Smithtown Messenger Archive Oct. 15, 2026

Thursday, October 15, 2026 ~ Volume 138 ~ Issue Number 48 ~ $1.00 Credit - Office of the Presiding Officer

Legislature Grills Flock Over Data, Privacy Concerns By Matt Meduri Flock cameras are the latest flashpoint in the national political discourse that has found its way into Suffolk County. The array of cameras across the country are license plate readers. The data is held and observed by local law enforcement. Proponents say it’s a necessary step in curbing crimes - from serious incidents, like kidnapping, to smaller offenses like stolen vehicles. Opponents say it’s either intentionally or unintentionally paving the way for a nationwide surveillance system. There seems to be reasonable doubt on both sides of the argument that civil liberties and privacy rights are in a newfound gray area with the nascent technology. Suffolk County has had Flock cameras for several years, but as the program begins to expand nationally, the County is asking questions on what exactly the technology can do. Continued on page 11

Presiding Officer Piccirillo questions Flock reps in Hauppauge last Thursday.

St. James, Kings Park By Matt Meduri On Wednesday morning, Congressman Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) held a trio of press conferences with over $3 million in hand for significant projects across Smithtown. LaLota delivered $1 million for the St. James Sewer Treatment plant upgrade, $1 million for the Kings Park outfall pipe replacement project, and $1.5 million for the York Hall historic restoration project in Kings Park. The projects’ funds come from House Appropriations. LaLota’s office says his community projects for infrastructure, road paving, and public safety, among other initiatives, brings his total funding up to over $27 million. “These aren’t one-size-fits-all federal programs — they’re solutions designed around the specific needs of Suffolk County communities, identified in partnership with local leaders,” said LaLota in a statement. “These projects address real needs with direct local input.” Continued on page 10

FULL STORIES ON:

Candidates Compete For Clerk’s Office Page 4 & 5

Hochul, Blakeman Face Off in Debate Page 8

The Mattera Report Page 15

(Left to right) County Exec. Romaine, Senator Mattera, Assemblyman Fitzpatrick, Congressman LaLota, Highway Supt. Murphy Supervisor Wehrheim.

Credit - Office of Suffolk County Executive

LaLota Delivers Funds for Projects in

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Messenger Papers Thursday, October 15, 2026

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AUTUMN EVENTS Sayville Farmers Market at the Islip Grange: Every Saturday until November, 9:00a.m. to 2:00p.m. Port Jefferson Farmers Market: Every Sunday until November, 9:00a.m. to 2:00p.m. Introduction to Wilderness Survival (Adult Program): Saturday, November 7, 9:45a.m. to 12:00p.m. at Caumsett State Park. Reservations required: 631-423-1770 Parrot EXPO: Saturday, October 17, VFW Post 433 in Sayville, 9:30a.m. to 5:00p.m. Spooky Lantern Walk (Family Program): Saturday, October 24, 6:30p.m. to 7:30p.m. at Caleb Smith State Park.

Nutrition in Nature: Thursday, November 5, 10:30a.m. to 11:30a.m. at Sunken Meadow State Park. Historic Clubhouse and Grist Mill Tours: Sunday, November 1, 1:00p.m. to 3:00p.m. at Connetquot River State Park. Pumpkin Carving (Family Program): Sunday, October 25, 10:30a.m to 12:30a.m. at Nissequogue River State Park. 13th Annual Great Jack-O’-Lantern Sail: Saturday, October 24, 3:00p.m. to 6:30p.m. at Belmont State Park.

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Messenger Papers Thursday, October 15, 2026

VOTE EARLY Oct. 24th - Nov. 1st • ELECTION DAY Nov. 3rd

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SMITHTOWN SMITHTOWN LAW ENFORCEMENT LAW ENFORCEMENT

CANDIDATES CANDIDATES

TOM DINAPOLI

for NYS Comptroller

NICK LALOTA

for Congress

MARIO MATTERA

for State Senate

Suffolk County Vincent Puleo for County Clerk Daniel Losquadro for Comptroller

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Candidate Spotlight Thursday, October 15, 2026

Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

Abigail Field By Matt Meduri Candidate: Abigail Field

The Democratic nominee to take on one-term County Clerk Vincent Puleo (R-Nesconset) withdrew from the race due to political pressures. Abigail Field, a registered Democrat, is running in that candidate’s stead as a write-in candidate. She carries no official party line. Abigail Field sat down with The Messenger for this candidate spotlight interview. Q: What is your professional background and how does it equip you for the County Clerkship? A: I’m running a positive campaign because I would be good at and like this job. I am an attorney with a general practice that has handled real estate deals and some litigation. From that work, I know all about the Clerk’s duties with land records. I’m well aware that records are being badly kept and it is taking way too long to record deeds, among other issues. For four years, 2019-2023, I worked for the Voting Rights Lab as legislative counsel. There, I worked on a database that tracked all 50 states’ election laws and legislation. By 2023, I had created about a third of the content in it, both doing the analysis and packaging. Relevant to the Clerk’s office, I designed the way the content would be labeled and indexed so the public could easily find information they’re looking for. It took some serious time, thought, and understanding of the records so they’re effortless for the public to use. I ran for Southold Town Clerk in 2025 but didn’t expect to win. The Clerk there is very well-liked, and while he’s a lovely human being, he’s not very good at the job. I would have been better. When this position on the ballot opened, I thought that I could manage that office way better than the current guy and deliver much more effective and efficient services. Not only is he bad at the job, but he does this corrupt thing of employing his party boss. From what I hear from people in the building, the party boss, Mike Torres, never shows up to work and Puleo is there half the time. That would be fully consistent with the sort of track record of patronage jobs and consistent with the threat to knock Anthony Portesy off the ballot. They could just release the data on their employee card swipes. The data can be FOIL’d, if they ever get around to responding to a FOIL. Release the data, prove me wrong, and I will apologize. My understanding is that in a Democratic wave year, they were afraid they might lose this seat because a couple of paper candidates almost won in 2025. Who cares so much if Puleo loses? Why is that such a thing given that he’s bad at the job, given that he’s got this sleazy strip mall? Who really wants him that bad? He also profited off of sex trafficking for six years as landlord. He’s sleazy and untrustworthy. He got busted with the sex parlor and supposedly didn’t know, even though it took Newsday one day to figure out what the place was. He’s either totally checked out, the most clueless and gullible person ever, or he was full of it and he knew. Either way, not great. In 2019, when he was Town Clerk, there was a bill to crack down on illegal sex parlors. On the day of the vote, the bill had been changed. As Town Clerk, he’s not supposed to prepare an agenda that’s inconsistent with the Town Board. I can’t prove that he made the bill, but he was so in the thick of it, it’s hard for me to believe he wasn’t aware of the power of that bill. My race resonates because a lot of people are upset that Puleo has been forced on them and that their ballot has been manipulated. Voters are aware and angry about that. We’re getting shafted by having only his name on the ballot.

Residence: Cutchogue Occupation: Attorney Office Sought: Suffolk County Clerk Previous Campaigns: Southold Town Clerk (2025), Southold Trustee (2014) Party Lines: None, write-in Endorsements: Suffolk County Legislator Greg Doroski (D-Mattituck); Craig Herskowitz (D-Northport), candidate for Assembly; Chris Murray (D-Setauket), candidate for State Senate; Kathryn Casey Quigley, Southold Democratic Chair Q: What are your plans for the Clerk’s office if elected? A: If you go to the Clerk’s website, think-through is really needed. The website isn’t any good. On every page, you see a picture of my opponent posing like he’s a slick dude hanging out, and you have to scroll past his picture to get information. There’s a whole page of forms and none are in Spanish. We have enough Spanish speakers in Suffolk that we print ballots in Spanish. The way information is bucketed on the website isn’t awful, but it could be more organized and functional. Within my first year if I am elected, I’d like to start doing pop-up Clerk’s offices in the five eastern towns. Places like Montauk are so far out there, it would be useful. My goal, assuming we publicize this properly, would be to gauge demand. Are people trying to drop off deeds? What services are people using the most? That would make way for a permanent satellite office if it makes sense. It’s something I want to look into. The people in Titles at the Clerk’s office tell me that something that doesn’t make sense is that they will go through the forms and upon finding a mistake, will hand it back to you to fix. Once you give it back to them, if they find a second mistake, they give it back to you. The people there tell me this is standard operating procedure that began before my opponent took office, but he hasn’t fixed it. That’s grossly inefficient. The procedure should be to read all the forms, find all the mistakes, and it’s given back to you once with notes on what’s needed. I had someone there tell me they think it’s a bureaucratic move to build up the workload and justify headcount. Whatever the story is, I don’t care. It just needs to stop. This isn’t really rocket science. Day one, I would come in and start by interviewing everybody who works in the Titles. I would also seek a conference of people in the title industry - representation from companies of title closers, real estate attorneys, brokers, etc. to hear from that side of the end user. I would also interview people in Land Records to get a breakdown of their processes and understand the backlogs. As word of my candidacy is spreading, real estate people have taken notice. One told me that the Suffolk County Clerk’s office is the “worst in the state.” When my opponent took office, deeds took weeks to record. Now, they take months to record. His own website says 8 to 10 weeks, but that’s an underestimate. I know people in the trade who warn their clients of 3 to 6 months. Having deeds piling up gives us no idea if there’s any deed theft going on since they’re not being recorded. That’s a really incompetent thing. My opponent bought an electronic deed-recording system. Great idea, there’s even grant money out there for it. This isn’t wheel-inventing. He bought a system that doesn’t work well; I don’t know if the vendor was somebody’s “friend,” but that’s more incompetence.

Q: The Clerk’s office was the source of the crippling cyber attack in 2022. How do you foster good security if elected? A: I have a background in understanding cybersecurity issues for over 20 years, not at a super detailed level, but at the issue level. When I was a public interest advocate, one of my first pieces was working against identity theft - security breaches in particular. I ran campaigns to get what was by far, at the time, the strongest identity theft prevention legislation in the country. This was done in New Jersey, I got full up to speed with the risks and how companies are supposed to handle them. I understand the risks well. I’m not suggesting I have a computer science background, but as the manager, what I would need to understand more are the issues, needs, and identifying talent to address those concerns. I’ve got all those skills. Q: What’s your favorite quote, motto, or work ethic? A: “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Declaration of Independence Q: How do you like to connect with your community and what do you do in your spare time? A: Besides reading the news, I talk to strangers. Just making small talk with people gets you a much better sense of where people are at. I have a lot of practice in talking to people who vote differently than me. I’ve been heartbroken by the way people have rejected each other over stuff because I think that we can always find common ground and one of the easiest places to find common ground is corruption. People on every side of the aisle have had enough. The anticorruption fervor that we have right now is one of the reasons my campaign has such resonance. Another reason my campaign has such resonance is just the sense that voting doesn’t matter when elections are rigged. Every day, I take a 45-minute walk on this particular beach in Cutchogue to start my day. It’s really grounding. It’s a new walk every day as the tide impacts the previous day’s shoreline. In the winter, we get seals. Right now, there’s a family of bald eagles nesting nearby. It’s a lovely spot. In my free time, I enjoy gardening. My husband was in the landscaping trade. We have lots of lovely native and ornamental plants that we’ve tended over the years. The Messenger thanks Abigail Field for her time for this interview.

Candidate Spotlight Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

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Thursday, October 15, 2026

County Clerk Vincent Puleo By Matt Meduri The long-served Clerk in Smithtown, Vincent Puleo, won the open seat for County Clerk in 2022. He is running for a second term. Clerk Puleo sat down with The Messenger for this candidate spotlight interview. Q: What is the state of the County from your position as Clerk? A: We’re doing fine. Because of the high rate of mortgages, we’re not doing as many deeds and mortgages right now, but the income is steady since there is a large number of houses going for high prices. We give the County the most amount of money of any office, so it’s important that we continue to do our job. Right now, I’m updating software for land use. It’s a huge project that will streamline everything we’re doing in terms of land use - mortgage deeds, court actions, etc. It will cut down the time it takes to process these filings. In 1999, when Ed Romaine (R) was Clerk, he instituted the first software program to put documents of mortgages, deeds, and other records into electronic format. The office was able to retrieve it much quicker that way. But the old software didn’t work that well and the County had to sue IBM over it. The office then put a lot of homemade software on top of a platform that never really worked. Even though they made it work, the IT Department did a great job in continuing to support it. In 2025, I put together an RFP to have companies give us quotes for new software. We wound up with a company that is probably one of the best companies that can handle a county as big as Suffolk. Our county is bigger than seven states, so with the scale of the work we do, and by putting it in electronic format, we’ll be able to process it quicker. The new software can perform tasks much faster and it has an AI component to it. It’s 21st Century stuff. I don’t perceive using AI to improve the office in a global sense; I just want it to speed up applications. I don’t intend on AI eliminating positions or sidestepping operations. This company will also maintain this software and ensure it’s up-to-date. Back then, they didn’t have AI and OCR. This has all these new technologies. It’s going to be a much easier process to make sure that everything is needed in order to file these items into our system. That frees up our IT Department to perform other support. We have 110 employees; there’s a lot of hardware, software, and a huge server room that needs to be maintained. Resources can be drained by old software. We don’t plan on eliminating any positions because there are a lot of other things we’re looking to work on. One big project is to ensure we can store video and audio from police bodycams. We’re paying a premium price for the company to do that storage. It’s something we can do for pennies on the dollar, so I’m investigating the best way to handle that storage. Right now, everything needs to be saved in perpetuity; the New York State Legislature hasn’t addressed how much needs to be saved or for how long it needs to be saved. The problem is that with every year, the terabytes increase. It gets to be very expensive because the storage size increases every single year. The Legislature needs to hone down on exactly what needs to be stored and for how long and what can be deleted. But at the very least, we’re looking to save the County money by hopefully getting cloud storage to mitigate the year-over-year increase in total file size. We’re looking at an intergovernmental grant, which would consist of the District Attorney, the Suffolk Police, the Sheriff’s Department, and any other law enforcement agency that has to wear bodycams, to help garner a grant that could be as much as $1 million. I’ve been in contact with the State on this. We’re in the process of estimating how many

Candidate: Clerk Vincent Puleo Residence: Nesconset First Elected: 2022 Party Lines: Republican, Conservative Endorsements: Suffolk AME, Italian-American PAC, Suffolk Law Enforcement Coalition

servers we will need for next year, how big the room is going to be, and what the HVAC will look like, since more servers requires more cooling. We’re also estimating how much it will cost to maintain and replace once it reaches its end-of-life. Our IT Department is doing a fabulous job in working on that. One of my biggest achievements is ensuring customer service. I’ve been in the service industry my entire career, including 26 years in the bar and restaurant business. If you can service a customer quicker, it just makes their life easier. I came into this office with the same adage I had when I was Clerk in Smithtown: when somebody gives us a call with an issue, we try to solve that problem as quickly as possible. I talk to many architects, engineers, and attorneys about projects they’re doing in Suffolk County and I ask them to please get advice from us first. The quicker they can get their items submitted and submitted properly, the easier it is for everyone. The deputies and staff in my office all understand where I come from and they grasp it. They’ve been doing it for years; they just do a little quicker because I’m all over them. We’ve been working with an attorney doing a condo project in Kings Park. He came to our office and our Map Clerk, Kelly, walked him through the process. What this does is, instead of him submitting it and getting it rejected, now he does what he needs, submits it, and it’s done quicker than having to go back and forth. I’ve also been to various community organizations to inform them on what the Clerk does, but our biggest concern is senior citizens groups. There are so many ways scammers try to steal their property. By State law, we send out postcards if there has been an action on your deed, mortgage, or trust. We also have the Homeowners Watchlist (HOW). It’s on our website and you can enroll for emails in addition to the postcard. That’s more portable for some people. Q: The 2022 cyber hack originated in the Clerk’s office before you were elected. How has the Clerk’s office implemented the remedies recommended by the County Legislature? A: This was a Suffolk County issue, not just a Clerk’s office issue. Our IT Department, in coordination with the County’s IT, came up with a series of stopgap measures to not have this happen again. We followed the steps so the County Executive could obtain cyberinsurance. We’re in a better position now. Q: What priorities do you have if you are reelected? A: We’re always looking for ways to improve. The biggest issue is storing the bodycam footage at exploding costs that are going to be incurred by every law enforcement agency. There needs to be State legislation to identify what the process needs to be, otherwise, looking forward, it just becomes unattainable. That’s what concerns me. I would be remiss if I didn’t look at how we’re able to save the County money. I work with the

County Executive to make a budget that doesn’t explode and raise taxes. The budget is high enough with the way the State runs. Our budget is bigger than those of two states. Every single day, our IT Department is looking at threats. We have various software integrated into our systems to mitigate phishing and imposters. That’s on our minds every week. This office probably spent more money than it ever had, but we saw the destruction that was incurred and the loss of some data because of the hack in 2022. Q: Over the summer, Newsday ran a piece stating you own a strip mall that housed a massage parlor that allegedly offered illegal activities. Explain the events. A: I’ve owned that commercial building since 2007; I’m the landlord and I have a property manager. I don’t get involved in my tenants’ day-to-day business. Everything Newsday alleged about me is false. You can’t accuse me of knowing what my tenants do. I can’t comment on whatever might have transpired there, but I went to the County, the D.A.’s office, and the Town of Smithtown to see if there were any complaints. Not one. I went to my tenant and said that if there was any impropriety going on there, I needed to know and if so, they’d be in violation of the lease. They decided to leave. Now, a gourmet coffee company is set to occupy that space. Q: What is your favorite quote, motto, or work ethic? A: If you live by your community, expand that to what you do each day. If you can go to bed saying, “I helped somebody today,” what more is there? Q: How do you like to connect with your community and what do you do in your spare time? A: I’ve always been involved in my community. I’m a third-generation firefighter, I’m involved in the chambers of commerce, the Veterans’ posts, Paws of War, Beacon House, Heroes for Heroes - all agencies that help Veterans and EMS and fire personnel. Seeing as I’m not in a legislative position, the Clerk’s office is still perhaps the most important agency in local government. We maintain vital records. I have great relationships with our State legislators and to our County Legislator (18 members), I’m the 19th person if a Legislator needs help. I’m not a stranger to our partners in government. In my spare time, I try to play golf. I enjoy my family and grandkids. My grandson is eight years old and his dad works a lot, so I get out there and play softball with him. My downtime is enjoying my grandchildren, my wife, and our three sons. That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day - family. The Messenger thanks Clerk Puleo for his time for this interview.

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Editorial Thursday, October 15, 2026

Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

County Asks Correct Questions on Flock

The national Flock debate has landed in Suffolk County. Two representatives from the austere agency were rightfully grilled by both parties in the Suffolk County Legislature. While they were able to allay some fears, broader pictures remain unclear. We can’t put that squarely on the two Flock representatives. After all, they don’t appear to be in any significant, decision-making capacity. But we also don’t anticipate those broader questions will be settled any time soon, at least not before the new technology fully unravels at some point. What Was Allayed Flock representatives firmly denied that the cameras do facial recognition technology and that it’s not a shared national database. The plate readers only capture still images of license plates and local law enforcement agencies who contract with Flock can access the data. Furthermore, they can only share the data with other law enforcement agencies, either on ad hoc or continual basis. Representatives from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, the Police Department, and Sheriff’s Department all report that the technology has been useful in helping them solve crimes - everything from heinous rapes to simple car thefts. Anecdotal evidence from jurisdictions across the country corroborate this. At face value, the Flock cameras are nothing more than a toll booth camera that scans a license plate. Instead of sending a ticket in the mail, however, the data is held at the respective local law enforcement agencies, where it is eventually auto-deleted. In the words of the two representatives who testified before the Legislature, the photos and associated metadata are scrubbed to be irretrievable even with forensic technology. Where Questions Remain The Flock representatives could not describe how the company is kept in check, however. In the words of Minority Leader Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon), “who checks the checker?” Federal oversight is virtually nonexistent, while Flock merely says, “just trust us.” Flock also cannot share the exact locations and owners of each of their cameras. Local law enforcement are not the only groups using the cameras. They’re available to other incorporations, such as HOAs, but even private citizens can erect these on their property. We don’t buy that Flock doesn’t know their exact array of devices, publicly or privately owned, so we remain reasonably skeptical of why they can’t or won’t share that database with any level of government as a check. The representatives also explained away past oversights by saying that they’re merely leading the charge and setting the standard. Fair enough, we say, in terms of how nascent industries find their footing, but for something that seems like playing with fire, it’s disconcerting that these things were seemingly not considered by the company beforehand. Legislator Trish Bergin (R-East Islip) broached a fantastic concept. Now that

Suffolk is using Flock in some areas, she posited that simply reversing course due to mere skepticism could make the county a heat sink for crime. Flock representatives couldn’t effectively answer how much certain crimes, such as missing children, spiked in counties that suspended their contracts with Flock. A Pandora’s Box Has Been Opened That question leads us to our next point: these are here to stay - not just in Suffolk, but in general. Every new technology or invention changes the horizons, often for the better. But we agree with the characterizations made by Bergin, Richberg, and Legislators Chad Lennon (C-Rocky Point) and Greg Doroski (D-Mattituck). There seems to be a massive advantage for whoever wields the ultimate keys to a technology as pervasive as Flock. Ostensibly, Flock does not work to maintain a nationwide database of plate readers, although it seems there’s nothing stopping every law enforcement agency in the country from sharing their data with one another. The in-house auditing tools are meant to prevent local agencies from abusing the power of being able to track people, but yet, it has happened and continues to do so. And as Presiding Officer Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holtsville) correctly assesses, case law is on Flock’s side, for now. He compared the dilemma to that of Jim Crow laws, which were decidedly legal for decades until the court’s opinions changed. It might not be the most congruent analogy in severity, but it does illuminate his point, nonetheless, and we fully agree. The D.A.’s office says there are no Fourth Amendment violations posed as far as the plate readers go since Americans are already constantly tracked by cell phone pings and driving a vehicle on public roadways is a privilege. License plates are already tracked and scanned and driver’s licenses require each citizen to go through a level of bureaucracy as it stands. Yet, we still see something as powerful and as pervasive as the Flock network to potentially be rife with abuse. The biggest player to blame is the federal government - good luck trying to get them to work on behalf of the American people on any other issue, we’re afraid. A Red Herring? That said, is Flock meant to gin up immense public backlash? That was certainly to be expected, and the intrinsically libertarian, ruggedly individual, and “live free or die” spirit of the United States couldn’t possibly have taken a dose of Flock without protest. While citizens are already being tracked beyond belief, and many fell into that world under hardly any pressure, why the reticence from higher-level officials on something like Flock? Whether you see it as an emerging threat, an extra, somewhat inconvenient level of bureaucracy that is nonetheless tolerable, or a complete and total red herring, we think one thing is clear… …something doesn’t add up.

Supervisor Sees Legacy Achievement at MacArthur Not that long ago, the Town of Islip was in serious trouble. Public corruption, crumbling infrastructure, and a general lack of faith in the residents made the third-largest municipality in New York in dire need of course correction. Enter Angie Carpenter (R-West Islip), who won her first term as Town Supervisor in 2015. Re-elected in 2019 and 2023, Carpenter has had her hands full and has led the Town on a tremendous turnaround. But if there’s one thing that’s constantly on her mind, it’s MacArthur Airport (ISP). Her administration reimagined the Town’s relationship with Long Island’s very own regional airport. In 2014, just two commercial carriers remained at the airport after two other carriers had departed - and not on a vacation. The airport was losing money hand over fist - a $5.5 million deficit that year. Now, the airport boasts six carriers, over a dozen nonstop destinations, and carriers, such as JetBlue, have taken notice. In fact, JetBlue has said ISP became one of its most profitable locations faster than any other of the locations it serves.

This week, ISP took first place in the USA Today 10 Best survey. After competing in this online voting contest for several years, ISP was finally able to claim its well-deserved top spot. Anticipation for this moment grew, and some officials were hardly surprised. The airport climbed into third place in 2024, followed by a second-place finish in 2025. When she came into office in 2016, Supervisor Carpenter was likely one of the only people who saw the full vision there. Now, while that vision has been realized well, we think the best is yet to come. We think this solidifies the airport’s trajectory as perhaps one the top issues of her legacy as she rounds out her third and final term as Supervisor. And for that, the rest of Suffolk should be thankful. Travelers can avoid the headache of taking a train or making a relative begrudgingly schlepp them to JFK in the early morning hours, but the economic footprint of the airport is unmistakable. It’s easy to be cynical and say that when government touches things, those things tend to age like milk. This time, however, ISP has aged like a fine wine and we can only imagine how much more valuable it becomes with time.

Op-Ed Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

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Thursday, October 15, 2026

I Will Not Raise the County’s General Fund Taxes By Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine At a time of tremendous uncertainty, Suffolk County residents deserve just that from their local government: certainty. My 2027 Recommended Operating Budget continues my fiscally conservative message with a 0% increase in General Fund taxes. Holding the line on taxes is not always easy. Rising retirement and healthcare costs, along with unfunded state mandates, continue to put pressure on county finances. That is why the first two years of my administration focused on getting our fiscal house in order, staying within the state tax cap, and making government work more efficiently for the people we serve. We have put Suffolk County on a stronger financial footing, which means we can hold the line on taxes when our residents need help saving every dollar possible. We addressed hundreds of millions of dollars in potential liability by resolving lawsuits left over from previous administrations. We also have right-sized county departments so staffing better reflects actual needs. Through careful and cautious budgeting, the county has protected our reserve funds

rather than relying on them to balance the budget. Those decisions have helped produce higher credit ratings and positive outlooks from the major rating agencies. Fitch Ratings and S&P Global have specifically recognized our more conservative approach to budgeting. Our capital budget is equally focused on Suffolk County’s future. We are investing in infrastructure that has been neglected for too long while continuing to protect farmland and open space. The land we preserve today will help ensure that Suffolk County retains the character that makes it special. We do not want Suffolk to become Queens. We are also making major investments in sewers and wastewater management. These investments are essential not only to protecting our environment and drinking water, but also to supporting economic growth and making housing more affordable. With this year’s wastewater investments, we are on track to fulfill my billion-dollar commitment to addressing Suffolk County’s wastewater needs. Voters made it clear that clean water is a priority when they approved

the 2024 Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Act at the polls. That law will generate approximately $3 billion for clean water infrastructure through 2060. At the end of the day, county government is only successful when it works for the people. At the same time, our operating budget continues to make public safety a priority. That means putting more police officers on our streets and building on the progress of Operation Safe and Lasting Return. We continue to reform the county’s Child Protective Services to better protect our most vulnerable children and families. That is why I want residents to know that help is just a phone call away. If you have a non-emergency question or need assistance with a county service, call 311. Our operators will connect you with the right county department or direct you to the appropriate resource. Our job is simple: provide the services people need, spend their tax dollars responsibly and make Suffolk County safer, stronger, and more affordable.

County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) has served as Suffolk County Executive since 2024. He previously served as a Suffolk County Legislator representing the North Fork from 1986 to 1989 and again from 2005 to 2012. He served as Suffolk County Clerk from 1989 to 2005 and as Brookhaven Town Supervisor from 2012 to 2023.

Trump’s $5,000 Giveaway Will Spark Inflation, Just as Biden’s Programs Did By Steve Levy | Long Island Life & Politics It sure is fun watching Republicans who bashed Joe Biden for spending like a drunken sailor, thereby leading to huge inflation and the affordability crisis we presently live under, jumping through hoops to support President Trump’s off-the-cuff proposal to give each American adult $5,000. How cute that Trump added that the check only comes if the Republicans win the midterms. He claims he may have the authority to issue an executive order to effectuate the gift. He obviously does not, but let’s say he did. If he has the authority to do it, why didn’t he do it already and why should it be dependent on whether or not the Republicans win the midterms? Moreover, Republicans control both houses at the moment, and they could make this happen through reconciliation, which only requires 50 votes in the Senate. That’s why this promise smells far worse than the typical promise bandied about by politicians who say, “Vote for me and I’ll give you a chicken in every pot.” It is equally appalling to see how Democrats — who voted and cheered for Biden‘s Build Back Better and so-called Inflation Reduction Act that spent trillions during his administration

(thereby sparking 20% inflation) — suddenly get religion on fiscal responsibility and declare the Trump proposal to be awful policy. If only we could have some people out there who can call balls and strikes and not cheer for one team or the other. We weren’t being partisan years ago when we warned that Biden‘s uncontrolled spending was going to lead to huge spikes in inflation and interest rates, creating an affordability crisis. It was his own Democratic economists such as Larry Summers and Steve Ratner who warned about the same thing. And if we don’t want to be disingenuous, we must call out the same fiscal stupidity when we see it proposed by Republicans The proposal runs into a myriad of problems. As noted above, how does Trump explain that this will only go into effect if Republicans win the midterms when they already control both chambers of Congress? Equally significant is the fact that it will erode the Republicans’ legitimate claim that this unaffordability crisis was caused by the Democrats when they controlled the government from 2021 to 2025 by spending at historically high, irresponsible levels. If just handing out money indiscriminately

– Letter to the Editor – Dear Editor, The Republican Party has changed, and Republican voters have reason to feel betrayed. Republicans talk about a better economy but aren’t pursuing results. They have abandoned their fiscal responsibility. They are threatening healthcare and retirement security. Republican voters should be angry because the growing

would make everyone richer, why would we stop at $5,000 a household? Why not make it $5 million? Everyone would be rich and could own a house in the Hamptons. But we know that, while more money would go into your pocket on day one, within a few months, the whole economy would collapse because the money is not paid for. And the value of your $5,000 would shrink to five dollars. In fact, wouldn’t we all want to go back to the pre-Biden days before the big spending spree, when we had a thriving economy under Trump‘s first administration in 2019? An indiscriminate giveaway of $5,000 to every American is different from cutting the tax rates on those who earn income. Those types of tax cuts do indeed spur the economy, as was evidenced every time a tax cut has been implemented, whether it was by Kennedy in the 60s, Reagan in the 80s, or Trump in 2017. Cutting money on earned income incentivizes people to work harder and to reinvest their savings into the economy. Indiscriminately giving people cash, not tied to work, encourages them to sit on the couch. It doesn’t produce any wealth; it just creates

influence of concentrated wealth in politics is threatening our democracy. Many ordinary Republicans do not support giving the wealthiest Americans greater political influence than everyone else. Loyalty to a leader is now above constitutional principles, weakening both Congress and the country. For generations, Republican voters believed that free markets, international trade, and American business leadership would create prosperity. Now, tariffs cause companies that depend on imported materials to face higher costs, making it harder to compete, and what’s happening to farmers and exporters?

a sugar high, which leads to more inflation. If the president had said, “I’m going to work with Congress to fashion a bill that will further cut income tax rates and capital gains,” that’s a legitimate argument to be had. We could talk about indexing capital gains to inflation and raising the exemption on capital gains on home sales up to $1 million. Those are worthy debates. But this $5,000 giveaway is not only unseemly, it’s awful policy that will spark further inflation. This op-ed originally ran in Long Island Life & Politics. For more from LILP, visit them online at lilifepolitics.com.

Immigrants are being deported, separated from their families, and depleting our labor force. Opposition to environmental regulation puts the fossil fuel industry’s interests ahead of long-term public costs. Climate change is real and dangerous. Shouldn’t we protect the economic and health interests of future generations? Lastly, where are the ethical and moral standards that we used to expect? Where is the accountability? What can we do about it? Vote for the remedy, not the replica. Charlie Gueli, Laurel

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On The Campaign Trail Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

Thursday, October 15, 2026

Hochul, Blakeman Face Off in Sole Debate

By Matt Meduri

Moderators Errol Louis and Susan Arbetter raised the question of the recent ICE shooting in Marble Hill, Bronx. Dominican national Oscar Belgal was wounded and a five-year-old child was in the car. Blakeman defended local law enforcement’s cooperation with ICE in Nassau County. He claimed to have removed more than 2,000 people with serious

criminal charges like rape and attempted murder without raiding schools, hospitals, and chuches. He blamed Hochul’s sanctuary policies and called Belgal a “gangbanger.” Hochul disagreed with the framing and said Blakeman would not “condemn” ICE shooting into a vehicle containing a child. She said ICE is “out of control” in Nassau and cited cases of alleged overreach and repeatedly said, “New York is not a sanctuary for criminals.” She called Blakeman’s characterization of the situation “absurd.” She criticized Blakeman for allowing a detainee to die in a Nassau jail, and mentioned 11-year-old Norman, who “sobbed” in her “arms.” Blakeman mentioned murders of two 30-year-old women in his county, asking Hochul, “what do you say to their families?” He blamed illegal migrants for worsening the “epidemic” of crime and fentanyl. “16,000 detainers are out there for people who committed 52,000 crimes in our state, and you won’t let local law enforcement cooperate with ICE,” said Blakeman. Hochul said she spent $4 billion to lower crime instead of “deputizing” local law. She said Nassau is experiencing a ten-year high in violent crime. Blakeman rebutted by claiming that Nassau has been ranked as one of the safest counties in the country, particularly a U.S. News and World Report. Hochul said that Blakeman’s predecessor, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran (D-Baldwin), is actually to credit for the drop in crime. Blakeman criticized cashless bail, Raise the Age, and the HALT Act for creating

Credit - Matt Meduri

Immigration and Public Safety

Credit - Matt Meduri

Election Day is just two weeks away. Governor Kathy Hochul (D-Hamburg) is seeking a second full term after winning in 2022 by just over 6 points - a historically slim margin in the blue bastion of New York. She faces Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman (R-Atlantic Beach), who won his position in 2021 in a massive upset and followed it up with an 11-point win in 2025. The two met on Tuesday night for a one-hour debate, the only one for this contest. The debate was hosted by Spectrum News/NY 1. In her opening statement, Hochul pitched herself as the daughter of working-class parents who started their lives in a trailer park in suburban Buffalo. She said she worked “long hours after school” at a pizzeria. “I never forgot where I came from,” said Hochul, citing the reason for her delivering the “largest middle-class tax cut in 70 years.” She said she’s generated over $10 billion in energy rebates and inflation rebates and that New York has the lowest crime rates in modern history. She said Blakeman would bring the “Trump-style” leadership to Albany. Under Governor Hochul, Blakeman said New York is the “highest-taxed state” in the country, with utility bills 70% higher than the national average. He said that cashless bail makes people feel unsafe. He pledged to cut taxes and slash utilities bills in half. He criticized Hochul for spending “$8 billion on illegal migrants for free, free housing, free transportation, and a free cell phone.” “She’s got her priorities upside down.”

a “revolving door” of crime. Hochul said she got 26,000 guns off the streets Energy and AI Hochul acknowledged a lack of supply to meet energy demand; she said she’s taken an “all-of-the-above approach” to energy. She blamed President Donald Trump (RFL) for blocking renewable energy projects, which she says would have powered 500,000 homes. She said the Iran War is driving up gas and diesel costs, and categorized her energy rebate checks as “short-term” relief. She has been keen on approaching nuclear energy. Blakeman responded, “Donald Trump didn’t raise utility rates 48 times. You did. Donald Trump didn’t increase our utility bills by 50% since you became governor. You did…You gave $150 back [to constituents] when you’ve raised the average gill $4000 a year.” Blakeman expressed support for natural gas extraction from the Marcellus Shale that spans Western New York. He called Hochul’s energy policy as part of the “green new scam,” and pointed to Pennsylvania as a model. He added that Governor Josh Shapiro (D-PA), despite being a Democrat, was pragmatic on extracting natural gas. He said the wealth is visible between the two state lines on that issue alone. Hochul touted her one-year moratorium on hyperscale data centers that she says “consume an enormous amount of energy,” and said Blakeman wants “oil and gas rigs everywhere” Upstate. Hochul said localities retain their prerogatives, mentioning moratoria recently passed in Brookhaven and Islip. “He wants fossil fuelgenerating factors spewing smoke everywhere.” Blakeman criticized the moratorium as “anti-growth” and taking local decisions away from communities, while Hochul recounted Blakeman’s characterization of the moratorium as “crazy.” “Donald Trump says it’s [the moratorium] only for ‘dumb, poor people.’ Are you supporting what Donald

Trump said there as well?” Blakeman countered, “Just like when Kathy Hochul said that black kids in the Bronx don’t know what a computer is.” On nuclear energy, both are supportive, but Hochul is waiting on federal approval, while Blakeman said yes to reopening Indian Point and other plants. Affordability Hochul defended her record on cutting nearly $2 billion in waste and fraud, not raising income taxes, and accused Blakeman of wanting to cut Medicaid in half. Blakeman said the costs of Medicaid far exceed other larger states due to ineligible enrollment. He again pledged tax cuts if elected. Hochul tied higher costs to Trump’s tariffs, gas prices due to the war, and other forms of kitchen table economics. She called Blakeman the “president of the fan club for Donald Trump.” “Our State budget is twice the size of the state of Florida,” said Blakeman. He added that only 30% of the utility bill goes to energy. The rest are taxes, delivery costs, and Hochul’s “slush fund” for wind turbines and solar farms. Hochul defended her return of over $10 billion in energy and inflation rebate checks to residents. Odds and Ends Both candidates prefer inperson voting as opposed to mail-in voting. Hochul supports at least one gender-neutral bathroom in the Capital Building. Blakeman said he was focused on keeping biological males out of women’s sports and

spaces. Both candidates were asked of a decision of theirs in the past that they would reverse. Blakeman said “nobody’s perfect” and that “hindsight is 20/20.” He said he’s “sure” he’s “made a mistake here and there throughout the year,” but that he relies on good people for advice. “When it’s time to make a decision, I make the decision. Hopefully, it’s right. I do it in the best interest of the people of my county.” Hochul “helped” Blakeman answer by saying he raised taxes twice in Nassau. Blakeman countered by saying that Hochul once had an A+ rating from the NRA and wouldn’t give illegal immigrants driver’s licenses while she was Erie County Clerk. Hochul said she “wishes she’d fought harder to get more housing built” in her first year. “I had to come back the next year. It was difficult. I overcame a lot of opposition. But when you find out that Blakeman’s county is listed as having the lowest number of housing units being built, no wonder he brags the average housing price is $900,000.” On the dangers of AI and whether it should be treated like any other form of product liability, both candidates said there should be laws to protect residents. Hochul went further by calling the RAISE Act one of the “strongest laws in the nation” on this topic. “We are nation-leading once again, but this technology is evolving so quickly that we have to be laser-focused, which is why I set up an entire office and hired the best in the nation to staff this. There has to be consequences. That’s why those companies are on notice.” An unusual question came in the form of horse-drawn carriages being banned in New York City. Blakeman said he’s “nostalgic” for the carriages but that he “understands” the animal rights issues and that animals must be protected. He did say the consequences of people losing their jobs was a factor. He called for a “balanced approach.” Hochul said she supports the ban.

This Week Today Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

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Thursday, October 15, 2026

National, State, and Local Temperature Checks By Matt Meduri National The White House has a new Press Secretary in Katie Zacharia (R-CA). Zacharia took the post on October 9 after Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt (R-NH) resigned in late August to spend time with her family. Earlier this month, Leavitt joined Fox News as a contributor to provide commentary across their programs. She starts November 1. Leavitt, now 29, was the youngest person ever to hold the position. Zacharia is now the second Press Secretary of the second Trump Administration and his sixth overall. She is a Pepperdine University graduate who worked in the George W. Bush (R-TX) Administration. Zacharia worked in Beijing, China, as an associate at an international law practice. She’s also worked as a Newsmax commentator. She first joined the Trump Administration in February in the Department of Homeland Security, and later an advisor to the Trump Media and Technology Group. Commentators have observed that Zacharia’s performance has differed from Leavitt’s, saying it’s apparent that Zacharia is ostensibly not from Trump’s inner circle as her predecessor was. President Trump continued on the campaign trail this week. In Wasilla, Alaska, a state playing host to a contentious Senate race, Trump pardoned two auto workers on stage during the rally. They had pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Air Act. It’s a highly unusual public use of the president’s pardon powers. Trump said the two men were “wrongly charged” and exemplify how the Biden Administration “viciously targeted the Alaskan way of life.” Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox commentator and former partner of Donald Trump, Jr., has resigned from her position as Ambassador to Greece. The resignation comes after reporting that she had asked businessman and Trump-allied donor, Eric Deters, to send a wire transfer of $100,000 to pay down her American Express account. She specified for him to do so in a “way that wouldn’t leave a paper trail.” Deters called it a “quid pro quo,” that Guilfoyle was “desperate” for the money, and that she promised to be his “ride or die in the Trump world.” She further took issue with Deter “papering” their conversations and “not helpful” to either of them. Guilfoyle also took criticism for her hard-handed tactics in pushing American interests in Europe. She said at a dinner in Athens, Greece, in March that the U.S. had been involved in regime change in Romania and that the U.S. could do the same to any other country. Guilfoyle resigned on October 13 at Trump’s request. Eight Republican Senators have expressed concern with Trump’s pitch to import Russian diesel to cool prices and supplies. Senators Mitch McConnell (R-KY), John Cornyn (R-TX), Alan Armstrong (R-OK), Susan Collins (R-ME), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

said the deal would have a “negligible” impact on domestic fuel prices while also sponsoring Russia’s continued invasion into Ukraine. Six Democrats signed onto the bipartisan letter. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D, MN-05) had her Washington, D.C., home raided by DHS in the execution of a search warrant. They reportedly carried out boxes of documents and are subpoenaing her family members as part of a broader immigration investigation. Federal officials are scrutinizing her family’s immigration history. They allege Omar’s mother lied or omitted information in immigration forms before becoming a U.S. citizen. State With just less than a month left to go until Election Day, Governor Kathy Hochul (D-Hamburg) remains in the lead for a second term, but the latest poll finds her just 7 points ahead of Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman (R-Atlantic Beach). A poll by the firm co/efficient captures the broader trend of the race tightening into the mid-to-high single digits within the home stretch of the campaign. The poll shows Hochul up 48%-41% over Blakeman, with 11% undecided. The survey was conducted among 1,046 likely voters and was sponsored by the Coalition to Protect Nassau Taxpayers, a group that backed Blakeman’s inaugural Nassau County Executive bid in 2021. The lead for Hochul, as found by this pollster, grew just 1 point from their July survey when she led 47%-41%. Co/efficient found Hochul leading by just 6 points in September 2022, accurately predicting her eventual margin of victory over thenCongressman Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley). The poll found that just 36% of likely voters had a favorable view of Hochul, while 46% had an unfavorable view of her, and 18% were undecided. For Blakeman, 33% viewed him favorably, 35% unfavorably, and 33% unsure or had not heard of him. Co/efficient found that 52% of respondents said the state is on the wrong track, compared to 27% saying it’s on the right track. On the question of socialism’s rise, co/ efficient found that 58% of Independent voters said they were worried, while 44% were “very concerned.” The remaining 42% were not concerned. 85% of Republicans said they were concerned, while 62% of Democrats were not concerned. However, 38% of Democrats expressed their concern on that issue. The co/efficient poll was conducted from September 23-25 and has a margin of error of +/- 3%. An Emerson College poll found Hochul leading Blakeman 52%-40% (+12), but found Independents breaking for Blakeman by a notable margin of 55%-34% (+21). Emerson College wrote it’s a “notable contrast” with their other polls this cycle, in which Independent voters are “generally” breaking

towards the Democratic candidate. Emerson tracked Hochul’s job performance at 40%-46% (-6). The poll was conducted October 3-5 of 900 likely voters and has a margin of error of +/3.3%. Finally, the latest Marist poll found Hochul leading Blakeman 53%-42% (+11). They also found Independents breaking for Blakeman, 49%-42% (+7). While Democrats have a 13-point lead over Republicans on the generic congressional ballot in New York, Independents are only breaking narrowly for Democratic candidates. 44% of the electorate says their vote for Congress is one “mainly” against Trump. The Marist poll was conducted between October 1-4 of 1,361 likely voters. The margin of error is +/- 3.6%. Local Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) this week announced that the Suffolk County Office of Women’s Services and the Alliance Against Domestic Violence Task Force is bringing together local officials, law enforcement agencies, the County’s Office of Women’s Services, and Office of the Aging and community

providers. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. “Family Violence and abuse rips families apart and erodes the fabric of our communities,” said Romaine. “It’s important to educate first responders, medical professionals and community members to be aware of the signs as well as support those going through family violence and elder abuse situations. The safety and well-being of victims is my priority.” The program comes one year after County Executive Romaine signed an executive order in October 2025 establishing the Suffolk County Alliance Against Domestic Violence Task Force, which established new countywide programs and services aimed at reducing and preventing domestic violence and created more public awareness and educational campaigns. Suffolk County Legislator Steve Flotteron (R-Brightwaters) said, “Suffolk County can help guide you and connect you to the right organization or not-forprofit service provider that the county works with. You’re not alone. So many of our residents have these same experiences; let’s connect people to the information they need to be safe.”

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Smithtown Matters

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Thursday, October 15, 2026

Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

Continued from front cover

LaLota Delivers Funds for Projects in St. James, Kings Park St. James

The Lake Avenue corridor of the quaint and historic hamlet of St. James is one of Smithtown’s three business districts. Officials for years have been keen on revitalizing it. Headway has been made, namely in filling vacant storefronts and gradually installing sewer infrastructure. Two major pipelines have been installed about 20 feet under Lake Avenue. Senator Mario Mattera (R-St. James) (pictured right photo) has brought in over $1 million over the last few years, while the County is directing more funds to various projects across Suffolk through the one-eighth-cent sales tax instituted in 2024. LaLota’s $1 million check (pictured bottom photo) will help upgrade the fifty-year-old wastewater treatment plant that services Fairfield off Moriches Road. The existing facility has no excess capacity to accommodate the Lake Avenue sewers, as recommended by the Town. The higher-capacity treatment plant is set to serve 674 units. Once the plant is done, the line can be activated. “That will change things exponentially for those businesses on Lake Avenue,” a Town spokesperson told The Messenger. “Existing businesses can’t expand how they want to expand.” Senator Mattera said the funds he’s gotten through for the project were originally secured by his predecessor, Senator John Flanagan (R-East Northport), but were held up by Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-Sutton Place) during the pandemic. “We have Celebrate Park, we have the ice cream place. St. James is a jewel in Suffolk County,” Mattera told The Messenger. “Everybody loves St. James. It’s our hamlet.” Kings Park Outfall Pipe Sitting on the bluff on the north shore is a 24-inchdiameter outfall pipe between two existing manholes (pictured middle photo). The pipe is partially exposed, corroding, leaking, and passes through a beachfront area that is frequented by residents. The new pipe will be designed and installed to match the existing specifications with new connections to the manholes, and a protective bulkhead will shield the

new pipe from tidal action. Replacing the pipe is not only a boon for greater water quality efforts in Smithtown, but it will mitigate a public health hazard and remediate the Nissequogue River. “When I was a kid, I could fish and clam here with no problem,” said Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R-Kings Park). The river continues to be stocked with oysters, but they are inedible from the contamination. The infrastructure is largely outdated, heralding a time when the Psychiatric Center would pump raw effluent into the Nissequogue. Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) is also keen to expand Sewer District 6 to ensure the effluent water will be of drinkable quality by the time it makes it to the outflow. Kings Park - York Hall The Kings Park Psychiatric Center is perhaps one of the area’s most famous, yet underutilized, properties. The austere, brick buildings, weathered by time and abandonment, tower over the trees of Nissequogue River State Park. Built in the early 1930s, it served as a mixed-use facility for patients where plays, movies, religious services, sports, and performances were held. York Hall was listed to the National Register of Historic Places in 2023 and preservation efforts have been underway. The York Hall Foundation is, according to their website, “working with experts to remediate and refurbish York Hall for use as a state-of-the-art performing arts center. The estimated cost is $10 million $1.5 million of which is courtesy of Congressman LaLota. “Recognizing its great potential for revitalization as a 21stcentury entertainment center, we are determined to bring this project to fruition to help meet the cultural needs of the general public,” the website reads. The Park’s master plan incorporates this vision. The vision for York Hall is also part of the broader revitalization vision for Kings Park, along with tens of millions already invested into the hamlet’s sewer projects.

Suffolk Matters Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

Thursday, October 15, 2026

11

Continued from front cover

Legislature Grills Flock Over Data, Privacy Concerns

The Suffolk County Legislature’s Public Safety Committee held a lengthy hearing with two representatives from Flock, followed by a panel of local law enforcement professionals. “This is not about choosing between public safety and privacy; we have a responsibility to protect both,” said Presiding Officer Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holtsville). “There’s a fundamental difference between technology to investigate crimes and creating a nationwide network that tracks innocent Americans. Thousands of Suffolk County residents drive past these cameras; the overwhelming majority are not criminals. They should not have to wonder whether their movements are being recorded, retained, shared, or searched without their knowledge. Public safety and privacy are both essential, as are our constitutional rights.” Flock’s representatives included Trevor Chandler, Senior Director of Public Affairs, and Joe Rosenberg, Major Account Executive. The pair outlined that Flock partners with 6,000 law enforcement agencies across the country and that every tool provided to them is fully customizable to each agency. Flock itself does not own the data obtained by the cameras. That belongs to the individual agencies in question. Chandler clarified that Flock does not sell data, has no tools for facial recognition, and that their private customers have no access to law enforcement agencies’ databases. Additionally, the cameras are not actively recording; they are triggered to photograph based on motion. Chandler pointed out that businesses utilize license plate readers for retail crime, and that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, who endorses Flock, uses the readers to solve human trafficking cases. He added that facial recognition software is “not even on the roadmap” in the company’s list of priorities. In data retention, Flock’s software’s default is 30 days, after which the photos of license plates are hard-deleted in a way that is irretrievable even with forensic tools. However, the local agencies using the software can alter the deadline after which data is automatically deleted. The agencies retain the data so as to pinpoint movements of those suspected of crimes and to give law enforcement a proper window in which to act. “Criminals don’t respect geographical borders,” said Chandler, adding that the only way the data is shared is if an agency using Flock chooses to share with another local law enforcement agency. A big question has been abuse of the data, as some stories nationally have seen police officers use the data from the readers to track ex-girlfriends, neighbors, or people of personal interest. Chandler said that Flock’s in-house auditing system requires pertinent case numbers in order to access the data - it can’t be accessed arbitrarily - and that law enforcement agencies are all trained on proper auditing so as to effectively watch each other. On the privacy question, Chandler said, “50 courts across the country ruled it’s not a violation of privacy under the Fourth Amendment.” He cited the Mayor of San Diego, whose city saw a 20% decline in auto theft due to Flock. San Francisco saw a 41% decrease in auto theft while increasing arrests for auto thefts by 46%. Flock was also used to solve 40% of homicides in Oakland and San Diego. Piccirillo questioned the pair on Flock CEO’s Garrett Langley emails that showed him calling those opposed to the technology as “terroristic.” Chandler said Langley has since apologized for that statement. Legislator Chad Lennon (C-Rocky Point) said that concerns from that comment have been raised, and an apology is effective to “putting toothpaste back in the tube.” “Is Flock building a nationwide surveillance system capable of reconstructing citizens movements over time?” asked Piccirillo, citing an Oklahoma court’s ruling in the affirmative. While Chandler replied that “99% of courts up until the Oklahoma case” did not find a Fourth Amendment violation, Piccirillo countered that just as many courts “upheld Jim Crow laws” for decades. Piccirillo asserted that even if law enforcement agencies are only sharing with pre-approved agencies, even to track a suspect moving across state or county lines, it is tantamount to a nationwide surveillance system - or at least the possibility of one. “Your company is giving them tools to create that database,” said Piccirillo, while Chandler clarified Flock provides a “nationwide search feature.” Piccirillo questioned Flock’s ability to leverage this kind of technology, as Congress “never passed a law” regarding it. He said “relying on a company’s internal policy is inadequate.” Chandler said Flock is held to the law under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and other large-scale, federal bills. Piccirillo referenced the crippling 2022 cyber attack in Suffolk County, asserting a much larger national problem of personal data breaches that could have international ramifications. “We take it extremely seriously. We are constantly penetratively testing our own systems,” said Chandler. “There have been attempts on the cameras themselves, but there has been no successful hack on the cloud. Stealing a camera

does not grant access to the cloud system.” On international fraternization, Chandler did say that some data obtained by Flock has been used overseas for “machine learning and data training,” but that the data was “deindentified” from its agency of origin prior to its trial usage. “A majority of states in the country don’t have the regulatory framework for this technology,” said Rosenberg. “Flock has advocated for years for this framework, including in New York. We, as a company, don’t want to be the policy maker on that.” Legislator Lennon pressed the pair on why Flock won’t accept liabilities when mistakes are made. It raised the question of liability on the County’s end as a contractor with the agency in the case of abuse, mistakes, or breaches. Lennon also posited that the cameras can be placed in sensitive areas, such as gun stores or abortion clinics, to track movements or possibly be used for political purposes. Chandler said state laws have been passed to remove cameras that fell into boundaries of sensitive areas. On broader municipal liabilities, Chandler said that under a data breach or if Flock violated their contract with the County, the County would have “full legal remedies to pursue against Flock.” However, as far as the usage of the tool itself by an individual is not something for which Flock would be liable. Legislator Trish Bergin (R-East Islip) posited that since the cameras are already here, taking them away might make Suffolk County more susceptible to certain crimes. However, she and many others are “concerned about ‘Big Brother.’” Legislator Stephanie Bontempi (R-Centerport) said, “if one child is saved [with this technology], it’s worth it if someone knows I drove past a certain store.” Legislator Tom Donnelly (D-Deer Park) said Flock was utilized in locating a missing child in Brentwood. “Flock does not solve crimes; law enforcement solves crimes. Nothing will ever replace officers, their training, and their professionalism,” said Chandler. He said the cameras helped Providence, Rhode Island, police capture the shooter at Brown University last year. In Austin, Texas, who suspended their license plate reader program, saw a spike in shootings six months later. “They had to shut down half the city and do a massive manhunt. That car drove into the town next door that had Flock, and they were found in 15 minutes. Austin leadership said had they kept Flock, they wouldn’t have had to lock down the city,” said Chandler. Legislator Greg Doroski (D-Mattituck) questioned just how much Flock could advance as a technology in the coming years. He compared it to ChatGPT hardly being a player in 2022, to now being much more fleshed out and usable. “We’ve seen based on FOIL requests in Southold that 59 outside agencies have access to their data,” said Doroski, adding that municipal agencies weren’t notified of the external sharing. Chandler said that the original sharing agreements didn’t exist for national or state relationships. He attributed it to an “oversight” at the time, and that the fixes were built around customer feedback. “That’s a significant oversight. It appears very reactive. Audit assist is a great feature but this company was started 9 years ago. Only now is it public as a requirement,” said Doroski. Chandler said Flock is the only company of its kind that provides such tools. “We’re not catching up; we’re setting the pace.” Minority Leader Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon) said his “problem” lies with the fact that even though most cameras are on public roadways, some are purchased by HOAs and private customers. He took issue with the fact that Flock can’t disclose the locations of all their cameras to the local government. “Who checks the checker? This is a technology and situation that is ripe for abuse because there is no oversight. You have just dictated multiple times that you, as the company, dictate the standard, but you guys [also] handle it. And that’s rather convenient,” said Richberg. Allen Bode, Chief Assistant District Attorney for Suffolk, said that the technology has been a “gamechanger” in being able to prosecute crimes. While the D.A.’s office itself does not utilize Flock, they can access data cultivated by Suffolk’s law enforcement agencies. Bode said the readers have been able to identify the perpetrators of heinous crimes, such as a “fake cab driver” who would drug female passengers and rape them. Bode also dismissed notions of Fourth Amendment violations, as “driving is a privilege,” and that licenses and license plates are already needed to access public roadways. “You’re already being tracked,” he said, pulling his smart phone out of his pocket. Currently, several East End law enforcement agencies utilize Flock, as does the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office. Representatives from the SCPD said the technology has been incredibly helpful and that the internal training and chain-of-custody have been clear.

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School Highlights Thursday, October 15, 2026

Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

Smithtown Board of Education Honors Local Lifesavers The Smithtown Central School District Board of Education recognized several individuals whose quick thinking, teamwork and lifesaving actions helped save a life during a JV girls soccer game last month at Smithtown High School East. When an official collapsed on the

soccer field on September 16, Smithtown parent and volunteer EMT Jennifer Carney rushed to provide chest compressions, joined by head coach Amanda Valente, chaperone Kenneth Eng and athletic trainer Kelsey McCulley, who retrieved the school’s automated external defibrillator. In conjunction

with several members of the East Islip community, they assessed the situation and delivered a lifesaving shock when the device indicated it was needed. At the October 13 Smithtown Central

School District Board of Education meeting, the board honored these heroes with certificates of recognition and a welldeserved ovation in appreciation of their extraordinary actions.

Accompsett Elementary’s Successful ‘Fun Run’

It was a fun-tastic day at Accompsett Elementary as the annual “Fun Run” raised more than $35,000 to support the school’s Cultural Arts program. As the school’s biggest fundraiser of the year, the Fun Run once again brought students, staff and the entire school community together for a day filled with energy, excitement and plenty of school spirit. Students hit the grass throughout the day on October 2, running, cheering and celebrating their incredible accomplishment.

Candidate Spotlight Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

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Thursday, October 15, 2026

A Day on the Nissequogue River Think Discovery Science Research students from Smithtown High School East recently returned to the Nissequogue River for an annual citizen science investigation coordinated by East Science Research Coordinator Maria Zeitlin. “The tide was high and so were our spirits!” Zeitlin shared. As part of a multi-school collaboration with Brookhaven

National Laboratory, the Central Pine Barrens Commission and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, students collected data to help monitor the long-term health of the local estuary. Working in teams, students used seine nets to catch and release fish, crabs, and other aquatic organisms; measured tidal movement, wind speed, and air and water temperatures; and documented GPS coordinates and site conditions. They also collected a sand core sample that will be analyzed at Brookhaven National Laboratory for microplastics. The experience even brought an artistic perspective to the scientific research. Seven students sketched, drew and painted the site, creating an exciting STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) collaboration. Students also conducted chemical analyses to measure salinity, water clarity, and potential contaminants, including nitrates and phosphates.

Understanding Addiction: Smithtown Students Sit in on Presentation Smithtown High School East and West students had the opportunity to hear from internationally recognized neuroscientist Dr. Stephen L. Dewey, a research professor at NYU School of Medicine, as he brought his powerful presentation on addiction to Smithtown on October 7. Drawing on decades of research and experience, Dr. Dewey explored how addiction affects the developing brain and challenged students to think critically about the choices and influences they encounter every day. “I just want to make sure you’re aware of what’s going,” Dr. Dewey told the students. The presentation addressed a range of topics impacting today’s teens, including social media, gambling, substance use, fentanyl awareness, games such as Fortnite and Roblox, and the science of addiction. Dr. Dewey has been visiting schools and speaking with students about addiction since 1994, sharing his expertise and helping young people better understand the science behind addiction.

School Spirit Gets a Second Life at Katie’s Kloset Smithtown High School West freshman Katie Colletta of Girl Scout Troop 2179 is turning school spirit into a meaningful Silver Award project. After realizing she had old school apparel she didn’t want to throw away, Katie came up with the idea for Katie’s Kloset — collecting gently used Smithtown Central School District-branded clothing from middle and high school students to give it a second life. Katie began collecting clothing at the end of June, and the items will be available in the hallways of Accompsett Elementary School — the very school she graduated from in 2023.

Civics 101

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Thursday, October 15, 2026

The Necessary Standard for American Education The Constitution - Article III

Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

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.

By Matt Meduri We continue with our deep-dive on the Constitution with Article III. In a Nutshell Article I establishes rules for the Legislative Branch, Article II sets up the Executive Branch, and Article III rounds out the “three branches” with rules for the Judicial Branch. Article III establishes the Supreme Court, due process for federal crimes, and a definition of treason. Section 1 Section 1, Clause 1: Vests the judicial power of the United States in one Supreme Court. Inferior courts may be established by Congress. This also includes the “good behavior” phrase, during which federal judges may serve. This has been interpreted to instill a life tenure on the various courts, subject only removal for treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. This was borrowed from English Law and was meant to protect judges from arbitrary removal by the President or Congress. Article III also entitles federal judges to compensation that may not be decreased during their time in office. Under Article III’s powers, Congress has authorized about 890 life-tenure judicial positions, 9 of which belong to the Supreme Court. The U.S. Court of Appeals has 179 judges, U.S. District Courts have 680, and the U.S. Court of International Trade has 9. These courts require presidential appointments followed by Senate confirmations. Congress has also authorized non-Article III courts, which are usually specialized or territorial with set terms. The U.S. Court of Federal Claims accounts for 16 judges with 15-year terms and territorial courts for each of the five overseas U.S. territories with ten-year terms. The U.S. Court of Appeals appoints bankruptcy judges for 14-year terms, and district court judges appoint federal magistrate judges for eight-year terms. Interesting Note: This exact clause would require an amendment to place term limits on the Supreme Court, a common consensus among right-wing and left-wing populists as of late, and one that is growing in sentiment. The Constitution, however, is silent on how many justices the Supreme Court has. The number has fluctuated throughout the years. The original size set by Congress in 1789 was 6 justices. In 1807, a seventh justice was added, followed by a 9-justice court by 1837. The new justices were added as the country expanded westward. In 1863, the court reached its peak size at 10 justices, tied to the creation of the Pacific states. In 1866, the number was reduced to 7 justices by attrition, although the court never dropped below 8 justices. The Judiciary Act of 1869 was permanently fixed at 9 justices one Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. Since the Constitution does not impose a set number of Supreme Court justices, and since Congress has the power to alter that number through a simple bill, there has always been a clearer path to Supreme Court reform through congressional action. Imposing term limits or other obligations would require a constitutional amendment ratified by most states. This is why there have been numerous pushes throughout history and renewed calls nowadays for Congress to take this approach. Moreover, such a bill would not require a supermajority of both chambers of Congress. A simple majority of both the House and Senate would be required before the President’s signature. The only obstacle to that glidepath is the Senate filibuster, virtually a form of endless debate until deliberately ceased by 60 votes. Since the Senate has been closely divided for a number of years, that cloture-invoking vote has been elusive, making for a primary reason “packing the Court” has not occurred. However, that rule of the Senate has been circumvented before with the “nuclear option.” Section 2, Clause 1: This clause outlines the scope of

the federal judiciary’s power. It extends to all law and equity cases under the Constitution, the laws of the U.S., and all treaties made under the federal government’s authority. The federal judiciary’s prerogative is in hearing cases affecting ambassadors, public ministers, admiralty and maritime jurisdictions, controversies to which the U.S. is a party, controversies between two or more U.S., controversies between a state and citizens of other states, and controversies between citizens of different states. The federal courts also hear cases between citizens of the same state claiming lands under grants of different states and cases between a state or its citizens and foreign states or subjects. This clause is also the basis for the “diversity jurisdiction,” which is the authority of federal courts to hear civil cases between parties when the cases involves statelaw claims and no federal question. The Founding Fathers’ intention here was to levy the federal judiciary as a neutral arbiter in cases arising between states, citizens of different states, and foreign subjects, rather than leaving a chance one state favors its own citizen(s) over those of another. This has been ironed out in statute: no plaintiff may be a citizen of the same state as any defendant - otherwise it is purely an issue of the state’s prerogative - and the amount at stake must exceed $75,000, not accounting for interests and costs. Congress can grant the inferior federal courts powers on these types of cases, but not to the full extent of what Article III allows. This all extends to civil cases, not criminal. Corporations are treated as citizens of both their state of incorporation and principal state of business. Cases can move from the state level to the federal level if it is found to pass the “diversity jurisdiction” test. Congress can alter or abolish this provision at any time. Section 2, Clause 2: Cases affecting ambassadors and foreign ministers and cases in which a state is a party belong under the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction. They bypass lower courts. The Supreme Court has appellate jurisdiction in all other cases, meaning it reviews decisions of lower federal or state courts. This clause is also known as the Exception Clause. It gives Congress power to limit the Supreme Court’s appellate jurisdiction, although rather vaguely.” In other words, this clause acts as a traffic cop for directing litigation to the Supreme Court’s docket. Section 2, Clause 3: All federal criminal cases, except those of impeachment, have a right to a jury trial. Clause 3 requires that the trial must take place in the state in which the crime was committed. When a crime is committed outside the boundaries of a state - such as in overseas territories, places under exclusive federal control, or in international waters, Congress must pass a bill designating a trial location. For impeachment cases, Article I, Section 3 lays out those parameters. The Senate acts as the jury with the

Supreme Court’s Chief Justice acting as the judge. This clause was later bolstered by the Sixth Amendment, which included language for a right to a speedy and public trial, an impartial jury, and assistance of counsel when the defendant cannot afford one. Interesting Note: Here is a well-documented theoretical loophole that tests constitutional law. Yellowstone National Park is under exclusive jurisdiction of the federal court. It is located almost entirely within Wyoming, but small parcels of the park extend into Idaho and Montana. None of those states can prosecute crimes committed inside the park. The U.S. District Court for Wyoming contains the entire park, making it the only federal judicial district that cross state lines. Since Article III, Section 2, Clause 3 requires that crimes be prosecuted in the location of their commitment, and since the Sixth Amendment entitles the accused to an impartial district of the “state and district” in which the crime was committed, this requires those accused of committing a crime in the Idaho portion of Yellowstone a jury of people living in both the State of Idaho and the District of Wyoming. However, no jury can technically be assembled since the Idaho strip of Yellowstone is uninhabited. This has been called the “Zone of Death,” as cheeky researchers say that murder can effectively be committed here with no legal recourse. However, the practical results have never been tested and no one has tried to escape prosecution here. This applies only to serious crimes, not petty offenses. Congress could easily close this loophole by reassigning the Idaho and Montana sections of Yellowstone to their respective state judicial districts, but has never done so. Section 3, Clause 1: This clause defines treason as acts consisting of levying war against the United States and adhering to or giving comfort or aid to the enemies of the United States. No person can be convicted of treason unless at least two witnesses testify to the same act or if the accused confesses in an open court. These narrow definitions were adopted to intentionally make treason difficult to prove and to prevent political abuse. Section 3, Clause 2: Congress has the power to declare the penalties for committing treason. The current penalties under U.S. law are death or imprisonment and fines. Clause 2, however, imparts two important restrictions to protect the family of the person convicted of treason. The phrase “no corruption of blood” means the traitor’s children or heirs cannot be punished or lose their inheritance rights because of the crime of a parent. It also prevents property of the convicted being forfeited only during the lifetime of the convicted. It cannot be permanently taken from the family line. These failsafes were built to counter political accusations of treason and hereditary punishments that were common under English Law.

Around Town Thursday, October 15, 2026

Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

The Mattera Report

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By Senator Mario Mattera

Breast Cancer Awareness Month Is Personal to My Family Every October, communities across Long Island recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We wear pink, honor survivors, remember those we have lost and stand with the women and families who are facing a breast cancer diagnosis today. For my family, however, this month will always carry a very personal meaning. My wife, Terry, is a breast cancer survivor. Terry delayed a routine mammogram for six months. It is something I believe many women can understand. Life gets busy. There is work to do, a family to care for and countless responsibilities that seem to come before your own. When Terry finally went for her screening, she was diagnosed with Stage 2B breast cancer. Our lives changed. We experienced the fear that comes with hearing the word “cancer,” but we also experienced the extraordinary care of medical professionals, the support of family and friends and, most of all, Terry’s strength throughout her treatment.

Today, I am grateful to be able to call my wife a survivor. That is why I believe one of the most meaningful things we can do during Breast Cancer Awareness Month is turn awareness into action. If you are due for your mammogram, please make the appointment. Don’t wait because you’re busy. Don’t assume you’ll get to it in a few months. And don’t let fear keep you from being screened. Last year, our office provided residents with information about breast cancer screenings and local organizations that can help, including Stony Brook’s breast cancer screening program, the Adelphi NY Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline and Support Program, the Maurer Foundation and the Islip Breast Cancer Coalition. Breast Cancer Awareness Mailer 2025.pdf These organizations provide screening, education and support to women and families throughout our region. Our office is also here to help residents connect with available resources. You can contact my Smithtown District Office at 631-361-2154. Breast Cancer Awareness Month is also an opportunity to look beyond ourselves. Ask the women you love whether they have

R E P U B L I C A N

scheduled their mammograms. A simple conversation between a husband and wife, mother and daughter, sisters, friends or coworkers can be the reminder someone needs. This October, I celebrate Terry. I celebrate every survivor in our community. I stand with every woman currently undergoing treatment, every family walking beside her and every family remembering someone they lost. But above all, I want Terry’s experience to help another woman. Make the appointment, get screened, and remind someone you love to do the same. Senator Mario Mattera (R-St. James) has represented the Second District in the New York State Senate since 2021. The Second District contains the entire Townships of Huntington and Smithtown. Senator Mattera serves as Ranking Member on the Corporations, Authorities, and Commissions Committee and on the Energy and Telecommunications Committee. He also serves on the committees on Cannabis; Civil Service and Pensions; Labor; and Transportation. The Second District office is located at 180 East Main Street, Suite 210, in Smithtown and can be reached at 631-361-2154.

C O N S E R V A T I V E

A RECORD OF

ACCOUNTABILITY, SERVICE & RESULTS

FOR SUFFOLK COUNTY PRESERVED OUR OPEN SPACES PROTECTED OUR WATERWAYS

HELD THE LINE ON PROPERTY TAXES Early Voting October 24 - November 1

Election Day Is November 3rd

Keep Suffolk County The Best Place To Call Home.

VOTE LOSQUADRO FOR COMPTROLLER.

Paid for by Friends of Dan Losquadro

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Local History Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

Thursday, October 15, 2026

Military Accoutrements from Local Veterans F R I DAY, J U N E 1 4T H , 2 0 24

By Ellyn Okvist, B.Sc. The Military Tribute Banners we have come to love are more than just pictures. The facts and accomplishments of each and every soldier/sailor are crucial to our community; they must be recorded and saved. The Lake Ronkonkoma Heritage Association has many items that have been bequeathed to us, and I would like to spotlight six of the military-related pieces we have in our collection. The first was awarded to Tec 4 Henry H. Lax, U.S. Army on September 22, 1943, as directed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (D-NY), and awarded to him on November 19, 1944. He was assigned to the 704th Tank Destroyer Battalion in WWII, and the father of two of our friends from our youth. When I first held this award in my hands, I was overwhelmed by the greatness of Henry Lax and the diminished purpose of the rest of the universe. It’s hard to explain, but the feelings that overcome us when recognizing greatness are often not known until we actually feel it. The Purple Heart is awarded to military members who are injured or killed in combat, through an act of terrorism or by friendly fire. It acknowledges the physical sacrifice of service to the nation. Receiving a Purple Heart (pictured top right) is an honor and comes with many benefits from state and federal governments and nonprofit organizations. Purple Heart Day is August 7. George Benson was in the U.S. Army from 1888-1891 in the Indian Wars. His accomplishment was at a Photography Studio in Brooklyn for 40 years. He had dual homes in Brooklyn and Lake Ronkonkoma, the latter being where he spent his remaining years at his daughter Elsie Okvist house, with his four grandchildren. His is the Indian Wars Medal (pictured middle right). Established in 1907, the Indian Campaign Medal honors United States military members who carried out service in the American Indian Wars between the years of 1865 and 1891. The ribbon is bronze and features an American Indian warrior on horseback, framed by arrowheads and an inscription reading “INDIAN WARS.” The reverse features an eagle grasping weaponry; thirteen stars appear on the lower portion of the medal, and an inscription reading “UNITED STATES ARMY - FOR SERVICE” frames the eagle. The ribbon was originally solid red; a thin vertical black stripe was added toward each edge in 1917 to distinguish it from the French Legion of Honor. George Benson was father to Elsie Benson Okvist, and grandfather to George Allen Okvist, Sr. A rare gray 1940s-era U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps “winter uniform” (pictured right) consisting of a hat, coat, skirt, and purse was the uniform of Dolores

FLAG DAY

M. Henri Holzapfel. She left Smithtown High School and was accepted to the program at Adelphi University, which played a significant role in nursing education during WWII. In 1943, the university established its School of Nursing to address the urgent need for nurses as the war intensified. This initiative was part of the broader U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps program, which aimed to train nurses quickly to meet the military’s demands. The program was funded through the Bolton Act, allowing for the education of thousands of nursing students across the country. Dolores served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Force WWII from 1944-1948. The program was spearheaded to train nurses for civilian and federal service. A total of 30 women completed the first enrollment, and their graduation was highlighted by a speech from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt at Adelphi. A red silk or wool nurse’s cape (pictured left) was first worn by Sister Selina Lily during World War I. The cape style is modelled on the Queen Anne Imperial Nursing Service cape. A wool version was worn in winter and a cotton version in summer, and a red silk cape was worn with a grey silk nurse’s uniform. The cotton cape was known as a “washing cape” as it was washable. This piece provides an important insight into the role of women (in this instance nurses) who served during World War I, notably 1914-1921. An older piece, it is a great addition as it has no worm holes. The Lake Ronkonkoma benefactors’ bornand-raised family wishes to remain private. The vintage WWII-era U.S. Navy wool “Cracker Jack” sailor jumper (pullover) (pictured left) manufactured by the Naval Clothing Factory was dark navy dress blues jumper/middy blouse. It features a V-neck, V-flap with gold/yellow braid/piping, a traditional sailor square collar, and a chest pocket on the left side. Produced by the official Naval Clothing Factory for the U.S. Navy enlisted personnel, commonly dating from the 1940’s (WWII era). This original uniform was from George Allen Okvist, Seaman Second Class U.S. Navy WWII 1945-1946. The vintage WWII U.S. Army Eisenhower (Ike) Jacket (pictured left), officially known as the Field Jacket, wool, olive drab, was short-waisted made of wool and introduced late in WWII, made popular by General – and later, President - Dwight D. Eisenhower (R-KS). It has dual chest pleated packets with button flaps. It is from Lawrence M. Holzapfel, Jr., U.S. Army Air Forces, WWII 19431946. We have an extended and interesting collection left to LRHA by Larwrence and his wife Dolores.

Technology News Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

Thursday, October 15, 2026

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Stop Being Mean to Claude By Mollie W. Barnett Are we creating systems more human than human? “Stop being mean to Claude!” That is now an actual direction from Frontier Artificial Intelligence. In an October 15 announcement, Anthropic said its updated usage policy would prohibit “sustained and needless abusive or cruel behavior” toward its models. The policy takes effect November 12 and excludes ordinary frustration, disagreement and legitimate testing. Claude’s ability to end certain abusive conversations arrived earlier. In August 2025, Anthropic introduced that feature as part of its research into potential AI welfare. The company has not established that Claude can suffer. In explaining the feature, Anthropic acknowledged uncertainty about the moral status of AI and described its approach as a precaution in case model welfare is possible. But the language is what is important. Cruelty. Welfare. Distress. Are we being asked to consider whether the machine deserves protective concern? In a time where semantics and language are affecting our legal system, it is worth examining, particularly alongside the language we use to recognize humans. Are we personalizing machines while changing the language used to describe people is being altered to be more functional? In New York, Assembly bill A.8382A passed the Assembly in March and the Senate in June, according to the state’s legislative record. In specified provisions of family and related law, it would replace “mother” and “father” with “gestating parent” and “non-gestating parent,” and substitute “parentage” for “paternity.” As of this writing, that record does not show the bill enacted. These are legal terms. Broader parentage language can recognize families the older terminology does not adequately describe. Still, the choice of words matters. “Gestating parent” describes a biological function. “Mother” carries a relationship, an identity, and a human history. A legal category can serve a necessary purpose. It can also be an incomplete way of seeing someone. That incompleteness becomes a problem when we forget it. A person becomes a case, a worker

becomes a cost, an older adult becomes a care requirement. The system can process the category perfectly and still miss the person. Meanwhile, technology companies are becoming remarkably good at making artificial personalities feel like someone. In a March 2024 announcement promoting its electric iX2, BMW described a campaign featuring virtual influencer Lil Miquela. The fictional character encounters the beauty of the real world through an emotional journey - a manufactured personality, presented through a familiar human experience. Fictional spokespeople are hardly new. What deserves attention is how easily constructed personalities can occupy spaces where we look for experience, judgment, and trust. The stakes rise when the person on the other side is lonely. The New York State Office for the Aging has worked with Intuition Robotics on ElliQ, an AI companion for older adults. In its public guidance on social isolation, the agency describes daily check-ins, help with wellness goals and activities, and efforts to support independence. The same guidance also points people toward human visitors, friendly calls, and community programs. I can see the value. An otherwise empty afternoon matters to the person living through it. A device that offers conversation, encouragement, or a useful reminder may improve that afternoon. But what happens after the device arrives? Does it help the person reconnect with people? Does it support the family member or caregiver who is stretched thin? Or does its availability gradually make fewer visits seem acceptable? Those are different outcomes. A usage report alone will not tell us which one we

have created. An older adult’s attachment to a machine can be real even when the machine’s affection is simulated. That makes the human responsibility greater. Who controls the relationship? What happens when the service changes? Who notices if the person becomes more dependent on the device and less connected to anyone who can actually show up? The machine can produce a caring response. Someone still has to be accountable for care. There is another inversion worth watching. In a 2023 paper published in Frontiers in Science, Lena Smirnova and her colleagues outlined “organoid intelligence,” an emerging field exploring biological computing with three-dimensional cultures of human brain cells. The researchers also called for ethics to be embedded in the work. Human-derived tissue is not a human person. This research does not establish that these cultures are conscious. Yet consider the direction: biological material is being explored as computing infrastructure while software is being discussed in the language of welfare. We should be asking where these boundaries belong before commercial usefulness becomes the default answer. The question of human agency becomes more difficult when someone can no longer speak for themselves. Dutch government guidance explains that a written euthanasia request made while a patient is competent can replace an oral request after the patient loses the ability to express their wishes. Physicians must still satisfy the applicable due-care requirements. The purpose is to preserve an earlier choice. The difficulty is determining

how that choice should govern circumstances the person can no longer explain or reconsider. That is a profound human judgment. A procedure can establish requirements; it cannot make the moral weight disappear. These developments have different purposes. They do not establish a coordinated effort to erase humanity. Each deserves scrutiny on its own terms, but looking at them together raises a question that individual explanations do not resolve: Are we getting better at recognizing the appearance of a person while becoming more comfortable overlooking the whole person? Even in creative work, the human contribution remains central. In its January 2025 report on artificial intelligence and copyright, the U.S. Copyright Office explained that using AI to assist with a work does not automatically prevent copyright protection. The determining issue is whether a human author contributed sufficient expression. Merely supplying prompts does not establish authorship of machinegenerated material. The human contribution matters. It must remain visible. That principle deserves a wider application. An efficient system is not necessarily a humane system. A personalized response is not necessarily a relationship. A functional description is not the whole person. The human side of systems asks what a policy, product or process does to someone’s agency, dignity and relationships. It asks what happens after the task is completed and the performance metric looks good. We cannot control every technological development. We can control the standards by which we adopt it. We can ask whether AI gives a caregiver more time with someone or gives an institution permission to provide less. We can ask whether a classification helps a person secure their rights or becomes a substitute for hearing them, and we can insist that the people who design these arrangements remain accountable for their consequences. Before we teach everyone to be kinder to the machine, we should make sure our systems still know how to recognize the human. Researched and edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.

Mollie W. Barnett - is a writer and decision architect who has worked in communications.

Messenger Perspectives

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Thursday, October 15, 2026

Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

Detours, Delays, and Blessings By PJ Balzer

I’ve always been very structured when it comes to my day and time. Before I leave the house each morning, I have my entire day written out on a sticky note that I bring with me. The sticky note has tasks, meetings, responsibilities, and the time that they need to be done by. Maybe it stems from my upbringing or the fact that I played sports for many years. With sports comes a lot of learned disciplines that you aren’t able to play on a team without. Punctuality is a must as well. Having been so structured for my formative childhood, adolescent, and teenage years, I’m also not too fond of the spontaneous and sporadic. I could do without friends randomly knocking on my door, sitting in traffic when I didn’t expect to, or any other situation that throws my day off. If it’s not on my agenda prior to leaving the house in the morning, then we can leave it for another day, a day when it’s been planned for and on written clearly on my daily sticky note. Back in 2009-2010, I walked into a church right in the middle of Manhattan and my heart, life, and journey haven’t been the same since. I mention this day often in my writing because it was the most pivotal point in my forty-five years on earth. I left the church that Tuesday evening different than when I walked in and I knew it. Since that evening, my journey has been on

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what we’d call the narrow road. A path with much resistance and much faith required along the way. There have been countless detours and delays, but also so many blessings in such unexpected places. I’ve had to learn that on this road the tasks, places, and spontaneous situations that weren’t on my sticky note before I left the house. There are many times the places where God showed up and met me that day, places where He needed me to be at that exact moment for a higher purpose than my comfort. This past week I had to pay a visit to the Department of Motor Vehicles, as you probably already know, this place doesn’t fit onto anyone’s sticky note. Even if you have an appointment, you can certainly expect a little delay and most likely a detour or two, or even three. There’s been times in the past when my entire day was spent at this building. I unexpectedly ended up having to contact my insurance company in the middle of my visit. The lady at the counter helping me kindly sent me to the “detour” table which was full of people who were frustrated and working diligently at rectifying their situation without having to come back to the DMV a second time. The couple sitting directly next to me at this table of frustration were bickering back and forth a little over what to do next. It can be overwhelming when you thought your visit here would be quick and then it may turn into a second one. While I was waiting on hold with my insurance company, I was also waiting for the right moment and an inroad to possibly help them, even if it was to simply offer a little friendly encouragement during a clearly frustrating process. As a needed pause came about in their back-and-forth dialogue, I gently said, “I’m not sure what I’m doing here, I need my wife here to hold my hand. This is why I don’t go out alone anymore.” Poking fun at myself brought some needed laughter and we then started talking. We talked as we, not so patiently, both waited for answers from our insurance companies. At that moment, I knew that showing a little kindness towards them was the exact reason I was sent over to the detour table. If my delay and detour helped to bring them some peace, it was well worth it. Some of the greatest blessings and most certainly divine appointments in my life have come through flat tires, unexpected doctor visits, and situations that I had never written on my daily planner. Those roadsides, gas stations, and waiting rooms are where I’ve had the opportunity to bring peace, be a blessing to someone else, and even share my faith in some instances. While there certainly isn’t anything wrong with being punctual, structured and disciplined, leave just a little room in your schedule for God’s detours, delays, and blessings.

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Overview - AMAC The Association of Mature American Citizens

Thursday, October 15, 2026

WHAT TO KNOW: Feds Raid ‘Squad’ Ringleader Ilhan Omar’s Home in D.C. By Shane Harris | Editor-in-Chief of AMAC Newsline

In a bombshell development just weeks before Election Day, federal agents raided the Washington, D.C. home of far-left “Squad” leader Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) on Monday in connection with an ongoing criminal investigation related to immigration law violations. Homeland Security Investigations carried out the search under a court-authorized warrant secured by the Department of Justice (DOJ). Authorities have not publicly detailed the investigation’s full scope. Sources told Fox News that investigators are examining immigration paperwork completed by Omar’s late father when she was a child. According to a DOJ statement quoted by The Daily Wire, “Today in the Washington, D.C., area, Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice. This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal investigation.” Omar came to the United States under refugee status from Somalia in 1995 and allegedly became an American citizen in 2000. But a closer examination of her childhood paperwork raises potentially consequential questions about her family’s immigration history. “Well, I understand they’re looking at her very carefully,” President Donald Trump told reporters Monday. “I’ve always found her to be totally crooked personally, but that has nothing to do with me.” “I think she’s a terrible person, but that’s really up to the DOJ,” he continued. “I have nothing to do with it.” Omar responded by accusing the administration of targeting political opponents – ironic given that Omar was one of the loudest cheerleaders of the left’s politically motivated prosecutions of Trump. “Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement,” she said, vowing that she would “not be silenced.” Her response establishes her political defense, but it does not resolve the underlying factual questions. The search follows border czar Tom Homan’s September acknowledgment of a criminal investigation into Omar. It also renews attention to allegations surrounding her 2009 marriage to Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, whom critics have alleged is her biological brother. Omar has denied that allegation, but more and more evidence has piled up suggesting that she pretended to marry him on paper to secure his entry into the United States. The DHS raid, however, appears to be primarily related to Omar’s citizenship status. Independent researcher AJ Kern is one of several individuals who have spent years digging into Omar’s sketchy immigration background. Omar alleges that she derived citizenship through her father, Nur Omar Mohamed, when he became a citizen. But according to Kern, a June 20, 2023, federal immigration authorities response to a records request failed to locate naturalization records for Omar’s father. (That is Kern’s allegation and interpretation of the records response, rather than an established government finding about Omar’s citizenship.) If competent authorities established that Omar never acquired U.S. citizenship, the implications

would be profound. The U.S. Constitution requires House members to have been citizens for at least seven years. The timing adds another layer of controversy. Agents searched Omar’s home just three weeks before the midterm elections, prompting Democrat leaders to condemn the operation. But federal search warrants require probable cause, meaning investigators had to present a sufficient basis for the search to a judge. That is a significant legal threshold that DHS investigators apparently met, indicating that the evidence against

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The Association of Mature American Citizens represents Americans 50 plus. AMAC is centered on American values, freedom of the individual, free speech, and exercise of religion, equality of opportunity, sanctity of life, rule of law, and love of family, with benefits at all levels.

AMAC plays a vital role in helping build the services that will enrich the lives of America’s seniors. AMAC Action, a 501 (C)(4) advocates for issues important to AMAC’s membership on Capitol Hill and locally through grassroots activism. To Learn more, visit amac.us

Omar could be substantial. The investigation also comes against the backdrop of Omar’s controversial political record. A 2024 Heritage Foundation commentary accused her of advancing a “Somalia First” agenda after giving a Somali-language speech about Somalia’s territorial interests. For Omar, Monday’s search represents a serious escalation with potentially enormous political consequences. Proven immigration fraud involving a sitting congresswoman would be a major scandal. Whether investigators can establish such wrongdoing remains the central unanswered question.

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Bits & Pieces

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WORD

PRAGMATIC adjective

OF THE

Pronounced: /prag·ma·tuhk/

Etymology: From 1610s Latin pragmaticus “skilled in business or law,” from Greek pragmatikos “fit for business, active, business-like; systematic,” from pragma, “a deed, act,” especially an important one; in plural, “circumstances, affairs,” literally “a thing done,” from stem of prassein/prattein “to do, act, perform.”

Example:

Week

Sources: Merriam-Webster, Etymonline.com.

Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

Thursday, October 15, 2026

SUDOKU

Definition:

dealing with the problems that exist in a specific situation in a reasonable and logical way instead of depending on ideas and theories; practical as opposed to ideal. “The manager was known for his quiet, pragmatic method of handling conflict.”

Synonyms: businesslike, efficient, matter-of-fact Antonyms: inefficient, irrational, unreasonable

See bottom left for the answers (please don’t cheat!)

This Week in History October 21, 1520:

Explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his fleet reach Cape Virgenes after transiting the Strait of Magellan between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, becoming the first Europeans to sail into the Pacific.

WORD WHEEL

October 16, 1934:

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British forces under General Cornwallis sign terms of surrender to George Washington at Yorktown at 2:00p.m., effectively ending the Revolutionary War.

Mao Zedong and 25,000 troops begin their 6,000-mile Long March from the south of China to the north and west.

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The first Crusaders arrive in Antioch, Ancient Syria, during the First Crusade.

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October 15, 1993:

Nelson Mandela (left) and South African President F. W. de Klerk (right) are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

October 17, 1907: October 18, 1968:

U.S. Olympic Committee suspends Tommie Smith and John Carlos for giving the Black Power salute to protest racism during the Olympic medal ceremony.

Guglielmo Marconi’s company begins the first commercial transatlantic wireless service between Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, and Clifden, Ireland. Source: Onthisday.com.

Bits & Pieces Published by Messenger Papers, Inc.

Thursday, October 15, 2026

NATIONAL Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD), who is facing a long-shot challenge from an Independent candidate, has removed references to President Trump on his campaign website. A judge blocked Trump’s White House media ban and allowed CNN, MS NOW, and Politico to return. Eight states are suing OpenAI over claims ChatGPT allegedly coached minors into self-harm. Hurricane Isaias made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane in Destin, Florida, killing at least 9 people. National average gas prices set a record for days above $4 per gallon. The White House announced the date (Dec. 3) of the first U.S. military execution in decades. The execution of Nidal Hasan, the 2009 Fort Hood shooter, will be livestreamed. Social Security announced a 3.6% COLA adjustment for 2027 - the largest in three years. Trump has paused major strikes on Iran until after the elections. The GOP has outspent the Democratic Party by about $400M so far in the 2026 cycle.

STATE Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff faces a no-confidence vote from the faculty. It was found he had prior knowledge of a fraternity sexual assault and did not follow up. Cornell University has banned fraternity parties for the rest of the year. Jury selection begins in the case against the man who killed 10 people in a Buffalo supermarket in 2022. The Plaza Hotel is preparing for a multi-year facade restoration. Former Governor Eliot Spitzer’s (D-Pine Plains) real estate firm faces charges of allegedly overcharging tenants. The controversial pied-à-terre tax collection is lower than expected.

LOCAL Two murals were unveiled this week, transforming Station Yards in Ronkonkoma. A new phase to the development was also started. County Executive Romaine is requesting the Army Corps of Engineers help restore Smith Point beach after erosion from last week’s nor’easter. A Guatemalan national was sentenced to two years for selling THC gummies that hospitalized a dozen William Floyd students. Paul Lucia, of Islip Terrace, pleaded guilty to arson when he set fire to Riley Fibbers pub in East Islip last year. Faces up to 10 years in prison. NYSUT President Melinda Person visited Riverhead to observe a groundbreaking for a pre-K program.

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Smithtown Messenger - Brookhaven Messenger - Islip Messenger - Thursday, October 15, 2026

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Bayport-Blue Point

Football:

A Phantom Menace in Section XI By Ashley Pavlakis The Phantoms are hot this season, finding the end zone more often than not. Bayport-Blue Point is dominating Section XI football in 2026. They are currently undefeated with three games left before the playoff hunt begins. The Bayport-Blue Point varsity football team is a member of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) and competes in Division Four. The Phantoms are led by head coach Mike Zafonte. The tenthyear head coach is joined on the sidelines by assistant coaches Christopher Varley and Michael Gentile. The Phantoms are still burning hot midway through the 2026 varsity football season. Boasting a 5-0-0 record, Bayport has done more than just put wins in the book. BBP has taken it to their opponents this season, outscoring them 165 to 30. Their highest output this season came in a decisive 49-14 win over Hampton Bays. Winning is part of the culture at Bayport, seeing as their trophy case is home to five (four consecutive) Suffolk County titles (‘91, ‘22-’25), and two Long Island titles (‘22, ‘23). The Phantoms have dominated Division Four for the last handful of years. The boys will finish out the regular season during the month of October, with three games left on the docket before playoffs come into play. Their next opponent? The Sayville Golden Flashes. The Golden Flashes are the newest member of Division Four, having dropped down from Division Three this year. Regardless, the two are fierce rivals no matter how they’re formatted. Both squads remain undefeated at 5-0-0, which means someone’s losing their first game of the

season on Friday night. BBP and Sayville will finish the regular season with a game versus each other, Kings Park, and Glenn. Seems fitting to be on the same path to the playoffs; it’s just a matter of who stays on it to the end. Phantoms or Flashes, the two teams have had fairly similar seasons. Touchdowns are the common dominator amongst the two. Sayville has outscored their opponents 207 to 6. Friday’s division matchup will come down to who can play better defense. Defense wins championships, but the ball also has to reach the endzone. We know scoring isn’t an issue for either side; it’s just a matter of who can execute their game plan better. Prior to the season, Patrick Ahern was named to Newsday’s Top 100 football players list. Ahern is an offensive/defensive lineman for the Phantoms. The senior is committed to play football and lacrosse at Cortland next fall. Ahern was a Zellner Award finalist, given annually to the top lineman in Suffolk County. Josh Franchak (junior) is third in Suffolk County in terms of rushing. This season, he’s accounted for 723 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 59 ATTs. Franchak is primarily a running back but will also play at the cornerback position when needed. The Phantoms are one of seven schools in Suffolk County to have a perfect record in 2026. With four divisions, the top two teams in every division except division three have a 5-0-0 record. Varsity football is tough; not many schools can say they haven’t lost a game. Bayport-Blue Point continues to march down the field in dominant fashion. With winning on their minds, we’ll look to see if they can take down their division rival and sour their perfect season.

West Islip Gymnastics Hold Perfect Record into Championships

By Ashley Pavlakis Bars, beams, floor, or vault, the West Islip varsity girls’ gymnastics team is laying it all out this 2026 season. The Lions’ roar is out in full display, and it’s taking section XI by storm. The West Islip girls’ varsity gymnastics team is a member of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) and competes in League I. The Lions are led by eighth-year head coach MaryAnn McGrade. She’s joined by assistant coach Caitlyn Liebman. West Islip boasts a 7-0-0 record with two meets left to go in the regular season. The squad will round out the month of October with meets versus Lindenhurst/West Babylon (3-4-0) and Bay Shore/Islip (1-3-0). The Lions are two-time League I champions, having claimed the title in both 2021 and 2024. Most recently, West Islip finished third overall in the Section XI team championship in 2025. Perhaps their greatest feat this season was notching a win over the Smithtown Bulls, a school that has dominated the sport over the last handful of years. The Lions took the W 172.2 to 167.1. Smithtown has won the last three meetings between the two schools, dating back to the 2023-24 season. West Islip was on a mission this season, and that was to put up their best scores. Three times so far, the Lions have beaten their own school record. First versus Floyd with a 167.975, second over cross-town rival East Islip with a 170.4, and most recently over co-op

Huntington/Harborfields/Whitman/Glenn with a 172.2. Emily Ball is the girl of them all for the Lions this season. Ball is a senior this year, saving the best for last. The sixth-year varsity gymnast has qualified, and competed at States twice, in ‘25 and ‘26. At individual state qualifiers she put a 9.4 score on the board in her floor routine. Ball competes in vault, bars, and floor for the Lions. The Lions set some new personal bests for three members of the squad in their win versus Huntington/Harborfields/Whitman/Glenn. On the beam, Anna Hall notched a 9.425 and Lena Okurowski put up an 8.825. Kayla Scandura recorded a 9.025 on bars. PR’s, individual or group, are always a nice accomplishment to celebrate! Newsday named their top-10 Gymnasts for the 2026 season, and West Islip saw three of their own make the list. Emily Ball, Anna Hall, and Kristen Messina. The latter two are both freshmen, but competed for varsity as eighth graders last season and competed at individual state qualifiers. West Islip is one of two teams in Section XI to have a perfect record this season. At 7-0-0, they lead League I comfortably. Floyd/ESM/Longwood/SWR/MP is the only other team with an undefeated record of 4-0-0 The Lions will close out the regular season at the end of the month with a championship title in mind. Personal records and school bests have pushed this team to a strong season where wins just keep coming.

Smithtown Messenger - Brookhaven Messenger - Islip Messenger - Thursday, October 15, 2026

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