Op-ED - When Did We All Stop Expecting Integrity From Politicians

By Larry Vetter

When did we all stop expecting integrity from our politicians?

I belong to a number of networking groups for my business. Networking groups consist primarily of entrepreneurs and management employees that are looking for ways to expand business. Networking is a way of marketing that gives you an opportunity to not only understand other business, their needs and issues, but also the individuals themselves. After a time, networking partners become personal friends.

In one such networking group, there is a young man struggling to build his own company that I had befriended. In the meetings we often discuss our unique selling points, how they work and how others may adapt them. I have always felt and stressed that integrity and honesty were the cornerstone of my business and all those within my networking groups have come to know me for that.

Shortly after I was nominated to run for the Town Council position, I mentioned this fact to all my networking groups. After one such meeting, the young man approached me wished me luck and said, “I understand that now you will have to say things that aren’t necessarily true”. I was somewhat taken aback and said that was absolutely not true and I am not changing the ways I live and I work to win a position. We quickly cleared up that misconception, however it did leave me pause to think.

Are we at a point where we expect that little of out public servants? Do we now just shrug our shoulders and expect the lie, expect the broken promises and expect the slipshod services. If I am to be honest with myself, I have to admit I have fallen into that line of reasoning. I often cynically realize that very little that is promised or guaranteed ever becomes reality.

Isn’t it time we hold our public servants to the same standards we expect from our vendors, from services we employ, from goods we purchase, from friends that we have made? Should we not choose individuals at the ballot box that we know are honorable and will fulfill their promises? Isn’t it time we vote for the best and not the lesser of evils? I sincerely hope that this year on Election Day, we begin the process of weeding out the dead wood and replacing with individuals that can deliver what they promise.

Larry Vetter is a Smithtown resident and a buisness owner. He is running for Smithtown Town Council on the Democratic line.

The Story That Was Not To Be - Candlelight Vigil

The Story That Was Not To Be - Candlelight Vigil Celebrating Four Precious Smithtown Girls

by Maureen Rossi

On Wednesday July 29th when I arrived at Smithtown West to attend the Candlelight Vigil for the four beautiful Smithtown girls we lost in the motor vehicle crash last week I saw various news trucks outside the perimeter.  I pulled up, identified myself as press and asked why they were outside the fence?   The response was simply, no press, families request.   I identified myself to them as press, parked my car and I went in.  In addition to being press I am also a Smithtown resident in mourning for these beautiful girls and for their families.   

I wept uncontrollably while taking copious notes in my burgundy reporter’s notebook.  Pages and pages of quotes are stained by my tears. Quotes that will never be written out of the respect for the families.

Well over six-hundred people walked quietly onto the Smithtown West grounds to gather for the celebration of Amy, Brittney, Lauren and Stephanie.  It was a celebration, we heard from many about these amazing young women and the things they had done and accomplished in their short lives.

Local politicians were present; Supervisor Vecchio, Assemblyman Fitzpatrick, Legislator Trotta, Congressman Zeldin, Councilwoman Nowick, County Comptroller Kennedy and Legislator Leslie Kennedy. However, there were no photo opportunities, no words from them,  like everyone else who gathered, they were there to pay their respects to and to celebrate our Smithtown girls who left this world too early.  Every elected official there last night is a parent. Vecchio, Fitzpatrick and the Kennedys are grandparents.  They were not there as politicians, they were there as mourners, they were there to pay respect for the girls from Smithtown. Their hearts were broken like every other heart present.

In remembering these young ladies in our prayers, we must not forget to include the girls inside that fated limo and the devastation they witnessed.  They too will need our continued prayers. 

The small battery-operated candles lit the field which held family members and friends of the girls and they also lit the bleachers where all the other mourners gathered.   Just as quietly as the hundreds entered the vigil, they left with equal reverence.

Smithtown Recreation Department is ready to P-A-R-T-Y.

Pool Party/BBQ has been rescheduled for Thursday, Aug. 6

Smithtown’s 350th Anniversary celebration continues with a pool party and barbeque at the Landing Ave pool Thursday, July 30.  Smithtown’s Recreation Department has been preparing for months for this celebration and barring inclement weather the pool gate will open at 5pm.

When the gate opens 400 residents with reservations will participate in the fun. Recreation Department Superintendent Thomas McCaffery came up with the idea for the pool party. “The response was great. We originally planned for 350 participants but the number of people responding to our announcement forced us to increase the number to 400, the maximum number of people allowed at the site. We still have a waiting list with almost one-hundred names on it.” Said Mr. McCaffery.

The plan is for residents, some who weren’t aware there was a Town pool in Smitthown, to see the facility and to have fun.  There are three pools at the site and they will all be open for the celebration.  According to Mr. McCaffery there will be a bbq sponsored by Sea Crystal Pools and ice cream donated by Lessings.  There will be a DJ, games for the kids and more. 

L-R Doreen Perrino, Joan Courtney, Laurie Fitrakis and Tom McCafferyTom McCaffery’s team has worked closely with the 350 Foundation in planning for the party to make this a fun and memorable event. Because there are things you just can’t control a rain date has been scheduled for August 6. 

Celebrations for Smithtown’s 350th Anniversary have been ongoing since March. The pool party closes out July but not the celebratory events which continue through the end of 2015. On September19th  there will be a fireworks display at Sunken Meadow and on September 26th there will be a parade through Smithtown. 

Theater Review - "The Cottage"

THEATER REVIEW - The Cottage

Produced by: The John W. Engeman Theater - Reviewed by: Jeb Ladouceur

The trouble with British farce is that the jokes are usually one-liners … and they’re delivered too rapidly (frequently as asides) for slow-witted people like me to appreciate. It’s not my hearing (I’ve had that checked), nor my eyesight (I was wearing my bifocals when ‘The Cottage’s’ sight gags were delivered at the Engeman last weekend), nor my sense of smell (I could virtually detect the odor associated with the play’s funniest episode). So it has to be a lack of sophistication that prohibits my enjoying these over-the-top romantic comedies as completely as I’m told I should.

Okay … why be in denial? … let’s simply admit it: Such outrageous comedies were written for audiences more urbane than I. But if that’s the case, I certainly was not alone at Northport’s snazzy Engeman Theater on Sunday. Even a superb set by the incredible Jon Collins … wonderful period costumes by Tristan Raines … and sound that expertly (if briefly) incorporated music from the Roaring Twenties … could not trump the need for my neighbors and me occasionally to turn to a companion and whisper, “I don’t get it.”

I won’t even speculate as to why the couple in front of me saw fit to spend much of the play absorbed in a game of solitaire on their smart phones. The unfortunate truth is that at one point, I became more interested in their progress than I was in the intentionally silly business being conducted on stage. That’s not a knock … it’s farce, folks.

But two of the actors in this predictable Sandy Rustin play (nicely directed by BT McNicholl) are veterans of Shakespearian drama on Broadway and beyond … and the discipline pays off. Rachel Pickup, the willowy clothes horse who occupies center stage as ‘Sylvia’ much of the time—and with supreme confidence—has appeared in ‘Merchant of Venice,’ ‘King Lear,’ ‘Julius Caesar,’ and a number of The Bard’s comedies. She’s the real deal, this charmer with the fashion model good looks. I’d love to have seen her interpretation of ‘Portia’ at London’s Globe Theatre.

Matched-up with Rachel is the show’s leading man Henry Clarke as ‘Beau’ (‘leading cad,’ one can imagine Noel Coward saying) whose considerable talents have also been honed on Shakespeare. He’s done ‘Henry IV,’ ‘Macbeth,’ ‘Henry V,’ and ‘Richard III’ … WOW! I tried to guess which roles he might have occupied in those plays, and concluded he could have performed well in any of them.

The other two women and two men in ‘The Cottage’ were not completely overshadowed in this ‘everyone’s-related-by-marriage’ openly ribald sex farce. Indeed, the genre demands that each player fulfill his/her role appropriately if the complexity is going to be brought to a successful, uh, climax! The audience’s appreciation of the contributions of James Laverdiere, Christiane Noll, Brian Sgambati, and Lilly Tobin was obvious in a clever curtain call that was the most creative part of the play. Even women’s understudy Maria Couch took a bow at the final curtain. Good move!

Credit artistic director Richard Dolce for presenting his theater-savvy audience in Northport with a well-cast, rollicking package of fun. The romantic comedy runs thru Labor Day weekend.

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Award-winning writer, Jeb Ladouceur is the author of ten novels, and his theater and book reviews appear in several major L.I. publications. Ladouceur’s newest thriller THE QUANTUM SYNDROME is patterned on the Atlanta child murders of the 80s. His eleventh book, THE SEQUEL, will explore the odd relationship between Harper Lee and Truman Capote.

Fresh Market Brings Their “A” Game to Smithtown

What’s Cookin’? –Smithtown by Nancy Vallarella

Fresh Market Grand Opening - July 22This past Wednesday morning Fresh Market opened its doors at 138 East Main Street. As early as eight a.m., the store was filled with enthusiastic shoppers, Smithtown officials, local store and corporate management.  The crowd gathered for a ceremonial “Cracking of the Parmesan”-a refreshing twist on the traditional ribbon cutting ceremony.

Fresh Market is clearly about fresh products with an emphasis on customer service and an elevated shopping experience. Extra wide aisles are easy to navigate in Fresh Market’s open market design with old world charm. Beware, before you pack up the kiddies to cruise those extra-wide aisles, there is a remarkable amount of sweets available in the east front corner of the store. It is like visiting a mini version of Dylan’s Candy Bar.  Visiting this area last with children in tow and having a reward policy in place is recommended. For the child in all of us, there is a nostalgic island of retro candy.

The other 95% of Fresh Market is filled with premium produce, meats, seafood, cheeses, coffee, dairy and an array of prepared grab-and-go food choices.  You can also find products from around the globe, but you will not find everything that may be on your grocery list. Fresh Market is not a one-stop-shopping experience as common household supplies are not stocked. The Fresh Market concept is modeled after the “European open market” where fresh, and fragment products are experienced.  No TP or laundry detergent here. 

Most notable is the Fresh Market staff.  They have a refreshing combination of knowledge, friendliness and a polished, approachable appearance.  Fresh Market employees give a happy to be working there vibe.

There is an emphasis on community. This location has already partnered with the Smithtown Emergency Food Pantry and has reached out to the Smithtown Children’s Foundation. 

It appears that Fresh Market has raised the bar in the local food/grocery competition for our dollars. Time will tell which stores will rise to the top. In the meantime, Smithtown residents are clearly the winners in this very competitive market.

Pay a visit to Fresh Market this week as the store is geared up to show off their goodies. Food tastings and cooking demos are scheduled through the rest of the week from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.