SUFFOLK CLOSEUP - Think County Taxes Aren't Going Up? Look At "Backdoor Taxes"

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP

By Karl Grossman

Legislator Robert Trotta“Backdoor taxes.” That’s what Suffolk Legislator Rob Trotta, whose district includes a good part of the Town of Smithtown, called increased fees being imposed in Suffolk County. “Suffolk County Fees Are Crushing The Taxpayer!” declared one of the posters at the news conference last week in Hauppauge at which Mr. Trotta attacked the fee hikes. . 

The legislator, from Fort Salonga, announced that he will be introducing a measure that would limit Suffolk County fee increases to 2% per year—the same percentage that New York State has set for property tax increases.

“The cap will put an end to the horrifying 100% increase in your ‘taxes’ you pay every year through fees, permits, licenses, and registrations,” declared one of the posters at the news conference December 19. “Stop the Madness! Cap The Fees!” it said.

Suffolk County has been in difficult times financially since the start of what has been called the “Great Recession” between 2007-2008. Hard-hit in the slow-down in consumer spending has been the collection of sales tax monies upon which Suffolk County government has become increasingly dependent. The economy has been improving but still sales tax collections have not been as strong as anticipated by the administration of Suffolk County government. Meanwhile, more than half the county’s operating budget is now based on sales tax receipts.

One of the posters at the Trotta press conference reflected on how Suffolk has been increasing fees: These included a “Tax Map Verification Fee” increase of 150% in 2015 plus $25 this year; a “Mortgage Fee” jump of 100% in 2016 bringing this fee to $300 per transaction; a “Traffic Violations Default Fee” that has included “various fee increases on default payments on tickets;” “Occupational Certification/Licensing Fees” with, as an example, dog groomers “the most recent to face a 100% increase in fees for their licenses;” a “Car Registration Fee” with a 200% hike in the “county portion of bill;  an “Alarm Registration Fee [with] a 100% increase bringing this fee up to between $50 and $100; a “Parking, Traffic, Red Light Camera Fee” with tickets “projected to be raised 95%” and red light camera penalties going from $80 to $150; and “Various Park Service Fees” increased 10% in 2016 and to go up “again” 10% in 2017.

Another poster—titled “Suffolk County Fee Hikes”—showed a 100% overall increase in fees collected by the county between 2015 and 2016, for a total of $46 million, and another 100% increase from 2016 to 2017, for a total of $50 million.

“Taxes have caps, and now our county fees need them, too,” said yet another poster. “A 2% cap has to be placed on increasing fees to protect taxpayers from the injustices of backdoor taxes!”

In  2012 in New York State, a tax cap was instituted which limits property tax increases for counties, cities, villages, towns, fire and school districts to two percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower. 

Participating, too, in the news conference was Smithtown Town Supervisor Patrick Vecchio. Having taken office as supervisor in 1978, he is the longest-serving town supervisor ever on Long Island and in New York State. Mr. Vecchio also has knowledge of taxes beyond his being town supervisor for 38 years—prior to that he was assistant director of special investigations for the New York State Tax Department. Before that he was a detective sergeant with the New York City Police Department. At the news conference, Mr. Vecchio emphasized that fees are supposed to cover the costs of providing specific services.

Mr. Trotta also is a retired cop—he was with Suffolk County Police Department for 

25 years, most of them as a detective. His legislative district includes Kings Park, Nissequogue, Head of the Harbor, San Remo, and parts of Commack, East Northport, Northport, St. James and his Fort Salonga hometown and Smithtown.

In an interview, Mr. Trotta, a Republican, said the key issue is that the administration of County Executive Steve Bellone, a Democrat, “has mismanaged county government.” The Bellone administration, he said, “has no sense of fiscal responsibility—they act like a teenager with a credit card.” County government, said Mr. Trotta “needs to stop spending” rather than to use fees instead of taxes. 

When it was noted that neighboring Nassau County has also been adding and increasing fees in place of taxes, Mr. Trotta commented: “Just because someone jumps off a bridge, it doesn’t mean that it’s right for anyone to jump off a bridge.”

A spokesperson for the Bellone administration had this comment for us on the Trotta move: “Capping increases in fees without knowing what the cost of service or administration will be does not represent prudent fiscal planning.  Revenue caps restrict flexibility, hampering a government’s ability to respond to unforeseen negative events. The cost of doing business and regional comparisons are always factored into the analysis concerning fee increases within Suffolk County. It is preferable to take budgetary action as needed and not impose rigid revenue caps.”

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.

Jeb Ladouceur's 2016 'Pinnacle Prize' Book Awards

2016 ‘PINNACLE PRIZE’ BOOK AWARDS ANNOUNCED

Selections made by: Long Island Arts Critic, Jeb Ladouceur

Syndicated Arts Critic, Jeb Ladouceur, has announced choices for 2015 books of the year. The ‘Pinnacle Prize’ selections are made in four categories – Most Historically Noteworthy (in any genre) – Best Memoir – Best Biography – and Best Novel. In the national competition, winning authors may be residents of any of the fifty States, though choices are weighted in favor of Long Island writers over the age of 18. Local author and former St. John’s University basketball star, Gus Alfieri was the lone Long Islander prevailing in this year’s contest. ‘Pinnacle’ recipients are chosen by Ladouceur who is a novelist, and retired journalist. He is a charter Long Island Authors’ Circle member who lives in Smithtown, L.I. 

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HISTORICALLY NOTEWORTHY

“Crisis of Character”

Gary J. Bern – 283 pages – Center Street

In the interest of full disclosure, it should be noted that this reviewer is not a fan of Hillary Rodham Clinton. Thus, we have attempted to soft-pedal the book’s many caustic criticisms of the former Democratic candidate for president … because it should not be assumed that the critique is intended as a device to support the election of Clinton’s opponent, Republican Donald J. Trump.

It is widely known that ‘Crisis of Character’s’ author, Gary J. Byrne, has written a no-holds-barred condemnation of the former First Lady and Secretary of State. What prospective readers of this runaway best seller might not know, however, is that the book is loaded with incidents in the career of the retired Secret Service Officer that touch on interesting aspects of life as a presidential protector, but refer only obliquely to Clinton. These vignettes may be referred to, it seems to me, without castigating Hillary Clinton in the process.

For instance, we might be surprised to learn that smoking cigarettes is very popular among Secret Service people. Indeed Gary Byrne reveals that during the Clinton administration, agents assigned to protect the president and his wife, knowing that Mrs. Clinton hated smoking and despised those who smoked, often intentionally lit up out of doors when they saw her coming … just to provoke her. The practice was not forbidden, and there was little that FLOTUS (the First Lady of the United States) could do about it.

Or this … a frequent White House guest of the Clintons, sex guru Dr. Ruth Westheimer, claimed she had been the one to persuade Bill Clinton finally to run for president. That fact is interesting in itself, but it’s perhaps compounded by the knowledge that the tiny woman had been a sniper in the Israeli Army during the early days of its founding. She once poked none other than Officer Byrne (the author) with her finger and boasted, “I can put a bullet in your chest from 200 yards, young man.”

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BEST MEMOIR

“The Heart of a Champion”

Gus Alfieri – 265 pages – All-American Sports Press

 

Few figures in the world of sports have accomplished what the legendary St. John’s basketball star Gus Alfieri has … whether as player, coach, or memoirist. I would state here, and proudly so, that I am a personal friend of the author, whose compelling new book, ‘The Heart of a Champion,’ is the subject of this review.

It bears pointing out that my relationship with Gus Alfieri brings with it several advantages when critiquing his work, because we were classmates at St. John’s University during the years when Gus was one of immortal Coach Joe Lapchick’s standout players. I can vouch for the fact that Alfieri’s recollections in this inspiring memoir are spot-on.

Sports celebrities are frequently known to embellish their accomplishments, and for the most part, these exaggerations constitute innocent embroideries that can be overlooked. In Gus’s case, no such accommodation of hyperbole is necessary. Indeed, the man usually understates his own role in the successes of the various basketball teams with which he has been associated … whether as player or coach.

I get the distinct impression that this rags-to-riches story of Gus Alfieri’s rise from modest Brooklyn roots to the pinnacle of schoolboy coaching would resonate well with Hollywood producers and directors. It’s a success story whose many magical facets can be told most effectively only by the person who lived them. In the case of the championship St. Anthony’s High School mentor, that person happens to be a highly gifted author … and more importantly, a world-class shaper of character.

There are any number of ‘blurbs’ concerning ‘The Heart of a Champion’ that have been penned by sports legends (like Dean Smith, Lou Carnesecca, and Mike Francesa) and most of them seem to be directed to would-be basketball coaches. But this fine book is infinitely more than a coaching manual. It’s a guide to the pursuit of excellence … no matter what the goal … and regardless of the obstacles one might be required to overcome in life.

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BEST BIOGRAPHY

“Hemingway in Love”

A.E. Hotchner – 172 pages – St. Martin’s Press

As most Hemingway aficionados will likely do when they read A.E. Hotchner’s masterfully written account of his friend Ernest’s marriages, ‘Hemingway in Love’ … and ‘Hem’s’ disastrous love of two women simultaneously … I absorbed this brief book in a single session. In fact, at one point I even became eager to finish … and start all over again. (I re-read the biographical text the following evening, by the way).

It’s no news that Ernest Hemingway was married four times … that his one true love appears to have been his first wife, Hadley … that Hadley’s successors were Pauline, Martha, and Mary (in that order)  … and that the most romantically stimulating relationship of the four clearly was his liaison with the wealthy seductress, Pauline Pfeiffer.

But even after a lifetime of reading everything one could lay one’s hands on by and about the ‘great’ Hemingway, I found much in Hotchner’s book that I hadn’t known. For instance, at one point, Ernest described himself to his friend ‘Hotch’ as a young husband who, upon meeting the determined Pauline, was “…as stupid as a bird dog who goes out with anyone with a gun.” Immediately, we see how Hotchner quotes this perfect metaphor to paint the swarthy author/sportsman. How intriguing that he should find himself the unsuspecting target of a different kind of hunter … this one wrapped in a high-fashion outfit right out of the pages of ‘Vogue.’

This critic is not one who considers Hemingway’s writing all that exquisite. I’m more interested in the part and parcel of the man’s existence than in his often repetitive prose as such. Accordingly, there’s much about the man I’d like to have seen explored here: e.g. why he felt compelled frequently to marry women who were his seniors … or how he really reacted when Hadley lost a number of ‘Papa’s’ manuscripts, including their carbon copies, on a train (never to be recovered).

That would have been interesting to know.

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BEST NOVEL

“The Swans of Avenue”

Melanie Benjamin – 341 pages – Delacorte Press

Anyone who thinks a writer cannot create a spellbinding novel about a weird little gay man and a stunningly beautiful trophy wife (someone else’s of course) is in for a hugely rewarding surprise when they read Melanie Benjamin’s ‘The Swans of Fifth Avenue.’

What’s more, every devotee of the ‘faction’ genre (fiction based on fact, a la, ‘In Cold Blood’) will find it impossible to put this fine book aside once they’ve delved into page one. There the reader is immediately seduced with the wonderful opening line: “When he was young, when they were all young—Truman Capote was a hell of a lot of fun to be around.” Three hundred pages later, the masterful Ms. Benjamin has none other than CBS Chairman, William S. Paley proclaiming, “I’m sorry I ever saw Truman Capote.”

Obviously, a lot has happened in the span of 90,000 words.

If, at the outset, we don’t know much about the players in Benjamin’s story (diminutive Truman Capote, incredibly wealthy Bill Paley, the gorgeous Babe Paley, self-indulgent Gloria Vanderbilt, et al) we certainly will when the brilliant wordsmith is through delineating them. She defines characters better than anyone this reviewer has read in a long time.

Anyone who has had occasion to meet Truman Capote (as I did in Bridgehampton in 1981) will find Melanie Benjamin’s word picture of the tiny literary giant uncannily accurate. Every lisp, finger flick, and salacious giggle is perfectly drawn. In the end, as we know, even Truman’s adoring ‘Swans’ deserted him … and the pathos is palpable.

It’s difficult to believe that Benjamin never knew any of the people she describes so convincingly in ‘The Swans of Fifth Avenue’ … or that she never lived in New York City … a venue she outlines as the most seasoned tour guide might. The woman has researched her subjects to a fare-thee-well!

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Award-winning writer, Jeb Ladouceur is the author of a dozen novels, and his book and theater reviews appear in several major L.I. publications. His newest book, THE GHOSTWRITERS, explores the bizarre relationship between the late Harper Lee and Truman Capote. Ladouceur’s recently completed thriller, THE SOUTHWICK INCIDENT, is due next month. It involves a radicalized Yale student and his CIA pursuers. Mr. Ladouceur’s revealing website is www.JebsBooks.com

Nesconset Man And Woman Arrested After Firing A Shot In Avalon Circle Apartment

Neil Ross-FranceDominica KaisenSuffolk County Police have arrested a Nesconset man and woman for possessing guns and drugs after the man fired a shot into a neighboring apartment in Nesconset on Christmas Eve.

A resident of Avalon Circle heard a loud bang in her apartment on December 24 at approximately 10 a.m.  She called police and an investigation revealed her neighbors were having an argument, when the male neighbor, Neil Ross-France, fired a weapon, causing a bullet to penetrate his neighbor’s wall.

A further investigation by Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives revealed the couple was hiding a loaded handgun, a loaded shotgun and a quantity of cocaine and marijuana in the bedroom of their four-year-old son. 

Ross-France, 26, was charged with Reckless Endangerment 1^st Degree and Obstructing Governmental Administration.  Both Ross-France and Dominica Kaisen, 24, of 36 Avalon Circle, were charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 2^nd Degree, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3^rd Degree, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 4^th Degree, Criminal Possession of Marijuana 2^nd Degree, Criminal Possession of a Firearm, Criminal Possession of a Weapon 3^rd Degree and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

The child is currently in the custody of a family member.  The Suffolk County Department of Social Services Child Protective Services has been notified.  The suspects are scheduled to be arraigned today at First District Court in Central Islip.

The investigation is continuing.  Detectives are asking anyone with information on this incident to call the Fourth Squad at 631-854-8451.

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP - Higher Education In Suffolk Different From 1959

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP

By Karl Grossman

Higher education had its highs and lows in Suffolk County in 2016. 

The big low—the closing this year of the county’s first four-year private college, Dowling. A big high—the continuing success of Suffolk County Community College. It now has 27,000 students. It’s the largest community college in the state. 

A low, too—the closing of the Suffolk campus of St. John’s University. However, it has been sold to Amity Education Group of India which intends to use it as a site of an unusual venture of having international students live and study near New York. Also, Briarcliffe College, with a Suffolk campus, earlier announced it will shut down in 2018.

A semi-high—Stony Brook Southampton has been reviving, somewhat. As Long Island University’s Southampton College, it was shut down in 2005 after 42 years. (I taught journalism there until it closed.) The next year the campus was acquired for $35 million by New York State which proceeded to spend another $43 million to renovate it. But then Dr. Samuel Stanley, the new president of Stony Brook University, its home campus, announced in 2010 his decision to shut down all but a few programs. 

A high—St. Joseph’s College Long Island, an offshoot of St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn, has now grown to nearly 3,000 students at its campus in Patchogue. 

Meanwhile, Stony Brook University continues mightily. Its current student totals: more than 17,000 undergraduates and nearly 9,000 graduate students.

It’s remarkable that until 1959 there was no institution of higher education that Suffolk could call its own. And the county’s population was counted at 666,784 in the 1960 Census. Neighboring Nassau had a few more people, 672,762, yet it had Adelphi College, Hofstra University and LIU’s C.W. Post College. And Nassau County Community College was founded in 1959. Straddling the border of both counties in Farmingdale was what began as the New York State School of Agriculture on Long Island in 1912 when both counties were rural. It’s booming now as four-year Farmingdale State College offering an array of academic programs with 8,000 students. But then it was a two-year agricultural and technical school.

Suffolk Community was founded in 1959 with classes at Riverhead High School and Sachem High School in Ronkonkoma, then moving to what became its main campus in Selden, the site of a former tuberculosis sanatorium. It later was named the Ammerman Campus for Dr. Albert Ammerman, the college’s president from 1959 to 1983. Two additional campuses rose: the Michael J. Grant Campus in Brentwood with now more than 9,000 students, named for a presiding officer of the Suffolk Legislature (from Brentwood). And the Eastern Campus, often referred to as in Riverhead but actually in Northampton in Southampton Town. It has more than 4,000 students.  (I’ve taught journalism there, too. It’s a sweet, homey campus.)

In 1959, too, Adelphi reached out from Garden City and launched Adelphi-Suffolk College in an unused public school building—“Old 88”—in Sayville. It later moved to Oakdale and, in 1968, became independent Dowling College named after its benefactor New York City real estate developer Robert W. Dowling (who never attended college). I started at Antioch College in Ohio but deciding to get into journalism ASAP after an Antioch internship at the Cleveland Press, I headed back east and, figuring I needed more college to get into the field, went to Adelphi-Suffolk. I started a college newspaper there, named it The New Voice. I found Adelphi-Suffolk and then Dowling (I taught journalism there, too) very special. Dowling’s motto was “The Personal College.” That was true of it and Adelphi-Suffolk.

It’s a shame Dowling will no longer be. Closed in August after years of financial difficulty, the college filed for bankruptcy last month. Up for sale are its main 25-acre campus along the Connetquot River in Oakdale, including its signature structure, the former William K. Vanderbilt Mansion, and a 100-acre Shirley campus which had an aviation focus. 

Just a quarter-mile west of Dowling was the Suffolk campus of Queens-based St. John’s University, purchased this year for $22.5 million to be part of Amity University of India. 

Career Education Corp., owner of Briarcliffe, also tried to sell but couldn’t find a buyer. Patchogue has been the site of its Suffolk campus. 

These closings touch me—and I’m sure many readers—personally. Beyond my teaching at two of the schools, a son of ours graduated from Briarcliffe with an associate’s degree in computer science and another graduated from Dowling, going on to become an attorney. 

It’s good news that Stony Brook Southampton, after years of looking like a ghost campus, a waste of state resources, has increased activity led by humming marine sciences and writing programs. With the plan for a new Southampton Hospital to be built on the 84-acre campus, many programs in health sciences would be coming. Still, cutting short the life there of what had been at its heart and was becoming successful—an environment-focused college —was a bad decision.

Tips On Last Minute Shopping

By Jenna Barbone

Tips on Last Minute Shopping

We are currently in December, the most stressful month for holiday shopping. When fall arrived, you may have started to think about holiday gift ideas. But with plenty of time on the calendar you might have decided to hold off purchasing gifts until Black Friday or Cyber Monday hoping for the best deals. When Black Friday rolled around, you may have been frustrated by the crowds and sold-out items. When December arrived you still had a whole month left to shop, but in the blink of an eye it was allmost Christmas and you still haven’t finished shopping. Now what?

According to the National Retail Federation the two biggest holiday shopping days are Black Friday and Super Saturday (the Saturday before Christmas). It is predicted that this year, the Friday before Christmas (December 23)  will be bigger then Super Saturday and Black Friday. Historically up to 40 percent of the season’s sales happen in the 10 days before Christmas. This means if you wait until the last days before Christmas, crowds will be bigger and lines will be longer.

When it comes to getting the best deals, there is still hope. Outlets offer deals everyday.  The Deer Park and Riverhead outlets are great places to find deals on almost anything. Stores often have the same items being sold at the mall for less. 

If you don’t have time to go out to shop or you don’t want to be bothered waiting on long lines, online shopping is a great alternative; however, express shipping may be pricey. The plus side of online shopping is that it is done in the comfort of your own home. Online promotions are often better than in-store sales which could make-up for the cost of express shipping. 

The last option is to give money, checks, or gift cards. This may be viewed as the “lazy gift” but it’s better than purchasing an item that is likely to be returned. Also, sales after the holidays are way better so the recipient can buy what they like for a cheaper price allowing them to buy more.

If you are going to shop this week, expect crowds, limited parking and lots of holiday music. I recommend getting organized, shop with a list, wake up extra early and drink lots of coffee.  One more thing you can do is put a smile on and hope for the best, after all it is the holiday season.

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Jenna Barbone is a Smithtown HS graduate who is currently majoring in Journalism at SUNY Old Westbury.