Mayoral race:
Lauren Sheprow: 903
Kathianne Snaden: 821
Trustee race (two open seats)
Mathew Franco: 911
Julie Vitrano: 624
Robert Juliano: 1186
Village of Port Jefferson election results
Lauren Sheprow
Tense atmosphere dominates meet-the-candidates night in Port Jefferson
By Sabrina Artusa
In anticipation of the June 17 vote, five candidates assembled at the Port Jefferson Village Center for a meet-the-candidates night, where they spoke on pressing village concerns and their leadership priorities. The mayoral seat and two trustee seats are open, as Mayor Lauren Sheprow and trustee Robert Juliano’s two-year terms are at an end and each are up for reelection.
The event, sponsored by the Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce and the Civic Association of Port Jefferson, allowed each candidate to answer previously submitted questions from residents, with topics ranging from the East Beach Bluff Stabilization Project to transparency and communication.
Incomers Matthew Franco and Julie Vitrano are also vying for a trustee seat left vacant with the exit of Stan Louks. Franco has 10 years of experience in construction, is an occupational therapist and has worked with disabled children. “Most importantly, I want to bring honestly and integrity and decency back into village government,” he said
Vitrano is a real estate agent and mother of three sons. With her 20-years experience in the real estate industry, Vitrano said she is knowledgeable about code compliance and mindful of commercial development. ”Yes, I am a real-estate agent but that doesn’t mean I want to overbuild”, she said.
Juliano is finishing his first term, during which he was deputy mayor, commissioner of the Department of Public Works and liaison for the Parks and Recreation Advisory Counsel, Conservation Advisory Council and the Citizens Committee of Erosion. He was previously a clerk for the Village of Westbury and an administrator for the Village of Port Jefferson.
Former deputy mayor and two-term trustee, Kathianne Snaden is challenging Sheprow for mayor. In 2023, Sheprow defeated Snaden for the role, but Snaden said she is running to continue the service and to “bring back the heart and soul of the community.”
“At the end of this meeting,” Snaden said. “I think you will see that I am not only prepared to become mayor, but am already doing the work.”
As her term came to a close, Sheprow reviewed her policies and actions from the past two years and reiterated her position on issues such as the East Beach Bluff, the country club, flooding and transparency. She is the daughter of former Mayor Harold Sheprow and has raised her three children in the area. “Port Jefferson is on a better path because we have done the hard work together,” she said. “I am running for reelection because there is more to do.”
Development and schools
Candidates emphasize collaboration with the school district, which is facing declining enrollment and the loss of LIPA’s tax contributions. With many of the candidates having children that attended the district, they acknowledged its tremendous
To promote economic growth, Snaden spoke of several programs, such as an incentive initiative that would encourage residents to shop in the village through monthly events, a punch card, or a village-specific app that serves as a guide for residents and tourists while also promoting businesses.
Sheprow, who created the Economic Opportunity Task Force, said shop-front vacancies aren’t as big an issue as the larger vacancies like the Gap building and McDonalds might suggest, with the real number being around 9%. The task force works with the Business Improvement District to determine what shops would be appropriate.
In 2013, the village created a comprehensive plan intended to guide village development for the following two decades. However, Sheprow said it may need an upgrade: an idea reiterated by Juliano, who said uptown development was one of the three major concerns in the village.
“We can make all the plans we want but we have to make sure to put them into place,” he said, promising to work with Planning Commissioner Andrew Freeling to get uptown “to what we want.” A plan could help guide developers and provide a framework for unity in the village, balancing both respect for the village’s history and intentional progress.
“We have to make sure they bring in businesses that are going to attract people to the community and revitalize some of Port Jefferson,” Franco said
“I can only name five rental offices or spaces that are vacant,” said Vitrano. She added that more festivals and events throughout the year would help “bring the society back to the village”.
Bluff and country club
Of the candidates, Franco was alone in speaking definitively against proceeding with the bluff project. He argued the town was simply buying time against the inevitable environmental deterioration of the area. “The real problem is that we are never going to beat Mother Nature…I don’t think we should spend millions of dollars of hard-earned taxpayer money to buy time,” he said, noting the continuing maintenance the wall would require.
Juliano, the liaison for the Citizens Committee on Erosion, said they are meeting with engineers every two weeks and waiting for their proposed plan for the final stage of the bluff project. “We don’t know what the other part of the project will look like,” he said. After those results come in, they will make an educated decision. Sheprow confirmed: they do not know what the following steps will constitute.
Vitrano, on the other hand, said she does not believe Phase I should have been approved without a “clear plan from the engineers.” Since it began, she said, the project has been entrenched with “questionable spending” and called for a public referendum before Phase II is considered. She stated needing to look at reports before making a decision on future bluff projects.
Snaden argued the public was not involved enough throughout the process and that the current board is not truly exploring all options. The additional fiscal stress from losing LIPA’s contributions to the tax base concerns Snaden, so she said embarking on the expensive bluff project may not be in the village’s best interest.
Juliano said they don’t even know how much the next phase will cost, and the loss of long-term revenue from the country club should be taken into account when weighing the monetary pros and cons.
Juliano said she is not committed to the bluff project and does not “have a plan ready yet” as she continues reviewing documents and plans with the engineering firm GEI. “We are challenging the engineering firm on every level,” she said, adding that she welcomes her constituents asking “the tough questions.”
With Lessing’s Hospitality Group entering a new contract to lease the Port Jefferson Country Club, Franco protested the lack of stipulations requiring a restaurant; he listed the contract as one of the village’s three major issues. “There is no pressure to operate a restaurant…and we will be choked by that contract for a very long time,” he said.
Snaden said the club “must become a self-sustaining community asset.” Lessing’s contract is doing just that, according to Sheprow, who said the previous contract was an “exhaustive liability” and Lessing’s, who operates restaurants at parks like Sunken Meadow State Park, is “committed to doing something really good.”
Transparency
Sheprow said she initially wanted to run after not being included in a vote on a $10 million bond during a time Snaden was on the board. Snaden responded that several public sessions were held before the vote took place. However, Sheprow criticized the lack of conversation and openness of the town hall at that time. “There was a lack of fiscal management [and] a lack of town hall,” Sheprow said.
Snaden and Franco said Sheprow has not made vital bluff reports accessible to the Citizen’s Commission on Erosion, delaying the completion of their interim report. Franco said the reason for the delay is because the report advised for moving the building back. Jiuliano acknowledged a delay in providing some reports, but said they were going to hear the report the next day and will post it online thereafter.
Increasing the accessibility of village hall is a point of pride for Sheprow, Snaden and Juliano, who host sit-downs once a month where residents can speak about their concerns or ask questions.
Snaden addressed an accusation that she unethically accepted money from the village taxpayers for photographs she took of the Dickens Festival; however, she said she recused herself from the vote that resulted in a village payment to her and it was included on the auditor’s report. “Everything was done in public,” she said.
The upcoming election is preceded by fierce campaigning and fiery online and public discourse that was alluded to several times during the event. Before introducing himself, Franco condemned the “slanderous nonsense” and accused Vitrano of causing his family embarrassment.
Vitrano, in her closing statement, made similar claims, saying members of the village were attempting to coerce her to not run. She said, “I’ve been told what to say, what not to say, who I should associate with and even who not to be friends with.”
“This is not how our community works,” she said. “This is not how democracy should operate. This is nonsense and it needs to stop, no matter who wins this election.”
Snaden promised to revamp the public safety department if elected. “Currently we don’t have a public safety department,” Snaden said. “Our former code enforcement that prioritizes public safety and the safety of our community now focuses on parking tickets and building code violations. I want to bring an all new public safety department to our village.” She said she would also promote collaboration with the Suffolk County Police Department. Vetrano agreed a bigger police presence is necessary.
Juliano told the audience that, by law, the code enforcement cannot pull vehicles over. Sheprow said that enforcing the ordinances is an essential part of ensuring the code and that the village recently hired 11 new officers. “There are plenty of ordinances to enforce in our village code so they have their hands full,” she said.
The election is on June 17 at the Port Jefferson Village Center from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Port Jefferson Mayor Lauren Sheprow speaks on first term, shares aspirations for village future
TBR News Media invited Kathianne Snaden, Lauren Sheprow’s opponent for the mayoral race, to participate in the interview as well, but she declined. Coverage of her position, as well as the three candidates competing for two trustee positions, can be found in the article, “Tense atmosphere dominates meet-the-candidates night”.
What surprised you about the position during these last two years?
Everything. I knew a lot about governance from working with Stony Brook’s faculty and staff and administration for sixteen years, both in the hospital and on the main campus. So, that gave me some bearing. I think what surprised me really was the level of vitriol that continued for two years. It never stopped and that was sad. I thought the opposition would sort of weigh in, get involved and help out with their community, but I didn’t get that reaction, so I don’t focus on it. It isn’t something that I think about. But to say what surprised me, that surprised me. The number of hours it takes to do this job surprised me. But, and I’m not gonna say it surprised me, but I did not have an understanding of the extent of the complexities that exist in this small three square mile piece of land.
What are your financial plans for the village?
I established early on a budget finance committee through code. It was legislated. There was never a budget and finance committee in the code. So now it’s chapter seven in the code, and it is a seven member board committee. It’s a committee–it’s advisory by nature. And so, I also have a very gifted and intelligent trustee who is our finance commissioner. I don’t know if ever in the history of Port Jefferson there has been a finance commissioner who’s been a trustee, but this is a person that I know knows more about finance and budgets than I do. So my goal is to keep the budget balanced, obviously. My focus is to keep the taxpayer levy as even as possible without raising taxes to a great extent. And to be able to do that, we are really focusing on grants and grant administration, which is a whole job in and of itself. We’ve been very successful with our new grant administrator, Lisa Mato. And, she’s been very successful in getting grant money reimbursed to the village that has been long standing. So, financial goals: get the capital fund back to where it has been, get it back to balanced, and then start building a capital reserve so that if we have big expenditures that we need to make, we have the funding to do it.
How are you planning to move forward in mitigating flooding?
Oh, great question. I’m very excited about this. The former administration got a FEMA grant for flood reduction studies. We got the grant. The thing you have to do when you get a grant is you have to get an executed contract so that you get reimbursed. If you do have to put your own money out, which we do, we wanna make sure we have an executed contract. It takes a long time. It can take up to eighteen months to get that executed contract back. So we got the executed contract back for that grant. We did an RFP. We hired an engineering firm who we contracted with and we had our kickoff meeting last week with L.K. McLean Associates. So the goal of this flood reduction study is to come up with a plan on how to mitigate flooding in the downtown area. But the scope of the work, they did it. They’re doing a topographical study with the drone footage that extends from the Northeast corner of Harborfront Park, which is where it meets the yacht club, all the way southwest to Brook Road where it meets Old Post Road, and all points in between, including the school district property, the fire district property, the apartments on Main Street, and all that road. They’re mapping our stormwater, sewers, and stormwater catch basins. Anyway, I could go on forever about this, but I’m very excited. We’re meeting with the school district and the fire district on Wednesday to introduce them because they are major stakeholders in this study.
What is the most pressing issue facing the village right now?
I would say it’s the hazard issues related to climate. Flooding is the most pressing issue. And also the impact to the East Beach Bluff and our old Homestead Recharge Basin. That August storm caused so much damage. We’re getting funding to mitigate the damage. We’re cleaning out storm drains, about up to 50 storm drains. The cost will be reimbursed by FEMA. It could be up to $100,000 to clean out 50 store drains. We’re asking the residents to help us pick the right ones that are most problematic. After that storm, we fixed every single roof in the village. Every single roof was leaking in the village, and we fixed all the village-owned roofs. We didn’t get refunded for all of that work, but for some of that. Fixing our maintenance issues is the most important thing for the village that the village government can do for its residents right now.
What are your thoughts on the Port Jeff Country Club?
So if you talk to real estate agents, the three things they use to sell Port Jefferson are the country club, the beaches and the school district. Those are the three most important things, and it has an impact on the value of the homes, on the quality of life, and on the future of how people spend their days in the village
I think the country club is a major asset. It was purchased for $2,300,000. It’s probably worth, you know, $100,000,000 right now or $75,000,000. But it makes a lot of people very, very, very happy. Right now, we have our work cut out for us because we have a blank slate on the north side of Fairway Drive. We’re bringing in a master planner to give us an impression of what they think can happen on that north side and and throughout the whole to give us an assessment of the country club. This is an experienced country club master planner and at no cost, except for maybe travel expenses, they’re coming in. They’re going to present to us what their impressions are. So that’s going to give us a way to shape our thinking about what’s possible there and what we should do. In terms of the bluff and the and the building, that building is being utilized to its full extent by Lessing’s Hospitality Group.
But that restaurant is closed now right?
We’re working with Lessings to get that restaurant open a few days a week. That could service the community as well as the members.
They’re not operating an á la carte restaurant business. So both vendors who were here prior did not make that restaurant work. Their focus was really on different things. I don’t wanna talk for them, but then Lessing’s came in. They were honest; they said, we’re not gonna be able to provide an a la carte restaurant’s business right away; we have to get our feet under us. We have to get this business up and running.
The contract with Lessing’s is a 9% profit share. So they make money, the village makes money.. And the other reason why the country club is an asset to this village is because the partner who pays the rent in that building offsets the tax levy by 2%. So as their revenue grows, the village revenue grows.
I mean, they’re putting on activities every single week, quite a few. Once they hit their stride and they’re really cooking and we see our revenue numbers going up, I’d like to use that revenue and put it right back into the cost of what it costs to fix that bluff so that it offsets tax payer. We anticipate that the numbers will grow. And, after talking to our treasurer about this, this is maybe two or three years down the road, but eventually, I’d like to pay that debt off that we had to take to pay for the project through the income that we make–the revenue that we draw from Lessing’s. That’s the draw.
And they are changing the aesthetic of the place. No offense to anyone’s decorative eye, but they’re bringing back a coastal feel on the inside of that facility. They’re removing and eliminating as much marble on the flooring and everything, and they’re bringing in a wood floor from the moment you step out to the deck area. So it’s in progress. They’re still addressing the things, the aesthetic. They’re addressing the kitchen. They’re putting in a new kitchen, they’re really investing in the business, which says to me, they wanna make it work.
I’ve spoken with David Lessing, and he has said, I think we can make the restaurant work. We just need time.
Why do you feel the East Beach Bluff stabilization project is the right move, and how do you reconcile that with the residents who feel that the project and the country club are a waste of village money?
I took an oath of office which said that my job is to protect and preserve village property. Stabilization of that property is important because it impacts the areas not only where the country club exists, but the areas to the west and to the east of it as well. So if we get FEMA funding to offset 75% of the cost of phase two, whatever phase two ends up being as our engineers are drawing up a valued engineering project plan for phase two, it’s not gonna look like the original phase two and we’re looking forward to seeing what that looks like. If we have up to $3.5 million dollars to offset the cost and offset the taxpayer’s responsibility, to help stabilize that property, it’s a valued property. It is one of the most valuable pieces of property in Port Jefferson and Lessing’s knows it. If they thought it was not valuable, they wouldn’t have rushed in and said, we want this. We wanna make this work. This is a property we have wanted for twenty five years. They wanted this catering facility and this whole building operation when Lombardi’s came in. They had hoped to to be considered for it. So they came to us, and they said, we’re interested in this.
There are a lot of variables to the planning process right now. We’re looking at drainage, which wasn’t looked at in the first place. There’s stormwater coming off the building. We need to redirect that stormwater. We need to capture that stormwater and push it elsewhere. They they did that on the East Side. We’re looking at the drainage now, and our engineers are figuring out a drainage plan. If we need to come up with a pump system to bring it back to the golf course and use it as an irrigation resource, perfect. Use it for irrigation. Or, we can use it when we’re at drought levels, which we’ve experienced before. We’re looking to be sustainable and not just a Band-Aid on a heart attack.
They did look at the utilities or consider or factor them into their planning, the underground utility, infrastructure, and they didn’t look at the stability of the building. So, we’re looking at the stability of the building.
One of the things that I did was establish a Citizen’s Commission on Erosion. I invited as many volunteers who wanted to sit at a round table and talk about the issues that we’re facing and discuss and try to make decisions about along the way. That’s how we got resident input. This erosion commission is no joke. They are looking at everything, and they are asking the right questions, which give us cause to ask the right questions of the engineers.
We hired an engineering firm, which we didn’t have before, to review the engineering designs, question the engineers of record and to also look at other options and how we can do this better. So we hired Hayduk Engineering. Stephen Hayduck Jr. as our principal engineer, and Peter Scully is our environmental consultant. So we’re looking at it in a very disciplined way. We’re not just saying, oh, that plan looks good; let’s go with it. We are evaluating it very, very carefully with input from the community.
The other thing we’re doing, just to add on to that, is we’ve asked our public works department to be the eyes and ears of the monitoring so that we don’t have to have engineers come out. If there’s a heavy storm, the DPW goes out, records, takes photos of what happened and what they’re seeing on the bluff face. So we’re using our own employees who are very capable. It’s not technical. They’re just taking pictures, and they’re recording what the difference might be if they still see something here or there.
Is there an area for improvement within village hall operations?
We’ve done a lot of work on, on reporting structure and organizational charts and where people sit and everything. And there’s always room for improvement for that. We have a limited budget, so we have limited resources of who we can hire and how we do so. We have to make sure we use our resources wisely and so that people are working together. One of the things that I brought back was a department head meeting. So every two weeks, we have department head meetings where our department heads speak to one another, including our public works, park public works, country club. So we are really working together in those terms.
These department head meetings help us understand where our treasurer comes in. He’s sitting right there. If they need to buy something or need to invest in something, they have that conversation in real time. We have these work session reports that we ask every department head to create, and we post those online during our work session meeting as part of the agenda. And it’s open and free for everybody to read. Every single department has a work session report so residents can see how their money is being spent.
Former Port Jeff Mayor Harold Sheprow passes away
This article was updated on May 7, 2025.
By Sabrina Artusa
Harold J. Sheprow, six-term mayor of the Village of Port Jefferson, passed away on May 1 at age 95, surrounded by family.
Sheprow was born Dec, 25, 1929, in Queens to Harold Sheprow Sr. and Gladys Petrie. As a teenager, he joined the Merchant Marines and became chief engineer at 18. Upon his return, he was drafted in 1954 to serve in the Korean War. On Feb. 9, 1957, he married Margaret Mary Katherine Kerr (Peggy) with whom he spent 68 years.
He then began working at Grumman Corporation, requiring he and Peggy to move to Port Jefferson Village from New Jersey in 1961. As an engineer, he worked on aircrafts like the F14 Tomcat, eventually retiring in 1990.
Upon moving to the village and paying to take his family to the beach, he was galvanized to get involved in village politics, first as a member of the Planning Board, then as a trustee and finally as mayor.
Sheprow was mayor for a total of 12 years — his lengthy tenure showcasing his dedication to serving his community, transcending his role as mayor and extending throughout his life.
Under Sheprow’s leadership, the village acquired the 170-acre Port Jefferson Country Club. He worked tirelessly for almost a decade to achieve his vision of a Port Jefferson where residents could have a private property they could call their own.
Famously, he attended a party where he made a connection to the country club’s owners. The acquaintance introduced him to the estate owners of the property. In a meeting, they agreed to lease the property to the village. They signed a $1 bill, sealing the agreement until a proper contract could be made.
The country club, an acquisition that required years of effort and planning and some spontaneous creativity, now bears his name.
Former Director of Recreation and Parks Ron Carlson said he was working in town hall while Sheprow was on a phone call with attorneys from Winston estates. “He came into my office, sat down, and said ‘Ron, guess what’,” Carlson said. “I said, ‘What?’ He said you may not believe this, but we are going to buy that golf club.”
“He said he wasn’t positive, but I think he was,” Carlson added. “He knew deep down that the village would vote ‘yes’ to the acquisition.”
Father Francis Pizzarelli, who formed Hope House Ministries while Sheprow was mayor in 1980, said Sheprow’s “creative genius” and “tender heart” helped make the village what it is today.
“He was a law-and-order tough guy but I was always amazed with him,” Pizzarelli said. “He was always thinking and he would think outside the box.”
Sheprow also worked to open the waterfront for public use through the development of Danfords Hotel & Marina in 1986, making the village less “heavily industrious” and developing a sense of place, former Mayor Margot Garant said.
As a father of six and an active golfer, Sheprow understood the need and value of recreational services in the village.
“What was very fun about him was he was very pro-recreation and parks,” Carlson said.
Indeed, he organized a bus service to ferry residents to the beach during the summer; he held Halloween parties at the Village Center; he promoted sports programs to make the athletic fields more accessible, with fields booked almost every day of the week; and even formed a team with other village employees, participating in softball and bowling games against the Village of Patchogue employees.
He strived to make the village a pleasant place to live, full of beauty, recreation and accessible parkland. His leadership style inspired his successors, including Garant.
“He was a man for everybody. He wasn’t pretentious. You always felt comfortable around Hal,” she said. “He never made any situation feel like it was something that couldn’t be handled. He wasn’t mayor for title or prestige, he was mayor for helping the people.”
Pizzarelli said that, although Sheprow was hesitant to support Hope House Ministries at first, he gave Pizzarelli the opportunity to argue his case and actively listened to other positions.
“He was always open-minded, and that is what always impressed me,” Pizzarelli said. “Whatever you brought to him, even though he may push back, he allowed you to push back to him so he could have a better understanding of whatever the issue was you were bringing to him.”
The Village of Port Jefferson made a social media post after Sheprow’s death, stating that the Sheprow family is “lightened by the fact that he was resting comfortably in his final moments, surrounded by loved ones.”
In an interview by Chris Ryon and Mark Sternberg in 2023 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the incorporation of the village, Sheprow said, “Being a mayor for Port Jefferson has got to be the most exciting experience anybody, laymen, could have. There is no better. I don’t care what you do in Port Jefferson, whether you go water-skiing, whatever you do, golf…nothing. Nothing is better than this — working in the Port Jeff government.”
Sheprow served as mayor from 1977 to 1985 and 1987 to 1991. His daughter, Lauren Sheprow, continues his legacy as mayor. He is survived by his wife Peggy; daughters Madelyn and Lauren; sons Dennis, Warren, Glenn and Brendan; 14 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. He is predeceased by his parents, brothers Ralph and Warren and son Neil Harold.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hope House Ministries of Port Jefferson. Visitation was on May 6 at Moloney’s Funeral Home in Port Jefferson Station. The funeral Mass was held on May 7 at St. Charles Chapel, 200 Belle Terre Road, Port Jefferson. Graveside service was be held at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Port Jefferson following the Mass.
Report finds no maintenance or repairs carried out on Port Jeff East Beach Bluff project
Phase 1 of the East Beach Bluff Stabilization was the first part of a $10 million initiative aimed at arresting bluff erosion and preventing the Village of Port Jefferson-owned country club from sliding down the slope.
This first phase of the project was completed in June 2023. By any official accounts of the time, Phase 1 was a success. But within months of completion a series of storms in late 2023 and early 2024 damaged the site, undoing costly work, setting back progress and hampering the goals of the project.
According to the May 2024 Bluff Monitoring Report covering the period from September 2023 to February 2024, conducted by GEI Consultants of Huntington Station (the engineering firm that designed Phase 1), the village had not implemented recommended repairs, increasing the risk of more complicated and expensive upkeep and repair in the future.
The report stated that “no maintenance or repairs to date were undertaken by the village following the storms,” further suggesting that the village implements “necessary repair to the project as soon as possible.”
The report’s findings have raised questions among residents and officials about the long-term viability of the stabilization efforts and financial resources needed for continued upkeep and repairs.
TBR News Media reviewed GEI’s 2024 Bluff Monitoring Report — required under the Department of Environmental Conservation permit for Phase 1 — and spoke to experts, village officials and residents, exploring the report’s recommendations and the obstacles confronting the village in completing its requirements.
Costs of phases 1 and 2
At the completion of Phase 1, a 358-foot wall of steel and cement was constructed at the base of a steep bluff, about 100-feet-tall, situated on East Beach, facing north toward the Long Island Sound.
As part of the project, the severely eroded bluff face — scoured and denuded by years of storms — underwent restoration. Native vegetation was planted and secured with eight rows of timber terraces, and coir logs (interwoven coconut fibers) at the lower section and, toward the crest, with burlap netting.
The total cost of the Phase 1 project according to village treasurer, Stephen Gaffga, is “$6,024,443 million, of which $677,791 is related to design/engineering/permitting/ surveying, and $5,346,652 was spent on construction.”
At the crest of the bluff, approximately 30 feet beyond the precipice, sits the country club. Phase 2 involves the installation of a 545-foot long, 47-foot-deep steel barrier driven into the bluff’s crest, just a few feet seaward of the country club. The barrier is designed to stabilize the area landward of the bluff and prevent erosion, further reducing the risk of the building collapsing.
The cost of Phase 2 will be partially funded by federal taxpayer dollars as a $3.75 million FEMA grant, the final approval recently completed this past week, allowing for the village to receive bids for the work in the coming months for the construction of the upper wall. Local taxpayer dollars will fund the remaining Phase 2 expenses.
According to Gaffga, the Phase 2 “complete expenses are yet to be determined,” he explained in an email. The total cost will be better understood once the village receives bids for constructing the upper wall
The stabilization project, since its inception in 2017 has been presented by village officials as an urgent necessity. With this imperative in mind, the trustees approved a $10 million bond resolution, without a community referendum, in 2021 to fund the project’s two phases.
In a January 2023 statement by former Mayor Garant, after permitting and plans had been finalized, she warned, “If immediate measures to combat and stop the erosion are not implemented, the building foundation will get exposed, will lose structural support, and slowly but surely will fail — causing significant structural damage first, followed by complete collapse of the [country club] building.”
2024 GEI report findings
Heavy rainstorms swept across Long Island in the early fall of 2023, beginning with Hurricane Lee on Sept. 12 followed by another severe storm on Sept. 23.
According to the GEI report, these storms caused “post-storm stress” to the new vegetation leading to plant die off, shifting sands and forming a small ravine — also referred to as a gully — past the western edge of the wall at the base of the bluff.
To prevent further damage, GEI recommended that the village “replant beachgrass in stressed areas of the bluff face and protect the western edge of the wall by adding a filter fabric and stone.”
However, two additional major storms in December 2023 and February 2024 brought strong winds and heavy rainfall expanding the damage started in September. A GEI post-storm inspection in the days following the storms found that a large ravine had formed on the eastern edge of the bluff face, further damaging the vegetation, matting and terracing within the ravine.
In total, the May 2024 report outlined detailed recommendations involving improved drainage, repairs to terracing, laying down of erosion control fabric and replacement of beachgrass. The report’s recommendations concluded with concerns about utilizing honeycomb grids by Coastal Technologies Corp. under consideration by village officials, namely: “GEI has expressed concern that such an installation may not be effective at East Beach due to the types of soils present and the steepness of the East Beach Bluff.”
Despite these concerns, the Board of Trustees at the Oct. 23 public meeting approved a resolution to use American Rescue Plan Act funds at the total cost of $33,920 to pilot test Coastal Technologies stabilizing devices, pending a revised permit from the DEC.
In response to GEI concerns, George Thatos, Coastal Technologies co-founder and head of design, said, “Our Cliff Stabilizer system stabilizes near-vertical slopes with vegetation, unlike terracing which requires major regrading and cliff-top land loss.” He added, “Our solution naturally reforests bluffs.”
According to DEC representative, Jeff Wernick, if a permit holder “cannot follow a report recommendations due to environmental conditions, DEC works with them to modify the permit to correct the issues. If the recommendations are not followed due to negligence, it could result in a violation of the permit and enforcement action.”
Port Jeff Citizens Commission on Erosion
This reporter attended a recent meeting of the Port Jefferson Citizens Commission on Erosion. Their mission, in summary, is to act as a volunteer resident advisory group to the village on matters of erosion confronting the village. So far, much of the group’s focus, chaired by village resident David Knauf, has been on the East Beach Bluff Stabilization project.
On Jan. 20, the committee submitted detailed written questions to Mayor Lauren Sheprow expressing concerns about the overall status of the stabilization project. It questioned plans to proceed with Phase 2 before implementing drainage recommendations and before updating the land survey of the upper bluff that is about three years old. The commission urged these steps be completed before soliciting bids for the construction of Phase 2.
”There was damage that occurred since the Phase 1 was completed that hasn’t been addressed, meaning that it keeps getting more pronounced. There were ongoing reports that were done during the past year,” Knauf said at the Jan. 23 commission meeting.
He added that repairs “should have been done up to now so that whatever was occurring [with Phase 1] didn’t get worse.”
The commission, to date, has not received a comprehensive update on maintenance done on the bluff/wall as recommended in the May 2024 report, according to Knauf.
According to village trustee Robert Juliano, any maintenance and repair done during the time frame of the 2024 report “was minor, such as grooming the beach by village employees.”
Other concerns brought up at the meeting included a request to review a retreat plan allegedly completed under former Mayor Garant and actively participating in vetting of contract bids.
Sheprow, present at the meeting, told TBR News Media her responses to the written questions from the commission, reviewed at the Jan. 23 meeting, would be posted on the village website.
“The village will look to enlist the Citizens Commission on Erosion to help facilitate an open forum where GEI will present the Phase 2 project design and a path forward for Phase 1 remediation and restoration,” the mayor said in an email to TBR News Media.
The 2023 Annual Post-Construction Bluff Monitoring Report dated May 2024 and related items can be viewed at the Port Jefferson Village website at: www.portjeff.com/ 206/East-Beach-Bluff.
For earlier reporting by TBR News Media, visit tbrnewsmedia.com and key in “East Beach Bluff Stabilization project.”
Disputes erupt over junior membership rates at Port Jefferson Country Club
By Peter SLoniewsky
Guidelines surrounding membership rates and a junior golfers program at the Port Jefferson Country Club is a recent topic of contention.
Because the country club is owned by the Village of Port Jefferson, the rates it charges to members require approval by the Port Jefferson Board of Trustees after they have been discussed by the club’s Board of Governors and approved by the club’s general manager and Country Club Management Advisory Council.
December 4 meeting
This year, the club introduced a membership rate proposal to the entire Board of Trustees at their Dec. 4 work session. This proposal contained two major differences: it gradually eliminated the junior members program for children 12-18 and proposed a new initiation fee. The website also states that members must be 19-29 on Apr. 1 to play golf. Junior members are not permitted as guests.
At the meeting, the club’s general manager, Tom Natola, advocated for removing the junior membership option on the basis that many members with junior memberships had parents who were members. Natola said that it made more sense to sell family memberships and eliminating the junior program would incentivize this.
He also said that there was a liability concern for juniors on the courses. At this meeting, both Mayor Lauren Sheprow and trustee Xena Ugrinsky discussed eliminating the junior program straightaway due to liability although they did not directly advocate for it.
Both at the meeting and afterward, parents provided significant blowback. Port Jefferson parent Nicole Connolly, whose son and daughter are both junior golfers, said there has been a pattern of policymaking that has eroded the program over the past several years. According to Connolly, negotiations two years ago included significant parent resistance against a CCMAC proposal to disproportionately increase junior membership rates.
CCMAC Chair Lisa Perry told TBR News Media that “the country club has always supported junior golfers and their families.”
She added that the Port Jefferson High School golf teams play for free at the club.
As a result of these controversies, the Board of Trustees requested that Natola prepare another proposal for their Dec. 18 public meeting.
Questions of CCMAC involvement
Complicating this, the process that led to the Dec. 4 proposal is unclear. Sheprow said, “[the Board of Governors] made recommendations to the country club manager, who reviewed the recommendations with the Country Club Management Advisory Council, also volunteers, after which the country club manager developed the recommendations he deemed appropriate.”
Perry said “The CCMAC reviewed the rates that were proposed by their general manager and agreed to recommend the rates to the board of trustees for their Dec. 18 meeting.’
CCMAC’s involvement in the process is enforced by Chapter 25 of the Village of Port Jefferson code. If it was not included in the process prior to the Dec. 4 rejection, the sourcing of that proposal is unclear.
CCMAC voted on a proposal on Dec. 17 that was then presented to the trustees at their Dec. 18 meeting. At this meeting, Sheprow expressed some regret for a lack of consideration of families and junior members throughout the processes that led to the Dec. 4 proposal, although she encouraged stakeholders to get involved earlier in the process. She also attributed a lack of communication to an effort to balance the budget, despite the requirement in the village code of CCMAC input.
The Dec. 18 proposal was largely similar to the Dec. 4 proposal but would further restrict juniors to times after 2 p.m. and increase the juniors’ fees by $1,000 — an increase that trustee Kyle Hill described as “insanity.”
The trustees voted to table the matter of junior membership and new limitations that it would place on junior members’ play times.
Resolution
This debate was cut short on Dec. 24 with a surprise announcement from Natola that “junior rates and playing and access policies will stay the same in 2025 as they were in 2024” and “there will be no further discussion at the Board of Trustees level related to the Junior Membership package.”
While this announcement was a win for the juniors, it brings back some questions about power in this process.
Natola requires approval from the CCMAC and the Board of Trustees to approve rates. His declaration in this memo that there would be no further discussion is not supported by the club’s governing rules.
Trustee Stan Loucks, who served as a liaison between the trustees and the club for eight years, told TBR News Media that he had no insights as to why the message was sent. He added that “[Natola’s decision] should most likely go back to the trustees for approval.
Whether a vote will be called is unclear, although Hill told TBR News Media that “it’s inappropriate for any village employee to say that a discussion among trustees is over” and “any Board of Trustee member can bring it up for discussion at a meeting.” He also noted that the Christmas Eve send date had stood in the way of discussion throughout the holiday season.
Future plans
For the future, Loucks emphasized a more stringent relationship between the club and the trustees and said he would support the appointment of a liaison to the club to guide the process in the future.
Additionally, in an email to TBR News Media, Sheprow wrote that “it is imperative that rate structure considerations support a long-term strategic plan” and work on such a plan would begin “immediately” while reinforcing the roles of the Board of Governors, CCMAC and the trustees alongside concerns about the club’s budgeting.
The resolution of this situation is still unclear. The specifics of the junior membership plan are still unspecified and the trustees have not yet considered it. The Board of Trustees will meet next for a public meeting on Jan. 29.
For more information go to the Port Jefferson Country Club website: www.portjeffcc.com.
Divisive political banner is back up in Port Jeff, challenging the village’s sign code enforcement
By Lynn Hallarman
A lawsuit upheld in 2022 a local business owner’s right to display a political banner, and now raises questions about municipal control over sign safety and aesthetics. The same sign, “In Trump We Trust,” is back up again.
In 2013, then Port Jefferson Village Mayor Margot Garant knew she had a problem — a proliferation of cheaply made signs cluttering the village’s visual look. Some signs were made of flimsy plastic, pressboard or haphazardly tacked up to storefronts. Some were waving in the breeze, at risk of flying off a facade or airlifting skyward off a property lawn. Others were just unsightly.
Garant and the trustees decided to revise the village code to help business owners have more choices as a first step to cleaning up junky and unsafe signs.
‘We had many work sessions to improve the code and make businesses feel like they had options,” Garant said. “Uptown was a sign disaster, but we made progress cleaning up storefronts in line with the village’s character overall.”
Garant found the sign issue perennial and hard to keep up with. New businesses were easier to manage, but for some older establishments compliance with sign rules felt like government overreach. A few businesses ignored the permitting process altogether or accepted a fine as the price of doing business, according to Garant.
Then, in 2020, George Wallis, from Nissequogue, and the decades-long owner of the property housing the Frigate ice cream/confectionary store and The Steam Room restaurant in the village, used the location to express his support for former President Donald Trump (R).
Wallis hung an oversized banner containing a political statement off the second-story balcony of the Frigate, a prominent spot at the bustling intersection of East Broadway and Main Street. The building is directly across from the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry terminal, making the display hard to miss.
From the perspective of village officials, the banner violated several village sign requirements and Wallis did not apply for a permit.
For one thing, the banner has Goliath-size proportions relative to the dimensions of the two-story Lilliputian-style building. Banners affixed to buildings are not allowed per the code and the pliable plastic material used does not comport with the aesthetic standards of the code. Village officials also worried that the oversized banner, strung across the building’s second-floor balcony, was a driving distraction, as it faces west directly into a three-way intersection — with pedestrians, oftentimes, dashing across the road. Officials wanted it taken down.
Wallis had wrestled previously with the village government over an unpermitted political sign and had it taken down, but this time he refused to budge.
So the village escalated the situation to a legal remedy in the courts in hopes that he would back down, according to Garant. Wallis, instead, hired a lawyer and fought the charges leveraged against his business entities.
But in several interviews for this story with Garant and current Mayor Lauren Sheprow, opinions from municipal legal experts and a review of publicly available documents suggest that the legal battle, which Wallis won using a free-speech argument, has hamstrung the village’s ability to enforce its sign code and established a legal precedent allowing any person or business to erect a prohibited sign if the content is political.
The legal complaint
A series of legal briefs filed in 2020 and 2021 by then deputy village attorney Richard Harris, for the Village of Port Jefferson, accused several business entities owned by Wallis of violating local sign ordinances. According to documents reviewed by TBR News Media, these entities allegedly failed to apply for permits and displayed signs of prohibited type, size and material.
The briefs detail the hanging of two signs in different time frames containing political speech: “In Trump We Trust” and “Impeach Cuomo,” referring to the then New York governor. The charges did not pertain to the banners’ political content, which is protected under the First Amendment’s right to free speech.
Still, Wallis’ attorneys claimed the alleged accusations violated his right to free speech and requested dismissal of the case.
Harris argued, in a nutshell, that Wallis needed to follow the village sign code like everyone else.
In July 2022, the Honorable Tara Higgins, judge of the village Justice Court, ruled in favor of Wallis, stating that the village’s arguments defending sign ordinances regarding aesthetics, safety and permitting were “unconvincing.”
Village withdraws legal appeal
Harris submitted a legal appeal, reviewed by TBR News Media, to the Appellate Term of the New York Supreme Court arguing that the judge’s arguments were poorly reasoned and ignored legal precedent regarding a municipality’s ability to govern signs.
According to the New York State Division of Local Government Services, local governments may impose reasonable “time, place and manner” restrictions on speech to set forth the circumstances under which signs may be displayed. Obscene content is not allowed.
“All I can say is that based on the United States Supreme Court precedent, the village can enforce its code against the sign like that,” Mark Cuthbertson, lawyer and municipal legal expert, told TBR in a phone interview.
He added, “If that’s the village’s policy going forward, based on this legal decision, someone can put up a huge Kamala Harris banner wherever [and however] they want.” He noted that other municipalities may face similar challenges to their sign code rules based on this new legal precedent, which seems to allow political signs to bypass municipal sign ordinances.
The Sheprow administration subsequently withdrew the village appeal, stating that it “wanted a fresh start” and planned to take “steps against any sign code violations” regardless of the sign’s content.
Reactions from the public
TBR spoke with several patrons on the weekend of July 20-21 near the Frigate to gauge their opinions on the newly-placed banner with the same political message that was displayed in 2020.
Most expressed approval using descriptors such as “delighted,” “ecstatic” and “in favor.” One woman thanked me for reminding her to take a picture of the banner for her Facebook page. She loved the sign.
The general sentiment among those surveyed was that the banner represented an expression of free speech and that the village needed to “chill out,” as one supporter put it. Others noted that the village seemed to be enforcing its sign code selectively, singling out the Frigate for sanctions while similar style banners are hung undisturbed throughout downtown Port Jeff. In 2020 press reports, Wallis surrogates had voiced this belief of selective enforcement, suggesting that the village’s actions were driven solely by the banner’s political message.
Wallis has consistently declined to speak with the press. TBR did not receive a response, either, from the Frigate’s store manager for comment.
During a casual stroll around the village, this reporter identified about seven prohibited banners across various businesses, though these banners contained nonpolitical messages.
Most of the complaints about the current Frigate banner are directed to the village Town Hall or The Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, according to Sheprow. These complaints primarily concern the political content, accusing the village of allowing it to remain. However, the village never had or wanted control over the political content, even before Wallis’ victory in court.
“The village is nonpartisan,” Sheprow said. “The village would never enter into an endorsement situation or sanction the political speech of any candidate.”
As of writing, village officials have moved to cite all businesses, many for the first time, which are displaying code-prohibited banner-type signs.
“Personal notifications went out today, including to Mr. Wallis’ business entities,” Sheprow said.
Many prohibited banners have already been removed to date. As at press time, the Frigate banner was still hanging from the building.
Kathianne Snaden announces mayoral run in Port Jefferson Village
By Aidan Johnson
Former Port Jefferson Deputy Mayor Kathianne Snaden has announced her candidacy for the village mayor position in 2025.
In a July 8 press release, Snaden stated that “with a year of extensive reflection and growth behind me, I return to the political arena with renewed vigor, authenticity and a stronger connection to the community I love.”
Snaden first ran for trustee in 2018, losing by just four votes. She then went on to be elected in 2019, reelected in 2021 and was appointed as deputy mayor by Mayor Margot Garant.
After Garant did not seek reelection in 2023, Snaden had an unsuccessful bid for the mayoral position, losing to current Mayor Lauren Sheprow.
Snaden’s announcement comes early, with the mayoral election being nearly a year away.
“The reason I decided to announce now is because I want the time … to be able to build relationships with people that I might not otherwise have that opportunity later on as we get closer to election time,” she said in a phone interview, specifying that she is not yet campaigning but has instead only announced her intention to run.
Snaden also discussed why she’s running, along with the issues facing the village.
“The main reason I’m running again is because I feel like my goal in running initially and being involved in politics in the village has never gone away, which is to be the voice of the community for the people who feel they don’t have a voice,” she said.
She further explained that she is running to represent the people and “not because I have my own agenda,” adding, “It’s always to listen to what the community wants and represent them in Village Hall.”
She sees the East Beach bluff and uptown revitalization as major issues, along with public safety as a more recent concern.
“Residents have been discussing different incidents that have not been brought out in the news or by the government, that are happening but aren’t being discussed publicly … and people are not feeling safe,” she said.
Snaden specified that she will no longer be running on the Unity Party line, which was created by Garant and shared with village trustee Stan Loucks, saying that the line “became something that people gave a tag to, that it represented the old guard, it represented the Garant administration, that it was Mayor Margot’s way of thinking,” but it’s “not how I do things.”
“Was I her deputy mayor for two years? I was. That doesn’t mean that Mayor Garant and I thought the same on many issues. It doesn’t mean that we agreed on many issues,” she said, elaborating that her voting record shows her differing views from Garant. However, she said that they still had a mutual respect for each other and a good relationship.
Letters to the Editor: June 13, 2024
Skyler Johnson, a progressive vision for New York State Assembly
The November 2024 election is one that will determine the direction our country is headed in, whether we will value environmental protection, reproductive rights and a New York state where everyone can thrive. This doesn’t only apply to the top of the ticket, but down ballot as well. State and local government is where policies are enacted that deeply impact our day to day lives. It is for that reason that I am so excited to support Skyler Johnson for Assembly.
Skyler is exactly the kind of candidate I want to see in office — he stands unequivocally for economic, environmental and social progress in New York state. I know this because I have seen him show up time and again on the issues that impact New Yorkers. Skyler has joined striking autoworkers in picket lines at South Shore Kia in Copiague and striking health care workers at Cold Spring Hills rehabilitation facility in Woodbury. His advocacy has earned him the endorsement of the local 1199SEIU. He has stood with the North Bellport community calling for the closure and remediation of the Brookhaven landfill. He serves as a board member at Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic and is endorsed by Planned Parenthood Empire State Votes. Skyler has also been endorsed by the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund and Equality NY. I know that when Skyler goes to Albany, he will protect our workforce, our environment, LGBTQ+ rights and our reproductive freedom.
On a deeply personal note, Skyler and I are both congregation members at Temple Beth Emeth in Mount Sinai, where Skyler serves on the board. In a time where antisemitism is on the rise, I deeply appreciate his leadership in our local Jewish community, and am grateful to share this space with Skyler and his family.
Skyler’s record stands in stark contrast with our current Assemblyman Ed Flood [R-Port Jefferson], who has voted against the Equal Rights Amendment ballot initiative, against fully funding our public schools and against environmental legislation. After being represented by former Assemblyman Steve Englebright [D-Setauket] for decades, I look forward to this seat returning to a community champion like Skyler.
Actions speak louder than words. And I have seen Skyler in action, on the moral side of the issues that matter, time and again. I look forward to sending Skyler to Albany, and to being represented by him.
Shoshana Hershkowitz
South Setauket
Three Village Meals on Wheels celebrates 40 years
On Aug. 22, 1983, 13 clients received meals for the first time from Three Village Meals on Wheels using eight volunteers. Forty years later, more than 65 clients are receiving meals and 50-plus volunteers are delivering the meals.
Meals on Wheels began when some local community members saw a need for a meal program in the Three Village area. They hoped to get the program government sponsored. That provision came with specific age requirements for our clients so the idea for a privately sponsored program was discussed.
A meeting in Setauket was held with 40 people in attendance. Spearheading this plan was Adelaide Silkworth who was the director of the Suffolk County Office for the Aging. After an overview of the Town of Huntington’s privately sponsored, home delivery meal program was presented, several organizations volunteered their services for fundraising, seed money, printing and public relations.
Next a steering committee was established and the first meeting took place at the Stony Brook Community Church where the office continues to reside.
Soon the organization had a chair, secretary, dietary coordinator, screening nurses and a coordinator of volunteers. The group soon became known as Three Village Meals on Wheels.
A state grant sponsored by Sen. James Lack [R-District 2] got the program off the ground and a month later, the staff of the Office for the Aging met with administrators from St. Charles Hospital and John T. Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson. Both hospitals were on board to provide meals for 20 to 25 people.
The program today fluctuates in number of clients but continues delivering meals to an ever-growing population of homebound frail, elderly, convalescent and handicapped people who need support to retain their independence. A great organization was born 40 years ago and continues to thrive today with the help of a once-a-year fund drive, generous donations and varying grants to enable this program to remain independent. If you know someone who would benefit from this service, would like to donate or volunteer, call the office 631-689-7070.
Diane Melidosian
Stony Brook
Three Village MOW Board Member
Vote for Ugrinsky’s proven leadership
Our village needs a proven leader, someone who will work tirelessly to protect and enhance our community. Xena Ugrinsky is that person. Xena and I work together on the village’s Budget & Finance Committee and I have been impressed with both her financial expertise and her work ethic. She will bring the best thinking from the private sector to ensure our scarce tax dollars are spent judiciously.
Xena’s resume is also impressive, with over 30 years of corporate and financial management experience. She has the know-how to help craft workable solutions to some of our most pressing issues, including the bluff erosion, the occasional flooding of our downtown and the potential loss of significant revenue from the power plant. Xena will champion making the plant a state-of-the art energy facility that will preserve not only the village’s tax base but the school district, too.
Her proficiency in project management will be invaluable for our public works infrastructure and enable her to keep a close eye on capital expenditures, so we don’t overpay or end up with excessive change-order requests. Port Jefferson needs someone with Xena’s experience on the board. That’s why I’m voting for Xena Ugrinsky for village trustee on June 18.
William Gatta
Port Jefferson
Member of Budget & Finance Committee
Looking forward with Ugrinsky and Parziale
As mayor, I’d like to first express my gratitude, on behalf of the Village of Port Jefferson, to outgoing trustees Drew Biondo and Rebecca Kassay for all their hard work over the past year. We had a very successful year and while we didn’t always agree and tough questions were brought forward, ultimately this board was effective and efficient making unanimous decisions on all but one or two issues.
Now we have to look toward the future, and who best to step up and into these two open trustee seats. I commend the three candidates who have stepped up and put themselves out there for public scrutiny and mudslinging.
That said, my votes are going to Xena Ugrinsky and Marie Parziale (Johs).
Why? Because they are the two most qualified candidates. Their respective resumes are diverse and jam-packed with relevant experience. Each has worked directly in the areas in which they are committed to contribute as village trustees. Xena brings her project management skills, years of work in the finance and energy sectors, and more recently her entrepreneurial activity in alternative energy generation. She currently chairs the village Power Plant Working Group and is a member of the village Budget & Finance Committee, and she chaired the Port Jefferson election review committee to its conclusion.
Marie has been rolling up her sleeves as a volunteer in Port Jefferson for years — at Harborfront Park, the Village Center and the Children’s Maritime Museum (now the Explorium) — while her children were young and going through Port Jefferson schools. She then pursued an advanced degree in social work and now, as senior alumni career coach at Stony Brook University, she is connecting students and alumni to careers with businesses locally, throughout Long Island and beyond, forging relationships that she can build upon further to benefit our community as a village trustee.
They are both fully engaged and ingrained in our community and both will hit the ground running. It would be my honor to work with each of them on this new board because while I did become mayor with the help of a rubber stamp, we do not need that trait in a board. This administration respects diversity of thought, intellect, and encourages debate and dialogue to get to the right decisions for village residents, and I’m confident that’s what Xena and Marie will bring to the table.
Lauren Sheprow
Mayor of Port Jefferson Village
Social media is not a reliable source
Has the Port Times Record now resorted to regurgitating Facebook posts under the guise of “reporting”?
In the June 6 edition, the article “Incident in Port Jefferson Village exposes communication failures” is almost entirely composed of one such Facebook post.
Were there no other sides to the story? The article states, “Seeking clarity and answers, an email was sent to village officials on May 31.” Was this request sent by the newspaper? Did the reporter attempt to contact the police department for the details of the stabbing and learn their view of whether this event constituted a threat to the community warranting an alert? Did the reporter attempt to call the mayor or trustees to get clarification and advise them that a story was being prepared for publication?
I don’t view social media posts as a reliable source of news events and expect more from the Port Times Record.
Robert J. Nicols
Port Jefferson
The art of deception
In the chessboard of political strategy, concern is often a pawn masquerading as a queen. It’s a Trojan horse, cloaked in the guise of public interest, yet filled with the soldiers of self-serving agendas. This duplicity is the essence of a political dirty trick, where genuine worry is feigned to serve a darker purpose.
These maneuvers are designed to deceive, to cast a shadow of doubt or to rally support through manufactured sincerity. The public, often unaware of the machinations behind the scenes, may be swayed by these displays of false concern.
Yet, in the long run, such tactics can backfire. When the veil is lifted, and the true intentions are revealed, the architects of these deceptions may find themselves facing the very scrutiny they sought to avoid.
Trust, once broken, is not easily mended.
Authenticity is the currency of real change, and without it, political gambits are but empty gestures.
Drew Biondo
Trustee
Port Jefferson Village
Editor’s note: As per TBR policy, we do not publish endorsements the week immediately before elections as it does not allow time for rebuttals. Letters of endorsement can be found on our website, tbrnewsmedia.com, under “Letters”, which is available 24/7. Thank you for your continued readership.
Port Jefferson residents discuss bluff revitalization options
By Sabrina Artusa
With further recession of the East Beach bluff threatening the safety and structural integrity of the Port Jefferson Country Club, tennis and pickleball courts and golf course, the Village of Port Jefferson held a town hall meeting May 28 at the Waterview catering hall to discuss how to proceed with the bluff revitalization plan initiated in 2021. This plan was interrupted by fierce storms that damaged the barrier wall the village spent two years and approximately $6 million building.
While portions of the wall held strong against runoff and winds, the damage has made some residents unsure if continuing with Phase II is the most effective solution. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is funding 75% of Phase II, but the specifics of the grant agreement have not been finalized.
Country club
Some residents question why money should be spent protecting a commercial business and argue for the demolition of the village-owned country club and rebuilding further from the cliff.
“There are a lot of people in this town who are hurting. Inflation is hurting middle American families … we talk about putting millions of tax dollars into this beautiful club, but for what?” one resident asked.
“It’s not just an engineering issue. It’s a cost-benefit analysis for the entire community, and a referendum requires that we be included,” another person said.
The club, however, reportedly brings in over $300,000 of revenue to the village annually. Additionally, one does not have to be a member of the country club to visit.
“When you are repairing the bluff, what is it actually going to protect? It is going to protect a building that is revenue neutral at its worst and it sounds like it is a revenue positive facility,” another resident said.
Other options
Mayor Lauren Sheprow said that the wall held strong for the most part and that engineers and environmental scientists are being consulted on the most responsible course of action going forward.
Nick Thatos, co-founder of the Long Island-based Coastal Technologies, said that planting native species is key to preventing further erosion. He noted that North Shore native plants evolved “to stabilize” and “colonize this niche environment,” citing the complex root systems and cement-like excretions that can keep sand in place.
“Nature is incredible. We cannot engineer anything near what nature can accomplish,” he said.
Some said that the angle of the bluff needs to be corrected to prevent recession, while others said that retreating is the most dependable option.
“The only way to fortify the top is to retreat,” said a woman who has lived in Port Jefferson for over 30 years. “The golf and tennis are separate. Another building can be built.”
Sheprow is asking for volunteers for the village’s Citizens Commission on Erosion. “We want input, we don’t want to do it in a vacuum,” she said.
