Town of Huntington Supervisor Chad Lupinacci was cleared of any wrongdoing in a recent investigation of sexual harassment rumors. File photo by Lina Weingarten
Last week the Town of Huntington released a report that cleared town Supervisor Chad Lupinacci (R) of any wrongdoing after an investigation that looked into allegations of sexual harassment by Lupinacci directed toward an unidentified lower-level town employee.
The investigation was conducted by the New York City-based Jackson Lewis law firm and a memo to the Town Board members came from Diane Krebs. In the report, Krebs said she was unable to substantiate the sexual harassment allegations.
“However, I believe that individuals were untruthful during the investigation process or refused to respond to my questions, which impeded my ability to obtain the whole story,” she wrote.
According to the report, the law firm was first contacted by an unidentified person that said Lupinacci invited a lower-level employee for drinks at his house at 2 a.m. When the employee declined, the supervisor said the person was “ungrateful.” The same account came to the law firm from members of the Town Board.
There were other text messages in the investigation discussed where Lupinacci allegedly would text in the middle of night asking to come over, but there were no sexual advances in the texts, according to the report.
Various people were interviewed during the law firm’s process, and names were blacked out in the redacted report.
Huntington Republican Committee chairman, Tom McNally, in a press release, accused town Councilwoman Joan Cergol (D) of using “her position on the Town Board to instigate the investigation against a political adversary based on a fourth-hand rumor without a shred of evidence. Every person involved in the alleged behavior denied the events ever occurred, including the supposed ‘victim.’ No complaint was ever filed yet a year-long investigation into a rumor followed.”
The town was charged nearly $47,000 by the law firm who prepared the report for investigating the allegations.
“The best the lawyer can say is she thinks the people she interviewed are withholding information,” McNally wrote. “Perhaps that’s her perception but it’s also an old lawyers’ trick to keep an investigation open.”
McNally said the incident will have long-term effects, and he suggested Cergol reimburse the town for the $47,000 or resign.
Cergol said the Town Board initiated the investigation last year with a 5-0 vote, including two Republican councilmen.
Responding to the Huntington Republican Committee’s press release, Cergol said, “McNally has to be reading the Disney version of this investigative report because by anyone’s read and estimation of it, there is no fairytale ending.”
She added that the chair’s statement was “a paper-thin political ploy intended to distract from the investigator’s disturbing conclusion of being ‘stymied’ by uncooperative witnesses.”
Lupinacci is currently facing sexual harassment allegations in a separate civil case. Brian Finnegan, the supervisor’s former legislative aide and chief of staff, filed a lawsuit in 2018 with the Suffolk County Supreme Court.
While most of us were concentrating on touchdown scores on Super Bowl Sunday, Cold Spring Harbor Central School District’s Lloyd Harbor Elementary School music teacher, Mr. Gary Meyer, was concentrating on his “musical score” instead! Although you did not see him during the Sesame Street “The Neighborhood” DoorDash Big Game commercialfeatured during the Super Bowl, Mr. Meyer’s clarinet could be heard along with Big Bird and the crew.
“I recorded the music from my office using a microphone and Pro Tools program. The music was then sent to the editor who mixed the music and then combined it with the video. As you can see from the YouTube video it involved Sesame Street characters and Daveed Diggs from Hamilton on vocals,” said Meyer.
A former Lloyd Harbor student of mine, Bill Sherman, is the Music Director for Sesame Street and he called me for the gig. I have recorded woodwinds for Sesame Street TV the last ten seasons … so, my former student is now my boss! It was very exciting to have my work featured during the Super Bowl!”
Charged with alleged conspiracy and falsification of civil service application
Dominic Spada, a former Huntington employee, is facing charges for allegedly falsifying his work experience on a Suffolk County Department of Civil Service application. File photo from the Town of Huntington
A Huntington resident, who until recently worked for the town and serves as a Village of Huntington Bay trustee, is facing charges for allegedly falsifying his work experience on a Suffolk County Department of Civil Service application and conspiring with another individual to corroborate the false claims.
On Feb. 10, county District Attorney Tim Sini (D) announced the indictment of Dominic Spada, 58, according to a press release from Sini’s office. The charges include offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree; making a punishable false written statement; falsifying business records in the second degree; and conspiracy in the fifth degree. All are class A misdemeanor crimes except for offering a false instrument, which is a class E felony.
Spada stepped down as the director of Maritime Services for the Town of Huntington Feb. 5, according to town Supervisor Chad Lupinacci (R), who accepted the resignation. The supervisor made it clear in an email statement that the charges have nothing to do with Spada’s position with the town.
“Based on Mr. Spada’s accomplishments during his short time in office, he may be the best director of Maritime Services the town has ever had, which is what makes this loss so significant,”
Lupinacci said.
“Mr. Spada’s stellar record includes making our waterways and shorelines safer than ever before for residents, beachgoers and boaters, taking the cost burden off the taxpayer in the process, returning federal and state tax dollars back to Huntington through grant-funded emergency response boats, and his complete in-house, under-budget renovations of our marinas and waterfront facilities that were neglected for 20 years. What Mr. Spada achieved for the town and all of our residents is unparalleled and we thank him for his service,” the supervisor added.
According to the DA’s office, in August 2018, Spada, who is also a Town of Islip harbormaster and the first assistant chief of the Halesite Fire Department, filed an application with the Department of Civil Service to take the open competitive examination for a bay constable position. Applicants must have a minimum of two years maritime experience to qualify, and Spada allegedly claimed on his application that he had worked for a Huntington-based maritime towing company, according to Sini’s office. Spada also allegedly claimed he worked for five years for the company, and he asked the owner of the company to corroborate his false application.
According to Spada’s profile page on the Village of Huntington Bay’s website, the village trustee has been a Huntington resident for 10 years. In 2007, he was recognized as the Halesite Fire Department Firefighter of the Year. He also was listed on the website as coaching youth lacrosse and football, and playing lacrosse in an over-40 league. He is married and has two children.
Spada was arraigned Feb. 10 and pleaded not guilty. He was released on his own recognizance and is due back in court March 16. If convicted of the top count, Spada can face four years in prison.
Being taught how to cross the street has apparently gone out the window. Young adults and even children are riding their bikes into oncoming traffic.
We’re sick of it.
Long Island has some of the most aggressive drivers in the country — why do we have to worry about high schoolers popping a wheelie in front of our cars on a major county road?
And they don’t care. They laugh it off, make faces or — worse — curse at us like it was our fault they chose to almost kill themselves.
The worst part is, though, someone is bound to eventually get hurt — something we truly do not want to see.
But we are grateful to the Suffolk County legislators who are trying their hardest to crack down on people taking advantage of our streets. Whether it’s a child or an adult riding their bike down the hill in a pack, bicyclists have become difficult to deal with.
And that’s sad, because we don’t want to banish or punish them for something so healthy, but there needs to be more communication.
While county Legislator Rudy Sunderman’s (R-Mastic) recent reckless bicycling bill is rather harsh by telling riders that they could face jail time for inappropriate biking, if everyone just listened to their mothers, grandmothers, fathers and teachers to not go near a fast-moving car, then this wouldn’t have been a problem.
And more adults can speak up. In the summer of 2019, officers with the Suffolk County Police Department’s 4th Precinct spoke with TBR News Media about their program to educate reckless bicycle riders. The officers compiled a video with clips of teens creating havoc on Smithtown. The purpose was to use the video to educate parents after officers stop a youth for reckless bicycling.
Even without watching such a video, adults know riding in the middle of a busy street is not safe. Before someone faces jail time, educate your children, speak up to the young people who harass you with their bikes.
Of course, the driver of a 3-ton vehicle will be blamed if someone gets hurt, but that shouldn’t be the case. Bike riders should not be taking advantage of our streets and should not be risking their lives by showing off unnecessary tricks.
We all know what wheelies look like. They’re not original, and we don’t care.
Panic, which started in my stomach and had seeped so deep into the sinews of my fingers that I could barely write my own name, was overcoming me.
I was staring at the problem, knowing that I could do it if I calmed down, but also fearing that the answer wouldn’t come in time.
I had studied this type of organic chemistry problem for weeks, had attended every extra help session Randy, my teaching assistant and the head teaching fellow for the class, gave, including several late in the evening on Sunday nights.
If I froze up for too long, I ran the risk of not finishing that problem or the test. I couldn’t come up with a solution, and I couldn’t move on.
Then, it hit me. No, it wasn’t the solution. It was Randy’s overwhelming cologne. My teaching fellow was walking up and down the rows of the testing site, making sure no one was cheating, while responding to requests to go to the bathroom.
Something about his cologne brought me back to one of the many study sessions, helping me break the mental logjam in my head and sending me toward the solution that was right under my nose.
As we enter the 11th month of this pandemic, we can see and hear many of the cues we would get if we were continuing to live the lives we took for granted, but we are much more limited in what we can smell, especially if we are sticking with federal guidelines and staying put.
So, what smells do I miss the most?
While I enjoy visiting Long Island beaches in the summer, when the trio of hazy, hot and humid hovers in the air, I particularly appreciate the cold, salt spray of a winter beach, when the scent of crispy and frozen seaweed blends with air that seems to have brought hints of its cold journey across the ocean.
Then, of course, there is the missing smell of the kinds of foods that aren’t in our own kitchens or right next door. One of my favorite restaurants, the Good Steer sends out the scent of their onion rings in every direction around the building, calling to me and recalling my youth when my late father would watch happily as all three of his sons consumed our double order of onion rings, alongside our burger supremes.
While all ice might seem to smell the same, the scent of Alaska’s glaciers brings a frozen crispness to an inhospitable climate. Marveling at the ice around a cruise my wife and I took over two decades ago, I inhaled the cool fresh scent of frozen water.
Then there’s the food from all over the world. The enticing smells of freshly baked baguettes and fruity macarons in Parisian patisseries, the welcoming scent of fish caught earlier that day on Hawaiian beaches or the symphony of smells from places like Faneuil Hall, where Boston accents form the acoustic backdrop for the smell of flowers, steaks, and baked beans.
With spring just a month away, I turn to thoughts of baseball and Yankee Stadium. Yes, of course, numerous odors throughout the stadium — from other fans who could use some of Randy’s cologne to restrooms that don’t smell like a rose garden — aren’t the first things that come to mind. I’m talking about the smell of the grass and the dirt after the grounds crew waters it. That baseball field scent conjures infinite possibilities, from triple plays to triples off the wall, from immaculate innings to grass-stained catches. The smell of hot dogs and soft buns entice us as vendors march up and down the stairs nearby.
These days, we can see and hear people through FaceTime calls, but we can’t smell them. That person might love orange Tic Tacs, tuna fish sandwiches, fresh roasted coffee or any of a host of other scents — cinnamon rolls, perhaps —that define her the same way the light highlights a crooked-toothed smile. We might find Tic Tacs that remind us of them, but, without the combination of scents, including their laundry detergent, their soap or their conditioner, or their physical presence, we are missing that olfactory connection.
Last Saturday I received my first of the required two vaccines against COVID-19. The inoculation itself was painless. The person who administered the shot was a broad-shouldered young man with curly black hair, deep brown eyes and prominent cheekbones that led to a white-tooth smile. He pinched the skin of my arm just below my left shoulder, and I knew the deed was done only when he discarded the needle into the red can. I think you can see why the entire experience was painless.
As you, who have tried undoubtedly know, it was not easy to get an appointment for the vaccine. My family and friends and the children of my friends were all on the phone or on their computer keyboards for hours trying over and over again to make contact with the right person in a reasonably close location to schedule the vaccination. Finally, the daughter of a close friend secured a time slot for me at the Javitz Center in New York City, and then my son found one sooner at Jones Beach.
I know that some people are passing up the opportunity to get vaccinated. They are concerned, among other reasons, that it has not been tested sufficiently since it was developed with unprecedented speed. What will the long term effects of the vaccine be? No one knows because there has not been a long term so far; we do know that the immediate effects have been studied for the short term in thousands of patients in clinical trials. The results and the efficacy have been excellent. So I decided that I would risk any unknown long term negative effects from the vaccine against the already known long-haul negative consequences from the disease and go for it.
I had heard that after-effects were not uncommon during the 24 hours following the vaccination, and indeed I did experience a couple. Two or three hours after I returned home, and after my dinner, I suddenly was enormously fatigued. I managed to climb the stairs to the bedroom, despite feeling light-head, and I slid into bed, where I then spent the night and enjoyed a sound sleep. I awoke to an aching arm, but that wasn’t the main problem. When I tried to walk, my right leg was, I thought, in spasm. I assumed I had slept in an awkward position and that I could walk it off, but the pain intensified. As the day went by, I endured only with the help of repeated Tylenol capsules, vitamins, a banana and ultimately the distraction of the big football game.
The next day, little more than 24 hours later, I felt perfectly fine. I was timid about walking, but there was no problem. Do I know that the leg pain was the after effect of the shot? I don’t, of course.
I do have a date for the second shot, which is scheduled for early next month, and apparently there is a dose reserved for me to receive at that time. Will the vaccine protect me? From what I have read and been told, it takes about two weeks before the body develops any immunity, and with the one shot, that is perhaps only 50 or 60 percent. The second vaccination brings the immune system to about 94 percent — or so the evidence has shown. Now, with the new mutations that are freely developed by the viruses with each reproduction in new victims, the scientists are not sure. Vaccinations are racing against viral reproduction.
There can be many minute mutations of the viruses’ genetic sequences. More worrisome is recombination. That means the coronavirus mixes large chunks of its genome upon reproduction, and that is common and surely happening. Recombination might enable different tiny variants to combine and make the virus more potent inside a victim’s body.
The question is, will the vaccine hold these newly minted intruders off? Scientists are studying variants and recombination, but they don’t yet know. So far, so good.
It was Thanksgiving weekend 1995. I was recently divorced and a teacher colleague and I decided that we should go out that Friday night. We decided on the Unitarian Church in Stony Brook, where they held gatherings for singles. Chairs forming circles of ten were throughout the room. A moderator posed questions we each had a minute to answer. We moved to different circles and at the end of the night, I found myself sitting next to a guy who had been in the first group! His name was Jim and he told me later at the diner where we went for coffee that he had planned that! We were married in 1997 and still celebrate Nov. 24th as a special anniversary!
Sue and Dave Rosner, East Setauket
Dave and Sue Rosner
What a love story! When romance starts again at age 57, the second time around can be the best!
Sue and Dave met on Match.com 10 years ago. He said it was her smile that attracted him to her profile picture, and she said it was his blue eyes. As it turned out, they both had easy going personalities, enjoyed outside activities, music and adventure. Similarly, together they had 3 daughters who became instant friends once they met. Their first date was at “Sweet Mamma’s” in Northport for brunch. Dave brought along their Zodiac Signs, which matched them as well!Now married for 8 years, they truly are each other’s soul mate!
Robin and Cliff Lemkin, East Setauket
Cliff and Robin Lemkin
It was a lovely fall day in 1983. I was strolling around the Smith Haven Mall when I realized it was time for an eye exam. Off I went to Sterling Optical.
As I was settling into the exam chair, this very handsome, adorable and very single Optometrist entered the room. The examination began. Dr. Lemkin looked into my beautiful green eyes. He proceeded to tell me that I had the most Captivating Corneas, the most Ravishing Retinas and the most Iridescent Irises that he had ever seen!
Shortly after we went on our first date. We were married on May 25th, l986 at the North Shore Jewish Center. Cliff and I were the first guests to stay in the honeymoon suite at the newly opened Danfords Hotel.
Kate and Larry Passaretti, Setauket
Kate and Larry Passaretti
Larry and I met in an evening business course at Nassau Community College in 1978.We’reblessed with two children … a wonderful son-in-law and grandson and a sweet future daughter-in-law!
Life is good and we feel fortunate to maintain good health so we can enjoy all that is to be. As my dear Dad used to always say to be happy in life you need three things:
“… someone to love … something to do … and something to look forward to …”
… we look forward to our son’s wedding this summer!!
Glen & Tara Grippe,Setauket
We met in 11th grade in the hallways of Ward Melville High School. We were high school sweethearts and even attended the 1990 Ward Melville Senior Prom together. We recently celebrated 25 years of marriage in November of 2020 and have two children, Connor and Emily who are both college students.
And a post from TBR News Media’s Instagram …
Our Moms were pregnant at the same time. He was born three weeks after me and we played together in my sandbox as toddlers. So, pretty much known each other forever. Reconnected on FB after 25 years without speaking.
— Kristen Memoli, Huntington
Thank you to all who participated in TBR News Media’s How I Met My Mate contest! Congratulations to Patrice and Jimmy Perreca of Sound Beach! They win dinner for two at Bliss Restaurant in East Setauket with a choice of dining in or takeout. Happy Valentine’s Day!
News of the COVID-19 vaccine was met with immense excitement and demand after the pandemic ravaged for almost a year with no apparent light at the end of the tunnel.
Excitement stifled among New Yorkers, many say, as the distribution of the vaccine supply in New York state has been filled with supply issues, appointment cancellations and an online portal that is difficult to navigate.
Distribution began with health care workers in December (Phase 1a) and on Jan. 11 (Phase 1b) expanded to other frontline workers such as teachers and police officers, along with anyone ages 65 and older.
This seems to have been when the demand surged out of control. Long Islanders have been trying to access the portal to make an appointment only to find available appointments to be both miles and months away, leaving residents to consistently call the New York State hotline, hoping for a cancelation and appointment to open up — a process especially challenging for elderly residents. As of Feb. 8, the state has received 2,808,825 vaccinations and administered 2,228,567. On Long Island, 82% of the vaccine doses distributed have been used. There are about 7 million eligible residents throughout the state.
On Feb. 15, those with certain comorbidities and underlying conditions will be eligible to sign up for appointments.
“The entirety of our week seven allocation was delivered to providers yesterday and already New York has administered 90% of its first doses while prioritizing fairness and equity,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said in a statement. “Week after week we exhaust our vaccine supply and are basically left waiting for the next week’s delivery. This is not unique to New York. It’s happening in states across the nation because the previous administration grossly mismanaged and politicized the vaccine distribution process from the beginning by not ordering enough vaccines from manufacturers. With new leadership in Washington, the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight but we must manage our expectations. Production of the vaccine alone will take six to nine months. In the meantime, we will continue to distribute the supply we do get quickly and fairly as we have from the start.”
To try to find out the best way to go forward, TBR News Media spoke with a bipartisan group of local elected officials to ask what we can hope for in the future, where they think the biggest problems are in the distribution chain and whether or not they have received the vaccine.
File photo by Kevin Redding
Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-NY1)
“We need to make it easier, not harder, for New Yorkers to get the coronavirus vaccine who want it,” Zeldin said in a statement. “New York’s rollout has been an unmitigated disaster: Unused coronavirus vaccines sitting in freezers for weeks, doses ending up in the trash, local health departments overwhelmed with vaccine demand, thousands of appointments canceled, New Yorkers showing up to appointments only to be turned away and more. While these drug companies need to continue ramping up the production and distribution of vaccines, the state needs to ramp up its strategy, rules and communications.”
“While I believe vaccine distribution should be prioritized to those who need it most — the elderly, frontline workers and more — as soon as the doctors say it’s my turn, I won’t hesitate to get it.”
When asked about the state health department lacking vaccine supply from the federal government he said, “Drug companies need to continue ramping up production and distribution, but when these vaccines get to states around the country, they need to be put into people’s arms effectively and efficiently, not thrown in the trash.”
File photo of Jane Bonner
Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Jane Bonner (R-Rocky Point)
Bonner said that the issue with the distribution is at the federal level. “President Biden [D] said throughout the entire campaign that he had a plan [for vaccine rollout] and clearly he doesn’t,” she said. “Never make campaign promises that you can’t keep.”
Bonner has been working with her elderly constituents to try and guide them to the New York State website, or to the hotline.
“Seniors have lost so much throughout this pandemic,” she said. “They really need to be able to socialize and go out again. We need to work together for our seniors, and to get the schools and businesses open.”
Bonner has not yet received the vaccine, as she wants elderly people to receive it before she does.
File photo by Kevin Redding
County Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai)
Anker has sent letters to Cuomo, as well as U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) seeking answers for the failures in the vaccine rollout.
In a letter to the governor dated Jan. 11, Anker conveyed the frustrations of senior citizens and essential workers trying to get appointments immediately after the Phase 1b distribution, only to find out they were already booked
“As the Suffolk County chairwoman of both the health and seniors committees, I am writing to acknowledge my frustration and concerns regarding the disbursement of the COVID-19 vaccine in the county,” she wrote. “With my district having one of the largest senior populations in Suffolk County, I offer the suggestion of providing accessible locations, including community on-site availability, to our senior communities who are more at risk of COVID-19. While I appreciate the many Suffolk County staff members doing their best to facilitate the vaccination process and the patience and cooperation of the residents eagerly awaiting their turn in getting inoculated, I ask that a more cohesive process be implemented as soon as possible as we move forward in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Anker wrote to Cuomo again Feb. 3. “Since the county is not able to provide vaccinations to our senior citizens under New York State executive order 202.91, it would be helpful to have a comprehensive list that outlines all locations, including pharmacies and other vaccination sites,” she said. “Without this information, we as elected officials cannot provide our constituents, in particular our senior citizens who may not have the ability to register online, with accurate information and guidance about how and where to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.”
Anker also stated in the letter the Suffolk County Disabilities Advisory Board advised her that accommodations were not being made for disabled people at state-run vaccination sites. For instance, the New York State COVID-19 vaccine form, which patients are required to fill out before receiving the vaccine, does not have a braille version nor is it compatible with screen reading software for the blind. Anker also reached out to Schumer and Gillibrand on Feb. 3. expressing concern with the limited federal supply of the vaccine being distributed to the county.
“Currently, the vaccinations that are available are a mere fraction of what our constituents need, and the current climate is getting more desperate. Increasing vaccinations are not only the best way to combat the pandemic, but paramount to keeping our large population of seniors and others healthy,” the letter read.
“I say I’m like a dog with a bone,” Anker said. “I will not let this go until I’m assured that this process is fixed. I don’t want to wait a week. I don’t want to wait a month. I know that we may not have the vaccines right now, I understand that,but while we’re waiting fix the process.”
She said she has been working with local pharmacies to try and get them a supply of vaccines, as well as local senior communities to figure out their vaccination plans.
Anker has not yet received the vaccine but said that she “probably will” once she is eligible.
Leg. Nick Caracappa
County Legislator Nick Caracappa (R-Selden)
“I believe I share the same view as many residents of Suffolk County in that the initial rollout of the vaccine was a disaster, with the short supply and limited venues of distribution,” he said in a statement. “Recently, this office has aligned with other county, town and state officials in demanding that the governor stops ignoring the needs of Suffolk County. Additionally, I’d love to see the New York State health commissioner and local government agencies collaborate to expedite supply and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine to our frontline workers, essential workers and vulnerable senior citizens.”
“The time is now to get our residents a sufficient supply of the vaccine to combat this deadly virus once and for all,” he added. “I encourage all those who are eligible for the vaccine to sign up as quickly as possible. Although I haven’t received the vaccine to date, I intend on doing so once I qualify in accordance with New York State guidance.”
When asked to expand on what he meant by the governor “ignoring the needs of Suffolk County,” as well as how specifically the state health department and local governments could collaborate, he said, “The governor should have sent more doses to Suffolk County and more specifically to Brookhaven Town. County and town agencies have the venues available to provide ample locations to receive these much-needed vaccinations and easing the overcrowding we are experiencing at the limited locations currently available. We should work collectively with the state, county and town to arrange for these vaccines to be expedited and administered to those who need them. We all knew this vaccine was coming but the preparation to distribute was completely mishandled.”
Steve Englebright
State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket)
“New York’s vaccination rollout and its online system for determining eligibility and booking appointments has resulted in a great deal of anger and frustration for residents anxious to get vaccines for their parents or themselves,” Englebright said in a statement. “We need to have a simple, more user-friendly system for signing up online forvaccines.A universal preregistration system where eligibility can be approved, and appointments allotted as doses arrive would save us all a lot of time and angst.”
Although he has yet to be vaccinated, he knows the importance of getting it to Long Island seniors.
“It makes little sense for residents of retirement communities to make appointments and travel separately to mass vaccination centers when medical teams can bring vaccines to them. For seniors who have their homes in the community and, soon, residents with comorbidities, there should be pop-up vaccine centers run by hospitals or the County Department of Health at local libraries and senior citizen centers. Elected officials on the state, county and town levels could help get the word out to their local communities.”
Photo from Kara Hahn
County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket)
Hahn shared constituents frustrations regarding the New York State online registration system and expressed regret that she is limited in what she can do to reform it as a county legislator. She called the process of seniors trying again and again to get an appointment without success as “dehumanizing.”
“I feel their pain,” she said.
Hahn has been working with the county to establish distribution locations within the community for when supply is more abundant.
She has not received the vaccine, as she is not yet eligible but said she will when she is.
Town of Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim. Photo from Nicole Garguilo
Smithtown Town Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R)
Wehrheim said that he signed a letter to the governor Jan. 14, in coordination with the Suffolk County Supervisors Association asking that essential town workers be vaccinated. He said that a lot of town workers were exposed to COVID-19 in recent weeks and he was concerned, but if they were still quarantined when the storm hit, town workers would still be quarantined.
“The majority of our employees still are not included in any vaccine schedule as of today, endangering our abilities to provide essential services like senior meal delivery, animal shelter staffing, duties of the town clerk and the functions of our building departments,” the letter read. “Should these workers be included in a phase in the near future … allow us to help the process by setting up vaccination sites in each of our towns and by including municipal workers in the next phase of vaccine rollout to ensure that our essential services are not disrupted.”
Wehrheim said that he had not yet heard back from the governor. He also has not personally received the vaccine.
Smithtown Town spokeswoman, Nicole Garguilo, said the town has received approval from the county to use Nesconset and Branch Brook elementary schools as vaccine distribution sites as supply becomes more widely available. “If the county doesn’t get the number of vaccines from the state that they require, they’re not going to greenlight any other vaccine distribution sites,” she said.
Another roadblock is the fact the site needs to be staffed with certified vaccinators, a process that takes four-to-six weeks. While the site must be supervised by a nurse practitioner, physician’s assistant or a licensed physician, pharmacists, midwives, EMTs, medical students, podiatrists, dentists, dental hygienists and students in medical studies programs can get certified to give the vaccine, pursuant to New York State guidelines.
Garguilo said the town is working on partnering with a private pharmacy or hospital in order to streamline the vaccine process. The town’s priority would be to get vaccinations for teachers, as well as seniors in assisted living communities who live on a fixed income and are generally not technically savvy.
“That would make the biggest impact in the shortest amount of time,” she said. You would give the schools everything they need to get back to in-person learning and you would help the people who have those who are in that high-riskcategory that have suffered the most through this pandemic,” she said. Ideally, they would have “targeted vaccine weeks” in which they would focus on vaccinating the schools, and the senior population, one at a time.
Mario Mattera. File photo
State Sen. Mario Mattera (R-St. James)
Mattera said the “whole” problem with the vaccine distribution is a lack of federal supply being delivered to the state. “Every CVS, every Walgreens, every pharmacy, just like with the flu shot, could go and get the supplies and give it, our residents could go right around the corner from their home to go and make this easy … the problem is the federal government releasing as many [vaccines] as they can.”
When asked what he thinks the realistic timeline for the vaccine to be widely available is, Mattera said, “I really wish I could answer that. If I had the crystal ball, I guess I would be a hero. I just really feel the more companies that the FDA approves … there’s going to be more that’s going to be distributed out there.”
He is specifically optimistic for the Johnston & Johnson vaccine, which will be administered in a single dose. He also said that he has not personally received the vaccine, as he “wants everyone else to go” first. He emphasized the importance of following social distancing measures and wearing a mask to continue to curb the spread of the virus.
File photo
County Legislator Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga)
Trotta said the state should have granted eligibility to a smaller population, such as those 85 years old and over, studied the backlog, and then opened it up to other groups such as teachers.Cuomo “created the panic,” he said. Trotta added the state was “giving people the hope that they’re going to get [the vaccine], and in doing so “clogged the system up.”
“Anybody with common sense would never do that,” he said.
Trotta has not yet received the vaccine because he is not yet eligible, but he was able to secure his parents an appointment at Jones Beach after spending hours on the computer attempting to secure one.
“Everyone was very nice,” he said. “The National Guard’s running it. It went very smoothly, and it could have all been like that if they would have just opened it up slower.”
Steve Stern. Photo from Stern’s office
State Assemblyman Steve Stern (D-Dix Hills)
“The COVID-19 vaccine is a light at the end of the tunnel and our best hope for recovery from the pandemic for our health standpoint and for our economic recovery,” Stern said in a statement. “I share the frustration that my neighbors feel about the scarcity of vaccines, difficulty securing appointments and a hard-to-navigate system. New York has been receiving 250,000 vaccines a week for the entire state, which has 19 million residents, seven million of whom are eligible under current CDC guidelines. This is clearly inadequate and totally unacceptable. Our new administration in Washington is actively working to procure and produce more vaccines, vials, syringes and to develop logistical support to enable the states to vaccinate at least 150 million Americans by the end of March. Our office has been working with our partners in state government to ensure that we receive our fair share of vaccines and that residents are kept informed about how they are vaccinated when they are eligible. I have not received the COVID vaccine and like my neighbors, will wait until it is my turn. It is in all of our interests to have as many of our neighbors vaccinated as soon as possible to bring an end to the pandemic.”
File photo
County Legislator Susan Berland (D-Dix Hills)
“Suffolk County is ready with the infrastructure and personnel necessary to help vaccinate the public,” she said in statement. “The problem we’re facing now is that we don’t have enough vaccines. Recognizing that demand is clearly outpacing supply, I will continue to advocate for increased supply from the state and federal governments so we can reach our goal of vaccinating 75% of our eligible residents as soon as possible.”
Berland said she is “neither eligible for, nor has she received, the vaccine.”
File photo by Alex Petroski
State Sen. Jim Gaughran (D-Northport)
“What we’ve seen so far has been problematic,” Gaughran said. “The biggest issue is twofold: One is the lack of supply coming out from Washington, and what I think made it even worse was that the state was told it was going to get a supply that it never got; and two, the rollout itself, including at the state level, has been problematic.”
He acknowledged that there have been issues with the state website crashing, and appointments being made when there was a lack of supply.
“It’s been a mess, but I believe it’s going to get significantly better,” he said “I think you’re going to see an addition to the large state-run sites, large county-run sites. Eventually it will be distributed even more on a community-by-community basis.” He is hopeful that the senior population can be vaccinated within “the next month or so.”
Gaughran added he has pushed for additional community pop-up distribution sites, as well as a plan to vaccinate seniors that are “shuttered in their homes.” He also acknowledged seniors are having difficulty navigating the vaccine website and there needs to be a solution to make it more accessible. He said that he worries that once the vaccine becomes more widely available, people are going to be making cancelations to try and get an earlier appointment which could create a “bureaucratic nightmare,” and feels as though there needs to be a system in place to prevent that from happening.
The state senator said that he has not yet received the vaccine, as he is not a member of any occupational group that is eligible, nor is he over 65.
“I’m waiting for millions of other people to get the vaccine before it’s my turn,” he said. “But once it is, I’m going to sign up.”
File photo
County Legislator William “Doc” Spencer (D-Centerport)
Spencer said that his office has been getting calls from seniors, who are having trouble getting on the phone, or going on the computer to make an appointment.
“For seniors that may be less tech savvy, to go online and make the appointment is not so easy for them,” he said. “My wife was able to do it for her parents, but she had to do it, they would never have been able to do it. Sometimes the website is down, sometimes the hotline is down, so I think that that’s probably one of the biggest things is expanding that infrastructure once you’re actually doing the vaccines. I think this is almost as much as an IT job as it is a health department job.”
Spencer stressed the importance of making sure the vaccine is going into underserved areas, not only in the United States but around the world.
“I believe there’s a lot of nationalism that’s going on right now. People are like, ‘We’ve got to get enough vaccines for people in our country,’ and I can understand that, but there’s definitely been some reports that if we don’t vaccinate in a lot of our third-world countries, it will becomenot only a humanitarian crisis, but it’s an economic crisis too.”
Spencer is focused on ensuring that vaccines get to communities of color hard hit by the pandemic.
“If we don’t get enough vaccinations in areas where there are Hispanic and African American populations, where they may be in close quarters there’s less opportunity for social distancing, we’re not going to be able to control the virus as effectively,” he said. He added that he is advocating to place vaccine sites in communities like Brentwood, Huntington Station, Central Islip and Gordon Heights that are walkable.
Spencer has not yet received the vaccine but will do so once he has “the opportunity.”
The county legislature passed a bill to crack down on reckless bicycling this week, Port Jefferson officials created a village task force that will help prevent problems and keep patrons safe. File photo from SCPD
The Suffolk County Legislature recently approved a bill to crack down on “reckless biking,” which could stop riders from endangering themselves and others on the road.
Sponsored by county Legislator Rudy Sunderman (R-Mastic), the bill claims to crack down on trick riding — like popping wheelies and swerving into traffic — and biking while intoxicated.
While it was approved 13-4, Deputy Presiding Officer Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) abstained from the vote.
“There were pieces of his bill that I really liked,” she said, “And there were some things I didn’t agree with.”
Hahn, who is still in public hearing with her complimentary bike bill, said hers focuses more on the education for drivers when put in contact with bikers on the road.
“Legislator Sunderman’s bike bill regulated dangerous behaviors by bicyclists, while my bill tries to clarify the laws about drivers and how they should pass bicyclists on the road,” she said.
She added that motor vehicle law states that a driver must pass a bicyclist at a safe distance.
“My bill states drivers need to give them at least three-feet [space],” she said.
Hahn said two legislators from the East End had some concerns regarding her bill, and she is “working to address them.”
The next general meeting is March 2 where Hahn hopes she can close the public hearing so the bill can move to the Public Safety Committee on March 11. If her bill passes, it can be voted on by the full Legislature on March 16.
Meanwhile, the Village of Port Jefferson has implemented their own policies.
According to trustee Kathianne Snaden, a new code was introduced in the fall of 2019 to pre-vent problem bikers causing issues in the village.
It started when Snaden and her daughter were outside and a young person was recklessly riding his bike in front of them, doing tricks.
“When the bicycle just about came over me and my daughter’s heads and landed in the street in front of a car, I said, ‘That’s it, I’m done. We need to do something about this.’”
That’s when the village brought in the new code, which enforces code officers to confiscate a bike from a bicyclist involved in any type of reckless behavior. The bike then must be picked up and signed for by a parent.
“Because of COVID, things were quiet in the village,” Snaden said. “But then we put together the outdoor dining and the ‘trouble’ bicyclists saw it as a beautiful stage to start performing their acts in front of the patrons.”
She said that’s when code enforcement “really put down the hammer and started implementing that code.”
Snaden said that since summer 2020, bikes have been taken and bikes have been returned to parents, with the majority of them “mortified by their children’s behavior.”
“I want to be proactive and just get them off the street, so no one gets hurt,” she said.
Along with code enforcement, the village has recently started up a task force for business owners, the Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, the commissioner of public safety, the code chief, the village attorney and a representative from the Suffolk County Police Department.
“It’s eyes on the street,” she said.“And now we’re working more as a team.”
Renowned Magician Alexander Boyce to perform in Valentine’s Day Fundraiser
The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum in Centerport will present Alexander Boyce’s Virtual Magic Show on Sunday, February 14 via Zoom from 7 to 8 p.m. Boyce, a renowned magician, performs a fun, live, interactive sleight-of-hand and mind-reading event. Guests will need a deck of cards and some coins on hand if they want to participate.
Boyce has performed on national television, at The Magic Castle in Hollywood, and was featured recently in The New York Times.The Times has called Boyce “sophisticated.” The Philadelphia Inquirer said he is “enchanting.” The recent New York University graduate also performed in the long-running hit Speakeasy Magick at the McKittrick Hotel in New York City.
Actor Neil Patrick Harris, third from left, speaks with Alexander Boyce, back to camera. Photo by Bjorn Bolinder.
“I’ve spent the last several years touring the world sharing unique magic for the likes of Neil Patrick Harris, Jimmy Fallon, and Daniel Craig,” Boyce said. “I’ve worked wonders as a magician for clients like Amazon, Google, and NASDAQ at New York City institutions including The Friars Club, The Players Club, and The Rainbow Room.”
Time Out New York called the show, “highly skilled close-up magic that really leaves you gasping with wonder.” Recently, Boyce was one of the first American magicians to be invited to entertain in Cuba since the revolution.
Tickets for the fundraising event are $40 for Vanderbilt Museum members, $45 for non-members. Each ticket is good for one household. To order, please visit www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.
We met in 11th grade in the hallways of Ward Melville High School. We were high school sweethearts and even attended the 1990 Ward Melville Senior Prom together. We recently celebrated 25 years of marriage in November of 2020 and have two children, Connor and Emily who are both college students.
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