Mattera Campaign Files Complaint Related to Brazen Sign Theft

Mattera Campaign Files Complaint Related to Brazen Sign Theft

St. James, NY – The campaign for Mario Mattera for Legislature has filed a complaint with the Suffolk County Police Department related to a brazen political sign theft from a business property on 25A over the weekend.  A passerby witnessed a woman pull her car over, exit the car, and begin to remove signs promoting the campaigns of Mario Mattera and Lynne Nowick and place them in the car trunk.  When confronted, the woman stated that she was stealing ‘the signs because Mattera stole my Paul Hennings signs.”  The witness demanded she put the signs back, but she refused.  The witness told the woman that he noted her license plate number and would be contacting the police.  

A statement from the Mattera campaign stated, “These signs were placed by Mr. Mattera on the property of a local business with the express permission of the owner of the property. Mr. Mattera personally requested the placement, and put the signs in place.  Over the weekend, one third of the signs the campaign placed on private property and businesses were stolen.  A person driving along 25A Sunday morning witnessed a woman stealing signs belonging to Mr. Mattera and Lynne Nowick, who is involved in a primary for Smithtown Town Council.   The witness asked her to return the signs to their rightful owner, and she refused.  The witness told her he had her license plate number and was going to report the theft to the police.  The witness contacted Mr. Mattera stating that the signs were not returned, and when Mr. Mattera drove by shortly thereafter he confirmed the signs he had placed were missing.  The witness went to the 4^th Precinct and provided the information to the desk officer regarding the incident. We await the outcome of the investigation and deplore the childish and immature theft of any campaign signs related to any candidate.  These signs are costly and their removal and destruction indicates a level of immaturity for the culprits.”  The Suffolk County Police is currently investigating the theft.

Mr. Mattera stated, “During the past week, I personally placed signs for my campaign and Lynne Nowick’s on business and residential properties with the authorization from the owners.  I find it reprehensible that people would steal these signs.  I have instructed every member of my campaign that we will not engage in stealing my opponents’ signs, as we expect the same courtesy from their campaigns.  I would prefer we talk about the issues with the voters and concentrate on getting our message out about creating jobs and opportunity and working to keep our families safe.  That is what is most important to me and my campaign.  I will let the Suffolk County Police Department investigate the witnessed theft of my signs and wait for the outcome of their work. “

Sean Lehman's Unpublished Letter To The Smithtown Messenger

On the Town of Smithtown’s official website it is proclaimed, “The Smithtown Messenger is the Official Newspaper of the Town of Smithtown”.

In February of 2012, Smithtown Messenger became the official town newspaper. The decision was made with a three - two vote, Councilmen Wherheim, Creighton, Malloy (Yes) Supervisor Vecchio, Councilman McCarthy (No).  With its new status as the official newspaper of the town came tax dollars of approximately $30,000 a year. The paper publishes the legal notices for Smithtown. 

Many people were troubled by the fact that the Smithtown Messenger did not print a letter from Sean Lehman, president of the Kings Park Civic Association. The letter expressed the organization’s position along with dissatisfaction and criticism of positions taken by Councilmen Creighton and Malloy in a July 11, 2013 Smithtown Messenger article “Primary Race Is Getting Ugly, Graffiti and Uplands Muddy the Waters”.

Because freedom of speech is fundamental to our democracy, Smithtown Matters has decided to provide Sean Lehman with a forum to post his letter. Like it or hate it, you have the right to see it. 

Like any other letter posted on Smithtown Matters the letter reflects the position of the author not that of Smithtown Matters.

Dear Editor:

The article in the July 11th issue of the Smithtown Messenger titled “Primary Race Is Getting Ugly, Graffiti and Uplands Muddy the Waters”  is misleading, flawed, and irresponsible.

Let’s start at the beginning with the article’s headline. How in the world can the Messenger place the word “graffiti” next to a legitimate and long standing civic issue, the “Uplands”? These two words appear above a large picture of a defaced political sign on the front cover of the paper.

Linking the signs and the Uplands appears to be another attempt by the Creighton/Malloy team to discredit the good name of the Kings Park Civic Association, in all likelihood because the civic disagrees with the pair on several very important community issues. An attack on the KPCA for speaking out would not be the first by the councilmen.

I refer to the January 24th, 2013 Town Board meeting where Councilman Malloy angrily and falsely accused me of lying about a prior conversation we had on October 26th, 2012 regarding his statement that the Uplands’ application “is going through.”  His statement to me was only made public because Councilman Creighton forced me to defend myself regarding my words at the public hearing on the Uplands.  So Councilman Malloy, you can blame Mr. Creighton for the public disclosure.

The civics were at the meeting that night to oppose Councilman Creighton’s request to alienate state parkland, which would have robbed our school district of crucial tax dollars. Instead of alienation, we recommended a solution.  Ask for a lease agreement with the state to preserve the tax payments. We also suggested that this request be made by our state representatives, Senator Flanagan and Assemblyman Fitzpatrick.  Unfortunately, Councilman Creighton, Malloy and Wehrheim decided to circumvent both Flanagan and Fitzpatrick (fellow republicans) on this issue. They did not even have the decency to carbon copy the state representatives on Town Attorney John Zollo’s letter to the Governor.

I also refer to Councilman Creighton’s recent attempt to stifle the Kings Park Civic Association’s First Amendment rights (the people have the right to speak freely without government interference). The councilman tried to intimidate us to stop petitioning in a public area at the farmer’s market, which the Kings Park Civic Association sponsors. That was followed by Town Attorney John Zollo, who is part of Councilman Creighton’s campaign team, decreeing that there shall be no more civic/community interaction at the market. This has put an end to our successful fundraising and much needed monetary donations to the St. Joseph’s Food Pantry, book collections for our soldiers at war, our Kings Park High School Scholarship, and fall festival activities for our children. Isn’t that intimidation?

Did I mention that the petition in question had to do with The Uplands? There was no complaint from Creighton last year when there was a petition for playing fields; a cause in which the councilman had unsuccessfully tried to use as part of his campaign. Every person who approached the community table that day signed our petition and was provided with a fact sheet on the project. Creighton said he received complaints about the Uplands petition, yet the Office of the Supervisor never received any. Hmmm

Additionally, Councilman Malloy  egregiously claims that the Vecchio camp is riling up and misinforming the Civics about The Uplands.  Either Mr. Malloy has been under a rock, with no local newspapers or computers for the past seven years, or he is just out of touch with the facts. The Civics in Kings Park have been on this issue, both quietly and publicly, since at least early 2007. Mr. Malloy, there is nothing about The Uplands that we do not know or have not studied.  We even hired an expert to advise us on this issue. The councilman is very much aware of these facts.

It was actually Councilman Malloy who came to a rash and uninformed decision regarding The Uplands when he told me the application “is  going through” - prior to the draft environmental impact statement being released. It was Supervisor Vecchio and Councilman McCarthy who advanced opinions only after it was released.

Graffiti on political signs and The Uplands should not be linked  together in this article. They are unrelated. The Uplands is nothing more that a high density housing project on land that is zoned one acre residential in the midst of a beautiful residential community. A project that, if approved, will set a precedent that has the potential to negatively impact EVERY residential neighborhood in the Town Smithtown.  A project that is so unaffordable that only 12% of its residents will come from the entire Smithtown Township. A project that is opposed by at least three civic associations and whose environmental impact on the area has drawn the concerns of both New York State Parks and the Audubon Society.

The Creighton/Malloy ticket seems to tout Smart Growth. Is it smart to put a 50 foot tall, high density 200 unit apartment project with underground parking garages and huge lighted parking lots in the middle of a residential community that also borders two state parks? We know many people who don’t think so.

Sean Lehmann, President

Kings Park Civic Association

Editorial - OOPS! Creighton Campaign Might Want To Take Back Recent Mailing

Oops. May I take that back?  This statement may be the thought of the day for the “Creighton for Supervisor” people.  Right after the committee, trying to win the Republican primary against Patrick Vecchio, mailed a campaign piece contrasting the town’s of Islip (good) and Smithtown (bad), Newsday came out with an article, “S & P lowers Islip Town Credit rating outlook.”

Additionally, Empire Center for Public Policy, Inc. released a report, “What they Make”, ranking towns by employee pay. The Town of Smithtown (TOS) ranked number two and Islip ranked number nine out of the ten towns in Suffolk County.  According to the report (without benefits) the average pay in 2012-2013 to a TOS employee was $54,808 and in Islip the average pay is $39,583. With the “devil being in the details”, make note that TOS has 591 employees and Islip 1,093. Islip is a much larger town*. Do the math, there is an additional $10 million burden for the taxpayers of Islip that doesn’t include pension and health care costs.

Islip might not have been such a good choice for the Creighton campaign.

Is the public paying attention? Some are. I recently met a couple who are long time residents in the Town planning to vote in the September 10 Republican primary. After voting for Vecchio many times, they decided to support Creighton in the primary until they received a pro - Vecchio flyer in the mail stating the positive Bond rating received by the TOS. It completely changed their perspective and they are once again supporting Vecchio.

There is a scant two weeks left before the primary vote. Vecchio, the master of “status quo”, will do what he has always done, paint a picture of a “Lake Woebegone” type of Smithtown.  Is it real?

Mr. Creighton, get rid of the person who is handling your literature.  They are leading you down a path of no return. Tell the voters what is so wrong with Smithtown that there needs to be a change in leadership. In the words of the TV show Mission Impossible, “your job should you decide to accept it,”  and you have accepted it, is to tell the Republican primary voters how your vision is going to improve their quality of life. 

Pat

*omitted in the original posting.

Weight Gain from Weight Training? Don't Worry Keep Lifting

By Kia Edwards

So you did it: you bought the weight training equipment and then you took the big step and started using it!  However, some of you may have noticed that your hard work has caused the scale to move in the wrong direction, or not move at all if your goal is weight loss.  Before you hurl your weights in the trash (or, in my clients’ case, at me) consider these common causes.

Muscle Mass

Gaining muscle is beneficial for many reasons. It increases your strength, metabolism and gives you a toned appearance.  Muscle is more dense than fat, and this muscle gain could cause weight gain. Five pounds of muscle will weigh the same as five pounds of fat, but five pounds of fat will take up mor e room. You may not see your progress if you only use the scale.  Use other measures such as how your clothes are fitting or if you’ve lost inches on your waist to figure out how the weight training program is working.

Nutrition Habits

Many people experience an increase in hunger when they begin a new workout regimen. Muscle tissue increases metabolism, which will cause you to want to eat.  It’s not uncommon for people to feel that they deserve a treat after a workout, but you would just undo everything you worked so hard for.  You may have to eat more, but make sure you choose low-calorie, largely unprocessed foods.  Fruits, vegetables and lean proteins such as chicken, fish and lentils will keep you on track.  And just to be clear, your jeans won’t rip if you allow yourself to have a treat every now and then, it just shouldn’t be an everyday thing.  

Water Retention

After a tough workout, your muscles experience microscopic tears. Don’t worry, your body will rebuild the muscles to be stronger than before. Increased muscle mass means an increase in the ability to store glycogen. This allows you to perform exercises for longer periods of time because the glycogen provides the necessary energy. However, glycogen storage comes along with additional water storage. According to Drs. Alan Titchenal and Joannie Dobbs, nutritionists in the Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences at University of Hawaii-Manoa, an additional gram of glycogen causes the body to store approximately 3 grams of water.

If I leave you with one thing, it’s that the scale doesn’t always give you a full view of what is going on in your body.  Gaining weight can be disheartening, and can throw you into a state of fury.  Don’t get discouraged — your body may be going through some great changes that you can’t see yet. If your issue is nutrition, you can people to help you improve your habits.  A better way to measure the effectiveness of your workout is to measure your body fat percentage.  Here is my final thought: keep lifting!

Kia Edwards is a certified personal trainer and nutrition specialist who lives in New York City. She studied French and Economics at Colgate University, spent 15 years as a high-level competitive gymnast and 6 years as a gymnastics coach.  Her business, La Fortesse At Home Fitness Training, helps clients get healthy with simple at home exercises and nutrition counseling. www.LaFortesse.com    

Snair Slams Opponent on Term Limits

Supervisor candidate Steve Snair says Creighton cannot be taken at his word

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

SMITHTOWN, NY – Steve Snair, the Democratic, Independence, and Working Families candidate for Smithtown town supervisor, today challenged his opponent’s support for a resolution to impose term limits on the town’s elected officials. 

“My opponent today announced his support for a resolution to impose 12-year term limits on Smithtown’s elected officials. Although I am in favor of term limits, it’s become clear that Councilman Creighton is simply using this measure as a political stunt in an election year. Mr. Creighton has served on the Town Council for nearly 6 years, why has he waited until 3-weeks before a primary to raise this issue? It’s a phony act on his part,” said Snair. 

This isn’t the first time Councilman Creighton has discussed the issue of term limits. Back in 2007, when Mr. Creighton first ran for Town Council, he said if elected it would be his first and last term. However, he broke his pledge and ran for another 4-year term in 2011 and is currently seeking higher office in the middle of his second term.

“Councilman Creighton cannot be taken at his word,” added Snair. “He has lied to the voters in the past regarding this issue and until I see term limits implemented, I don’t trust him and the voters of Smithtown shouldn’t either.”

Steve Snair is an attorney who operates a private law practice based in the Town of Smithtown. The lifelong resident of Smithtown announced his candidacy for supervisor in April of this year, running on a platform of revitalizing the town through updated planning, job creation and economic development, which will grow the tax base and relieve the burden off middle class taxpayers.