Honor A Hero By Giving Blood At Glen Ciano Blood Drive In Commack

*Glen Ciano Blood Drive was a tremendous success with 20 more pints of blood donated than 2018***

Today is one of those days that you get to do something good. That’s the message from Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart and Commack Fire Department Chief Patrick Fazio. Today, Saturday, February 9 between the hours of 10am and 2pm hundreds of people will donate life saving blood and honor the legacy of deceased police officer Glen Ciano.L-R SCPD Chief Of Department Stuart Cameron, Susan Ciano, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart, Deputy Police Commissioner James Skopek

Suffolk County Police Department and the Commack Fire Department are hosting their 9th annual Glen Ciano Blood Drive to honor the memory of Glen Ciano a fallen Suffolk County police officer and a long history of working with the Commack Fire Department. Glen Ciano died on February 22, 2009, a victim of a drunk driver in Commack. Nine years ago the fire department named its blood drive the Glen Ciano Blood drive to honor the memory of the man who did so much to protect others.

Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said, “Glen lived his life protecting others as both police officer and a volunteer fire fighter. He exemplified the meaning of being a true hero.”

By all accounts Glen Ciano was someone who did everything possible to help someone who needed help. According to his wife Susan, “You could call him at any time and he was there. Things were dropped and he went.” One might think that this is a sad event for the Ciano family but as hard as it might be Susan said she looks forward to it. ” This is the fire house that Glen went out of, he had a locker here so it holds a special place in my heart. I Come every year since they named it for him 9 years ago.  Once people find out what it’s for it makes it more meaningful for them to give blood that day. It means a lot to me that  different people come out who want to honor him.”  

Since 2011, 1084 donations have been accepted and saved the lives of more than 3000 people. In 2018, 224 donations were made and everyone is hoping to match and surpass that number. Yadira Navarro, NY Blood Center manager, wants people to know that there is only a three - four day supply of blood and for O- and B- there is only a 1-2 day supply. To donate blood you must be at least 16 years of age, weigh at least 110 lbs. and have identification. Navarro advises people to eat well and hydrate before donating.

Commissioner Pat Fazzio wants this to be a great blood drive, “it is vitally important to get a great turnout.  There is no better way to honor Glen then coming out and supporting this blood drive. “

The Glen Ciano Blood Drive will be held at the Commack Fire Department between (10am and 2pm) located at 6309 Jericho Turnpike Commack, NY between 8 am-2pm (631) 499-6690 (non-emergency) Walk Ins are welcome.

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP - Gershon - Zeldin Battle In 2020?

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP

By Karl Grossman

Perry Gershon is “strongly leaning to another go” at running for the U.S. House of Representatives in the lst C.D. against incumbent Lee Zeldin. 

Although a newcomer to Suffolk politics, Mr. Gershon, of East Hampton, won last year over a record number of other would-be candidates in a Democratic primary in Suffolk, including two former Suffolk County legislators, to get the Democratic nomination. Then he did better against Mr. Zeldin, of Shirley, than the last two Democrats who ran against Mr. Zeldin, then incumbent Tim Bishop, in 2014, and former Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst in 2016.

Mr. Zeldin, an attorney, was a two-term state senator before his election to the House.

Mr. Gershon lost to Mr. Zeldin by 4 percent of the district vote but carried East Hampton, Southampton, Southold and Shelter Island. He lost in Smithtown. And in the most populous segment of the district, Brookhaven Town, “we tied on the Democratic-versus-Republican lines,” said Mr. Gershon with Mr. Zeldin only beating him in Brookhaven by also being on the Conservative Party ticket.

If Mr. Gershon decides to run again—and I predict he will—he said last week that “I will need to convince the district at large that I represent a better future for them. I was at my stride at the end of the campaign, talking about bringing people together without demonizing the other side, the opposite of Zeldin’s vision.”

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has just named the lst C.D. as one of 25 “target districts” in the United States—a designation meaning this arm of the national Democratic Party considers the incumbent vulnerable. “The district was not viewed as competitive by the DCCC last year,” noted Mr. Gershon. 

There is precedent in the lst C.D. for a Democratic candidate losing and then, after intensive activity, winning over the Republican incumbent. Otis G. Pike, a town justice from Riverhead, initially lost his race for the seat in 1958 to GOPer Stuyvesant Wainwright of Wainsott. Mr. Pike then embarked on a two-year marathon of going to virtually every meeting of civic and community groups in the lst C.D., mixing with residents at every opportunity, not stopping campaigning. And in 1960 Mr. Pike won over four-term incumbent Wainwright and held the lst C.D. seat for 18 years, longer than anyone in history since the district was formed with its first representative Declaration of Independence-signer William Floyd of Mastic.

Mr. Gershon is also preparing for a whirlwind of activities. Indeed, he was heading off after we talked last week to appear before a business organization in Patchogue.

A major indication of Mr. Gershon seeking to run again came in an email he sent to supporters towards the end of last year. “As the year draws to a close, I’m thankful that all our hard work in 2018 made a huge difference. While we came up short in our campaign against Lee Zeldin, our loss was narrow—only about 4 percent. That shows that, if we keep working, 2020 could be our year to finally send Lee packing.”

In making a second run, Mr. Gershon would again emphasize strategies he stressed last year including, he said, widening “voter participation.” 

The impetus for Mr. Gershon, a successful businessman, to jump into politics was President Donald Trump and his actions and also Mr. Zeldin’s close political and personal ties to Mr. Trump. That might be a double-edged sword in Suffolk. Mr. Trump won Suffolk in running for the presidency in 2016. Has Mr. Trump retained a substantial edge here? Has Mr. Zeldin’s support of Mr. Trump taken a toll or is he still supported for his backing of Mr. Trump?

 “Zeldin is out-of-touch with the district,” claimed Mr. Gershon last week.

As a recent example, Mr. Gershon points to the partial government shutdown and Mr. Zeldin being “100% with Trump behind the shutdown.” 

Mr. Trump is seeking to run for re-election as president in 2020 and that would coincide with elections to the House—he would be on top of the Republican ticket. Mr. Gershon sees Mr. Trump, if he is a candidate for re-election in 2020, as being “wounded,” increasingly damaged politically by “disclosures” involving his presidency and initial campaign.

Mr. Gershon said “I believe the 2020 election is going to be about visions for the future.” If making the race, “I am going to run for a better Long Island, for better economic opportunity, for better environmental protection and dealing with what might be the biggest threat to the future—climate change.” He said he supports the recently proposed “Green New Deal”—a plan for environmental and economic actions—in challenging climate change. 

Mr. Zeldin would have the advantage of incumbency and a hefty campaign war chest. But Mr. Gershon raised plenty of money last time around: more than $3 million. A Gershon-Zeldin rematch will make for lively politics.

Karl Grossman is a veteran investigative reporter and columnist, the winner of numerous awards for his work and a member of the L.I. Journalism Hall of Fame. He is a professor of journalism at SUNY/College at Old Westbury and the author of six books. 

Rob Trotta Announces Candidacy For Suffolk County Executive

Smithtown resident Rob Trotta (R) announced his candidacy for Suffolk County Executive at a press conference this morning. Trotta, a Smithtown resident who currently serves as a Suffolk County Legislator in the 13th LD is pledging to “end corruption and the culture of pay-to-play that currently exists in Suffolk County.”

Standing in front of a poster depicting donations paid to Steve Bellone he pointed to the $4,412,405.00 total and called on Bellone to give it back within 72 hours.

FYI - NJ Congressman Pallone Introduces "Stopping Bad Robocalls Act"

Washington, D.C. – Today, Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) reintroduced the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act (HR 946) in the House of Representatives to stop abusive robocall practices.

Pallone’s bill would direct the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to enact strong consumer protections for authorized calls and empower the FCC with strong enforcement tools to reign in robocallers.  The legislation would also ensure that consumers have the ability to stop calls they’d previously authorized and require incoming calls to have authentic caller identification information before they are delivered to customers.

“Americans are fed up with robocalls.  It is incredibly annoying to repeatedly get unwanted calls from people you don’t know and don’t want to talk to,” Pallone said.  “Despite previous efforts like the Do Not Call Registry, robocalls are still on the rise. The Stopping Bad Robocalls Act will equip consumer protection agencies with innovative, new tools designed to stop the abusive practices by robocallers and better restrict unauthorized robocalls.”

Last year, an estimated 26.3 billion unwanted calls were placed in the U.S., which represents a 46 percent increase in unwanted calls over the previous year.  The staggering number of unwanted calls are returning huge profit margins for robocallers, with every dollar spent by robocallers returning as much as $20 profit—a 2,000 percent profit margin.  Though some robocalls are initiated by legitimate companies, robocalls are also used by scammers to steal from consumers, with more than 22 million Americans losing a total of $9.5 billion in robocall scams in 2016 alone.

Pallone’s bill was also applauded by various consumer groups.

“The Stopping Bad Robocalls Act will apply essential and meaningful consumer protections from unwanted robocalls if the FCC should fail to rein in robocalls from telemarketers and debt collectors, student loan servicers and others,” said Margot Saunders, senior counsel at the National Consumer Law Center.

“The robocalls problem is out of control and, without action from Congress, will only get worse.  This legislation would tackle the growing problem of “spoofed” calls that trick consumers into answering, by ensuring phone companies implement technology to stop these unwanted calls before they reach the consumer, at no additional cost.  Consumer Reports applauds Congressman Pallone for his leadership in addressing this growing problem,” said Maureen Mahoney, policy analyst at Consumer Reports.

The Stopping Bad Robocalls Act would curb the rise of robocalls by:

• Amending the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) to ensure that the FCC has the authority and the tools to take strong, quick action when they track down robocallers;
• Allowing consumers to revoke consent they had previously given to receive calls at any time and in any reasonable manner;
• Codifying a reassigned number database to put robocallers on notice when a telephone number they may have previously been authorized to call has been given to a new customer who has not authorized their call;
• Limiting the number of robocalls exempted from the TCPA under the FCC’s rules;
• Requiring calls to have verified caller identification information associated with a call before the call can be put through; and
• Extending the statute of limitations from one year to four years for callers violating robocall prohibitions. 

Pallone’s bill is originally cosponsored by: Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Mike Doyle (D-PA), Doris Matsui (D-CA), Jerry McNerney (D-CA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Dave Loebsack (D-IA), Marc Veasey (D-TX), A. Donald McEachin (D-VA), Darren Soto (D-FL), Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Charlie Crist (D-FL).

Section-by-Section available HERE.

Bill text available HERE.

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Issues: 

Communications and Technology

Subcommittees: 

Communications & Technology (116th Congress)

Legislators Say NO To Recreational Marijuana

Legislator Rob Trotta at podium with Steve Chassman LICADDLegislators Rob Trotta (13th LD) and Leslie Kennedy (12th LD) held a press conference Thursday morning for the purpose of stating their opposition and rational for opposing the sale of recreational marijuana in Suffolk County. The two legislators were surrounded by professionals in the field of substance abuse and two community advocates from Smithtown, Kim Revere from Kings Park in the kNow and Debbie Virga from the Commack Coalition of the Caring.

The participants were incredulous that this was even a topic of discussion in 2019. Why now they asked?

Legislator Trotta believes he knows the answer to the question and it’s all about tax receipts. “I don’t view the sale of marijuana as a viable source of revenue because the health and well-being, of our residents, are far more important than plugging the holes in our bloated budget.” He is vowing to do everything he can to raise awareness to the dangers young people will be exposed to. He pointed out that sixty-six districts in Colorado opted out of selling marijuana and that legalization leads to more crime and a booming black market. 

Steve Chassman who is the executive director at Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD), a not-for-profit agency that has a long (61 years) history of working with substance abusers on Long Island, made a compelling case for rejecting recreational marijuana asking, “Will the legalization of marijuana adversely or positively impact public health?

Chassman went on to say that legalization and having dispensaries in Suffolk County may adversely impact the pubic health which has not fully emerged from the recent 12-year health crisis. He warned, “In states where legalization occurred, packaging is geared to young adults, if not adolescents and we know that marijuana has adverse effects on memory retention and learning in the undeveloped brain (25 years of age). Do we want marijuana to have this adverse effect on Public health? “

L-R Kim Revere Kings Park in the kNOw, Debbie Virga Commack Coalition of the Caring, Kim Laube Hugs, Steve Chessman LICADD, Legislator Rob Trotta, Anthony Rizzuto, Seafield, Legislator Leslie Kennedy  

Legislator Kennedy has a background in nursing, she decryed the push to legalize recreational pledging to continue speaking out in opposition “so that no one will be on the roads with a high THC level. ” Legislator Kennedy stated  that THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol)  (one of at least 113  cannaboids identified in cannibas and is identified as the compound in cannabis that is psychoactive and gives you the feeling of being high.) remains in a person’s system for as much as 30 days and noted that there are currently no tests to adequately identify THC levels when pulled over for traffic violations.

According to the Mayo Clinic marijuana use can cause cognitive impairment and should be used with caution. Marijuana can cause: headache, dry mouth, dry eyes, lightheadedness, dizziness, drowsiness, fatigue, nausea, paranoid thinking, disconnected state (dissociation), increased appetite and cough.

While “What are they thinking” was the general sentiment, most speakers emphasized that available data supports their perspective that recreational marijuana leads to increased traffic accidents, crime and suppresses the development of young brains and should not be sold for recreational use.

Public Hearing on Legalization of Recreational Marijuana - February 25, 2019 | 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Suffolk County Legislature William H. Rogers Legislature Building 725 Veterans Memorial Highway Smithtown, NY 11787 For more information, call 631-853-4088