The Times of Middle Country - October 28, 2021

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TIMES of MIDDLE COUNTRY C E N T E R E AC H • S E L D E N • L A K E G R O V E N O R T H

October 28, 2021

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Julianne Mosher

Vol. 17, No. 28

Election Day Guide

Read up on local races before heading to the polls on November 2.

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Time to get New York’s 57th governorhealthy stops by Long Island

Artist of the Month: Patricia Yantz Also: Women’s EXPO returns to Centereach, Shelter Pet of the Week, Cayla’s Column, SBU Sports

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PAGE A2 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • OCTOBER 28, 2021

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OCTOBER 28, 2021 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • PAGE A3

County

Trotta condemns alleged corruption in Suffolk County

BY JULIANNE MOSHER JULIANNE@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga) held a press conference last week, criticizing Democrats over the hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions made by the Suffolk County

Police Benevolent Association.

Trotta made his case Oct. 21 with paperwork and news clips to back up his claims.

This comes less than two weeks before the Nov. 2 election, where he attacked District Attorney Tim Sini (D) and County Executive Steve Bellone (D).

“What we have here is New York State election law that’s being violated over and over again every single day — and it’s costing the taxpayers of this county millions of dollars,” Trotta said.

According to the legislator, “New York State election law is very clear. All campaign contributions must be voluntary. You cannot force an employee to give you money, but that’s exactly what’s happening here in Suffolk County.”

Trotta said that county union employees are being “forced” to give money and cannot get out of doing so.

“They write letters to the district attorney, they write letters to the county executive, the coun-ty comptroller and they don’t stop it,” he said. “And that’s wrong. It corrupts county govern-ment and why does it corrupt county government? Because the unions gain so much power by giving money to certain politicians.

Legislator Rob Trotta presents evidence to support his claims of democrats unlawfully taking money from union workers for their political campaigns. Photos by Julianne Mosher

They can never be beat.”

A retired Suffolk County police officer himself, Trotta is also seeking reelection next week.

He recalled that as an SCPD employee, he approved a $1 per paycheck deduction ($26 a

year) to go to the PBA. However, he said he never authorized additional funds be given to political campaigns.

Trotta also said he is just one of two elected officials in the legislature who do not take money from the police union.

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PAGE A4 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • OCTOBER 28, 2021

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Community News Former RCA Property in Rocky Point to be recognized 100 years after first broadcast

BY JULIANNE MOSHER JULIANNE@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM To commemorate 100 years since its first broadcast, the old RCA property will be recognized next month, with a celebratory luncheon afterwards.

On Nov. 5, the Rocky Point Historical Society and the Long Island Section of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers will unveil a milestone plaque to recognize the achievements at RCA Radio Central in Rocky Point — which first broadcast on Nov. 5, 1921.

It was then that the world’s most powerful transoceanic radio facility at the time, RCA Radio Central, was inaugurated.

Located at Rocky Point and Riverhead, its Alexanderson 220 kW, 18.3 kHz transmitters and beverage long-wire receiving antennas provided reliable worldwide radio communications. It was active until closing in 1978.

A ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. in front of the Marconi Shack at the Frank J. Carasiti School, 90 Rocky Point-Yaphank Road, in Rocky

Point, and the plaque will later be installed in the Rocky Point High School.

The schools are located on what once was RCA property, now the Rocky Point State Forest Preserve.

A luncheon with presentations will follow at Majestic Gardens, 420 Route 25A in Rocky Point, from noon to 3 p.m.

The cost of the luncheon is $40. Checks made payable to RPHS may be sent to PO Box 1720, Rocky Point, NY 11778.

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For more information on the Milestone Program, please log on to the IEEE Global History Network at ieeegh .org.

OCTOBER 28, 2021 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • PAGE A5

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PAGE A6 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • OCTOBER 28, 2021

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Notice of formation of Neu Era Gymnastics LLC. Arts of Org. filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 5/19/2021.

Office location: Suffolk County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail a copy of the process to the LLC: 5 Embassy Rd, Selden NY 11784. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

9. Paul and Jolene Borzell, c/o Andrew Malguarnera, 713 Main Street, Port Jefferson, NY. Location: East side Marshall Dr. 200’ South of King Ave., Selden. Applicant requests front yard setback variance for existing 7.4’ x 14.5’ wood deck with roof over; minimum and total side yard variances for existing enclosed outside cellar entrance; also, side yard variance for existing shed. (0200 44500 0400 018000)

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Notice of formation of Busy Brodericks, L.L.C. Arts of Org. filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on September 14, 2021.

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30. Malik Manzar and Sahar Masood, c/o Mitch Brendle, Integrity Expediting, 1717-F N. Ocean Ave., Medford, NY. Location: Northeast corner Seminole St. and Bart Dr., Selden.

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Notice is hereby given that the fiscal affairs of the Middle Country Public Library for the period beginning on July 1, 2020 and ending on June 30, 2021 have been examined by an independent public accountant and that the report of examination prepared by the Office of the State Comptroller has been filed in the Administration office of the Middle Country Public Library where it is available as a public record for inspection by all interested persons. Pursuant to section thirty-five of the general municipal law, the governing board of the Middle Country Public Library may in its discretion, prepare a written response to the report of external audit and file any such response in the Administration Office of the Middle Country Public Library as a public record for inspection by all interested persons.

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PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF ARTICLE IV, SEC. 85-55 (B) OF THE BUILDING ZONE ORDINANCE OF THE TOWN OF BROOKHAVEN, NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS WILL HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING AT ONE INDEPENDENCE HILL, FARMINGVILLE, N.Y. (AUDITORIUM – 2nd FLOOR), ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2021 COMMENCING AT 2:00 P.M. AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH OPEN MEETINGS LAW, SAID PUBLIC HEARING WILL BE LIVE STREAMED OV E R THE INTERNET AT http:// b r o o k h av e n t o w n ny. i g m 2 . com/Citizens/Default.aspx,

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OCTOBER 28, 2021 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • PAGE A7

ELECTION 2021

PAGE A8 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • OCTOBER 28, 2021

Election 2021

Tim Sini and Ray Tierney butt heads in DA race

BY RITA J. EGAN RITA@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM The race between Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini (D) and prosecutor Ray Tierney, who is running on the Republican and Conservative lines, has been a contentious one.

At the forefront, Tierney has questioned whether Sini has been as tough on crime as the DA himself has said, especially regarding the MS-13 gang.

The two sat down with TBR News Media’s editorial staff Oct. 11 to discuss several issues including the biggest ones facing Suffolk County.

Meet the candidates

Sini was first elected to the DA’s office in 2017 and is running for his second term. His background includes being an assistant attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York where he ultimately specialized in violent crimes, which included prosecuting murder trials.

He went on to serve as Suffolk’s assistant Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini and prosecutor Ray Tierney sit down with the TBR News Media editorial staff to discuss their different approaches. Photos by Rita J. Egan deputy county executive for public safety and was appointed to the county police each year. He said since he’s been in office about results.” case involved three years of wiretapping commissioner position in January of 2016. violent crimes are down by about 30% and He also criticized Sini for the number of investigations. The takedown netted a “I love my job,” Sini said. “I wanted to overall crimes more than 20%. He added times his office has used plea bargaining, multitude of arrests, and Sini said his office year-to-date crime is down 7%. serve in my own backyard.” giving the example of a drug dealer that is now prosecuting the cases and is having a “We’ve been very effective in keeping Sini charged with a top count in 2021. lot of success.

Tierney also grew up in Suffolk County.

The DA said the reason Suffolk safe, and also moving However, he said, a year He began his law career in why many were charged with the criminal justice system in earlier that same dealer was the Suffolk DA’s office under murder conspiracy instead the right direction, but we charged with criminal sale DA James Catterson (R). of murder was because law knew that we had to reform of a controlled substance and The challenging candidate enforcement was able to stop the DA’s office and that’s then allowed to plea. left the DA’s office in 1999 and the killings from happening why I ran initially,” he said. went on to work for a private “If he’s a kingpin in due to the wiretaps used in Weeks before his election 2021, why do you give him firm and returned to the DA’s the investigation.

Sini’s predecessor, former a misdemeanor in 2020?” office in 2002 and remained “Our detectives would go DA Tom Spota (D), was Tierney said. for another six years. out and stop the violence, arrested. Sini said the office He then worked in the Sini said pleading in certain and then we charged the has been reformed in various cases is not unusual, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the defendants in some cases ways. There has also been DA’s office may not have the Eastern District of New York with murder conspiracy,” he the hiring of more than as an assistant attorney for evidence needed in 2020.

—Tim Sini said. “We stopped 10 murders 100 people, an increase in more than 11 years. from happening that way.”

He left the office in 2019 —Ray Tierney diversity and an overhauling MS-13 gang He said the office, of the training program. to become an executive Tierney said Sini talks in addition to murder Tierney disputed Sini’s assistant district attorney in crime statistics saying about the biggest MS-13 gang busts and conspiracy pleas, has received pleas to assault the Kings County District shootings are up in Suffolk County, and asked for defendants’ names, pleas and and criminal possession of weapons, which Attorney’s office where he was in charge of the violent criminal enterprises bureau, crime he wants to use his experience in crime sentences. He also asked why not one was have significant sentences attached to them.

“We’re making a difference in terms of charged with murder. strategies to bring those numbers down. strategies unit and body worn camera unit.

MS-13 on Long Island, there’s no denying “If you have a crime strategies unit, if “Statistics can be manipulated,” Tierney In order to run for Suffolk County DA, Tierney had to leave the Brooklyn office said. “What we’re going to do is we’re going every two weeks you’re letting the statistics that,” Sini said. “And it’s not just the DA’s come out the stats will speak for themselves,” office, and we’re not suggesting otherwise. and is currently Suffolk Regional Off- to index the crimes.”

It’s a collaborative effort from the local the prosecutor said.

Tierney has criticized Sini’s approach Track Betting Corp.’s chief counsel for Tierney said doing so is an example police department, all the way up to our during his campaign. He said the DA’s office compliance and enforcement. will announce numerous indictments via press of being independent from the police and federal government.”

Tierney said there were 46 gang releases but he said the office doesn’t send out county executive.

Statistics Sini said his office has been part of one members on the indictment, and each one as many announcements about convictions.

Sini said crime since he became police “I don’t dispute for a fact that he has very of the largest MS-13 takedowns, where 96 was responsible for two murders, which CONTINUED ON A9 commissioner and even as DA has gone down splashy arrests,” Tierney said. “I’m talking people were indicted in one county. The

‘Statistics can be manipulated.

What we’re going to do is we’re going to index the crimes.’

‘We’re making a difference in terms of MS-13 on Long Island, there’s no denying that.’

OCTOBER 28, 2021 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • PAGE A9

SINI/TIERNEY Continued from A8

Sini interrupted and said it was murder conspiracy.

“Now he said he thwarted 10 murders,” Tierney said. “Now how exactly did he thwart those 10 murders? By arresting them?

Well, the manner in which he arrested them was, he had this big splashy takedown after two years and then he arrested all 96 at once.

So, in order for that statement to be true, that would have meant that as he prepared his press release, as he called all the media, as he got everything all ready for the takedown, the night before 10 murders became apparent.

And then he took those individuals down.”

Tierney said he has a problem with that style as “that’s not how it works when we do our MS-13 indictments.”

“We take them down as soon as possible,” he said. “We don’t care about the indictment.

We care about the results, and you can’t thwart 10 murder conspiracies, all at once, it’s an impossibility. There’s no way that 10

murder conspiracies come to fruition at the exact date of the takedown.”

Tierney said Sini seals his cases because he doesn’t want the public to see the plea bargains that he has given.

Sini said that was false since indictments are public, except for certain cases that may need to be sealed due to cooperators or under certain circumstances, and it’s appropriate to do so.

Drug epidemic

Sini said the drug epidemic has been one of the most significant public safety problems for more than a decade. He said the approach is investing in prevention, treatment, recovery and law enforcement.

“Law enforcement even plays a role in treatment, too, because you can create and implement diversion programs, where you get low-level offenders who are suffering from addiction into treatment programs,” he said.

He added drug offenders also need to be aggressively investigated and prosecuted.

“We’ve done that,” he said. “I’ll give you two examples, both in terms of bringing operators and major trafficker charges the top felony counts, these are significant prosecutions, and we’re leading the state on doing that.”

He said the sentences can be 25 years to life.

Tierney said he feels the most significant public safety problem is the rise of crime in the county, whether gun violence or the opioid epidemic.

He added it’s important to keep an eye on the U.S. southern border as powder fentanyl is being brought into the country. The powder form is sprinkled into cocaine unbeknownst to the buyer.

Summing up

Sini said that Tierney has criticized him for not having as much trial experience as he, and said that’s just an issue of age, since he is younger than the challenger. The DA said that while prosecuting is part of the job there is more to it.

“We’re running to be a CEO of a major

law firm,” he said. “I have significant managerial experience with a track record.

He has zero.”

Sini said he believes his office has done “great work on a number of different fronts,” and he’s running on his record.

“We brought some of the most significant cases in the region on a variety of public safety fronts — the drug epidemic, gang violence, human trafficking, environmental crime.”

Tierney said he never thought he would get involved in the political process.

“I think what we’re seeing is our leadership is gaslighting us,” he said. “We’re being told everything’s great, everything’s wonderful. They are talking points.”

Tierney said the main function of the office is to prosecute.

“We are dismissing cases,” he said. “We’re not indicting cases. This is the management of the office, but to say you’re a CEO and a manager’s office, it is the prosecutor’s office.

We need someone to prosecute those cases.”

The winner of the DA race will hold office for the next four years.

Passion for Brookhaven’s town clerk post ignites as Lent and Costell debate

BY KIMBERLY BROWN KIMBERLY@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM TBR News spoke with Town Clerk Donna Lent (R) and Ira Costell (D) over Zoom on Monday. They will be running against each other as the election for town clerk for the Town of Brookhaven approaches quickly.

Lent, who is serving her second term as town clerk, has managed day-to-day operations such as issuing death certificates and handicap parking permits, while land-use applications are filed within the office.

There are three divisions — licensing, registrar and administrative units — in her department alone, and on some days, Lent says up to 200 people will come into the office.

After extensive training, Lent was certified as a registered municipal clerk by the New York State Town Clerks Association in 2017, but before entering public service, she worked as a law office manager and was a small business owner.

Her opponent, Costell, has taken leadership roles in environmental causes such as the Suffolk County Watershed Protection Advisory Committee and served as chair of the county’s Pine Barrens Review Commission.

He has been passionate about the fight against opioid addiction and prescription drug abuse.

Costell is a New York State-certified addiction and recovery coach and has been involved in various recovery committees.

The two opponents came to TBR News Media’s offices to debate their opinions on whose ideas would be best suitable for the town clerk’s position.

The concern of making Freedom of Information Law appeals more accessible to

Incumbent Brookhaven Town Clerk Donna Lent is running against Democrat Ira Costell.

Lent photo from Town of Brookhaven, Costell photo from Costell

the public is something that Costell said he will actively work on if elected. His main argument is that residents of Brookhaven have been left in the dark when it comes to requesting information from the Town Clerk’s Office.

However, Lent said if materials or records are not able to be provided, there is a reason as to why not.

“They probably haven’t asked for the records correctly, we are not required to create records for them, we only have to provide what is already existing,” she said. “Sometimes people don’t search thoroughly because there was an aspect of something they weren’t unaware of that we were able to shed light on.”

Rebutting Lent’s argument, Costell said he had very serious questions about the FOIL process as there were nearly 14,000 requests last

year in the town’s Law Department.

“I would like to work as part of that process for an audit to figure out how we can streamline that process,” he said.

Costell feels the information on the town’s website is not readily available to residents.

“When initiating a public hearing notice on the town’s website, the information about the hearing is not connected to the notice, so residents don’t always know about the particulars of what’s being proposed in the public hearing,” he said.

Lent said the Town Clerk’s Office does the public hearing notices, which are readily available on the website as soon as they go up. However, the town clerk does not make the determination on what needs to get posted because the notice is from what the Law

Department already drafted.

“It is incumbent upon the clerk in my belief, to coordinate and collaborate, not to just handle a piece of paper and move it on to the next level,” Costell said.

In regards to communicating with the Town of Brookhaven, he said the software the office is using should be able to have direct sign-ups for people who are interested in a particular issue so people from various areas do not have to rely on someone from a different town to tell them there’s a hearing related to something they are interested in.

However, Lent said there is a sign-up system within civic clerks for alerts and areas of topic.

She noted that residents can call her office to be added to get notifications as well.

Costell believes that the Town Clerk’s Office should have more outreach to the public on a quarterly basis by using town facilities such as senior centers and recreational programs, to help residents navigate the online services or to assist communities that don’t have access to broadband.

“We have been improving that process, that’s why we changed our software system last February,” Lent said. “There has been a period of adjustment for residents that were accustomed to finding documents within the old system, but if you use the search bar at the top it will take you to whatever you are looking for.”

Disagreeing with Lent, Costell said he thinks the website is hard to navigate and should have the option to be translated to Spanish.

Lent feels her opponent will be biting off more than he can chew if elected as town clerk.

“Everyone has hopes dreams and aspirations of what a job may be like, but it’s not until you get into the job that you have to face the reality of day-to-day operations and restrictions,” Lent said.

PAGE A10 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • OCTOBER 28, 2021

Election 2021

Sheriff Toulon speaks on staffing shortage among COVID challenges

BY KYLE BARR DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM Errol Toulon Jr. (D) is running again for his seat as the Suffolk County sheriff with the hope to continue his efforts providing aid services for nonviolent inmates alongside the office’s law enforcement work with gangs and sex trafficking.

Toulon’s opponent, William Amato, who is running on the Republican ticket, did not respond to multiple requests for a debate with TBR staff. The Suffolk County GOP office confirmed Amato is not actively campaigning.

Toulon, who has cross-party endorsements from both the Suffolk Democratic and Conservative parties, said his job as head of his department is “to take the brunt of everything, good and bad. And during these real challenging times, I have to ask, ‘How do I keep my staff calm, how do I keep them safe, how do I feel like they’re still valued?’” And compared to his previous positions in corrections, his current job gives him a satisfaction he hasn’t had before.

“I have a job now that directly impacts the community that I live and work in,” he said.

The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office is the law enforcement branch dedicated to managing Suffolk’s jail system. Along with handling inmate populations, the office’s sheriff deputies are responsible for patrolling roadways alongside Suffolk County Police Department, investigating crimes committed on county property as well as managing the Pine Barrens protection hotline. The Sheriff’s Office also contains several specialized bureaus and sections for emergency management, DWI enforcement, domestic violence, among others.

Toulon, a former Rikers Island officer and captain, was voted into his first four-year term as sheriff in 2017 and was the first Black man elected to the role in the county’s history. Over those four years, his office has been involved with several high-profile drug and gang investigations, which included fact-finding trips to El Salvador and Los Angeles to investigate the connections of MS-13 to Long Island. He is proud of his office’s accomplishments, including his work with the office’s human trafficking unit and the creation of the START Resource Center, which provides inmates leaving county jails with employment and housing assistance as well as drug treatment and mental health care services.

But the year 2020 would throw a monkey wrench into all best-laid plans. Toulon said last year started out rough with the change to New York’s bail reform laws. Then the COVID-19 pandemic created a host of new challenges, especially safeguarding prison populations as well as corrections officers.

During COVID’s height, officers kept inmates largely separated, which resulted in a minimal

Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr., above, will be running for his second term this November. His opponent William Amato is not actively campaigning. Photo from Toulon’s office

number of reported cases in Suffolk jails. Still, the year did have its share of tragedies, including the loss of Investigator Sgt. Keith Allison, a 25year veteran of the office who died from issues relating to the virus in December. Recently, the Sheriff’s Office had to cancel its open house and family day due to staff shortages and the spread of the Delta variant. The sheriff’s website reports that, in September, 29 inmates tested positive for COVID, where 26 of those reportedly contracted the virus while in jail. Inmates are required to quarantine in a special housing pod for 14 days before being moved to general housing. Staff must take temperature checks and wear masks when coming into the facilities.

And all these extra protections have exacerbated current staffing shortages. Toulon said the Sheriff’s Office is currently down around 180 corrections officers and 43 sheriff’s deputies.

The recruitment struggle is one felt across many industries, law enforcement not excluded, though Toulon said his office has a uniquely difficult time getting people to apply, to have applicants pass the required tests and then to keep them on after they’ve had a taste of what can be a trying job at times. The challenge

in recruiting is partially due to what he said has been a degradation of trust between law enforcement and the community since the start of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.

The Suffolk sheriff has also seen more senior officers retire because of health concerns during the pandemic, and because of COVID they were not able to host any new police classes last year.

Though there are currently over 1,700 people who are ready to take the next law enforcement exam in November, the expected acceptance rate is normally around just 15% to 20%, Toulon said. This lack of staff also has the effect of increasing required overtime for current officers, leading to faster burnout.

“Sometimes, even when you get through the entire process and they have their first days in a jail when they’re working a lot of overtime, having to deal with inmates … it becomes challenging on the individual, especially someone that’s not used to it,” the sheriff said.

It’s another stress on a system that he said requires more financial help to truly give aid to the transient, nonviolent jail populations who need it. Toulon would like to see more psychologists and psychiatrists within the jail

providing counseling, though there’s currently no budget for it.

“The mental health institutions throughout New York state were closed in the 1980s or 1990s, and so these individuals are winding up in jail, but [state government] never funded the jails,” he said. “The staffing model for the Sheriff’s Office was really from a 1960s or ’70s version, and it hasn’t been updated to what we need to do to address the particular individuals in our custody.”

Though the sheriff said their new initiatives have not increased the office’s budget, he is still banging the drum for more funding. Suffolk County reportedly received approximately $286 million in aid from the federal American Rescue Plan back in May, though Toulon said they have not received any percentage of those funds.

County spokesperson Derek Poppe said in an email that no ARP money is slated to go to the sheriff’s department.

Challenges still exist for Suffolk jails due to the pandemic. Corrections officers are still required to wear masks on their shifts. At the same time, only around 40% of corrections officers are currently vaccinated. There is no legal requirement for Suffolk law enforcement to be vaccinated in order to work, and while Toulon is fully vaccinated, he said he told his staff to consult their primary care physicians to make that determination.

“I understand it’s an individual’s choice at the moment,” he said.

The number of people incarcerated in Suffolk jails hovers around 780, according to the sheriff, though that population is transient, and can change from day to day. The Sheriff’s Office, through the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, has tried to provide vaccinations for its inmates, leading to around 350 so far.

Still, only approximately 30% to 40% of that jail population is currently vaccinated. “All we can do is just try to encourage the inmates to at least receive the vaccine — hopefully help them learn a little bit more if they’re a little skeptical before making that decision,” he said.

As for the future, the sheriff said he wants to work hard to make sure that the majority of the inmate population — all those who are nonviolent and not a danger to the community — receive the social services they need.

“Everybody should be held accountable for their actions, I should be very clear on that, and [incarceration] is necessary for those who would do harm to be removed from society,” Toulon said. “But those men and women that are going through domestic violence, substance abuse — we have many victims of human trafficking that are in our custody, many females that we’re working with — we want to help them, empower them so that they can support themselves and support their families.”

OCTOBER 28, 2021 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • PAGE A11

Election 2021

Incumbent Nick Caracappa faces Dawn Sharrock for District 4

and it’s very big shoes to fill.”

His opponent, Dawn Sharrock, running on the Democratic Party line, has spent the last six years on the same school board, which includes serving as chairperson of the legislative committee.

The 46-year-old mother of two high schoolaged girls has lived in Selden with her husband for 19 years.

Sharrock is also on the executive committee of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association —serving as chair of its finance committee — and is a board member of Reform Educational Financing Inequities Today, a

consortium of school districts supporting equitable school funding.

“That’s really what is the catalyst to have me sitting here before you and wanting to run for county legislator,” she said during TBR News Media’s in-person debate last week. “It’s been my leadership on that committee, and the things that I was able to accomplish with working with elected officials on both sides of the aisle, that helped to get legislation passed.”

One of her greatest accomplishments, she said, was her help with getting swing-arm cameras onto school buses.

“I was instrumental in getting that legislation passed,” she said, noting that she helped work alongside both state and county officials to get the resolution passed.

COVID-19 and small business Sharrock said that the COVID-19 pandemic divided the community and believes that it “has been politicized a lot.”

“I think as an effective leader, you are someone who has to bring people to the middle, and if you’re not doing that, you’re not being effective in the job that you’re in,” she said.

A main concern is small businesses which suffered during the pandemic.

“We have to make sure that is something when we come to the table, we are remembering that small businesses, along with union jobs, they’re the backbone of our communities,” she added. “That doesn’t mean we don’t need big corporations, and that they’re not also beneficial to our communities, but the small businesses in particular, we really need to make sure that they’re able to strive and they’re able to continue.”

Sharrock believes that the county needs to do better budgeting, and make sure that grants are available from the federal level. She wants to make sure that “money is going where it is supposed to.”

Caracappa, a small business owner himself, agreed and noted that there were certain businesses across the country receiving PPP Continued on A18

COVID-19 Kennedy said the last two years have been tough dealing with the issues the pandemic has presented as well as the restrictions that went along with it to curb the virus. She said the changing rules made it challenging.

“It created all sorts of new issues,” she said.

The former nurse said she believes in wearing masks and getting vaccinated, but she did take issue with the state’s shutdown orders of businesses. The legislator and her office staff were busy earlier in the year helping residents get immunized when it was first difficult to find appointments. She said they secured more than 500 vaccination appointments.

“I think that our purpose should be to aid and assist human beings and not to torture them,” she said.

She also said she is concerned with some of the anti-mask and anti-vaccine rallies and some of the information and arguments that are out there, even though she respects everyone’s rights to express their concerns and opinions.

“They have the right to their opinions, but let me tell you my opinion and how I feel the way

I do,” she said. “And then you can keep your opinion or you can think about mine.”

Legislative bills She said regarding sponsoring bills she chooses wisely.

“I tried to put in a limited amount of bills and just do more government,” she said.

She is most proud of her initiatives that have helped preserve land, and the legislator said it’s important to get out there and meet with all of the people involved and discuss all the options with them.

An example of her preservation efforts is the 2018 acquisition and preservation of the Hauppauge Springs that she led along with Seatuck Environmental Association. The 42acre property is located on the south side of Route 347 in Hauppauge and there had been a builder interested in constructing eight houses on land at part of one of the headwaters of the Nissequogue River.

Kennedy said she made sure to meet with both the owner of the property and the builder’s lawyer. It was an issue the county legislator was extremely familiar with, as she said it was on the

county’s list of environmentally sensitive priority properties for more than 20 years.

“Putting up those houses would have been the end of the Nissequogue River,” she said, adding waste from them would go into the headwaters.

County budget With more money coming the county’s way in 2022 due to COVID-19 aid, Kennedy said she agrees with paying off pension debts and other monies the county borrowed. However, she said Suffolk should also save as much as possible because she fears it will run out of funds by 2023.

“I would love to give everybody who wants things everything, but we can’t,” she said.

The 12th Legislative District includes Smithtown, Nesconset, Hauppauge, the Village of the Branch, Lake Grove and parts of St. James, Commack, Lake Ronkonkoma and Centereach.

The district is bounded roughly by Route 25 to the north, Commack Road to the west, Townline Road to the south, and Oxhead Road to the east, with Veterans Memorial Highway running through the heart of the district northwest to southeast.

BY JULIANNE MOSHER JULIANNE@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

County Legislator Nick Caracappa (R-Selden) is on the ballot again to keep his seat for the 4th District.

After winning his seat in a special election following the death of Legislator Tom Muratore (R-Ronkonkoma) in 2020, the 54-year-old father of five said he is “here for the people.”

“No one advocates harder than I do for the hardworking middle class,” he said.

Previously, Caracappa was president of Local 393 Utility Workers Union of America and served as a trustee of the utility union’s national executive board. He worked for the Suffolk County Water Authority in maintenance for 34 years and was on the Middle Country school board for seven years.

“I’ve been involved with my community since my first child was born,” he said. “I asked myself right away, ‘How can I make my family, my children’s lives better, while at the same time making my community better?’”

And it’s been a family affair for Caracappa.

His mother, the late Rose Caracappa, was a county legislator and community advocate throughout most of his life.

“She’s the reason I’m sitting here today,” he said. “Seeing her service really struck a chord with me at a young age — I’m so thankful I had that opportunity. I wouldn’t know the value of giving back to the community the way she did

Legislator Nick Caracappa and Dawn Sharrock during TBR News Media’s in-person debate on Oct. 22.

Photos by Julianne Mosher

Leslie Kennedy looks toward next term as Democratic opponent stops campaigning

BY RITA J. EGAN RITA@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM For the past six years, Suffolk County Legislator Leslie Kennedy (R-Nesconset) has represented Legislative District 12, which includes the southern section of the Town of Smithtown and western Brookhaven. This year she is running once again, and while Mike Siderakis will be listed as the Democratic candidate come election day, the candidate who ran unsuccessfully for state senator against Mario Mattera (R-St. James) last year stopped actively campaigning this summer.

Before taking on the role of county legislator, Kennedy worked for 13 years as a legislative aide for Donald Blydenburgh (R-Smithtown) and her husband John Kennedy Jr. (R-Nesconset), who for the last six years has been Suffolk County comptroller. When her husband won his bid for the comptroller’s seat, she stepped into his former position in a special election six months before she had to run again.

“I love my job,” Kennedy said during a recent phone interview with TBR News Media.

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PAGE A12 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • OCTOBER 28, 2021

Election 2021– Sample Ballot 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

9

8

County Court Judge

Justice of the Supreme Court 10th Judicial District

OFFICE

(Vote for up to Eight)

Democratic

A Republican

B Conservative

C

(Vote for One)

10

11

Family Court Judge

12

13

District Attorney

(Vote for up to Two)

14

Sheriff

(Vote for One)

(Vote for One)

15

16

County Legislator

District Court Judge

(Vote for One)

(Vote for up to Two)

(4th District)

(6th District)

(Vote for One)

Democratic

Democratic

Democratic

Democratic

Democratic

Democratic

Democratic

Democratic

Democratic

Democratic

Democratic

Democratic

Democratic

Democratic

Democratic

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

12

13

14

15

16

Timothy S Driscoll

Susan B Heckman

Vito M DeStefano

Christopher Conrad D Modelewski Singer

Danielle M Peterson

Eileen Daly Sapraicone

Elizabeth Steven A FoxMcDonough Pilewski

Mary E Porter

Timothy D Sini

Errol D Toulon Jr

Dawn Marie Sharrock

Stephen L Ukeiley

Republican

Republican

Republican

Republican

Republican

Republican

Republican

Republican

Republican

Republican

Republican

Republican

Republican

Republican

Republican

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

Susan B Heckman

Vito M DeStefano

Christopher Conrad D Modelewski Singer

Danielle M Peterson

Eileen Daly Sapraicone

Elizabeth Steven A FoxMcDonough Pilewski

Mary E Porter

Alfred C Graf

Raymond A William Tierney Amato

Nicholas J Caracappa

Stephen L Ukeiley

Conservative

Conservative

Conservative

Conservative

Conservative

Conservative

Conservative

Conservative

Conservative

Conservative

Conservative

Conservative

Conservative

Conservative

Conservative

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

Susan B Heckman

Vito M DeStefano

Christopher Conrad D Modelewski Singer

Danielle M Peterson

Eileen Daly Sapraicone

Elizabeth Steven A FoxMcDonough Pilewski

Mary E Porter

Alfred C Graf

Raymond A Errol D Tierney Toulon Jr

Ira P Costell Republican 17

Karen M Wilutis

Conservative

Timothy S Driscoll

Democratic 17

Karen M Wilutis

Republican

Timothy S Driscoll

17

Town Clerk

Donna Lent Conservative 17

Nicholas J Caracappa

Stephen L Ukeiley

Karen M Wilutis

Donna Lent

Write-in

Write-in

Write-in

Write-in

Keep Crime Low 12

Keep Crime Low

Timothy D Sini

E

Write-in

Write-in

Write-in

Write-in

Write-in

Write-in

Write-in

Write-in

Write-in

Write-in

Write-in

Write-in

Write-in

Write-in

Official Ballot for the General Election County of SUFFOLK - November 02, 2021 PR OPO4SAL ONE, AN AMENDMENT LD# Amending the Apportionment and Redistricting Process Brookhaven E.D.(s): 13

Commissioners Board of Elections

This proposed constitutional amendment would freeze the number of state senators at 63, amend the process for the counting of the state's population, delete certain provisions that violate the United States Constitution, repeal, and amend certain requirements for the appointment of the co-executive directors of the redistricting commission and amend the manner of drawing district lines for congressional and state legislative offices. Shall the proposed amendment be approved?

Yes

PROPOSAL TWO, AN AMENDMENT Right to Clean Air, Clean Water, and a Healthful Environment

PROPOSAL THREE, AN AMENDMENT PRside OPOSAL FOUR, AN AMENDMENT Eliminating Ten-Day-AdvanceSee VotInstructions er Registration on the other Authorizing No-Excuse Absentee Ballot Voting Requirement

The proposed amendment to Article 1 of the New York Constitution would establish the right of each person to clean air and water and a healthful environment. Shall the proposed amendment be approved?

The proposed amendment would delete the current requirement in Article 2, § 5 that a citizen be registered to vote at least ten days before an election and would allow the Legislature to enact laws permitting a citizen to register to vote less than ten days before the election.

Shall the proposed amendment be approved?

No

R E,N EA,A A M D M PRPORP PO OPO SOP ASO LAS TLA HTLRHT ERH EER ,E A NE DNE MDNEM NE TNETNT NAMN AEM nT ge ny-aD yv-a neo cV e orteeR EliE mliE n tin n -T D Aya d-A cve teoV rteR gre iR sgterisagttiriso mlaim n aing tianTtgie nea -D dAn vda nacV atn triaotnion rnee ReR qe uRq ireu eqim tmnet nt rueeim

Yes

R O U,N RA,A A M D M PRPORP PO OPO SOP ASO LAS FLA OFLUOF RU ,R A NE DNE MDNEM NE TNETNT NAMN AEM izNginoN g-EoNx-E o -xEscxe ueb sA e e loV AuA thuA oth ruio zthirniozgrin cu se tesnetenBete aB lloaBtlla Vlto ttin ucsA bAn sbe o oVg tiontging

No

Yes

No

The proposed amendment would delete from the current provision on absentee ballots the requirement that an absentee voter must be unable to appear at the polls by reason of absence from the county or illness or physical disability. Shall the proposed amendment be approved?

Yes

No

R F, E IA V,N EA,A A M D M PRPORP PO OPO SOP ASO LAS FLA IVFLE NE DNE MDNEM NE TNETNT IV NAMN AEM eweNY yilivCilivil IncIrnecIanre sciarnesgainstg hinetghJetuhrJeiu sJd tnhf eothfNetheN rkoYrCkoirtC ykiC riuiscrdtisiocdn ticootnifoo weow Y tyivtC CoC uo rC tuorturt

he New York The The proposed amendment would delete the current The proposed amendment would delete from The proposed amendment would increase the New ew York The proposed amendment would increase thethe New The proposed amendment would delete from thethethe proposed amendment would delete thethe current New York The proposed amendment would delete current The proposed amendment would increase New The proposed amendment would delete from ach person requirement Article 5 athat a citizen be registered current provision on absentee ballots the requirementYork York City Civil Court's jurisdiction by allowing it to hear to to to requirement City Civil Court's jurisdiction byby allowing it to hear provision onon absentee ballots thethe requirement in Article 2, 2, § 52, citizen bebe registered to to tocurrent herson person requirement in in Article § that 5§ that a citizen registered York City Civil Court's jurisdiction allowing it to hear current provision absentee ballots requirement nment.

Shall vote at least ten days before an election and would allowthat that an absentee voter must be unable to appear and decide claims for to $50,000 instead t. Shall thethethe decide claims forfor up toup $50,000 instead of of theof an absentee voter must bebe unable to to appear at at at and vote at at least tenten days before anan election and would allow ent.

Shall vote least days before election and would allow and decide claims up to $50,000 instead thethe that an absentee voter must unable appear the Legislature to enact laws permitting a citizen to the polls by reason of absence from the county or current jurisdictional limit of $25,000.

Shall the current jurisdictional limit of of $25,000.

Shall thethe thethe polls byby reason of of absence from thethe county or or thethe Legislature to to enact laws permitting a citizen to to Legislature enact laws permitting a citizen current jurisdictional limit $25,000.

Shall polls reason absence from county register to vote less than ten days before the election. illness illness or physical disability.

Shall the proposed proposed amendment be approved? proposed amendment bebe approved? or or physical disability.

Shall thethe proposed register to to vote less than tenten days before thethe election. register vote less than days before election. proposed amendment approved? illness physical disability.

Shall proposed Shall the proposed amendment be approved? amendment be approved? amendment bebe approved?

Shall thethe proposed amendment bebe approved?

Shall proposed amendment approved? amendment approved?

Yes NoNoNo Yes Yes

Yes Yes Yes

NoNoNo

Yes Yes Yes

NoNoNo

309309309

Instructions   

Mark the oval to the above/left of the name of your choice.

To vote for a candidate whose name is not printed on the ballot, print the name clearly in the box labeled 'write-in', staying within the box.

Any mark or writing outside the spaces provided for voting may void the entire ballot.

 

Instructions for Voting on Questions and Proposals

The number of choices is listed for each contest. Do not mark the ballot for  more candidates than allowed. If you do, your vote in that contest will not  count.

If you make a mistake, or want to change your vote, ask a poll worker for a new ballot.

Reme both s

To vote on a question or proposal, mark the oval below your choice.

If you make a mistake, or want to change your vote, ask a poll worker for a new ballot.

OCTOBER 28, 2021 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • PAGE A13

DISTRICT ATTORNEY TIM SINI:

A PROVEN Leader with the Experience We Need to Protect Suffolk County December 21, 2019

Historic Takedown: MS-13 Arrests Deal Blow to Gang Leadership on Long Island

August 31, 2021

Suffolk County has aggressively pushed to hold dealers accountable for overdose deaths

April 23, 2021

PROTECTING SUFFOLK COUNTY 4 DISMANTLING MS-13 4 TAKING ON THE OPIOID CRISIS 4 OPPOSES BAIL REFORM 4 PROTECTING OUR DRINKING WATER FROM POLLUTERS ELECTION DAY

November 2

Suffolk DA, Water Authority Join Forces To Target Drinking Water Pollution

TimSini.com

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PROUDLY ENDORSED BY SUFFOLK COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT

VOTE EARLY

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PAGE A14 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • OCTOBER 28, 2021

County

Bellone tests positive for COVID-19

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) tested positive for COVID-19.

The County Executive, who is vaccinated and has been observing mask mandates, is unsure of how he contracted the virus.

Bellone has mild symptoms and is currently not receiving any medical treatment.

“I hope this serves as a reminder to all residents that while we are making incredible progress in the war against COVID-19, we are not done just yet,” Bellone said in a statement. “I encourage anyone who is eligible to receive their booster shot to do so.”

At this point, no other members of his office staff or his family has tested positive. Bellone said he feels in “good health and spirits,” according to the statement. He will continue to carry out the duties of the County Executive.

Meanwhile, the percentage of positive tests on a seven-day average in Suffolk County fell below 3% on Oct. 20, dropping to 2.9%, according to the Suffolk County Department of Health.

Local health care providers have been

encouraged by the overall decline in positive tests, which they attribute in part to ongoing vaccination efforts.

The Food and Drug Administration provided emergency use authorization for the Moderna booster for a specific groups of people who were fully vaccinated at least six months ago.

Those groups include: people 65 years and older; people 18 through 64 who are considered at high risk; and people 18 through 64 with occupational exposure.

The FDA also approved the use of a single booster dose for people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago.

The FDA also allowed a mix and match approach to boosters, authorizing those who received one type of vaccination to choose a different booster. Local health care providers said studies have shown that people who received the J&J vaccine had a higher antibody response after receiving a Moderna booster.

“The available data suggest waning immunity in some populations who are fully vaccinated,” Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodccock said in a statement. “The availability of those authorized boosters is important for continued

“What’s My

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. File photo by Rita J. Egan

protection against COVID-19 disease.”

Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research said the FDA would gather additional data as quickly as possible to assess the benefits and risks of the us of booster doses in additional populations and plans to update the healthcare community and the public in the coming weeks.

For more information on vaccines in the area, residents can go to suffolkcountyny.gov/vaccine.

The web site also includes answers to frequently asked questions, such as: what

are the side effects after I get the COVID-19 vaccine, is it safe to get a COVID-19 vaccine if I have an underlying medical condition, and what should I do if I am exposed to COVID-19 after being vaccinated.

Early in the pandemic, Bellone remained in quarantine and managed his responsibilities from home after Deputy County Executive Peter Scully tested positive for the virus. Bellone didn’t test positive at that point, although he, like so many others in the early days of the disease, waited days for the results of his COVID test.

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OCTOBER 28, 2021 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • PAGE A15

Law Office of Tara A. Scully, P.C. Providing a holistic approach to legal counseling regarding matters including:

Photos by Julianne Mosher

BY JULIANNE MOSHER JULIANNE@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

On Saturday, Oct. 23, the Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce teamed up with local health care providers for their 12th annual Health and Wellness Fest.

According to Barbara Ransome, director of operations with the chamber, the fair is usually held at Port Jefferson High School — but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was moved to a new venue, The Meadow Club, located at 1147 Route 112 in Port Jefferson Station.

“We’re very happy to have the event after not having it for one year,” she added. “The new venue is working out great and it could be a new tradition for us.”

The purpose of the Port Jeff Health and Wellness Fest is to promote good health to all in the local areas of Port Jefferson by providing important information for all of one’s health and wellness needs.

Ransome said that over 50 vendors participated this year, including Stony Brook Medicine, Catholic Health, Northwell Health, New York Cancer & Blood Specialists and other chamber partners.

Stony Brook University students with Music and Medicine performed songs for visitors throughout the event.

“I’m very pleased,” she said.

Little ones who came with family members were able to trick-or-treat out of cars and received other goodies from the vendors, some who were in costume.

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PAGE A16 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • OCTOBER 28, 2021

University

Maurie McInnis is inaugurated as Stony Brook University’s sixth president

BY KIMBERLY BROWN KIMBERLY@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM Stony Brook University celebrated the inauguration of Maurie McInnis as the university’s sixth president on Saturday, Oct. 23, at the Island Federal Arena, Stony Brook.

Standing before students, alumni, local officials and representatives from universities across the country as well as family and friends, McInnis was proudly given her title as president.

Transporting the crowd back to 1962, when Stony Brook University was merely a handful of buildings that has sprouted out of a field where potatoes were farmed, McInnis said the 800 students who first began their journey at the university would know that big plans were in the works.

“Out of these potato fields and muddy woods on Long Island, an educational powerhouse would soon emerge, and in less than a decade our university grew ten-fold to 8,000 students and ambitiously recruited the faculty and staff that would come to define this institution,” McInnis said.

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Chen Ning Yang came to Stony Brook in 1965 and became the university’s first director of the Institute of Theoretical Physics. To which McInnis said he

must have sensed the university was making big moves and breaking new ground in areas of science.

“Looking around the arena today, I see that same bold spirit that attracted Yang and legions of other distinguished faculty,” she said. “Thank you for joining me as we celebrate the luminous and ambitious future of Stony Brook University.”

McInnis thanked the crowd for trusting her to lead the institution.

Also touching on her own family’s heritage, which is rich in careers of education, she mentioned her great-grandparents and grandparents were both teachers. Her parents were also college professors and her husband is a first-generation college graduate.

“I have dedicated my life’s work to this enterprise and I am thrilled and honored to apply my knowledge, experience and energy to Stony Brook University,” she said. “What I have learned is that our institution yesterday, today and tomorrow is a university of dreaming big, of expanding the reach of discovery and creating knowledge for the benefit of society.”

In 1973, the university welcomed Rich Gelfond, who came from a disadvantaged household in Plainview.

Stepping foot onto the campus for the first time as a college student, Gelfond went full

force in his academics by working on the school newspaper, designing his own curriculum, winning an election to be the first student on the university council as well as guest teaching at his own sports sociology class.

“He was delivering on his potential, and then some, because he had found a university that valued the promise of first-generation college students,” she said. “He had found a university that wanted to empower its students to be their best.”

McInnis said after college, Gelfond went on to be a successful investment banker, acquiring IMAX Corporation in 1994 where he remains CEO today.

Touching on the topic of COVID-19, McInnis said she is proud of the way Stony Brook University has succeeded in the past year and a half by providing superior patient care and extending its reach across Long Island to care for new communities.

“The power of a public research university is that it has the ability and the duty to benefit the community around it, as well as foster the groundbreaking discoveries that can impact the world for generations to come,” she said.

As the university’s newest president, McInnis wants to ensure that Stony Brook is leading the way, serving the community and

Photo by Kimberly Brown

tackling the global challenges that face us in the coming century.

“I look forward to seeing all that we can achieve,” she said. “The moment is upon us.

Seawolves, let’s answer this call to greatness.”

As chief executive for Stony Brook, McInnis also oversees Stony Brook Medicine, Long Island’s premier academic medical center, which encompasses five health sciences schools, four hospitals and 200 communitybased health care settings.

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OCTOBER 28, 2021 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • PAGE A17

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PAGE A18 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • OCTOBER 28, 2021

Debate

Continued from A11 money that were not qualified.

“I think we need to have watchdog groups,” he said. “We need to make sure that there are advisories that are making sure that this money is being used where it was intended to be used for.”

He added that small businesses need to thrive in his district because they help grow the economy.

“The people that own the smaller businesses live within that community, as well,” he said.

“So they’re giving back to that economy, they’re helping grow that economy, they’re very much active within that community and the schools.”

In the 4th District, Caracappa said that the ratio of big business to small business is greater for the small businesses — even the franchises along Route 25, which are owned by local families.

“Our district represents probably a core of hardworking middle-class families more than anything else,” he said, adding that over the last year he has worked alongside the Town of Brookhaven, the local chambers of commerce and the IDA to help develop the area.

The two runners butt heads when it came to discussion of vaccines: Sharrock believes that the well-being of the community is important, and criticized Caracappa for holding an “antimandate” rally earlier this month in support of industry workers who are being let go of their jobs for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine.

Caracappa is vaccinated, himself, as are his family and staff.

“I would never say do not get vaccinated,” he said. “That is your choice to get vaccinated.

I stand by that — those are constitutional rights.”

Sharrock said that a role of someone in government is to be “proactive instead of reactive.”

“I think that those are some of the things that I would bring to this seat is just being proactive, not necessarily reacting to a situation,” she said. “Make sure these things are happening the way they should before they actually go wrong.”

Environment Caracappa has been vocal in his concern for the local environment and said he has been working to get more federal funding into the 4th District.

“I work hard with my colleagues,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if they’re Republicans or Democrats — to get proper sewage in the ground.”

An immediate concern he said is the local waterways and our coastal communities which need sewage in the ground to replace cesspools.

Aa a longtime employee at SCWA, Caracappa said that we need to protect the aquifer and if we don’t, “we’re going to be in big trouble.”

While water quality is his main concern, he added that the advancement of local roadways will continuously be a challenge.

Over the summer, he and a bipartisan group

of his legislative colleagues, wrote a letter to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) asking for more money to be sent to the county to repair potholes. The letter resulted in an allocation of $30 million to roadway repairs, and a change in repair timeline from 2024-25 to 2022-23, Caracappa said.

Sharrock agreed that the environment and waterways need to be fixed.

“We have no more time left to not worry about the environment or the waterways, we have to make sure that we’re putting the resources in to make sure that we are protecting the environment, that we are protecting our drinking water,” she said. “And I’m not really sure what is happening — where is this money being put? These are the types of things that I want to know, and I want to when I’m sitting on the county Legislature.”

She said that we need “to make sure we’re leaving an environment for our grandchildren and their children and their children. We have to make sure we’re putting it into where it needs to go.”

Affordable housing When asked about keeping young people on Long Island, Caracappa said his district has the most projects being built and worked on for lower income and affordable housing opportunities.

“These opportunities are not only for young couples, but I’d like to see the young couples move into our homes,” he said, adding that empty nesters and senior citizens who cannot take care of a large property anymore need

opportunities for more affordable living.

Sharrock believes that creating goodpaying jobs that allow young people to stay is key.

“If we want to be able to keep generations here, I think the jobs are very important,” she said. “We need to talk about growing apprenticeship programs so that we are making sure kids who are leaving high school are on a path.”

Crime and police Sharrock said that law enforcement is one of “the toughest jobs and most important jobs out there.”

“They’re keeping our community safe,” she said. “I think that their pay should reflect that they put their lives on the line every day for us.”

She said that she supported the reform that was recently put out and was “needed, balancing out the People’s Plan.”

Caracappa, who was endorsed by the Suffolk County PBA, said that he “absolutely supports law enforcement.”

“That doesn’t mean they’re not accountable for their actions,” he said. “There are bad cops, bad teachers and bad priests, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to brush a broad stroke over the entire department, because it’s one or two bad cops out there.”

He believes that accountability is necessary, and is a huge advocate for body cams, “not only to protect police officers and the citizens, but also protect the county.”

Sharrock also supports body cams, adding, “It’s important for them and for the community.”

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OCTOBER 28, 2021 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • PAGE A19

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The Village TIMES HERALD The Village BEACON RECORD The Port TIMES RECORD The TIMES of Smithtown The TIMES of Middle Country The TIMES of Huntington, Northport & East Northport

TBR News Media 185 Route 25A (Bruce Street entrance) Setauket, NY 11733 Call: 631-331-1154 or 631-751-7663

1 Week $29.00 4 Weeks $99.00 DISPLAY ADS Call for rates.

SPECIALS*

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*May change without notice REAL ESTATE FREE FREE FREE ACTION AD 20 words Merchandise DISPLAY ADS $44 for 4 weeks under Ask about our for all your used $50 15 words Contract Rates. merchandise 1 item only.

EMPLOYMENT GARAGE SALE Fax•Mail•E-mail Buy 2 weeks of ADS $29.00 Drop Off any size BOXED 20 words Include Name, ad get 2 weeks Address, Phone # Free 2 signs with free placement of ad

GENERAL OFFICE 631–751–7744 Fax 631–751–4165 This Publication is Subject to All Fair Housing Acts OFFICE HOURS Monday–Friday 10:00 am–4:00 pm

MAIL ADDRESS TBR News Media Classifieds Department P.O. Box 707 Setauket, NY 11733

EMAIL class@tbrnewsmedia.com CONTACT CLASSIFIEDS:

(631) 331–1154 or (631) 751–7663 Fax (631) 751–4165 class@tbrnewsmedia.com tbrnewsmedia.com

The Classifieds Section is published by TIMES BEACON RECORD NEWS MEDIA every Thursday. Leah S. Dunaief, Publisher, Sheila Murray, Classifieds Director. We welcome your comments and ads.

TIMES BEACON RECORD NEWS MEDIA will not be responsible for errors after the first week’s insertion. Please check your ad carefully. • Statewide or Regional Classifieds also available - Reach more than 7 million readers in New York’s community newspapers.

Line ads 25 words : Long Island region $69 - $129 – New York City region $289 - $499 – Central region $29 - $59 – Western region $59 - $99 - Capital region $59 - $99 – all regions $389 - $689 words. $10 each additional word. Call for display ad rates.

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The following are some of our available categories listed in the order in which they appear.

• Garage Sales • Computer Services • Announcements • Electricians • Antiques & Collectibles • Financial Services • Automobiles/Trucks etc.

• Furniture Repair • Finds under $50 • Handyman Services • Health/Fitness/Beauty • Home Improvement • Merchandise • Lawn & Landscaping • Personals • Painting/Wallpaper • Novenas • Plumbing/Heating • Pets/Pet Services • Power Washing • Professional Services • Roofing/Siding • Schools/Instruction/Tutoring • Tree Work • Wanted to Buy • Window Cleaning • Employment • Real Estate • Cleaning • Residential Property • Commercial Property • Out of State Property DEADLINE: Tuesday at Noon

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Offer expires December 31st 2021. If you call the number provided, you consent to being contacted by telephone, SMS text message, email, pre-recorded messages

by Erie or its affiliates and service providers using automated technologies notwithstanding if you are on a DO NOT CALL list or register. Please review our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use on homeservicescompliance.com. All rights reserved.

Includes the Participating (in GA: Designated) Providers and Preventive Benefits Rider. Product not available in all states. Acceptance guaranteed for one insurance policy/certificate of this type. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation. This specific offer is not available in CO; call 1-800-969-4781 or respond for similar offer. Certificate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q); Insurance Policy P150 (GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY; OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN); Rider kinds B438/B439 (GA: B439B).

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Call 631–331–1154 or 631–751–7663 • TIMES BEACON RECORD NEWS MEDIA • tbrnewsmedia.com

OCTOBER 28, 2021 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • PAGE A23

Place your ad today Call 631.751.7663 or 631.331.1154

E M PL OY M E N T / C A R E E R S HELP WANTED SPECIAL!

BRYANT FUNERAL HOME Seeking Door Greeter P/T (approx. 10-15 hrs/week) For weekday/night and weekend shifts Please e-mail resume to: wecare@bryantfh.com

COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM! Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now, Grants and Scholarships available for certain programs for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details, (844) 947-0192 (M-F 8am-6pm ET)

P/T SALES/CUSTOMER SERVICE Inside position selling advertising for an award-winning community news media group, Fax resume to 631-751-4165 or email resume to Class@tbrnewspapers.com.

See our display ad for more information.

RECEPTIONIST / PART TIME Busy East Setauket Real Estate Office is seeking a motivated team player with strong computer skills, clear, friendly speaking voice, professional appearance & excellent customer service skills. Part time position Wed mornings 10-2 and Friday afternoons from 1-5 & Saturday 9 to 5. Weekends a must.

Please E-Mail Resume to Setauket.Office @Elliman.com or call 631.751.6000

SHOREHAM-WADING RIVER CSD Part-Time Monitors Needed: $15.50 per hour Substitutes Needed: Substitute Food Service Workers $17.50/hr.

Substitute Nurses $175/day Submit letter of interest/resume to: Brian Heyward, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources 250B Route 25A Shoreham, NY 11786 bheyward@swr.k12.ny.us

Warehouse – Picker/Forklift.

Entry Level, will train. PC literate, must be able to lift/move 25-50 pounds.

Work as part of a team.

FT 9 am-6 pm, health benefits.

WAREHOUSE PICKER/ FORKLIFT. Entry Level, will train. PC literate, must be able to lift/move 25-50 pounds. Work as part of a team. FT 9 am-6 pm, health benefits. Apply in person Tower Fasteners 1690 No. Ocean Ave, Holtsville, or email resume careers@ towerfast.com.

Call Classifieds for sizes and pricing.

631–331–1154 or 631–751–7663 Help Wanted

Shoreham-Wading River CSD

WE HAVE THE HELP YOU NEED HHA, LPN, Nurse’s Aide, Childcare, Housekeeping & Day Workers. No Fees to Employers.

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CLASSIFIED DEADLINE is Tuesday at noon.

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$15.50/hr.   $19.50/hr.  $17.50/hr.  $175/day  $18.00/hr.   $15.50/hr.    

Part-Time Sales/Customer Service Seeking Door Greeter P/T (approx. 10-15 hrs/week) For weekday/night and weekend shi�s

Please e-mail resume to: wecare@bryan�h.com

MOUNT SINAI SCHOOL DISTRICT School District Aides & Custodial Substitute Positions available throughout the District

©44150

Please email resume to : Maureen Poerio @ mpoerio@mtsinai.k12.ny.us

Fax resume to 631-751-4165 email resume: class@tbrnewspapers.com

©48300

Tower Fasteners 1690 No. Ocean Ave, Holtsville, or email resume careers@towerfast.com.

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SHOREHAM-WADING RIVER CSD Part-Time Monitors needed, substitutes needed, cooks, substitute Food service workers, substitute nurses, substitute teaching assistants, substitute special education aides submit letter of interest/resume to: Brian Heyward, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources 250B Route 25A Shoreham, NY 11786 bheyward@swr.k12.ny.us

49390

LYNEER STAFFING SOLUTIONS Hiring Mail Sorters, Data Entry $15.00, Forklifts $17.50, Mystery Shoppers Ages 21-25 $20.00. 860 Long Island Ave., D e e r P a r k N Y 11 7 2 9 631-586-4699

MOUNT SINAI SCHOOL DISTRICT School District Aides and Custodial Substitutes, positions available throughout the district, please email resume to: Maureen Poerio at mpoerio@mtsinai.k12.ny.us.

©Fill000036

PUBLISHER’S EMPLOYMENT NOTICE: All employment advertising in this newspaper is subject to section 296 of the human rights law which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, creed, national origin, disability, marital status, sex, age or arrest conviction record or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. Title 29, U.S. Code Chap 630, excludes the Federal Gov’t. from the age discrimination provisions. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for employment which is in violation of the law. Our readers are informed that employment offerings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis.

Help Wanted

53610

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Help Wanted

PAGE A24 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • OCTOBER 28, 2021

Place your ad today Call 631.751.7663 or 631.331.1154

E M PL OY M E N T / C A R E E R S Busy East Setauket Real Estate Office is seeking a motivated team player with strong computer skills, clear, friendly speaking voice, professional appearance & excellent customer service skills. Part-time position Wed mornings 10-2 and Friday afternoons from 1-5 & Saturday 9 to 5. Weekends a must.

Looking for that perfect career? or that perfect employee?

Search our employment section each week!

©101793

Receptionist / Part-Time

TIMES BEACON RECORD CLASSIFIED ADS

Please E-Mail Resume to Setauket.Office @Elliman.com or call 631.751.6000

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Place your ad today Call 631.751.7663 or 631.331.1154

SERV ICES Cable/Telephone WIREMAN CABLEMAN Professional wiring services.

Free estimates. All work guaranteed. Call 516-433-WIRE (9473), 631-667-WIRE (9473) or text 516-353-1118. SEE DISPLAY AD FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Carpentry LONG HILL CARPENTRY 45 years experience All phases of home improvement. Old & Historic Restorations. Lic.#H22336/Ins. 631-751-1764 longhill7511764@aol.com

Cesspool Services MR SEWERMAN CESSPOOL SERVICE All types of cesspool servicing, all work guaranteed, family owned and operated since 1985, 631-924-7502.

Licensed and Insured.

Cleaning COME HOME TO A CLEAN HOUSE! Attention to detail is MY PRIORITY. Serving the Three Village Area. Call Jacquie 347-840-0890

Clean-Ups LET STEVE DO IT Clean-ups, yards, basements, whole house, painting, tree work, local moving and anything else. Totally overwhelmed?

Call Steve @ 631-745-2598, leave message.

Decks DECKS ONLY BUILDERS & DESIGNERS Of Outdoor Living By Northern Construction of LI. Decks, Patios/Hardscapes, Pergolas, Outdoor Kitchens and Lighting.

Since 1995. Lic/Ins. 3rd Party Financing Available.

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631-651-8478. www.DecksOnly.com

ADVERTISE FOR RESULTS 631-751-7663 FILL000061

Exterminating REACT PEST CONTROL INC. Wasps, Yellow Jackets Nesting in your home! Protect your home before those pesky nests are built. SEE DISPLAY AD FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Fences SMITHPOINT FENCE. DEER PROBLEM? WE CAN HELP! Wood, PVC, Chain Link, Stockade. Free estimates.

Now offering 12 month interest free financing.

Commercial/Residential.

70 Jayne Blvd., PJS. Lic.37690H/Ins. 631-743-9797 www.smithpointfence.com.

Furniture/Restoration/ Repairs REFINISHING & RESTORATION Antiques restored, repairing recane, reupholstery, touch-ups kitchen, front doors, 40 yrs exp, SAVE$$$, free estimates.

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Handyman Services HANDYMAN SERVICES AND PAINTING. Dependable, Honest, Professional. No job too small. Call Steve 631-831-3089.

SEE DISPLAY AD FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Home Improvement ALL PHASES OF HOME IMPROVEMENT From attic to your basement, RCJ Construction www.rcjconstruction.com commercial/residential, lic/ins 631-580-4518.

BLUSTAR CONSTRUCTION The North Shore’s Most Trusted Renovation Experts.

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Suffolk Lic. #48714-H, Ins. SEE OUR DISPLAY AD FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Floor Services/Sales FINE SANDING & REFINISHING Wood Floor Installations Craig Aliperti, Wood Floors LLC. All work done by owner.

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Home Improvement FUSARO HOME IMPROVEMENTS Fall In love with your home all over again. We set the industry standard for quality craftmanshift and home remodeling. Call 631-399-2095 and SEE OUR DISPLAY FOR MORE INFORMATION LAMPS FIXED, $65.

In Home Service!! Handy Howard. My cell 646-996-7628 NEVER PAY FOR COVERED HOME REPAIRS AGAIN, Complete Care Home Warranty, Covers all major systems and appliances. 30 day risk free. $200.00 OFF +2 FREE Months, 866-440-6501 THE GENERAC PWRcell, a solar plus battery storage system.

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ADVERTISE FOR RESULTS 631-751-7663 FILL000060

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Lawn & Landscaping BE GREEN. BE ORGANIC. Our reputation is growing great lawns & landscapes for over 30 years. Edmerald Magic Lawn Care. 631-261-4600, www.emeraldmagic.com SEE OUR DISPLAY AD FOR MORE INFORMATION. GOT VINES? Poison Ivy is dangerous to us but invasive vines and noxious weeds are dangerous to your trees and landscapes! Call 631-286-4600 and SEE DISPLAY AD FOR MORE INFORMATION. SETAUKET LANDSCAPE DESIGN Stone Driveways/Walkways, Walls/Stairs/Patios/Masonry, Brickwork/Repairs Land Clearing/Drainage,Grading/ Excavating. Plantings/Mulch, Rain Gardens.

Steve Antos, 631-689-6082 setauketlandscape.com Serving Three Villages SWAN COVE LANDSCAPING Lawn Maintenance, Cleanups, Shrub/Tree Pruning, Removals. Landscape Design/ Installation, Ponds/Waterfalls, Stone Walls. Firewood. Free estimates. Lic/Ins.631-6898089

Landscape Materials SCREENED TOP SOIL Mulch, compost, decorative and driveway stone, concrete pavers, sand/block/portland.

Fertilizer and seed.

JOS. M. TROFFA MATERIALS CORP. 631-928-4665, www.troffa.com

Masonry CARL BONGIORNO LANDSCAPE/MASON CONTRACTOR All phases Masonry Work:Stone Walls, Patios, Poolscapes. All phases of Landscaping Design.

Theme Gardens. Residential & Commercial. Lic/Ins. 631-928-2110

Painting/Spackling/ Wallpaper ALL PRO PAINTING INTERIOR/EXTERIOR Power Washing, Staining, Wallpaper Removal. Free estimates. Lic/Ins #19604HI 631-696-8150. Nick BOB’S PAINTING SERVICE 25 Years Experience.

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Free Estimates. Lic/Ins. #17981.

631-744-8859 LA ROTONDA PAINTING & DESIGN Interior/exterior, sheetrock repairs, taping/spackling, wallpaper removal, faux, decorative finishings. Free estimates. Lic. #53278-H/Ins. Ross LaRotonda 631-689-5998

OCTOBER 28, 2021 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • PAGE A25

Place your ad today Call 631.751.7663 or 631.331.1154

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Power Washing

EXTERIOR CLEANING SPECIALISTS Roof cleaning, pressure washing/softwashing, gutter maintenance. Squeaky Clean Property Solutions 631-387-2156 www.

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THREE VILLAGE POWERWASHING LLC Protect your investment & freshen up your home, outside furniture, garage doors, gazebo, decks, patio, fence, porches, shed, etc Threevillagepowerwashing.com 631-678-7313.

Satellite TV

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Tree Work

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Tree Work ARBOR-VISTA TREE CARE A COMPLETE TREE CARE SERVICE devoted to the care of trees. Maintenance pruning, water-view work, sun-trimming, elevating, pool areas, storm thinning, large tree removal, stump grinding. Wood chips.

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PAGE A26 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • OCTOBER 28, 2021

Place your ad today Call 631.751.7663 or 631.331.1154

HOME SERV ICES

INTERIOR • EXTERIOR

EXTERIOR CLEANING SPECIALISTS Roof Cleaning No Pressure, Safe Foam Process Removal of black/green algae stains, moss and lichen

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PAINTING & DESIGN

Planting  Grinding

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631-862-9291 516-319-2595 (cell & text)  LIC# 50701-H

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OCTOBER 28, 2021 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • PAGE A27

Place your ad today Call 631.751.7663 or 631.331.1154

HOME SERV ICES REFERENCES AVAILABLE

Craig Aliperti, Wood Floors, LLC

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PAGE A30 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • OCTOBER 28, 2021

Editorial

Endorsements 2021 Sini is leading DA’s office in A tough decision for District 4 the right direction While incumbent Nick Caracappa (R-Selden) and newcomer Dawn Sharrock of Selden both have their pros and cons, TBR News Media will leave the choice to you, our readers.

Caracappa, won a special election in 2020 to fill the vacant seat of former District 4 legislator, Tom Muratore (R-Ronkonkoma) and for the last year has done great things.

In the short amount of time in his position, he spearheaded the removal of Stagecoach Elementary School as a voting site, assisted senior veterans with receiving the COVID-19 vaccinations early on and composed a letter to then-governor Andrew Cuomo (D) addressing the dire conditions of our local roadways — which was signed by all 17 legislators and later resulted in the state allocating an addition $30 million to roadway repairs.

However, it is concerning that he led a

We were impressed with the passion of both Tim Sini (D) and Ray Tierney (R), and they both brought good ideas to the table during the recent TBR News Media debate. They also were ready to back up what they said during the interview with documentation.

While Tierney has more experience in the courtroom, Sini made a good point during the debate that being DA is more than being a prosecutor, it’s also about managing the office. This is an important fact as the DA’s office, like many in Suffolk County, has a great deal of taxpayers money to manage. We felt that the current DA has more of a sense of the overall responsibilities.

The relationships Sini has forged through the years with fellow elected officials in the county are also important. Being voted into office after Tom Spota (D) was removed as DA, Sini was

tasked with revamping the office. We think he has done a good job in doing so, and we would like to see him continue in the office.

We hope that Tierney, who said he never thought he would be involved in politics, will stay in the arena. He has a lot of good ideas and the passion behind them to fight for the public.

With current Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr.’s (D) only opponent effectively just a name on a ballot box, as he is not actively campaigning, Suffolk voters only really have one choice come Nov. 2. However, we can still give our sincere endorsement to Toulon, who for the past four years has been a pillar of integrity in law enforcement and beyond.

Our interview with Toulon also revealed just how hard change can be regarding Suffolk’s jail system.

Despite inroads with trying to help the county’s nonviolent jail population, especially with great ideas like the sheriff’s START Resource Center, a lack of adequate funds for more in-house psychologist staff means it remains tough to give people aid before they reenter society. We agree with Toulon that mental health remains a constant problem in society.

The nonprofit advocacy group Prison Policy Initiative reports that more than 44% of locally run jail populations are diagnosed with a mental illness. It only makes sense to get them help when in jail before they have another encounter with law enforcement.

We hope that Toulon keeps pushing for such funds. It was also concerning to hear just how understaffed the sheriff’s department currently is, and it remains incumbent on Suffolk officials along with the Sheriff’s Office to recruit staff.

Unfortunately, like much of the law enforcement community, too many of the Sheriff’s Office law enforcement remain unvaccinated. Combined with them interacting with a population of inmates with low vaccination rates, the spread of COVID-19 among officers and inmates remains a key concern.

While we appreciate the COVID precautions in Suffolk jails, and while we understand there is no requirement in Suffolk that law enforcement be vaccinated, we believe top brass of law enforcement need to do more to campaign for vaccinations among staff.

Still, Toulon remains a steadfast and effective sheriff who has found support from both sides of the political divide. We hope he continues with the good work and we look forward to the next four years.

Photo by Rita J. Egan

Toulon the only pick for county sheriff

“anti-mandate” rally, which encourages people to say “no” to the COVID-19 vaccine. While vaccinated himself, and his family, we feel that the role of government is to protect its citizens — especially during a worldwide pandemic that has taken hundreds of thousands of lives.

Sharrock is sharp and has a bright future ahead of her. Her roles working on the Middle Country School Board have been impressive.

She’s good at it, and we hope she will continue doing that for now. A mother within the district, and one who is involved and caring of our children’s well-beings, we encourage her to attend meetings and get more county experience.

We want her to continue doing the great work she does with our local school district and to keep growing while doing so. With more experience, she could be an excellent candidate down the road for higher office.

Leslie Kennedy steps up to the plate In the race for Suffolk County legislator in the 12th Legislative District, we endorse Leslie Kennedy (R-Nesconset).

While some have criticized Kennedy for having a laid-back attitude at times, the legislator has shown time and time again she cares about her constituents.

She can be seen regularly at community events talking with residents, trying to find out what’s on their minds. When she has to deal with an issue, she talks to all parties involved.

Sometimes an elected official doesn’t have to grandstand to make a difference.

We were disappointed that her opponent Mike Siderakis (D), stopped actively campaigning a few months ago. Last year he ran for state senator against Mario Mattera (R-St. James) and had a lot of good ideas and solutions. We would have liked the opportunity to sit down with him and hear how he felt about county issues and how to solve them, especially since earlier in his campaign he organized a few press conferences to discuss local issues.

Kennedy has shown once again that she is there to represent her district.

Keep Donna Lent as town clerk In the race for Town of Brookhaven’s town clerk, TBR News Media endorses Donna Lent (R) for the position.

We believe Lent is the right choice as her experience as town clerk since 2013 has helped the Town of Brookhaven in many different ways.

Not only is her experience and realistic view of the community something we can all respect, but she has shown us she has not halted in her work when it comes to helping the community such as getting the right permits and documentation they may need.

We were impressed by her detailed responses when posed with the issue of software difficulties and the FOIL process, and we appreciate her continuing efforts to

help make information readily available to the public.

Although we are inspired by the passion, vigor and refreshing ideas her opponent Ira Costell (D) has for the position, we hope he continues to use his passion toward other public services. We were especially impressed by his desire to help with mental health problems. Perhaps he could be named “mental health czar” by the town supervisor?

Costell is knowledgeable about the Town of Brookhaven and will go out of his way to help the community.

Understanding there are restrictions to the position as town clerk, TBR sees the improvements made by Lent and we hope to see her make even more if reelected.

OCTOBER 28, 2021 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • PAGE A31

Opinion

Thanking clinical trial volunteers who make treatments and vaccinations possible

I

f your children are under the age of 12 and the Food and Drug Administration soon approves a COVID-19 vaccine, you’ll have many people to thank for the opportunity to return them to a more normal, and safer, childhood, including four-year-old Maggie, seven-year-old Lily and eight-and-a-half-yearold Dan Barsi.

The three siblings, who live in East Setauket with their parents James and Jennifer Barsi, recently participated in a clinical trial for the COVID-19 D. None vaccine at Stony Brook Hospital. While the of the above children don’t know

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF whether they received vaccinations for the virus or the placebo, they are three of numerous children who volunteered to test the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to make sure it was safe before health care providers administer it to the broader population.

Their children “knew what they were signing up for,” said Dr. James Barsi, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. “It’s something to help other people.”

Indeed, the community benefits from volunteers like the Barsis, who participate in clinical trials that evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment, help determine the correct doses, and reveal potential side effects before the rest of the population gets the COVID-19 vaccine or any other medicine or therapeutic intervention.

“We would never make advances in medicine without families — adults and children — volunteering to participate in clinical trials,” said Dr. Sharon Nachman, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital.

Some treatments for a range of illnesses or conditions look promising in the earlier stages of clinical development, such as phase 1 or phase 2. When they reach phase 3, during which researchers provide medicine to a much larger volunteer population, they sometimes fall short of expectations.

“Companies will tout drugs as the next best thing,” Dr. Nachman said. “When they get

into phase 3, they are not better than standard therapy.”

Clinical trials on even an ineffective drug or one that produces side effects, however, can help pharmaceutical companies and health care providers by signaling what these professionals should look for in future treatments, Dr. Nachman added.

While volunteers of any age take risks by participating in these studies, they also have considerable medical oversight.

“They are well protected,” Dr. Nachman said. “When you participate in a clinical trial, you don’t just have two sets of eyes on you; you have 100 sets of eyes.”

Volunteers for clinical trials not only take some risk before everyone else in the community, but they also experience regular testing and monitoring.

The Barsi children, for example, had to have blood work and nose swabs. “We call it a brain swab,” Jennifer Barsi said. “The kids are so excited about getting a treat afterwards, but they still have to do the hard thing.”

Health care professionals throughout Long Island shared their appreciation for clinical

trial volunteers. Without them “none of these innovative therapies and drugs would exist,” said Stephanie Solito, Research Manager of the Oncology Service Line at Catholic Health, which includes Smithtown-based St. Catherine of Siena and Port Jefferson-based St. Charles Hospital.

When Daniel Loen, Catholic Health’s Vice President of Oncology Services, takes any medicine, he appreciates that patients were “willing to sacrifice something or take on some kind of increased risk to get on a trial for the good of humanity and medicine.”

As for the specific COVID-19 pediatric trials, Dr. Nachman said parents and children have to approve to participate. Doctors talk with children in an age-appropriate way about these clinical trials.

Dan Barsi was born at 25 weeks old. He stayed in the hospital for several months and is now a healthy child.

Jennifer and James felt that this was their opportunity to give back to the next generation.

The children who participated in clinical research before Dan was born helped make it possible for him to get the best treatment, and now they feel they’re doing the same thing.

to tell us anything more that perhaps we hadn’t elicited with our questioning.

We have written up the details of each interview in a separate article for the election section. And we discuss the candidates at the end of each hour and come to a conclusion for the endorsement.

Most of the time, the editorial group was unanimous because the choices were fairly direct. But for a couple of races, we talked over the pros and cons of each candidate at length before making the selection. These endorsements are based on both the in-depth interviews and the considerable information we know about the incumbents since we have been covering them closely throughout their terms in office. Of course, after reading the stories, you may or may not agree with our conclusions. Our job is to get you thinking.

The many hours that are given to this task, throughout the month of October, are a service for our readers. We are privileged to enjoy an extended face-to-face time with those standing for election, and we feel an obligation to pass along

whatever information, facts and impressions we gather during these sessions. We sincerely hope we help in the sometimes-difficult job of casting a responsible vote.

Each year we include in the election section a sample ballot that we are able to procure from the Suffolk County Board of Elections because readers have told us that it is a great advantage for them to receive the ballot at the voting poll already knowing how it is laid out.

Our editorial board is made up of staffers with different political leanings, but when we put our journalists’ hats on, we try to judge each race strictly on the merits of the opposing candidates.

And while it is technically possible for me to be tyrannical about the final selections, that is almost never the case. We decide by majority rule.

Sincere thanks to the talented staff who join in this extra work each year. We truly believe that we are watchdogs for the people, and nowhere is that more necessary than in reporting about government and its office holders. We hope we have helped you, whether you read by newspaper and/or online. Now please vote.

Election special from TBR News Media

I

nside this issue is a treasure trove of firsthand information about the candidates and the issues in the coming election. How do I know? Because we, the different members of the editorial board of Times Beacon Record Newspapers, personally interviewed 25 people running for office across the three towns that we serve: Brookhaven, Smithtown and Huntington. The offices the candidates are running for are all local, which means that these are the officials who Between you and me will have the most direct effect on our lives.

BY LEAH S. DUNAIEF The positions range this year from county legislators to town supervisors, town council, town clerk, district attorney and sheriff. We asked them questions without bias, seeking only to understand who

they were, what they believed and what we could expect from each of them, should they be elected — or re-elected, as the case might be.

The setting in our conference room was relaxed, and we hoped comfortable, with opponents for each office seated together around the table responding to questions put to them by our editors and reporters.

Sometimes there were four candidates, sometimes only one who might be running unopposed or against a shadow opponent, but mostly there were two during each session.

Most of the time, the hour goes by calmly, but occasionally the opponents get testy with each other — they may even become openly hostile.

At one such session some years ago, one of the candidates invited the other out to the back parking lot “to settle things.” When the other began to take off his jacket, we quickly intervened. But there were no such flare-ups this year.

The answers were timed in an attempt to get to the main ideas without running on too long.

There was ample time at the end for each visitor

TIMES BEACON RECORD NEWS MEDIA We welcome letters, photographs, comments and story ideas.

Send your items to P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733 or email julianne@tbrnewsmedia.com.

Times Beacon Record Newspapers are published every Thursday.

Subscription $59/year • 631-751-7744 www.tbrnewsmedia.com • Contents copyright 2021

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Leah S. Dunaief GENERAL MANAGER Johness Kuisel MANAGING EDITOR Rita J. Egan EDITOR Julianne Mosher LEISURE EDITOR Heidi Sutton

COPY EDITOR John Broven ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Kathleen Gobos ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Elizabeth Bongiorno Robin Lemkin Larry Stahl Minnie Yancey SPECIAL PROJECTS MANAGER Kathryn Mandracchia

ART AND PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Beth Heller Mason PRODUCTION Janet Fortuna Sharon Nicholson CLASSIFIEDS DIRECTOR & SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER Sheila Murray

CLASSIFIEDS Joann Brady BUSINESS MANAGER Sandi Gross CIRCULATION MANAGER Courtney Biondo INTERNET STRATEGY DIRECTOR Rob Alfano

AwardWinning Newspapers 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Year After Year

PAGE A32 • THE TIMES OF MIDDLE COUNTRY • OCTOBER 28, 2021

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