By Bill Landon
Back by popular demand, the Harlem Wizards basketball team returned to Smithtown West High School Feb. 28 where they took on the Smithtown faculty all star team in a basketball fundraiser to benefit the Distributive Education Clubs of America club.
The student Club members who organized the event took care of the gate, the Wizard memorabilia sales, the raffles and the 50/50 sales infront of a packed crowd. Fun was had by all.
Attorney, real estate developer and longtime Three Village resident John Damianos was laid to rest March 4.
Damianos died unexpectedly in his Old Field home Feb. 25. The 67-year-old was the principal and legal counsel of Smithtown-based Damianos Realty Group LLC and a familiar face in the town.
State Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick (R-St. James), who has known Damianos and his family for several years, described him as a cheerful, upbeat and sharp man. The assemblyman said he would always pick Damianos’ brain about local real estate when he saw him at events.
“He was just an all-around good guy,” Fitzpatrick said.
Christine Mazelis, owner of Niche Boutique in St. James and Mazelis Landscape Contracting Corp., met Damianos due to both of their families’ work with the Smithtown Historical Society and said he seemed to have a passion for everything, especially his cars.
“I always saw him as someone who lived his life with purpose,” Mazelis said. “Always giving back to our community.”
Priya Kapoor, executive director of the Smithtown Historical Society, said the Damianos family members are big supporters of the society’s annual Heritage Ball and Heritage Country Fair. John Damianos recently met with Kapoor to help with the landscaping of the historical society’s property, a project that he was not able to see transpire due to his passing.
“He wanted to do good for the community and wanted to beautify the property,” Kapoor said.
Rev. Demetrios Calogredes (Father Jim), pastor of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption in Port Jefferson, said Damianos was a devout Greek Orthodox Christian who served on the church’s parish council for many years.
“He would read with great care the Holy Bible every day and derive inspiration from the Holy Scriptures,” Calogredes said. “John also was a great philanthropist, helping people in need and supporting the local soup kitchens with food and contributions.”
Calogredes said Damianos was an active member of Port Jefferson American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association. The organization was formed in 1922 to help Greek immigrants assimilate into the American way of life and be successful while fighting discrimination.
“John will truly be missed by all our parishioners and friends who loved and admired him,” Calogredes said. “May his soul rest in peace and may others follow his sterling example.”
In addition to his work with the church, Damianos was involved with Middle Country Coalition for Smart Growth, Building Owners’ and Managers’ Association Long Island and the Real Estate Institute. Damianos was a recipient of the Association for a Better Long Island Developer of the Year Award in 2019 along with the Long Island Business News Redevelopment of the Year Award.
According to his family, Damianos quietly supported worthy causes and delivered food parcels to those in need on behalf of City on a Hill Community Church in Middle Island. He also loved working in his yard and on his vintage Porsche.
Damianos was born Dec. 19, 1951, in Plattsburgh to Dr. Xenophon and Virginia Damianos and was raised in Stony Brook with his five brothers and sisters. A member of the Suffolk County Bar Association since 1982, he was a graduate of The Stony Brook School and Long Island University. He earned a juris doctor from the California Western School of Law.
Damianos is survived by his two children, Elexis Zoe Damianos, Esq. and John James Damianos; his former wife and good friend Evonne Damianos; beloved brothers X. Cristofer Damianos (Helayne), Pelops Damianos (Marilyn); and sisters Bonnie Lee Rampone (Chuck), Elektra Gaebelein (Thad) and Beth Ann Damianos.
Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Bryant Funeral Home of East Setauket. A funeral service was held March 4 at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption and interment followed at St. James Episcopal Church Churchyard in St. James.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Monastery of St. Dionysios at 481 N. Country Road, St. James, NY 11780; City on a Hill Community Church at 629 Middle Country Road, Middle Island, NY, 11953; or Bideawee Animal Rescue at 118 Old Country Road, Westhampton, NY 11977.
The Town of Smithtown is currently in the process of hosting a series of Public Input Workshops for each hamlet to take part in their overall master plan. Workshops are being held to ensure the plan for each of the hamlets reflects the vision of those communities. Check out the flyer for your hamlet’s workshop date, location, and time! This is a great chance to get involved in your local community, whether you’re new to the area or a lifelong resident.
Smithtown: Thursday March 7th, 7PM-9PM; Eugene Cannatoro Senior Citizens Center
Nesconset: Tuesday, March 12th, 7PM-9PM; Great Hollow Middle School
Hauppauge: Tuesday, March 19th, 7PM-9PM; Hauppauge Pines Elementary School
St James: Wednesday, March 27th. 7PM-9PM; St James Elemetary School
Commack: Thursday, April 4th, 7PM-9PM; Commack High School Art Gallery
Kings Park: Thursday, April 11th, 7PM-9PM; Kings Park High School
For further information, call Smithtown Town Hall at 631-360-7512.
By David Luces
While de facto segregation among Long Island’s school districts and housing has been entrenched for decades, there is a growing academic movement to bring people closer together.
As part of the forum, “Housing and Racio-economic Equality” Elaine Gross, president of the Syosset-based advocacy group ERASE Racism, which co-sponsored the event, along with professors from Duke and Johns Hopkins Universitys discussed the history of racism and segregation in the U.S. and how it has affected public housing and education. Gross argued that there is racial segregation and inequality crisis in housing and public education on Long Island.
“There are folks that think that things are fine how they are,” she said.
At the forum hosted at the Hilton Garden Inn at Stony Brook Univesrity, Gross argued that there is severe government fragmentation on Long Island, which in turn makes it easier for racial discrimination in housing and public education.
“Segregation is profitable, and it didn’t end — it is still ongoing.”
— Nathan Connolly
Nathan Connolly, a history professor at Johns Hopkins University, said we have to rethink what we know about segregation.
“We are under the impression that segregation ended due to a combination of moral arguments, like [Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s] I Have a Dream Speech, and that segregation was too expensive to maintain,” he said. “Segregation is profitable, and it didn’t end — it is still ongoing.”
Connolly added due to many Jim Crow era policies, white supremacy has been baked into our political and governing structure.
“In the 1920s people began to institutionalize groups like the Ku Klux Klan,” Connolly said. “They had chapters in cities like Detroit, Chicago and Washington, D.C.— it was a dominant force of political organization.”
In many ways, the experts argued Long Island, in terms of its development of housing, is the perfect picture of what structural racism looks like.
Gross stated some towns and school districts on Long Island are more segregated than others, showing areas like Levittown, whose black population has only risen 1.2 percent since 1947. At an ERASE Racism forum in December, Gross provided data from New York State Department of Education that shows a school district like Port Jefferson is made up of 80 percent white students, while in a district like Brentwood close to 80 percent of students are Latino while 12 percent are black.
The panelists argued this racial steering of populations dates back to the time of the Great Depression.
“[There was] a notion that anything that allowed unregulated movement of people would lead to economic instability,” Connolly said. “You had to generate a way to keep everyone in place, while at the same time ensuring broad economic growth.”
One way this was done was through redlining, or the denial of services to different races through raising the prices on services, or in this case, homes.
Connolly said by removing these people’s options in moving around or getting a loan with a low interest rate it meant they couldn’t own homes and couldn’t accumulate equity, which in turn generated a racial wealth gap.
Gross mentioned examples of this racial steering on Long Island. Three years ago in Commack, African American renters asked about vacancies at an apartment complex. They were told there were none. When white individuals asked, they were shown the vacancy, given applications and were encouraged to apply.
ERASE Racism, along with the nonprofit Fair Housing Justice Center, took property owners Empire Management America Corp. to court, arguing it had violated the Federal Fair Housing Act and the Suffolk County Human Rights Law. The duo reached a successful settlement of $230,000 and required changes to the rental operations at the apartment complex.
Kim Manturuk, associate director of research, evaluation, and development at Duke University provided possible solutions to segregation on Long Island.
“Adapt a metropolitan approach, that has these cross district governing bodies that try to simplify, organize together things like education, infrastructure development among other things,” she said.
Though she cautioned that even when you have these procedures in place, it’s no guarantee that you get the desired results, and they need to find ways to make desegregation profitable.
“We need educators that buy into this change.”
— Elaine Gross
She mentioned in her own community of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, they have something called the Penny for Housing Fund.
“One penny of every property tax dollar collected in the entire county goes into a housing fund. We use that money to incentivize developers to build housing that has an affordable housing component that cuts races and ethnic lines,” she said.
If developers want to build a housing complex in the North Carolina county, they would have to set aside 10 percent of the apartment to families that are making 80 percent below the median income in the area.
Gross said the change needs to begin on the local level. She stressed the importance of building diverse communities.
“We need educators that buy into this change,” she said. “Also students — educating them about our history, one that is not heard about in schools.”
Gross said it will take a collaborative effort to show that something like this can work.
“People don’t believe — it is hard to dispel myths to them in the face of facts,” she said. “Unless they can see it and see the students and the community thriving, they won’t buy into it.”
A little snow didn’t stop Kings Park residents and friends from enjoying the 2019 Kings Park St. Patrick’s Day Parade March 2. Spectators, mostly huddled at the corners of Pulaski Road and Main Street as well as Church Street and Main, cheered on pipe bands, firefighters, businesses and more despite slushy streets and sidewalks.
This year’s grand marshals were the Nally Boys, Gene, Tom and John. The Nally family has lived in the community for nearly 120 years, spanning six generations.
By Kevin Matyi
Some would say the Nally family name is synonymous with Kings Park.
Tom Nally, who shares a name with his late father who died in 2017, said that his family has been deeply ingrained in Kings Park’s community. Both Tom and his father worked as teachers and coaches for Kings Park High School. His mother, Diane, worked for St. Joseph’s School of Religion. His brother, John, worked as a pharmacist at Genovese Drug Stores while Gene Nally went into local politics.
“It just feels like Kings Park is an extension of my family,” Tom Nally said.
“It just feels like Kings Park is an extension of my family.”
— Tom Nally
The family has lived in the community for nearly 120 years, spanning six generations.
“This community has shown me what it means to care for your neighbors and to be there when they need you,” John Nally said. “This town has always been there for my family through good times and bad, and I am forever grateful.”
These contributions are part of why the Nally Boys, Tom, John and Gene, were selected as grand marshals for the 2019 Kings Park St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Together, the three brothers will lead a multitude of bands, floats and local organizations and businesses in marching along Main Street.
“Since the parade’s inception, the Nally family has been a staple in the parade, resplendent and enthusiastic in a pickup truck … emblazoned with the Nally Boys banner,” reads the parade’s website.
Both Tom and John Nally attributed the original concept of the truck and its banner to their father.
Tom Nally said one of his favorite memories of the past was seeing how excited his father would become while gathering items to decorate the truck.
“He was always figuring out ways to make more room in the back of the pickup truck to fit more family members,” he said.
His brother recalled the family’s first time preparing to take part in the Kings Park tradition.
“I remember when Tom [Sr.] first told us we would be in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade,” John Nally said. “He was all excited and worked hard to get the truck clean and had a banner made heralding our family’s roots in County Westmeath in Ireland.”
Each year, the number of Nally family and friends riding along the parade route in the pickup truck has continued to grow, turning it into a tradition. Upon being presented with their sashes at the Grand Marshal Ball in November, John Nally said he was filled with a sense of pride.
“Our Irish heritage has always been important to our family and to be singled out was extremely humbling,” he said.
“Our Irish heritage has always been important to our family and to be singled out was extremely humbling.”
— John Nally
While the three brothers are often called the Nally Boys, John Nally said they would never forget their sister, Terri, who passed away in 2002.
“She was a very important member of our family and an integral part of the community,” he said.
John Nally said he knows that his father and sister will be with them in spirit as the three brothers take their places March 2.
“When we take our place in the front of the parade this year, I know Tom [Sr.] will be smiling down on us,” John Nally said. “He was the architect of this journey and to not have him with us will be extremely bittersweet. To have his son, Thomas, walk with us will ease the pain and we know Tom will be with us in spirit. Both he and my sister, Terri, would be extremely proud.”
The 2019 Kings Park’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade will step off March 2 at noon from the intersection of Lou Avenue and Pulaski Road at the Celtic Crossing bar.
St. James residents were surprised to hear a shotgun go off the evening of Feb. 23. The gun was aimed at the sky, but instead of shooting at birds, a man was aiming at an unmanned drone.
Members of Missing Angels-Long Island, a Bay Shore-based organization that searches for missing pets, were using a drone to search for a missing dog named Dezi in the St. James area, according to a Facebook post.
Suffolk County police said Gerard Chasteen, 26, of St. James allegedly fired three shots into the air in a residential area, striking the drone at around 4:45 p.m.
Chasteen was charged with third-degree criminal mischief and prohibited use of a weapon after an investigation by Suffolk police. Multiple shotguns were also confiscated from the residence. Chasteen was issued a field appearance ticket and was to be arraigned at a later date.
Missing Angels did not respond to requests for comment. But Facebook posts from the organization show Dezi was found and returned home the next day, Feb. 24.
The drone used, a Mavic 2 Zoom model, is valued at about $1,500 online, depending on configurations and accessories. Unmanned drones have seen a surge of popularity in recent years, and some 7 million drones are expected to fly over American skies by 2020, according to the Federal Aviation Association. A drone is considered an unmanned aircraft, according to Suffolk County law.
In response to the Feb. 23 incident, members of Missing Angels started a fundraiser the next day on Facebook to replace the destroyed drone. Within the first two days the fundraiser reached its goal of $1,500 to replace the drone. Organizers extended the fundraiser to $1,900 to cover the expenses for a universal microchip scanner. The group has now raised more than $2,100 for a new drone.
The organization said on a Facebook post these pieces of equipment are important to continue to help search and track pets on Long Island.
By David Luces
When it comes to legalizing recreational marijuana, the debate continues in Suffolk County.
More than 100 people filled the Suffolk County Legislature chambers Feb. 25 for a public hearing on the legalization of recreational marijuana and its potential impact. The over two-hour meeting fueled a contentious debate between attendees, with supporters pointing to the tax revenue the county could gain from possible legalization and the health benefits attributed to marijuana. Opponents argued that it is a quality of life issue and their view of the plant as a gateway drug, supporting the idea of the county opting out.
“When it comes to the young developing brain there are no such things as safe drugs.”
— Kym Laube
County legislators on the health committee held the hearing to gather input from the community as New York State inches closer to legalization. Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) expressed his support for legal recreational cannabis in his inaugural address in early January.
John Durso, president of Local 338, a union that represents close to 300 workers in the NYS medical cannabis industry, said he supports legalization and views it as a potential source of economic development in the county — if done right.
“As we got to know more patients, caregivers and medical professionals, we learned even more about the benefits of medical cannabis,” Durso said. “In easing symptoms for those who are ill or those who suffer from chronic pain, [it gives them] the ability to live more fulfilled lives.”
Durso added the legalization of cannabis is an opportunity to expand beyond the 5 percent of the New York population who are currently enrolled in the state program and allow more to benefit from its effects.
Kym Laube, executive director of the nonprofit social services organization Human Understanding and Growth Services, said instead of focusing on just one drug we as a county need to address all drug use for the sake of children.
“When it comes to the young developing brain there are no such things as safe drugs,” Laube said. “Schools across Long Island are fighting this — I just don’t think we are ready today to allow this to come [into the county].”
At first, her stance was a strong no for recreational marijuana, but now with legalization potentially on the horizon she hopes it can be delayed as long as possible.
“Let’s think of how we can build our drug prevention infrastructure,” she said. “Let’s ensure before we roll this out that every youth has access to prevention as much as they have access to drugs.”
Troy Smith, deputy director of the Empire State NORML, an advocacy group for the regulation and safe sale of marijuana, said he is not advocating for legalization, rather regulation to an existing industry and safe access to the plant.
“I would like to urge you all to just say ‘no’ — don’t opt out,” he said.
Smith said many law-abiding citizens partake in the consumption of marijuana, and legalization would lead to the existing business being regulated better so customers are protected. He also added by opting out the county would forfeit tax revenue and benefit drug dealers and criminals.
David Falkowski, owner of Open Minded Organics in Bridgehampton, which grows industrial hemp and sells CBD oil, echoed Smith’s sentiments of not opting out.
“I would like to urge you all to just say ‘no’ — don’t opt out.”
— Troy Smith
“If by chance the county feels like it needs to opt out, I just ask them that this decision is not left up to a small board of temporarily appointed representatives and that it goes to a referendum vote,” he said. His sentiments were followed by loud applause from pro-legalization supporters.
Some residents expressed concerns about quality of life and potential second-hand smoke hazards. If the county chose not to opt out, one resident asked representatives to outlaw and prohibit smoking in multiple unit-dwelling buildings to avoid the issue of people getting a contact high.
For Kimberly Miller of Deer Park, marijuana isn’t all about getting high — it is more personal.
As a recovering alcoholic and sexual assault survivor who suffers from depression, anxiety and PTSD, Miller said, for her and others like her, microdosing marijuana fills the gap traditional medicine doesn’t provide.
“Today I’m here asking you to fill one last gap for me,” she said. “Legalize and regulate marijuana, like you do with alcohol and tobacco. Let me buy it from a reputable business and let me pay taxes on it. Build some commerce. It’s a win-win for both of us.”
By David Luces
As the first anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, passed by Feb. 14, gun control advocates and Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives are gearing up for another round of gun debate.
U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) alongside gun violence prevention groups advocated for support for a proposed federal bill that would require background checks on all sales of firearms at a press conference Feb. 19.
“We are not trying to take anyone’s guns away — we are trying to prevent people who shouldn’t have a gun from getting one in the first place.”
— Tom Suozzi
H.R. 8, or the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, was first introduced in early January by U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-California). Suozzi is a co-sponsor of the bill.
The congressman announced that H.R.8 had passed the House Judiciary Committee and would next be put to vote on the House floor.
“It will go to the floor in the next week or two,” he said. “I feel good that this bill will pass the House of Representatives — the challenge is whether or not we can get the votes in the Senate.”
The bill would also see the end of a known loophole in firearm sales.
“There is a gun show loophole,” Suozzi said. “We are not trying to take anyone’s guns away — we are trying to prevent people who shouldn’t have a gun from getting one in the first place.”
Currently under federal law, individuals who are convicted felons of domestic abuse, those who have a restraining order or those who have been found using controlled substances are restricted from purchasing guns. Gun control activists have argued the gun show loophole has made it possible for private and unlicensed sellers to market firearms to buyers without going through a background check process.
“I stand here today with Congressman Suozzi to fully back his support of reasonable gun control,” Dix Hills resident Linda Beigel Schulman of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America said.
Schulman’s son, Scott, was a teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida and was one of 17 individuals killed in the Parkland shooting. She said she first met the congressman at a March for Our Lives rally.
“He spoke with me about the shooting, and I knew his concerns, his support was genuine,” Schulman said. “He is fighting for the safety of all of us.”
“Just this Friday there was another workplace shooting — this has to stop.”
— Linda Beigel Schulman
Suozzi said many guns that are brought into New York State illegally are purchased through this loophole. He pointed to a statistic that said over 70 percent of gun crimes that have occurred in New York have been caused with firearms that originated out of the state, according to a 2016 report from the New York State Attorney General’s office.
Schulman said the bill is a bipartisan attempt to pass common sense gun control legislation and that safety from gun violence is not a partisan issue.
“If asked the question: Do you want to be safe, your children to be safe? Have you ever heard anyone answer no?,” she said.
Marybeth Baxter, Long Island coordinator of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence agreed with Schulman, stating that universal background checks are paramount for the safety of New York, other states and the nation.
“Just this Friday there was another workplace shooting — this has to stop,” Schulman said. “If the universal background check prevents just one shooting, then it has done it purpose, it has saved lives.”
By Melissa Arnold
Whether it’s a holiday celebration or a football party, a rite of passage or a family outing, there’s something about food and drink that brings people together. In families, shared meals can be the perfect setting for passing down traditions, memories and personal history.
Cienna Rizza knows this intimately. A self-described “dyed-in-the-wool Long Islander,” some of Rizza’s fondest memories involve sharing tea with her mother and British grandmother.
Rizza valued those experiences so much that she began to share them, hosting tea parties for friends that eventually grew to include their friends and even strangers. Armed with a deep knowledge of tea party symbolism and rituals, she created the Mad Harlot Tea Society, an organization seeking to empower and connect people from all walks of life. Taking on the persona of Miss Penelope Proper — a whimsical, rabble-rousing British authority on all things tea — she has shared her message of joyful, unapologetic confidence with women of all ages.
“Penelope is a free spirit, a leader for women who want to get out of the box. Although she is a character, she brings out the best in people and is still very ‘me,’” Rizza said. “While every tea party is a bit different, you can always expect a warm, loving atmosphere.”
On April 14, the Smithtown Historical Society will welcome Miss Penelope as she hosts a Victorian-style royal tea for ladies in the beautiful Frank Brush Barn. Proceeds from the afternoon will benefit the historical society.
“The Smithtown Historical Society works to preserve the historic properties in our town, and we seek to expand and improve upon programs for both adults and children,” said Executive Director Priya Kapoor. “All these activities require funding, and we have been fortunate enough to have the support of our wonderful friends and neighbors in Smithtown.”
The historical society holds a variety of fundraising events throughout the year, but this is its first tea party, Kapoor said. The idea was suggested by Myra Naseem, co-owner of Elegant Eating caterers in Smithtown.
“As a Smithtown resident since 1960, I feel that it is my town and I want to help it to be the best it can be. In the past, we’ve catered tea parties for bridal and baby showers and occasionally a Red Hat party — occasions when someone is looking for a dainty experience,” said Naseem. “I met Penelope Proper some time ago at a tea party where she was seated at our table. You can’t just sit next to that lady without totally enjoying her character.”
Naseem and Miss Penelope have carefully crafted the menu for tea time, which includes traditional fare — fresh-baked scones, tea sandwiches, berries and clotted cream, minicakes, tarts and more. Each guest will have her own individual teapot with a variety of teas to sample and enjoy, along with sparkling water or cider.
Miss Penelope loves revelry, so she’ll lead the group in some games and raffles throughout the afternoon, as well as the opportunity for pictures on the grounds. In addition to the food and frivolity, guests will be treated to a brief lesson on the history of tea and tea parties on Long Island, which grew in popularity following World War I.
The Royal Victorian Tea fundraiser will be held at the Smithtown Historical Society’s Frank Brush Barn, 211 E. Main St., Smithtown on April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Please note, this event is limited to 30 people and is for women only. Hats, gloves and costumes are encouraged (though not required) and prizes will be awarded for the fanciest hat and most historic costume. Tickets are $50. To reserve your seat or for further information, please call the society at 631-265-6768.
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