‘The Sky’s the Limit:’ A Conversation with Suffolk GOP Chairman Jesse Garcia
‘Boxes of Love’ for Distribution
Members of the Board of Directors of Islip Food for Hope, Supervisor Angie Carpenter (R-West Islip), and the Islip Town Board came together to pack more than 1,000 ‘Boxes of Love’ for distribution to organizations that provide relief from food insecurity throughout the Town of Islip. The boxes contain all the necessary side dishes to create a traditional Thanksgiving holiday meal. In addition, Islip Food for Hope will also distribute nearly 1,000 turkeys.
“The annual Supervisor’s breakfast raises money to provide Islip Food for Hope with the necessary resources to ensure that everyone has a Thanksgiving meal,” said Supervisor Carpenter. Each year, thanks to the generous donations from local businesses and organizations, Islip Food for Hope has grown and exceeded its goal.
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Credit - Town of Islip
2 Messenger Papers
PUBLISHER
Diane Caudullo
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Matt Meduri
STAFF REPORTER
Cait Crudden
ART PRODUCTION
MANAGER
Sergio A. Fabbri
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Colin Herr
CONTRIBUTORS
PJ Balzer
Peter Chidichimo
Ashley Pavlakis
OFFICE
RECEIVABLE
Kim Revere
PROOFREADER
Giavanna Rudilosso
SOCIAL
Madison Warren
DELIVERY
PJ Balzer
Joe Cuminale
Islip Food for Hope Prepares ‘Boxes of Love’ for Distribution
“We are truly grateful to our town employees, local businesses and our community groups for their tremendous support, and for doing their part in eliminating food insecurity in our town,” said Supervisor Carpenter.
Unlimited Yard Waste Collection is underway in the Town of Islip. The program will run until Saturday, December 21. Please refer to your fall season mailing card or the Town’s website https://www.islipny.gov/communi.../garbage-yard-wastepickup for your separate yard waste collection day and eligibility requirements.”
Legislator Flotteron Recognizes Long-time Volunteer at Seatuck Environmental Association
Friends, family and fellow volunteers at Seatuck Environmental Association gathered to recognize Peter DiMento for the Suffolk County Non-Profit Volunteer nominee for the Eleventh Legislative District. Legislator Steven J. Flotteron (R-Brightwaters) honored DiMento for his outstanding service and contributions he has made to Seatuck and his community.
DiMento is a valued and exceptional member of the Association, dedicated to conserving Long Island wildlife and the environment, and a member of the board of directors, serving as the Chair of Buildings & Grounds for the past 10+ years. He has led a team of retirees caring for the grounds at the Scully Estate (home of Seatuck), which includes weekly lawn maintenance, event set ups and boardwalks and nest repairs. He is the epitome of an “Outstanding Nonprofit Volunteer,” still giving tirelessly of his time well into his 80s, and deserves this recognition for all he contributes to Seatuck. The property is meticulously maintained because of his exceptional detail and direction.
“I am humbled to receive such an honor from Legislator Flotteron, but recognition goes to the entire team of Building and Grounds. I do not do this alone,” said DiMento. DiMento is a resident in the Islip neighborhood near the Scully Estate for more than sixty years, where he and his wife, Noreen, raised their four sons (all LAX stars who attended the United States Air Force Academy and served in the military). One son, Michael, flew in from Tennessee to see his father receive this honor.
Legislator Steve Flotteron (R-Brightwaters) has represented the Eleventh District in the Suffolk County Legislature since 2018. The Eleventh District includes parts of North Babylon and West Babylon within Babylon Township, as well as Brightwaters, Fire Island, Ocean Beach, Saltaire, West Bay Shore, West Islip, and parts of Bay Shore, Captree, and Islip hamlet within Islip Township.
Legislator Flotteron is the Deputy Presiding Officer of the Legislature and serves as the Chair of the Public Safety Committee, Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, and serves on the Committees on Education and Diversity; Government Operations, Personnel, and Information Technology; and Ways and Means.
The Eleventh District is located at 4 Udall Road, Suite 4, in West Islip and can be reached at 631-854-4100.
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‘The Sky’s the Limit:’ A Conversation with Suffolk GOP Chairman Jesse Garcia
In 2020, Joe Biden (D-DE) won New York with 60% of the vote to Donald Trump’s (RFL) 37%. This year, Vice President Kamala Harris (D-CA) only took in 55% of the vote to Trump’s 44% - about a twelvepoint swing to the right. Kamala Harris delivered the worst performance for a Democrat in the Empire State since 1988, when Michael Dukakis (D-MA) won New York by just 250,000 votes, and she is the first Democratic nominee since that election to win New York by a margin of less than one million votes. Additionally, 2024 is the first election in which New York voted to the right of Washington state since 1956, Connecticut since 1960, and Delaware since 1980.
To better understand the swing as it pertains to New York’s possible playing power in 2028, as well as what it means Suffolk-side, The Messenger sat down with the brains behind the local Republican Party: Chairman Jesse Garcia (R-Ridge)
“This was a race where a very simple question was asked by Trump: ‘are you better off now than you were four years ago?’” Garcia told The Messenger . “We can compare two records, one of historically low inflation, unemployment, energy independence, our country respected around the world, and a secure border that made our communities safer. Under Harris and Biden, we’ve had record high inflation, wages at their all-time low, an unsecure border that allowed sex traffickers, human traffickers, and cartels to poison our children with fentanyl and take over our communities, and the foreign policy of appeasement, which made America less safe because our enemies became emboldened. The voters are very, very astute. They do their own research, they know what works and what doesn’t work, and this was a complete rejection of Democratic policies that have come down from Albany and Washington, with the ‘woke” policies that have truly divided America.”
At Donald Trump’s September rally at Nassau Coliseum, The Messenger spoke with Garcia, who called Long Island the “tip of the spear” in making New York competitive. Last Tuesday’s election results certainly seem to have vindicated that analysis.
“We are the engine that drives Republican victories locally and statewide. We have seen Donald Trump, in the ultimate rejection of the progressive agenda, come within eleven points of capturing this state,” said Garcia. “He gained almost thirteen points in four years and had historic numbers across the state. I’m proud that as the Chairman from Suffolk, we delivered 400,000 votes for Trump, a record number of votes any presidential nominee has ever received from this county.”
Donald Trump also managed to follow the path chartered by former Congressman and 2022 gubernatorial nominee Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) by either meeting or exceeding Zeldin’s margins in the four solidly-blue boroughs of New York. Trump has received almost 40% of the vote in Queens, 30% each in Brooklyn and the Bronx, and 20% in Manhattan. In the last three presidential elections, New York City, overall, has moved almost thirty points to the right.
Harris’ performance in New York now begs the question: was the swing selfcontained and will New York drift leftward in 2028, or is New York shaping up to be the next big battleground for - at least - the 2030s?
The answer might be found within our own county, and Democrats’ twentyyear dominance in local politics in Suffolk County might have offered a bit of a mirage over our true political ancestry.
Going back to the birth of the GOP in 1856, Suffolk County has only backed Democratic presidential candidates in just nine elections, with the stretch
from 1996 to 2012 being its longest Democratic voting streak. Al Gore’s (D-TN) eleven-point win in Suffolk in 2000 is the best performance for a Democrat going back to 1964, and the second-best overall.
Trump flipped Suffolk in 2016, winning it by almost 50,000 votes and seven points. In 2020, Suffolk held the title of the largest suburban county in the nation to back Trump, but Trump only held Suffolk by the narrowest of margins: just 200 votes out of nearly 750,000 ballots cast.
This year, however, Suffolk delivered the best margin for a Republican since 1988: Trump took 55.01% of the vote to Harris’ 44.16%, with just 0.83% going for third parties. Trump’s near-eleven-point win translates to a margin of almost 80,000 raw votes.
“That’s why we’ve coined the phrase ‘Suffolk is Trump Country.’ We’ve demonstrated through local governance a collaborative operation to run campaigns on the path to victory in different races,” said Garcia, adding that Suffolk posted the largest number of votes for Trump of any New York county, and it was the most populous county nationwide to go for Trump in three consecutive elections.
The swing wasn’t just confined to Suffolk, however, as neighboring Nassau County broke an even longer voting streak to hand Trump back the White House keys. Ancestrally, Nassau is about as red as Suffolk, backing Democrats only ten times going back to 1900, the year Nassau and Queens split to form their own counties. Its Democratic voting streak from 1992 to 2020 is its longest on record, with Gore’s nineteen-point win in 2000 being the second-best on record, just behind 1964.
Nassau County broke for Trump by about three points, or a margin of 30,000 votes.
Also on the national level, Garcia also shared his optimism and approval of President-elect Trump’s choice in Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“I’m very proud that Suffolk’s favorite son will be joining the Trump Cabinet. He has an exceptional environmental record as a former State Senator and former Congressman. He knows the importance of balance of preservation of the environment, quality of life, and economic growth, and that view is shared by millions of Americans,” said Garcia.
Garcia, who was unanimously elected as GOP Chairman in 2019 and became the first Hispanic chair of any party in New York, outlined just how much the local party has gained in just the last few years.
In 2021, for the first time in twenty years, Suffolk elected a Republican District Attorney in Ray Tierney (R). That same election, Republicans took a majority in the County Legislature for the first time in sixteen years. Suffolk followed up the 2021 local red wave election by coming out hard for Lee Zeldin during his 2022 gubernatorial campaign, where he received almost 60% of the votes and almost 300,000 raw votes. Finally, the local party’s success met them a third consecutive time in 2023, as Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) became the first Republican elected County Executive since 1999, and with him, Republicans formed their first supermajority in the County Legislature since 1996.
“What we are demonstrating here at the local level, I believe, is being witnessed by statewide and national candidates. Trump talked about making America more affordable, secure, and safe, and we’ve heard those terms in our local elections in 2023,” said Garcia. “You can see that the ability of
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Chairman Garcia speaks at Donald Trump’s rally at Nassau Coliseum in September (Credit - Matt Meduri)
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‘The Sky’s the Limit:’ A Conversation with Suffolk GOP Chairman Jesse Garcia
Republicans to govern locally and connect with voters is being noticed in statewide races.”
Garcia also notes Long Island’s red hue in the Senate race, which saw Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) beat first-time candidate Mike Sapraicone (R-Floral Park) by seventeen points. While it’s still a large win, it’s noticeably decreased from Gillibrand’s previous three margins. Her first election was a 2010 special to fill the seat of Hillary Clinton (D). Gillibrand won with 63% of the vote and carried only eight of New York’s sixty-two counties, Suffolk not included. Gillibrand would trounce Wendy Long (R) in 2012, taking 72% of the vote and winning all but two counties. Gillibrand took a third landslide for a second full term over Chele Farley (R) in 2018, winning with 67% of the vote, but losing twenty-six counties she had carried before.
Sapraicone might have lost by seventeen points statewide, but he carried Suffolk County by six points - a margin of about 45,000 votes - and he even won Nassau County by just 0.1% - or about 800 votes out of almost 800,000 cast. Along with denying Gillibrand cultural Long Island’s two counties, Sapraicone is also on track to flip eleven other counties that backed her six years ago.
“I’m proud that even against an absentee Senator in Gillibrand, this is the second consecutive Senate cycle that our Democratic Senators, including Chuck Schumer (D), lost Long Island. And now, his junior partner lost Long Island. That says a lot.”
Indeed, New York’s U.S. Senate races have become more interesting, with the universally-known - and Senate Majority Leader - Chuck Schumer (D) winning by just fourteen points in 2022, losing both Suffolk and Nassau decisively to Joe Pinion (R). His only close election in his Senate career was in 1998, when he unseated New York’s most recent Republican Senator, Al D’Amato (R-Lido Beach).
“We have a lot of talented and successful Republican chairs across the state, and they see what we’re doing in Suffolk. We share the same tactics and tools,” shared Garcia. Given the quick and tectonic shift in Suffolk’s politics, and how such a swing certainly contributed to the dramatic statewide swing, party leaders from around the state should be consulting with Garcia on how to keep pushing the Empire State, especially its valuable basket of twentyeight electoral votes, into more purple territory.
Garcia is also optimistic about the Republican energy in Suffolk County. All Republican State Senators and Assemblymembers were re-elected this year, while the race in the Fourth Assembly District has not yet been called. One-
Assemblyman Ed Flood (R-Port Jefferson) narrowly trails former Port Jefferson Village Trustee and Deputy Mayor Rebecca Kassay (D-Port Jefferson) by less than half of a percentage point. The Fourth District includes the heavily-Democratic Three Village area. In 2022, Flood unseated a thirty-year incumbent in then-Assemblyman, now-County Legislator Steve Englebright (D-Setauket). The historic upset was quickly downplayed by some that Flood had only ridden Zeldin’s coattails into office. The extraordinary close result this year proves that the Suffolk GOP can continue to play in areas like Three Village.
Likewise, Republicans came extraordinarily close to flipping an Assembly district that has been a Democratic bastion for years. Retired NYPD police officer Joe Cardinale (R-Amityville) trails Kwani O’Pharrow (D-West Babylon) by just a single vote out of nearly 25,000 cast in the Suffolk portion of the district, which includes most of the traditionally Democratic Town of Babylon.
“For us to force Democrats to defend an open seat that weighs in as eleven points more Democratic than the nation overall, a seat they’ve had in their column since the 1980s, that’s a triumph in itself,” said Garcia. “Joe Cardinale is an outstanding candidate, and this will not be the last we’ve heard of him. He’s demonstrated a path for success, and we’re moving forward with that mandate. While the two races might result in losses for the county GOP, the tightness of the races ensures a solid floor of support has been established.
But Garcia says that, ultimately, it all comes down to the communities that make the changes happen.
“This is the result of the work of my committee members and volunteers, the thousands of them who live and work in the communities, members of local chambers of commerce, the PTAs, the rotary clubs. They are the ones who truly make this happen. With their dedication, the sky’s the limit,” says Garcia.
All eyes now turn to perhaps one of the unlikeliest ground-zeroes for a national campaign. Confidence in a shifting New York was vindicated in Tuesday’s election results, and national Republicans must now keep their newfound coalition together to fully push the state into more competitive waters.
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(Left to right) Chairman Garcia and Congressmen Garbarino and LaLota celebrate at the 2024 election night watch party (Credit - Mattt Meduri)
Garcia with Lee Zeldin (left) at the GOP’s annual GOTV Hangar Rally (Credit - Matt Meduri)
November 21, 2024
Congestion Pricing Part II: The Return of the Tax That We All Saw Coming
In June, Governor Kathy Hochul (D) unexpectedly announced that the long-developed MTA congestion pricing tax plan was indefinitely shelved.
Hochul impressively managed to incense both sides of the political aisle, with Democrats panicking about their city’s crumbling mass transit system, and Republicans calling an election-season bluff on the Governor’s part. Both parties seemed to agree that allowing the plan to come to fruition would be politically inexpedient in a crucial, wild-card federal election that saw New York take a dramatic shift to the right.
As it turns out, all who called Hochul’s bluff, primarily Republicans, were vindicated by her latest turnaround. Congestion pricing is now back on for motorists heading into New York City. Come January, the taxes will begin at $9 per vehicle entering Manhattan south of 60th Street. By 2028, drivers will have to fork over $12 per vehicle per entry, with the plan culminating in its originally-intended $15 by the next decade.
It’s no secret that the MTA has been mismanaged for years and that New Yorkers are regularly bled like stuck pigs for every penny they have, despite Long Islanders living in one of the highest-taxed places on Planet Earth. We stick by our earlier words on this: the congestion tax is a slap in the face to a predominantly working-class state.
We’ve parsed through the 2024 election results tirelessly over the last two weeks, but it’s worth mentioning that Democrats’ have mistaken the New York electorate for people they are not. In fact, this argument could be made for Democrats nationally. They expected single-issue voters to win the swing states and hold the line the blue ones based on social issues.
But the candidate who is believed by the voters to be better equipped on handling the economy is usually the one who ends up getting elected.
It’s no secret that economics was key in this election, but perhaps nowhere else has that been so prominent than in New York’s numbers for Vice President Kamala Harris (D-CA). Democrats mistook a blue bastion like New York to be a progressive stronghold, rather than the working-class state it actually is.
Hochul and company’s misunderstanding of the electorate is what prompted the tectonic shift, and plans like congestion pricing are the prime suspects. While some Suffolk residents make six-figure salaries, and are still living paycheck-to-paycheck, we find it difficult to envision an environment in which economics is not the prime issue. While a $9 tax seems like a drop in the bucket, people in New York already feel as if they’re living under a microscope. Now, they have to cautiously plan around this tax, while workers, notably labor unions, are stuck between a rock and a hard place.
At this point, it doesn’t really matter if Hochul comes to terms with the moods of New Yorkers, because it seems as if this plan will go through. The $9 tax is already in line with federal approval. And if Albany can’t cut the waste, fraud, and abuse, such as legislative Democrats signing themselves large pay raises right before Christmas 2022, then the point is still moot. The tax will be implemented; otherwise, the MTA says services will have to be cut. The CEO of the MTA, Janno Lieber, makes almost $400,000 annually. We’re not typically in the business of judging peoples’ salaries, as, usually, the price tag can be justified. But if the MTA really is in this massive cash shortfall they’re claiming, and one that can only be rectified by higher taxes or decreased services, then they might need to look inward. It’s not necessarily that the price tag is high, but where is our return on investment? Why bilk the taxpayers out of pocket change when the MTA has executives who make almost as much as the president?
Furthermore, if an executive is paid such an exorbitant salary - which, at face value, could be justifiable with this role - then why should the burden of payment fall on the taxpayer? These executives, who are not lacking in administrative experience, should be able to figure out how to right their own ship. Working-class New Yorkers should not have to be the savior of a public benefit corporation managing the biggest transit system in the country.
But it’s more the principle of the matter with which we take most protest. In a heavilytaxed state where no services and agencies seem to improve in service and scope, why is New York coming for more of our tax dollars?
Yes, Every Vote Does Matter
There’s a very palpable cynicism in American politics that votes, depending on location, state, and/or partisan lean, do matter and will ultimately not affect the result. A lot of the cynicism, we find, is directed at our hybrid form of government and the unique Electoral College, but the reality is that someone, somewhere, will feel slighted and misrepresented no matter the way in which elections are handled.
But if any election should be a counter to the argument, 2024 is perhaps the best example.
We’re vocal proponents of the public getting to know their local elected officials, as these are the public servants who have the most power to make the most changes in your immediate community and life. What’s, for the most part, a big plus is that these people live in your neighborhoods as well, which only makes for a reason to connect with them.
New York has also had problem after problem once Democrats consolidated a trifecta in Albany after the 2018 midterms. One of our final editorial messages before the historic 2024 elections was “Make New York Purple Again,” in hopes that legislative Republicans could crack the supermajorities in both chambers. Such a feat occurred in the Senate, where Stephen Chen (R-Bensonhurst) has ousted one-term Senator Iwen Chu (D-Brooklyn). One race remains too close to call, but regardless of what happens there, Democrats have fallen at least one seat short of the supermajority.
We see this as a huge win, not only for our state, but for the countless voters who have felt unredeemed by their political participation in however many cycles they consider to have been an exhibition match. The cracking of the supermajority means another step towards checks and balances in Albany. This could have an impact on runaway legislation that has led New York to become the biggest exporter of residents in the country.
But legislative gains were not limited to New York. Republicans have also cracked both legislative supermajorities in Vermont, the bluest state in the Union. Republicans have also clawed back state chambers in Michigan and Pennsylvania, while Minnesota seems like a wild card at the moment based on close races. These residents can now have more balance in their government, namely the swing states, but also stop the onslaught of one-party rule in others.
Even more so, we cannot understate New York’s shift to the right this election. For all the millions of voters who for years have believed that their vote never mattered because New York was always so unrelentingly blue, we’ll point out two reasons why those voters are wrong in their assessment.
For one thing, the shift cost Kamala Harris (D-CA) the popular vote, a feat that was deemed nearly impossible by forecasters, even if Trump won in the College. The shift in New York also led to down-ballot energy that cracked the supermajorities.
The second reason: because of the significantly higher floor the GOP has in New York, should it remain by 2028, New Yorkers are going to find themselves in a hotlycontested battleground state in the next presidential race. Long Island received rare appearances from presidential campaigns from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Donald Trump this year. The voters of our state will be spoken to more directly by the candidates, making for the environment where most voters might start to believe their vote is “worth something.”
So, where did this swing come from?
We’re comfortable in saying that the momentum began right here in Suffolk County.
If we go back just a few years ago, Democrats held a sizable majority in the Legislature, had locks on the County Executive and District Attorney seats, and effectively controlled government up and down, at least at the County level for the better part of twenty years.
At face value, Suffolk seemed like a deep-blue county, but the idiosyncrasies of politics is perhaps most observable at the local level. This, we believe, led to a form of Democratic complacency, coupled with the overplayed hand that Trump was essentially unelectable and their assumption that the GOP had ostracized themselves from the mind of the astute voter after the 2022 midterms.
When Jesse Garcia (R-Ridge) became Chairman of the Suffolk GOP in 2019, it only took two cycles for the shift to emerge. A red wave in 2021 took the Legislature and the D.A.’s office. In 2022, Long Island, along with New York, were key to a razorthin GOP House Majority. And in 2023, Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) became the first elected Republican County Executive since 1999, with the GOP forming a supermajority in the Legislature for the first time in almost thirty years.
But it goes deeper than just wins and losses. Democrats are now forced to defend once-deep-blue turf in Three Village and the Town of Babylon. A true political movement starts at the grassroots level, and Suffolk, under the leadership of Chairman Garcia, have transformed Suffolk, not only into a Republican-run County, but one that will certainly be the “tip of the spear,” in the Chairman’s own words, in turning New York red in four years.
The 2022 House Majority for the GOP should tell voters of all ideologies that single votes can absolutely matter, since a branch of government was divided because of close races here.
But on top of New York now shaping up to be a more competitive environment, thanks mostly to Garcia and Suffolk County, the local 2024 elections prove why a single vote can matter.
In the Eleventh Assembly District, Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean-Pierre (D-Wheatley Heights) decided to retire. The open-seat contest was immediately viewed to be competitive, as Jean-Pierre only won by the narrowest of margins in 2022. While she lost the Suffolk side of the district, she was buoyed by just a handful of electoral districts in East Massapequa.
This is a district where Republicans were lucky to eclipse 40% of the vote just a few years ago.
While the race has not yet been called, Kwani O’Pharrow (D-West Babylon) leads former NYPD officer Joe Cardinale (R-Amityville) by just a single vote in the Suffolk portion of the district. O’Pharrow has a lead of about two hundred votes in the Nassau portion of the district, but a one-vote lead is almost unheard in larger circles, but such margins are more common on the lower levels.
Every vote does matter, even if the results are not’ immediately apparent. For all the average cynic might know, the vote that he or she just casted in their deep blue/ red state could be a complete sea change in just a few years.
And for all any of us know, we could easily see a local elected official take office by just a single vote.
Yes, every vote does matter.
Protecting New York’s Farmland Benefits Us All
By Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay
New York farms have been a building block for our communities and our state for generations. Unfortunately, a number of conditions have threatened our farmland and put enormous pressure on hardworking farmers and the agricultural sector. A recent report from New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli (D-Great Neck Plaza) confirms the severity of the concerns members of the Assembly Minority Conference have expressed for several years.
According to the report, between 2012 and 2022, New York state lost approximately 14% of all farms, accounting for 9% of the total farmland in the state. Further, we are losing both farmland and farms faster than the nation as a whole and nearly all our neighboring states. DiNapoli pointed to labor, commodity prices and unpredictable weather as major contributing factors to these losses.
“The overall decline of farmland is troubling, as conversion to other uses, particularly residential, commercial or industrial, may prevent its use for farming in the future. This includes 1,728 acres located in agricultural districts classified as solar electric generation facilities,” reads DiNapoli’s report.
Thankfully, despite this alarming trend, output and production have remained stable, and there are some highlights to note. New York ranked top three in the
production of apples, milk, beets, maple syrup and cabbage, and overall, our farms took in $8.5 billion in 2022. That represents a 47% increase from 2017. We’ve also seen a large spike in agritourism income.
Our farms continue to face significant headwinds, however. In 2022, farm expenses reached $6.2 billion, a $1.9 billion increase compared to 2017. Labor costs rose 68% during that period, by far the largest increase of any category. Making matters worse, the number of hours farm employees need to work before being eligible to earn overtime has already been reduced from 60% to 56%, and that number will drop all the way down to 40% by 2032.
For these reasons, our Conference has fought hard to protect New York’s farms, and we will continue to do so in light of the comptroller’s report. In recent years, we have proposed policies like the “Food Insecurity, Farm Resiliency and Rural Poverty Initiative” to assist farmers struggling during the pandemic. We have also introduced legislation to give our dairy industry a boost by allowing state schools to buy improperly maligned whole and 2% milk produced here. Our conference also wholeheartedly supports continued funding for Locally Sourced Food Reimbursement to reimburse school lunch programs that have purchased at least 30% of their food products from New York State farmers,
growers, producers, and processors.
New York’s farms are a huge part of our state’s proud tradition of producing some of the nation’s best agricultural products. Preserving our farmland and ensuring valuable farm acreage isn’t needlessly hijacked by ineffective green energy initiatives is in everyone’s best interest. We must find a way to reverse this troubling trend before it’s too late.
If you have any questions or comments on this or any other state issue, or if you would like to be added to my mailing list or receive my newsletter, please contact my office. My office can be reached by mail at 19 Canalview Mall, Fulton, NY 13069 and by email at barclayw@nyassembly.gov. You may also find me, Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay, on Facebook or Twitter at @ WillABarclay.
Assemblyman Will Barclay (R-Pulaski) is the Assembly Minority Leader and has represented the 120th Assembly District since 2003. The 120th District contains most of Oswego County and parts of Jefferson and Onondaga counties.
To Restore Faith in U.S. Democracy, Adults, as Well as Kids, Need Civics Lessons
By Hanna Skandera and Michael Carney
In an era of political polarization and widespread civic illiteracy, an unlikely group is spearheading a movement to reinvigorate American democracy: middle school students.
Over 6,000 students in twenty-eight states devoted countless hours to prepare for the National Civics Bee this year. Their enthusiasm highlights a critical gap in our education system and offers a potential solution.
The stark reality is that civic education in America has been neglected for decades. According to the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, only a third of adults would pass the civics exam required for U.S. citizenship. Even more alarming, the Annenberg Public Policy Center reports that nearly one-fifth of Americans can’t name a single branch of government.
For the younger generation, the outlook is equally grim. The 2022 Nation’s Report Card revealed that a mere 22% of eighth graders are proficient in civics.
There’s a growing recognition across the country that we’re facing a civic crisis. From local initiatives to national programs, efforts are underway to revitalize civic education and promote essential democratic skills.
The National Civics Bee, launched in 2022 by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and its founding
partner, the Daniels Fund, is one of the most innovative responses to this challenge. This competition, modeled after the National Spelling Bee, tests middle schoolers on crucial concepts like voting rights, separation of powers, and pivotal moments in American democratic history.
What sets the Civics Bee apart is its non-partisan, apolitical approach and ability to scale nationally in partnership with local chambers of commerce. In our divisive times, these competitions offer a refreshing focus on the fundamental principles that unite us as a nation. Moreover, it’s not just engaging students; entire families are getting involved by attending events and helping children prepare.
The Civics Bee’s impact extends beyond competition day. This knowledge equips them for a lifetime of active citizenship.
“Before the National Civics Bee, I thought that maybe I could do a bit of volunteer work, but other than that, it was mainly the government’s job [to solve problems],”
Washington state champion Benjamin Wu said in a 2023 interview. “But now I know that there’s a lot of things that I and other people like me can do to help our community.”
As we approach another fraught election, the
Letter to the Editor
importance of civic literacy cannot be overstated. Despite our differences, we are bound by a shared constitutional framework. It’s crucial that we, as a society, prioritize teaching these fundamentals.
The success of the National Civics Bee should serve as a call to action. We need to champion similar initiatives, advocate for robust civics programs in our schools, and commit to enhancing our own civic knowledge. Educators, policymakers, and citizens must recognize that a well-informed populace strengthens and revitalizes our democratic institutions.
Our democracy faces numerous challenges, from misinformation to apathy. But if we follow the lead of these civic-minded youngsters, we might just secure a brighter future for our republic. After all, an informed and engaged citizenry is the bedrock of a thriving democracy.
Hanna Skandera is the president and CEO of the Daniels Fund and former Secretary of Public Education of New Mexico. Michael Carney is the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
Editor’s Note: This op-ed was written before Election Day 2024. We feel that the point of this article is still sound for publication.
Dear Editor,
Suffolk County LIRR commuters, drivers, and taxpayers beware. Since 2019, the party-line stance was it would require a $15 toll for Congestion Pricing to raise $15 billion. This would help fund the MTA $51 billion 2020 - 2024 Five Year Capital Plan. Now five years later, Governor Hochul (D) claims that the same $15 billion can be found with a $9 toll. She proudly boasts that this 40% reduction in the price will save commuters and taxpayers a significant amount of money. How do you justify the change in math five years later? No details were provided at Hochul’s press conference to explain this. The MTA Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey periodically raise bridge and tunnel tolls. It will be the same with MTA Congestion Pricing before reaching $15. So much for truth in advertising.
Sincerely, Larry Penner Great Neck
Larry Penner is a transportation advocate, historian, and writer who previously served as a former Director for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office of Operations and Program Management. This included the development, review, approval and oversight for billions in capital projects and programs for NJ Transit, MTA, NYC Transit bus, subway, and Staten Island Railway, Long Island and Metro North Rail Roads, MTA Bus, NYCDOT Staten Island Ferry along with thirty other transit agencies in New York and New Jersey.
FEMA Denies Assistance to Suffolk Storm Victims; Governor Hochul to Appeal
By Cait Crudden
In a controversial decision, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has denied Governor Kathy Hochul’s (D) request for individual assistance to homeowners affected by the devastating flash floods that struck Suffolk County in August. The storm, which caused widespread damage in Smithtown, St. James, Stony Brook, Centereach, East Setauket, and other communities mostly on the north shore, left residents grappling with costly repairs to their homes.
FEMA’s decision cites that the storm did not meet the “severity” requirements necessary to qualify for individual assistance. While federal funds were approved for repairing destroyed infrastructure, the lack of direct aid to residents has drawn sharp criticism from state officials and community members.
The flash floods wreaked havoc on many neighborhoods, submerging homes and vehicles, flooding basements, damaging foundations, and destroying personal belongings. The effected area is said to have received almost a foot of rain in just a couple of hours, while hamlets like
Rocky Point and Sound Beach were hit with six-to-eight-foot mudslides that completely engulfed vehicles. In the weeks following the storm, residents expressed hope that federal assistance would help them recover.
Now, with FEMA’s denial, that hope has been dashed.
Many homeowners are struggling to fund repairs, and some have resorted to taking on significant debt to make their homes livable again. For others, the damage remains unrepaired, leaving families in unsafe or unstable conditions.
Local officials and advocacy groups have condemned FEMA’s decision, arguing that the criteria used to evaluate disasters fail to capture the financial and emotional toll on individual families.
Governor Hochul announced plans to appeal FEMA’s decision, stating that the state would exhaust all options to secure assistance for the storm victims. She has thirty days to file the appeal. In a statement, Hochul’s office emphasized the importance of federal support in helping New Yorkers recover from disasters, adding that the denial of individual assistance “will be appealed”.
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE OF THE FOLLOWING:
1. On November 6, 2024, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (the “Bankruptcy Court”) entered an order in the abovecaptioned chapter 11 cases [Docket No. 3376] (the “Disclosure Statement Order”): (a) approving the Disclosure Statement for Plan of Reorganization Proposed by The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York and Additional Debtors [Docket No. 3375] (together with all schedules and exhibits thereto, and as may be modified, amended, or supplemented from time to time, the “Disclosure Statement”); (b) establishing the Record Date, Voting Deadline, and other related dates in connection with confirmation of the Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization for The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York and Additional Debtors [Docket No. 3354] (together with all schedules and exhibits thereto, and as may be modified, amended, or supplemented from time to time, the “Plan”);2 and (c) approving procedures for soliciting, receiving, and tabulating votes on the Plan and for filing objections to the Plan (the “Solicitation Procedures”); and (d) approving the form and manner of notice and other related documents as they relate to the Debtor.
2. A hearing to consider the confirmation of the Plan (the “Confirmation Hearing”) will be held before the Honorable Martin Glenn, Chief United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of New York, in a courtroom to be determined, at the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York located at One Bowling Green, New York, New York 10004 (the Bankruptcy Court”) on December 3, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. (prevailing Eastern Time).
3. Pursuant to the Disclosure Statement Order, for a vote to accept or reject the Plan to be counted, a Ballot must be completed and returned in accordance with the instructions provided on the Ballot so that it is received by November 26, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. (prevailing Eastern Time).
4. In connection with confirmation of the Plan, the Debtor and Additional Debtors are seeking approval of certain releases, including releases of certain nondebtor entities, that will become effective and binding on the Effective Date in accordance with the terms of the Plan and the Confirmation Order. These releases are described in detail in the Disclosure Statement.
5. The Plan proposes establishing the Trust to resolve all Abuse Claims against the Debtor and Additional Debtors. Persons and entities with Abuse Claims will be forever barred from asserting their Claims against the Debtor, Additional Debtors or other parties specified in the Plan. If the Plan is approved by the Bankruptcy Court, all current and future holders of Abuse Claims against the Debtor and Additional Debtors can request and receive money only from the Trust. You should read the Plan and Disclosure Statement carefully for details about how the Plan, if approved, will affect your rights.
6. Responses and objections, if any, to the confirmation of the Plan must: (a) be in writing; (b) conform to the Bankruptcy Rules and Local Rules; (c) state the name, address, telephone number and email address of the objecting party and the amount and nature of the claim of such party; (d) state with particularity the basis and nature of any objection to the Plan, including the evidentiary support thereof, and, if practicable, a proposed modification to the Plan that would resolve such objection; and (e) be filed with the Bankruptcy Court, together with proof of service, and served so as to be received on or before November 26, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. (prevailing Eastern Time) by: i. counsel to the Debtor, Jones Day 250 Vesey Street, New York, New York, 10281 (Attn: Corinne Ball, Esq., Todd R. Geremia, Esq., Benjamin Rosenblum, Esq., and Andrew Butler, Esq.);
ii. the Office of the United States Trustee, Southern District of New York, 201 Varick Street, Suite 1006, New York, New York 10014 (Attn: Greg Zipes, Esq. and Shara Cornell, Esq.);
iii. counsel to the Committee, Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP 780 Third Avenue, 34th Floor, New York, New York 10017 (Attn: James I. Stang, Esq., Karen B. Dine, Esq., and Brittany M. Michael, Esq.); and iv. all other parties in interest that have filed requests for notice pursuant to Bankruptcy Rule 2002 in the Debtor’s chapter 11 case. OBJECTIONS NOT TIMELY FILED AND SERVED STRICTLY AS PRESCRIBED HEREIN MAY NOT BE CONSIDERED BY THE BANKRUPTCY COURT AND MAY BE DEEMED OVERRULED WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE.
7. For purposes of filing pleadings in these cases, the address of the Court is One Bowling Green, New York, New York 10004-1408. Attorneys may also file pleadings on the Bankruptcy Court’s Document Filing System (ECF) by completing and submitting the Electronic Filing Registration Form, available at http://www. nysb.uscourts.gov
8. Please be advised that the Confirmation Hearing may be adjourned or continued from time to time by the Bankruptcy Court, the Debtor, or the Additional Debtors without further notice other than as indicated in any notice or agenda of matters scheduled for a particular hearing that is filed with the Bankruptcy Court If the Confirmation Hearing is continued, the Debtor and Additional Debtors will post the new date and time of the Confirmation Hearing at https://dm.epiq11.com/drvc. The Plan may be modified, if necessary, prior to, during, or as a result of the Confirmation Hearing, without further notice to creditors or other parties in interest, unless such notice is required by the Bankruptcy Code, Bankruptcy Rules, or other applicable law. 9. Copies of the Disclosure Statement, Plan, and Disclosure Statement Order are available for review free-of-charge on the website maintained by the Debtor’s claims, noticing, and solicitation agent, Epiq Corporate Restructuring, LLC (the “Voting Agent”), at https://dm.epiq11.com/drvc Copies of the Disclosure Statement and Plan are also available upon request by contacting the Voting Agent by (a) calling (888) 490-0633 (Toll-Free) or +1 (503) 520-4459 (International), (b) emailing RCDRockvilleInfo@epiqglobal.com, (c) writing to: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, c/o Epiq Ballot Processing Center, P.O. Box 4422, Beaverton, OR 97076-4422, or (d) submitting an inquiry on the Voting Agent’s website at https://dm.epiq11. com/drvc Please note that the Voting Agent is not authorized to, and will not, provide legal advice to you. If you need legal advice, please consult with your attorney.
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS WITH RESPECT TO YOUR RIGHTS UNDER THE PLAN OR ABOUT ANYTHING STATED HEREIN OR IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE VOTING AGENT VIA ONE OF THE METHODS SPECIFIED ABOVE. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE VOTING AGENT MAY NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. IF YOU NEED LEGAL ADVICE, PLEASE CONSULT WITH YOUR ATTORNEY. Dated: November 6, 2024, New York, New York, /s/ Corinne Ball Corinne Ball, Todd Geremia, Benjamin Rosenblum, Andrew Butler, JONES DAY, 250 Vesey Street, New York, NY 10281-1047, Telephone: (212) 326-3939, Facsimile: (212) 755-7306, Email: cball@jonesday.com, trgeremia@jonesday.com, brosenblum@jonesday. com, abutler@jonesday.com, Counsel for the Debtor and Debtor in Possession
1 The Debtor in this chapter 11 case is The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, the last four digits of its federal tax identification number are 7437, and its mailing address is P.O. Box 9023, Rockville Centre, NY 115719023. Certain Additional Debtors, as defined in the Disclosure Statement, are co-proponents of the Debtor’s chapter 11 plan and anticipate filing chapter 11 cases of their own and seeking joint administration with this chapter 11 case. 2 Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the Plan.
The decision has also sparked broader debates about FEMA’s allocation of resources, with some questioning whether federal funding directed toward migrant assistance programs has affected the agency’s ability to address disaster-related emergencies.
Under the Shelter and Services Program (SSP), established by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, FEMA partners with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to provide shelter and related services for noncitizen migrants. In Fiscal Year 2024, $650 million was appropriated for the SSP, which supports the safe release of migrants from short-term holding facilities. Critics have raised concerns that the prioritization of such programs may detract from FEMA’s core mission of disaster relief for American citizens.
Residents and local officials have voiced their frustration, with some questioning FEMA’s assessment process and its definition of “severity”.
“I’m very, very disheartened that it’s not happening,” said one Suffolk resident, “It’s very sad”.
Local leaders are calling on state and federal representatives to advocate for fairer criteria in evaluating disaster declarations.
As Governor Hochul prepares her appeal, Suffolk County residents are left uncertain about the future. The lack of assistance has amplified calls for reform in FEMA’s disaster relief policies, with many urging the federal government to ensure that communities facing hardship are not left behind. For now, affected families continue to rebuild on their own, hoping that the state’s appeal will bring much-needed relief.
Stumps visible for the first time in nearly 200 years after Hurricane Ernesto wiped away the dam at Stump Pond in Blydenburgh Park (Credit - Hector Gavilla)
Governor Kathy Hochul at Kings Park High School in January (Credit - Matt Meduri)
This Week Today
National, State and Local Temperature Checks
By Matt Meduri National
The second Cabinet of President-elect Donald Trump (R-FL) continues to come together, as more high-profile names make it to the list, with the vast majority requiring Senate confirmations after Trump is inaugurated at the fortyseventh president on January 20.
In perhaps the most-awaited Cabinet pick, Trump has emerged with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (pictured right), as his Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). RFK initially ran as a Democrat seeking to primary President Biden (DDE), before suspending his campaign last autumn to instead run as an Independent. RFK climbed a historically tall “glass mountain,” in the words of his daughter-in-law and campaign manager, in obtaining ballot access in all fifty states. He suspended his campaign this summer to officially endorse and join forces with Trump in the closest the U.S. has come to a legitimate fusion ticket in over a century.
Trump hasn’t shied away from the fact that he and Kennedy disagree on the environment, but Trump has explicitly stated his faith in Kennedy on health matters.
Trump has also tapped Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick, of New York, as his Secretary of Commerce. Lutnick hosted an early October fundraiser for Trump at his Bridgehampton home and even spoke at the wild-card event at Madison Square Garden just before the election.
Former Congressman Sean Duffy (R, WI-07) has been selected as Trump’s Transportation Secretary. Duffy served in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2019, as Ashland County District Attorney from 2002 to 2010, and is a former prosecutor and sports commentator.
Trump is also hoping to bring back another congressional colleague, former Congressman Doug Collins (R, GA-09) as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Collins has served in the U.S. Navy and the Air Force Reserves, earning the rank of colonel while still an active service member.
Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright, of Colorado, is Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Energy, while Governor Doug Burgum (R-ND) is his pick for Secretary of the Interior. Burgum was twice elected Governor of North Dakota before running a long-shot bid for the presidency earlier this year.
Trump has also tapped another celebrity to bring into his Cabinet, Dr. Mehmet Oz (R-PA). Oz unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania in 2022, losing to John Fetterman (D) by five points, allowing Democrats to hold both of the Keystone State’s Senate seats simultaneously for the first time since 1947.
Oz, the first Muslim candidate to be nominated by either party for a U.S. Senate seat, has been nominated by Trump to oversee Medicare and Medicaid, two federal health insurance programs covering about a third of the population. Finally, Trump has nominated Linda McMahon (R-CT) to lead his Department of Education. McMahon is a former wrestling executive and the wife of former CEO of WWE and long-time friend of Trump, Vince McMahon. Ms. McMahon has also run two unsuccessful campaigns for U.S. Senate in Connecticut, losing in both 2010 and 2012.
McMahon had served as Trump’s Small Business Administrator during most of his first term.
All of these positions, and those we discussed last week, require confirmations by the U.S. Senate, except Susie Wiles’ position of White House Chief of Staff. Positions that require Senate confirmations where President-elect Trump has not put forth a nominee, as of press time, include Agriculture, Labor, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Management and Budget, Trade Representative, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), and Science Advisor to the President.
While Republicans are projected to have won control of the U.S. House of Representatives, two races remain uncalled as press time, both in California and both featuring Republican incumbents.
In the Orange County-Los Angeles-based CA-45, twoterm Congresswoman Michelle Steel (R) is narrowly trailing challenger Derek Tran (D) by just 102 votes out of over 300,000 ballots cast. CA-45 is part of ancestrally-Republican Southern California that, along with three other SoCal-based
seats, flipped blue in 2018. Steel clawed the seat back in 2020 and posted a five-point win in 2022, despite Biden carrying the seat by eleven points in 2020.
Initially, Steel looked to be more equipped to win a third term, as the Democratic primary got off to a rocky start. Even if Derek Tran narrowly loses this race as the last few votes are tabulated, he came remarkably close for a campaign with a short runway.
The Messenger forecasted that this is a seat Republicans would be able to hold. That result is still uncalled as of press time, but it seems that Tran will oust Steel, equating to no net gain for either party in the lower chamber.
The other California seat that remains uncalled in CA-13, which includes the hotly-competitive center of the Central Valley. The district includes Merced County and parts of Stanislaus (Modesto), Fresno, and San Joaquin (Stockton) counties. Trump is also the first Republican to win these counties since George W. Bush (R-TX) in 2004.
CA-13 was immediately expected to be a highly contentious district, as a slightly Democratic-leaning seat with no incumbent in 2022. Even as Biden won the area by almost twelve points in 2020, John Duarte (R) narrowly flipped the seat by just 0.4%, or about 500 votes out of 120,000 cast.
Duarte and 2022 challenger Adam Gray (D) were the only two candidates to appear on the top-two primary ballot, a system used in California whose results often are used to forecast electoral headwinds in the ensuing general election. Durate had won the primary by about ten points over Gray, leading some, including us, to believe Duarte was in a better position than expected.
He is currently on track to double his 2022 margin, still within just one percentage point, but 9% of the votes remain uncounted. It’s highly possible that Democrats flip this seat for a net gain of just one seat this cycle, but it remains just as likely that Duarte holds on.
A concrete call has been made, however, in Alaska’s atlarge district, where Nick Begich III (R) has unseated one-term Congresswoman Mary Peltola (D). Peltola won in a summer 2022 special election to vacate the seat held by Don Young (R), at the time the longest-serving House member, who had suddenly passed earlier that year. Peltola benefitted from the ranked-choice voting system Alaska had adopted, which, if no candidate receives a majority of the vote, the top four vote-receivers head a runoff, where the lowest-performing candidates see their votes redistributed to the voters’ second choice. The process continues until a candidate clinches a majority of the vote.
CreditMatt
Peltola benefitted from vote-splitting between Begich and former Governor Sarah Palin (R-AK). She was able to win in a similar rematch in 2022.
While Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) has called the race, and while Begich has declared victory, some in the Last Frontier are awaiting the state’s certification of the results. The state is also likely headed to a recount over their “Ballot Measure 2” proposal, which, if enacted, would repeal Alaska’s open primary and ranked-choice voting systems. The proposal currently leads by just 900 votes out of over 300,000 cast statewide.
Democrats have, however, held a vulnerable seat, also in Orange County, California. The Huntington Beach-based district was once the stomping grounds of Dana Rohrabacher (R), who lost re-election in 2018 to Katie Porter (D), who quickly became a prominent figure in liberal circles. Porter failed to win the U.S. Senate nomination, leaving this seat open with 2022 challenger Scott Baugh (R) coming back for his own comeback.
Ultimately, Dave Min (D) has held this seat for the Democrats by just under three points. It’s another race we incorrectly called in our forecast, but was certainly in our “Upset Alert” category.
As of now, Republicans have 220 seats with a net gain of one, while Democrats have 213 seats with a net loss of one. Two seats remained uncalled.
State
In an eye-opening move, but one that has not been deemed unexpected by her critics, Governor Kathy Hochul (D) has resurrected the congestion pricing plan, which she unceremoniously and indefinitely shelved at the end of the summer. Many on both sides of the aisle interpreted this as an election-season reversal, as the unpopular plan would have likely hurt the Democratic brand in the 2024 elections. Such a risk could not be afforded, as Democrats came dangerously close to seeing New York dip within single-digits in a presidential race for the first time in forty years.
However, the decision to resurrect the plan has received praise from New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D), who called Hochul a “leader” and cautioned New Yorkers that the city is safe from President-elect Trump’s plans to “terminate” the tax in his first week back in Washington.
Cars entering below Manhattan below 60th Street will be charged a $9 toll starting next year. The toll will increase to $12 by 2028 and then jump to the originally-slated $15 after 2031.
President-elect Trump and Governor Hochul (pictured left) have reportedly discussed working collaboratively, discussing fixing Penn Station and NYC’s subways.
Adams says that the concordance is welcome compared to Trump’s first term, which was served concurrently with the last few years of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s (D) tenure.
“We weren’t communicating before. We were warring and not working together,” said Adams. “When I said, ‘Let’s turn down the temperature, and let’s work together for the city of New York,’ all of a sudden we got a different energy.”
Local
The Suffolk County Department of Aging has begun processing applications for the 2024-2025 Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), a NYS program that helps eligible residents heat and cool their homes.
Eligibility and benefit amounts depend on income, household size, primary heating sources, and the presence of a household member who is under age six, age sixty or older, or permanently disabled.
Applicants who received benefits from the 2023-2024 HEAP program would have received an Early Outreach Application at the end of August. New applicants can reach the Department of Aging’s HEAP Hotline at 631-852-8326.
The Riverhead Energy Unit can be contacted at 631-8523631 for questions, or residents may visit the DSS Service Center at 605 Old Country Road in Riverhead.
Utility emergencies and weekend calls can be directed to DSS at 631-854-9100. CreditMatt
Joe Carpenter
Joe Carpenter, the husband of Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter (R-West Islip), passed away on November 16. He was eightyone years old.
He is remembered as a soft-spoken family man who is also fondly remembered for having been at his wife’s side throughout her campaigns and years of public service.
Carpenter was born on January 3, 1943, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He worked as a land surveyor before his work in commercial printing. He and Angie would later co-found AC Type & Printing, a business the couple would lead to success. Carpenter was also known as a sports enthusiast, spending years coaching football and Little League, as well as volunteering with the Boy Scouts.
Carpenter is noted by his family for displaying “remarkable resilience and courage” in his final year as he faced health challenges that never dampened his spirits.
Carpenter passed away on November 16 at Good Shepherd Hospice in Rockville Centre.
Carpenter is survived by his wife, Supervisor Angie Carpenter, and their children Richard and Robert; his brother James; sisters-in-law Stacey, Elisangela, Teri, and Mary; grandchildren Sydney and Joe; as well as many nieces and nephews.
A wake and viewing are scheduled for Thursday, November 21, from 2:00p.m. to 4:00p.m. and again from 6:00p.m. to 8:00p.m. at the Frederick J. Chapey & Sons Funeral Home in West Islip. Funeral services will be held on Friday, November 22, at 11:00a.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church in West Islip.
Veterans Share Their Experiences with Hauppauge Middle School
Ahead of Veterans Day, Hauppauge Middle School held a series of meaningful events to honor those who have served. The school’s celebrations included a patriotic flag display, grade-level assemblies featuring three local Veterans, a video tribute and lessons on the significance of Veterans Day.
The school’s Student Leadership Advisory group kicked off the week’s events by decorating the school’s entrance and walkways with over 100 American flags. The striking visual display served as a visible reminder of the Hauppauge school community’s deep gratitude for Veterans and their families.
On November 8, students gathered for assemblies where they heard from three distinguished Veterans who have personal ties to Hauppauge. Commander Grace Mehl and Lieutenant Frank D’Aversa, both retired U.S. Navy officers, are Hauppauge residents. Grace graduated from Hauppauge High School as did Frank’s son. Grace Mehl, one of the first five women to command a U.S. Navy combatant ship, was awarded the Bronze Star in 1999 for her humanitarian efforts during the crisis in former Yugoslavia.
Frank D’Aversa volunteered for the Navy after graduation from Aviation High School on Long Island
with the goal of being an aircraft mechanic. He completed cruises in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean before deploying to Vietnam. After returning from Vietnam, he completed cruises in the Mediterranean and Caribbean before leaving the service in 1966. He continued in the field of aircraft maintenance, working for several airlines, before joining the Navy Reserve in 1973. He served an additional 30 years, eventually retiring as an Aviation Maintenance Limited Duty Officer in 2003.
The third guest speaker, Kevin Lynch, a U.S. Army Ranger, is the cousin of Ms. Campbell, a social studies teacher at Hauppauge Middle School. Captain Lynch served four tours in combat, including three in Iraq and one in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army’s elite 75th Ranger Regiment.
During the assemblies, each speaker shared their personal military experiences and discussed the significance of Veterans Day. Afterward, students had the opportunity to ask questions about their time serving the nation.
In addition to the assemblies, Hauppauge Middle Schoolers were shown a tribute video, containing photos of Veterans connected to the Hauppauge community. Throughout the week, students in grades six through eight learned about the origin of Veterans Day in their social studies classes in preparation for the guest speakers. Students will now write essays on the theme, “What does ‘America the Beautiful’ mean to me, regarding Veterans and our military?” Their essays will include reflections on what they learned from the guest speakers.
“We extend our deepest gratitude to our Veterans for sharing their experiences and insights with our middle school students,” Director of Social Studies and World Languages Kelly Barry said. “They left a profound impact on us all this morning. Their visit helped to instill a greater appreciation for the significance of Veterans Day and the sacrifices made by those who serve our country. We thank them for their unwavering dedication and for inspiring our students and staff with their courage, resilience and patriotism.”
Connetquot Honors Alumni of Distinction
Connetquot High School hosted its inaugural Alumni of Distinction ceremony on November 14, honoring three distinguished graduates: Alison Napolitano (Class of 1993), Marianne Loose (Class of 1985) and Thomas Croci (Class of 1990).
Marianne is the founder and director of Lauren’s First and Goal Foundation, a nonprofit started in 2004 to honor her daughter, Lauren, a pediatric brain tumor survivor. Since its inception, the organization has raised more than $2.87 million toward its mission to provide financial support for brain tumor research and cancer services.
Thomas Croci served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia from February 2020 to January 2021. Prior to this, he was deputy director of operations for a Joint Special Operations Task Force and represented the third Senatorial District in the New York State Senate, where he chaired key committees on homeland security, military and veteran affairs. As a U.S. Navy Reserve officer, he deployed to Afghanistan multiple times and held key roles, including senior duty officer in the White House Situation Room and director of strategy at the Homeland Security Council.
Honorable Alison Napolitano is a New York State Supreme Court Justice. Alison began her legal career with the Suffolk County Legal Aid Society, where she spent 12 years providing criminal defense services. She was committed to ensuring fair representation for all, regardless of circumstance, and her dedication to justice was unwavering. She then became the principal law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Santorelli, where she worked for another twelve years, further honing her legal expertise. In November 2023, Alison was elected as a justice of the New York State Supreme Court, taking her oath of office in January 2024.
Each honoree was celebrated with the unveiling of plaques, featuring their names and titles. They will hang in Connetquot High School’s main hallway for all to appreciate for years to come.
Sachem Model United Nations Holds Mock Conference
Sachem’s Model United Nations team held a successful mock conference focused on the right to clean water on Saturday, November 16. The event, which was held at High School East, brought together students from both High School East and High School North for meaningful discussions and diplomatic negotiations on one of the world’s most pressing issues.
Participants represented various nations and debated strategies to address water scarcity, pollution and inequality in water distribution. Students also worked together to draft resolutions aimed at securing clean water for communities around the world, particularly in regions facing the worst water crises.
Six Islip High School Musicians Perform at NYSCAME All-County Festival
Six outstanding Islip High School musicians were selected for All-County honors by the New York State Council of Administrators of Music Education. Seniors Isabella Dragos, Alexandra Noles and Aaron Thorn, and juniors Addison DeFalco and Juliana Sclafani were chosen for the All-County Chorus, while senior Sofia Zurbaran was chosen for the All-County Orchestra. These students were nominated by their teachers and selected based on both a recommendation and scores from the most recent NYSSMA festival. Rehearsals began this month, culminating in the NYSCAME Suffolk All-County Music Festival concert, held November 15 at Hauppauge High School.
“I am so proud of the hard work these students have done in and out of their music classrooms, and proud of the teachers who have encouraged them through their musical journeys since kindergarten,” Director of Fine and Performing Arts Michael Hershkowitz said.
Mrs. Gearns, Sachem’s Model UN advisor, is very proud of the students who participated in the event and the active role the club’s leadership took in organizing the day, especially Tricia Block, Madyn Gassner, Ryan Medina, John O’Brien and Aarav Sehgal. Additionally, she congratulates Logan Ryan Schomaker for being named best overall delegate.
Sachem’s Model UN is dedicated to fostering leadership, diplomacy and global awareness through simulations of the United Nations. The club encourages critical thinking, problem-solving and teamwork as students work together to address global challenges and seek innovative solutions.
Phantom Athletes Commit To Universities
On November 14, Bayport-Blue Point High School held a commitment ceremony in which 11 seniors signed to universities where they will continue their athletic careers as division I and division II athletes.
The district congratulates the following students on their athletic achievement: Charlotte B. (Baylor University, acrobatics and tumbling), Emma B. (Stanford University,
lacrosse), Connor C. (Towson University, lacrosse), Aubrie E. (Clemson University, lacrosse) Isabella H. (St. Thomas Aquinas College, softball), Erika K. (Stony Brook University, lacrosse), Sophia M. (Villanova University, track and field), Tyler M. (University of Massachusetts Lowell, baseball), Ava M. (University of Maryland, lacrosse), Emma S. (Quinnipiac University, lacrosse), and Traigh T. (Wingate University, lacrosse).
Thursday, November 21, 2024
The Necessary Standard for American Education
Another Notable Comeback in American Politics
By Matt Meduri
While the country and the world are still reacting to President-elect Donald Trump’s historic comeback, it’s important to note that other American politicians have made once-unthinkable comebacks in politics under similar, or even more daunting, circumstances than Trump’s re-election. Last week, we discussed the first, and until this election, the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms, Grover Cleveland (D-NY), who also had his own comeback story.
But there’s an even wilder comeback story from perhaps one of the most divisive times in our country’s history. That comeback was of President Richard Nixon (R-CA).
The 1960 Presidential Election
The 1960 election was historic for many reasons. Alaska and Hawaii had just become states the year prior and voted for the first time in a presidential race. This was the first election in which both major-party candidates were born in the Twentieth Century. John F. Kennedy (D-MA) became the youngest person elected to the presidency at forty-three years old. Moreover, he was the first Irish Catholic elected president. Kennedy’s victory in this hard-fought contest would bring an unparalleled edge to an American political dynasty that seems to have culminated in Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s abandonment of the party.
This election was also the first in which a presidential debate was televised, an aspect that historians agree helped swing the election to Kennedy, as he appeared more astute and collected, while Nixon appeared unkempt, shifty, and inexperienced in the nascent television set. Despite this, radio listeners agreed more with Nixon, while television viewers were more impressed with Kennedy.
The 1960 election was also important as it restructured campaign strategy in some ways. Richard Nixon worked to visit every state, while Kennedy focused on the battlegrounds. The result was a sizable margin in the Electoral College for Kennedy, 303 votes to Nixon’s 216. However, it was a photo-finish in the popular vote, with Kennedy winning by just over 100,000 votes out of more than sixty million cast. The election would also see the losing candidate carry more states than the victor for the first time in history, and would not be repeated again until 1976. In fact, Nixon came within five states and just about 80,000 votes of winning the presidency.
Historians also give credence to the theory that Alaska proved to be the most decisive state, as Nixon exhausted his resources in campaigning in all fifty states. Alaska did go to Nixon, albeit narrowly, but his time there is interpreted to have cost him the election, as he could have campaigned in Illinois and Texas, two close states that would have secured him the White House. Nixon was pressured to contest the results of the election, as Kennedy’s running mate, eventual President Lyndon Johnson (D-TX), had considerable clout in Texas, alongside the powerful Chicago political machine. Nixon ultimately did not contest the race, but an audit did swing Hawaii to Kennedy.
This sets the stage for some familiar overtones we heard in this election, but the contentious election was more than just numbers. Key issues included Civil Rights, segregation, the Vietnam War, and the space race with the USSR, among other topics.
Nixon’s career didn’t appear over at first, as the election was still close, and he had considerable name recognition after serving as Vice President under President Dwight Eisenhower (R-KS) for his two full terms.
But Nixon’s comeback started with an unlikely figure that appeared to have ended his public service career altogether: himself.
Nixon’s “Last Press Conference”
California, like many other Western states for a large period of the 1900s, was considered a “red” state, and the Western front was seen as an impenetrable Republican fortress that gave them the floor they needed to compete nationwide. The only Western states Nixon had failed to carry in 1960 were Nevada and New Mexico, which were still remarkably close. California very narrowly went to native son Nixon, but it was on a Republican voting streak that would not be broken until 1992.
California seemed like the easiest rebound for Nixon. Not
only would it amount to political survival, but governing the one of the country’s largest and most influential states would easily be a catapult back to the presidential map, for a likely 1964 rematch with Kennedy.
However, embarrassingly Nixon lost his home state by about five points to Governor Pat Brown (D). Democrats had poor electoral prospects in the Golden State, with Brown being the only Democrat to govern the state since 1938, and before that, 1894. Brown had also not taken the campaign seriously until late in the season, by which time, nearly all polls and pundits forecasted a Nixon win. Brown managed to close the gap in the last few days, but Nixon was still favored to win.
In his concession speech the following morning, Nixon stated his discontent with the media, whom he accused of siding with his opponent.
“Now that all the members of the press are so delighted that I have lost, I’d like to make a statement of my own,” he told about one hundred reporters at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. “I leave you gentlemen now. And you will now write it. You will interpret it. That’s your right. But as I leave you, I want you to know—just think how much you’re going to be missing. You don’t have Nixon to kick around anymore. Because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference.”
Governor Brown would then lose the 1966 election to Ronald Reagan (R-CA).
Nixon seemed to be his own victim, taking himself out of the national spotlight and effectively giving up.
Six years later, Nixon would win the landmark election of 1968.
The 1968 Election
Tensions had hardly been diffused since the 1960 election. President Kennedy had been assassinated in 1963, seeing Lyndon Johnson ascend to the presidency and win a massive landslide in 1964, campaigning primarily on Civil Rights and continuing tenets of the Great Society. He defeated Senator Barry Goldwater (R-AZ), who won just six states. Johnson’s landslide is the last in which many Rocky Mountain and Great Plains states, as well as Alaska, have backed a Democrat for president.
But Johnson was incredibly vulnerable due to the country’s shifting views on race, as well as mass-opposition to the Vietnam War, nervousness of nuclear escalations from the Cuban Missile Crisis, to name a few. Johnson barely survived the New Hampshire Primary, suspending his campaign and kicking the contest to an open primary. Johnson would be the last incumbent president to decline re-election until Joe Biden (D-DE) did so in July.
The Democrats were in need of a quick reshuffle, going with Vice President Hubert Humphrey (D-MN). Segregationist Alabama Governor George Wallace, after much suspense surrounding a Democratic or Independent run in 1964, ran on a “states’ rights” platform as it pertained to racial integration. He only carried five Southern states, the last time any Independent candidate would win any electoral votes and/or states in a presidential contest.
The 1960s were also one of the most tumultuous periods of modern American history, as the assassinations of both Senator
This column will seek to address the long-forgotten concept of civics and how it relates to American government in general, from the federal level to the local level. This column will explore Constitutional rights, the inner workings of government, the electoral process, and the obligations and privileges of citizens.
Robert F. Kennedy, Sr. (D-MA) and civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. only did more to fan the flames of an already divided country. Moreover, college campus protests of the Vietnam War sparked violent confrontations with police, even escalating at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, oddly the same locale of the 2024 DNC.
But Nixon was able to claim the divide to his advantage, campaigning on ending the Vietnam War and restoring “law and order.” Analysts believe that Franklin D. Roosevelt’s (D-NY) New Deal Coalition had collapsed with this watershed election.
Nixon would win 301 electoral votes with thirty-two states and a razor-thin popular vote margin. Humphrey won 191 electoral votes, with Wallace taking forty-six.
But Nixon wasn’t quite finished writing his own “art of the comeback.” His close, yet concrete, 1968 victory was already a phoenix-from-the-ashes moment for him, but it was hardly enough to prepare the nation for one of the most lopsided elections in our history.
The 1972 Election
Nixon campaigned on the strong economy and foreign affairs successes, while Senator George McGovern (D-SD) called for an immediate end to tensions in Southeast Asia, as well as a pitch of a guaranteed minimum income (GMI). Additionally, McGovern’s campaign was damaged early by mental health revelations of his running mate, Senator Thomas Eagleton (D-MO). Eagleton was replaced by Sargent Shriver (D-MD) after just nineteen days of the campaign.
But the fallout for McGovern was more than that. Analysts might be correct in theorizing that the 1968 election was the collapse of the New Deal coalition that guaranteed Democrats electoral success during the 1930s and 1940s. Since Nixon was making good on his promises, it was easily foiled by worries that McGovern’s platform was simply “too radical.”
Nixon won in a landslide victory. He carried 60.7% of the popular vote, the most for any Republican candidate in history, and swept forty-nine states, losing only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. Nixon became the first two-term vice president to win two terms as president and is the last Republican to have carried Minnesota in a presidential race.
Only seven states were classified as “close” this cycle - those whose margins were within ten points for either candidatecompared to thirty-four states in the same column in 1960 and twenty-eight states in 1968. Nixon’s closest state was Minnesota, which he carried by 5%, a decent margin for a battleground, followed by Rhode Island, South Dakota, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Maine’s First Congressional District.
In short, it was a blowout of historic proportions that seemed almost off the table completely when Nixon lost the 1962 California governor’s race in a humiliating fashion and seemingly retired from politics altogether.
Of course, Nixon’s legacy would forever be tainted by the Watergate scandal, but it doesn’t take away from the massive political movement that Nixon was able to spearhead, destroying a once-monolithic coalition and winning one of the most lopsided elections in history in one of the most divisive times of our country.
History in the Making?
We offer this in-depth analysis of a political comeback in the wake of Donald Trump’s. Although not quite the landslide Nixon pulled off in 1972, Trump’s win this year is more on par with Nixon’s 1968 win. Trump technically exceeded Nixon’s electoral and popular vote counts, but there was no notable third-party candidate on the ticket this year.
But there are similarities. Trump appears to have broken a valuable Democratic coalition that appears to be on heavily borrowed time, he left Washington a pariah with virtually no political path forward - although he never took himself out of politics like Nixon did - combined with investigations and assassination attempts.
Brit Hume, a political commentator of ABC News, now with Fox, reacted to Trump’s comeback on election night, comparing it to Nixon’s exact trajectory we’ve outlined. Hume believes that Trump’s “extraordinary” comeback “surmounts” that of Nixon’s.
Around Town
New Brentwood Recreation Facilities Unveiled
Islip Town Commissioner of DPW & Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, Tom Owens, conducted a walk-thru recently with members of the Islip Town Board of the newly renovated Brentwood Recreation Center Gymnasium and the new Brentwood Sports Complex turf field at Gil Hodges Park in Brentwood.
The recreation center renovation included new gymnasium bleachers, air conditioning, windows, basketball hoops, lockers and locker rooms, bathrooms, flooring and gymnasium doors. Both facilities are located on Third Avenue in Brentwood.
“Bringing state-of-the-art equipment to our town parks and recreation facilities is a top priority, and with the support of the Town Board, we have been able to accomplish these goals and improve a quality of life for all town residents,” said Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter (R-West Islip).
Holiday Historic Dessert ContestYou Are Invited!
Please join us at Civil War Christmas at St. John’s Church, corner of Montauk Highway and Berard Boulevard in Oakdale on December 14, 2024, for a festive day of holiday music, history and a historic dessert contest from 3:00p.m. to 7:30p.m. that will sure be a blast for all.
We will be celebrating our history by cooking our historical dishes that were used in Islip’s past taken from recipes in the Town of Islip Historic Collection. Bring your dessert submissions from the recipes in this brochure from 3:00p.m. to 4:30p.m. and they will be judged at 5:00p.m. The Judges will be governed by the rules printed in this brochure and the winners will be announced on site. The location of the cooking contest will be at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Oakdale.
If you plan to participate in the contest, please fill out our submission form. While most meat and other main dishes were the same at most of the homes and hotels that offered hospitality to travelers and vacationers in the Town of Islip during the Nineteenth Century, it was the desserts that made the reputation of the house and was what drew people to come back to stay. Join in the fun of recreating that time and adding a little bit of your own creativity with a different take on the recipes!
Please remember that the recipe that you have chosen may have multiple submissions. A person may submit more than one dessert entry but must use a separate form for each submission. The recipe must be followed exactly as we have to provide for fair judging and to honor the past. It is the interpretation and presentation that the fun is had. We have had cakes presented as cupcakes or cookies and other interpretations or presentations of the recipes that make it a contest.
If your dish requires heating, please bring your own sternos.
Contest Rules
1. The dessert must be prepared prior to the event. It will be judged at the specified time.
2. Ingredients must be followed as provided by the historic recipes, if ingredients are not followed you may lose points as deemed by the judges. Note: that you must research the terms used in the recipes as that is the fun of the contest as the recipes are as Sarah wrote them in her book.
3. The judges will be scoring points based on the following categories: creativity, taste and presentation
4. There will be 10 points allotted for each category for a total possible score of 30 points.
5. Points will be scored out of ten points for each category for a total possible score of 30 points.
6. You must provide at the time of submission, along with the entry form, an index card with the name of recipe and list of ingredients that were used for the final product. Each entry will be assigned a number so the judges will not know who submitted the entry. There will be a set group of pre-determined judges that will score your submissions and will award points.
7. There can be more than one entry per recipe and all contestants can submit more than one recipe for judging.
8. Submissions must be placed and checked in before the judging begins.
Editor’s Note: Due to page constraints, we can’t print each recipe in their full details, but they include snow pudding, cardinal jelly, spiced currant, sugar drops, apple pie, sponge bake, chocolate de russe, fruit cake, and pound cake, among others. Recipes can be accessed through the Town Historian’s office at calbergo@islipny.gov, or by calling 631-595-3862.
Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Local History
First New York State Landmark of Lake Ronkonkoma
By Ellyn Okvist, B.Sc.
The Community of Lake Ronkonkoma has a total of eight NYS Historical Markers, twenty-six Historic Landmarks of Lake Ronkonkoma, one Legends & Lore, and one permanent monument, The Lake of Haunting Mystery located at Lake Ronkonkoma’s Eagle Watch Park. Markers preserve history and heritage, educate the public, encourage pride of place and promote resident participation in their community’s roots. It’s time to become familiar with the very first Legends & Lore marker that was placed.
Lake Ronkonkoma has a great piece of folklore that needed to be shared. Legends & Lore was designed to commemorate legends and folklore as part of our heritage. Folklore is the stories, customs, and traditions that are passed on from one person to another, often from generation to generation. This special category of markers is under the oversee of the New York Folklore Society. The Legends & Lore Marker displays a bright red face with gold lettering and boasts a delightful sun, moon and stars beautifully pictured above the main body.
After a long application period, The Lake Ronkonkoma Heritage Association won approval for this marker. It was the very first marker they obtained and reflects a local legend in town. Reverence was given to the Native Algonquin tribes in our area during the creation phase. This was not a simple procedure. Primary source research was used as part of the application for the marker, which completed the path of the concept.
The initial cost of the marker was out of reach for the local group, and research steered them to the William G. Pomeroy Foundation of Syracuse. The marker remains the property of the Heritage, as the grant award to cover the costs was made by The William G. Pomeroy Foundation.
The marker was installed on December 16, 2016, on an extremely cold night under a full moon, complete with ceremony and refreshments. Our “Indian Princess” was driven to the festivities in a sparkling new white Mustang. The crowd was a mixed bag of youth right up to town elders, who voiced their approval of the honor being introduced to our town. The large group of attendees had no fear of the moonlight and brisk weather, as the excitement and the reading of two town legends that coincide with the subject added to the celebration.
Even before it was installed, the marker held its own place in history. Long time residents can easily recognize the seven sculptured aluminum fish that climb the pole, representing the seven-year rise and fall of
the lake’s water level. The woven basket represents the “boundary fishing place” where fish could be caught and stored by the natives at the lake. The sculptures were hand crafted by Ellyn Okvist. The light blue pole that holds the sign was meticulously chosen to match the color of the sky most often over Ronkonkoma Lake, and the raised letters reflect the “presence of a local Native American Princess” that waits for a victim every year.
The time has come for the marker to be relocated where it can further serve residents of the community. It will be placed at Eagle Watch Park, the corner of Portion Road and Shorehaven Boulevard, where it will complement the standing monument constructed by George Cristino and his brother Steven Cristino. The monument was an Eagle Scout project in 2006, and it holds what has been considered the utmost absolute description of Lake Ronkonkoma.
In 2023 the Lake Ronkonkoma Historical Commission was formed to serve the needs of the community. The LRHC will now oversee the landmarks and other distinctive indications in town. The group includes a majority of born and raised community members, and their research base extends directly to their families with heritage back as far as the 1600s. This makes it easier to obtain absolute primary source information, which allows the true facts to be passed directly to the community.
Please stop by and take a look at the other New York State markers in town, which will add a spark of history to your thoughts. Eight NYS markers can be found as follows: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church; St. Josephs Roman Catholic Church; Long Island Motor Parkway (Lakeland Fire Dept. Sub-station on LI Motor Parkway); Lillian Devere, our town matriarch (American Legion on Church St.); Arrowheads (Cherry St.); Hook & Ladder 1 (loss/stolen); Caleb Newton Farm (Lakeshore Rd. & Portion Rd.); and the Methodist Church (private collection).
Further Information can be obtained from the Lake Ronkonkoma Historical Commission at thelakeheritage@aol.com.
Credit: Ellyn Okvist
Long Island Life & Politics
SCPD Announces Crackdown on Driving Offenses, Theft, Hate Crimes during Thanksgiving Holiday
By Hank Russell
Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) joined members of the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) and local elected officials at a press conference at SCPD headquarters in Yaphank on November 20 for a press conference announcing that a new AntiStreet Takeover Task Force has been established to crack down on illegal street takeovers. He also announced that more patrols will be out in force to stop theft, hate crimes and aggressive and impaired driving.
“We want to keep everyone safe this holiday season,” Romaine said.
The big news was the takedown of an illegal street takeover that took place on the night of November 16 at the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) station parking lot in Ronkonkoma involving more than forty vehicles. At the press conference, there was a pickup truck that was impounded by the task force.
“You had drivers doing donuts with forty [other drivers] watching,” Romaine said. “The Task Force moved in; the entrances were blocked in.”
There is legislation being introduced that would increase penalties for those involved in street takeovers and other forms of aggressive driving, according to the County Executive. “There’s a price to be paid for those who don’t obey the law and endanger others.”
According to Acting Police Commissioner Robert Waring, the task force broke up seven takeovers since November 8, issuing 263 summonses and impounding four vehicles. The officers, he said, “will be spending time away from their families to keep people safe.”
Waring said street takeovers are not exclusive to Suffolk. “It’s actually a worldwide thing. I’ve seen it. It’s social media-driven and it’s a problem.”
Waring said its intelligence section is aggressively monitoring any possible street racing or takeovers and work with Nassau County and New York State police, as well as the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. “This model [of collaboration] will be very successful,” he said. “We are implementing everything we can to stop this.”
Romaine also announced that there will be a greater police presence at shopping malls and local downtowns. Suffolk’s Chief of Patrol, Gerard Hardy, offered the following advice.
“It’s very simple: Don’t leave personal belongings in your car, lock doors and be aware of your surroundings,” Hardy said. “Situational awareness is a big thing. So, if you just know where you’re at all times. If you carry a purse, make sure it’s protected.”
In addition, Romaine said police will be on the lookout for “porch pirates” who steal packages from in front of people’s homes. “If you go after the smaller things, the larger things usually don’t happen. … If you try to rip people off, we’re going to catch you.”
Police will also look after houses of worship this holiday season, especially synagogues.
Romaine said the Criminal Intelligence Unit will be monitoring possible hate crimes. “We’re just typically watching synagogues more because of what’s happening in the Middle East because it somehow spills over into this country,” he said. “People who are very foolish decide to carry these [acts of hate] in this country. We hope that’s not the case.”
Most of the press conference focused on the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, aggressive driving and distracted driving. The latter two, Hardy said, “are two areas that cause crashes [that] lead to property damage, injuries to our citizens, and, unfortunately, deaths. … Our roadways are not always the safest place to be [sometimes].”
For those who wish to go out drinking, Hardy warned those who think about getting behind the wheel.
“This is a conscious choice. This is an easy choice to make. If you’re going to go out, if you’re going to celebrate with your family and friends, we want you to make the smart decision. Have a plan that involves a designated driver or…a rideshare, which is almost impossible to not get home safely and to not cause accidents on the roadways.”
“We have a clear message: Not in Suffolk!” Romaine said. “We want this to be a community where safety comes first for our law-abiding citizens. For those who don’t abide by the law, we’re going to make sure that there are consequences.”
This article originally appeared in Long Island Life and Politics. For more from LILP, visit them online at lilifepolitics.com.
of Ed Romaine
NYS Senators, Union Leaders, Farmers Rally to Oppose Congestion Pricing
By Guest Contributor
Republican Senators, Steamfitters Union Local 638, New York Farmers Bureau, and community members rallied together to urge Governor Kathy Hochul (D) to rethink her backing of the congestion pricing plan and call on the legislature and partners in the federal government to repeal her plan, which threatens to impose an additional hidden tax on New Yorkers and make New York even less affordable. The press conference even spotlighted two industries that would be affected by the ill-conceived congestion pricing plan – labor and agriculture.
Just one week following the recent election, Governor Hochul’s apparent shift in gears on congestion pricing raises questions about the sincerity of her previous “pause” on the initiative, which is now seen as nothing more than a political maneuver. On Monday, the MTA board moved forward by approving a base toll of $9, set to escalate to $12 between 2028 and 2030, and eventually reaching $15 by 2031. This decision marks a troubling trajectory for local businesses and commuters, who now face the reality of increased costs imposed by a system they believe primarily serves to further taxing already struggling families and enterprises.
During the press conference, Senator Rhoads read off direct quotes on the Governor’s website from prominent officials praising the Governor’s “pause” on congestion pricing back in June. With conviction, Senator Steven Rhoads (R-Bellmore) argued that these sentiments are just as relevant today as they were back in June.
“Governor Hochul’s immediate push for congestion pricing right after the election not only exposes a political stunt that prioritizes her radical agenda, but it also turns a blind eye to the real issue—MTA mismanagement—while imposing yet another burden on hardworking New Yorkers. Governor Hochul can’t fool the public by framing this new tax as a “savings” plan simply because it will be phased in,” said Rhoads. “It’s become painfully clear that congestion pricing is not actually about the environment or stopping congestion—it’s about money. Sadly, hardworking New Yorkers are the ones who will be paying the price for Governor Hochul’s commuter tax, adding to the growing sentiment that that New Yorkers feel forgotten and forced out of a state that has become unaffordable to live, work, and raise a family. Unpausing congestion pricing is not courage; it’s cowardice. The Governor is sidestepping the tough budget choices a true leader should make in this situation.”
As the MTA begins a public education campaign to promote the imminent return of congestion pricing, the Senators remain concerned about the timing of this initiative, coinciding with the busy holiday season when public attention and engagement may be at its lowest. The implications for Long Island commuters, businesses, and local delivery services are profound, as they stand to be disproportionately affected by the toll hikes. Local Senators joining the conference voiced their strong disapproval, emphasizing that the congestion pricing scheme threatens to stymie economic recovery and innovation at a time when support for businesses is paramount.
“The farm community works on razor thin margins and any additional cost or burden on the farmers is going to impact everyone. This will severely impact the farmers as it’s going to increase the cost of doing business that will ultimately be necessary to pass along to the consumers and the people that consume the local products,” said Rob Carpenter, Administrative Director and County Manager of the New York Farmers Bureau.
“Nassau County residents depend on their cars for work, medical care, and family visits, yet they’ll bear the brunt of this $9 toll—which is expected to eventually increase—along with added costs for trucks, buses, taxis, and ride-shares,” said Senator Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick (R-Malverne). “The real issue isn’t traffic, it’s the MTA’s mismanagement. Instead of taxing drivers, the MTA should address inefficiencies and toll evasion. This tax will only worsen affordability and continue to drive families and businesses out of the State. New Yorkers deserve real solutions, not politically driven gimmicks.”
“Governor Hochul and New York’s Democrat leadership are once again looking to Long Islanders to bail out the MTA…It is a slap in the face to struggling Long Islanders to ask them to once again pay higher taxes just to get to work. Now more than ever, Long Islanders needed relief. Instead, they got deception and higher taxes,” said Senator Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk).
“Before asking New Yorkers to provide more funding for the MTA, we must first demand that the MTA gets its fiscal house in order,” said Senator Dean Murray (R-East Patchogue). “Let’s start with these four steps... first, have the State Comptroller conduct a forensic audit of the MTA... next, replace all waist-high
turnstiles with head-to-toe turnstiles to eliminate turnstile jumping... also, crackdown on toll evaders who are using “ghost plates,” plate covers or other methods to obscure their license plates... and finally show 100% compliance with the use of the fingerprint scanners for tracking overtime.”
“This unfair tax will take money out of the pockets of the very residents who have already voiced their opposition to this money grab without even giving them a chance to have a say in its return,” said Senator Mario Mattera (R-St. James). “That is clearly the wrong approach and demonstrates again how our residents are viewed as the ATM for the rest of New York. Instead of asking them to give more, why doesn’t New York State tap into the close to $5 billion that was wasted on the illegal migrant fiasco or make more of an effort to fight fare evasion?”
“Congestion pricing is just more bad policy put in place by the one-partyrule of New York State. The solution is simple, crack down on theft of services like people jumping turnstiles. Instead, Governor Hochul continues to punish those who are law-abiding citizens just trying to live and work in New York, while rewarding crime and criminals,” said Senator Alexis Weik (R-Sayville).
“The congestion tax is not only a burden on police officers and other essential commuters - it’s bad for public safety. The NYPD is already severely understaffed and struggling to recruit and retain police officers, who can find better pay and benefits in almost any other police department,” said NYC Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry. “Forcing cops to dig deeper into their pockets just to report for duty will send even more of them running for the exits. A congestion tax would mean even fewer cops on the streets. New Yorkers can’t afford that.”
Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
Soros Woke Prosecutor Movement Big 2024 Loser
By Andrew Shirley | AMAC Newsline Columnist
While former President Donald Trump’s historic comeback rightly garnered most of the headlines following last week’s elections, the campaign of liberal megadonor George Soros to “reimagine” the American criminal justice system through softon-crime prosecutors and policies was also dealt a crushing blow on November 5. In total, at least a dozen Soros-linked district attorneys went down.
The most high-profile district attorney race in the country this year was in Los Angeles, where incumbent Democrat George Gascon was facing off against Independent challenger Nathan Hochman. Gascon, who received $2.5 million from Soros-linked groups in 2020, has long been a standard-bearer of the “woke” prosecutor movement. He was an early advocate of ending cash bail, refusing to charge anyone under 25 as an adult, and downgrading charges for crimes he considered to be “victimless,” such as vandalism and robbery. Violent and nonviolent crime has skyrocketed under his watch.
Following two recall attempts against Gascon which fell just short, LA voters finally ousted Gascon this year, with Hochman winning 61.5 percent of the vote to Gascon’s 38.5 percent. Even as Kamala Harris won LA County by 30 percent, voters still chose Hochman, a former GOP nominee for California Attorney General, by 24 percent.
Just up the coast in Alameda County, outside of San Francisco, voters also recalled far-left District Attorney Pamela Price, who had been in office for less than two years and received more than $1 million from Soros-linked groups. The recall, led by the group “Save Alameda for Everyone,” a local grassroots organization, passed with 64.8 percent of the vote.
Price has garnered controversy throughout her tenure for her unapologetic “prison last” approach to criminal justice. One of her first actions after taking office was dropping two murder charges in a highprofile triple homicide case against Delonzo Logwood, a career criminal who killed three people outside a club in 2016. After Price took office, she dropped two of the homicide charges and downgraded the final murder charge to “voluntary manslaughter.”
As a result, Logwood went from a potential charge of life without parole to a sentence of only 12 years. Because the charge includes time already served, he is now looking at early release within a few years.
The Logwood case became an immediate rallying point for the movement to recall Price and culminated in her ultimate removal in this deep-blue progressive stronghold.
In Oregon, Democrat Multnomah County DA Mike Schmidt lost his re-election bid to one of his own office’s deputy attorneys, Nathan Vasquez. Schmidt was one of the primary backers of the ballot measure to decriminalize virtually all drug use in Portland, Oregon. According to the the measure passed, “the city declared a state of emergency after an explosion of fentanyl deaths” and “cops resigned en masse — with many citing Schmidt as the reason for their exit.”
Vasquez ran his campaign on a simple pledge to return the city to “sanity” by re-engaging with police and reestablishing the rule of law.
On the other side of the country, Western Georgia District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez, a Democrat backed by Soros-linked groups, was also soundly defeated. While the votes are still being finalized, Republican challenger Kalki Yalamanchili will likely defeat Gonzalez with more than 60 percent of the vote. The county she presided over was where illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra brutally murdered nursing student Laken Riley this past February.
According to The Daily Caller her campaign on “Alternative accountability-based measures to address most nonviolent crimes or issues
presented by juvenile defendants.” Yalamanchili conversely pledged to crack down on illegal immigrants taking advantage of an “ineffective” DA’s office.
Since 2015, through a series of shell non-profits and PACs, Soros has led an aggressive campaign to impose his radical vision of “criminal justice” – which contains little actual justice – on America. In total, Soros has poured more than $40 million into at least 75 local prosecutor races throughout the country.
At the peak of his influence, 50 hand-picked Soros DAs presided over more than 20 percent of the country’s population, paving the way for an explosion of crime and chaos on the streets of some of America’s most important cities. But as of this November, the majority of these prosecutors have either resigned,
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been recalled, or been defeated outright at the ballot box. Nonetheless, there were some victories for Soros-backed DAs this year. In Savannah, Georgia, progressive prosecutor Shalena Cook Jones held on to her seat, while Soros-backed Monique Worrell reclaimed her position as the Orange-Osceola State Attorney in Florida after being suspended last year by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for “dereliction of duty” on crime. Other high-profile Soros DAs like Alvin Bragg in Manhattan – a key player in the Democrat lawfare crusade against Trump – also remain in office.
But the tide appears to have clearly turned against the Soros prosecutor movement. From a powerful force in the American legal system just a few years ago, it may soon become just a footnote in history.
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WORD OF THE Week ENJOIN
Etymology:
Middle English (formerly also as injoin ): from Old French enjoindre, from Latin injungere
‘join, attach, impose’, from in- ‘in, towards’ + jungere ‘to join’.
Synonyms: encourage, prompt; (law) prohibit, restrain
Verb
Pronounced: en·joyn
& Pieces
November 21, 2024
Definition: instruct or urge (someone) to do something; (law) prohibit someone from performing (a particular action) by issuing an injunction Example (sense 1): “She was enjoined from entering the property.
Example: “The increased sales tax revenue augured well for the town’s budgeting process.”
Antonyms: yield, surrender; (law) permit, authorize, sanction
Source: Oxford Languages
WORD WHEEL
D
B E F A N O
See how many words you can create. Must have center letter in word and can use letters more than once. 4 letter word minimum.
SUDOKU
See bottom left for the answers (please don’t cheat!)
This Week in History
November 21, 1818: Russia’s Tsar Alexander I petitions for a Jewish state in Palestine
November 26, 1922: English archaeologist Howard Carter opens Tutankhamun’s virtually intact tomb in Egypt
November 24, 1991:
First international flight from Long Island’s MacArthur Airport (to Mexico)
November 22, 1963: US President John F. Kennedy (D-MA) assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald while riding in an opentopped motorcade in Dallas, Texas
November 23, 1923: Cecil B. DeMille’s first version of the film
“The Ten Commandments” premieres in the U.S.
November 25, 1979: Pat Summerall and John Madden broadcast a game together for the first time, a pairing that lasts twenty-two years and becomes one of the most well-known partnerships in TV sportscasting history
November 27, 1895: Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel’s will establishes the Nobel Prize
A Little Heavier Around the Holidays
By PJ Balzer
This past weekend, I received an email from a friend serving the end of the third year on a twenty-year sentence in a maximum-security prison in Elmira, New York. While we write back and forth a few times a month. this was the first time he transparently started off the letter by saying, “Please keep me in prayer if you can. I just started feeling a little heavier this week knowing that the holidays are approaching. I’d rather just forget about them.”
While you most likely aren’t reading this while incarcerated, the human heart has much in common with its fellow man’s or woman’s. You may be feeling the same heaviness as my friend is experiencing this year. You may want to just skip over the holidays, the songs, the lights, and the laughter. Maybe your life’s circumstances have drastically changed since last year and not for the better. Maybe things are just the same as they were last year, yet you’d really hoped for a change. I’m writing this directly to you, who might be feeling heavier around the holidays.
As we speak, there are people whose children are receiving a cancer diagnosis, some in the early stages and others terminal. By the time Christmas arrives, they will be most likely well into
their chemo treatments coupled up with hospital stays. Some will receive a serious enough diagnosis to have to fly to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and spend most of their Christmas listening to the constant beeping of machines. Without hair, without strength, and without much hope, the holidays will feel heavy this year.
Other readers or neighbors of ours have lost a spouse this past year. Some had their spouse for many years and habitually still reach over to their side of the bed each morning before remembering that they aren’t there. Others have lost their spouse of only a few short years, having to also bury many future dreams, hopes, and a life they had hoped for long with their spouse. The holidays bring back many memories, traditions, scents, and things most people would really enjoy together, but people in both of these situations most likely wish the holidays would just disappear this year and next year too.
Some people are fighting an addiction or helping a loved one to do the same. It’s caused severed relationships and extreme stress in your entire family this past year. I personally understand how completely drained you are. Others are spending their first holiday
separated from family who moved back to their country of origin. My wife can understand and empathize with that unique struggle. Other people have recently lost their jobs and are facing the financial crisis of a lifetime for the holidays. Some have been in a financial crisis for years now with no visible light at the end of this dark tunnel. Someone else has received an unexpected, past medical bill that
will ultimately affect the rest of their life. Gifts, meals of abundance, and the other holiday traditions are way out of the question this year. Others will be spending the holidays this year purchasing a newborn size grave blanket and laying it over a freshly dug grave. Another neighbor may only get one or two phone calls from their child serving a tour in the Middle East. How could their heart not be heavy?
Lord, we pray for those readers today that are, like my friend, feeling the weight of the holidays approaching. We lift up to you Jesus those who are depressed, stressed out, and feeling such a darkness that they themselves have been wanting to die. We pray for those who are contemplating suicide or even using patterns of unhealthy behaviors and habits to slowly take their own lives, even without realizing it. We ask, God, that You would lift that deep depression and replace it with an overwhelming sense of Your love and value for them and their lives. We ask that You would place a new hope into their hearts as You also place good friends or even compassionate strangers around them. Put people in their paths and lives that would help them, pray for them, selflessly serve them, and be a friend that brings a breath of fresh air for a new day. Thank you for loving us, Lord, and seeking us out even and especially in our darkest seasons of life. Thank you for a new hope this holiday season.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen
Image by Freepik
By Joe Cuminale
Long Island ABATE Veteran’s Appreciation Dinner
I would like to introduce the readers of this fine publication to a group of Long Island Motorcycle Riders, known as Long Island ABATE (American Biker’s for Awareness, Training, Education). This group’s objective is to educate the non-riding community about awareness and safety through various programs in our public schools. The members also attend many of the street fairs and festivals around Long Island to help bring awareness to those that do not ride motorcycles. This organization is also a major advocate of helping our Veterans in many different ways.
They hold numerous events during the riding season such as a Motorcycle Awareness Ride to kick off Motorcycle Awareness Month in May and a Veterans’ Appreciation Ride around Flag Day in June which goes through Sag Harbor, with a flag line on the bridge dedicated to Sag Harbor resident and fallen in the line of duty Marine Lance Cpl. Jordan C. Haerter.
At these events, as well as at their monthly meetings, they have a Veterans’ Container at their table or booth for any donations people choose to give. All of these donations get matched two, three, and sometimes four times over. Around Veteran’s Day each year the group holds a Veteran’s Appreciation Dinner. After this event the funds gathered during the riding season are distributed in checks for the many different Long Island Veterans Organizations that help our Veterans right here on Long Island. All funds are kept here on Long Island to keep food pantries, mental health programs, assistance dog training services, and many VFW/American Legion/Am-Vets posts from getting lost in the government funding shuffle.
Since 2009, L.I. ABATE has distributed over $1.3 million to enable these smaller groups from going under due to lack of funding. This year’s Appreciation Dinner was held at the Port Jefferson Elks Lodge #2138 in Centereach and was a great success, with a total of $110,000 distributed among forty-two different Veterans’ organizations. Before the ceremony, those in attendance were treated to a beautiful rendition of our country’s National Anthem, performed by the lovely and talented Lyza Paradise. Thank you, young lady, for sharing your talent with us, and thank you to the Elks Lodge for hosting this year’s dinner, for the delicious food, awesome desserts, their hospitality and use of their Lodge. Thank you to L.I. ABATE President Chris Beckhans and the entire board for all the planning that not only went into this event, but all the events this amazing organization is involved with throughout the year.
Long Island ABATE is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) that promotes and protects the interests of Long Island Motorcyclists. For more information visit: longislandabate.org, or contact them at 1-888-LIABATE (542-2283) or membership@longislandabate.org.
Ride safe, ladies and gentlemen!
Photo credits - Joe Cuminale
Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.
2024 Smithtown West Football: A Season of Firsts in a Decade
By Ashley Pavlakis
The Smithtown West Bulls Varsity Football team found their receivers in the end zone for a touchdown quite a bit this season. Their offensive and defensive efforts on the field and earned them the Big 4 championship for the first time since 2013.
The Bulls are led by head coach Craig Perrino. Perrino coached the squad to an 8-2 record this season. The team hasn’t had a season with two or fewer losses since 2013. Home turf was on their side this season as they went undefeated at The Pratt. The Bulls put up 30-plus points in six of eight regular season games during the 2024 season. Football junkies would say that’s a pretty good statistic to have.
Seven seniors dawned the Bulls crest this season. While not as many as the 19 they graduated last year, still significant. Those seniors are Gavin German, Jason Antunes, Anthony Allocca, Leo Zabbia, George Siolos, Rocco Pesola, and Dylan Greene. German and Antunes were both named All County Members along with junior Michael Cascione. Of the seven, German is committed to play Division III college football at Washington University next fall.
The third-seeded Bulls entered the Suffolk County playoffs at home in a quarterfinal matchup versus the sixth-seeded West Babylon Eagles. The blue and gold were no match for the Bulls as they clipped the Eagles 49-20. The 49 points was their highest offensive scoring total this season.
The Bulls moved onto the semifinals for
the first time since 2013 and would face Half Hollow Hills East. The Red Hawks finished the regular season in second place, one above the Bulls in the Division II standings. Unfortunately, the Bulls’ playoff run came to an end on Saturday as they weren’t able to pull out the win over HHH East. The Redhawks had their number, putting up a clean sheet over the Bulls.
Most notably, junior Michael Cascione had himself a season with roughly 982 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. The three-sport athlete dominated on the turf this season and was a force to be reckoned with. In addition to football, Cascione also plays basketball and baseball for the Bulls.
Ahead of the 2024 season, the Bulls moved up from Division III to Division II, joining their cross-town rivals at Smithtown East. The Bulls didn’t take the promotion lightly though as they came charging into play. Scoring a significantly larger number of points over the opponent seems like a solid way to win games.
While the Smithtown West Varsity Bulls football team’s postseason didn’t go the way they had hoped, they still have plenty to be proud of. The 2024 season saw the Bulls accomplish things that hadn’t been done in a decade. The Bulls had the offense firing on all cylinders and their defense kept the opponents from entering the end zone too much. Sometimes, things don’t go the way we want them to. Falling short will serve as motivation to come back next season in search of a championship.
