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Smithtown

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Maximilian Beres was arrested for allegedly robbing a Smithtown bank. Photo from SCPD.
Maximilian Beres was arrested for allegedly robbing a Smithtown bank. Photo from SCPD.

Suffolk County Police arrested a man for robbing a Smithtown bank Thursday afternoon, May 18.

Police said a man entered New York Community Bank, located on Nesconset Highway, at approximately 1:45 p.m., displayed a handgun and demanded money.  The teller complied with the suspect’s demands and gave him cash from the drawer.  The suspect fled the bank on foot to a waiting vehicle.

Fourth Precinct Police Officer James Tobin located a vehicle matching the description of the suspect’s vehicle and pulled the driver over. Officer Tobin arrested the suspect, Maximilian Beres, 29, of Port Jefferson Station. Major Case detectives charged Beres with first-degree robbery.

Beres is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip May 19.

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The evening of May 16 was a good one for school boards across New York State, as residents cast their ballots overwhelmingly in favor of district budgets.

According to the New York State School Boards Association, the average proposed school district tax levy increase in 2017-18 will be 1.48 percent, more than half a percentage point below the acclaimed 2 percent property tax cap. It is the fourth consecutive year the tax cap growth factor will be below 2 percent.

Here’s how school districts on the North Shore of Suffolk County fared:

Commack
According to the Commack school district’s website, the district voted 2,019-555 in favor of the $187,532,818 proposed budget. Carpenter edged out Janine DiGirolamo 1,363 votes to 1,059, and Hender narrowly beat April Pancella Haupt 1,240 to 1,148.

Comsewogue
Comsewogue residents voted 789 in favor and 208 not against the $89,796,337 budget. Incumbents Ali Gordon and Jim Sanchez won back their seats in an uncontested race, with 882 and 846 votes, respectively.

Harborfields
Members of the district voted 1,224 to 249 for the $84.4 million budget. In a tightly-contested race, David Steinberg and Christopher Kelly won the two open seats with 800 and 741 votes, respectively. Sternberg won back his seat, while the third time seemed to be a charm for Kelly. Laura Levenberg finished with 623 votes while Anila Nitekman totaled 467.

Hauppauge
The Hauppauge school district passed its $107,965,857 budget 811-308, and its capital reserve fund proposition 869-248, according to the district’s Facebook page. James Kiley and Lawrence Craft were elected to the board of education, with 803 and 797 votes, respectively.

Huntington
Residents passed the $126.2 million budget and capital reserve proposition, according to the district website. Trustees Jennifer Hebert and Xavier Palacios were re-elected to three-year terms.

Kings Park
The Kings Park community passed its $88.5 million proposed budget with 1,360 yes votes to 533 no. Incumbent Joe Bianco won back his seat with 989 votes, while challengers Katy Cardinale and J.P. Andrade finished with 733 and 110.

“I just feel great,” Kings Park Superintendent Tim Eagan said. “The budget passed with 72 percent approval. I’m just happy that the community is very happy with what we have going on here, and it’s just great to have their support. We’ve been fortunate the last couple of years. We’ve been 70 percent passing or higher.”

Middle Country
Residents chose to pass the $243,590,487 proposed budget 1,658-418. Runners Dina Phillips (1,523), Ellie Estevez (1,380) and Doreen Felmann (1,512) won their uncontested board of education seat races, with 17 write-in votes.

Miller Place
Voters passed the $126.2 million budget 763-162. With no challengers, Lisa Reitan and Richard Panico were elected with 726 and 709 votes. Other write-in candidates totaled 23 votes.

Mount Sinai
The $59,272,525 budget was overwhelmingly passed by residents, 1,007 to 251 and the library 1,111 to 144. Incumbents Robert Sweeney (1,013), Edward Law (866) and Peter Van Middelem (860) won back their seats, while Michael McGuire almost doubled his total from last year, finishing with 597.

“I’m very happy that it passed,” Mount Sinai Superintendent Gordon Brosdal said. “We have great programs here. We can maintain those programs. We made the AP Honor Roll two years in a roll. Almost every team right now is in the playoffs, our music program is better than ever, so to keep those programs is great, but we’re not resting on that. Now we can get to work on our elementary reading program, bolstering that, we have a new principal coming in who has high expectations. There are programs we want to put in place that a lot of our kids need in the elementary school.”

He was disappointed with the turnout, though.

“I’m not happy,” he said. “We’re 200 lower than last year. We have 9,000 eligible voters. I’d like to see 500 to another 1,00 approve it so we have everyone together.”

Northport-East Northport
Northport-East Northport residents said “yes, yes, yes.” With 2,074 votes for and 636 against, the $163,306,840 budget passed, while support was also strong for the capital reserve expenditure, with 2,197 votes for and 512 against. This will allow the district to use capital reserves to fund additional projects including resurfacing/replacing two tennis courts and replacing the fence at William J. Brosnan School, installing new operable gymnasium windows at East Northport Middle School, replacing circuit panels at Northport High School, replacing auditorium seating at William J. Brosnan School and replacing classroom ceilings at Dickinson Avenue Elementary School. Donna McNaughton beat out Thomas Loughran for the lone seat up for grabs with 1,750 votes to Loughran’s 769.

Port Jefferson
Community members passed the nearly $43 million proposed budget 338-74. Renovations and upgrades using the capital reserve funds was also passed, 368-43. Incumbents Adam DeWitt and David Keegan were re-elected to serve three-year terms, with 357 and 356 votes, respectively.

Rocky Point
Rocky Point residents voted to pass the $83,286,346 budget with 663 saying yes, while 246 said no. The district also sought voter approval to access $3,385,965 million from its capital reserve fund in order to complete facility renovations across the district. For that proposal, 600 voted for and 312 against.

“We are extremely grateful for the community’s support of our proposed budget and capital improvement plan,” Rocky Point Superintendent Michael Ring said. “The educational enhancements included in this budget are ones that we believe will further support the needs of Rocky Point students while also providing them with opportunities to succeed at even greater levels, while still maintaining our commitment to fiscal responsibility.”

Incumbent board of education member Sean Callahan and newcomer Joseph Coniglione, who is principal of Comsewogue High school, were elected with 713 and 641 votes, respectively.

Shoreham-Wading River
Voters approved the $74, 842,792 budget 1,112 for to 992 against, and passed the capital reserve fund with 1,282 yes’ to 813 nos. The people are calling for change, as Katie Anderson (1,318), Henry Perez (1,303), Erin Hunt (1,279) and Michaell Yannuci (1,087) won seats, while James Smith (1,015), Jack Costas (563) and John Zukowski (524) missed the mark. Yannucci, who has previously been on the board, will be taking the one-year seat left by Michael Fucito, and both incumbents have been ousted.

Smithtown
The community passed the proposed budget with 2,241 yes votes to 693 no. Incumbents Gledy Waldron and Joanne McEnroy, who were running unopposed, won back their seats with 2,095 and 2,090 votes, respectively.  Matthew Gribbin defeated incumbent Grace Plours with 1,835 votes to Plourde’s 1,155.

Three Village
Three Village residents voted 1,708 for to 719 against the proposed $204.4 million budget. With no challengers, incumbents Jeff Kerman, Irene Gische and Inger Germano won back their seats with 1,805, 1,794 and 1,753 votes, respectively.

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Smith Haven Mall. Image from Google Maps

Suffolk County Police have arrested a Smithtown man for committing several acts of lewdness during the past week at the Smith Haven Mall.

A woman was inside Barnes and Noble May 13 when police said she allegedly observed a man masturbating while sitting at the table next to her. The woman fled and notified police.

Following an investigation by Fourth Squad detectives, Samuel Bartolotto was arrested May 14 at approximately 7 p.m. Detectives determined that in addition to the incident May 13, Bartolotto had also masturbated in his vehicle in the parking lot of the mall May 8 and May 12.

Bartolotto, 26, of Hurtin Boulevard, was charged with three counts of public lewdness and will be arraigned at a later date.

Anyone with information on these incidents is asked to call the Fourth Squad at 631-854-8452.

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Smithtown Town Supervisor Pat Vecchio announces he'll seek another term. Photo by Kevin Redding

Smithtown Supervisor Patrick Vecchio (R) was applauded in front of town hall Thursday when he officially announced his run for reelection in November. The 87-year-old incumbent, who has held the position since 1978, is the longest-presiding supervisor in the history of the state and would be serving his 14th term if elected.

“I never thought I’d ever be here this long,” Vecchio said to a crowd of residents, elected officials and council members in front of the municipal building that was renamed the Town Supervisor Patrick R. Vecchio Town Hall in 2015.

“For 40 years I’ve stood on these steps to be sworn in [and] you may be wondering why,” he continued. “I do it because I love to help people and truly love what I do and each day that I go to work has been a pleasure. [Sure], there have been times I’ve thrown the phone book on the floor and slammed the telephone down, but I still love what I do and want to continue working with these people to make this the best town not only in Suffolk County but maybe in New York state.”

Vecchio said when he was first approached to run for town supervisor in 1977, he wasn’t exactly sure what a town supervisor was or what a person in that position did. He agreed to go forward with it regardless, despite being offered a job as police chief in Aspen, Colorado at the time.

“I didn’t make a mistake though,” he said with a smirk. “This is a better job.”

Joking he was pressured by colleagues to make a big deal of his announcement, Vecchio said running for supervisor has become automatic to him as each new term seems to come up so fast.

“I win an election one year, then 17 months later I win another,” said Vecchio, who has won six two-year terms and seven four-year terms in his tenure.“It’s been a long journey but it’s a good journey…and I think we’ve done well for the town.”

Under Vecchio’s leadership, several speakers noted, Smithtown stands as the most fiscally stable municipality in the county. There was no tax increase in 2017 and it’s predicted there won’t be for next year either.

“The man is a legend,” Councilman Tom McCarthy (R) said. “He just does an incredible job. He thinks about the people, he comes to work every day — he calls me Saturday, Sunday— because to him, it’s all about the people. He will continue to serve all the people in the town of Smithtown.”

State Assemblyman Mike Fitzpatrick (R-St. James) referred to Vecchio as the town’s “steady hand” and said, “Smithtown is the best town to live in in Suffolk County and, for the past 40 years, the reason for that has been your leadership.”

Fitzpatrick commended the supervisor for his lifetime of service as a member of the U.S. Army, a long-time New York City police officer, and head of security detail for John Lindsay, former mayor of New York City.

He called attention to Vecchio’s environmental record, specifically making Smithtown the first municipality in the state to pass the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program, as well as his initiative to provide affordable housing for senior citizens.

“You might not run out groundballs as quickly as you used to, but you’re still hitting the ball out of the park as far as I’m concerned,” Fitzpatrick said to Vecchio. “Smithtown needs you.”

Frank Sgro, an 11-year Smithtown resident, said after the announcement he was happy he’ll be able to vote for Vecchio this fall.

“I think he has a wonderful record, he seems to know what he’s doing, he’s very sharp and we should stay with what works,” Sgro said. “He’s a very good leader.”

Mary Engelman, who’s lived in the town since 1975, called Vecchio an amazing leader.

“He has been really really supportive trying to keep the taxes moderate and has worked to beautify the town,” Engelman said. “I’m happy, he’s been really solid.”

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Congresman Zeldin addresses the audience at a town hall in Smithtown. Photo from Congressman Zeldin’s office.

By Victoria Espinoza

After calls for more public discussions and town hall meetings from constituents in New York’s 1st Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) held three town halls this past Sunday. Some praised Zeldin for his patience dealing with “organized protestors,” while other attendees were still left wanting more dialogue with their representative.

Cindy Morris, a Stony Brook resident,  attended Zeldin’s third and final town hall of the day at St. Patrick’s Church in Smithtown.

“We’ve [progressive groups] been working very hard asking him to meet with us in a public forum since November,” Morris said in a phone interview. “This was his first attempt and I felt it was important to attend, both to thank him and show this is not an attempt for political theater like he’s claimed, but for real dialogue.”

In a previous interview, Zeldin spokesperson Jennifer DiSiena said requesting a town hall with the purpose of disrupting it is wrong and wouldn’t be taken seriously.

“Congressman Zeldin will meet with any constituent interested in a productive, substantive exchange of ideas,” she said. “He is not interested in the type of political theater that this group of liberal obstructionists is interested in promoting.”

DiSiena was addressing Project Free Knowledge, a group who hosted a “mock” town hall in Port Jefferson in March which featured a Zeldin impersonator and little effort for an impartial discussion. However, Zeldin has referred to different forms of protests by constituents in his district similarly.

But Morris insisted this meeting was nothing like the mock town hall. Unlike the first two town halls held earlier that day, where she said attendees did not have an opportunity for audience interaction, she praised the Smithtown event for being well-organized, giving some audience members a chance to ask a question off the cuff, that hadn’t been screened.

“He’s our congressional representative, and the representative piece of that is the most important part of his title,” she said. “We wanted to give him an opportunity to let him know what our values are, what we’re looking for.”

Morris also said after watching the first two town halls on Facebook Live, she recognized sound bites Zeldin had used repeatedly that day.

“There was certainly some messaging,” she said. “Until he’s willing to have a real conversation with his constituents, I think that’s literally political theater.”

The event was hosted by Catholics for Freedom of Religion, and President Barbara Samuells said she thought the event went very well.

“People were able to do what the event was intended for,” she said in a phone interview. “They were able to come forward in an open environment and ask questions.”

Samuells said the environment was respectful and calm, unlike other town halls she has seen across the country, and a variety of different issues were discussed. She also commended Zeldin on his directness, saying he answered questions honestly.

Residents wrote on Zeldin’s Facebook page praising him for attending the meetings. Bob Voss, of Mastic, recognized the congressman’s effort.

“Thank you once again for making yourself available to your district constituents and the opportunity to express their concerns whether there is agreement or not on an issue,” he said. “Most important is the knowledge, skill and ability to listen as opposed to talk/yell which may have various motivations. In community forums like these and when [they are] done with mutual dignity and respect much can be accomplished other than shouting.”

But others agreed with Morris, saying the conversation was not as direct as they would have liked.

Nicolle Zeman, who attended the Riverhead town hall, wrote on a Facebook page called Let’s Visit Lee Zeldin, which is comprised of people urging Zeldin to hold town halls. Many are harsh critics of the congressman.

“There was lots of rambling, avoiding answering direct questions and self-serving monologues,” she said. Zeman asked Zeldin about President Donald Trump’s (R) possible tax plan to eliminate the head of household filing status, and said Zeldin instead “rambled,” on about tax reform in general, and when she pressed him on the specific elimination he couldn’t say definitively if he would support the elimination or not.

Zeldin was one of Trump’s first supporters on Long Island, however as of late he seems to be putting some space between himself and the commander-in-chief.

“He did say a couple of times that Trump needs to clean up the way he speaks, that he’s no longer a television host, he’s the president,” she said. “He’s trying to find ways to distance himself from Trump but he’s voting for the Trump agenda.”

Morris acknowledged Zeldin is committed to fighting cuts against the Environmental Protection Agency and funding to the Long Island Sound, which is the opposite stance of Trump, however he “stands strongly with him,” on immigration and financial issues.

FiveThirtyEight, a website focusing on poll analysis and politics, gave Zeldin a 96 percent score for how often he votes in line with the president’s position on house bills. But in the most recent house bill to repeal an FCC rule stopping internet service providers from sharing data of customer’s activities, Zeldin voted no — the opposite of Trump’s position. The bill had almost unanimous Republican support.

Morris also said Zeldin’s staff was helpful after the events, approaching them and getting their contact information to keep them informed.

“They asked us if we would stop protesting, we used the hashtag #WhereIsZeldin, and they said we found him here, there’s no more reason to use it,” Morris said. “But I told them we wouldn’t stop after a one hour moment.”

After the town halls Zeldin said he enjoyed meeting with the people of his district that day.

“It was such a pleasure to meet with so many great constituents at today’s town halls to hear concerns and answer questions,” he said. “At the community forums, we were able to cover a breadth of very important issues, including health care, the environment, foreign policy, economic growth, several local issues, and so much more. I am willing to work with absolutely anyone to move our country forward, no matter what your ideological background is, and I welcome any opportunity to engage in substantive, productive dialogue.”

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Lee Zeldin. File photo by Victoria Espinoza

This past weekend 1st Congressional District U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) hosted town hall events in Riverhead, Farmingville and Smithtown. Ordinarily, an elected official meeting face to face with constituents shouldn’t be breaking news. When it comes to Zeldin, however, holding these town halls is noteworthy because of how hard some voters pleaded with him in the past few months to participate in an open forum as he did April 23.

Before these, he held a phone town hall, which left several constituents upset with the restricting nature of the conversation. Only a handful of questions could be asked, and were submitted prior to the phone call, with thousands listening in. And, of course, there was no face time.

We commend Zeldin for listening to the concerns of the people who elected him as their representative all day Sunday, knowing he would face many angry residents.

Firsthand accounts of the three meetings returned a mixed bag of reviews. Many were happy to have had the chance to hear Zeldin speak about issues important to them, though others were still unsatisfied because questions for some of the meetings were screened ahead of time and selected by moderators.

Holding three town halls was a great step by a congressman who is obviously liked in his district. Nearly 60 percent of the district selected Zeldin on Election Day. He proved he is capable of standing in front of a partially hostile crowd and contributing to a productive dialogue, while the 40 percent of voters who didn’t select him and have been behaving like “liberal obstructionists,” as Zeldin has dubbed them, proved they’re capable of participating in a civilized conversation completely devoid of danger to the congressman.

This was a first step by both sides, but more work is clearly left to be done before midterm elections in November 2018. Let’s keep the ball rolling and keep the dialogue open.

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John Zollo is looking to unseat Smithtown Supervisor Pat Vecchio. Photo from John Zollo

A Smithtown political institution has a new challenger, as John Zollo announced he’s throwing his hat into the ring for the upcoming race for town supervisor, a position currently held by 39-year incumbent Pat Vecchio (R).

Zollo, a Smithtown resident, has spent his life on Long Island, and graduated from the Commack school district in 1977 — a year before Vecchio first took office. He has experience working in town government, serving as Smithtown town attorney for 12 years, from 1992 to 2002, and then from 2013 to 2014.

“I’m running because I believe some things need to change in Smithtown,” Zollo said in a phone interview. “And I have a big sense of community.”

The 57-year-old is certainly involved in many aspects of the town, serving as president for the Rotary Club of Smithtown Sunrise, a member of the Smithtown and Nesconset chambers of commerce, a committee member of  Smithtown Historical Society, and a board member of the Suffolk County Bar Association, to name a few. Zollo has also lent his voice to the community, singing the national anthem for several Long Island Ducks baseball games, and dozens of judicial robing ceremonies for newly sworn in judges on Long Island.

“I am involved in a lot of stuff, sometimes too much,” Zollo said with a laugh, adding he enjoys contributing to his community in any way he can.

And he has already planned to continue that trend into his campaign, asking for anyone who attended his first campaign event April 26 to donate whatever change they had for Red Nose Day.

Zollo said his main concern in Smithtown government is the lack of transparency and communication on issues, and both are important topics he’d like to address if given the chance to lead.

“I have learned a lot of people get very frustrated with government,” he said. “Too many people get involved with government for the wrong reasons. My wife says I’m Don Quixote riding the Smithtown bull. I believe you can’t just yell from the sidelines when you see something going wrong.”

One recent example of miscommunication Zollo used was the land deal that fell through with the Smithtown school district and Southern Land Company earlier this year. Many residents were unhappy with the plan to develop an apartment complex at the district administration building on New York Avenue, and the town and district seemed to be on different pages as the plan moved forward. By last month the deal had collapsed.

“There should’ve been more of a dialogue with the school, the residents and the town,” Zollo said. “If you have dialogue you get something that works, it doesn’t mean everyone will be happy but it’ll work.”

The candidate said he wants the town to have more work sessions with an agenda, and more conversations that happen in front of the town, so residents can understand the government’s train of thought when making decisions.

“You shouldn’t have to hide anything from people,” Zollo said. “People should know what’s going on in their government. The government right now is being run in secret, by emails, and there is no dialogue in work sessions, no exchange of ideas.”

Zollo said while Vecchio has served a great deal to his community, he believes it’s time for new blood to take over.

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A kestrel at Sweetbriar Nature Center
This Great Horned Owl calls Sweetbriar his home.

Time to clean out those closets: Sweetbriar Nature Center, located at 62 Eckernkamp Drive, Smithtown is seeking donations for its annual Yard Sale for Wildlife, which will be held on April 29 and 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. All funds raised will support the nature center’s mission of providing nature education and wildlife rehabilitation.

Donations of antiques, collectibles, knick-knacks and other items under 50 pounds in good condition are now being accepted. (No televisions or other electronics, books or clothing please.) To make a donation, call Eric Young at 631-979-6344, ext. 302 to arrange a drop off or pick up.

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File photo

Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are investigating a motor vehicle crash that seriously injured a Farmingville man in Smithtown April 5.

Michael Lacorte was riding a 2006 Honda motorcycle east in the right-hand lane of Nesconset Highway, west of Terry Road, when he hit the rear of a 2015 Subaru traveling east. The Subaru was attempting to change lanes from the center to the right-hand lane when the crash occurred.

Lacorte, 29, of Farmingville, was transported via Smithtown Rescue to Stony Brook University Hospital where he was being treated for multiple serious injuries.

The driver of the Subaru, Caitlin OReilly, 30, was transported via Smithtown Rescue to St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown where she was being treated for minor injuries.

Both vehicles were impounded for a safety check and the investigation is continuing.

Detectives are asking anyone with information about this crash to contact the Fourth Squad at 631-854-8452.

 

 

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File photo by Rachel Shapiro

After plans for an apartment complex on the site of the Smithtown school district administration building on New York Avenue fell through earlier this year, a new plan is in the works.

The Smithtown town board recently hired real estate firm Michael Haberman Associates to appraise the building, after Councilman Tom McCarthy (R) proposed the town purchase the property, suggesting the land and building could be used for offices and a park.

At recent town board meetings, residents have been more supportive of this proposal than the former plan. At school board meetings earlier this year residents roasted the administration for a lack of transparency, and argued an apartment complex would not be a welcomed addition to the neighborhood.

“I just want to thank Supervisor Vecchio and the board members,” Smithtown resident Bob Hughes said at the Feb. 23 meeting. “Mr. McCarthy had proposed exploring the purchase of the New York Avenue building and it was approved by the board and we appreciate that. We want to thank you for better transparency than we had with the school board. You’ve taken our phone calls, you made phone calls and you met with us.”

At the March 7 meeting Smithtown resident and local architect Mark Mancini weighed in on the future of the property.

“My thought process would be fully in support of what you’re proposing and I hope that you’re proceeding forward … I think it’s going to be an overall benefit for the town,” Mancini said at the meeting. “I think the whole plan looks like a great idea to us.”

Hughes returned to praise the idea and asked if a timeline had been established yet.

“A lot of the residents think it would be a great thing for the community especially to develop the grass area, the vacant land to a downtown central park for the community, keeping the activities local here to the downtown Main Street which would eventually help to increase patronage to downtown shops and the restaurants,” he said. “Just curious, is there a time frame when you expect to get the appraisal back?”

Smithtown attorney Matthew Jakubowski said it’s not yet clear, but a rough estimate suggested the process wouldn’t begin for a few months.

“We have to look at it from two different approaches: purchasing the building as is and what the possible fair market value is were it available commercially,” he said.

Not everyone in the community is on board with the effort.

“I think it is an ideal spot for condos for young people,” St. James resident Rose Palazzo said at the March 7 meeting. “I believe it’s about time to have affordable condos built. How can our residents forget that these young people would like to have their own home in Smithtown—then when they have a bigger family, they will buy the homes of those residents who are downsizing? It is a win for young people and a win for the town.”

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