Edward Wehrheim For Town Supervisor

Edward WehrheimEd Wehrheim has worked for the Town of Smithtown for over forty-five years. He began his career in the Smithtown Parks Department eventually becoming the director. In 2003 he retired from Parks and was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Town Board.  He has served as a council person on the Town Board ever since. In May of this year Wehrheim declared his intention to run for supervisor and replaced John Zollo as the candidate who would primary the incumbent supervisor Patrick R.Vecchio. Ed won the primary by 87 votes. His platform includes reaching out to community organizations, residents and businesses to develop a consensus on development in the town.

He sees himself as a consensus builder and has pledged to work with all board members promising transparency and equal access to information. He sees his primary victory as a sign that the public wants change. 

If elected supervisor he will embrace the change that the public voted for. He denied the rumors that if elected he would bring back John Zollo, Robert Creighton and Kevin Malloy. Asked if statements he made at debates about providing oversight and exerting control over town departments was a reference to appointing commissioners, he acknowledged that it is something he is considering but not immediately, “After I have settled in, we have two union contracts to be negotiated, after that is done I will look at the feasibility of commissioners.”

Appointments for commissioner positions, according to Ed, will most likely be filled by qualified Smithtown residents. He added that his votes for appointments BZA, Planning Board, etc. have been based on the applicants resume and qualification. Appointing Smithtown residents ensures that appointees are connected to the town.

Ed plans to be a full-time supervisor and will encourage town board members to do the same. “If we are going to embark on true downtown business revitalization and sewering and affordable housing for our young people its going to take a full time commitment by that town board that communicates during the week basically on a full time basis. We have to come to a consensus a lot of money at stake. We need to have a constant dialogue. Can’t force them to do it as a leader I would encourage.” 

Regarding the animal shelter he thinks a public/private operation may improve the operation of the shelter which has seen a great deal of controversy. His plan includes staffing the shelter with current union employees but opeated by a private entity.

During the League of Women Voters (LWV) debate an opponent questioned the town’s poor record of adhearing to property covenants and although he could remember only one time a covenant was discarded (a property in Commack which prohibited markets from being located on the site it was determined the covenant was meant to prevent strip malls) he supports covenant adherence. 

He supports a public/private operation for the Smithtown Animal Shelter. The relationship would be staffed by Smithtown’s union employees and operated by an entity with experience in shelter operations.

On the former Kings Park Psychiatric Center property now the Nissequogue River State Park (NRSP), Wehrheim proposes using some property to build a tech hub. “I’ve been told, there is conflicting information, that there is a 90 acre hub in the center of the 355 acres that is developable.” The rest is to remain open space.  “I believe there could be some decent tax ratables, more than the state is paying now to the school district but am I set on doing that? It’s up for discussion.” 

On the budget Wehrheim commends Supervisor Vecchio for the town’s Triple A bond saying he has done a good job. He would use reserves and bonding to pay for roads and recreational facilities but would not bond without limits. 

He is most passionate about town parks which he acknowledges need remediation as well as a reuse plan. Times have changed there has been a diminshed use of tennis courts and softball fields and an increased need for soccer and lacrosse fields. Wehrheim’s points to his work in the Smithtown Parks Department as evidence of his qualification to improve the parks.

“I do believe, as I have said, that I have the experience dedication and energy to, if succesful to take the seat,  work with whatever board I have. I think I have the leadership skills to make the board work together in an open atmosphere where everyone in town government knows what’s going on. We have Kings Park, Smithtown and Saint James in the planning stages of revitalizing working with the board I think I will be able to get things done.”

Kristen Slevin For Town Supervisor

Kristen SlevinKristen Slevin is running for Smithtown Town Supervisor to ensure that downtown revitalization benefits residents, helps businesses thrive and does not destroy the small hometown feel that makes Smithtown different from many other towns on Long Island. Kristen may be a newcomer to politics but not activism, during the time she lived in Patchogue she worked with community associations promoting responsible growth and business practices.

She frequently mentions the success that community advocates had ridding downtown Patchogue of its blighted buildings and wants to facilitate that activism in Smithtown. She is quick to point out that she does not want to transform Smithtown into a Patchogue or Huntington. 

Slevin is not one to say what people want to hear; in fact, she is prone to saying I need more information so that I can make an informed decision. I will have to get back to you on that. Although new at politics she has definite opinions on how to improve Smithtown. Her ideas include term limits. She is a fan of Supervisor Vecchio’s fiscal acumen and often reminds people that the long term supervisor was new to town government when elected and has served at the public’s will for forty-six years.She believes that term limits encourages public involvement and allows for new ideas and perspectives.

If elected she plans to maintain control over town taxes keeping within the two per cent tax cap. She is not opposed to bonding or dipping into reserves but only when there are clear benefits for the town’s residents.  

At a meet the candidates forum in St. James, Slevin listened to residents vent about blight and absentee landlords who allow properties to deteriorate to the detriment of their business district. Many espressed the sentiment that the problems didn’t happen overnight and occurred due to lack of oversight, enforcement and a lack of creativity by elected officials. Slevin offered a solution to the problem suggesting a blight tax on properties that were not maintained. The town would set standards and those property owners who don’t adhere to the standards have a blight tax assessed on their property which may be reduced when the property becomes compliant with the town code. A second alternative was to divide the town into councilmatic districts, where one board member elected by the people residing in the district is answerable to the community. Residents would have the benefit of knowing which board member to call about issues of concern and the board member can focus on the needs of the district.

Slevin also stated she would invest in promoting Smithtown’s rich history as a way to bring grant money into the town identifying Long Island’s 50 mile Washington Spy Trail along Route 25A as a model for historic preservation. She supports the hiring of a grant writer for the town. 

A major concern for Kristen Slevin is the lack of participation by younger voters. She is hoping that more people of her generation will vote and some day run for office. 

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP - "Captured" Government Agencies

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP

By Karl Grossman

Good for democracy.

That’s the significance of the legislation authored by State Kenneth LaValle and State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. signed into law last week by Governor Andrew Cuomo  providing that if any future East Hampton Town Board wants a Federal Aviation Administration grant running 10 years or more, it would need to be approved by voters in a town referendum.

The FAA is an example of what these days is termed a “captured” government agency. Established with an obvious conflict-of-interest—to promote and at the same time somehow regulate aviation activity—it is thoroughly under the influence of the aviation industry, under the thumb of aviation interests.

Because the Town of East Hampton has received grants from the FAA for its town-owned airport, it has had difficulty exercising local control over what has in the past two decades become the biggest noisemaker on Long Island. Helicopters shuttling well-heeled passengers between Manhattan and the Hamptons—flying loud and low—have been creating a racket the length of Long Island. The north shore of the Town of Smithtown has been among the areas  affected by the Hamptons-bound and returning helicopters flying overhead.

The website “Aviation Impact Reform” (http://aireform.com/) asks the question, “What is Regulatory Capture?’ The explanation: “Regulatory capture is a form of political corruption that occurs when a regulatory agency, created to act in the public interest, instead advances the commercial or special concerns of interest groups that dominate the industry or sector it is charged with regulating. Regulatory capture is a form of government failure; it creates an opening for firms to behave in ways injurious to the public…”

The website—which says it “seeks to empower citizens who see the need for FAA reform, citizens who want an accountable FAA”—declares: “The FAA is a captured agency. Indeed, a careful study of FAA’s regulatory history suggests that this agency has nearly always been serving aviation interests first, frequently with complete indifference to the negative impacts upon the general public.”

A municipality with financial grants from the FAA is especially handcuffed from exercising local control—even if it owns the airport it’s trying to manage. The FAA grant program is for “development” of airports. The last of the FAA grants East Hampton received expired in 2014. If there are no more FAA grants, the town has a far better chance to get out from under the yoke of the FAA and control its field—to the relief of people all over Long Island.   

Commented Senator LaValle of Port Jefferson about the governor signing the measure:

“I fully support East Hampton’s efforts to make decisions concerning their own airport…The new decision-making ability would enable the community of East Hampton to chart their own course.”

Said Mr. Thiele of Sag Harbor: “I am pleased the governor signed this measure which puts the decision-making power regarding FAA funds back into the hands of the community. Town board members have terms that last only four years. Therefore, it’s important that voters also have a say on these agreements that will impact them for years to come”

Charles A. Ehren, Jr., vice chairman of the organization Quiet Skies Coalition, said: that “all areas affected by noise caused by East Hampton Airport owe a great debt of gratitude to Senator LaValle and Assemblyman Thiele for their persistence and hard work on our behalf.” 

The FAA is not alone, of course, in being a “captured” government agency. Another one—which a former Long Island official had a big role in eliminating—was the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. Witnessing the way the AEC handled whether a construction license should be granted to the Long Island Lighting Company to build the Shoreham nuclear power plant, Congressman Lester Wolff of Kensington was aghast.

The AEC hearings between 1971 and 1972 were a nuclear kangaroo court—with the AEC “judges” refusing to consider issue after issue, including the impossibility of evacuation from Long Island in the event of a major Shoreham accident. That, decades later, became a key factor in Suffolk County’s efforts to stop Shoreham from operating.

In 1974, with the late Mr. Wolff instrumental, the U.S. Congress abolished the AEC and, in its place founded the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to regulate nuclear technology and, later, a Department of Energy to get the promotional role. Shoreham was ultimately stopped, but meanwhile, $7.5 billion—largely our ratepayer money—that LILCO spent to build it was wasted, and the Shoreham debacle caused LILCO’s dissolution.

Hooray for democracy—and the power of people over “captured” government agencies.

William Holst For Town Supervisor

William HolstWilliam Holst is an attorney who has served as a town attorney, as president of the Smithtown Board of Education, as a Board member of the Greater Smithtown Chamber of Commerce, as a Suffolk County legislator in the 12th LD. He currently serves as an attorney for Suffolk County.  Ask Bill why he decided to run for supervisor and he will quickly tell you that he has a long history of involvement in downtown revitalization efforts. As a legislator he worked to increase funding and to get the community involved in planning for downtown revitailzation projects. During his tenure at the legislature Holst worked to bring people together.  

Governor Cuomo and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone have committed funding ($40 million from NYS) for sewering projects for Kings Park and Smithtown and Holst feels he is uniquely qualified to take on the inherrent challenges of the projects and to bring them to fruition.

Holst threw his hat in the race prior to Patrick Vecchio’s loss in the primary. He has not been impressed by front runner Ed Wehrheim’s record on the Town Board,  “I saw no record of fighting for, I don’t see anything in his past nor have I witnessed anything at town board meetings that indicate he is willing to stand up and articulate a distinct point of view on any issue nor has he brought people together to make anything happen.”

“When has Ed Wehrheim challanged a Patrick Vecchio positon and fought for it until it happened? asked Holst. I am afraid that the public is hearing campaign talk, something that sounds good but won’t happen. According to Holst Wehrheim’s idea of overhauling the town code or the Local Waterfront Revitilization Program (LWRP) are issues that have been before the board for a long time without results. The latest master plan, created by the planning department, has not been adopted and yet for years Town Board members have said we are working on a master plan. Why hasn’t Ed fought for its adoption?  He is critical of those who call for changes but do not fully appreciate the work and expense involved in doing the job correctly. 

He is interested in being a successful town supervisor not in being an all powerful supervisor.  He is interested in being a supervisor who gets the job done and that means working with residents and guiding the process of business district revitalization and sewers.  

Running a successful town means working with the professionals who run town departments. When asked about the possibility of having commissioners to oversee departments, he expressed a frustration with Smithtown’s current system which he says places too much control in the Supervisors hand. Holst supports chosing commissioners from within the department leadership and letting professionals do their jobs.

Holst is unhappy about the lack of information the lack of opportunity for residents to comment on town actions.  He believes that a successful town government is one that provides its residents access to information and listens to what they have to say. He found it egregious that at a recent town board meeting it was apparent that board members did not have information about the capital budget. If elected he will make town more government transparent and will promote community involvement.

Support For NYS's Phase III Nissequogue River State Park

 by p.biancaniello

New York State officials went before the public on Thursday with their Phase III plan for the Nissequogue River Wayne Horsley addressing questions at Phase III meetingState Park (NRSP). Wayne Horsley, Long Island Regional Director of NYS Parks made the presentation announcing the $40 million dollar plan.

Phase III would use the balance of Senator Flanagan’s NRSP fund. Additional funds will come from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC).

Phase III includes demolition of four derelict buildings on the park property. Three of the buildings #18.1, 18.2 and 18.3 were used as medical staff housing for employees at the Kings Park Psychiatric Center. Also targeted for removal is the former day care building identified as #40 located across the street from the maintenance building (west side) as you pass the booth entering the park. 

In addition to the removal of buildings phase III includes: Marina relocation with improvements and wetland restoration. New construction, replacing building #40 with a Silver LEED (LEED is the acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) NYSDEC Marine Resources Building. Replacing and installing a water main and fire hydrants. Exterior improvements and energy conservation upgrades at the Administration Building (#125).

The mandate of the NYS Division of Marine Resources is to manage living marine resources and habitats within the marine and coastal district of NYS. It is currently renting space at 205 Belle Mead Road, East Setauket. The rental is expensive and miles from the LI Sound. The NRSP appears to be a perfect fit for the Marine Resource Division. Since NYS owns the property relocating to the NRSP means no rental costs. The proximity to the marina makes a lot of sense for a Marine Division that uses boats.

According to Director James Gilmore, identifying the property for use by his division happened by chance after attending an event in Huntington, he drove through the park and realized the potential benefits for his division. This set into motion a review of the possibilities. Working with Wayne Horsley and other interested parties resulted in the conceptual plans presented to the public in two meetings on Thursday.

Approximately 150 people participated in the informational meetings. Kings Park Chamber of Commerce President Tony Tanzi received applause when he voiced his organization’s enthusiastic support for the project. Linda Henninger president of the Kings Park Civic Association (KPCA) issued the following statement, “The KPCA is excited about Phase III and marine upgrade projects. We look forward to working closely with the DEC and State Parks during the process. The public meetings were informative, one aspect of community input stood out, the community wants the State to work simultaneously on a master plan for the entire park while moving forward on these exciting projects.”

Presenters were peppered with questions from boaters, both motorized and Kayakers, about the marina project with Wayne Horsely offering assurances that both groups were considered valuable users of the park and consideration would be given to their concerns.

Dissent came in the way of concern for the location of the DEC building. Although the Nissequogue River State Park Foundation (NRSPF) has not taken a formal position on the project, foundation members Dorothy Chanin and Roy Conforte questioned the siting of the building on property that is uniquely beautiful. The Foundation had encouraged the DEC to use the Rockers Bldg. located on the Boulevard which would not be visible to people entering the park. The NRSPF was created to support the park and will meet on Monday evening and is expected to discuss and determine their position.

There were a number of calls from the audience to develop a master plan for the park. The NRSPF has raised funds to help defray the cost for NYS Parks. The Foundation was created to protect, enhance and beautify the NRSP for future generations. “Our goals include assisting State Parks with the creation of a comprehensive master plan to determine the most appropriate and sustainable reuses of the park’s buildings and grounds for cultural, recreational and educational purposes.” Nissequogue River State Park Foundation website.*

*P.Biancaniello is a member of the Nissequogue River State Park Foundation