New Year and a New Challenge for Smithtown - What's Cookin'? - Smithtown

What’s Cookin’? – Smithtown By Nancy Vallarella

New Year and a New Challenge for Smithtown

In retrospect Smithtown fared pretty well in 2012.  Sure the economy and Super Storm Sandy took a toll on our town and several businesses but Smithtown keeps plugging along.  Smithtown’s spirit of community never seems to fray.  Winter months are difficult for many small businesses. Resolutions to diet, bad weather, and the continuing national fiscal concerns are certain contributors to the challenging business climate. During these historically slow months many businesses will help to support our community’s fund raising efforts with donations and by holding events on their premises.  Take advantage of these opportunities and get to know Smithtown’s local business owners and their products. 

We are very fortunate as a community to operate fairly close to normal.   Through the holiday fanfare, lingering in the minds of most, were thoughts of the people of Newton, Connecticut where eleven days before Christmas the unfathomable became the unbearable.  How will they pick up the pieces? How will they heal?

It will certainly be a study for years to come. There is no doubt that this tragedy could have happened anywhere in the world.  This time it was close to home.  As a nation we will be debating constitutional rights, mental health issues and school security but what can be done now? What can we do as a community? The answer: What we do best. 

In honor of the people of Newton and the 26 lives lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School, What’s Cookin’? -Smithtown is putting forth a community challenge to join in NBC news correspondent Ann Curry’s 26 Acts of Kindness.  To kick off this effort and promote local business, What’s Cookin’?  -Smithtown will award the first Smithtown resident to complete this challenge a $50 gift certificate to their favorite Smithtown restaurant. Here are the criteria for completing the challenge:

• You must be a Town of Smithtown resident.
• You must document/post your list of 26 Acts of Kindness on What’s Cookin’? - Smithtown facebook page.
• A minimum of 20 Acts of Kindness have to take place within the Town of Smithtown.
• A minimum of 10 Acts of Kindness have to be verifiable.

It doesn’t matter how much time, money or effort is involved. What matters is that we help create a tipping point and inspire others to join in,  honor those who sacrificed so much and give back hope.  Even if you don’t complete 26 Acts before someone else please continue to document them to inspire others. 

Need some ideas?… Attend a local fundraiser (Check events page in www. SmithtownMatters.com).  Donate cash or your time to a local charity. Make soup for a sick neighbor, friend or family member. Pass something warm to the school crossing guard on a cold day.  Read to someone who cannot.  Pass this article to friends, family and the community.  Create a job for someone in need.  Award someone for being the second person to complete the challenge. Hold a door open. Say thank you. - “Gratitude is an art of painting an adversity into a lovely picture.” ~Kak Sri  

Thank you for taking the time to read this article  - Go Smithtown!

David Ardam - 2012 Person Of The Year

David ArdamThere are so many wonderful people doing extraordinary things these days. Every place you look there are opportunities to support organizations and people whose goals are to help others. These people, whether it is offering a hand or just making life a little brighter, dedicate a good portion of their own lives to helping others.

Our 2012 Person of The Year David Ardam is one of these wonderful people.  Thirty years ago David joined Rotary and hasn’t looked back. 

As a young man growing up in the Bronx and then Rockland County, David did not imagine himself as an attorney on Long Island. He could not have imagined that he would become the ” go-to guy” for Rotary District 7260. Nevertheless, that is what happened. David’s parents were actually hoping for their son to become a doctor. After high school David attended SUNY Albany, where he realized he was not interested in college science classes. It was at SUNY Albany that he met Diane, the Diane and Dave Ardamfuture Mrs. Ardam. After his 1975 graduation he decided to pursue a law career. David attended John Marshall Law School in Chicago where he attained his J.D. Degree in 1979, the same year he was  admitted to the New York Bar.  After working on Long Island as Confidential Law Assistant to the Justices of the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department and serving as Law Clerk to the Hon. Frank D. O’Connor, David was ready to move on. He opened his own law practice and in 1986 he joined with Larry Spada and formed Spada & Ardam, PLLC. It was during this period that David met Jerry Essig, a Rotarian and Past District Governor.  

David credits Jerry with being “his greatest source of inspiration in Rotary”.

What is Rotary? Most people, when questioned about Rotary think of the wheel, Rotary’s logo. Some people know that Rotary is the organization working to eradicate polio. On Long Island many people have heard of Rotary’s  “Gift of Life” program dedicated to helping children across the globe with operable heart conditions get their life-saving surgery.  Rotary has 1.2 million volunteers  across the globe. Rotarians are involved in their community and most are business people who place a high value on ethical standards. All are working at some level to “give back” or “pay it forward” making the world a little better.  This is what David Ardam does and has done every day since 1983.

Dave Ardam with students at Commack-Kings Park Rotary Club meetingDavid Ardam joined the Commack - Kings Park Rotary Club in 1983 and almost thirty years later he is still an active member and still very passionate about Rotary’s mission.  He has held every position on the club level except treasurer. In 1993 Dave accepted the District position of Area Representative (District 7260 covers Suffolk County). It was in the 90’s that Dave developed a passion for Rotary’s Youth Exchange program. 

Rotary’s Youth Exchange program allows American students between the ages of 15 and 19 to visit other countries and learn about the different cultures and customs. The student’s live with host families and attend schools and events along with their host families.  Rotary members in the U.S. also host students who come from different parts of the globe. Exchange students are seen as teenage cultural ambassadors.  Taking in teenagers is a challenge, but the experience is rewarding and educational.  Diane and Dave Ardam embraced this program taking in five Youth Exchange students and allowing their children, Jackie and Eric, to participate in the Youth Exchange program as outbound students. David credits the Youth Exchange program for his family’s “global perspective and love of travel.”

David accepted more responsibility when he became District Governor serving a one year term in 2007 -2008. Dave With RI President Sakuji Tanaka at Zone Institute, Vancouver, BCSince then, he has been involved in all facets of Rotary education and training. The merging of two Rotary Districts  is not a simple task. There are many challenges, concerns and opinions to be considered. It is a credit to David’s skill and temperament that he serves as the Chair of the 2013 District Merger Committee for districts 7250 & 7260.

In addition to all of the above, David has participated in countless food drives, fund raisers, blood drives, pancake breakfasts, projects,etc. He is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow recipient and a faculty member of the Rotary Leadership Institute.

David Ardam - Husband, Father, Attorney, Rotarian and Smithtown Matters 2012 - Person of The Year.

David and Diane Ardam live in Commack in the house they bought in 1981. They have two adult children, Jackie and Eric, who graduated from Commack HS.  Diane is a special education teacher in Syosset and Dave has a law office on Smithtown Boulevard in Smithtown. 

News Feature

DAVID ARDAM - Smithtown Matters’ 2012 Person of The Year

Smithtown attorney David Ardam’s 30 year commitment to “service above self” makes him our 2012 Person of the Year   

David Ardam - 2012 Person Of The Year

There are so many wonderful people doing extraordinary things these days. Every place you look there areDavid Ardam opportunities to support organizations and people whose goals are to help others. These people, whether it is offering a hand or just making life a little brighter, dedicate a good portion of their own lives to helping others.

Our 2012 Person of The Year David Ardam is one of these wonderful people.  Thirty years ago David joined Rotary and hasn’t looked back. 

As a young man growing up in the Bronx and then Rockland County, David did not imagine himself as an attorney on Long Island. He could not have imagined that he would become the ” go-to guy” for Rotary District 7260. Nevertheless, that is what happened. David’s parents were actually hoping for their son to become a doctor. After high school David attended SUNY Albany, where he realized he was not interested in college science classes. It was at SUNY Albany that he met Diane, the Diane and Dave Ardamfuture Mrs. Ardam. After his 1975 graduation he decided to pursue a law career. David attended John Marshall Law School in Chicago where he attained his J.D. Degree in 1979, the same year he was  admitted to the New York Bar.  After working on Long Island as Confidential Law Assistant to the Justices of the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department and serving as Law Clerk to the Hon. Frank D. O’Connor, David was ready to move on. He opened his own law practice and in 1986 he joined with Larry Spada and formed Spada & Ardam, PLLC. It was during this period that David met Jerry Essig, a Rotarian and Past District Governor.  

David credits Jerry with being “his greatest source of inspiration in Rotary”.

What is Rotary? Most people, when questioned about Rotary think of the wheel, Rotary’s logo. Some people know that Rotary is the organization working to eradicate polio. On Long Island many people have heard of Rotary’s  “Gift of Life” program dedicated to helping children across the globe with operable heart conditions get their life-saving surgery.  Rotary has 1.2 million volunteers  across the globe. Rotarians are involved in their community and most are business people who place a high value on ethical standards. All are working at some level to “give back” or “pay it forward” making the world a little better.  This is what David Ardam does and has done every day since 1983.

Dave Ardam with students at Commack-Kings Park Rotary Club meetingDavid Ardam joined the Commack - Kings Park Rotary Club in 1983 and almost thirty years later he is still an active member and still very passionate about Rotary’s mission.  He has held every position on the club level except treasurer. In 1993 Dave accepted the District position of Area Representative (District 7260 covers Suffolk County). It was in the 90’s that Dave developed a passion for Rotary’s Youth Exchange program. 

Rotary’s Youth Exchange program allows American students between the ages of 15 and 19 to visit other countries and learn about the different cultures and customs. The student’s live with host families and attend schools and events along with their host families.  Rotary members in the U.S. also host students who come from different parts of the globe. Exchange students are seen as teenage cultural ambassadors.  Taking in teenagers is a challenge, but the experience is rewarding and educational.  Diane and Dave Ardam embraced this program taking in five Youth Exchange students and allowing their children, Jackie and Eric, to participate in the Youth Exchange program as outbound students. David credits the Youth Exchange program for his family’s “global perspective and love of travel.”

David accepted more responsibility when he became District Governor serving a one year term in 2007 -2008. Dave With RI President Sakuji Tanaka Since then, he has been involved in all facets of Rotary education and training. The merging of two Rotary Districts  is not a simple task. There are many challenges, concerns and opinions to be considered. It is a credit to David’s skill and temperament that he serves as the Chair of the 2013 District Merger Committee for districts 7250 & 7260.

In addition to all of the above, David has participated in countless food drives, fund raisers, blood drives, pancake breakfasts, projects,etc. He is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow recipient and a faculty member of the Rotary Leadership Institute.

David Ardam - Husband, Father, Attorney, Rotarian and Smithtown Matters 2012 - Person of The Year.

David and Diane Ardam live in Commack in the house they bought in 1981. They have two adult children, Jackie and Eric, who graduated from Commack HS.  Diane is a special education teacher in Syosset and Dave has a law office on Smithtown Boulevard in Smithtown. 

Editorial - Happy New Year! Goodbye 2012 - Welcome 2013

The year 2012 may go out as the year that left America exhausted. Not beaten, not broken and not demoralized - just plain old exhausted. 2012 was like a bad dream in which you are on a never-ending roller coaster ride. The ride just keeps going on and on and even though you may get used to the path, its highs and the gut dropping lows, your inner self starts to tell you that it was never meant to be like this. Your heart tells you the ride is about to break-down and unless something happens immediately, life as you know it is over. That kind of exhausting. You can’t sleep it off, you can’t even vacation it away, all you can do is go about your life and hope that time will take care of you. 

2012 was not all that bad, I’m sure each of us have had moments that were special and warm and comforting. Children were born, some became parents and grandparents. Elections were won, Olympics medals won, jobs were found, careers started, and college acceptance letters were received. Engagements, marriages, pets, family and faith kept America going when things got really bad.

There were some awful moments: Sandy Hook, Aurora, tornado outbreaks in the Southern United States, super-storm “Sandy”, fires in Western United States, and here we are on December 31, 2012  still dealing with the “fiscal cliff”! An event created to be so horrific that it would force those in office to take action. “They” have not taken action, and “they” are still pointing fingers, and “they” are responsible. How can we not be exhausted?

2012 was exhausting for many, but there were those who spoke through their actions and deeds doing anything and everything they could to make a difference and to let those suffering know that they were not alone. 2012 may be remembered as the year that left America exhausted, but it should be remembered as the year that people showed their humanity over, and over and over again.

Smithtown Residents, like others throughout the United States, reached out to help wherever and whenever it was needed. There were food drives, blood drives and clothing drives. Students in each of our school districts solicited necessities for families affected by “Sandy” and did it without the benefit of electricity and heat in their own homes. Young children gave their allowances and holiday presents to children who were without.  Families shared their homes, food, generators, computers and phones. A family in Hauppauge collected shoes for children and a woman from St. James stood outside Stop and Shop alone collecting food. The Fealgood Foundation collected toys and food. They then opened their doors for a three-day event allowing every parent or guardian who showed up to leave with toys and food to make the holiday a little brighter. No one was left out. 

Throughout Smithtown people were involved in helping others and it felt good. The crisis’ of 2012 were horrible, the memories will last forever, and yet let us not forget the good that was done and that special feeling that comes with the knowledge that we made a difference.

Pat

Letters To Editor - Compromising Positions

I have a long-standing belief that Politics is the “Art of Compromise.”  Saying NO to EVERyTHING, means NO THING EVER gets done.  In life, we make compromises ever day.  If you do not have enough money to buy something, you should not buy it.  However, if you settle for something less, it should still be a good deal.  There in lies the compromise.  I’m sure you have heard the expression, “Champagne taste and beer pockets.”  Good quality, less cost.

The “cliff hanger” that is happening in Washington D. C. is a clear example of the Art of Compromise.  Both sides have presented their proposals to prevent the USA from bankruptcy and now, each side must reach a responsible compromise.  President Obama was re-elected and members of his party maintains a Majority in the Senate and added more members in the House of Representatives.  In fact, the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal disclosed the 65% of Americans said Make Compromises while 28% said Stick to Positions. The poll also gave the Democratic Party a 44% approval rating to the Republican Party of 30%. The American people spoke out choosing the President’s initiatives and support making a compromise.  Even in the New State Senate, while Democrats may have won control of that chamber, a compromise is being put together, in the best interest of governing this great state.  That’s called Cooperation or Bipartisanship.

We need to begin compromising to achieve progress and making a difference.  Compromise means each side giving a little and getting a little.  It’s about respecting the other side’s position.  Sacrificing a little to their opponents and getting a little from their opponents.  That’s how we will move forward.  Moving the ball forward by giving something to the other side.  That’s called representative government and respect.  Think about when you are buying or selling your home.  You want your price, and the buyer has their price.  Somewhere you reach a compromise, which each side can live with.   “You can’t always get what you want,” but if you are willing to compromise, you get what you need.

Richard S. Macellaro