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Donna Lent

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Brookhaven Deputy Town Clerk Lauren Thoden (left) swore Town Clerk Kevin LaValle into office on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Photo courtesy the Town of Brookhaven’s Public Information Office

Brookhaven Town Clerk Kevin LaValle (R) formally took office during a swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday, Feb. 1. He is the 44th occupant of the clerk’s office in the town’s 368-year history. 

Deputy Town Clerk Lauren Thoden officiated the swearing-in. LaValle was elected after a Jan. 17 special election triggered when former Town Clerk Donna Lent (I) retired after nine years in the position.

LaValle previously served as a Brookhaven town councilman for the 3rd Council District, which includes Lake Grove, Centereach, Selden and parts of Lake Ronkonkoma, Farmingville, Port Jeff Station and Holbrook. He was first elected to the Town Board in 2013. 

Before entering elected office, LaValle served for three years as chief of staff for then-Suffolk County Legislator and incumbent Brookhaven Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro (R). 

From 2007 to 2011, he was president and part-owner of Pinnacle Title Agency. He also served as a legislative aide to former Suffolk County Legislator Tom Muratore (R-Ronkonkoma).

LaValle was educated in the Middle Country Central School District, graduating from Centereach High School in 1995. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Salisbury University, where he graduated in 2000. He currently resides in Selden.

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Kevin LaValle, above. File photo by Raymond Janis

In a special election held Tuesday, Jan. 17, Town of Brookhaven Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden) was elected as Brookhaven town clerk.

Former Town Clerk Donna Lent (I) retired in November, prompting a special election to complete her unexpired term ending in 2025. An unofficial tally from the Suffolk County Board of Elections indicates LaValle secured victory handily, defeating the Democratic candidate, Lisa Di Santo of East Patchogue. So far, he has received 6,396 votes to Di Santo’s 4,940.

In an exclusive phone interview, LaValle reacted to the election outcome. 

“I’m really excited that the residents of the Town of Brookhaven put their faith in me to run a very critical department,” he said. “I’m excited about the opportunity ahead of me. Once I get sworn in, I look forward to taking on that challenge.” To his opponent, he added, “It was a great race. I wish her the best.”

Upon assuming this townwide position, LaValle will oversee a more than 25-person staff. In the meantime, he said he intends to speak with staff members, get an idea of the day-to-day operations and “start to see the office as a whole and see what we can improve.”

“I think that that’s going to be a little bit of a process to get that all together, but I’m excited to sit down with everybody,” the town clerk-elect said, adding, “It’s going to be a bit of a challenge, but I’m excited for it.”

New state election laws require at least a week for the election results to be certified. LaValle will vacate his seat on the Town Board when he is sworn in as clerk, triggering another special election — this time for his Brookhaven 3rd Council District.

The outgoing councilman pledged to remain active in the eventual transition process. “I think there are some people out there,” he said, referring to prospective candidates. “The leadership of the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, they’re going to have to make the decisions on that.”

He added, “The 3rd District has been my home my whole life. It’s been a great honor to be able to represent it over the last nine years, so I’m certainly going to take a keen interest in who’s going to take over after me and certainly be a helping hand in that transition.”

LaValle could be sworn into office as Brookhaven town clerk as early as Wednesday, Jan. 25. Under town code, the board must set a special election between 60 and 90 days from the opening of the vacancy.

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A special election for Brookhaven Town Clerk will take place Tuesday, Jan. 17. Above, Kevin LaValle (left) and Lisa Di Santo, respective nominees for the Republican and Democratic parties. Photos by Raymond Janis

Early voting is underway for the next Brookhaven town clerk, and the two major party candidates are making their pitch to the voters.

Former Town Clerk Donna Lent (I) retired in November, triggering a special election for her unexpired term ending in 2025. Town of Brookhaven Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden) and community advocate Lisa Di Santo, the Democratic Party nominee, will square off at the polls Tuesday, Jan. 17.

During a joint meeting of the Selden and Centereach civic associations Thursday, Jan. 5, the two candidates were questioned on a range of topics related to the operations of the Town Clerk’s Office. Civic members generated some of the questions with others fielded from the audience.

Introductions

Di Santo is a former social studies teacher who taught students about participation in government. She also served as a trustee of the South Country school board in East Patchogue, where she lives. 

“I have always participated in government, and I feel that I can be an independent voice of reason in the Town Clerk’s Office,” she said. “We have many of the same people filling many of the same positions over and over again. … That leads to a bit of stagnation, and I think it’s time for a fresh set of ideas, a fresh set of eyes, on what’s happening in the Town Clerk’s Office.”

Before entering government, LaValle owned a title agency. He then received a loan mortgage originator’s license and has worked in mortgage banking ever since. The councilman worked on the staff of former Suffolk County Legislators Dan Losquadro (R) and Tom Muratore (R). He was elected to serve Brookhaven’s 3rd Council District in 2013 in an area which includes Lake Grove, Centereach, Selden and parts of Lake Ronkonkoma, Farmingville, Port Jeff Station and a piece of Holbrook. 

 “I think I’ve accomplished a great deal as councilman, but I come before you now, again, to say that as town clerk, I am going to bring a new energy,” he said. “I am going to bring a new work ethic to the Town Clerk’s Office that has not been seen before.”

Duties of town clerk

Both candidates were asked about the function of the town clerk. For Di Santo, the clerk must ensure the accurate recording of Town Board meetings and the efficient filing of legal records, among other tasks. She emphasized the significance of the Freedom of Information Law request process.

“One of the most important things has to do with [being] the appeals officer for FOIL requests that come to the town,” she said. “People who live here and pay taxes should be able to access that information.”

The Democratic candidate also said the incoming clerk must assess and modernize the existing technology in the office. “I have spoken with some people who work in the Town Clerk’s Office and told me that their technology is at least 10 years out of date,” she said. “That is something that is certainly personally scary to me.”

LaValle viewed the clerk’s role as threefold, that is to “secure, maintain and distribute vital records of the residents of the Town of Brookhaven.” He referred to the office as a “vital hub,” servicing residents in the best and worst times.

“I believe the efficiency could be improved in the Town Clerk’s Office,” he said. “Cybersecurity, I think that’s something we can take to another level.”

He viewed the clerk as a service provider rather than a policymaker or revenue generator, noting that empowering and providing the staff with the necessary resources will be critical. “As the clerk, the focus will be about making sure the staff has the tools to be able to do their job,” he said.

Cybersecurity

Addressing the September ransomware attack against the Suffolk County government, LaValle assessed shortcomings within the county’s IT network. He described the need for coordination between departments, recommending the town continues its transition to cloud technologies to avert a similar scenario.

“The cloud is probably the best security that you can have, but we have to stay vigilant and make sure we’re looking at new technologies as we move along to make sure our information stays secure,” the councilman said.

Di Santo concurred that replacing outdated technology will be a priority. She stressed the need to properly oversee the transition to new platforms and work out any technical or logistic challenges that may arise.

“When you have new technology, one of the things that is crucial is to make certain that the staff is comfortable with that technology, that they’re fully trained so that they are able to use that to the best of their ability,” she said.

Staffing

After conversations with staff members, Di Santo painted a bleak picture of the current situation within the Town Clerk’s Office. “The office is actually understaffed,” she said. “Morale is really not very good in the office. You have a lot of turnover, so it’s very difficult to have the best customer service when you have staff changing and needing to be retrained.”

She reiterated that “a fresh set of eyes” from somebody outside government will help identify areas for improvement and generate potential solutions.

LaValle said he would prefer close collaboration with the Town Board, analyzing any barriers to efficient staff operations. He then stated a desire to fund personnel better.

“I want to be able to go in, take a real good look at what is going on in the office,” he said. “Do we need more employees? Should we pay our employees more?”

He also advanced the need to offer a vision the staff can get behind. “We have to work with the employees and build a team concept,” he said. “I want to make this the best clerk’s office in New York state. Without our employees buying into my leadership and what I want to do, that’s not going to happen.”

Resident access

Both candidates addressed the need to decentralize the office, to move services out of Town Hall and into the various hamlets and villages throughout the township. LaValle introduced a multipronged approach, including attending community meetings and building a more prominent multimedia presence.

“I want to be a town clerk going out to various functions,” he said. “A lot of people here see me in a lot of different events. That’s something I’m going to continue to do because I think the outreach of going out to the public and showing them what the clerk’s office does … is fundamentally important.”

He added, “I want to be able to go out and bring back some transparency — new social media platforms, doing videos on Channel 18 talking about what we can do to help residents.”

Di Santo said she has heard from multiple residents that resident access to public records can be slow. She again centered on requests for public information.

“The town clerk is the final appeals officer for the FOIL law,” she said. “In some cases, those requests get bounced from one department to another and the clock seems to run out.”

She added, “People who are residents, our taxpayers, are asking for information from their town, and in many cases it seems that it is being stonewalled. The town clerk has a responsibility to provide that information.”

Open government

Candidates were asked what the term “open government” means and how they would bring town government closer to the people.

“Open government means giving everyone the opportunity to participate at their fullest,” Di Santo said. “I would, as town clerk, try to appeal to the Town Board members to make many of the meetings much more accessible to the many people in the town who work.”

She also proposed bringing the operations of the Town Clerk’s Office to local libraries and other community forums. “The town clerk [could] go into each and every one of those council districts several times a year, appear at the senior centers and the local libraries to have discussions with people,” she said.

Like Di Santo, LaValle stressed he would maintain an active community presence if elected. “I want to go out, I want to be at senior centers, I want to be at civic meetings, I want to be in chambers of commerce, talking about what the clerk’s office does,” he said. “You have to get out there. You have to be a part of the community.”

Brookhaven residents will decide on these two candidates this Tuesday, Jan. 17. Polls open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., and residents can report to their regular polling place on Election Day.

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Pictured above, Lisa Di Santo and Town of Brookhaven Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden). Left from Di Santo’s Facebook page; right from the town website

In a race to fill former Brookhaven Town Clerk Donna Lent’s (I) seat, Town of Brookhaven Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden) will square off against community advocate Lisa Di Santo, of East Patchogue.

Lent announced her retirement last month, vacating her seat and triggering a special election for her expired term ending in 2025. [See story, “Brookhaven’s town clerk retires from public service.“] 

Both candidates were chosen unanimously by their respective parties during separate nominating conferences last week. In phone interviews with TBR News Media, the candidates discussed their professional backgrounds, reasons for pursuing the office of clerk and plans for the future.

Before entering elected office, LaValle, a lifelong Brookhaven resident, owned a title agency, assisting prospective homebuyers with vital records, such as liens, deeds and similar documents. He then transitioned into the mortgage business, where he still works today. 

In 2013, LaValle campaigned successfully to represent Brookhaven’s 3rd Council District, an office he has held ever since.

“Why I’m making this run for town clerk, I think it’s [because] we see in the paper every day with what just happened with Suffolk County, the hack that happened,” he said. “You can see very clearly that that’s something we don’t want to happen in Brookhaven. Managing people’s personal records is critical to our county and our township.”

Di Santo is a 50-year resident of Brookhaven whose background is in community advocacy. Before running for office, she was a social studies teacher, served as vice president of the Bellport Area Community Action Committee, and for over a decade was a trustee on the South Country Central School District Board of Education.

In her interview, she emphasized the need for citizens to have a stake in their local government and connect to the democratic process.

“When looking at the way the town functions, the town clerk plays a very important role in the accessibility of good government, accountability of good government and the security that’s necessary in good government,” she said. “In all of those three areas, I currently see that the town fails miserably.” 

The Democratic candidate added, “I’m running because I do believe wholeheartedly that the town clerk, especially now, needs to be an independent person and an independent voice to be certain that there is truly open government in Brookhaven Town.”

For LaValle, the protection of residents’ sensitive information is paramount. Like Di Santo’s proposal, he said he intends to promote efficiency and expand resident access to their records and to the office of clerk.

“We have to make sure records are secure, but we want to increase access,” the town councilman said. “We want to be able to have people with disabilities not have to come up to Town Hall to get handicap parking passes, and what have you.” 

He added, “We have to increase our internet capabilities to be able to service residents’ needs without making them have to come to Town Hall. And certainly, we have to work to increase the transparency within the government.”

LaValle contends that town clerk is a technically demanding position to learn and to hold. However, he maintains that his professional training within the public and private sector have prepared him in unique ways for the demands of the office.

“I believe that I have the ability and the experience to be able to do this job effectively, managing an over-30-person staff, and making sure residents are taken care of as we move forward,” he said.

On the whole, Di Santo viewed Brookhaven as failing in its obligations to promote open government. She cited the Freedom of Information Law request process as needing reform.

“You’d be hard to find an individual who has taken the time to participate in Brookhaven Town government who would tell you that the FOIL process is one of accessibility and accountability, and there’s a serious problem there,” she said. “If a citizen, a taxpayer, can’t access information, then how can the government represent those people?”

Di Santo said her campaign rests on the notion that quality governance requires informed and engaged citizenship. Given her advocacy background, she considered herself uniquely suited to this task. 

If elected, Di Santo said she intends to begin by reforming the scheduling of open meetings to bolster public participation. 

“When government continues to schedule meetings that are inaccessible to people, they’re sending a message that they do not want to have a democracy,” she said. “You can’t have a democracy without the participation of the people.”

Brookhaven residents will get the final word on these two candidates during a townwide special election on Tuesday, Jan. 17.

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Special election to be held Tuesday, Jan. 17, following former Town Clerk Donna Lent's retirement

Photo from Di Santo's Facebook page

The following is a press release from the Brookhaven Town Democratic Committee:

The Brookhaven Town Democratic Committee has selected Lisa Di Santo, of East Patchogue, as the party’s candidate for Brookhaven Town Clerk. 

Former Town Clerk Donna Lent (I) vacated her seat earlier this month, triggering a special election to be held Jan. 17. [See story, “Brookhaven’s town clerk retires from public service.“] 

Di Santo was selected unanimously during a telephonic convention of the Suffolk County Democratic Committee on Friday, Nov. 25. 

Di Santo will face off against Town of Brookhaven Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden), the Brookhaven Republican Committee’s nominee.

“To be given the chance to be our next town clerk is nothing short of humbling, and I will give this opportunity nothing less than my very best,” Di Santo said.

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Special election to be held Tuesday, Jan. 17, following former Town Clerk Donna Lent's (I) retirement

File photo by Kyle Barr

The following is a press release from the Brookhaven Town Republican Committee:

Jesse Garcia, chair of the Suffolk County and Brookhaven Town Republican Committees, announced Tuesday, Nov. 22, that Town of Brookhaven Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden) will be the Republican and Conservative Party’s nominee for Brookhaven Town Clerk. LaValle was nominated to the position unanimously during a convention of Brookhaven Republicans held in Medford.

The position of town clerk opened following the retirement of Donna Lent (I) on Nov. 14. [See story, “Brookhaven’s town clerk retires from public service.“] A special election to fill the vacancy will take place Tuesday, Jan. 17, to serve out the unexpired term through December 31, 2025.

“I am proud to accept the Republican and Conservative nominations to run for Brookhaven Town Clerk,” LaValle said. “I am excited to get this campaign started, and I look forward to getting out and talking to residents about my vision for the future of our clerk’s office.”

Kevin LaValle was elected as town councilman in 2013, representing Council District 3, where he has served until now.

 

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Donna Lent leaves Town Hall for the last time as Town Clerk. Photo from Donna Lent

After more than two decades of public service, Brookhaven Town Clerk Donna Lent (I) has retired after nine years in that office.

The announcement was made at the Nov. 10 Town Board meeting, where Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) and council members thanked Lent for her service.

“It was a lovely day,” Lent said in a phone interview. “I was not expecting the big send-off from the board that they gave me, which was very generous.”

Lent ran for her third term in office against Ira Costell (D) in the 2021 election. She said she started having a painful case of sciatica after getting hurt in May. Lent was on medical leave for six weeks.

“It just got me thinking,” Lent said. “Here I turned 70 in September, and my husband retired in 2015.”

She initially thought she would retire in August, but she said Romaine asked her to stay longer.

Her first day of retirement was Nov. 14, just a few days after the Town Board send-off. Lent said she stayed on to help in the office because both of her deputies had their children’s birthday parties during the weekend. Soon after her last day, Lent and her husband moved to South Carolina.

Deputy Town Clerk Lauren Thoden is now serving as interim town clerk. A special election will be held in the near future, and the winner will complete Lent’s term which ends in 2025.

Lent said during her tenure she was immersed in the day-to-day operations of the office. She also oversaw the implementation of the town’s electronic content management system, which included a central-scanning repository where the town clerk’s office can scan both department and town records in real time.

Regarding office operations, Lent said she has no concerns, for now, as she knows it will be “smooth sailing” for the current staff members. However, she does worry that whoever is elected town clerk may not keep the same staff.

“My advice to the new clerk would be to keep the people who know what they’re doing and just let them do it,” she said.

Most people don’t understand the multitude of tasks the office is responsible for, she added, and the new clerk needs to know all the ins and outs of how everything works.

“It’s important to have some continuity,” she said.

Before being elected town clerk, Lent managed a lawyer’s office. She entered public service in 2001 when she became former state Assemblywoman Patricia Eddington’s chief of staff. When Eddington (WF/D/I-Medford) went on to become Brookhaven town clerk, Lent was appointed deputy town clerk.

As Lent looks back at her career, she feels fortunate.

“I was really so privileged to be able as a staffer to end up being an elected official and so honored to have held that position and get reelected twice to serve the residents of the Town of Brookhaven,” Lent said. “It really was a job that I loved.”

In a statement, Romaine thanked Lent.

“Donna Lent has a long history of public service to the Town of Brookhaven, and she will be missed by all of us at Town Hall,” he said. “Her efforts to make the department run more efficiently helped to streamline public facing operations, making it easier for residents to conduct their business with her office. On behalf of the Town Board and all the residents of Brookhaven Town, I say thank you Donna for your many years of exemplary service as Brookhaven town clerk.”

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Incumbent Brookhaven Town Clerk Donna Lent is running against Democrat Ira Costell. Lent photo from Town of Brookhaven, Costell photo from Costell

TBR News spoke with Town Clerk Donna Lent (R) and Ira Costell (D) over Zoom on Monday. They will be running against each other as the election for town clerk for the Town of Brookhaven approaches quickly. 

Lent, who is serving her second term as town clerk, has managed day-to-day operations such as issuing death certificates and handicap parking permits, while land-use applications are filed within the office. 

There are three divisions — licensing, registrar and administrative units — in her department alone, and on some days, Lent says up to 200 people will come into the office.

After extensive training, Lent was certified as a registered municipal clerk by the New York State Town Clerks Association in 2017, but before entering public service, she worked as a law office manager and was a small business owner.

Her opponent, Costell, has taken leadership roles in environmental causes such as the Suffolk County Watershed Protection Advisory Committee and served as chair of the county’s Pine Barrens Review Commission. 

He has been passionate about the fight against opioid addiction and prescription drug abuse. Costell is a New York State-certified addiction and recovery coach and has been involved in various recovery committees.

The two opponents came to TBR News Media’s offices to debate their opinions on whose ideas would be best suitable for the town clerk’s position.

The concern of making Freedom of Information Law appeals more accessible to the public is something that Costell said he will actively work on if elected. His main argument is that residents of Brookhaven have been left in the dark when it comes to requesting information from the Town Clerk’s Office.

However, Lent said if materials or records are not able to be provided, there is a reason as to why not. 

“They probably haven’t asked for the records correctly, we are not required to create records for them, we only have to provide what is already existing,” she said. “Sometimes people don’t search thoroughly because there was an aspect of something they weren’t unaware of that we were able to shed light on.”

Rebutting Lent’s argument, Costell said he had very serious questions about the FOIL process as there were nearly 14,000 requests last year in the town’s Law Department.

“I would like to work as part of that process for an audit to figure out how we can streamline that process,” he said.

Costell feels the information on the town’s website is not readily available to residents. 

“When initiating a public hearing notice on the town’s website, the information about the hearing is not connected to the notice, so residents don’t always know about the particulars of what’s being proposed in the public hearing,” he said.

Lent said the Town Clerk’s Office does the public hearing notices, which are readily available on the website as soon as they go up. However, the town clerk does not make the determination on what needs to get posted because the notice is from what the Law Department already drafted. 

“It is incumbent upon the clerk in my belief, to coordinate and collaborate, not to just handle a piece of paper and move it on to the next level,” Costell said.

In regards to communicating with the Town of Brookhaven, he said the software the office is using should be able to have direct sign-ups for people who are interested in a particular issue so people from various areas do not have to rely on someone from a different town to tell them there’s a hearing related to something they are interested in.

However, Lent said there is a sign-up system within civic clerks for alerts and areas of topic. She noted that residents can call her office to be added to get notifications as well. 

Costell believes that the Town Clerk’s Office should have more outreach to the public on a quarterly basis by using town facilities such as senior centers and recreational programs, to help residents navigate the online services or to assist communities that don’t have access to broadband. 

“We have been improving that process, that’s why we changed our software system last February,” Lent said. “There has been a period of adjustment for residents that were accustomed to finding documents within the old system, but if you use the search bar at the top it will take you to whatever you are looking for.”

Disagreeing with Lent, Costell said he thinks the website is hard to navigate and should have the option to be translated to Spanish.

Lent feels her opponent will be biting off more than he can chew if elected as town clerk. “Everyone has hopes dreams and aspirations of what a job may be like, but it’s not until you get into the job that you have to face the reality of day-to-day operations and restrictions,” Lent said.

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Incumbent Donna Lent and challenger Cindy Morris are running for Brookhaven Town clerk Nov. 7. Photos from candidates

During two separate phone interviews, Brookhaven Town Clerk incumbent Donna Lent (I) and Democrat challenger Cindy Morris spoke of efficiency and transparency.

Morris said before last year’s presidential race, which awakened her politically, she didn’t vote in local elections. It’s what motivated her to run for a position in town government.

“We cannot do anything on a national level if we’re not doing it on a local level,” Morris said.

The candidate said she has been a consultant for nearly a decade, working with organizations. She looks at them strategically to help build more sustainable plans to serve their end users in the best way possible while sticking to a budget. It’s something she said needs to be brought to town government by finding creative and smart plans. Morris’ goals are to save taxpayers money while creating a town clerk’s office that is more efficient, and a local government that is transparent.

“We cannot do anything on a national level if we’re not doing it on a local level.”

— Cindy Morris

Lent, who is running for her second term, managed a lawyer’s office before beginning public service in 2001, when she became former state Assemblywoman Patricia Eddington’s chief of staff. When Eddington became Brookhaven Town Clerk, Lent joined her as deputy town clerk.

Lent said some of the responsibilities of the clerk’s office include serving as the Freedom of Information Law appeals officer; recording births, marriages and deaths; attending town board meetings to record the minutes; and being the custodian of town records, which include the management of both active and inactive records. Lent said she is hands-on in an office where 200 or more people can come with requests in one day.

“It’s helpful to build a repertoire with constituents so that they feel that they’ve been heard, that you’re about to assist them in taking care of problems,” Lent said.

Morris said she believes things can run more efficiently at the office, and if elected, she plans to analyze what the peak times are at the office and see where hours can be extended or if weekend hours can be offered. She also suggests offering additional services such as a curbside program for those who may come in for a handicapped parking sticker instead of them needing to mail a form or come down in person. She said she would look for ways to increase services while keeping costs down.

“Every service needs to be thought of in how it affects the constituents who use it,” Morris said.

Lent said she has brought more efficiency to the office. Among her accomplishments she lists the management of an archives scanning project for the majority of town departments and the implementation of a moving forward process for the digitization of records. She has created an online death certificate ordering process for funeral directors, and in the future, she hopes to implement an online process for residents to obtain and renew dog licenses. She said most services are available online except for obtaining a marriage or hunting and fishing license.

“Any time you can save time in government, you’re saving money.”

— Donna Lent

Lent said the scanning of records and offering of online processes have streamlined many requests.

“Any time you can save time in government, you’re saving money,” Lent said.

Morris said she would like to create more transparency in government by holding town board meetings later in the evening instead of 5 p.m. so those who commute to and from work can attend them. Another one of her suggestions is to use Facebook Live for meetings.

“It takes what’s being done and brings it to a new level, and it brings it to a new level by using technology that has become for many people simple technology,” she said.

Lent pointed out how town hall meetings are already livestreamed on the town’s website, and she said she wouldn’t want the council people to become distracted by comments on Facebook.

“If you can get onto Facebook, you can get on the town’s system to watch it,” Lent said.

Morris said she doesn’t suggest the legislators look at their phones during meetings; however, she said aides can monitor the messages and alert the council person if anything is urgent, or suggested comments be read after the meeting.

“The intention is to hold a light to what it is happening in our town council meetings,” Morris said. “That’s the goal.”

As a newcomer, Morris said she has been studying the proposed budget for 2018 and has been attending civic meetings throughout the town because she realizes needs differ from area to area.

Lent said she knows many women have been encouraged to become more involved in politics, and she believes Morris is one of them.

“I say good for her,” Lent said.  “I’d love to see more women involved in the process.”

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Joseph and Maddie Mastriano, co-founders of Three Village Kids Lemonade Stand, held the fifth annual fundraising event at R.C. Murphy Junior High School. Photo by Rita J. Egan

By Rita J. Egan

Thirteen-year-old Joseph and 17-year-old Maddie Mastriano turned lemons into lemonade and then turned a lemonade stand into an annual fundraising event that has raised thousands for Stony Brook Children’s Hospital.

The Three Village Kids Lemonade Stand event was held on the grounds of R.C. Murphy Junior High School in Stony Brook Aug. 2. What started as a simple lemonade stand in front of the Mastrianos’ home one hot day five years ago has turned into a summer event that draws hundreds from the local community to show their support.

Maddie said when she and her brother set up their first lemonade stand, neighborhood children helped them out. They sold lemonade for 50 cents, and at the end of the day, they weren’t sure how to split the few dollars they made amongst 16 kids. Their mother suggested giving the money to a charity, and they decided to donate the money to the children’s hospital since it was in the area.

Volunteers set up the lemonade stand. Photo from Three Village Kids Lemonade Stand

Through the years, the lemonade stand, formerly known as the S-Section Kids Lemonade Stand, began to draw more customers when neighbors discovered through word of mouth that the Mastrianos were donating the money. After serving nearly 500 customers last summer, the family approached the Three Village school district this year to see if the annual event could be held at one of the school’s properties, and the district agreed.

While their first lemonade stand enlisted the help of various neighborhood children, this year’s event included more than 100 volunteers from the school district.

“It’s amazing to know that all those people want to help out with this cause,” Maddie said.

Among the volunteers were the siblings’ cousins Sierra Edwards, 14, Savanna Edwards, 11, and Zoie Mastriano, 11. The girls were helping out at the T-shirt table, and they all said they were amazed at what their relatives had accomplished.

“I don’t know any young kids who have done something like this before,” Zoie said.

At press time, the Mastriano siblings raised more than $19,000 towards their 2017 goal of $20,000. In addition to local residents attending their Aug. 2 event, donations were accepted on their website, and the siblings solicited the help of sponsors. Maddie said they noticed various fundraisers that partnered with companies so she and her brother decided to approach local businesses.

Maddie said it feels good to give back. It’s something she and her brother have learned from her parents who she said are always helping out wherever they can and have been a good influence.

While the event has turned into more than selling lemonade, with corporate sponsors, the Setauket Fire Department on hand giving demonstrations, and the Ward Melville alumni band SWIM performing, the siblings said they enjoy donating their time. Maddie said they think of the children in the hospital who don’t have the chance to enjoy their summer vacation like they do. 

“This is our way of giving back,” Maddie said. “We give them one day of ours to possibly give them summers in the future.”

The Mastriano siblings receiving a proclamation from Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine and Town Clerk Donna Lent. Photo from Three Village Kids Lemonade Stand

The Mastrianos estimated that 400 people stopped by throughout the day including Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine and Town Clerk Donna Lent, presenting them with a proclamation; celebrity chef Barrett Beyer of Hell’s Kitchen, making gourmet lemonade; Mr. Met, greeting guests; and Stony Brook University men’s basketball and women’s soccer teams. Three Village Central School District Superintendent Cheryl Pedisich and board Trustee Inger Germano also stopped by.

County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket), who grew up in the Three Village school district, has attended the event for the last few years.

“It has been exciting to see it grow and evolve, from block to neighborhood to community event in such a short time,” Hahn said in an email. “This annual event highlights the generosity of spirit within the Three Village community and the compassion of its organizers and volunteers. It is reaffirming to see children and teenagers work so enthusiastically, and with such empathy, to try and ease the suffering of others.” 

Joan Alpers, director of Child Life Services at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, attended the event and delivered a short speech. She said the funds the children raised will go towards programs such as horticulture therapy, art therapy and music therapy for children plus relaxation sessions for stressed parents.

Alpers said she is amazed by Joseph and Maddie’s work and the community’s support of the children.

“I just think it’s really phenomenal that kids did this one year but then had the resources to do it again and to grow it each year,” Alpers said. “That takes skill, dedication and a special human spirit for a young person.” 

Maddie and Joseph’s father Joseph Mastriano, who was volunteering at the event, said he is proud of his children.

“It teaches them lessons they don’t necessarily learn in school,” the father said. “They went out on their own and solicited different businesses. I think it’s a good experience for them all around.”

Next year’s lemonade stand is scheduled for Aug. 8, 2018 at R.C. Murphy Junior High School. For more information about Three Village Kids Lemonade Stand or to donate, visit www.threevillagekidslemonadestand.com.

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