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By Anthony Dattero

As a school guidance counselor at Paul J. Gelinas Junior High School — for three decades now — and a parent whose children have thrived within our outstanding district, I feel compelled to share my concerns regarding the proposed reconfiguration orchestrated by our superintendent and voted upon by our board of education. 

There are many reasons to doubt the motivation and the lack of details starting with why this move is necessary and why this monumental move is in our students’ best interests. The challenge to the district should be to prove “the why” in comparison to our current proven educational model. Our current model has served our students well, offering significant academic and social-emotional advantages that have stood the test of time.

The notion of transitioning to a common middle school model is, frankly, mind-boggling and irresponsible. Three Village school district has distinguished itself by providing top-notch opportunities for our students across diverse areas, while also fostering nurturing environments during pivotal transitional years — sixth grade at the elementary level and ninth grade at the junior high school level.

Having actively participated in the superintendent’s public forums and committee sessions, I remain unable to find any compelling reason or explicit need to dismantle a system that has proven its effectiveness over the years. 

Why fix what isn’t broken? 

Our district has maintained its uniqueness for over 40 years, resisting the trend toward common middle school models adopted by other districts.

Despite the district’s efforts to gauge community sentiment through surveys, many — including myself — find these surveys incomplete and misleading. 

The supposed cost-saving benefits of reconfiguration have also been debunked, with recent revelations indicating potential excessive costs for retrofitting the high school to accommodate an entire grade level. 

More is not better if space is valued. Think about what happens if we were to add more people to a dance floor — creativity would likely decline and apologetic exchanges of “I’m sorry” or “Excuse me” or unpleasant looks would likely increase.

In an era where student vulnerability is heightened by social media and external influences, cramming more students into the high school environment seems counterintuitive to their well-being. It is imperative that we prioritize the best interests of our students above all else.

The district has failed to provide all stakeholders with clearly defined and transparent comparisons representing the pros, cons, trade-offs and other options that could enhance our current configuration. 

Let us stand united in advocating for the preservation of what works, ensuring that our students continue to receive the exceptional education and support they deserve. Our students deserve our best so they can realize the best version of themselves.

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Tom Cassidy with his late father, Hugh 'Joe' Cassidy. Photo by Jonathan Spier

By Thomas M. Cassidy

Thomas M. Cassidy

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will cost many people their jobs. But some occupations desperately needed by a rapidly aging population cannot be replaced by computers or machines. For example, nurse assistants in hospitals and nursing homes.

Research conducted by Goldman Sachs estimates that 25% of current work tasks could be automated by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Unlike prior technological advances that replaced workers in labor intensive occupations, this time “it’s the higher-paying jobs where a college education and analytical skills can be a plus that have a high level of exposure to AI,” according to The Pew Research Center.

During my twenty-year career as an investigator for the New York State Attorney General’s Office, I conducted many investigations of potential patient abuse in nursing homes and other health facilities. I had the privilege of meeting hundreds of nursing assistants. Most were dedicated, knowledgeable and compassionate, but a few were not. Nursing aides dress, bathe, toilet and ambulate patients among many other services. Sometimes they also interact with families, which can be a difficult task. Let me explain:

I was assigned to investigate a possible case of patient abuse at a nursing home. An elderly woman with a doctor’s order for a two-person transfer was helped from her bed for a bathroom trip by only one nurse aide. The elderly woman fell and fractured her hip. The nursing assistant was immediately suspended pending an investigation. My assignment was to investigate this incident as a possible crime. Here’s what happened:

The nursing home patient had a visit from her daughter. Mom told her daughter to help her get out of bed and walk her to the bathroom. The daughter obeyed and helped mom get out of bed. The daughter tried to hold her up, but mom was weak and started to slip. The daughter screamed for help. A nursing assistant rushed to help the falling patient, but it was too late. Mom fell and fractured her hip. There was no crime. The nursing assistant returned to work the next day.

Fast forward twenty years. My father, a World War II combat veteran and a decorated NYPD Detective Commander, fractured his hip at age 80. I visited him at the Long Island State Veterans Nursing Home in Stony Brook. He was alone in his room. He says, “Tom, help me get to the bathroom.” I say, “Dad, let me get an aide to help you.” He says, “YOUR MY SON, just do this for me. I don’t want anyone else to help.” I told him about the elderly woman who fractured her hip when her daughter tried to help her. He said, okay, go get someone to help. If not for my experience as an investigator, I might have tried to help my father. I was taught “To Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother.” But instead, two aides moved my dad safely to the bathroom and back into his bed. Nine months later he walked out of the nursing home to live at home with my mother. 

Not every resident of a nursing home is elderly, but most are. In the United States today, one in every six Americans is age 65 or older. That number will increase dramatically in the next six years to 20% of the population or 70 million older Americans. Incredibly, nursing homes are closing, instead of opening. 

The American Health Care Association reports that since 2020 almost 600 nursing homes have closed, and more than half of nursing homes limit new admissions due to staffing shortages. As a result, there is a shortfall of hospital beds nationwide because displaced nursing home patients remain in hospital beds until they can be safely transferred home or to a care facility.

The Massachusetts Hospital Association reports that one out of every seven medical-surgical beds are unavailable due to patients remaining in the hospital when they no longer need hospital care. Keep in mind that hospitals are required by federal law to provide emergency care, stabilize patients, and discharge patients to a safe environment.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that nursing assistants have one of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses because they frequently move patients and perform other physically demanding tasks. For these, and many other tasks, nurse assistants are paid a median wage of less than $18 per hour; not even close to a salary that is in line with the responsibilities of their job. Small wonder that a survey by the American Health Care Association found that one of the biggest obstacles for hiring new staff in nursing homes is a lack of interested candidates.

Reversing the hemorrhage of nursing home closures requires leaders with Natural Intelligence (NI). It benefits all generations of Americans when hospitals fulfill their mission for acute care and not operate as quasi-nursing homes. After all, languishing in a crowded emergency room “Can Be Hazardous To Your Health!”

Thomas M. Cassidy is the creator of the TV series, Manhattan South, which is in development. (ktpgproductions.com)

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Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. Photo from Tierney's office

Prepared by District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney and Dr. Jeffrey L. Reynolds

Dr. Jeffrey L. Reynolds

New York’s roads are deadlier than ever. With the legalization of personal use quantities of marijuana and New York’s antiquated impaired driving laws, which have not kept up with new synthetic designer drugs, the problem is getting worse by the day. The Drugged Driving Loopholes in our laws enable dangerous drivers to escape responsibility far too often while endangering innocent people simply trying to drive on our roads or walk on our sidewalks in safety.  

The Drugged Driving Loopholes exist because New York is one of only four states that still uses an archaic list to allow for arrest and prosecution of drugged driving. In New York, to prosecute a drugged driver, it is not enough that the drug has impaired the driver. The substance must be listed in the Public Health Law passed by the state Legislature and signed by the governor, before a dangerous, obviously impaired driver can be arrested. Right now, a driver can be as “high as a kite,” but if they are high on a drug, or other substance that is not listed, they go free. For instance, drugs such as xylazine (“tranq”), analogues of fentanyl and nitazene (“ISO”) are not on New York’s list.  

With modern chemistry, our lawmakers cannot keep up with new designer synthetic drugs coming out regularly. The constant influx of new impairing substances has turned the drug list into a barrier against stopping dangerously impaired drivers. It is at the root of the National Transportation Safety Board’s recommendation to New York and three other states to abandon the limitation of an ineffective drug list that will never be able to keep up.  

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney

Additionally, even drivers high on a drug that is on New York’s list can avoid responsibility by simply refusing to take an identifying test because it prevents the drug from being named. Twenty percent of drivers in New York evaluated by police Drug Recognition Experts in 2021 refused to take a chemical test, up from 13 percent in 2019. We are not protected when drugged drivers can escape arrest simply by refusing a test. 

The type of alcohol ingested by a driver does not have to be named for someone to be charged with Driving While Intoxicated and if impairment is observed, no test is needed to establish a blood alcohol level or whether it was whiskey, vodka or wine, that has caused a driver to be impaired. The same should be true for drugs.  

Just like with alcohol impairment, driver appearance, behavior and common sense ought to apply to drug-impaired drivers too. Blood alcohol tests are valuable evidence in DWI cases, but if drivers refuse the test for alcohol, they can still be prosecuted and lose their licenses based on the other impairment factors.  

This is a public safety and public health emergency. If we have learned anything during the current opioid crisis, it is that public safety is enhanced when law enforcement and addiction treatment providers work together. Laws that hold people accountable for their actions, paired with evidence-based substance use prevention messages and readily accessible drug and alcohol treatment for those who need it, will save lives.  

It is time to plug the loopholes. New York’s outdated approach to impaired driving handcuffs law enforcement, leaves those struggling with a drug problem untreated and puts innocent people at risk. A commonsense bipartisan bill (S3135/A174), backed by both law enforcement and addiction treatment providers, has been introduced in Albany this session to plug these Drugged Driving Loopholes. We need to be responsible and keep everyone safe. It is time to reverse the increase in highway deaths and save lives by passing the Deadly Driving Bill.  

Raymond A. Tierney (R) is the Suffolk County district attorney and Dr. Jeffrey L. Reynolds is the president/CEO of Family and Children’s Association, based in Garden City. Both are members of the Coalition to Protect New Yorkers from Drugged Driving. 

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NYS Assemblyman Ed Flood

By Ed Flood

As the legislative session and negotiations continue toward the 2024-25 New York State Budget, there are several policies my colleagues and I have proposed that we believe would better cater to our hardworking citizens throughout the state. New York ranks second for the highest budget in the nation, making it difficult to fathom any tax increases on families or funding cuts in essential areas to make up for other state spending programs. 

In her State of the State address in January, Gov. Kathy Hochul [D] highlighted her proposal of an additional $2.4 billion in funding for supporting migrants. This would pull $500 million from state reserve funds. To address the migrant issue, New York City has already provided housing and food for approximately 170,000 asylum seekers with no end goal in sight.

This is not about immigration, but a major public safety and financial concern. Back in September 2023, my colleagues and I called for an emergency special session to consider adopting a bundle of policies that would efficiently monitor the migrants entering New York City and ensure background checks are completed to prevent violent criminals from entering our state. Unfortunately, that request was denied, leading us to the financial cliff on which New York is balancing. 

At the same time, Gov. Hochul proposed to potentially end the “hold harmless” provision for foundation aid in school funding assistance, threatening the loss of major state school aid. This reckless proposal would create significant funding cuts to schools across the state, weakening their opportunities for extracurricular activities and causing potential staff layoffs. The proposed budget shows an increase in educational aid but major cuts to many rural and suburban districts, which is what we are seeing now. 

Rather than using taxpayer dollars on a federal issue that should be handled by the president, we are using a major portion of our state budget on the migrant crisis and taking money away from our children’s education. With a $234 billion budget, $6 billion more than last year, no school should lose funding. What are our priorities when we allocate $2.4 billion from our general fund to pay for the self-inflicted migrant crisis and cut funding to rural and suburban districts from that same general fund? The money is in front of us, yet it is spent in other areas of the state. 

As we continue our work in Albany, it is crucial that we remove these irrational proposals in the final budget and that our children’s education must be prioritized to ensure they are equipped for bright futures ahead. 

Please contact me any time if you have any questions or concerns at 631-751-3094 or by email at [email protected].

Assemblyman Ed Flood (R-Port Jefferson) represents the 4th Assembly District, which includes parts of Suffolk County, including portions of the Town of Brookhaven and the villages of Old Field, Poquott, Belle Terre, Port Jefferson and Lake Grove.

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New York State Senator Anthony Palumbo

By Anthony H. Palumbo

Late last month, as New Yorkers were making plans to celebrate the New Year, Governor Hochul once again vetoed the Grieving Families Act. Her action was a surprise to many of us in the State Legislature, especially considering the broad, nearly unanimous bipartisan support for the bill’s passage in consecutive sessions.

More surprisingly was that her veto pen fell on a vastly changed version of the legislation, which was updated to assuage the Governor’s concerns over the Act’s overhyped impact on the State’s hospitals and insurance industry.

The Grieving Families Act is important as it would bring New York State’s wrongful death statute into the modern era, on par with the rest of the nation and in line with our values. It would provide families who have lost a child or loved one the ability to seek damages for their pain and suffering in cases where wrongful death is established.

By expanding the State’s wrongful death statute beyond the callous ‘monetary value’ of the deceased and allowing for pain and suffering to be calculated in wrongful death cases, the legislation weighs the full and devastating impact that the loss of a child, spouse, stay at-home parent, or disabled grandparent has on a family.  It would also hold the wrongdoer responsible for the death accountable.

The benefits of the legislation to New York’s families are crystal clear. The steps that the New York State Legislature will take next to ensure the Grieving Family Act becomes law, is less evident.

There have been discussions to override Governor Hochul’s veto of the Grieving Families Act, but these talks have been met by a mixed response from Democratic Leaders in the State Legislature. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie referred to a veto override as a nuclear option and Senator Brad Hoylman-Siegel, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee and the bill’s sponsor stated he doesn’t believe an override can occur in a different calendar year from when the bill was vetoed.  To the person, however, these same legislators have engaged in splashy press conferences and rhetorical speeches regarding the need to make the Grieving Families Act law so we can protect victims of negligence.

My solution would be for both houses of the State Legislature to again pass the 2023 version of the bill, and before the State Budget is approved. This would provide Legislators greater leverage, and show our resolve to have the Act become law in 2024.  With supermajorities in both houses, why won’t the Democrats that constantly claim to protect victims and be the Party That Cares More Than Everybody Else simply flex their legislative muscle to make this happen.  If the Governor vetoes the bill again, they must use the ‘nuclear option’ and override her veto.

Antithetically, during last year’s historic nomination of Justice Hector Lasalle for Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, the Senate Democrats were more than willing to override the Governor to stack the court with progressives who would toe the political line when it came to the congressional redistricting case that was soon to be heard. Despite the historic nature of the nomination, as the first Latino nominee for Chief Judge, the impeccable qualifications of Justice Lasalle and the fact that the legislature has never denied a Governor’s nomination for Chief Judge, the Lasalle nomination was defeated because he didn’t fit with their agenda. 

Now, with something as important as the Grieving Families Act, the Democrats seem unwilling to move the ball forward.  If they were willing to challenge the Governor for political power, it would be my hope that they could do it for legislation that would serve a greater purpose for all New York’s families.  2024 must be the year the Grieving Families Act becomes law. Whether this happens by the Governor acquiescing to sign the bill or through an override, the important first step is for lawmakers to take action now and repass the Grieving Families Act so we can do what’s right as New Yorkers, for New Yorkers.

Anthony H. Palumbo

New York State Senator, 1st District 

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Suffolk County executive Ed Romaine and family at his inauguration ceremony at Eastport-South Manor Junior-Senior High School on Jan. 1. Photos courtesy Ed Romaine’s Office

By Steve Levy

Steve Levy. Nicole Rochelle Photography

Newly sworn in Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine [R] gave a rousing inaugural speech to kick off his incoming administration. His success will be ours.

Incoming executives at the town and county levels today have the good fortune of taking the helm when local governments are flush with money, thanks to hundreds of millions of dollars given nearly unconditionally from the federal government to localities during COVID-19. 

But Romaine wisely noted that in the year prior to COVID, Suffolk was ranked as the most fiscally stressed county in the state. His predecessor inherited a balanced budget — contrary to the claims that there was a deficit — and a record high-bond rating, but faced an economic storm due to a crippling recession. The national economic downturn, coupled with a huge police contract and use of one shots such as selling the fully paid-off H. Lee Dennison Building only to lease it back, led to numerous rating agency downgrades that Romaine has referenced.

As noted by local economist Martin Cantor, the county’s likely fiscal Armageddon was avoided thanks to the feds pumping in over $500 million in grants. Moreover, the supercharging of the economy with $6 trillion in federal checks sent to the public caused hyperinflation and unprecedented spending that brought in hundreds of millions in unanticipated sales tax dollars to the county coffers. 

Those one shots will run out, so implementing efficiencies is essential.

Romaine wisely stressed the building of sewers, supporting economic development and cleaning our environment. Good priorities, but let’s hope these measures could be pursued without seeking a sales tax increase when so many hundreds of millions of dollars are available in the present budget due to COVID surpluses. 

The best thing to spend one-shot revenues on is a one-time, nonrecurring expenditure such as constructing a sewer. That’s preferable to adding positions or programs that will have to be supported every year thereafter. 

The executive chose wisely in placing my former chief deputy county executive, Kevin Law, and Islip supervisor, Angie Carpenter, to guide his transition.

Hopefully, the team can share with the executive the success we had in 2004 in creating a workforce housing department that provided grants for municipalities willing to build up their housing stock in downtown corridors. It was remarkably successful, as witnessed with Patchogue’s renaissance, and dovetails nicely with Romaine’s housing policies.

It’s also hoped that the new executive can implement efficiencies by reconstituting the Long Island Purchasing Consortium, which was discontinued after my tenure. It brought together the two counties, as well as towns, fire departments and schools to coordinate their high-volume purchases. Having different jurisdictions buy 1,000 cars at one time gets you a much better discount than buying 10 at a time.

We’re also happy to see the search for a qualified police commissioner. We cannot have a repeat of a rogue police leader being allowed to dismantle the FBI task force I created. Kicking out the feds led to a slowdown in the Gilgo Beach search and a reconstituting of MS-13 throughout the county — which led to the murders of dozens of Suffolk youth. 

And to build on his goal to further protect our children, the new executive can reinstate my policy of requiring automatic backfills for vacancies in Child Protective Services.

Finally, it is hoped the new executive will be an ardent advocate for Suffolk residents. There was a dire need to push back against Gov. Kathy Hochul’s [D] contentious plans to overrule local zoning, impose an MTA tax on Suffolk businesses and enact congestion pricing fees. Hopefully, Romaine will lead that charge. He can start by replacing Suffolk’s present representative on the MTA board who, remarkably, voted in favor of congestion pricing that will crush Suffolk commuters.

As noted above, there’s a lot of breathing room for executives when so much federal money is sitting in reserves. But that luxury will be short lived. Hopefully, Romaine’s intentions to pursue structural efficiencies will come to fruition.

Steve Levy served as Suffolk County executive from 2004-11.

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Pixabay photo

By Samantha Rutt

On Monday night, our communities experienced their first snowfall in an astonishing 716 days as a winter storm swept through the region, leaving a picturesque blanket of snow in its wake. The last significant snowfall in the area occurred on a winter day in 2022, making this recent event a long-awaited and nostalgic experience for residents.

The snowstorm, which arrived overnight, surprised many with its intensity and the amount of snow it deposited. Weather reports indicate that Suffolk County received approximately 3 inches of snow, transforming the landscape into a winter wonderland. The delicate white flakes clung to trees and rooftops, creating scenes reminiscent of a holiday postcard.

Local authorities were well prepared for the snowstorm, deploying salt trucks and snowplows to keep roads clear and safe for travel. Despite the challenges posed by the sudden onset of winter weather, no major disruptions were reported, and residents were able to navigate the snow-covered streets with caution. The most prominent concern locals are faced with lays within the morning commute as freezing temperatures and wet roads are prime ingredients for a dangerous trek. 

Meteorologists suggest that the unusual gap between snowfalls in Suffolk County could be attributed to a combination of climatic factors. The return of the snow, albeit a moderate amount, serves as a reminder of the region’s seasonal diversity and the unpredictable nature of weather patterns.

As the sun rises over Suffolk County, the pristine snowscape offers a serene and scenic view, marking the end of a lengthy snow drought for the community. 

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METRO photo

By Rabbi Aaron Benson

Rabbi Aaron Benson

There would be no miracle of Hanukkah, the eight-day festival which begins this Thursday evening, without there first being darkness.   

Hanukkah is meant to be a time of joy. It is not a major holiday, still it is a time to play games, give gifts and enjoy foods fried in oil, reminiscent of the miracle at the heart of the holiday.  

In ancient times, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem had been defiled and when the Jews took it back from their oppressors, they found only enough oil to light the sanctuary’s special candelabra, the menorah, for one day.  Since the menorah must always be lit, the Jews did so, and miraculously, the oil burned for eight days during which time more oil was procured. 

But even more important than the oil, the miracle couldn’t have happened if there hadn’t been darkness at first.  

This year, Hanukkah occurs in a time of hatred and war for Israel and the Jewish People. It is a time of suffering for the innocent people of Gaza. It is a time in which Islamophobia has caused violent and deadly attacks on American Muslims; college students in Vermont and a little boy from the same part of Illinois where I grew up. Not to mention all that divides Americans from each other, too. 

This is a Hanukkah of much darkness. 

But it is only out of darkness that light, that miracles can come. 

I am reminded of the final scene from the first season of the HBO series, True Detectives. The two protagonists are discussing the fight against evil, the war between darkness and light. One of the two argues that looking in the night sky, there is far more darkness than the tiny points of light we see, “it appears to me that the dark has a lot more territory.” The other objects, saying, “You’re looking at it wrong, the sky thing … once there was only dark. You ask me, the light’s winning.”

If good people, Jews and non-Jews, can resist the vast darkness that surrounds us and bravely light one little light, we, all of us, will create a miracle. May such a miracle, one that brings understanding and peace, be kindled for us all soon. 

The author is the rabbi of  North Shore Jewish Center in Port Jefferson Station.

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Ken Brady. Photo by John Griffin

By Philip Griffith

I was sorry to read in The Port Times Record [Oct. 25] that Kenneth C. Brady Jr., born April 17, 1943, passed away on Oct. 24.

Ken inherited Rob Sisler’s title, Port Jefferson village historian. Brady was the quintessential explorer of our Port history. He leaves us a legacy of 17,500 priceless photographs, numerous articles, eloquent historical lectures, fascinating artifacts and public exhibitions. A wise Irish patron of a local pub advised me, “Always expect the worst. You’ll never be disappointed.”

It was my pleasure to meet Ken as a co-writer and editor of The Echoes of Port newsletter distributed by the Historical Society of Greater Port Jefferson. He taught me much about accurate research and reporting. Along with me, Brady was a founding member of Port Jefferson Conservancy and later became its president. He worked tirelessly to preserve our village history, architecture, parks and surrounding waters of the Long Island Sound.

Beyond Port Jefferson, he served as president of the Suffolk County Historical Society. His books on Belle Terre and photographs of Arthur S. Greene are gems. I especially enjoyed his many photographic exhibits at the Port Jefferson Village Center and at our annual dinner of the Port Jefferson Historical Society at Port Jefferson Country Club.

In addition, Ken was a frequent contributor to The Port Times Record, best known for his Hometown History series. TBR News Media named him as a 2013 People of the Year winner.

I visited Ken many times in his archive office, which he designed and created on the second floor of the Village Center. He was always gracious about my interrupting his work and generous with sharing information for my research. Ken was a walker and often greeted residents on his journey. My grandson Jack lived on South Street, and Ken always gave him a high five and a smile. When Jack went ice skating at The Rinx adjoining the Village Center, he always went upstairs to visit Ken, who offered him a few peppermint candies to enjoy.

A retired Sachem teacher, Ken loved children and Jack loved him — as all who knew him did.

Ken had a great sense of humor. He was a kind, intelligent, unassuming gentleman. You’d see him in his Montauk sweatshirt, a place where he spent many days at his second home. In this small resort village called “The End,” and the location of seven Stanford White homes, Ken spent many hours with his good friends, Mike and Claire Lee. The surrounding ocean waters beguiled them. Ireland, the land of his ancestors, is noted for its saints and scholars. In my judgment, Ken qualified for both categories.

It is ironic that days before Ken’s death, I met Mike Lee at the Colosseo Pizzeria in Port Jeff Station. As I frequently do, I asked Mike, “How is Ken?” He replied, “Fine.”

There’s an old Hasidic adage that goes, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans for the next week.” At 11 a.m. on Oct. 27 in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Kenneth C. Brady Jr. was laid to rest before more than 100 friends and neighbors. The Methodist Rev. Charles Van Houten conducted the solemn graveside service. Van Houten and attending mourners offered prayers.

Mike Lee made a fittingly concluding remark. I made a fittingly concluding remark, too. I said, “Ken, you are now a part of Port Jefferson’s history.”

Rest in peace.

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Anthony Portesy

By Anthony R. Portesy

Over the next few months, voters and pundits alike will dissect and pontificate about how Long Island as a region could be a “red den” when voter registration is relatively even — it was 50/50 in 2020 between Biden and Trump — and given Democratic party victories across other states, including Kentucky.

A familiar chorus making the rounds is saying that Democrats running as “GOP-lite” is not an effective strategy. This theory effectively states that if consumers are given a choice between Coke and Diet Coke, they will invariably choose classic Coke — or the Republican candidate — over the Democratic GOP-lite candidate.

There is some curious credence to that theory as we are entering what I call the “voter silo” era of American politics, where the level of cross-pollination — namely voters spreading their ballot choices among Democrats and Republicans, as well as voters crossing party lines — is a rare phenomenon. This makes messaging to voters more complicated.

When I ran for Brookhaven Town highway superintendent in 2017 and 2019, I engaged in guerilla marketing, carrying a piece of asphalt around to depict how grave our infrastructure problem was. It was entertaining in every room I entered.

I would canvass neighborhoods, find the worst road and open my statement with “Who took Chaplin Boulevard here?” or any other road in the area. “Well, I brought a piece of it here with me” to a chorus of laughter. I was able to lower the margins in some districts that were 75% red to 60% red, and in my hometown of Selden, flip districts 70% red to 55% blue.

Guess what? I still lost, both times. Look, my opponent had a ton of money, the Republican and Conservative line, a 12-year political career and the political machine behind him. While the voters we could get our message to were somewhat responsive, it is very hard to get a majority of red voters to cross over unless you have deep ties to the community you seek to represent in elected office.

The only reason I flipped election districts in Selden and Centereach is because I played on the voters’ baseball teams or shoveled their driveways as a kid. Community ties matter.

Long Island as a region certainly has voters that will never leave the GOP silo no matter how much we hammer them on corruption, cronyism, career political careers or any of the other poll-tested modicums of why America hates politicians. But, as one of my mentors and good friends, Rabia Aziz, has told me over and over, “We have to make political campaigns bottom up from the grassroots instead of top down.”

As Democrats, we tend to believe that our ideas will rule the day and that may be true, but at the end of the day, voters want to vote for someone they feel will represent their interests. This starts by identifying the issues that people care about: the disgraced park, the dilapidated shopping center, the broken road, the burnt-out streetlight. That’s local politics. 

U.S. Sen. Alfonse D’Amato (R-NY) was called “Senator Pothole” because he was known to personally get involved to fix issues in the local community. His successor, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), has copied that business model to a tee.

Look, there are a litany of other issues including fusion voting (the practice should be legislatively banned by the state delegation) and money in local politics (some of these career politicians have more money than people running for Congress in other states). But at the end of the day, we have to cultivate community ties. My councilmember, Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook), was a school board member and civic leader before becoming councilmember.

As we analyze the results of the election and agonize over how we repair our relationship with the electorate, let’s remember there is no replacement for local community involvement in the very fabric of the issues that affect our neighborhoods.

The writer is the chair of the Brookhaven Town Democratic Committee.

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