Driving to work in the morning, we may brace ourselves for the pothole that, day-after-day, violently shakes our car as we drive over it. However, one day to our delight, we notice it is filled with smooth asphalt. Then, we may decide to stop for coffee at a recently opened shop before heading to work. We take a detour to avoid traffic near a new housing development.
From the pothole, to the new coffee shop, to the traffic, the rhythms of our days are shaped by our elected officials and the decisions they make on behalf of the community.
As the conduit for local news, we hear residents’ opinions on development, infrastructure, funding, open space, historical preservation, economic growth and policy. These issues are constantly topics of discussion, and rightfully so. The decisions our town and village officials make in these areas shape our lives: where we shop and live,and how much we pay in taxes. We all have opinions on the decisions local officials make. June 17 is the day we can act.
Our local elected officials have the power to make changes that could impact us for years after they leave office. As their constituents, we are their guides and as voters we choose and empower the decision-makers. What do we want our community’s future to look like and which candidate will take us there?
We give local elections less thought and focus, especially when compared to the highly publicized federal elections. Over half of eligible voters turn out for federal elections while fewer than a quarter vote in local elections.
In May, residents voted on their district’s budget, and if there were available seats on the board, for school board trustees. In the Huntington Union Free School District, only about 1,000 residents voted out of the 24,000 registered voters in the district, according to the district website. That amounts to around 4%.
School board trustees could have a significant impact on the quality of education and programming. What the children in that district learn, what clubs they join, and what amenities the building offers can be altered by school boards. Our elections have concrete implications, not only during a two or four-year term, but in decades to follow.
This month, we are voting for the mayor and trustees of Port Jefferson Village and for town supervisor and several board members for the towns of Smithtown and Huntington. In November, we will vote for our congress members, assembly members and senators.
To work towards what we envision for our community, and to protect the parts we value, we must do our part and vote.
From left, Barbara Tyler with guide Cathy Duffy. Photo by Beverly C. Tyler
An item on view at the Mather House Museum. Photo by Beverly C. Tyler
An item on view at the Mather House Museum. Photo by Beverly C. Tyler
An item on view at the Mather House Museum. Photo by Beverly C. Tyler
An item on view at the Mather House Museum. Photo by Beverly C. Tyler
By Beverly C. Tyler
Driving along Main Street in Port Jefferson, turn east onto East Main Street and bear right at the historic Biddle fountain reproduction onto Prospect Street. On your left at number 115is the home of the Historical Society of Greater Port Jefferson in the John R. Mather house and grounds. Mather was a famous shipbuilder in Port Jefferson and a descendant of local shipbuilders. He built the home in the 1840s and added the present front of the house in the 1860s. His son John T. Mather bequeathed funds to create a community hospital. The J.T. Mather Memorial Hospital opened on New Year’s Eve 1929.
My wife Barbara and I were welcomed to the house by guide Cathy Duffy who began with the 1860s parlor filled with period pieces, maritime paintings and artifacts. The next room, listed as the library, includes a wonderful collection of half-hull models used as one of the first steps in ship design and construction. One of these half-hull models is of the schooner yacht “Wanderer” which was built in East Setauket in 1857 and became an infamous slaver, transporting more than 600 enslaved Africans from the west coast of Africa to Jekyll Island, Georgia in 1858.
In the next room, in a case labeled “Recent Acquisitions” is a painting of the “Wanderer.” This room, guide Duffy noted, is the main exhibit room for the 2025 exhibit “Treasures From Our Attic.” The “treasures” here also include hand-made quilts, costumes, samplers, and three dresses. The most interesting item was a paper dress made for an 1876 masquerade party. The dress was constructed from current issues of Harper’s Weekly and was worn by the party hostess, Mrs. James E. Bayles. Engraved pictures showing scenes of the day decorated almost every inch of space on her dress. The other two dresses are a wedding dress and a Campfire Girl’s uniform labeled “Woodgatherers.” It includes a beaded necklace of “badges” earned.
The grounds and buildings include a tool shed with maritime tools and artifacts, the Dr. R. Sherman Mills general store and post office, and a replica of a sail loft on the lower level. The archival building includes a large collection of documents and photographs which is available to researchers by appointment.
For me, the number one attraction on the grounds is the Spinney Clock Building, which was added to the property in 2000. Inside are more than 200 magnificent clocks donated to the historical society by Tex Spinney. The collection ranges from tall grandfather clocks to mantle clocks with beautiful hand-painted scenes. A grandfather clock, made by Tiffany, is nine feet six inches high with a fully carved case. A black marble astronomical clock includes a barometer and calendar and a mouse clock strikes “hickory, dickory, dock.” Volunteer clock enthusiasts from the Spinney Clock Collector’s Guild maintain the collection and offer classes in the care and repair of antique and newer timepieces.
When you visit the John Richard Mather house, be sure to pick up the three free “Historic Walking Tour guides that describe the homes, sites, businesses and features of the historic Port Jefferson downtown and harbor areas. Each guide covers a specific concentrated area with a minimum of walking, so enjoy this area, rich in history and beauty.
Mather’s home, the surrounding museum buildings and the consignment shop are open Wednesday –Sunday 12-4 P.M. through October 5th.
Beverly Tyler is Three Village Historical Society historian and author of books available from the Three Village Historical Society, 93 North Country Rd., Setauket, NY 11733. Tel: 631-751-3730. WWW.TVHS.org
In 2025, Brood XIV of periodical cicadas are emerging across the eastern United States. This specific brood is among the three largest of all the periodical cicada broods, which famously emerge every 17 years. Beyond its size, this brood is not unique in any biological manner, although it was the first observed by European settlers in the Plymouth Colony.
Cicadas courtesy of Three Village resident, Herman Warner. Photo by Beth Heller Mason
Broods of cicadas emerge every 17years: the length of time that is required for the cicadas to grow into adulthood. These broods are categorized by their generally synchronized emergence timing, although stragglers are also important for continued genetic diversity and interbreeding between broods.
University of Connecticut entomologist Chris Simon emphasized the prevalence of misconceptions surrounding that 17-year period.
“They don’t hatch out of the ground; they hatched from eggs in tree branches seventeen years ago,” Simon wrote in an email. “They are not sleeping underground, they are actively growing and passing through five juvenile stages.”
Simon also addressed some other misconceptions about the insects while elaborating on their environmental importance.
“They will benefit the local environment by fertilizing the soil, and feeding birds, turtles, snakes, fish… etc. above ground and soil invertebrates and moles underground,” Simon wrote. “Periodical cicadas are not dangerous… we are much more of an imposition on them, clearing their trees and building asphalt parking lots on top of them.”
She added: “They don’t fly around in large groups and they don’t ‘emerge in writhing masses.’”
Three Village resident Herman Werner said he had noticed an unusual number of cicadas on his property, but noted that their impact had indeed been minimal.
“They don’t really bother anything,” Werner said. “[They] just get louder as the day gets warmer.”
Simon stressed that people should try to enjoy the moment of emergence rather than considering the cicadas a threat.
“Rather than thinking of them as alarming or ‘annoying,’ think of having a ‘David Attenborough special’ in your own backyard,” Simon said. “They don’t invade. They have been there the whole time, quietly feeding on roots underground.”
Simon also added an anecdote about the origin of the insects’ scientific name.
“Avoid saying things like a certain area of the country was ‘spared’ from a ‘Magicicada’ emergence!” Simon wrote. “Rather, those areas were denied the spectacle! Periodical cicadas are ‘magical’; that is why they were renamed ‘Magiciada.’”
Left to right: Kathianne Snaden, Lauren Sheprow, Mathew Franco, Robert Juliano and Julie Vitrano. Photo by Sabrina Artusa
By Sabrina Artusa
In anticipation of the June 17 vote, five candidates assembled at the Port Jefferson Village Center for a meet-the-candidates night, where they spoke on pressing village concerns and their leadership priorities.The mayoral seat and two trustee seats are open, as Mayor Lauren Sheprow and trustee Robert Juliano’s two-year terms are at an end and each are up for reelection.
The event, sponsored by the Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce and the Civic Association of Port Jefferson, allowed each candidate to answer previously submitted questions from residents, with topics ranging from the East Beach Bluff Stabilization Project to transparency and communication.
Incomers Matthew Franco and Julie Vitrano are also vying for a trustee seat left vacant with the exit of Stan Louks. Franco has 10 years of experience in construction, is an occupational therapist and has worked with disabled children. “Most importantly, I want to bring honestly and integrity and decency back into village government,” he said
Vitrano is a real estate agent and mother of three sons. With her 20-years experience in the real estate industry, Vitrano said she is knowledgeable about code compliance and mindful of commercial development. ”Yes, I am a real-estate agent but that doesn’t mean I want to overbuild”, she said.
Juliano is finishing his first term, during which he was deputy mayor, commissioner of the Department of Public Works and liaison for the Parks and Recreation Advisory Counsel, Conservation Advisory Council and the Citizens Committeeof Erosion. He was previously a clerk for the Village of Westbury and an administrator for the Village of Port Jefferson.
Former deputy mayor and two-term trustee, Kathianne Snaden is challenging Sheprow for mayor. In 2023, Sheprow defeated Snaden for the role, but Snaden said she is running to continue the service and to “bring back the heart and soul of the community.”
“At the end of this meeting,” Snaden said. “I think you will see that I am not only prepared to become mayor, but am already doing the work.”
As her term came to a close, Sheprow reviewed her policies and actions from the past two years and reiterated her position on issues such as the East Beach Bluff, the country club, flooding and transparency. She is the daughter of former Mayor Harold Sheprow and has raised her three children in the area. “Port Jefferson is on a better path because we have done the hard work together,” she said. “I am running for reelection because there is more to do.”
Development and schools
Candidates emphasize collaboration with the school district, which is facing declining enrollment and the loss of LIPA’s tax contributions. With many of the candidates having children that attended the district, they acknowledged its tremendous
To promote economic growth, Snaden spoke of several programs, such as an incentive initiative that would encourage residents to shop in the village through monthly events, a punch card, or a village-specific app that serves as a guide for residents and tourists while also promoting businesses.
Sheprow, who created the Economic Opportunity Task Force, said shop-front vacancies aren’t as big an issue as the larger vacancies like the Gap building and McDonalds might suggest, with the real number being around 9%. The task force works with the Business Improvement District to determine what shops would be appropriate.
In 2013, the village created a comprehensive plan intended to guide village development for the following two decades. However, Sheprow said it may need an upgrade: an idea reiterated by Juliano, who said uptown development was one of the three major concerns in the village.
“We can make all the plans we want but we have to make sure to put them into place,” he said, promising to work with Planning Commissioner Andrew Freeling to get uptown “to what we want.” A plan could help guide developers and provide a framework for unity in the village, balancing both respect for the village’s history and intentional progress.
“We have to make sure they bring in businesses that are going to attract people to the community and revitalize some of Port Jefferson,” Franco said
“I can only name five rental offices or spaces that are vacant,” said Vitrano. She added that more festivals and events throughout the year would help “bring the society back to the village”.
Bluff and country club
Of the candidates, Franco was alone in speaking definitively against proceeding with the bluff project. He argued the town was simply buying time against the inevitable environmental deterioration of the area. “The real problem is that we are never going to beat Mother Nature…I don’t think we should spend millions of dollars of hard-earned taxpayer money to buy time,” he said, noting the continuing maintenance the wall would require.
Juliano, the liaison for the Citizens Committee on Erosion, said they are meeting with engineers every two weeks and waiting for their proposed plan for the final stage of the bluff project.“We don’t know what the other part of the project will look like,” he said. After those results come in, they will make an educated decision. Sheprow confirmed: they do not know what the following steps will constitute.
Vitrano, on the other hand, said she does not believe Phase I should have been approved without a “clear plan from the engineers.” Since it began, she said, the project has been entrenched with “questionable spending” and called for a public referendum before Phase II is considered. She stated needing to look at reports before making a decision on future bluff projects.
Snaden argued the public was not involved enough throughout the process and that the current board is not truly exploring all options. The additional fiscal stress from losing LIPA’s contributions to the tax base concerns Snaden, so she said embarking on the expensive bluff project may not be in the village’s best interest.
Juliano said they don’t even know how much the next phase will cost, and the loss of long-term revenue from the country club should be taken into account when weighing the monetary pros and cons.
Juliano said she is not committed to the bluff project and does not “have a plan ready yet” as she continues reviewing documents and plans with the engineering firm GEI. “We are challenging the engineering firm on every level,” she said, adding that she welcomes her constituents asking “the tough questions.”
With Lessing’s Hospitality Group entering a new contract to lease the Port Jefferson Country Club, Franco protested the lack of stipulations requiring a restaurant; he listed the contract as one of the village’s three major issues. “There is no pressure to operate a restaurant…and we will be choked by that contract for a very long time,” he said.
Snaden said the club “must become a self-sustaining community asset.” Lessing’s contract is doing just that, according to Sheprow, who said the previous contract was an “exhaustive liability” and Lessing’s, who operates restaurants at parks like Sunken Meadow State Park, is “committed to doing something really good.”
Transparency
Sheprow said she initially wanted to run after not being included in a vote on a $10 million bond during a time Snaden was on the board. Snaden responded that several public sessions were held before the vote took place. However, Sheprow criticized the lack of conversation and openness of the town hall at that time. “There was a lack of fiscal management [and] a lack of town hall,” Sheprow said.
Snaden and Franco said Sheprow has not made vital bluff reports accessible to the Citizen’s Commission on Erosion, delaying the completion of their interim report. Franco said the reason for the delay is because the report advised for moving the building back. Jiuliano acknowledged a delay in providing some reports, but said they were going to hear the report the next day and will post it online thereafter.
Increasing the accessibility of village hall is a point of pride for Sheprow, Snaden and Juliano, who host sit-downs once a month where residents can speak about their concerns or ask questions.
Snaden addressed an accusation that she unethically accepted money from the village taxpayers for photographs she took of the Dickens Festival; however, she said she recused herself from the vote that resulted in a village payment to her and it was included on the auditor’s report. “Everything was done in public,” she said.
The upcoming election is preceded by fierce campaigning and fiery online and public discourse that was alluded to several times during the event. Before introducing himself, Franco condemned the “slanderous nonsense” and accused Vitrano of causing his family embarrassment.
Vitrano, in her closing statement, made similar claims, saying members of the village were attempting to coerce her to not run. She said, “I’ve been told what to say, what not to say, who I should associate with and even who not to be friends with.”
“This is not how our community works,” she said. “This is not how democracy should operate. This is nonsense and it needs to stop, no matter who wins this election.”
Snaden promised to revamp the public safety department if elected. “Currently we don’t have a public safety department,” Snaden said. “Our former code enforcement that prioritizes public safety and the safety of our community now focuses on parking tickets and building code violations. I want to bring an all new public safety department to our village.”She said she would also promote collaboration with the Suffolk County Police Department. Vetrano agreed a bigger police presence is necessary.
Juliano told the audience that, by law, the code enforcement cannot pull vehicles over. Sheprow said that enforcing the ordinances is an essential part of ensuring the code and that the village recently hired 11 new officers. “There are plenty of ordinances to enforce in our village code so they have their hands full,” she said.
The election is on June 17 at the Port Jefferson Village Center from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The first-place winning photo by Steven Zaitz at the Press Club of Long Island Awards.
By TBR staff
TBR News Media won its first two Press Club of Long Island awards in the history of the organization on June 5, as photographer and sportswriter Steven Zaitz won both first and second place for Best Sports Photography.
Steven Zaitz at the Press Club of Long Island awards ceremony. Photo courtesy Steven Zaitz
Competing with Long Island multimedia behemoth and 10th largest paper in the U.S., Newsday, Zaitz’s two photos, named “Laxing Gravity” and “Loose Ball Blues”, took gold and silver in the category. A winner of 15 New York Press Association awards, 13 for photography and two for Sportswriter of the Year since 2020, Zaitz was ecstatic to have been able to not only win against the stiff competition, but win twice.
“I was shocked because Newsday has so many talented photographers and their high school sports coverage is so good and voluminous,” Zaitz said. “Plus, there are so many quality papers and photographers in addition to Newsday that win consistently at NYPA, so I’m honored to have won both of these prizes. I am also thrilled for our organization and hope that this is just the first two of many for TBR News Media.”
The contest was judged by the San Diego Society of Professional Journalists and took place at The Fox Hollow country club in Woodbury. Many recognizable Long Island media stars were on hand, as Antoinette Biordi and Shari Einhorn, both of News12 Long Island, hosted and took turns calling out the winners. National baseball writer and Newsday-based David Lennon won first place for Best Sport Feature about a Hofstra alumna and professional baseball umpire Jen Pawol, and Newsday TV reporter Virginia Huie won nine awards in total, including top prize for the prestigious Video Reporter of the Year award.
John Hildebrand, senior education writer for Newsday; Ellen Mitchell, a reporter for WCBS Newsradio; and Timothy Bolger, the editor-in-chief of both the Long Island Press and Dan’s Papers, were inducted into the Long Island Journalism Hall of Fame during this year’s ceremony.
The second-place winning photo by Steven Zaitz at the Press Club of Long Island Awards.
Held since 1982, the PCLI awards ceremony has recognized excellence in Long Island journalism for over 40 years and they hand out several scholarships to high school content creators. The Stony Brook Statesman won gold for Best College Newspaper and The Stony Brook Press won top prize for Best Magazine — an award that is open to all Long Island publications, professional as well as student-run entities. Overall, Stony Brook University won 17 PCLI awards.
Zaitz’s top two photos ran on the front page of The Times of Huntington on April 18, 2024, and Feb. 8, 2024 respectively. Laxing Gravity depicts Northport High School boys lacrosse player Logan Cash lifted out of the air and sandwiched belligerently by two opposing Ward Melville High School players. Loose Ball Blues was taken at the Commack High School gym during the fourth quarter of an intense boys basketball game. Evan Kay of Commack, currently a pitcher on the Stony Brook University baseball team, and Northport’s Brendan Fenlon, who starred for the Tigers hoops and volleyball teams, are at each other’s throats to corral a loose ball. The judges commented only on Zaitz’s first-place winner:
“In an extremely competitive category, the winner had it all: artful composition, color, and focus, resulting in a photo that captured the movement and physical, as well as sporting and visual impact of the moment.”
Zaitz’s approach has stayed consistent over his career, always searching for angles that offer a fresh perspective.
“My process during a game shoot is to look for a vantage point that is not often seen,” said Zaitz, who has been a freelancer for TBR for five years. “I make educated guesses on where I think the highest drama is likely to take place and I am constantly moving around, searching for the best light, or background, or emotion.”
TBR News Media Publisher and Editor in Chief Leah S. Dunaief is proud that the paper now has Long Island recognition to go along with its long history of success at the New York State level.
“Steven Zaitz makes us proud to feature his photography, both for its action and professionalism,” Dunaief said. “He not only captures the right moment but also the human striving that makes his pictures glow.”
Attendees of the BLARG rally on June 9. Photo by William Stieglitz.
BLARG cofounder Monique Fitzgerald. Photo by William Stieglitz
William Kokell, speaking on behalf of South Country Peace Group. Photo by William Stieglitz
By William Stieglitz
On Monday, June 9, the Brookhaven Landfill Action and Remediation Group (BLARG) rallied outside the Brookhaven Town Hall in Farmingville to call for the closure of the Brookhaven landfill and the development of “zero -waste” solutions. Pollution from the landfill, activists argued, has endangered the health and safety of those in North Bellport, where the landfill is located, and that its closure would provide both environmental and economic benefits.
“This landfill has been with our community for fifty plus years,” said BLARG co-founder Monique Fitzgerald. She introduced herself as a proud descendant of the Setalcott Nation, which originally occupied Brookhaven’s land, and described the landfill in the minority community as “a monument to environmental racism.” The closure of the landfill, she said, had been repeatedly promised since the 1980s, but each time the landfill had been expanded instead. “It is 270 feet tall. It’s one of the tallest structures in Suffolk County.” According to Fitzgerald, Brookhaven Town Councilman Michael Loguercio (R, Ridge) had previously said the landfill would close in 2024.
Loguercio said, “The landfill is forecasted to close sometime in 2028, consistent with our plan” and argued activists were spreading the false impression it could be closed sooner. He also said that as a Gold Star Family member, he objected to the setting of the rally, a memorial for fallen soldiers outside the town hall, being used for what he considered a “fanciful charade.”
William Kokell, however, who spoke at the rally as a veteran and as a member of the South Country Peace Group, said the landfill had become too large, and swift action needed to be taken to protect children’s lives. “I’ve been all over the Pacific Ocean, all over a lot of Southeast Asia. I have never ever, ever seen anything even close to that.” He said his son went to school with three young men from North Bellport who developed cancer, attributing the disease to air and water pollution in the area.
John McNamara, who spoke as a coordinator from Christians Against Racism in the Apostolic Spirit (CARITAS), said solutions could be reached through a four-step plan toward zero waste.
Step 1, he said, is to adopt a Save Money and Reduce Trash, or SMART, program, where instead of a set fee, “you just pay money for the amount of trash that you dispose of.” Step 2 is to implement both the “Bigger, Better Bottle Bill” and the “Manufacturer’s Responsibility Bill” in the state senate and assembly. The first, he explained, would allow more kinds of bottles to be covered for recycling, while the second would incentivize manufacturers to rely more on recyclable materials and limit the use of toxic chemicals. Step 3 would be a townwide composting program for Brookhaven, and Step 4 would be establishing “reuse and repair” centers for people to bring no longer wanted items where others could come to pick them up.
In terms of economic benefits, McNamara argued zero-waste policies would save taxpayer money he says is currently used to ship a portion of Brookhaven’s waste off the island to landfills in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and upstate New York. Fitzgerald also argued that the landfill, by bringing in industries like warehouses and truck terminals, and that this comes at the expense of funding needed to keep teachers employed at South Country district schools.
Loguercio, responding to the topic, said, “We would love to reach a point of zero waste, so would everyone else in America, but it doesn’t work because the strength of the markets for recycling just don’t exist.” Fitzgerald, however, reading a statement from Zero Waste USA, argued that “communities across the US” using zero-waste policies have “cut their waste stream in half within a few short years: achieving 60%, 70% and 80% reductions.”
“We are looking for a partnership for zero waste,” said Fitzgerald. “We are looking to create, procreate, co-design, and get our hands dirty right along with the council and the town supervisor Dan Panico [R], so this is on all of us to do.”
Suffolk County Police arrested a man on June 12 for allegedly driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol with his two children in the vehicle in Holbrook.
A Highway Patrol officer pulled over a 2009 Nissan at 2:16 a.m. after the vehicle failed to maintain its
lane of travel and drove below and above the speed limits on the Long Island Expressway, west of exit
62. The officer determined the driver, Rasalaam Jackson, was under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
His two children, ages 1 and 2, were in the vehicle. Child Protective Services was notified.
Jackson, 35, of Port Jefferson Station, was charged with Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs and
Alcohol, Aggravated DWI under Leandra’s Law, and two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
Jackson was arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip the same day.
The Suffolk County Water Authority announced on June 10 that all treated water it supplies to customers is in full compliance with the federal drinking water standards for PFOA and PFOS—six years ahead of the 2031 compliance deadline set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The EPA finalized a new enforceable standard of 4 parts per trillion (PPT) for both PFOA and PFOS in April 2024. SCWA’s testing this past April confirmed that no treated water in its system contained PFOA or PFOS above that level. This achievement comes despite the widespread presence of PFAS in Long Island’s aquifer.
“Given the extent of PFAS detections across Long Island and the size of our system, this is a historic achievement,” said SCWA Chairman Charles Lefkowitz. “This result shows that with the right investment and urgency, we can stay ahead of emerging threats to public health.”
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of synthetic chemicals that have been widely used for decades in products such as non-stick cookware, stain-resistant fabrics, food packaging and firefighting foams. These substances do not break down easily and have leached into groundwater in many areas, including Long Island. Long-term exposure to certain PFAS compounds—particularly PFOA and PFOS—has been linked to health effects including developmental issues, hormone disruption and certain cancers.
To meet the new federal standards well ahead of schedule, SCWA installed 17 granular activated carbon (GAC) treatment systems for PFAS in the past year alone. GAC filters remove PFAS by adsorbing the contaminants onto specially prepared carbon. Water is passed through these large vessels, and the PFAS compounds adhere to the carbon, allowing clean water to continue through the system. Testing by SCWA shows that GAC removes PFAS compounds to non-detectable levels.
“This didn’t happen overnight,” said SCWA Chief Executive Officer Jeff Szabo. “We’ve been working for years to build a treatment program that protects our customers and anticipates regulatory changes. The fact that we’re already in compliance—years ahead of the federal deadline—speaks to the expertise of our team.”
SCWA continues to test regularly and will immediately remove any well from service if it detects PFOA or PFOS above 4 PPT if that well does not already have treatment in place. SCWA’s long-term goal is to supply water without any detectable levels of PFAS compounds, and additional treatment systems are planned for installation.
“This is about protecting public health,” said Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R). “I want to thank the Suffolk County Water Authority for acting early and doing what’s necessary to provide residents with some of the cleanest drinking water in the country. Their leadership and investment in treatment technology are making a real difference.”
“Ensuring public safety and preserving our water quality are two of the highest priorities for me and my legislative colleagues. The leadership of the Suffolk County Water Authority has again shown its commitment to protecting the public, and in this case has exceeded expectations set by the federal government in achieving safer, even zero levels, of PFAS compounds in our water,” said Presiding Office Kevin J. McCaffrey.
“Clean drinking water is essential to public health, and PFAS contamination is a serious threat that demands action,” said Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment. “Meeting the federal standards well ahead of schedule is a positive step forward in safeguarding Suffolk’s residents.”
SCWA’s accelerated timeline has been supported in part by $16 million in grant funding awarded by New York State. These funds have helped offset the significant cost of installing advanced PFAS treatment systems, allowing SCWA to move faster while minimizing the financial impact on customers. By leveraging state support and working efficiently, SCWA has been able to continue delivering high-quality water at some of the lowest rates in New York.
“This is one of the largest groundwater systems in the country—and one of the most complex,” Lefkowitz added. “We’ve proven that even in a region with serious PFAS challenges, we can deliver water that meets the highest health standards.”
SCWA is an independent public-benefit corporation operating under the authority of the Public Authorities Law of the State of New York. Serving approximately 1.2 million Suffolk County residents, the Authority operates without taxing power on a not-for-profit basis.
In response to the alarming overharvesting and endangerment of horseshoe crabs on Long Island, conservationist John Turner of Seatuck is launching a groundbreaking fall project to create a lab-based, sustainable bait alternative — one he hopes will protect both marine life and local fishing livelihoods.
Horseshoe crabs are commonly used as bait for whelk, a carnivorous snail, and eel fishing; there are minimal measures currently in place to prevent over-harvesting. Long Island’s shore birds and migratory birds rely on horseshoe crab eggs for protein. Inhabiting as far north and south as Nova Scotia and Mexico, Horseshoe crab eggs are an essential food source for migrating shorebirds, fish and benthic (bottom-dwelling) species. Further, they are food sources for loggerhead sea turtles. Even sparrows feast upon their protein-rich eggs.
Turner said these “very significant crabs”linger on the sound’s floor, thereby increasing turbidity and stirring up a variety of food sources for other species.
The consequences of horseshoe crab endangerment is not limited to our island’s coastal populations; they are most valuable to humans for their blood proteins which are extremely sensitive to bacteria, making them an effective reagent.
The extracted compound, known as Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL), acts as an indicator on screen-injected drugs and implanted biomedical devices for detecting gram-negative bacteria — Turner cites as a huge reason to thank these spider-legged creatures. Unfortunately, according to The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the mortality rate of these crabs, once released back into the wild, can surpass 30%.
In terms of policy, Turner states that extremely small-scale measures may be decided by local jurisdiction. In the past, harvesting quotas have been instituted, reaching 150,000 crabs per year per location, as specified by the Department of Environmental Conservation.
But Turner says this is no solution, nor is it sustainable. 150,000 is a great number when considering how horseshoe crabs were exponentially more abundant in the past, especially because just one bird may rely upon hundreds out of a 4,000-egg nest to migrate — causing a ripple effect across the food chain. Humans are not exempt from the effects of wildlife endangerment.
Alongside the DEC, the Cornell Cooperative Extension and Stony Brook University, Turner’s project expected to launch this fall will craft lab-effective bait, which also must be cost and yield-dependent for fishers who participate in the trial.
Even still, stricter measures are necessary in keeping the horseshoe crab population abundant and thriving. Turner cited possible four five-day bans around new and full moons in May and June where harvesting is illegal so the crabs may spawn and disseminate uninterrupted, or total closings at certain locations. The DEC describes that sampling for taking population estimates would be conducted around these optimal moon phase and tide stage to indicate trends in horseshoe crab population.
Former closures have suggested that it takes between 8-10 years before changes in abundance of spawning-aged crabs are observed as a result of these management changes by the DEC, and an increase in adult horseshoe crab abundance is expected to begin in 2028.
State legislatures are still capable of vetoing these stricter conservation measures, as theDEC’s overall goal is to improve the stock status of horseshoe crabs in the New York region over time while still maintaining use of the species, specifically “ecosystem services, commercial harvest and observation and appreciation.”
Regardless, Turner remains cautiously optimistic as new, more serious regulatory policies for quotas or commercial banning still have a chance to be passed if conservation groups are persistent.
TBR News Media invited Kathianne Snaden, Lauren Sheprow’s opponent for the mayoral race, to participate in the interview as well, but she declined. Coverage of her position, as well as the three candidates competing for two trustee positions, can be found in the article, “Tense atmosphere dominates meet-the-candidates night”.
What surprised you about the position during these last two years?
Village of Port Jefferson Mayor Lauren Sheprow speaks with TBR ahead of the June 17 election. Photo by Sabrina Artusa
Everything. I knew a lot about governance from working with Stony Brook’s faculty and staff and administration for sixteen years, both in the hospital and on the main campus. So, that gave me some bearing. I think what surprised me really was the level of vitriol that continued for two years. It never stopped and that was sad. I thought the opposition would sort of weigh in, get involved and help out with their community, but I didn’t get that reaction, so I don’t focus on it. It isn’t something that I think about. But to say what surprised me, that surprised me. The number of hours it takes to do this job surprised me. But, and I’m not gonna say it surprised me, but I did not have an understanding of the extent of the complexities that exist in this small three square mile piece of land.
What are your financial plans for the village?
I established early on a budget finance committee through code. It was legislated. There was never a budget and finance committee in the code. So now it’s chapter seven in the code, and it is a seven member board committee. It’s a committee–it’s advisory by nature. And so, I also have a very gifted and intelligent trustee who is our finance commissioner. I don’t know if ever in the history of Port Jefferson there has been a finance commissioner who’s been a trustee, but this is a person that I know knows more about finance and budgets than I do. So my goal is to keep the budget balanced, obviously. My focus is to keep the taxpayer levy as even as possible without raising taxes to a great extent. And to be able to do that, we are really focusing on grants and grant administration, which is a whole job in and of itself. We’ve been very successful with our new grant administrator, Lisa Mato. And, she’s been very successful in getting grant money reimbursed to the village that has been long standing. So, financial goals: get the capital fund back to where it has been, get it back to balanced, and then start building a capital reserve so that if we have big expenditures that we need to make, we have the funding to do it.
How are you planning to move forward in mitigating flooding?
Oh, great question. I’m very excited about this. The former administration got a FEMA grant for flood reduction studies. We got the grant. The thing you have to do when you get a grant is you have to get an executed contract so that you get reimbursed. If you do have to put your own money out, which we do, we wanna make sure we have an executed contract. It takes a long time. It can take up to eighteen months to get that executed contract back. So we got the executed contract back for that grant. We did an RFP. We hired an engineering firm who we contracted with and we had our kickoff meeting last week with L.K. McLean Associates. So the goal of this flood reduction study is to come up with a plan on how to mitigate flooding in the downtown area. But the scope of the work, they did it. They’re doing a topographical study with the drone footage that extends from the Northeast corner of Harborfront Park, which is where it meets the yacht club, all the way southwest to Brook Road where it meets Old Post Road, and all points in between, including the school district property, the fire district property, the apartments on Main Street, and all that road. They’re mapping our stormwater, sewers, and stormwater catch basins. Anyway, I could go on forever about this, but I’m very excited. We’re meeting with the school district and the fire district on Wednesday to introduce them because they are major stakeholders in this study.
What is the most pressing issue facing the village right now?
I would say it’s the hazard issues related to climate. Flooding is the most pressing issue. And also the impact to the East Beach Bluff and our old Homestead Recharge Basin. That August storm caused so much damage. We’re getting funding to mitigate the damage. We’re cleaning out storm drains, about up to 50 storm drains. The cost will be reimbursed by FEMA. It could be up to $100,000 to clean out 50 store drains. We’re asking the residents to help us pick the right ones that are most problematic. After that storm, we fixed every single roof in the village. Every single roof was leaking in the village, and we fixed all the village-owned roofs. We didn’t get refunded for all of that work, but for some of that. Fixing our maintenance issues is the most important thing for the village that the village government can do for its residents right now.
What are your thoughts on the Port Jeff Country Club?
So if you talk to real estate agents, the three things they use to sell Port Jefferson are the country club, the beaches and the school district. Those are the three most important things, and it has an impact on the value of the homes, on the quality of life, and on the future of how people spend their days in the village
I think the country club is a major asset. It was purchased for $2,300,000. It’s probably worth, you know, $100,000,000 right now or $75,000,000. But it makes a lot of people very, very, very happy. Right now, we have our work cut out for us because we have a blank slate on the north side of Fairway Drive. We’re bringing in a master planner to give us an impression of what they think can happen on that north side and and throughout the whole to give us an assessment of the country club. This is an experienced country club master planner and at no cost, except for maybe travel expenses, they’re coming in. They’re going to present to us what their impressions are. So that’s going to give us a way to shape our thinking about what’s possible there and what we should do. In terms of the bluff and the and the building, that building is being utilized to its full extent by Lessing’s Hospitality Group.
That restaurant is closed now, right?
We’re working with Lessings to get that restaurant open a few days a week. That could service the community as well as the members.
They’re not operating an á la carte restaurant business. So both vendors who were here prior did not make that restaurant work. Their focus was really on different things. I don’t wanna talk for them, but then Lessing’s came in. They were honest; they said, we’re not gonna be able to provide an a la carte restaurant’s business right away; we have to get our feet under us. We have to get this business up and running.
The contract with Lessing’s is a 9% profit share. So they make money, the village makes money.. And the other reason why the country club is an asset to this village is because the partner who pays the rent in that building offsets the tax levy by 2%. So as their revenue grows, the village revenue grows.
I mean, they’re putting on activities every single week, quite a few. Once they hit their stride and they’re really cooking and we see our revenue numbers going up, I’d like to use that revenue and put it right back into the cost of what it costs to fix that bluff so that it offsets tax payer. We anticipate that the numbers will grow. And, after talking to our treasurer about this, this is maybe two or three years down the road, but eventually, I’d like to pay that debt off that we had to take to pay for the project through the income that we make–the revenue that we draw from Lessing’s. That’s the draw.
And they are changing the aesthetic of the place. No offense to anyone’s decorative eye, but they’re bringing back a coastal feel on the inside of that facility. They’re removing and eliminating as much marble on the flooring and everything, and they’re bringing in a wood floor from the moment you step out to the deck area. So it’s in progress. They’re still addressing the things, the aesthetic. They’re addressing the kitchen. They’re putting in a new kitchen, they’re really investing in the business, which says to me, they wanna make it work.
I’ve spoken with David Lessing, and he has said, I think we can make the restaurant work. We just need time.
Why do you feel the East Beach Bluff stabilization project is the right move, and how do you reconcile that with the residents who feel that the project and the country club are a waste of village money?
I took an oath of office which said that my job is to protect and preserve village property. Stabilization of that property is important because it impacts the areas not only where the country club exists, but the areas to the west and to the east of it as well. So if we get FEMA funding to offset 75% of the cost of phase two, whatever phase two ends up being as our engineers are drawing up a valued engineering project plan for phase two, it’s not gonna look like the original phase two and we’re looking forward to seeing what that looks like. If we have up to $3.5 million dollars to offset the cost and offset the taxpayer’s responsibility, to help stabilize that property, it’s a valued property. It is one of the most valuable pieces of property in Port Jefferson and Lessing’s knows it. If they thought it was not valuable, they wouldn’t have rushed in and said, we want this. We wanna make this work. This is a property we have wanted for twenty five years. They wanted this catering facility and this whole building operation when Lombardi’s came in. They had hoped to to be considered for it. So they came to us, and they said, we’re interested in this.
There are a lot of variables to the planning process right now. We’re looking at drainage, which wasn’t looked at in the first place. There’s stormwater coming off the building. We need to redirect that stormwater. We need to capture that stormwater and push it elsewhere. They they did that on the East Side. We’re looking at the drainage now, and our engineers are figuring out a drainage plan. If we need to come up with a pump system to bring it back to the golf course and use it as an irrigation resource, perfect. Use it for irrigation. Or, we can use it when we’re at drought levels, which we’ve experienced before. We’re looking to be sustainable and not just a Band-Aid on a heart attack.
They did look at the utilities or consider or factor them into their planning, the underground utility, infrastructure, and they didn’t look at the stability of the building. So, we’re looking at the stability of the building.
One of the things that I did was establish a Citizen’s Commission on Erosion. I invited as many volunteers who wanted to sit at a round table and talk about the issues that we’re facing and discuss and try to make decisions about along the way. That’s how we got resident input. This erosion commission is no joke. They are looking at everything, and they are asking the right questions, which give us cause to ask the right questions of the engineers.
We hired an engineering firm, which we didn’t have before, to review the engineering designs, question the engineers of record and to also look at other options and how we can do this better. So we hired Hayduk Engineering. Stephen Hayduck Jr. as our principal engineer, and Peter Scully is our environmental consultant. So we’re looking at it in a very disciplined way. We’re not just saying, oh, that plan looks good; let’s go with it. We are evaluating it very, very carefully with input from the community.
The other thing we’re doing, just to add on to that, is we’ve asked our public works department to be the eyes and ears of the monitoring so that we don’t have to have engineers come out. If there’s a heavy storm, the DPW goes out, records, takes photos of what happened and what they’re seeing on the bluff face. So we’re using our own employees who are very capable. It’s not technical. They’re just taking pictures, and they’re recording what the difference might be if they still see something here or there.
Is there an area for improvement within village hall operations?
We’ve done a lot of work on, on reporting structure and organizational charts and where people sit and everything. And there’s always room for improvement for that. We have a limited budget, so we have limited resources of who we can hire and how we do so. We have to make sure we use our resources wisely and so that people are working together. One of the things that I brought back was a department head meeting. So every two weeks, we have department head meetings where our department heads speak to one another, including our public works, park public works, country club. So we are really working together in those terms.
These department head meetings help us understand where our treasurer comes in. He’s sitting right there. If they need to buy something or need to invest in something, they have that conversation in real time. We have these work session reports that we ask every department head to create, and we post those online during our work session meeting as part of the agenda. And it’s open and free for everybody to read. Every single department has a work session report so residents can see how their money is being spent.
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