Editorial - On July 4th Remember The Revolutionaries

July 4th is the day we celebrate the resolve of those who signed the Declaration of Independence.  The men who signed the document were bold in their ideas and in their willingness to identify themselves.  Affixing their signatures prominently on the Declaration of Independence was dangerous and placed them at risk. These men were leaders. Those who supported independence from England were called patriots,  rebels, congressmen, whigs and finally Americans. 

The government they created, under the Articles of Confederation of States proved to be ineffective and so they went back to the drawing board. Our Constitution reflects their wisdom, insightfulness and ability to compromise. Their actions were revolutionary and so was the government they created.

On July 4th let us celebrate the small group of patriots who changed the world.

Pat

What's Cookin'? Smithtown - Nesconset Farmer's Market

What’s Cookin’? – Smithtown

 By Nancy Vallarella

Nesconset Farmer’s Market

This Saturday is a great day to visit the Nesconset Farmer’s Market.  July’s kickoff  includes a bounty of new products, musical performance, vendor promotions and for the first time this season…PICKLES! Yes, NFM shoppers, the most requested item during the month of June will be available this Saturday, July 5th. Stop by and satisfy the craving for crispy, briney green goodness.

The second most anticipated item of the season will be there too. Fresh picked local corn on the cob will be making its debut. Michelle Fink of Fink’s Country Farm from Wading River will deliver two more new products this week; kirby cucumbers – perfect to eat as is or brine for DIY pickles and bunches of fresh sweet basil – ideal for batches of pesto that can be frozen and thawed for quick summer meals.

Become a VIP of Sujecki Farm and Nurseries. Their produce is locally grown in Calverton and GMO free. With every visit to this stand, you can earn a stamp towards 15% off your entire purchase. Ask for your VIP Farm Friend Card at Sujecki’s stand.

Switch it up on the BBQ this weekend and throw on some of the finest, freshest fish available in town. The NFM seafood vendor has the best scallops I’ve tasted in my lifetime. Many customers agree. Clean and dry, no sand or shrinkage; sweet and buttery they are the crown jewel of the seafood case.  Other treasures of the sea may also available. Cod, swordfish, calamari, flounder, bluefish and others as long as they didn’t get away, should be available. The sure thing here is it is always fresh.

Monty’s Breads will bring their assortment of artisanal breads. If you like olives… You will love their olive bread.

Speaking of olives… Salce Imports will be there offering tastings of their imported Italian olive oils. Available in a variety of sizes, flavors, organic and extra virgin this product will kick up the flavor in your favorite recipes. The three pack of flavored evoo makes a terrific hostess gift.

Another well received hostess gift, or personal treat is Natural Body Treats body care products. Their creams, serums and soaps are available in mouthwatering flavors. Stop by their stand to smell, to try, to buy a delicious no calorie indulgence. Chocaholic alert! – NBT offers chocolate scented soap!

Nico PaddenEnhancing this week’s shopping experience will be soulful singer and lyricist, folk – rock performer Nico Padden. 

Say hi to Steven Anderson of Anderson’s Organic Landscaping. He has the knowledge and products to keep your grass greener and your trees healthier.

Managing the market, this week will be Bernadette Martin of Long Island Green Markets. Stop by the Manager’s Booth if you are out of cash and need to charge and sign up for the Cookbook Give-a-Way. One lucky shopper will win a signed by the author copy of The Hamptons and Long Island Homegrown Cookbook on Saturday, July 26th!

The Nesconset Farmer’s Market facebook page has been updated for the 2014 season. Please “LIKE” to www.facebook.com/pages/Nesconset-Farmers-Market/316633685102116?ref=hl receive weekly news and updates on the market or sign up for LI Green Markets weekly newsletter at the Manager’s Booth.

The Nesconset Farmer’s Market is open Saturday’s from 9:00am - 1:00pm thru November 22. It is located in the parking lot of Nesconset Plaza, 127 Smithtown Blvd. across from the Nesconset branch of the Smithtown Library.

Op Ed - Nero Let Rome Burn, Vecchio’s is Setting Smithtown on Fire

Nero Let Rome Burn, Vecchio’s is Setting Smithtown on Fire

Maureen Rossi

Supervisor Vecchio at Jan. 2014 swearing in ceremonyMy studies of Ancient Roman History took place in the late 70’s at all-girl’s Catholic Academy in Queens.   Although removed by many decades, the story of Nero The Great Roman Emperor has been resurrected before my eyes as I watch Political Theater play out; the show is starring our very  own Town Supervisor.

He recently announced that he would like to have the elected position of Town Clerk and Receiver of Taxes become appointed positions.   He says this decision came about to save money – it came about because of a 2008 report by the New York State Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness, 21^st Century Local Government.  He says that very study recommends town and county administrative positions be converted from elected to appointed offices.    

Hmmm…..that’s curious, that’s not a common practice in New York State.   Nor does it seem to be popular here on Long Island where all townships the positions of Town Clerk and Receiver of Taxes are still elected positions.   Let’s take a look at good look at this new concept and why it might or might not work, but let’s do that in reverse.

It might not be an optimal approach because it has the potential to remove a level of transparency.   It could also create a scenario where the Town Supervisor has more power.   Some critics who have knowledge of the inner workings of Smithtown government feel our leader already has too much power.  Some say there are policies and procedures that he is remiss in following.   He is known for not consulting with all his Department Heads, he hasn’t uttered a single word to Town Clerk Vinny Puleo in two years.  He also fails to communicate with members of his very own Town Board on many issues.   Take for example, this issue; there were three work sessions in the last month and Supervisor Vecchio never uttered a word to Councilman Wehrheim or Councilman Creighton about this idea and eliminating two election postions.  However, he did speak about with Councilman McCarthy and Councilwoman Nowick and yes of course he consulted his friend Dave Ambro of The Smithtown News.   However, he also failed to mention anything to the two people who hold the positions of Town Clerk and Receiver of Taxes.  You know those people that the voters elected. 

He never let the Town Clerk know that a complaint had been filed against him in early May and that his First Deputy asked to be transferred.  As a matter of fact he didn’t even apprise the Town Attorney. 

Also, who would do the work of these elected officials if their positions were eradicated?   Let’s take a peek at the Town Clerk’s office.  An incredibly busy hub, many would say the main hub, it takes in over $650,000 a year.    Over twenty-thousand people show up at their office on the first floor of Town Hall and they handle over eighteen-thousand phones calls annually.   The Town Clerk’s Office does all the licensing for the Town of Smithtown; all marriage and death certificates, birth certificates, licensing for  garbage trucks, tow trucks, clam moorings, boats, taxi cabs, ramps etc.   A few weeks back they logged 200 calls in one day.

Why might this work or why might this have to work?  Money – money is a problem, taxes are a problem.  They are a problem endemic to all Long Islanders.   The 2% tax cap that was implemented in NYS two years back is a meritorious  concept, however, it has the potential to hurt small municipalities where salaries plus medical benefits plus pension costs create an unsustainable situation.

The Dreaded C Word

We are all going to have to get used to the dreaded C word when it comes to municipalities – CONSOLIDATION.    From a fiduciary standpoint the consolidation of services, jobs, small school districts is a dialogue we are all going to be forced to partake in over the next few years.   The system we have is unsustainable and we will all be taxed off the Island if this trajectory does not change.  Suffolk County Government has done an extraordinary job in leading the way with some of their consolidation efforts.  

NERO

Nero was a famous Roman Empire who ruled for a great length of time, for decades.    He was known to be a brilliant man who was well-versed in an array of subject matters including philosophy, the arts and theater. However, despite his luminous intellect he was also known as a tyrant.   Anyone who dared to cross the great and powerful leader would come to fully understand the meaning of REVENGE.  He was known to be ruthless.   Unfortunately, in the final years of his rule, the Roman Empire began to decline.  The Empire’s worth declined and currency was even devalued.   He is most known for what happened at the end of his rule – he is best known for letting Rome burn down while he danced and played music with no regard for the people of his Empire or the future of the Empire.

Critics loudly decry Vecchio’s recent antics to remove the elected positions of Puleo and Varrichio as purely political; as an act of REVENGE.   I hope this is not the case.  Smithtown is a beautiful township, a crowning jewel of Suffolk County.  Vecchio’s decades of rule have served us all well overall; we do owe him a debt of gratitude for our beautiful beaches and parks and marinas and high quality of life here.  However, I fear REVENGE is consuming him.    I fear all the good he has done will be forgotten by the decline of his final days of rule.    

Political Or Economical - Residents May Get To Decide Fate Of Elected Positions

By Chris Biancaniello

Supervisor Patrick Vecchio Swearing In ceremony Jan. 2014Supervisor Patrick Vecchio is looking into a possible public referendum to decide whether the positions of Town Receiver of Taxes, and Town Clerk should be changed from elected positions to appointed ones. According to Supervisor Vecchio, the proposal is being considered to save the town some $225,000 and is recommended in a 2008 report by the New York State Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness.

In a conversation with Smithtown Matters last month, the 36-year incumbent talked about NY State’s 2 percent cap on tax increases for municipal budgets and how challenging it is to put together a realistic budget and remain within the cap. He predicts that governments at all levels will be looking for creative methods to remain under the cap. 

Town Clerk Vincent Puleo Town Bd. Meeting Feb. 2014Vecchio acknowledged that some may see this as a political move as both Receiver of Taxes Deanna Varrichio, and Town Clerk Vincent Puleo supported his oppenent in the last election. He denies that this proposal is political, declaring that he is just looking to cut costs wherever he can with minimum impact to the taxpayers. He does not believe that the proposal infringes on the democratic process due to the fact that the proposed change must go before residents (tax payers)  in a public referendum. Residents will get to vote in support or opposition to the iniative in a public referendum. 

Not everyone agrees.  “I don’t know where he gets off saying he’s going to save money!” says Puleo. “We take in over $650,000 and touch over 20,000 people. There are 11 towns [in New York] that have over 100,00 people and they all have elected officials. I’ve saved this office $6-700,000 over the past nine years. There’s no initiative for someone who is appointed to do the same. All of the hits that are being thrown my way, they don’t consider the people in my office. Come in and you will see the level of professionalism we display.”

Issues between Vecchio and Puleo go beyond who Puleo supported in the election,  recently there was controversy surrounding the fact that both Supervisor Vecchio and Councilwoman Lynne Nowick failed to turn in the required signed oath of office verifying their acceptance of their positions. The failure to turn them in resulted in the Town Clerk Puleo declaring the positions vacant . Vecchio and Nowick were appointed by the three remaining council members to a one year term (maximum allowed by law). An election to fill the remaining three year term was to take place this November; however, the state stepped in passing legislation that rendered such an election unnecessary. Some attribute these problem to Mr. Puleo because in the past the Clerk’s office made sure the the oaths were signed and filed. A job Puleo says he is not required too.

As for the position of Receiver of Taxes, Puleo says, “Are you going to replace Deanna with someone who is making less? Are you going to put someone in with less experience?” He believes it is unclear that these cuts will even save money. 

Councilman Creighton - June 2014Councilman Creighton is infuriated by the idea that because people supported him, they will have to pay for it with their jobs now some 6 years after the State report came out, “Mr. Vecchio was just saved by the will of the people, and now he’s trying to disenfranchise them. It is absolutely and positively a political move, he would never have touched these positions in the past.” Councilman Creighton did not mince words when he said Vecchio’s proposal is, “Vindictive, arrogant, stupid, unnecessary, and it will not save a dime.”

If there is to be a referendum on the Supervisor’s proposal in November, Town Attorney Matt Jakubowski will need to work quickly to create the legislation.  Once the legislation is created a majority of the Board members will need to support the idea before it can be decided by voters in November.

Smithtown HSE Student Patrick Teese Off To China On State Department Scholarship

From Local Track to Global Trek for St. James Teen

Patrick Teese Off to China on State Department Scholarship

By Maureen Rossi

Patrick TeeseA normal summer for Patrick Teese might include a job, some projects for school and hanging out with friends.  It would be also be punctuated with trips to Short and Long Beach in his town of Smithtown and an occasional movie.  A few years back the seventeen year old volunteered at a track camp and said that was a lot of fun.

“My Aunt lives in Atlantic Beach on the South Shore one block from the beach so my cousins and I go there as well,” he shared.

This summer, however, there will be no sand in between the toes of the soon to be Smithtown East Senior; he will not be munching popcorn while catching a blockbuster hit.

Teese left for a six-week trip to China on Tuesday morning to study the language and the culture.

A recipient of a merit-based scholarship for American students to study language through the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y), he will be staying with a host family in Jiaxing, China.

NSLI-Y is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.  The program was launched eight years back to increase Americans’ capacity to engage with native speakers of languages deemed critical to foreign relations.  This scholarship goes to fewer than six-hundred students throughout the U.S.

The scholarship covers the cost of domestic and international travel, tuition and related academic expenses, daily language classes and supporting cultural activities, room and board and secondary health benefits.   The program also includes trips to help American students learn Arabic, Hindi, Korean, Persian (Tajik), Russian and Turkish.

  It was a dream of Teese to study abroad and he contemplated it for some time.

“I found the information on the trip online.  The State Department pays for it — it was free — so I brought it up to my mom and started applying,” he explained.   Teese said he was thrilled when he learned he was awarded the scholarship. 

Patrick C. Teese, in his tuxedo, ready for the Senior Prom.The St. James teen spent his last night prior to a two-day orientation outside of Washington, DC with his parents and relatives at a family wedding.

“My cousin Nick has dated Jessica for a very long time and I wanted go up to the wedding in Cobleskill before I left,” he added.    Right after the wedding, he flew out of Albany to Virginia for his orientation.

  Teese said the orientation would cover safety, rules and procedures before he and other teens from around the country flew to Shanghai.  When asked if he would be joined by fellow Long Islander’s the teen said it wasn’t probable.

“There is someone from Queens going to same city a me – there are other people on Long Island who received this scholarship but there are a bunch of departure dates to different countries so we won’t meet half the kids,” he continued. 

He did say there was a Facebook page for the applicants and the alumni so the scholarship winners could ask question and share concerns.

“Through the alumni page I learned it’s supposed to be very hot and the consensus was that it was going to be a life-changing experience and that I should enjoy every minute of it,” he shared.

A language aficionado, Teese had German 4, French3 and Italian 1 as part of his junior year schedule at Smithtown High School East.  He’s also in AP English and a Student Aide to his German teacher, Frau Specht.  In addition, he is a member of the National Honor Society, the Math Honor Society, the German Honor Society, English Honor Society and Athletes Helping Athletes. 

His passion and interest don’t lie in academics alone.  Patrick is a Varsity athlete who partakes in the Cross Country, Winter Track and Spring Track seasons.

The 2014 Eddy Meet Champions: The Smithtown HS East 4x800 Meter Relay squad won the trophy and set a new school record of 8:05.16.  Pictured ()l-r) are Coach Kathie Borbet, Matt Whalen, Patrick Teese, Eric Herrmann, Eric Melcer, and Coach Kurt Margraf.“I absolutely love running but I’m not sure when I started running, probably in middle school when I started Cross Country in seventh grade,” he remembered.

The youngest of four siblings, all tremendous athletes, particularly when it came to volleyball, he laughed at his own feeble attempt at the game.

“I tried out for Volleyball in seventh grade but I hit the coach with the volleyball,” he shared.   “I also remember going to my brothers’ soccer games.  I was in the field and it was pretty cold and someone kicked the ball and hit me right in the face,” he shared.  Teese said he was only five or six but that might have taken away any continued interest in that sport.  

  Maybe soccer or volleyball weren’t on the radar for Teese but once he started running, it was apparent to most around him he was quite good at track. As the years went by he began to excel in the sport.  As ninth-grader, he was third in Suffolk County in the Freshman Cross Country championship.  As a sophomore, he was All-League in the Indoor 800 Meter Run.

This year, he was a key part of the Smithtown East Boys 4 x 800 Meter Relay squad that garnered the championship trophy, and a new record time for East, at the prestigious Eddy Meet in Schenectady.  He said that the event was particularly exciting. 

“We were seeded for second place and came in first and also landed a record for the school,” he explained.

  In addition to praising his athletic ability, his track coach, Kathie Borbet, praised everything about him.

“He is one in a million.  He is one of the most caring people I’ve ever met, he cares about every kid on the team, cleans up the garbage on track and on top of that he’s a really good runner,” she said.

She shared that she admires his dedication to the sport and the team and that he’s always helping and doing and she finds that amazing.

“He always helps me carry stuff to my car and at the end of the season he replaced my ratty red chair with a chair he had made for me with my name on it,” she added.

She said it was the best gift she ever received, that it was so very sweet of Patrick.

“He’s so smart, the kid has everything going for him,” said Borbet.   A school Nurse and the coach of the Cross Country, Winter and Spring Track Teams, she was the first to hear about his scholarship.

“I said ‘What did your parents say?’  He said ‘you’re the first to find out!’”  

  Peter Schieck was Teese’s German teacher in seventh grade when Patrick started his language studies. Schieck, the Smithtown West Boys Track coach, shared all of Coach Borbet’s sentiments about the young athlete.

“He’s a great kid, he’s very mature; this is a young man you want to see represent America,” said Schieck.   He added that everyone in the district is very proud of him.

In 2013, Patrick was honored by the American Association of German Teachers, Long Island Chapter, for his excellence on the National German exam.  Pictured are his German teacher, Frau Samantha Specht, Patrick, and Smithtown HS East principal Ed Thompson.   In a pre-departure interview Teese said he was enormously excited and feeling very adventurous, he said he had no trepidations about the six-week journey to a foreign land.

“I’m definitely looking forward to creating memories and I’m excited about meeting my host family and optimistically keeping a relationship them,” he shared.   Teese said the family has a fourteen-year old son.  He’s not sure if they all speak English, but said the son will probably have knowledge of it since many Chinese schools teach English.   

Teese (SHE Class of 2015) is not sure about what career he will pursue but said it will probably include something  to do with International Relations.   As to college choices, he hasn’t made any decisions yet.  He did share that he will most likely stay on the East Coast.

Patrick Teese will be blogging from China (in English not Mandarin) and we hope to share some of his adventures with our readers throughout the summer.