County Executive Bellone Asks Public To Sign Petition To President Trump

SUFFOLK COUNTY EXECUTIVE BELLONE, BUSINESS ADVOCACY GROUPS AND OFFICIALS DELIVER A REQUEST TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: PLEASE STOP CONGRESS FROM RAISING TAXES ON LONG ISLAND

County Executive Announces Online Petition to Encourage Residents to Join in Request to President Trump

Babylon, Brookhaven, Islip, and Southampton Town Supervisors Sign onto County Executive’s Letter to President to Veto Bill that Strips Federal Tax Deductions

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone today launched an online petition to urge President Trump to stop Congress from eliminating deductions for state and local taxes.  The County Executive was joined by business advocacy organizations including the Long Island Association, Association for a Better Long Island, Suffolk Alliance of Chambers, and local officials to sound the alarm on a bill that would raise taxes for middle class residents by thousands of dollars each year.

A copy of the County Executive’s online petition can be found here.  

Bipartisan Issue The Proposed Tax Plan Is Going To Devastate Long Island

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone today called on President Trump to block legislation under consideration by Congress that could result in significantly higher taxes for middle class families on Long Island.  In a letter to the President, the County Executive urged him to block any legislation that would limit or eliminate the deduction for state and local taxes that has existed within the federal tax code for over a century.  

A copy of the County Executive’s letter appears below.

Dear President Trump,

As the Suffolk County Executive representing 1.5 million residents, I am writing to you now with a profound sense of urgency to ask for your help to stop legislation currently under consideration by Congress that could result in significantly higher taxes for middle class families.  Specifically, I am urging you to veto any legislation that limits or eliminates the deduction for state and local taxes that has been part of the federal tax code since its inception in 1913.  

The loss of the deduction for state and local taxes, which includes the state income tax and the local property tax, would have a disproportionate impact on Long Islanders.   According to the Long Island Association (LIA), the leading business organization in the region, should this bill become law it could result in an annual cumulative tax increase of $4.4 billion on Long Island.  Given that Long Islanders already send significantly more tax dollars to Washington than they ever get in return - approximately $23 billion a year - this additional tax burden would add insult to injury, and could devastate the local economy.

According to the report by the Long Island Association, Long Island taxpayers at virtually every income level could face a tax increase greater than a thousand dollars a year.  The average annual increase for households with an income level between $25,000 to $200,000 would range from $1,356 to $3,980 and the overall average impact across all income levels could be a staggering $7,794, according to the LIA report.  As you can well imagine, with families stretching every dollar to make ends meet, an increase of even several hundred dollars would force a family to make tough decisions about what they could no longer afford.  An increase of thousands of dollars a year would force them to make stark choices that would undoubtedly be harmful to their family in order to pay the federal government higher taxes.

Worse yet, the tax increases that would result from measures being considered by Congress would reverse recent gains in consumer confidence, negatively effecting taxpayer buying power, hurting families and small businesses.  Moreover, the revenue streams that local governments rely on to fund initiatives such as the battle to eradicate violent gangs like MS-13 would be severely impacted placing an even greater burden on local taxpayers.   And over time, the significantly increased cost of owning a home would also have a devastating impact on the housing market on Long Island, significantly reducing property values.  For most middle class and working class families on Long Island, our homes represent our single most important economic asset.  

As a native New Yorker, you understand better than most people in Washington, that what is considered middle class in Madison or Louisville is not the same as in Medford or Melville.  As a fellow New Yorker, I believe you understand that the firefighters and cops, the teachers, nurses and construction workers, many of them veterans or seniors, are the very people who form the backbone of our communities.  These middle class and working class families cannot and should not be asked to shoulder an even larger federal tax burden in order to subsidize tax cuts in other parts of the country.  

Mr. President, as a fellow New Yorker, I am urging you to stop Congress from passing legislation that would amount to a massive tax increase on hard working Long Island residents.  There is a reason why every elected official representing Long Island in Congress has stood up to oppose this bill because they understand it would be devastating for Long Island.  We respectfully request that you use your power and authority as President of the United States to make sure this damage never occurs.  

Sincerely,

Steven Bellone

Suffolk County Executive 

A Conversation with Smithtown Supervisor-Elect Edward Wehrheim

By Stacey Altherr

A Conversation with Smithtown Supervisor-Elect Edward Wehrheim 

Supervisor Elect - Ed WehreimAfter a grueling 4-month campaign, where he beat a 40-year incumbent in a primary and two candidates in the general election, Smithtown Supervisor-Elect Edward Wehrheim is now beating back a cold. But he is still eager to start his work leading Smithtown. What is first on his agenda?

“I’ve already started working on this; it is to mend fences,” he said of the currently fractured town board.  “I am confident we will be unified going in to work for the taxpayers.”

He said he has had conversations with Councilman Thomas McCarthy and Councilwoman Lynn Nowick, two of his political opponents throughout the years, and “they agree,” he said.

Wehrheim beat the longest running town supervisor on Long Island, Patrick Vecchio, in a close primary, by 84 votes after absentee ballots were counted. In the general election earlier this month, he outvoted both his Democratic opponent, attorney Bill Holst, and an independent candidate Kristen Slevin. His current council seat will either be appointed by the rest of the town board after January 1, or remain vacant for the remainder of the year for the rest of the term, which ends Jan. 1, 2019.

In addition to making the board more cohesive, the supervisor-elect has downtown revitalization on his mind, as well. It was foremost during his campaign.

“We have too many vacancies,” Wehrheim said of the current state of the town’s downtowns. “They are run down. There hasn’t been a lot of attention paid to them.”

One of the biggest obstacles to developing healthy downtowns is sewer capacity. The state has allocated $40 million to sewer Smithtown and Kings Park, he said, and with some communication between Suffolk County and the town, Wehrheim said Kings Park is just about “shovel-ready.”

“We anticipate Kings Park being about $20 million because we already have a county sewer plant there,” Wehrheim explains. The county has done all the engineering work, with the last piece of the puzzle the alienation of a 400,000 square-foot area located near the parks department. 

Smithtown’s downtown may take a bit longer, said Wehrheim, since a spot needs to be determined for the sewer disposal plant. In the meantime, the Smithtown downtown will get some development, including the lumber yard, a site of much controversy over the past 12 years; it has been set for development several times and then dropped.

Bringing the community into the process of government will also help move projects along, he said. He said he wants to put together a business advisory council made up of members of the community – officials from fire districts, business owners, developers, and town representatives.

 He also plans to add a public relations position. The town has not had a communications position in recent memory, with Vecchio himself being the town’s spokesman. This new position will allow information to be shared directly with the community.

“We have done some wonderful things that no one ever knows about,” he said, including being the first town in the country outside of California to run garbage trucks on compressed natural gas. 

Having a public relations person and being more transparent with the public will cut down on false information and scare tactics when it comes to large development projects, he said. He cites the recent public protests against 250 apartments at the former New York Avenue Elementary School, saying that, if the town board was involved, it could have negotiated with the developer to make it more amenable for the residents.

“It’s the unknown factor,” he said. “I understand. I live here, too. But if you educate people, they will understand more. And everyone will have a stake in it.”

One of his biggest frustrations was side discussions on important matters among board members that would lead to important items showing up at the work sessions, only to expect those not in the know to vote on it later that day. Wehrheim intends to hold work sessions several days before, which will give board members and department heads time to research the agenda item in time for the board meeting vote. Department heads will also be told to convey all information on a particular subject to all board members at the same time, so that no one person is left out of the conversation.

“None of that ‘Gotcha’ politics,” he said. “I have despised it for years. We get elected by the public to go there and work for them.”

Theater Review - 'A Christmas Carol'

Theater Review – ‘A Christmas Carol’

Produced by Theatre Three – Port Jefferson

Reviewed by Jeb Ladouceur

by Charles Dickens

Adapted for the stage by 

JEFFREY E. SANZEL

An endearing unforgettable production!

Each year … on December 1^st … it is the practice of this critic to present awards for ‘Excellence in Long Island Theater.’ These prizes are bestowed on recipients in ten categories. They are known as the ‘Encore Awards,’ and the performances for which they are given include categories that one properly expects to see recognized … Best Play … Actor … Actress … etcetera.

The most difficult of these honors to determine is that of ‘Best Director,’ and there is an obvious reason for that problem—it is almost impossible to determine a major-domo’s standout consistency from among the several theatrical productions critiqued in the course of a calendar year. All dramas and musicals are different, after all … so, what are the criteria by which an administrator earns the title, ‘Best’?

We do not know what transpires between a Director and his Cast. Nor are we privy to the interplay between Director and Crew. It’s conceivable, therefore, that a given version of ‘Hamlet,’ say, is wholly contrived (for good or ill) by the players themselves, and the helmsman might as well have stayed home. Conceivable, but unlikely.

If only there were some yardstick to measure consistency when evaluating directorial skill. Well, as a matter of fact, there is.

In that regard, Theatre Three in Port Jefferson is currently mounting its 33^rd annual production of Director Jeffrey Sanzel’s stage adaptation of, ‘A Christmas Carol,’ and this oft-repeated creation of Charles Dickens’ immortal classic provides us with a unique opportunity to evaluate both the show and Sanzel’s stagecraft.

This is so because the Bard of Long Island has managed to give us a top-quality version of the same iconic play … but with a largely different cast … year in, and year out. To illustrate the point: In years past, I had thought that James Schultz (who once played the‘Ghost of Christmas Present’) could not be equaled. But last year the spirited Bobby Martinez matched him. And this year Antoine Jones, every bit as masterful as either of his predecessors, has taken over the vital role, and he delivers his lines with a whole new twist that clearly highlights his special talents. 

The same phenomenon is true of several other expert players in this thirty-member cast, especially Steve Wangner who steps into the protagonist role of Bob Cratchit, (replacing last year’s Douglas Quattrock) with all the sensitivity and charitable nature the counterbalancing part demands … and veteran Steve McCoy who takes over Steven Uihlein’s Jacob Marley of 2016 with aplomb. For these smooth transitions we must, to a large degree, thank Director Sanzel.

Of course, the play revolves around the anticipated epiphany of miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, and Sanzel downright owns that role … much as Ray Charles owns his trademark song ‘Georgia’ … or Jack Benny is king when it comes to the comedic ‘pregnant pause’ of burlesque. But short of retiring the ‘Best Actor Encore Award’ in his name, (an entirely worthy prospect) we’ll be labeling Jeffrey Sanzel‘Top Director’ of 2017 for his continued insightful handling of this enchanting show.

That, and nine other ‘Encores’ will be announced next week.

Meanwhile, congratulations once more Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig (George Liberman and Ginger Dalton), for your madcap nonsense … bravo Dylan Robert Poulous for your unnerving performance as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, … bravo, everyone. You have given us an endearing, unforgettable production yet again.

Award-winning writer, Jeb Ladouceur is the author of a dozen novels, and his theater and book reviews appear in several major L.I. publications. His recent hit, THE GHOSTWRITERS, explores the bizarre relationship between the late Harper Lee and Truman Capote. Ladouceur’s newest thriller, THE SOUTHWICK INCIDENT, was introduced at the Smithtown Library on May 21st. The book involves a radicalized Yale student and his CIA pursuers. Mr. Ladouceur’s revealing website is www.JebsBooks.com

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP - YOU Need To Pay Attention To LI Water Issues

 SUFFOLK CLOSEUP

By Karl Grossman

Suffolk County government has, at long last, embraced the “advanced” wastewater treatment systems that remove substantial amounts of nitrogen that leaches out of traditional cesspools and has raised havoc with the groundwater and also surface waters, causing brown tide, red tide and otherwise triggering eutrophication.

This is a “water quality” issue, notes environmentalist John Turner, who says Kevin McAllister, founding president of the organization Defend H20 “deserves much credit for fighting” to get “advanced” wastewater systems accepted by Suffolk government. “During the early years, he was truly ‘a voice in the wilderness.’”

Now not only are these technological breakthroughs in wastewater treatment fully accepted by the Suffolk Department of Health Services, the county executive’s office and the Suffolk Legislature, but local governments are joining with the county in financial programs to assist in the installation of the systems.

Also of prime importance for Suffolk County, indeed for all of Long Island, says Mr. Turner, is “water quantity.” With the Seatuck Environmental Association, where he is conservation policy advocate, he has been leading a campaign to get action on this. He is also former head of Brookhaven Town’s Department of Environmental Protection and a foremost Long Island naturalist, author of Exploring the Other Island: A seasonal guide to nature on Long Island.

There now is movement on the water quantity issue—making Mr. Turner very happy. Earlier this month, a new entity—the LINAP Water Resource Work Group—had its first meeting. (LINAP stands for Long Island Nitrogen Acton Plan.) Held at the Suffolk County Water Authority Education Center in Hauppauge, it is being chaired by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and includes representatives of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, The Nature Conservancy, health departments of Nassau and Suffolk, U.S. Geological Survey, Long Island Farm Bureau, Riverhead Sewage Treatment Facility, the office of Suffolk Legislator Al Krupski, the Water Authority and, of course, Seatuck.

Put simply: Long Island sits in the sea, between the Atlantic Ocean, bays, and the Long Island Sound, with its sole source of potable water in the aquifers below, an underground water table—our reservoir. There is an interface between the fresh water of this natural reservoir and saltwater that surrounds us. Lowering the level of freshwater in the underground water table can—and has—resulted in saltwater intrusion and loss of potable water and the lowering and drying up of streams, rivers and lakes.

Saltwater intrusion is a large part of how Brooklyn and Queens on the western portion of Long Island (because they’re parts of New York City, often ridiculously not considered “Long Island”) lost their potable water supply years ago. They now must rely on the system of manmade reservoirs and pipes to bring water down from upstate. 

Or as John Turner explains: “There’s the water we don’t see—the freshwater beneath our feet, stored in the sandy aquifers that underlie Long Island. This layered system of water-saturated sand, silt, gravel and clay sits atop a basement of bedrock…that slants to the southeast and contains no water. In the middle of Suffolk County, the aquifers, replenished only by rain and snowmelt, are about 1,000 feet deep, while they are shallower in Nassau County.

“These tiered sets of aquifers—the groundwater reservoir—is our drinking water supply and the sole source for meeting all our water needs…

“’Near the coast, the oozing water from the aquifers is what supplies the base flow of streams and rivers, while in the middle part of the island the freshwater moves vertically, recharging the groundwater system before eventually turning sideways and discharging into the saltwater that surrounds the island…

“Imagine the groundwater reservoir to be a balloon of a certain size and due to pumping of water and coastal discharge of the wastewater the size of the balloon lessens. Some significant things happen. First, as the water table drops, the top of the balloon, the surface water bodies such as streams, lakes and rivers either dry up or are significantly diminished…Second, the salty water surrounding the island pushes landward in a process known as saltwater intrusion, contaminating the edges of the aquifer. If we continue on the path were on, the patient will get sicker….”

Next week: how all over Long Island sewage treatment plants are discharging wastewater into bays, rivers, the ocean and Long Island Sound—reducing the quantity of our water. 

Karl Grossman is a veteran investigative reporter and columnist, the winner of numerous awards for his work and a member of the L.I. Journalism Hall of Fame. He is a professor of journalism at SUNY/College at Old Westbury and the author of six books.