Cox - "Democracy does work"

CHRIS COX FILES "OPPORTUNITY TO BALLOT" PETITIONS
Grass Roots Effort Will Force an Open Conservative Primary

SMITHTOWN, NY — Within the short summer window provided by New York State Election Law, a dedicated team of courageous Conservatives, Tea Party patriots, and supportive Republicans has achieved what no Suffolk political observer can recall having been done before: forced an open Conservative Congressional Primary over the no-holds-barred opposition of the Party’s leaders and its millionaire designee.

Under the Law’s “Opportunity to Ballot” (OTB) provisions, the Chris Cox for Congress campaign has sent its petitions today to the Suffolk County Board of Elections in Yaphank. Although only 554 signatures were required, the filing contains 850 signatures.

The grassroots initiative overcame a steady stream of mailers, ‘robo-calls’ and invective from the Conservative Party establishment to gain signatures from registered Conservatives in numbers well over the five percent of enrollment as required by law.

Chris Cox is the real conservative Republican in the First Congressional District contest to unseat a liberal Democratic incumbent. Cox is now poised to win not only the Republican Primary, the party of which he has always been a member, but the Conservative Primary as well.

“Democracy does work!” declared Cox. “Our successful ‘Opportunity to Ballot’ petition drive has put the choice back in the hands of the people, where it always belonged. Now the voices of principled Conservatives can be heard. I was honored to be able to work with so many people dedicated to ensuring a fair and open primary. I congratulate the hundreds of petition signers who were willing to stand up for their right to vote.”

“The success of the OTB effort owes specific debts of gratitude to Long Island’s Tea Party movement, including the Suffolk County 9-12 Project and the Conservative Society for Action,” Cox said.

“The Conservative voters of the First Congressional District deserve a chance to vote for a true conservative to be their Party’s standard-bearer in November. I will be an Ambassador for job creation on Long Island and Suffolk County’s toughest defender in our Nation’s capital,” Cox declared.

Bob Meyer, co-founder and president of the Suffolk County 9-12 Project, agreed.

“This is a monumental achievement for the Tea Party Movement,” Meyer said. “Members from all walks of life, young and old, came out to knock on doors and collect signatures. We feel this sends a loud and clear message to party bosses that the residents of Suffolk will no longer sit back and be told who the nominee will be for their party. Our government is one run by the people, not the party bosses.

“The 9-12 Project has endorsed Chris Cox and we are proud to stand behind him, a rock-solid conservative who will serve the residents of Suffolk County well," Meyer declared.

Stephen Flanagan, director of the Conservative Society for Action, concluded: "This is a historic day for the people of Suffolk County. For too long the party bosses have controlled ballot access. We changed that this week! We The People have taken things into our own hands! We intend to put an end to the long string of losses the party leaders have brought us in the past decade."

Kings Park Sand Mine Owner Agrees to $200,000 Penalty, Removal of Illegal Waste

Settlement Follows Extensive DEC Investigation in Smithtown

Following an exhaustive site investigation that included the digging of 220 test pits, the operator of a King Parks sand mine will pay a $200,000 penalty and will remove illegally disposed solid waste from an Old Northport Road site in Smithtown, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Regional Director Peter A. Scully announced today.

In addition to paying the penalty, the cost of the investigation, and the cost of removing unacceptable solid waste from the site, Anthony Santilli, 72, of Baldwin, Nassau County, has agreed to tough new operating requirements, including the installation of video cameras so that DEC staff can monitor the site in real time on the Internet.

“The successful conclusion of this investigation should send a strong signal to those who might consider flaunting solid waste laws on Long Island that they should think twice,” Regional Director Scully said. “DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement and Solid Waste staff are keeping a sharp eye out for illegal solid waste activities, and they will make those responsible pay for their transgressions.”

DEC’s Divisions of Law Enforcement and Solid and Hazardous Materials began investigating solid waste activities at the Santilli site last November as part of a wide-ranging crackdown on illegal solid waste activities on Long Island. During the course of the investigation, DEC staff determined that the site had accepted numerous truckloads of unauthorized solid waste material without state approval, including dredge spoil, street sweepings and fill material from other sources without proper documentation. 

On March 4, 2010, Santilli, was arrested by DEC Environmental Conservation Officers and charged with operating a landfill inside a deep flow recharge area, operating a landfill without a permit and unlawful disposal of solid waste, all misdemeanors.

As part of its investigation, to determine the extent of solid waste on the site, DEC required the mine operator to complete an investigation that included digging 220+ subsurface test pits, with samples sent to an independent laboratory for analysis. That analysis revealed that some of the illegally disposed of material consisted of paint chips, metals, asphalt, insulation and other non-authorized construction materials. 

Along with paying the $200,000 penalty, Santilli will be required to remove approximately 1,500 yards of solid waste from the site.  An additional $125,000 penalty will be triggered if Santilli fails to comply with the terms of settlement.  Santilli is also required to implement a tough new set of operating conditions that will guide the restoration of the site to grade, including stringent documentation of every load of fill delivered to the site and the installation of video cameras that will allow DEC to monitor activity on the around the clock via the internet.

The DEC’s Order on Consent with Santilli resolves DEC administrative actions against him and his operations at the Santilli mine site.

In late April, following its investigation into activities at the Santilli Mine and other locations on Long Island, Regional Director Scully announced the formation of the Long Island Solid Waste Task Force, including representatives of law enforcement agencies and local governments, to strengthen coordination of solid waste investigation and enforcement activities across the region. Task Force members include the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Nassau County and Suffolk County District Attorneys, DEC’s Bureau of Environmental Crime Investigation, and the towns of Brookhaven, Huntington, Riverhead and Smithtown.

Scully noted that DEC has documented an upswing in illegal solid waste activity on Long Island over the past two years involving the placement of construction and demolition debris and other fill materials at unauthorized sites. Since early 2008, DEC’s Division of Law Enforcement has made 11 separate arrests for illegal solid waste activities, and additional investigations are still pending. Most of the cases involve illegal disposal of construction and demolition debris, known in the industry as “C and D”, often mixed or “cocktailed” with soil or fill. Some of the cases involve soil contaminated with petroleum products, semi-volatile organic compounds, or poly-aromatic hydrocarbons. Others involve what authorities have labeled as “scoop and fill” actions, where an excavation is created through illegal sand mining and then quickly filled with construction and demolition debris or unauthorized fill.

“These illegal activities are a special concern on Long Island because we depend on groundwater for our drinking water supply,” Scully said. “It is because contaminated soils and other solid wastes can threaten our water supply that we have laws in place that restrict landfills in Nassau and Suffolk counties.”

DEC’s actions in the Santilli solid waste case were the culmination of a month-long investigation into solid waste activities at multiple sites in the Kings Park area involving a Bellport man with a history of past criminal convictions for environmental violations. Robert DalCamo, also known as Joseph Dalcamo or “Joey Dirt”, has been arrested twice by DEC Law Enforcement since 2008 for solid waste violations at two sites in Medford.  Charges in those cases are still pending.

Individuals spotting illegal environmental activities are encouraged to call DEC’s Environmental Conservation Officers at (631) 444-0250 on weekdays during business hours, and 1-800-TIPP-DEC (1-877-457-5680) at all other times to report such suspected activities.  For more information on DEC programs and regulations, please visit the Department’s website at: http://www.dec.ny.gov.

Former President's Son Endorses Former President's Grandson

JEB BUSH ENDORSES CHRIS COX FOR CONGRESS
 

SMITHTOWN, NY — Chris Cox (R), candidate for Congress in New York’s First Congressional District, announced the endorsement of Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007.
 
“Chris is a leader with fresh ideas, a dedication to government accountability, and a commitment to serving the best interests of his constituents,” said Bush. “The challenges we face as a country present us with an incredible opportunity to advance bold and lasting reform that will build a stronger America for the future. I believe Chris will bring creative, conservative and common-sense solutions to tackle the big issues of our day. Chris Cox is the right choice for the people of Suffolk County.”
 
“As governor, Jeb Bush challenged the status quo and ushered in an era of reform that has made a lasting impact on Florida’s education, economy and quality of life,” said Cox. “Since then, he’s remained influential in our nation using his experience to help and advise others. I admire all that Governor Bush has accomplished and I’m proud to have his support.”
 
A Westhampton Beach resident and a successful businessman, Chris Cox offers fresh insights and initiatives to Long Islanders who are looking for real results from their elected officials. Rather than expanding government beyond what overburdened families can afford, Chris will fix our growing deficit and create jobs by reducing infrastructure and putting money back into taxpayers’ pockets. Chris also believes that improving our education system is essential to building our workforce and keeping America involved in emerging industries. Simply increasing spending is not the solution; Chris supports valuing the hard work of strong and effective teachers as well as cutting the bad practices that have failed our children. By putting students first, Chris knows we will all come out ahead.

Demos On Objections To Petitions

Brookhaven, NY- Alex Kushnir, campaign manager of George Demos for Congress, the Conservative Republican Candidate for Congress in New York's First Congressional District, released the following statement on the news that Chris Cox has filed objections to the petitions filed by George Demos for Congress: 

Alex Kushnir said:

"As with many things, Chris Cox says one thing and then does another.  For months Cox insisted that despite his father Ed Cox being the state Republican chairman, he would not run an insider's elite campaign.  Today, in spite of assuring everyone that he is favor of an open primary, Cox filed objections to the Demos campaign petitions.

Cox will fail in his frivolous objections. Our campaign filed over 3,100 petitions (nearly 2,000 more than required by law) gathered by the nearly 100 petitioners without the help of the party apparatus that was forced to work for Cox after his family donated over $70,000 to local Republican committees.

George Demos is proud to be the only candidate in this race who has not challenged anyone else's right to run for office. The Demos campaign is confident that as a political outsider George Demos is the only Conservative Republican in this race who has a record of service fighting corruption and that he will earn the confidence of Long Island's families at the ballot box."

Randy Altschuler - Temporary Tax Cuts Won't Work

Congress (NY-1), today called upon Congressman Tim Bishop to "let President Obama and Speaker Pelosi know that temporary tax cuts for small business won't work." Altschuler, a successful self made businessman and proven job creator, was referring to the Obama Administration's proposal to provide one year temporary tax cuts, such as the expensing of certain capital projects. Altschuler is the only candidate in the 1st C.D. race who has actually created private sector jobs; over 700 American jobs with 250 located in New York State.

Randy Altschuler said, "Tim Bishop needs to step-up and let President Obama and Speaker Pelosi know that temporary tax cuts for small businesses won't work when it comes to creating jobs and cutting unemployment. These cuts will be countered by the increased capital gains tax which takes effect on January 1, 2011. Tax hikes that will hit hardest on start-up companies and those businesses considering expansion and which are in need of capital for growth.

"Tim Bishop, Nancy Pelosi and President Obama have never been hands-on creators of private sector jobs. They've never made a payroll, paid for employees healthcare or grown businesses from the ground up. They've never felt the bite of the taxman or the sting of government regulation and red tape. What America needs is for Congress to stop tinkering with the tax code and institute permanent lower tax rates so that businesses can make the long term investments needed to expand and create jobs. We need a healthcare package based on private sector solutions and a common sense conservative approach to cutting onerous red tape and regulations. Congress and the federal government need to get out of the way and let America work."