PAGE A30 • THE PORT TIMES RECORD • JUNE 28, 2018
OPINION Editorial
Letters to the editor
We need to keep 2018 graduates on LI
In the May 31 article in The Port Times Record entitled “Preserving local history amid revitalization project,” Jack Smith, the president of the Cumsewogue Historical Society, called to our attention that two historic buildings, located on the south side of the railroad tracks and on the east side of 25A in Port Jefferson Station, are threatened with demolition. These two buildings, the 1908 E. H. Rogers Feed Mill and the 1922 brick Costigan building remain as tangible links to the region’s history, representing, as Jack Smith indicated, an “integral component of our agricultural community.” While most, if not all the region’s farms have disappeared in favor of suburbia, these two buildings can and should remain as symbols of our agrarian heritage. It is our understanding that the proposed revitalization
In favor of preserving history ALEX PETROSKI
Hundreds of Long Island students have accepted their high school diplomas this week. We’ve sent them off into the world armed with the best advice and pearls of wisdom we have to offer. In doing so, we can’t help but hope this isn’t goodbye. The Class of 2018 students are each pursuing his or her own version of the American Dream. What defines that dream can vary greatly — whether it’s studying medicine at Stony Brook University, learning a trade or joining the military. The question we have to ask is this: When these students are envisioning their futures, how many picture himself or herself staying on Long Island? While parents and teachers are taking pride — and deserved pats on the back — in getting this year’s seniors through their first 12 years of schooling, it doesn’t stop there. The older generation and its leadership must continue to take action to transform Long Island into an attractive and affordable place for young adults to live. “We spend a lot of money educating our kids here,” Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) acknowledged in his 2018 State of the County address. “Too many of them have left for other parts of the country, where they are helping to power their regional economies. We have to stop that.” For the first time in two decades, there is a glimmer of hope that the brain drain trend is starting to slow. The population of people between ages 20 and 34 living in Nassau and Suffolk counties has increased by 7.6 percent from 2010 to 2015 — for the first time since 1990 — according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2015 Population Estimates, as stated in a June 2017 report by the Long Island Association. LIA is a nonprofit organization that advocates for policies, programs and projects that benefit Long Island and support economic development and infrastructure investments. However, there’s still 100,000 fewer residents in the 20 to 34 age group on Long Island than in 1990. So, there’s still a ways to go in attracting and keeping bright, young professionals on Long Island. To this end, Suffolk County Legislature’s Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory (D-Amityville) proposed legislation June 22 that would instruct Suffolk’s Department of Economic Development and Planning to create a pilot program to address the issues causing millennials to leave for less expensive areas. While there are few specific details available on this proposal, Gregory has pointed to other municipalities creating programs that help young adults with student debt purchase homes while still paying down their loans. This is but one step in the right direction. As the Class of 2018 disperses, their parents’ work shifts from helping with science projects and math homework to advocating for local change that will improve the quality of life young adults can expect on Long Island. Better entry-level job opportunities that offer competitive salaries without requiring travel into the city are needed, and more affordable housing and assistance to put the down payment on a house to help start a family are also important. Take a few days to rejoice and celebrate with the graduating Class of 2018, but there is much work to be done creating a brighter, more youthful future for Long Island.
Letters … We welcome your letters. They should be no longer than 400 words and may be edited for length, libel, style and good taste.
We do not publish anonymous letters. Please include a phone number and address for confirmation. Email letters to alex@tbrnewsmedia.com or mail them to The Port Times Record, P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733.
and redevelopment of the area surrounding the railroad tracks includes demolition of these two important structures. While the Historical Society of Greater Port Jefferson supports the revitalization effort, we believe that these two vital buildings can and should be integrated into this plan by being repurposed to ensure a continued connection to our wonderful history. It has been shown that older buildings can be repurposed and remain a part of the community; as examples, the beautiful 1907 Port Jefferson First National Bank building and the 1917 Bayles Shipyard Building, which now serves as the community center, both originally threatened with demolition, remain as everyday reminders of our ship building past. Such buildings are often unique to the area and their preservation can instill a sense of pride into
the community. We encourage the developer to consider ways to incorporate these two buildings into his redevelopment plan so that the end result is both one of a kind and a representation of his commitment to the community’s history. Old buildings should not be ignored as their architectural elements can be replicated but cannot be replaced. The Historical Society of Greater Port Jefferson fully supports the Cumsewogue Historical Society’s efforts, led by its president, regarding these two buildings and urges the developer to do the same.
Nick Acampora President, Historical Society of Greater Port Jefferson Editor’s note: In a subsequent letter to the editor, architects behind the revitalization have said the buildings will be preserved.
Thank you for the vote of confidence It was a close one. I was re-elected by four votes. I want to thank everyone in the village who voted in the election. I’m glad I was returned to office. I pledge to make every decision or vote in the best interest of the
village residents. I’d also like to thank my opponents for their interest in Port Jefferson. I wish Bruce Miller good luck and I’m looking forward to working closely with him. I want to thank
Kathianne Snaden for running a fine race. Kathianne please contact me anytime on any issue, I’m interested in hearing your thoughts.
Bruce M. D’Abramo Port Jefferson Village Trustee
Marvel at letters from progressives Recently I watched the latest riot, this one in Portland, Oregon. The Soros-backed anarchist group Antifa decided to attack an American prayer group downtown, but this time, for the first time, the clueless, masked baby SS mob, armed with projectiles and pepper spray took a beating. Must-see TV at its finest. This is the Obama legacy. A legacy of racial division, antiChristian/Jewish street warfare right out of the Alinsky playbook. During the eight years of Obama’s administration, the unbridled war on our police was the most violent since the Capone/Dillinger days. Antifa, Black Lives Matter and most of the prominent violent anarchist groups in this country are controlled from Chicago, Barry’s hometown. So as I sit here in Pleasantville, far from the madding crowd, I marvel at some of the letters appearing in this forum from
self-anointed “educated” and “progressive” types. Most entertaining are the letters from the aforementioned demographic who can’t resist calling the president “chump” or ruminating over what the president is “doing” to our country. Compared to who? A nasty unhinged commie from Vermont or a self-enriching, pathological liar named Hillary, who’s gone unindicted longer than Gotti and Capone combined. Unemployment is the lowest in 40 years, and I’m feeling good for the first time in 20 years. Anyone who votes along party lines alone, is a dimwit. Oh, Trump said the “p” word 90 years ago? Whoopdidoo. Show me a man who hasn’t said that word, and I’ll show you Liberace. There is now true hope. The massive damage done by Clinton/Bush/Clinton/Obama may indeed be survivable. Along with Reagan, Eisenhower
and JFK, Trump is on track to becoming one of the great presidents post-WWII. The most amazing thing about the 2016 election was not the defeat of Hillary; it was the fact that Trump beat 16 other professional GOPers for the nomination. War with Russia has been averted, the murderous invaders from the Spanish Empire are in deep peril, and Wall Street is off-the-charts hot. Only a communist, anarchist or brainwashed misanthrope will keep marching, marching to Shibboleth. I love President Trump, and the CNN/ NBC/Washington Compost provocateurs are withering under the weight of their own endless propaganda. By the way, I am not now, nor have I ever been, a registered Republican. I am a registered soldier for the United States of America. (The original version.)
Michael Meltzer Stony Brook