason why you’re seeing a decrease in enrollment,” he said. “The only way that’s going to change is if we can make Long Island a more affordable place for the youth to stay. … We have to make Long Island more affordable so people can afford to raise families here.”

Affordable housing 

The problem of affordability is not limited to the youth, according to Englebright. He advocated expanding affordable housing options to those living beyond or entering retirement age.

“Part of the housing issue is not only providing housing for young people but also for the pioneers of suburbia who now have three or four empty bedrooms in the house,” he said. “They need housing opportunities that will, in turn, enable them to stay in the community, so we don’t lose them.”

To remedy the housing and unaffordability problem, Flood supported exploring more opportunities for mixed-use development. “We do need to find cheaper housing,” he said. “Going to a Fairfield, or something like that, where they’re just going to build these giant complexes and charge astronomical fees … doesn’t really do much for our community.”

Englebright added that the housing crisis is linked to the ability of Albany to support the creation of new jobs. “The issue of housing continues to be a barrier,” he said. “The antidote to that is developing new jobs so that people can afford to stay. Too many young people are just priced out.”

For Flood, the state government can support local communities by lowering taxes. “I do believe on a statewide level that we can reduce the tax burden by canceling contracts that are no longer effective, doing a better job with how we spend money,” he said.

Prescription drugs

Flood was given the opportunity to respond to a letter to the editor published last month criticizing his platform on prescription drugs. [See letter, “Flood’s dangerous rhetoric on prescription drugs,” The Port Times Record ePaper, Oct. 6.]

Responding to this critique, Flood said his platform acknowledges the realities of business. “The only way to reduce the cost to the citizenry is to reduce some of the costs to the manufacturer,” he said. “Obviously, you can sue — and you can still sue for massive amounts — but the insurance for what pharmaceutical companies are paying is astronomical.” 

He added, “It’s not saying that the individual, if there was an issue, wouldn’t be compensated. It would just be that it’s a common-sense measure to say that they can’t increase the cost to the pharmaceutical companies so much that they have to, in turn, turn it around on you [the consumer].”

Englebright retorted Flood’s position: “My distinguished opponent is obviously biased toward business,” the assemblyman said. “I was not surprised by the answer, but what we really need is, if we’re going to have a benefit of doubt, it should be in the direction of the consumer.”

Environment

The candidates debated some of the pressing environmental phenomena unique to the area. Englebright firmly supported the continued preservation of open spaces.

“If you preserve open space in a community plan, that allows open space to give its benefits, including environmental benefits to nearby streams from runoff,” he said. “Many of the woodlands that have not been built [upon] deserve preservation.”

Tangentially related, communities along the North Shore are experiencing the effects of eroding bluffs and cliffs. Most notably, the Village of Port Jefferson is deciding on a proper action plan concerning the village-owned country club atop the East Beach bluff.

Englebright did not favor manmade efforts to armor these bluffs. “The entire coastline is a dynamic reality,” he said. “Port Jefferson would be wise to reconsider the advice that they’ve been given by the engineers that they’ve hired. Engineers tend to think they can fix it.”

He expressed his support for the upcoming $4.2 billion state environmental bond act: “We need that money. About a third of it will be for coastline stabilization and activities that are related to climate change.”

Flood also supported the bond act, stating, “I agree with the bond act, and I agree we need something to step in.”

As for the eroding cliffs, he said he would follow the expertise of scientists. “I would rely a lot upon the advice of those people who are scientists, the people who work in this field every day and come up with a solution.”

Partisanship/polarization

In a period of intense partisanship and polarization at all levels of government, the candidates offered their favored approach to working across party lines and building common ground.

Flood said many issues confronting the state government do not lend themselves to vehement policy disagreements. He attributed the lack of bipartisanship to an inability of legislators to treat each other with respect.

“At the end of the day, people want safe streets, they want economic opportunity for their children, people want clean water and clean air, people want an ability to advance their careers,” Flood said. “Two people are able to sit across the table from each other and express their ideas. Maybe they don’t agree, but they can do it in a fashion that is respectful of each other.”

Englebright said his record indicates that he “keeps an eye on the prize,” not allowing partisanship to get in the way of progress for his constituents. He invoked his productive working relationship with former state Sen. Ken LaValle (R-Port Jefferson) as the kind of work that can occur when policymakers check their party affiliation at the door.

“The prize is getting things done for the people that sent you [to Albany],” he said. “I actually enjoy working across the aisle. When Senator LaValle was there, we did a whole variety of really important bills.”

The assemblyman added, “If somebody is also willing to pursue the objective of the overarching public benefit and set partisanship aside, I will be the first to work with them.”

Voters will decide upon their preferred state Assembly candidate for the 4th District on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

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Above, state Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket). Photo by Rita J. Egan

This November, incumbent state Assemblyman Steve Englebright will be on the ballot again. We should give him our support to honor his decades of service and commitment to this area.

Englebright has worked tirelessly, fighting for cleaner air and water. He is a champion for preserving open space, a critical platform in an age of surrender to the interests of developers and unrestricted suburban sprawl.

Englebright has also made electrification of the Port Jefferson Branch line a staple of his reelection campaign. In our office debate, he referred to this investment as having regional and generational potential. The electrification of the North Shore line is possible, and we hold that Englebright is the right person to get us there. 

In his decades of public service, Englebright has accumulated goodwill among his colleagues and the leaders in state government. Over time, he has cultivated seniority within his caucus. Now more than ever, he can use that clout to deliver even more results for the community.

As for his opponent, Edward Flood, we were impressed by his sincerity and commitment to serve. We wish him well and hope he stays involved in politics.

This time around, however, the TBR News Media staff strongly endorses Assemblyman Steve Englebright for reelection.

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TBR conducted a phone interview with Democrat Lisa Jimenez, left, and Republican Vincent Puleo, right, stopped by the office to discuss the 2022 county clerk race. Photo of Jimenez from candidate; photo of Puleo by Raymond Janis

After a June primary, current Suffolk County Clerk Judith Pascale (R) will not be running for the position.

Republican Vincent Puleo, town clerk of Smithtown, defeated Pascale, who has served in the position since 2006, in the primary election. In November, Puleo will face Democrat Lisa Jimenez, a newcomer to running for political office.

Jimenez was unable to come into the TBR News Media office for a debate. Puleo stopped by for an in-person interview with the editorial staff, and Jimenez answered questions from the writer in a phone conversation.

Vincent Puleo

Puleo, a Nesconset native, was a bar and restaurant owner for 26 years before a turn in the insurance business and then becoming town clerk in 2005. He has been a volunteer with the Nesconset Fire Department for 50 years and is the president of the Nesconset Chamber of Commerce.

He said he feels it’s important to be community-minded regarding his current position, and he will bring that mindset to the county.

“Without community interaction, people don’t know who you are, they don’t know what you do,” he said.

The county clerk position oversees access to deeds, title searches and supreme court records. Puleo said he has priorities if he wins the election, including transparency, constituent services and making records more accessible, including online.

Puleo added that he feels Pascale has done a good job regarding transparency, and he will look to see if anything else can be done to make the process even more transparent. His aim, he said, is to make all processes smoother.

Puleo said he feels people shouldn’t have to go to the county clerk’s office in Riverhead to get a record when it could be as simple as registering on the county’s website and accessing it virtually. 

He said he has obtained $350,000 grants three years in a row to digitize Smithtown records for the town itself, as well as the villages and fire departments within the township.

He said 90% of the supreme court records are digitized, and he would continue that trend. He added that unions have been concerned with records being digitized because it may eliminate employees.

“Not really, what it does is it gives you more time to service more people,” he said.

Once the county’s website is back up and running after the recent cyberattack, he said he feels improvements can be made to the site to make it more user-friendly. Before the cyberattack, title searches were already backed up, and he would like to make the process more efficient. He said first it’s important to meet with department heads to work together for the common goal.

Puleo said to avoid cyberattacks such as the one the county suffered from early in September, IT professionals need to be in charge overall of the entire county system and know what goes on in each department to ensure that everything that is imported or exported is protected. He said he understands the county is moving in that direction, which he finds encouraging.

Puleo added that he and other elected officials can advocate for the county to spend more money, and he applauds Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) for allocating $8 million toward IT measures.

The Republican candidate added it helps to have relationships with elected officials, and over the past few months he has met with every county legislator.

“It’s a situation where you need to have those people understand where you’re coming from, and they have to trust you, and you have to trust them,” Puleo said. 

Lisa Jimenez

Jimenez, of Medford, has worked at the Suffolk Regional Off-Track Betting for more than four decades. Before working full time for OTB, she worked as an assistant in Congressman Michael Forbes’ office (R/D-NY1).

She has been a member of Teamsters Local 237 and the AFL-CIO. The candidate also has volunteered as a catechist and at local food banks. She was active in her children’s PTA and recently was certified with Washington-based Underground Railroad which works to raise awareness about human trafficking and prevent it.

Jimenez said she feels her work experience and volunteer endeavors would be an asset to the county clerk position.

“I’m used to working with fast-paced, large groups and working with the unions,” she said. “I’ve learned how to come up with solutions quickly.”

Jimenez said she is open to learning new things.

“I’m willing to sit down and learn whatever I need to do to get the job done,” she said.

During her time with OTB, she has gone from cashier to human resources manager. 

“As a manager, as a cashier, I’ve done it front and center,” Jimenez said. “It’s not below me to do the job of the cashier. My branch needs to be cleaned then I’m out there cleaning. I will make myself as accessible as possible.”

After the recent cyberattack, she said she doesn’t think the county has made the best decisions as far as improvements to minimize security issues in the past, and she would meet with IT professionals to seek better solutions for internet security.

Regarding the website in general, she said she has had issues at times navigating through the county’s website and would like to see it be more user-friendly, especially when trying to access records.

“There’s always ways to improve upon what’s already there,” she said.

Jimenez believes completely digitizing records is better for the constituents, and she doesn’t feel that all records being digitized would lead to less employees.

Jimenez said if there was room in the budget, she would like to see the county open up satellite county clerk offices so residents wouldn’t have to travel to Riverhead to get paperwork. She would also suggest the offices stay open later than usual one or two days a month to make it easier for people who work a 9-to-5 job.

She said she would look to make the office more efficient with document processing being quicker.

“I think the next thing is the turnover of the paperwork,” she said. “How can we get that? You look at any other county, the paperwork is in and out. Ours isn’t.”

She also suggested providing assistance, possibly an office liaison, for veterans or those with disabilities to make it easier for them.

Jimenez agrees that Pascale has run a transparent office.

“I think she’s done a great job all these years,” she said. “I have nothing negative to say about her or Vinny. But, I think there’s always room for improvement.”

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State Assemblyman Mike Fitzpatrick stopped by the TBR News Media’s offices to discuss the 2022 race. Photo by Raymond Janis

While there will be two names on the ballot for New York’s 8th Assembly District, incumbent Mike Fitzpatrick (R-St. James) and Democrat Jeanine Aponte of Hauppauge, the latter is not actively campaigning.

The district covers the Town of Smithtown and northern parts of Islip.

Fitzpatrick stopped by the TBR News Media offices recently to discuss the race with the editorial staff. He has been an assemblyman for 20 years and is running for his 11th term. Prior to being an assemblyman, he was a Town of Smithtown councilman from 1988 to 2002; he was also a financial services representative. 

Cracking down on crime

“We have a problem, and something has to be done about it,” Fitzpatrick said when talking about bail-free crimes.

The assemblyman said when bail reform was first debated in the Assembly, Republicans and Democrats all agreed that something needed to be done. However, he said, the progressives were dominant, and in the end, he said he felt the police, district attorneys and judiciary members were excluded from creating the law, representatives he said were important to have at the table.

“No dangerousness was taken into consideration, and all the judges were saying this is not going to work and the DAs as well,” he said. “They did not like this.”

Fitzpatrick added there is a feeling of disappointment in Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) that she’s not pushing back, and he feels she fears that she will lose the progressive base and thinking they will “stay home and not vote.” Especially, he said, since her gubernatorial opponent, current Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-NY1), has been making inroads including with the Asian, Black and Latino communities.

Fitzpatrick said the Republicans’ goal in the Assembly, despite currently being in the minority, is to get to 50%.

“So that we can take away that veto-proof majority,” he said. “That forces compromise, at least forces discussion at the table, and the same in the Senate.”

Fitzpatrick said if Hochul is elected the hope is that she will move more to the center politically.

“What I fear, if the crime issue is not dealt with, and dealt with soon, you’re going to see, I think, a continued exodus of people and jobs out of the city,” he said. “We’ve had a significant loss already. I believe it will accelerate if nothing is done about it, and the concern is you’re going to have a hollowed-out New York City.”

Fitzpatrick explained it would mean the city would be left with the wealthy and the poor with the middle class leaving as well as jobs.

“You already have the challenge of getting people to come back into the office,” he said. “They like working from home. They got used to it for the past two years, but the crime issue in the subways is not helping matters.”

He said he doesn’t see New York City returning to normality until there is a handle on crime.

Gun safety

Fitzpatrick said he supports the Second Amendment. He added the Republican side in the Assembly includes members who are former military and law enforcement personnel as well as farmers.

“We have more people on our side of the aisle who can speak with authority on gun ownership, gun safety, gun training,” he said. “There’s virtually nobody on the other side of the aisle who has that kind of experience and depth of knowledge. So, we know what their agenda is. We get it. This is the world of politics. But, you know, I think whenever those debates come up, we just, we wipe the floor, hands down, but it doesn’t matter, because they have the numbers”

Regarding recent stabbing incidents in New York City, he said he believes the majority involve those with mental illnesses.

“With bail reform, you’re letting people out,” he said. “You’re not remanding people to jail. Not to serve time, but until they have their day in court. But some of these people are not well, we’ve heard this from the correction officers, we’ve heard this from the attorneys. They’re not well, but because of the new bail reform, they can’t be held and they’re let out.”

Recent migrants

He said he is unhappy with the federal administration for leaving the border open with an increase in drugs coming over, also people on the terrorist lists and gang members. He said the borders should be more secure.

“The border towns have been totally overwhelmed,” he said. “They can’t provide the services.”

He said it wasn’t a surprise that cities in the South sent migrants to sanctuary cities such as New York. The assemblyman said sending migrants back is not possible, and he believes there should be some way to give them a pathway to citizenship.

Smithtown

Along with state Sen. Mario Mattera (R-St. James), Fitzpatrick said he is most focused on sewer installation in Smithtown’s downtown areas. To revitalize downtowns, he said, it’s important to look to towns that have done it successfully, such as Patchogue and Farmingdale. Fitzpatrick added it’s important to pick areas near transit hubs for density building.

He didn’t support Hochul’s accessory dwelling unit proposal earlier this year. The bill would have given everyone the right to have an ADU in their home, something that wouldn’t work with cesspools on Long Island and burden school districts, he said.

“Your transit-oriented development is really the way you address the affordability issue because the price of land is so high, you lower that price with density,” he said. 

Fitzpatrick gave the example of the overlay district in the Hauppauge Industrial Park and the proposed development plans for it as an example of a walkable community where people can walk to stores, restaurants and even work, something he said many people look for when searching for a home.

He said such housing will help the area to remain relevant, especially with some choosing not to move here due to the high cost of living. 

Stony Brook University

For the past few years, Fitzpatrick said he’s been talking to colleagues, elected officials and students about the possibility of the State University of New York, also known as SUNY, becoming a national brand and having Stony Brook University be its flagship.

He said he would like to see the acronym SUNY be dropped and the educational institution be known as the University of New York or UNY.

He believes it needs to be rebranded to draw more students nationally.

“We are a great state university, but we’re not a national brand,” Fitzpatrick said.

He gave examples of University of Michigan, University of North Carolina and University of Alabama, and said SBU is “as good or better than any of them.”

He added he would love to see SBU among the top 10.

If SUNY can be rebranded and SBU made the flagship he said it would help the athletic department and could lead to being part of a major conference. This could mean the expansion of Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium or building a newer one closer to the Long Island Expressway or another major roadway.

He said it makes sense as SBU is near the city.

“Why don’t we take a shot and get into a major conference with the University of New York,” Fitzpatrick said. “This makes sense. I think it would be good for the entire system, and it creates a fair level of economic activity by being in a major conference.”

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Incumbent state Sen. Anthony Palumbo and Democratic Party nominee Skyler Johnson. Photos by Raymond Janis

In the race for New York’s 1st state Senate District, incumbent Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) is competing against  Democratic Gen Z challenger Skyler Johnson of Mount Sinai.

In an office debate, these two candidates offered their perspectives on assorted topics affecting this area.

Introductions

Palumbo has served in elective office for nearly a decade, first in the state Assembly and later in the Senate, where he is completing his first term. He is also a practicing criminal defense attorney. 

Johnson currently sits on the board of Temple Beth Emeth of Mount Sinai. Before pursuing state office, he worked under Southampton Village Mayor Jesse Warren and now works for the Brentwood-based nonprofit New Hour for Women & Children – LI, a program for reentry services for formerly incarcerated women and their families. If elected, he would be the youngest person to serve in the state Legislature since Theodore Roosevelt.

LIRR electrification

Electrification of the Port Jefferson Branch line is an area of agreement for the two state Senate candidates. Johnson intends to use his office to apply direct pressure on the MTA-LIRR to get there.

“I’d like to make sure that we’re bringing home funds for the MTA, making sure that the project is properly funded, as well as making sure that there is enough transparency in the process,” he said. “I want to make sure that I’m communicating with environmental and transit advocacy groups to get them involved and make sure that from the public side, they’re also putting pressure on the MTA.”

Palumbo said cleaning up the Lawrence Aviation Superfund site is nearly completed, after which serious deliberations can occur on electrification. “I think that would really get the ball rolling, and then it really does come down to funding,” he said. “I know many people have been clamoring for it. They’ve been asking about it. … It actually is ripe to do it at this point.”

Cost of living

In communities throughout the 1st Senate District, the area is simultaneously experiencing an exodus of residents from the region while encountering difficulties attracting new families. To counteract these trends, Johnson advocated confronting the various facets of the problem in their entirety.

“As a young person trying to invest in my future, trying to invest in my community, I can say that it is very hard to afford the cost of living here,” he said. “It is very hard to find anything remotely affordable to rent, buy or live in our community.”

When discussing the issue of declining student enrollment in school districts, Johnson further pressed this point: “Our schools are not going to seem attractive if people cannot actually get to them, if people cannot afford to buy within our communities,” he said.

Palumbo, on the other hand, said keeping families in the area requires supporting small businesses, which he called the “backbone of our economy.”

“Business owners are not going to operate their business at a loss,” he said. “They’re going to do what they can. Their margins are tight enough in this state. … I think that’s where it starts and, of course, affordable housing and all of those other issues.”

Elaborating upon this position, Palumbo supported cutting taxes on businesses and offering incentives to keep them in New York, including reducing the minimum wage.

“We’ve been doing what we can to help these small businesses get started, but I feel like it’s almost at the point where we need to give [them] a leg up,” the state senator said. “We need to create huge exemptions. … How about an exception for businesses with 10 or less employees?”

Drawing a clear distinction, Johnson said keeping the area populated starts with paying workers a fair wage. “We need to pay workers fairly,” he said. “I fully support the current minimum wage, and I want to make sure that we’re doing everything that we can to expand workers wages, not reduce them, because that doesn’t help anyone.”

While much of the conversation on housing surrounds renters, Palumbo said more opportunities to support buyers need to be in place. “It’s not always about renting,” he said. “It’s about affordable housing purchases,” adding that subsidizing first-time homebuyers “is huge.”

For Johnson, the problem has gradually compounded over time. “It is really not good that people cannot afford to buy, that people cannot afford to rent and that people cannot afford to stay here long term,” he said.

Environment

Throughout the 1st District, rising sea levels, increased flooding and intensifying storms threaten waterfront properties. In Johnson’s view, the problem is twofold. It first requires action on the part of the state to reinforce natural barriers to protect coastlines. However, these issues are part of a broader effort to reduce carbon emissions and counteract climate change.

“At the end of the day, this all ties into the fight against climate change,” he said. “It is all about investing in natural energy, doing everything we can to fight the effects of sea-level rise.”

For Palumbo, policymakers can work to resolve these matters through several initiatives. “The sea level is gradually rising,” he said. “There needs to be a big plan and, unfortunately, it’s going to take [money], and the government has to be fully committed, which I think we are in New York.”

For the erosion issue at East Beach bluff in Port Jefferson, Johnson said coastal resilience efforts are a matter of shoreline hardening, but saying there is not “a one-size-fits-all approach.”

“Unfortunately, there are going to be places where we need to retreat, where there’s not much else that we can do,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’m committed to investing in environmental infrastructure, in making sure that we’re fighting erosion, making sure that we are proactively having engineers who can examine the situations.”

Palumbo agreed with Johnson, stating that shoreline resiliency depends upon the project and should be evaluated case by case.

“There’s a balance that needs to be struck, of course, between what is reasonably feasible for the particular area,” the state senator said. “The bottom line is I do think it would depend on the project.”

Marijuana

With the statewide legalization of marijuana, there will be emerging debates over the future of the substance within communities. The candidates offered similar perspectives when asked whether there should be restrictions on the number of dispensaries and whether the plant should be grown in their district.

“I’m a less-government-is-more kind of guy,” Palumbo said. “There will be a lot of comments, no question, when that’s decided, and if at all, it should always be done with public input.”

He added, “It’s farming. It clearly is farming, but obviously, the nature of it is such that it’s not just like you’re farming corn. … I think siting is very important — where it’s going to be — and I think public input is extremely important.”

Johnson favored growing marijuana in the district, saying it could bolster the local economy and assist farmers. 

“Moving forward, I think it would be beneficial to have some growth within our agriculture communities,” he said. “I think the funds that will come from that will be really important. I think that they could be used to invest into our roads, our infrastructure, into a lot of the programs that I want to see take place.”

Polarization/partisanship

Palumbo believes the problem of polarization in politics is further magnified in the age of social media. He advocates returning debates to matters of policy and removing personal attacks.

“I don’t think we need to be impolite, that we need to go after each other’s policies and not the other person,” he said. “I’ve always maintained that sort of a manner in conducting business, and I’m hopeful that we’re going to get back there, and we will.” He added, “I think that happens when we have a diversity of thought.”

Despite their differences on many policy grounds, Johnson thanked his opponent for his willingness to engage in a dialogue. 

“Senator Palumbo, we disagree on a lot of things, but you’ve always been willing to have a conversation, and I appreciate that,” Johnson said. “I think maintaining an open dialogue is really important to creating bipartisanship, to working across party lines.”

He added, “Whoever of us wins, I think we will be able to have conversations across the aisle. I hope we can return to a place of civility.”

Voters will have the final word on these two candidates for state Senate District 1 on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

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Former county legislator Susan Berland and incumbent Mario Mattera will be on the ballot for state senator in the second district. Photos by Raymond Janis

Aiming for New York State senator in the 2nd District are incumbent Mario Mattera (R-St. James) and Democrat Susan Berland, formerly Suffolk County legislator in the 16th District and Town of Huntington councilwoman.

The two have worked together in the past on local issues, and despite differing on some political issues and eyeing the same job, the two remain friendly. When they stopped by the TBR News Media offices recently to discuss the race, the debate was a cordial one, and the two agreed on a few issues and were civil when they disagreed.

Currently, District 2 encompasses Smithtown and sections of Brookhaven and Huntington. Beginning in 2023, it will include all of Smithtown and Huntington and no Brookhaven hamlets.

Background

Berland was an attorney before becoming a town councilwoman in 2001. During her tenure as county legislator, she served as the majority leader of the Legislature. In 2021, she lost to Republican Manuel Esteban by 156 votes. When she heard Jim Gaughran (D-Northport) wasn’t going to run again for the state Senate after district lines changes, she said she decided to join the race.

A former union leader in the Plumbers Local Union No. 200, Mattera beat Democrat Mike Siderakis in 2020. The state senator is also a former board member of the Suffolk County Water Authority and has sat on Smithtown’s advisory board for new construction projects where he was active with the Lake Avenue Revitalization project in St. James.  

Bail reform

Both candidates agreed that the current bail procedure is not working. 

“It needs to be repealed,” Mattera said. “We need to get the proper people to the table.”

He added the proper people would be judges, district attorneys and law enforcement professionals.

The state senator said the problem lies in that many people who are released think they can get away with a crime again. 

“If people know they can get away with it, they are going to keep doing it,” he said.

Berland said if she was a state senator when the bail-reform measure was passed in the state budget, she wouldn’t have agreed to it as it was written. She said she believes it should have been drafted more eloquently and more public relations should have been done to educate the public about it. 

“I would not have voted for it in its current incarnation, but I would not repeal it,” she said. “I would amend it”

Berland said with people in the past being released on their own recognizance, in a way cashless bail has always existed. Regarding bail, she said unfortunately not everyone can afford it. In the last couple of years, she added she feels there have been improvements with amendments that have added judges back into the process and taken certain crimes off the bail-free list such as arson.

She thinks it’s important to have a judge’s discretion. 

“I don’t want anyone selling drugs to kids by a school to be released on his own recognizance,” Berland said.

Both agree that such measures and amendments shouldn’t be tied to the budget, and policy decisions should be voted separately.

Drugs

The two candidates said they were against the legalization of marijuana.

Regarding the war on drugs, Berland said she felt Suffolk County has been successful with prevention and treatment programs and, if elected, would ensure municipalities received the resources they needed for treatment, prevention and education. She added it’s important to support the police.

“We need to give them the resources to investigate and recover the drugs that are out there,” she said. “I’m very much pro-police. I’ve always supported their budgets, their efforts.”

Mattera also said prevention programs are important in schools. He was upset about the marijuana legislation passing, and he feels marijuana is a gateway to other drug usage.

He said he is also worried when he sees or hears news stories that report children confusing THC gummies for candy because they are shaped like bears.

Mattera is proud that both Smithtown and Huntington opted out of dispensaries. The state senator met with supervisors over Zoom together to look into opting out of dispensaries, a decision that Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) and former Huntington Supervisor Chad Lupinacci (R) strongly supported.

“I’m very concerned that we have drug dealers that were incarcerated that are the first ones who would be able to open these dispensaries,” he said.

Sewer installation

Both candidates are advocates for sewers in downtown business areas.

Mattera has worked on getting sewers in Kings Park, downtown Smithtown and St. James. He added sewering Route 110 is also important as it has been piecemealed in the past.

Berland pointed out Mattera voted against funding for sewers in Huntington when it was in the budget. He said there were other things in the budget which made it difficult to vote “yes.”

“That’s another thing where if you voted against the budget, and you’re voting against infrastructure money, where maybe there are things I think from the budget that Democrats or Republicans can agree on, and try to take some of those things out of the budget,” Berland said. “I don’t think anyone disagrees that we need infrastructure money.”

Berland said she supported the Suffolk County grant program for homeowners who wanted to install an advanced wastewater treatment system on their property.

“For people who can’t hook up to a sewage treatment plant, we want to be able to give them the money they need to put their individual systems in,” she said.

Education

Berland believes that schools need more resources to teach children the way they need to be.

“I don’t think children need to all be taught the same cookie-cutter way,” she said.

She believes in mainstreaming students, but also feels there may be a need for more teaching assistants in classrooms and breaking students into groups.

“One teacher to 25 kids in a classroom, I don’t think that really works anymore,” Berland said.

Mattera said mental health help assistance in schools is also vital, especially after the pandemic. He noticed that with his own children, they  were excited to stay home at first during the early days of the pandemic, but the excitement soon faded. He worked to get students back to “normalcy” such as back in the classrooms for in-person teaching and taking part in their usual activities such as sports and proms.

Despite the obstacles COVID-19 presented, Mattera said, “Our school districts did a great job, and I commend all of our teachers.”

Both are proponents of BOCES programs available to students with training young people for the careers in the trades.

Reproductive rights

Mattera is endorsing Congressman Lee Zeldin (R), and Berland is voting for current New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) in the governor’s race. 

Berland is afraid that Zeldin will repeal rights to an abortion in New York, and she feels that Hochul is the only gubernatorial candidate that will protect a woman’s right to choose, a decision she feels should be made among a woman, her family and doctor.

“Our reproductive rights and our rights in general are only as safe as the people who are sitting in the offices that make those decisions,” Berland said. “I would absolutely protect a woman’s right to choose.”

Mattera believes after speaking with Zeldin, that the latter will follow through on his promise not to overturn state law regarding abortion, and he himself would not vote to do so either. The state senator said his feelings on abortion is that it should be available if the pregnancy is a risk to a mother’s health or in the case of incest or rape, and if the woman is in the first trimester. He said if nothing’s wrong in the second or third trimester he has problems with a woman getting an abortion at that point.

Hochul v. Zeldin 

In addition to reproductive rights in the state, regarding voting for governor, Mattera also had an issue with health care workers losing their jobs if they weren’t vaccinated, which was a measure Hochul passed.

He added he feels the governor has not dealt with the recent migrants to NYC.

“What are they doing about all these people who are coming into New York state,” he said.

He added the “vibrant city” is going to get worse, and he wonders why the governor isn’t dealing with the issue.

He said there needs to be a process for migrants especially with recent drug problems. 

Berland disagreed and believes Hochul has done a good job since taking over office after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) stepped down.

“As a woman in government for 20 years, I see the difference in how women govern than men,” she said. “When there’s an issue that comes in front of her, she’s looking outside the box, she’s looking to try to fix those issues. There isn’t a single issue that she’s avoided since she started, that she got thrown in. And I think she’s hit the ground running.”

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