Commack - Meet The Candidates

No surprises at the Commack School District’s candidate forum held Thursday evening. There are three candidates and two trustee positions in contention:  Mary Jo Masciello is an incumbent running unopposed, Michael Chacon and Peter Wunsch are vying for the vacant trustee position. The term of office for a trustee is three years.

Mary Jo Masciello has served on the Board for thirteen years and has been president of the Board for the past ten years.   She is an educator who has raised her children in Commack.   She hopes to continue her work on the school board to ensure academic excellence for the students. “In this economy our utmost priority is the funding of quality education. We must attack this issue from every angle by lobbying for our fair share of state aid revenue, by challenging the burden of unfunded mandates, and by continuing to seek additional revenues as we have successfully done this year. Of course, we must continue our efforts to control spending with a “zero-based” budget development process and to communicate with all bargaining units for possible solutions.” (Commack Courier May 2011)  

The two candidates seeking the open seat, Michael Chacon and Peter Wunsch, are both long-term residents of Commack.  Both feel they are uniquely qualified to serve as a trustee. 

Michael Chacon has been a resident for sixteen years and currently has children who are students in the district. Michael has a BSN in Nursing and works for the New York State Nurses Association.  Michael feels that his experience in negotiating contracts will help steer the district through these tough economic times.

Peter Wunsch has been a resident in Commack for twenty-nine years. He has one child, a graduate of the Commack school district. He has a BBA in accounting and is a financial consultant for not-for-profit agencies. Peter has served on the Board before and has held the position of Vice President and President.  He also feels his expertise in negotiating contracts is a strength that will benefit the district. 

The forum allowed the residents of Commack to submit questions to the candidates through a moderator. The candidates were unanimous in their concern for the cut backs in state funding. All candidates replied “NO” to a tax cap, emphasizing that a cap would have a negative impact on the educational experience the students receive. They were in agreement that a tax cap would not address the areas most costly, including pensions and state mandates.  They were also in agreement that there are adequate reserves at this time, and they shared the concern about using reserves and putting the district in a position where it could not meet unanticipated expenses.

On the issue of term limits for trustees all candidates said voting is the appropriate forum to address the issue.  A question was asked about seniority and “first in, last out” hiring policies. Mary Jo Masciello and Michael Chacon expressed the concern that teachers in the district with seniority are very passionate and knowledgeable and salaries should not be the basis for dismissing teachers.  Chacon stated emphatically “salary cannot be a factor for layoffs.  Seniority has a role, absolutely has a role, and there must be a value placed on employees.” Peter Wunsch suggested that there is a role for evaluations and internal reviews.

A question was raised about the candidate’s perspective on what weaknesses there are in the district. Masciello responded that she would like to focus a bit more on the children who are in middle academically.  Wunsch and Chacon thought community apathy and using technology for outreach was an area that could use strengthening.

All candidates agreed that it is important for everyone to get out and vote on Tuesday, May 17.

Smithtown West breezes past East in LAX schoolyard rivalry

By Anthony Vertucci

Smithtown West lacrosse has been rolling all season long and not even their rivalry with Smithtown East was enough to slow their momentum, as they cruised to a 17-7 victory Saturday evening. 

The game marked the return of star senior Kyle Keenan who showed zero signs of rust on the field. The Duke bound attacker had three goals and three assists on Saturday after being sidelined for the last four games with a concussion.

“It feels good to just get everything going and be with my team,” said Keenan, whose first quarter goal gave his team a 4-0 lead. “We’ve got Northport on Monday and then we just have to get prepared and come out strong for the playoffs.”

West took an early lead on East and never looked back, with two quick goals from seniors Ryan Joseph and Frankie Reda in the opening three minutes of play. East tried to rally late in the first with goals from Jimmy Tenbrink and Gary Watson, but West attacker James Pannell killed any remaining East momentum, scoring off the faceoff to open the second. This made it a 5-2 game and West proceeded to score eight unanswered goals.

“Usually it’s a much closer game,” said West head coach Sean Keenan. “We’re a very senior-laden team and they are just very young. They’re going to be very good in the future; I just think my kids were playing really well today.”

Matt Schultz and Ryan Joseph each played remarkably well for West, contributing four goals apiece, while Pannell’s two goals set the tone in the first half. Joe Varello, Pat O’Brien, and Alex Dodge each scored a goal, while Craig Madarasz had two assists. Dylan Senft attempted to stop the bleeding for East with a breakaway goal at 2:39 in the third, but O’Brien’s goal a mere 15 seconds latter was the final dagger, giving West a commanding 14-3 lead.

“A nice positive about the game is that it’s a big rivalry between East and West and all the kids played great,” said Smithtown East athletic director Pat Smith. “West, today just had the better day but East is still a good team. West got up early and it just rolled in their favor but you could play this game tomorrow and it could go the other way.”

West (12-3, 11-2) will receive a first round bye in the playoffs with a likely number three seed. Their first postseason game will take place at home on May 24. East (8-7, 6-7) could earn a playoff berth with a win over Longwood on Monday, but would need several other teams to lose their respective games in order for that goal to come to fruition.  

“You’re just trying to get out of here healthy and go into the playoffs with everyone back, said coach Keenan. “We’re almost at 100 percent and we will hopefully be at full strength in time for the first round.”

Game Notes:  Matt Hobby, Ryan Desimone and Cole Anderson each had one goal for Smithtown East…West’s starting goalie Ryan Adler had six saves versus four goals allowed, while East starting goalie Brian Balkam made seven saves against 14 goals allowed.

Marion Carll - The Old And The New

This 1960 first grade class photo from Marion Carll School is a small part of Commack’s history.  There are thirty-three students in this photo and this was a morning session.  In 1960 Commack was growing quickly and as it developed, new schools opened and eventually the Marion Carll School closed. 

Marion Carll’s legacy was not the Marion Carll School, her legacy was community involvement, commitment to education, love of Commack, its residents, and  the Marion Carll Farm.  It was in this spirit that Marion Carll left her farm and its cherished possessions to the Commack School District. 

The Commack – Kings Park Rotary Club’s essay contest was created to foster an understanding of Marion Carll and what role the Marion Carll Farm has in 2011. The winners were announced at a luncheon at the Bonwit Inn.  The students read their essays and explained what they learned from their research. 

The winners of the essay contest are:Pres. Richard Rafle, Barbara Kruger, Arielle Horowitz,Mike Mackay, Fred Kruger and Ken Darragh

1. Arielle Horowitz ——— Winner Commack High School

2. Ken Darragh —————— Winner Commack Middle School

3. Mike Mackay —————- Runner up

Barbara and Fred Kruger were the Rotarians responsible for the contest and its success. They had this to say about the event, “Woman’s History Month provided the Commack-Kings Park Rotary Club with the perfect opportunity to recognize a woman who was not only instrumental in early Commack education, but who also left the Carll family farm to the Commack School District to be preserved as a historic site and used as a great educational resource.”

A great deal has changed in Commack since the days of Marion Carll. The Farm is a reminder of how much times have changed and what that change looks like.  

Town of Smithtown Embraces Household Hazardous Waste Collection

On Saturday April 30, 2011 the Town of Smithtown opened its municipal services facility to residents for the collection of household hazardous waste.  The event was declared successful with two hundred and ninety-three families participating. The town collected 22,750 pounds (11.5 tons) of hazardous material.  The materials collected included oil based paint, gasoline, paint thinners, corrosives, pesticides, herbicides and miscellaneous toxic liquids and solids.  

The Town of Smithtown held its first Household Hazardous Waste Event in 2009. In April of ’09, Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment presented Supervisor Vecchio and the Town Board with petitions containing 3,000 signatures from Smithtown residents calling for a hazardous waste collection program. In addition to the petitions approximately 1,500 letters were sent to Supervisor Vecchio and council members. The letters were from residents requesting a program to allow for the safe disposal of hazardous items stored in basements, garages and too often being disposed illegally.

The Town has been hosting waste collection events since 2009.  The April event was conducted by Radiac Environmental Services of Brooklyn, New York. The firm won the contract through a competitive bid process. The cost to the Town of Smithtown was $19,010.00. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation will reimburse the Town $6,390.00 of the cost.

“The household hazardous waste collection event was a real success. We had great participation. Smithtown residents want to do the right thing. Participating in a household hazardous waste collection event allows people to safely dispose of old chemicals. It also heightens awareness that not everything offered for sale is a good thing to have and use around the house and our families. We should all try to minimize or avoid buying toxic products in the first place,” said Smithtown Town Supervisor Patrick R. Vecchio. (TOS Website)

The Town is scheduled to host another hazardous waste collection event in the fall.  

Sisters Struck By Vehicle on Main Street

Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are investigating a motor vehicle crash that injured two Central Islip sisters that were walking on a Smithtown street.  

Mabel Burgos, 13, and Melody Burgos, 9, were crossing northbound in the crosswalk on East Main Street at Lawrence Avenue, when they were struck by a 2010 Lexus SUV traveling westbound on East Main Street at 5:30 p.m.  

Both sisters were transported to Stony Brook University Medical Center.   Melody was listed in guarded condition and Mabel is being held overnight for observation.   The driver of the Lexus, Maria Kolahifar, 66, of Fort Salonga, was not injured.  

The vehicle was impounded for a safety check and the investigation is continuing. Detectives are asking anyone with information on the crash to contact the Fourth Squad at 631-854-8452.