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The Lady Royals square off against Smithtown East Monday. Photo by Bill Landon
The Lady Royals square off against Smithtown East Monday. Photo by Bill Landon
The Lady Royals square off against Smithtown East Monday. Photo by Bill Landon
The Lady Royals square off against Smithtown East Monday. Photo by Bill Landon
The Lady Royals square off against Smithtown East Monday. Photo by Bill Landon
The Lady Royals square off against Smithtown East Monday. Photo by Bill Landon
The Lady Royals square off against Smithtown East Monday.
The Lady Royals square off against Smithtown East Monday. Photo by Bill Landon

By Bill Landon

Unlike high school varsity basketball, the Town of Brookhaven summer league has just one division for girls varsity basketball where the smallest school will face a much larger school at some point in the 10-game season. 

Such was the case Monday night, July 29, in the Mount Sinai High School gym where the Lady Royals of Port Jeff faced a much larger school, the Bulls of Smithtown East. Port Jeff, looking for that elusive first win, were valiantly unable to gain traction in falling to the Bulls 32-21. The win lifts Smithtown East to 6-2-1 with one game remaining.

 — Photos by Bill Landon

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File photo.

By Samantha Rutt

Comsewogue School District, along with at least six other Long Island districts, will see a new mascot ahead of the 2025-26 school year. Included is Half Hollow Hills East High School, previously the Thunderbirds, now known as the Red Hawks.

Following a New York State policy set back in April of 2023, New York became the 21st state to restrict Native-themed imagery in public schools, banning Native American-themed names, mascots and logos for all school districts in the state. Five L.I. districts have active lawsuits against the state in respect of the mascot ban.

Comsewogue, hitherto the Warriors, will don the “Spartan” as their official school mascot starting July 1, 2025. The decision for the Spartan came from a series of conversations within the district.

“The district formed a student committee,” said Matteo DeVincenzo, school district athletic director. “They came up with some names that each particular building liked, we then took all of those lists and put it together for parents, the community, staff members and everyone related to the community had an opportunity to vote on what they liked best — it was a very democratic way of deciding.”

Back in January the district began gathering “insight into what terms best represent Comsewogue” as per the school district’s website. In February, the district used the insights to gather additional information through a survey.

Then in April, the Comsewogue Leadership Team, composed of students from grades 3-12, narrowed the search down to five possible mascot/logo ideas: the Chargers, Cobras, Commanders, Spartans and Wolves. A vote was held in June to determine the winner.

“We narrowed it down to a top five list and from there, each day we’d would remove one. That was ultimately how the Spartans were selected,” DeVincenzo said.

Historical background

Before Europeans had ever stepped foot on Long Island, from present day St. James to Wading River and as far south as Gordon Heights, the Setalcott Nation once inhabited the lands. Within that territory lies Port Jefferson Station/Terryville, an area known to the Setalcotts as Comsewogue, meaning “place where paths come together.”

The Terryville-Comsewogue School District was formed in 1874, and the senior high school opened nearly a century later in 1971. The school district has prominently showcased its precolonial heritage along with its name, boasting the Warrior mascot.

“The Spartans are a part of Comsewogue history. Before we were the Warriors, we were the Spartans, before the high school came into existence. At JFK [middle school] we were the Spartans. I believe it was prior to 1972 that we were the Comsewogue Spartans,” DeVincenzo claimed.

As for this school year, Comsewogue School District will still be represented by the Warrior and looks to continue developing a logo and other fine-tuning before the Spartan is unveiled.

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Photo courtesy Town of Brookhaven

By Peter Sloniewsky

In recent years, Long Island has consistently dropped in population and seen an increase in age of senior residents as younger people move to other states.

According to a Feb. 29 Newsday report, between 2017 and 2022 the population of Long Island decreased by more than 110,000 residents. This is largely due to the high cost of living here. In a 2019 report from the Economic Policy Institute, a family of two adults and two children in the Nassau/Suffolk metro area would need to earn a combined $139,545 per year to live “comfortably.”

The cost-of-living index for Long Island is 147, or 47% higher than the national average, according to the Council for Community and Economic Research.

The area is known for its high property taxes, more than 60% of which go to one of the 124 school districts, each of which contains its own administration. While school property taxes are capped at either a 2% increase or at the inflation rate (whichever is lower), the combination of high property values and consistent school budget increases have continued to drive up taxes. Moreover, there is a $10,000 cap on deducting state and local taxes (known as SALT).

Beyond school taxes, a property tax bill also includes police costs, local governments and salaries for public employees. While a debate regarding the relationship between payment for government and educational services certainly exists, the result is clear — a relatively inaccessible financial environment for young homebuyers or renters.

While the 2023 national poverty level for a family of four is approximately $30,000 per year, indicating a 6% poverty rate on Long Island, local legislators have said that this is a vast underestimate. The real figure should be about $55,500 per year, according to a Newsday report, meaning about 20% of Long Islanders are “structurally poor.”

As Long Island’s population declines, except in some East End towns, the number of senior residents in the 65-plus age group has grown. That being said, if young people are to live here, options do exist.

First, trends are not identical across the area. Properties in the middle of the island are typically more affordable than those on shorelines, and towns in that area are generally more diverse.

The relationship between housing and renting is also important to consider. According to 2021 census data, the majority of renters on Long Island spend more than 30% of their income on rent in a sellers market. However, the median home price has consistently risen and is now greater than $600,000 as demand far outpaces supply.

The foremost solution is to save strategically. In a conversation with TBR News Media, Jolie Powell, of Jolie Powell Realty in Port Jefferson, said that her foremost advice to young buyers would be to “keep saving your money, [and to] hunker down on other items you’re purchasing, because the home is the most important asset. Save, save, save.” She recommended that young buyers in financially stressful situations search for properties in “up and coming” neighborhoods, and generally in the center areas of Long Island.

Powell also stated that grants and assistance were available, and that a strategic young buyer would seek them out. The Federal Housing Administration offers loans with as little as 3.5% down payments for homebuyers, with low closing costs and easy credit qualifying.

Beyond that, Nassau County offers grants to eligible first-time homebuyers, and Suffolk County has offered programs in the past for down payment assistance. Individual towns and other bodies of municipal government can also offer assistance, and organizations like the Long Island Housing Partnership have been touted by local governments as highly beneficial. These organizations can use the New York State Affordable Housing Corporation’s funds, which can be combined with additional county funds to assist buyers with purchases and improvements.

Ultimately, while Long Island’s high cost of living and elevated property taxes continue to drive younger residents away, strategic saving and available assistance programs offer some hope for those determined to make their home here, even as the population trends toward an older demographic.

In a late development, the Town of Brookhaven and Long Island Housing Partnership will launch on Aug. 1 a down payment assistance program, giving first-time homebuyers the opportunity to receive assistance up to $50,000 in down payment/closing costs toward the purchase of an eligible single-family home.

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Satellite image of the phytoplankton bloom. Photo courtesy NOAA

By Aidan Johnson

From a young age, children are taught that the ocean isn’t actually blue but is simply reflecting the color of the sky. However, the ocean recently took on a turquoise color not caused by the sky but by organisms called phytoplankton in the water.

Phytoplankton are tiny, commonly single-celled photosynthetic organisms in bodies of water that are carried by tides and currents and are too weak to swim against them.

Along the South Shore, all the way from Montauk to Brooklyn and spanning about 100 miles into the Atlantic Ocean, there is an algal bloom full of a specific type of phytoplankton called coccolithophores, explained Christopher Gobler, a professor at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University.

According to Gobler, this particular type of phytoplankton has a shell that’s made of calcium carbonate, which is the same substance that clam shells are made of, albeit to a much larger degree.

“What can happen is that after [the coccolithophores have] grown for a while, the shell begins to dissolve and then they might start dying off,” he said in an interview. “And so the coloration seems to be from the dissolution of that shell. It looks green, but it’s really just the interaction of the calcium carbonate with the seawater and the sunlight that collectively leads to that color.”

Gobler also clarified that the coccolithophores do not pose a direct health risk to sea life, but instead “fuel the food chain.”

“And so for the present time at least … we can call it a neutral deposit,” he said.

The bloom already seems to be dissipating, according to Gobler, which means that the sky will once again take credit for the water’s blue appearance.

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Photo by Raymond Janis

Unjustified dismantlement of West Meadow Beach cottages

I am writing in response to last week’s article concerning the new West Meadow Beach sign which memorializes the cottages that once stood there [“New West Meadow Beach sign evokes old controversy,” The Village Times Herald, July 25]. Like the sign, the article fails to reflect the more nuanced story of the West Meadow Beach cottages and their significance to our community. As someone deeply connected to this community, I must address the misrepresentations and the devastating loss we have suffered.

Steve Englebright [D-Setauket], the former state assemblyman [and current county legislator], has shown himself to be a disgrace. Even if his story from his 20s about landing on the beach and being chased away were true, his relentless pursuit to remove the beach cottages was an abuse of his office. Englebright’s personal crusade and the narrative he and his associates crafted used circumstantial evidence to paint a false picture of a community that I knew intimately.

The beach cottages were not the domain of a privileged few but a bucolic community of families who created memories and contributed to the fabric of Stony Brook. Englebright’s claim that “most of the people of Brookhaven Town were denied access to their own public land” is simply untrue. Instead of addressing a genuine community concern, he pursued a personal agenda with the help of a few local activists who exploited his political influence to achieve an extreme outcome.

Herb Mones, of the West Meadow Beach Advisory Committee and one of the privileged homeowners behind West Meadow Creek, pursued a hateful agenda rather than working with the community on solutions. His group started the first legal challenges against the cottages in 1991, resulting in rulings that public parkland didn’t belong to private interests. This act has torn a hole in our marvelous town and demonstrated a cruel use of legislation to destroy a special place for so many. Rather than seeking an alternative zoning plan to balance access and preservation, Englebright and his cohorts chose destruction.

Today, the strip of land where the cottages once stood is a barren wasteland, neglected and unprotected. The community that once thrived there is gone, and the town is poorer for it.

Englebright’s defeat from his Assembly seat is a small consolation, but he should be further removed from any position of power. His version of events starkly contrasts with the experiences of many other town residents. My stepfather, for instance, was welcomed and rescued by the cottage community when his boat ran ashore. Similarly, I witnessed my late father coming to the aid of a pilot who crashed his lightweight aircraft on the beach. We welcomed the pilot into our home, shared stories, and my father helped him repair his aircraft.

Englebright’s defensive claims and narrative paints a very different picture than The New York Times story from 2004 [www.nytimes.com/2004/06/27/nyregion/long-island-journal-cottages-at-west-meadow-beach-face-end.html] reflecting a community of caring residents who became legislative victims. Nancy Solomon, a folklorist and executive director of Long Island Traditions, rightly pointed out that the bungalows reflected local architectural tradition and that tearing them down was a loss of history. George Barber, president of the Brookhaven Bathing Association, feared that the removal of the cottages would lead to the beach becoming a garbage dump, which we now see happening.

If there is to be a second sign, it should inform the community of Englebright’s abuse of office and the destruction of a cherished treasure of the Three Villages. He and his cronies should be ashamed of themselves, and their actions will not be forgotten.

Jen Schaedel, Stony Brook

Editor’s note: Our front-page story covered the erection of a new sign at the beach and was not a detailed history of the cottages controversy, which was still discussed.

An alternative view of the West Meadow cottages controversy

Last week’s Village Times Herald article, “New West Meadow Beach sign evokes old controversy,” reminded me that it’s been 19 years since the beach liberation. 

Back then, our local newspaper was besieged with letters, including those from owners who promised dire consequences if the cottages were razed — arson, crimes, drugs, pollution and increased traffic. I was one of the people who wrote letters arguing that they must come down, and that the beach be returned to the public.

I thought back to a Brazilian trip where all the beaches were accessible to the public. No hotels or houses were built along the waterfront. A local explained to me that such building was illegal because beaches belong to the public, not the wealthy, would-be homeowners.

Here on Long Island we have a system where, generally, people of means reside on the waterfront and the rest of us share the places that remain public. The West Meadow Beach cottages were one of the worst examples of beachfront land abuse, because it was rented at a discount to those who “voted correctly.” And, yes, I was approached by more than one cottage owner who menacingly advised, “We know where you live.”

A champion of the beach reclamation was Herb Mones who first brought the issue to the taxpayers. And Steve Englebright will always be considered a heroic figure to me because he risked his career against overpowering odds and personal threats in order to do the right thing.

The dire predictions never materialized. No arson, crime, crack houses or increased traffic — just less sewage. It’s a joy seeing people taking that beautiful, serene walk on our peninsula, which is slowly evolving back to its natural state. 

Bruce Stasiuk, East Setauket

Horseshoe crabs need our help!

To readers of this newspaper there is good news about horseshoe crabs but your help is needed.

Legislation to prohibit the harvest of horseshoe crabs has passed the New York State Assembly and Senate (A10140/S3185-A) and awaits action by Gov. Kathy Hochul [D].

Please take a moment to urge her to sign the bill into law. You can do this by either:

1.  Calling her office at 518-474-8390.

2.  Sending a letter of support to:

The Honorable Kathy Hochul

Governor of New York State

New York State Capitol Building

Albany, NY 12224

3.  Going to this website: www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form and type in a comment in the message box.

We have never been closer to stopping the killing of tens of thousands of horseshoe crabs —NYS regulations allow baymen to kill 150,000 annually for bait — and your voice is needed.

Horseshoe crabs have declined significantly over the past several decades and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission earlier in 2024 determined that New York’s horseshoe crab fishery is in “poor condition” — the only state along the East Coast with this troubling designation. 

This poor condition is borne out by our personal experience: Who over the age of 50 doesn’t remember our bay and harbor bottoms once being filled with these iconic animals? This species, known as a living fossil, plays a vital role in the coastal ecosystem with their eggs being eaten by a number of migratory shorebird species, including the red knot which is protected by the federal Endangered Species Act. Their eggs are eaten by many fish species too and the adults are consumed by sea turtles, also listed and protected in the Endangered Species Act. 

There are bait alternatives baymen can use that have proven effective. Over the past 25 years about 3.6 million horseshoe crabs have been killed for bait. It’s time that New York joins our neighboring state Connecticut, which recently enacted a statewide ban on the taking of these living fossils and stops the slaughter. These fascinating animals deserve better. We call on Gov. Hochul to sign the ban into law. It is vital the governor hears from the public by expressing your support for the ban. Please contact Gov. Hochul today!

John Turner

Four Harbors Audubon Society

St. James

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Students are asked to craft a story inspired by the above sea glass fragment.

By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

Once a piece of glass falls in the ocean, the magic begins.

Given an opportunity to enter the Whaling Museum & Educational Center of Cold Spring Harbor’s sea glass fiction writing contest, students from around Long Island accepted the challenge, offering a dynamic, exciting and inspiring range of stories.

Students from third grade through high school looked at the same piece of glass and developed stories filled with literary devices like onomatopoeia (where a word, like “whack” comes from a sound), personification and more.

The narratives ran the gamut from tales of mermaids to creations of new mythology to a search for meaning and identity. 

Along the way, the writers seized on the opportunity to share the journey sea glass takes as it transitions from a sharp piece of glass into a smoother, colorful object.

Some of the stories offered vivid descriptions of the world beneath the waves, taking readers into a magnificent aquatic seascape.

Amid narratives about pirates and mermaids, some writers chose to address dramatic and challenging themes, weaving emotionally resonant stories that tackled broken families, alcoholism and infidelity.

As a judge for the contest, I was not only surprised by the directions these stories took, but was also appreciative of the combination of realism and fantasy that suffused the writing, the willingness to take chances, and the pieces of the writers I could hear through their imaginations.

The writers imagined the glass either as the centerpiece of an important story or as a passenger, observing the dynamics that define the way people interact.

Judging writing and fiction is a subjective process, with each judge bringing his or her own ideas to the process.

I’m glad I wasn’t the only judge and enjoyed the opportunity to consider why the readers at the Whaling Museum & Education Center of Cold Spring Harbor chose to rank the submissions in a particular order.

I invite TBR readers to immerse themselves in these entries and to enjoy the worlds these writers have created or, in some cases, reflected. You can see some of the entries in the Arts & Lifestyles section of this week’s papers.

As for the writers, I want to thank them for finding time in their lives to share their ideas and to create their own stories.

In a contest in which third through fifth graders could write up to 500 words, sixth through eighth graders, 750 words, and high schoolers, 1,000 words, they developed stories, backdrops and themes that offered complete narratives and that carried readers off the page.

I particularly appreciate how these writers found the time to prepare and submit an entry. Student lives are filled with activities and assignments. Homework, required reading, chores, and sports and theater practices, to name a few, fill busy schedules that rarely leave them time to add an extra assignment or challenge to their calendars.

And, of course, social media and virtual communication often require regular check-ins and updates. The modern-day student, after all, can’t take too long to answer an urgent text from a friend at the risk of becoming less of a confidant or of sliding down the social hierarchy.

And yet, somehow, even with the importance of staying plugged in, none of the sea glass stories included references to social media and none was told through the prism of a social media world.

I hope the students enjoyed the opportunity to write something outside the context of a graded assignment and that they reveled in the freedom to go in any direction, imagine any characters, and create excitement or drama that appealed to them.

As for what’s next, the museum plans to run the competition next year, giving new entrants the opportunity to unleash their imaginations.

Many of the stories shared similarities with the sea glass itself: they shined in the distance, becoming increasingly interesting on closer inspection.

See pages B13 to B16 for the winning entries.

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Pixabay photo

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief,
Publisher

Here are a couple of tidbits from the news that I think are worth sharing with you. 

First, good news for those who dislike having to endure colonoscopies, which I guess is all of us. A relatively recent diagnostic, this test has proven highly effective against colorectal cancers, but it essentially takes away two days from our lives: the day to prep by cleaning out the colon with a mighty laxative, an unpleasant procedure on its own, and then the afternoon to recover from the anesthesia at the end.

The FDA has now approved a simple blood test for detecting colon cancer when it is in the early stages and most likely can be cured. This is even easier than the fecal sample test, which is in turn easier than a colonoscopy but is not the most aesthetically pleasing.

The blood test, however, also leaves something to be desired. It has a poor record of finding precancerous growths, which a colonoscopy detects. These can be removed before they become malignant, but they have to be discovered.

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the United States, with 53,000 deaths expected this year. My father was among those felled by this disease many years ago, and had he lived long enough to have the benefit of the various diagnostic tests, his life might not have ended as it did. 

The idea is to have as many people over 45 tested as possible, and the blood test, called Shield by Guardant, can discover 87 percent of cancers that are at an early stage. But it only found 13 percent of large polyps. There is a false positive rate of 10 percent. Nonetheless, this is an advance in detection and perhaps an encouragement to be checked. As many as 50 percent of those who should be are not. For more information on this, look up the New York Times story published on Tuesday, July 30 or the New England Journal of Medicine on March 13 of this year.

Another interesting bit of news is the popularity of portable solar panels that cost some $217 each and work by plugging in to an electrical socket to give the home energy. They can be hung over the railing of a balcony or installed in yards and they are taking over the landscape in some towns in Germany. Each panel only produces enough electricity to power a small refrigerator, a laptop or even a portable air-conditioner in a bedroom. More than 500,000 of the systems have been set up, adding 10 percent more solar energy capacity to the country. Two-thirds of those were installed on buildings,“like hanging wet laundry in Italy,” commented one owner.

Part of the incentive for Germany is to move away from their dependence on Russian natural gas. It is also a great satisfaction for the people employing these systems to be taking steps toward providing a better environment. Most of the solar panels are made in China, although some, of lesser grade, are manufactured in Europe. These plug-in systems send the direct current (DC) produced by the panels from the sun to an inverter, which changes it to an alternating current (AC). Then they can be plugged into a conventional wall socket and feed power to the home. There are videos online explaining how these panels work and how to use them. Complete sets, which can be bought in big box stores, include mountings, an inverter, and cables, double the price.

A helpful concurrent development has been the small scale batteries that allow the panel users to store some electricity that can then be used in the evenings or when the sun is not shining. My guess is that before long, we will see those panels appear here.

The last item that caught my eye was about corn. Now, I love corn, especially on the cob. I enjoyed a lot of it fresh from the fields when my family visited relatives in the Catskills in my early years. Turns out, it’s a pretty healthy vegetable, if starchy, that is loaded with fiber. And fiber is good for us. It can even lower colon cancer risk.

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From left, James Loglisci, Suffolk County Department of Health Services; Mark Long, Suffolk County Department of Health Services; Supervisor Dan Panico; Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich and Deputy Suffolk County Health Commissioner, Anthony Figliola. Photo courtesy of TOB
From left, Brookhaven Suffolk County Health Commissioner Anthony Figliola, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico and Brookhaven Town Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich. Photo courtesy of TOB

On July 30, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico and Brookhaven Town Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich  joined Deputy Suffolk County Health Commissioner, Anthony Figliola  and James Loglisci and Mark Long from the Suffolk County Department of Health Services at Brookhaven Town’s Port Jefferson Marina to review and learn about the Suffolk County Marine Water Quality Monitoring program.

The Suffolk County Office of Ecology routinely monitors the quality of marine surface waters throughout Suffolk County as part of various environmental and management programs. These activities were initiated in 1976 under the “208 Study” (Section 208 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972), a comprehensive water quality management program calling for the development of a plan to meet established water quality goals.

“Suffolk County’s Marine Monitoring Program is as interesting as it is impressive. Far more is known now than decades ago about the health of our waters and the sources of degradation. While there is a great deal of work to be done, the continual measuring to obtain metrics of the conditions is essential to understanding and improving our water quality. Port Jefferson and Setauket Harbors are two beautiful and treasured features of Brookhaven Town, and we appreciate the partnership with Suffolk County,” said Supervisor Panico.

“Thank you to Anthony Figliola and the Suffolk County Health Department for continuing to keep a close eye on the waters of Port Jefferson and Setauket. Today, Supervisor Panico and I joined the County’s team to test various sites in and around the harbor complex. They are out on the water all year round, in all weather, taking samples and testing to make sure contaminants and algae are being monitored at all times. Thank you to these hard-working men for your role in protecting public health and our maritime environment!” added Councilmember Kornreich.

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Political banner on the balcony of the Frigate ice cream and confection store. Photo by Lynn Hallarman

By Lynn Hallarman

A lawsuit upheld in 2022 a local business owner’s right to display a political banner, and now raises questions about municipal control over sign safety and aesthetics. The same sign, “In Trump We Trust,” is back up again.

In 2013, then Port Jefferson Village Mayor Margot Garant knew she had a problem — a proliferation of cheaply made signs cluttering the village’s visual look. Some signs were made of flimsy plastic, pressboard or haphazardly tacked up to storefronts. Some were waving in the breeze, at risk of flying off a facade or airlifting skyward off a property lawn. Others were just unsightly. 

Garant and the trustees decided to revise the village code to help business owners have more choices as a first step to cleaning up junky and unsafe signs. 

‘We had many work sessions to improve the code and make businesses feel like they had options,” Garant said. “Uptown was a sign disaster, but we made progress cleaning up storefronts in line with the village’s character overall.” 

Garant found the sign issue perennial and hard to keep up with. New businesses were easier to manage, but for some older establishments compliance with sign rules felt like government overreach. A few businesses ignored the permitting process altogether or accepted a fine as the price of doing business, according to Garant.

Then, in 2020, George Wallis, from Nissequogue, and the decades-long owner of the property housing the Frigate ice cream/confectionary store and The Steam Room restaurant in the village, used the location to express his support for former President Donald Trump (R). 

Wallis hung an oversized banner containing a political statement off the second-story balcony of the Frigate, a prominent spot at the bustling intersection of East Broadway and Main Street. The building is directly across from the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry terminal, making the display hard to miss. 

From the perspective of village officials, the banner violated several village sign requirements and Wallis did not apply for a permit. 

For one thing, the banner has Goliath-size proportions relative to the dimensions of the two-story Lilliputian-style building. Banners affixed to buildings are not allowed per the code and the pliable plastic material used does not comport with the aesthetic standards of the code. Village officials also worried that the oversized banner, strung across the building’s second-floor balcony, was a driving distraction, as it faces west directly into a three-way intersection — with pedestrians, oftentimes, dashing across the road. Officials wanted it taken down. 

Wallis had wrestled previously with the village government over an unpermitted political sign and had it taken down, but this time he refused to budge.

So the village escalated the situation to a legal remedy in the courts in hopes that he would back down, according to Garant. Wallis, instead, hired a lawyer and fought the charges leveraged against his business entities.

But in several interviews for this story with Garant and current Mayor Lauren Sheprow, opinions from municipal legal experts and a review of publicly available documents suggest that the legal battle, which Wallis won using a free-speech argument, has hamstrung the village’s ability to enforce its sign code and established a legal precedent allowing any person or business to erect a prohibited sign if the content is political. 

The legal complaint

A series of legal briefs filed in 2020 and 2021 by then deputy village attorney Richard Harris, for the Village of Port Jefferson, accused several business entities owned by Wallis of violating local sign ordinances. According to documents reviewed by TBR News Media, these entities allegedly failed to apply for permits and displayed signs of prohibited type, size and material. 

The briefs detail the hanging of two signs in different time frames containing political speech: “In Trump We Trust” and “Impeach Cuomo,” referring to the then New York governor. The charges did not pertain to the banners’ political content, which is protected under the First Amendment’s right to free speech.

Still, Wallis’ attorneys claimed the alleged accusations violated his right to free speech and requested dismissal of the case.

Harris argued, in a nutshell, that Wallis needed to follow the village sign code like everyone else. 

In July 2022, the Honorable Tara Higgins, judge of the village Justice Court, ruled in favor of Wallis, stating that the village’s arguments defending sign ordinances regarding aesthetics, safety and permitting were “unconvincing.”

Village withdraws legal appeal 

Harris submitted a legal appeal, reviewed by TBR News Media, to the Appellate Term of the New York Supreme Court arguing that the judge’s arguments were poorly reasoned and ignored legal precedent regarding a municipality’s ability to govern signs.

According to the New York State Division of Local Government Services, local governments may impose reasonable “time, place and manner” restrictions on speech to set forth the circumstances under which signs may be displayed. Obscene content is not allowed.

“All I can say is that based on the United States Supreme Court precedent, the village can enforce its code against the sign like that,” Mark Cuthbertson, lawyer and municipal legal expert, told TBR in a phone interview. 

He added, “If that’s the village’s policy going forward, based on this legal decision, someone can put up a huge Kamala Harris banner wherever [and however] they want.” He noted that other municipalities may face similar challenges to their sign code rules based on this new legal precedent, which seems to allow political signs to bypass municipal sign ordinances. 

The Sheprow administration subsequently withdrew the village appeal, stating that it “wanted a fresh start” and planned to take “steps against any sign code violations” regardless of the sign’s content.

Reactions from the public

TBR spoke with several patrons on the weekend of July 20-21 near the Frigate to gauge their opinions on the newly-placed banner with the same political message that was displayed in 2020. 

Most expressed approval using descriptors such as “delighted,” “ecstatic” and “in favor.” One woman thanked me for reminding her to take a picture of the banner for her Facebook page. She loved the sign. 

The general sentiment among those surveyed was that the banner represented an expression of free speech and that the village needed to “chill out,” as one supporter put it. Others noted that the village seemed to be enforcing its sign code selectively, singling out the Frigate for sanctions while similar style banners are hung undisturbed throughout downtown Port Jeff. In 2020 press reports, Wallis surrogates had voiced this belief of selective enforcement, suggesting that the village’s actions were driven solely by the banner’s political message. 

Wallis has consistently declined to speak with the press. TBR did not receive a response, either, from the Frigate’s store manager for comment.

During a casual stroll around the village, this reporter identified about seven prohibited banners across various businesses, though these banners contained nonpolitical messages. 

Most of the complaints about the current Frigate banner are directed to the village Town Hall or The Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, according to Sheprow. These complaints primarily concern the political content, accusing the village of allowing it to remain. However, the village never had or wanted control over the political content, even before Wallis’ victory in court. 

“The village is nonpartisan,” Sheprow said. “The village would never enter into an endorsement situation or sanction the political speech of any candidate.”

As of writing, village officials have moved to cite all businesses, many for the first time, which are displaying code-prohibited banner-type signs. 

“Personal notifications went out today, including to Mr. Wallis’ business entities,” Sheprow said. 

Many prohibited banners have already been removed to date. As at press time, the Frigate banner was still hanging from the building.

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Town of Brookhaven’s town hall. File photo

By Ava Himmelsbach

The July 18 Town of Brookhaven Board meeting consisted of discussions regarding local concerns, happenings and authorizations.

The board reclassified certain local events as programs for public good. With the town as a co-sponsor, these events would qualify for coverage under the public good insurance.

Discussed as a potential program for public good was the Bethel Hobbs Community Farm Run the Farm event in Centereach.

“This would be Saturday, Aug. 10,” Councilman Neil Manzella (R-Selden) noted. “This is a fantastic event to help bring money and awareness back to the only farm in the 3rd District, I would say, and probably one of the only farms in the middle of the island like that. It is a fantastic farm, [and it] does a lot of [good] for the community, so come on and give a little back. Go on a nice 4-mile run — it’s very popular — [as] most runs are a 5K. This is actually a legitimate 4-mile run, [on] very hilly roads. It draws a huge crowd who partake in it, and we have a great time every year.”

The board voted unanimously to approve this classification for the farm. Manzella, along with the Bethel Hobbs Community Farm, has high hopes for this fun, summer event. He added that he will be playing a managing role in this gathering: “I will run the event, I will not run in the event. How’s that!”

The National Night Out event, scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 6, was also considered an event for public good.

This night will consist of multiple free events across Brookhaven. Hosted by the town and Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, this event will bring local law enforcement out to host activities and run various displays.

“They’re all convenient to every council district, and we hope that everybody chooses to participate in one,” Councilwoman Jane Bonner (R-Rocky Point) said. “It’s always a really fun family night, it really is.” The vote regarding the town’s sponsorship and insurance coverage for these events was unanimous.

The board also voted to accept $3,100 in funds donated to the town from the Three Village Dads Foundation for the Gerard Reggio Plaque. “I want to thank the Three Village Dads,” Supervisor Dan Panico (R) said. “That foundation is doing a lot of great work in the Town of Brookhaven, and also helping out Stony Brook Children’s Hospital quite a bit. It’s great work. If you’re watching and you are from Three Village Dads, we thank you.”

Other actions that were approved included the town’s sponsorship and classification of the Shakespeare in the Park and Suffolk County Youth Bureau Division’s Bilingual Drug and Alcohol Education, Prevention and Awareness Presentation events as programs for public good, along with the acceptance of a donation from Canvus of six benches made from recycled materials of wind turbines. These benches will be installed at various town facilities.

Despite decisions on approvals and authorizations involving property planning and contracts specific to local businesses, the popular topics for local families and individuals were largely relating to the town’s public good insurance coverage and classification of local events and happenings. As made clear by these talking points, Brookhaven residents have much to look forward to in the month of August.

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