TBR News Media
Letters to the Editor: January 30, 2025
First Amendment rights cannot be stopped
Legislator Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) believes that constituents can be controlled and silenced by offering candy as if they were 5 year olds. It’s insulting and degrading that grown adults who speak out against injustices and understand how to use their First Amendment rights to free speech are being silenced.
No, Steve, a Life Saver isn’t going to make me stop speaking out against the draconian rules that [Suffolk] County passes that harm the public’s general welfare by turning the county police department against the Latino population. The presiding officer infringed and trampled on my First Amendment rights because he didn’t like what I said.
Let’s face it, the appearance of senior women speaking at public meetings exercising a constitutional protection of free speech surrounded by fully armed sheriff’s officers is bad public relations for the legislative body in a democracy.
Lisa Sevimli, Patchogue
We do not need another freight station
I wholeheartedly agree with Frank Konop [Smithtown freight yard is a threat to our community, [TBR News Media, Jan. 23] that the proposed Townline Rail Terminal will do more harm than good to residents of Smithtown township. However, his attempt to link it to the wildfires in southern California is way off base.
This has nothing to do with “social justice policies.” Regarding the California fires, it’s false that they were related in any way to redirecting reservoir water to save fish. State reservoirs storing water for southern California are at or near record highs.
The elephant in the room is global warming. Although it’s impossible to narrowly tie it directly to a particular disaster, it’s foolish to deny its role in the increasing prevalence of wildfires, droughts, floods and freak weather. In March 2024 the Smokehouse Creek fire burned over one million acres in the Texas Panhandle, compared with more than 40,000 acres burned in California thru January 2025. In October 2024 in Valencia, Spain, 232 people were killed by a year’s worth of rain falling in a few hours. Right here in Smithtown we were hit by a “rain bomb” last August that destroyed Stony Brook Pond and Stump Pond and flooded town hall. The Main Branch of Smithtown Library is still closed.
Getting back to the TRT, there are lots of questions. This facility will be used not only to ship incinerator ash as well as construction and demolition debris off Long Island, but also to transport construction materials, vehicles and other undefined goods and commodities onto Long Island. What limitations are there? Will propane, heating oil or hazardous materials be among these commodities? We don’t know. What need is there for two transfer buildings, track to accommodate 161 freight cars and a fleet of 50 trucks if this facility will run only one 27-car train in and out per day as its sponsor claims? Will the tracks become a magnet for illegal dumping, attracting rats and mosquitos? TRT will undoubtedly have impacts beyond wrecking the Kings Park residential community it’s adjacent to, including the pollution emitted by the 1970s era diesel locomotives pulling all those freight cars.
The culprit behind this misbegotten proposal is not “social justice policies” or the “Green New Deal,” but our own Smithtown Town Board, which unanimously railroaded it through (pun intended) every step of the way. It’s now proposing to change town zoning code to add a new use called “rail freight terminal” to districts zoned Light Industrial, of which there are many, including Flowerfield, around town. Flowerfield was once a Long Island Rail Road station with its own siding track. Could this rezoning affect the disposition of Flowerfield? The Smithtown Town Board is supposed to protect the interests of Smithtown residents. But apparently, they’re so sure of being reelected due to their party affiliation that they presume it’s safe to ignore overwhelming opposition to TRT from the community. And who’s to say they’re wrong?
David Friedman, St. James
Presidency of Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny and Dr. Jack Marburger
As the former president of the Three Village/Stony Brook Soccer Club from 1990 to 2002 and 2010 to 2017, I read with great interest your article on the presidency of Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny and her impact upon the Three Village community. While Dr. Kenny’s support for the local community and especially our local soccer club was second to none, I do not want the article to give the impression, as I think it does, that her predecessor, Dr. Jack Marburger, was not interested in the local community and was only interested in the science aspect of the university. Nothing could be further from the truth, especially as it related to the development of the soccer complex next to the P lot at [Stony Brook] University.
Prior to our request to be able to develop the unused land for a variety of soccer fields, our local soccer club played all of their games at our local schools, forcing our children and families to go from one site to another, or be forced to miss their games. Upon our request to Dr. Marburger to be able to develop the fields, he played a major role in giving us permission to develop the property and ensuring our success even in the face of considerable opposition from the local neighbors and others. Knowing that such a complex would be of great benefit to the larger community, Dr. Marburger made sure that we received a permit from his office and in fact only charged the soccer club $1 a year for the use of the property. I think it is fair to say that without his support and understanding of what such a use would mean to the thousands of children and families in our community there would have been no soccer fields for our community to use on the university campus.
Upon her acceptance of her position, Dr. Kenny continued her support for the decision of Dr. Marburger with regard to the soccer fields, allowing the permit to continue for $1 a year and allowing the soccer club to build a multi-use building which contained both “real bathrooms” for our families as well as a concession stand. In addition she allowed for the soccer club to hold various outdoor and indoor tournaments on the campus, at no charge, including the major tournament on Long Island at that time, the Long Island Junior Soccer League championships. She was a frequent visitor to the fields on Sundays when over two thousand of our children played during the day. She made sure her staff was always supportive of our efforts to improve the complex and supported our efforts to gain a state grant which we did with the support of former State Senator Jim Lack and former State Assemblyman Steve Englebright.
Both Dr. Marburger and Dr. Kenny understood that Stony Brook University is more than just buildings and research. It is a community asset of the Three Villages and as such must be engaged with the local community in more ways that just selling tickets to various events. Unfortunately, neither of their two successors understood how a state university and a larger community must be engaged with each other, to the point where the soccer complex was taken over by the recreation department and charged the local soccer club over $100,000 each year for the ability of our local children to play soccer on land which had been developed by the local soccer club. Unfortunately they looked at the soccer fields solely as a money maker and not as a community benefit, to the point where they now charge for almost everything, significantly reduced the amount of time allotted for games and practices and have closed the building which was built for the benefit of our families.
While one may think that this is all history, it is not, especially as Stony Brook University engages once again in the selection of a new president. The selection committee and the SUNY Board of Trustees must understand that Stony Brook University must be part of the community, as promoted by both Dr. Kenny and Dr. Marburger, and not merely located in our community as made clear by their successors who gratefully have gone on to other places far from here. One would hope that the new president will understand and promote a concept of togetherness and mutual commitment to each other and not just what is good for the university. We hope that the history of what Dr. Kenny and Dr. Marburger accomplished will be the type of history which the new president will provide and not the type of history which their successors failed to provide. Our community is a better place to live when the university understands that it is part of the community and not just located here.
Mitchell H. Pally, Former President
Three Village Soccer Club
1992-2002; 2010-2017
Editorial: What the TikTok ban reveals about how we interact with social media
On Jan. 19, the popular social media platform, TikTok, displayed an error screen, halting many of the app’s 150 million American users’ mid-scroll. “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now,” the screen read. “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S.”
TikTok is owned by the Chinese internet company ByteDance and gained prominence on an international scale in 2017. Its Chinese ownership caused former President Joe Biden to sign a law dictating that if TIkTok weren’t sold to an American company, then it would be banned from American devices, leading to the error message.
This isn’t the first time TikTok was under threat of a ban, but it is the first time it has gotten this far. TikTok users across the country closed their apps for what they thought was the last time, reflecting on how the app fits into their lives, and how it will change their future habits.
TikTok was out of commission for 12 hours, giving many Americans a chance to contemplate its absence. Were we glad that the icon was no longer on our phone screens, tempting us to click on it? Or, did we regret that we didn’t have the breadth of advice, entertainment and information it avails?
The app offers endless opportunities, giving platforms to anyone who creates an account. Many small-business owners, artists, song-writers, comedians, food-bloggers, musicians and book-reviewers gained a foothold in their industry by joining the expanding ranks of “Tiktok influencers.” Numerous current professionals, especially creatives, used the short-form videos to their advantage. Lil Nas X, the recipient of two Grammy Awards, is one of the most notable artists who gained popularity by advertising his song on the app.
However, the very draw of the app–representation of a wide range of communities, allowing anyone to have a platform–can be contorted to manipulate the user’s perspective on reality. Besides the constant risk of spreading inaccurate information, the sheer amount of content can be anxiety-inducing. Literally swiping away anything distressing can condense a person’s world, the specialized “For You Page,” an echo-chamber. The casual, friendly videos can become a crutch, with scrolling from video to video becoming less of a conscious action and more of a comforting, self-soothing habit.
During those hours without TikTok as an active factor shaping our view, we were given the distance needed to evaluate its place retrospectively in our lives. Did we use it when we were bored? Stressed? Angry? Why and when will we miss it? Taking healthy breaks provides the unaffected clarity to make these determinations.
TikTok is back for now–President Trump issued a 90-day extension for ByteDance to sell–but let’s use the temporary ban as an opportunity to examine our social media usage.
Letters to the Editor: January 23, 2025
Smithtown freight yard is a threat to our community
As a 75-year resident of our beautiful community, it saddens me to see Smithtown is moving ahead on the freight yard proposal by Toby Carlson. Like California, you are adopting the law of unintended consequences. In the effort to pursue the “Green New Deal” they ignored the well-being and safety of their citizens. Reservoir water was redirected to save fish, fire budgets were cut and brush in county parks was left to grow contrary to state laws. All of this was to improve social justice policies. If a freight yard is the answer to our garbage needs, this is not the place for it, adjacent to a residential and historic area.
While the tragedy California is dealing with was never anticipated by the politicians, the dangers were all too apparent. So too, the terrible record of freight train derailments and toxic spills have put adjacent communities at risk and caused many tragedies throughout the country. While this is a real possibility, what is a certainty is that our home values, quality of life and water aquifer will all be negatively impacted. Just as California turned a blind eye to brush removal laws for many years, Smithtown has ignored the many code violations on Old Northport Road. Clearly, California has subordinated their community safety in pursuit of an alternative agenda. This should not happen here.Elected officials should protect and preserve our communities.
For 30 years I served with the Fort Salonga Association as director and president. We worked to protect our zoning, establish Bread and Cheese as an historic Road and identify many homes dating back to the American Revolution. To undermine our efforts, damage our quality of life and impact our property values is a betrayal of our trust. There are better places for a freight yard than 150 feet away from residential homes. Please protect our community!
Frank Konop
Smithtown
Sergeant-at-arms can protect without weapons
At the Suffolk County Legislature’s Organizational Meeting on Jan. 2, I suggested appointing a sergeant-at-arms for future meetings. As an employee of the Legislature that individual would be responsible for ensuring that all in attendance follow protocols. Helping to escort guest dignitaries such as the Suffolk County executive into the auditorium to address the legislators when they are in session would also be a job requirement. Despite the words “sergeant” and “arms” in the title, that person would not be a law enforcement officer and would not carry any weapons.
My request was prompted by events at two General Meetings last year when a member of the public who was speaking was asked by the presiding officer to not provocatively say “your base is racist.” These uncomfortable moments quickly overheated when the presiding officer determined it appropriate to request deputy sheriff officers who are present at the General Meetings to escort the speaker out of the hearing room. Witnessing law enforcement officers with loaded guns on their person being instructed to remove constituents is concerning as such circumstances have the potential to quickly and unpredictably escalate.
During my tenure as a New York State assemblyman, I observed that Legislature’s sergeant-at-arms routinely offering potential disruptors a piece of candy from a bowl he kept at his desk. This literally sweet gesture would provide an opportunity for de-escalation and, in turn, maintain the required decorum to continue with a safe and effective legislative meeting. It also demonstrates that the individual who is the sergeant-at-arms can function as an antidote to disharmony and an instrument of civility. The Suffolk County Legislature should make use of this tool to add both a buffer against immoderate moments and add to the procedural dignity of the chamber.
Steve Englebright
Suffolk County Legislator
Fifth District
Keep the town code, keep out freight terminals
We are writing to express the opposition of our members to the proposed changes to the
[Smithtown] Town Code – as written – that would permit rail freight terminals, rail transfer stations and wood chipping and mulch processing in Smithtown. The proposals as written make no sense and should not be enacted.
Although increased capacity for the transportation of ash from waste-to-energy plants and construction and demolition debris (“C&D”) off Long Island likely will become a necessity, we believe that as drafted, the proposed code changes are misguided, overbroad and frankly, unrealistic.
The most surprising aspect of the proposal is that a special exception could be granted for any ofthese uses on parcels as little as two acres. Likewise, we are surprised that the proposal includes the possibility that a rail freight terminal could be permitted in a light industry zone anywhere in Town. Since the proposed amendments would affect the entire Town, they could have negative impacts in any community where in ustrially zoned properties exist, including the Mills Pond National Historic District and the Flowerfield property.
For the past four years, the community has been working with the State Department of Environmental Conservation and Suffolk County to preserve the undeveloped 48-acre portion of the Gyrodyne/Flowerfield property, which is the last remaining open space in St. James. The State and County are closer than ever to a purchase that would compensate Gyrodyne fairly for its land. Supervisor Wehrheim, you have expressed to the DEC that the Town has no objection to the State’s proposal to acquire the property using Environmental Protection Funds. However, the proposed code changes, as written, could jeopardize the goal of preserving Flowerfield Fairgrounds as open space.
While the current Town Board might not allow a rail terminal on the Gyrodyne/Flowerfield property, future Town Boards could do so if the code changes before you are approved. The proposed code amendments would be antithetical to the broad explicit goal established in the Town’s new Comprehensive Plan to protect the character of residential communities like St. James. Even if the minimum required parcel size was increased to 100 acres, the proposals should not be enacted, for the following reasons.
Permission to create a rail freight terminal “used for the temporary staging and/or storage of commodities, consumer products or equipment” transported via rail at the Gyrodyne/Flowerfield site would require the addition not only of railroad tracks and storage facilities, but would also of necessity generate daily heavy truck traffic on Mills Pond Road, North Country Road and Stony Brook Road, all of which are narrow, two-lane country roads.
In sworn testimony at the 2010 eminent domain trial Gyrodyne’s own planning and zoning expert testified that getting traffic in and out of the Gyrodyne site is problematic because it is remote from major roadways, and that the property therefore could not accommodate the additional traffic that would accompany more industrial development. The level of traffic on nearby roadways under current conditions is rated as failing, which was a major impetus for the legal challenge against approval of the Gyrodyne subdivision, still pending. The proposed code amendments would allow this property to potentially be developed for uses that would be even more objectionable than those proposed by Gyrodyne in its subdivision proposal.
Another significant issue to be considered is the limited capacity of rail infrastructure in the Town of Smithtown. The Port Jefferson Branch of the Long Island Rail Road is served by a busy single commuter track and is ill-suited to the addition of rail freight.
There are numerous other locations in Suffolk County which are more suitable for use as rail freight terminals to facilitate the expansion of transportation of ash and construction and demolition materials (C&D) off Long Island.
Head of the Harbor Neighborhood Preservation Coalition
Letters to the Editor: January 16, 2025
Cancer Prevention in Action
We have the power to prevent cervical cancer.
January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. Over 11,500 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2025. However, almost all of these cases are preventable. Through cervical cancer screening and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, we have the power to prevent cervical cancer.
Stony Brook Cancer Center’s Cancer Prevention in Action (CPiA) program is here to help you and your loved ones reduce your risk of cervical cancer with these prevention tips:
Schedule your screening: Cervical cancer screening tests can find cells that lead to cancer so that they can be removed before cancer grows. In addition to the Pap test, testing for HPV cells within the cervix is now recommended as a primary screening method. The American Cancer Society recommends routine cervical cancer screening for people with a cervix starting at age 25 through 65.
Get vaccinated: Almost all cervical cancers are caused by HPV. The HPV vaccine prevents cervical, and five other types of cancer, by preventing the virus that causes them. HPV vaccination is recommended for children of all genders beginning at age 9. It is also recommended for adults not vaccinated in childhood through age 26. With over 135 million doses administered in the United States in the last two decades, the HPV vaccine has proven to be extremely safe and effective in preventing HPV cancers.
Raise awareness: Cervical cancer is preventable. Raise awareness amongst your family, friends, and community that cervical cancer can be prevented through vaccination and screening. Consider organizing an awareness event or education session for your workplace, organization, PTA, or other community setting with Stony Brook Cancer Center’s CPiA program.
The CPiA program works to increase HPV vaccination and reduce cancer rates on Long Island. CPiA educates people of all ages in a variety of community settings about cancer prevention and healthy living.
To learn more about cervical cancer prevention or to get involved with CPiA at Stony Brook Cancer Center, go to www.takeactionagainstcancer.com or contact us at 631-444-4263 or at [email protected].
Stony Brook Cancer Center’s Cancer Prevention in Action
The implications of the R-word
Dear anyone who uses the R-word,
As the father of a young man with Down syndrome and the leader of a business where more than half of our colleagues have differing abilities, I feel compelled to address leaders who have used the R-word.
There is no denying your place in the world. That power and influence comes with a greater sense of obligation. Your statements matter. Your words matter. There was a time when using that term was acceptable. Yet in those times that word dehumanized people with differing abilities, people like my son John. That term denied people a sense of dignity and a place in our society.
That word gained prominence during a period when people with intellectual development disabilities were often shunned, relegated to institutions, denied an education, barred from employment and rejected by society. They were treated as sub-human.
Thankfully, times have changed. People with differing abilities have become full members of our society, many playing a prominent role. My son John is an entrepreneur like you and has co-founded the world’s largest sock store. And John is only one of a growing number of entrepreneurs, business leaders, artists, actors, athletes, and political activists with a differing ability. At our business, more than half our colleagues have a differing ability, and we succeed because of the excellent work they do.
People with differing abilities have been patient waiting for the rest of us to catch up, to recognize their strengths and ability to contribute to our society. We need them. We need them in our schools, our businesses and our communities. Terms like the R-word have faded away as people learn how much it hurts, see the negative impact it has and, most importantly, how wrong-headed the description is.
I urge you to consider how your words and actions might advance this progress rather than hinder it. Language has the power to uplift or harm, to unite or divide. You have the opportunity to champion a vision of inclusion, where every person—regardless of their abilities—is treated with respect and celebrated for their unique gifts.
I invite you to visit our business, John’s Crazy Socks. Come meet John and our colleagues with differing abilities. Come see first-hand the potential and humanity that outdated stereotypes obscure. As someone who has defied expectations and pushed boundaries, you have the ability to model a future that leaves no one behind.
This moment can be a turning point. By choosing compassion, understanding, and inclusion, you can inspire others to do the same and help build a world where dignity and opportunity are extended to all.
Will you join us in this mission? Your voice could be a powerful catalyst for change.
Regards,
Mark X. Cronin
Father, Advocate, and Co-Founder of John’s Crazy Socks
More details needed about lithium-ion batteries
We have under consideration at least two large lithium-ion battery installations in our local neighborhoods. One, according to Ira Costell, the president of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association, will be an 8-10 MW system, to be provided by New Leaf Energy. The other, also according to Mr. Costell, will be a mammoth 350 MW facility from Savion, although the Renewables Now website lists this as having a rated power of only 110 MW.
In any case, if we are to understand the capabilities and limitations of these installations, a more complete definition of their energy storage capabilities is required.
This must include not only a power rating, e.g., 10 MW, but also the length of time for which the power can be delivered by the battery. For example, if a battery can provide 10 MW of power for 5 hours, its energy rating is 50 MWh (megawatt hours). Thus, if we know the energy rating of a battery, and we also know the load power, we can calculate the time for which the power will be supplied. For example, a 50 MWh battery can provide 1 MW for 50 hours, or 5 MW for 10 hours, and so forth. At the end of these periods, the battery becomes fully discharged, and must be recharged for further use.
The energy capacities of these batteries are important, because of the intermittent and unpredictable nature of the mandated future energy sources, which will be solar arrays and windmills. When these sources are generating their full rated power, they will be both powering the commercial customers and charging the batteries. As an example, let us assume we have 2,000 houses, each with a load of 1,000 W (1 kW), or 2 MW total. A 50 MWh battery can therefore provide the required power (2 MW) for 25 hours. When the solar/wind power is available, it powers the customer houses and also charges the battery. When the solar/wind input power stops, the load power is provided by the battery, for up to 25 hours. If the input power outage exceeds 25 hours, the 2,000 customers will be without power until the input power becomes available.
The key point is that the energy (MWh) capability of the battery must be sufficient to provide the required power for at least the longest possible down time of the primary power source. If this condition is not met, prolonged power outages and blackouts will be the inevitable result.
If we are to understand and evaluate the capabilities of these proposed battery facilities, it would be most helpful to have New Leaf Energy and Savion provide the energy specifications to us, rather than simply some undefined power numbers, which leave us in the dark with regard to the time for which the power will be available.
George Altemose
Setauket
Letters to the Editor: January 9, 2025
LIRR funding shortfall
LIRR commuters should be concerned about insufficient funds being programmed to bring bridges, viaducts, tunnels and other basic infrastructure that are in poor or marginal condition up to a state of good repair in the proposed MTA $68.4 billion 2025-2029 Five Year Capital Plan. This also applies to Metro North Rail Road and NYC Transit. It is questionable if $600 million is sufficient funding for LIRR critical infrastructure projects under the proposed next Five Year Capital Plan. Can this eliminate the growing backlog of critical infrastructure repair. Too many critical capital assets remain in daily service beyond their anticipated useful life. There is still a $33 billion shortfall to fully fund the proposed upcoming Five Year Capital Plan.
Safety, state of good repair, reliable on time performance with a minimum of service disruptions at a fair price should be a higher priority than system expansion projects. The $7.7 billion Second Avenue Subway Phase 2, $5.5 billion Queens Brooklyn Light Rail Inter Boro Express and $3.1 billion Metro North Bronx East Penn Station Access projects all need to be put on hold. Funding for all three would be better spent on critical infrastructure projects benefiting over 4 million NYC Transit subway, 200,000 plus LIRR and 200,000 plus Metro North daily commuters. MTA Chairman Janno Lieber and MTA Board members have a fiduciary responsibility to protect the interests of riders and taxpayers.
Larry Penner
Great Neck
Keep those letters coming…
Congratulations to my fellow 2024 Letter to the Editor writers. Surveys reveal that “Letters To The Editor” is one of the most widely read and popular sections of newspapers.
Most newspapers will print letters submitted by any writer regardless of where they live so long as the topic is relevant to readers.
It helps to have a snappy introduction, good hook, be timely, precise, have an interesting or different viewpoint to increase your odds of publication. Papers welcome letters commenting on their own editorials, articles or previously published letters to the editor.
I’m grateful that TBR News Media affords both me and my fellow letter writers the opportunity to express our views, as well as differing opinions on issues of the day.
Please join me along with your neighbors in reading TBR News Media. Patronize their advertisers; they provide the revenues necessary to keep them in business. This helps pay to provide space for your favorite or not so favorite letter writers.
Larry Penner
Long Time Reader
and Frequent Letter Writer
Great Neck
Armed guards aren’t the answer
As has become the norm in the Three Village Central School District members of the community have discovered a cause to champion that needn’t be raised. Now that the start time phenomenon has become a budget-contingent coming attraction, armed guards in our schools are the latest call to action. A knee-jerk reaction to an unfortunate, yet thankfully harmless, incident at Ward Melville High School this past fall, has been the demand to arm our security guards. The reasoning behind this charge is the all too familiar claim that “the only way to fight a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”
Decades of research by the highest and most well-trained law enforcement agencies in the country have debunked this “theory” and proven that many times the presence of armed guards in school settings has invited and/or intensified the violence committed. Anyone with recollection of the atrocities in Uvalde and Parkland knows firsthand that armed security did nothing to deter the perpetrator and no lives were saved. As a mother and an educator there is nothing more important than safety in school buildings and I would never begrudge any parent the feeling of security when a child is in an academic setting. However, there are myriad other approaches to avoiding threats to our children today and they do not include arming security guards.
The pushback will of course be the previously noted adage about fighting a bad guy with a good guy gun, especially since many of the guards are former law enforcement officers. None of the crusaders of this battle are willing to note the fact that we are actually very lucky. Long Island has fortuitously been spared any instances of mass gun violence in our schools. And the one scary instance that Three Village experienced was handled responsibly and transparently. Yes, a gun entered our high school. Yes, there was a chance something horrific could have occurred, but it didn’t. The true concern is that a weapon came through the doors. The best defense against a repeat situation is a system of detection (and not metal detectors) not an addition of guns.
At this juncture we need to trust that our district security experts have the best interests of our children at heart and will continue to keep them safe. Guns in and/or around our schools is not the answer.
Stefanie Werner
East Setauket
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Happy New Year from TBR News Media!
Happy New Year from the TBR News Media team! We wish everyone a safe, healthy and happy 2025!
People of the Year: Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich works toward a better Brookhaven
By Rita J. Egan
Jonathan Kornreich (D, Stony Brook) may have grown up in Smithtown, but his heart is in the Town of Brookhaven.
The long-time Stony Brook resident and Town of Brookhaven councilmember is seen frequently at community events and civic meetings with his staff members Amani Khan and Abigail Choi, interacting with constituents, listening to their concerns and aiming for what’s best for all.
Before being elected to the TOB board during a special election in 2021, Kornreich, the only Democrat on the board, was known for his leadership skills and open-mindedness as a board member of the Three Village School District for 14 years. He was also president of the Three Village Civic Association for seven years and served on the executive boards of the Boys and Girls Club of Suffolk County and the North Shore Montessori School.
For his work, Kornreich has been named TBR News Media Person of the Year for 2024. This year’s honor is the councilperson’s second time receiving the recognition as he was named the news outlet’s Man of the Year in Education in 2012.
Town of Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico (R) called the honor “well deserved.”
“He is very caring, conscientious, and is frequently in my office as we discuss issues — and a myriad of issues — that affect the first town council district,” Panico said. “He’s proven himself to be a very diligent individual here at the town.”
Herb Mones, Three Village Community Trust president and TVCA land use chair and former president, has known Kornreich roughly 20 years and said he admires Kornreich’s willingness to help out with community matters and concerns. Mones added he also appreciates how Kornreich shows up for cleanups for the Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway Trail and the Stony Brook train station and joins residents in tasks such as raking and picking up trash.
Joan Nickeson, Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce community liaison, said the chamber has had the same experience with the councilmember.
“Upon his election, Jonathan rolled up his sleeves, intent on maintaining open dialog and to improve community life in the Port Jefferson Station and Terryville hamlets,” Nickeson said.
Nickeson said Kornreich has a “can-do attitude” and such assistance has produced tangible solutions for the chamber of commerce’s Train Car office and park.
“We continue to depend upon his intuition, skill navigating Town Hall and support of small local businesses, and partners in Port Jefferson Station and Terryville,” Nickeson said.
Tackling the district’s issues
The myriad of issues facing Brookhaven’s Council District 1, which includes Stony Brook, Old Field, Poquott, Setauket, East Setauket, Belle Terre, Port Jefferson, Port Jefferson Station and Terryville, recently has included a dam collapse that drained Stony Brook Mill Pond after a summer storm. In addition to the devastation the storm left behind, among local issues, Kornreich deals with constituents’ concerns regarding land development in the area and, more recently, two proposed battery storage facilities for East Setauket. Kornreich is also working with the TOB on relocating the historic Roe Tavern to East Setauket Pond Park as part of the redesign and expansion of the open space. In his spare time, he has worked on raising funds to renovate the American Legion Irving Hart Post 1766 in Setauket.
Regarding tackling the more complex matters, Panico said Kornreich puts “public service ahead of politics.”
“I think he’s always a person who has a good compass when it comes to right and wrong,” the town supervisor said. “I think he’s a good listener and a person who does what’s right, even though that decision may not appear to be popular at the time.”
Mones described Kornreich as “sincere with a tremendous amount of integrity with communicating and dealing with complex issues.”
“I feel that Jonathan has a certain unique capacity to communicate with people, understand their points of view and then express himself after being thoughtful and deliberate in his way,”
Mones added that Kornreich is unique in leadership because he’s not showy or flashy.
“He is calm, thoughtful and able to bring about a certain amount of consensus by his speaking to people that way.”
Mones said that when the two worked together on the civic association board, Kornreich’s ability to talk to various people and develop relationships where he understood people’s interests drew newer members to the civic association.
Regarding the land use issues the council district faces, he said Kornreich goes out of his way to listen to everyone from residents to developers and get them to work together and see what needs to be done to move forward.He added that Kornreich will bring developers back to reality when developers have proposals that may be “considered over the type in their asks for number of units or the type of build out of a store” and ask, “how could you expect that this would occur.”
Recently, at the civic association’s last meeting of the year, while there was no formal agenda, attendees had questions regarding the proposed battery storage facilities. Mones said Kornreich was more than happy to field questions.
“He’s not fazed by that idea of having people questioning, proposing ideas,” Mones said. “He’s willing to be that listener and try to help in whatever way he can with the community.”
Happy holidays from TBR News Media!
The staff at TBR News Media would like to wish all of our readers a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year!
We would also like to take this time to remind everyone that our office will be closed for the next two weeks and will reopen on January 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Editorial: Farewell to 2024 …
Another year has almost gone. Maybe it was a good year for some of us or perhaps not. Maybe we’re wondering where all the days went when we could’ve sworn there were months left to lose ten pounds, learn to play the piano or master the art of relaxation. Time — it moves slowly but passes quickly.
2024 was a year of great change and tumult. November brought one of the most talked-about elections in recent history — a race that pitted the first Black Vice President, a woman, against a former president who survived an attempted assassination in July. The year also bore witness to nature’s fury with catastrophic storms like Hurricane Milton, Beryl and Helene wreaking havoc across the country, not to mention right here on the North Shore. And while some of the troubles of 2024 may fade into the past, remember — we endured it together as a community.
No matter how 2024 treated us, the good news is that a new year lies ahead. New Year’s Eve has a way of inspiring hope — a symbolic chance to start fresh to envision the possibilities of a blank slate. After the ball drops in Times Square, there’s a unique energy in the air — a sense of renewal that hopefully propels us into a year filled with potential.
But remember, 2025’s promise is only as meaningful as the actions we take to shape it. 2025 does have one very massive roadblock — December 31, 2025. So before another 365 days roll around, let’s set goals that matter — big, small or both, that we can achieve by the end of next year. Want to get involved in our community? Take that first step. Want to learn something new or pursue a long-held interest? Go for it. This is a cliche but it’s true — there’s nothing to lose and everything — even something — to gain. But above all, let’s be the change we want to see in our lives and in the world. If 2024 was a disappointment, let the fresh pages of a new calendar inspire us to address the challenges we see before us. Let’s not be deterred by the belief that meaningful change is only achievable by “others.” Change starts with all of us — and it can absolutely begin now.
As we bid farewell to 2024, all of us wish everyone a happy and healthy new year. May 2025 bring joy, opportunity and the necessary inspiration to make it the best year yet. As J.P. Morgan wisely said, “The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.”
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