LWV's Debate With Assembly, County Comptroller And Town Council Candidates

The League of Women Voters (LWV) of Smithtown hosted a debate for candidates in NY Assembly District 8,  Suffolk County Comptroller and Smithtown Town Council. The event was moderated by St. James resident and member of the LWV Lisa Scott. The LWV has been hosting candidate debates for decades this event was professional and very informative. Voters can watch the debate on YouTube *

The questions asked allowed audience members an understanding of who the candidates were, why they were running and what they hoped to accomplish.  Ms. Scott began the event by announcing the cancellation of a planned debate with the candidates running for office in  Congressional District 1. Both congressional candidates Perry Gershon and Lee Zeldin had accepted the LWV’s invitation to participate in a Smithtown debate, the LWV was unable to secure a location after a local church declined.

Ms. Scott read the following statement : “We regret to announce that church leaders advised last night that they cannot host the 1st CD candidate event on Oct. 23. Although they strongly value civic engagement and they realize that the League of Women Voters as well as the campaign teams have worked for months to thoroughly plan for candidate dialogue and discussion of positions on issues, they are most concerned that the state of civil discourse and polarization at this time make it impossible for anyone to guarantee that there will not be problems. Since this would have been the first true debate between the two candidates and only 2 weeks before election day, the probable large turnout of candidate supporters outside the church building would have overwhelmed the site and the surrounding neighborhood, even with public safety present.”

The debate was broken-up into three parts; NYS Assembly candidates Michael Fitzpatrick and David Morrisey, John Kennedy and Jay Schneiderman for Suffolk County comptroller, Smithtown Town Council candidates Amy Fortunato and Tom Lohmann. 

PART I

NYS Assembly candidates Michael Fitzpatrick and David Morrissey -

Opening statements - Michael Fitzpatrick is seeking a 9th term in the NYS Assembly he would like to continue the fight for fiscal responsibility, “the hallmark” of his career in government”, stem the population flow out of NYS, improve the business climate which he believes will increase resources which can be used to deal with the opioid problem. David Morrissey is a first time candidate, a software engineer with an MBA in business admin. He is a former Republican who changed affiliation to Democrat 15 years ago. Morrissey’s oldest son William suffered from mental illness and drug addiction before becoming a “statistic”  dying  from a drug overdose.  He is running to address the opioid epidemic, women’s issues, infrastructure and the environment.

Question #1 - Opinion on the loss of the SALT (State and Local Tax Decuctions) deduction. Fitzpatrick -expressed some concern but said most people in NYS will see a reduction in taxes. “In the long term the potential benefit is that it sends a message to states like NY that spend a lot to get their houses in order.” Need mandate relief. Morrissey- Said the loss of the SALT deductions is a big middle finger to NYS and an assault on the majority of Americans who live in largest states. Declaring that Fitzpatrick wants to strangle Albany, he believes Albany is a positive enabler. “We need to ask more from our government to harness it with vision and goals to address infrastructure and opioid addiction.”

Question #2 - New York Health Act(NYHA) Would you sponsor and vote for NYHA- Fitzpatrick - Does not support and called it very dangerous. Fitzpatrick stated NYHA would ban private health care coverage. Competition and the market forces to bring down cost of drugs. Fitzpatrick believes that there is universal support for coverage for preexisting conditions. The cost of covering preexisting conditions would be spread out. Morrissey - Wonderful law. Believes in a single payer system and sees a need to develop systems to simplify administrative overhead that will save money. He would also hold big pharma accountable for the opioid crisis.

Question #3 What concrete steps can be done about MS13?  Fitzpatrick -It should concern us all begins with immigration, illegal, unaccompanied minors coming in. Cannot afford to take care of illegals education and health care passing the NYHA would allow illegals access to health NYS must get tough in terms of penalties. Morrissey - Spanish translating cops and detectives. Cops have a difficult time working with people when they don’t understand what they are saying. We can’t demonize hispanic people. We need to work with hispanics who make up twenty per cent of Suffolk County population. Morrissey believes the first step is to engage in communities. 

Question #4- What single legislative action could you take to reduce gun violence in NYS? Morrissey - The Red flag law preventing firearms in homes with domestic violence where spouses are at 20 times more risk for gun deaths.  He believes that the public has no business carrying assault rifles, there should be no reciprocity, no concealed carry in NY and guns should not be brought into schools. Fitzpatrick - Red Flag law was too rushed to be supported and needs to be improved. Possible problem with double jeopardy The problem is not law the abiding who own guns for protection and hunting or the wealthy people who carry gun for protection.

Question #5 A Drunk Driver hit a boy scout who died. what kind of offense is drunk driving, is it considered murder? Should NYS make Drunk Driving law stronger.  Morrissey - Not sure of a legal aspect. I am a person in recovery, vehicular homicide is horrific for the victim’s family. He said that alcoholism is no excuse and that treatment must be available in jail. Fitzpatrick - I am not an attorney. In addition to having to live with this crime those who get caught will be prosecuted with penalties that are severe. 

Question #6 NYS is 46th in voter turnout, do you support early voting.. Morrissey - Supports early voting pointed out that some people are unable to get to the polls. Wants to make it easeier for college students to vote. People need more time to vote which is a privilege and a right. Supports early voter registration. Fitzpatrick - No excuse absentee voting “early voting costs a lot of money” two day voting and Sat. or Sunday voting. Request online absentee ballots. Political parties already work to get college students to vote. 

Question #7 School Financing Is there a more equitable way to finance schools position and opionion on charter schools. Morrissey - Current system guaranteed to keep social inequities. Charter schools do not adhere to same standards and are select students. Money that is spent on charter schools could go to improve education for all students. Fitzpatrick - We spend record amounts in aide to education $26 billion for schools which is threatened by NYS senate becoming Democratic in the election and the city delegation gains control. Property tax because you can’t depend on income tax. On charters parents deserve choice in education. 70,000 people in NYC waiting to get into a charter school.

Question #8 - NYS’s government has been found to be one of the most corrupt and unethical and ineffective governtment in the country. Why run and how can you clean it up? Morrissey - One problem is conflict of interest. Pay legislators more to avoid conflicts, require transparency and legislators must recuse themselves when there is a conflict . Fitzpatrick - “You can’t legislate morality. Some very, very smart and bright and ethical people in the legislature on both sides.”Get every elected official out of defined benefit pension the mustard seed from where this all comes. Elected officials must go into a 401K program. 

Morrissey used the two minutes alloted for closing comments to say that part of the problem in government are leaders who stopped representing the public’s interest. He then went after Fitzpatrick’s record saying he voted against women’s right to privacy with doctor, equal pay, red flag law, he said Fitzpatrick sides with insurance companies and big pharma, Wall St. over Main St., supports coupling tests scores with teacher evaluations. He stated that he hasn’t heard anything Fitzpatrick had done proactively to address the opioid crisis, called him out on Kings Park sewers and local infrastructure. 

Fitzpatrick used his time to make closing comments to criticize Morrisey’s closing calling him “full of crap” which drew a negative response from the audience. Fitzpatrick focused on Democrats who he said needed to answer to charges of corruption. ‘I am proud of my record. I have been a lone voice advocating for change in Albany to stop the flow of people out of NYS. They are leaving because of policies put in place by Cuomo, Spitzer through Democratic controlled Assembly and the NYS Republican Senate which leans too far to the left.” Fitzpatrick said that Morrissey’s account of his record was wrong and mentioned his support for an opioid task force and stated that he supported a lot of things in the budget that have brought money back for the district.  “I have served this town admirably.”

*Listen to complete questions and answers on LWV YouTube page

Monday Part II Suffolk County Comptroller candidates 

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP - Zeldin And Gershon "Kinda" Debate Environment

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP

By Karl Grossman

The rivals in the hotly contested race in the lst Congressional District this year—Republican incumbent Representative Lee Zeldin and Democratic challenger Perry Gershon—appeared last week at an environmental forum.

It provided quite the contrast.

The one thing Messrs. Zeldin and Gershon share is both are Jewish—and it is the first time in my memory covering politics in Suffolk County since 1962 that two Jews were running against each other in a major race. Decades ago, there was a level of reluctance to run a Jewish person for a major office in Suffolk—a concern that this would reduce the vote received. 

Also, both men are affiliated with the same denomination of Judaism, the Reform movement. Mr. Zeldin and his family are members of B’nai Israel Reform Temple in Oakdale where he was bar mitzvahed by the rabbi still there, Steven Moss, who id also chair of the Suffolk County Human Rights Commission. Mr. Gershon and his family are members of Long Island’s oldest synagogue, Temple Adas Israel in Sag Harbor.

Jews, along with Italian-Americans (earlier discriminated against in Suffolk politics), and African-Americans and Latinos in recent years, have made great strides in Suffolk politics.

Although they have a religion in common, Messrs. Zeldin and Gershon could not be more different politically. 

The arrangements for the October 15^th forum were poor. Instead of getting use of a big high school auditorium for the large group of people that could be expected to attend—this was the first time the candidates would be answering questions at the same event—the New York League of Conservation Voters arranged for the relatively small auditorium at the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Center of Suffolk County Community College.  This resulted in a fiasco. Many people on a dark, rainy night in Riverhead weren’t allowed in and had to wait outside or go home. There were public apologies from the moderator from the League of Conservative Voters. 

Messrs. Zeldin and Gershon, meanwhile, didn’t debate each other—despite decades of debates under the auspices of the League of Women Voters and other organizations held for contests in the lst C.D. which includes much of Smithtown. 

Instead, the candidates appeared separately. There was a panel of three environmentalists asking questions. Mr. Gershon came in first, gave an opening statement and then answered questions from the environmentalists and three questions gathered from members of the audience He then gave a closing statemen. Next, Mr. Zeldin came in, gave an opening statement and answered the exact same questions Mr. Gershon was asked. Then he made a closing statement.

Despite this not being a normal head-on debate, the differing stances of Gershon, of East Hampton, and Zeldin, of Shirley, about environmental issues came through.

For example, on the issue of climate change, Mr. Gershon, in response to a question from the panel as to whether he thought it was caused by humans, said “yes.” Mr. Zeldin also said “yes,” but then added. “there are multiple factors.”

Mr. Zeldin’s personal and political closeness to President Donald Trump—who has been in denial of climate change and has had his administration dismember a host of environmental protections—was a central target of Mr. Gershon. “We need a congressman that’s going to stand up to the Trump administration and say, ‘No, we’re not going to take this anymore. We’re going to get on the right track. That’s why I ran for Congress.”

He cited Mr. Zeldin’s rating of a low 7 percent last year from the League of Conservation Voters. Mr. Gershon spoke about his environmental ethic. “I have solar panels on my roof. I drive an electric car,” he said. And he gave strong support to a wide array of environmental initiatives—and proposed other steps. He not only supported offshore wind but, a businessman, he suggested the turbines for offshore wind be produced on Long Island, creating a major industry. He criticized the Trump move to broadly open ocean waters to oil drilling, going on to say that Mr. Zeldin has opposed Atlantic offshore oil drilling but wouldn’t sign a petition in Congress opposing the opening of other ocean waters off the U.S. coastline to drilling.

Mr. Zeldin cited funding and re-authorizations he had secured for various environmental projects especially involving the Long Island Sound and National Estuary Program. He spoke of his effort to stop the dumping of dredge spoils from Connecticut into the Long Island Sound and his resolution to block the federal sale “to the highest bidder” of Plum Island which, he said, should not only be preserved but research there should continue. The federal government has run the Plum Island Animal Disease Center since the 1950s.

“I believe it is hugely important to ensure we have stringent standards set to provide clean air and clean water for Long Island and across the country,” said Mr. Zeldin, a lawyer.  

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. 

Campaign Signs Become An Issue In Town Council Race

By Pat Biancaniello

An unanticipated snafu in the town council race has some Smithtown Democrats riled up. Specifically, the issue is the wording on town council candidate Tom Lohmann’s lawn signs, which according to Tom Lohmann, was a mistake. Lohmann’s signs inform residents that they should re-elect Lohmann who has never been elected. Lohmann was appointed by the Republican town board to his position on the board to fill a vacancy that resulted when Ed Wehrheim became town supervisor.

Candidate Amy Fortunato gave Smithtown Matters the following statement: “Obviously, signs don’t vote. Lawn signs or any other political advertisements are intended to inform voters, not to deceive.  It’s a logical impossibility to re-elect someone who wasn’t elected in the first place.  It’s clearly misstating the will of Smithtown voters. It’s pretty clear that the intent of these lawn signs is to mislead voters into thinking that my opponent was ever elected in the first place. The truth is Mr. Lohmann came in last place in the 2017 election with the fewest number of votes of all the six candidates.  For someone who was never elected to office to advertise for ‘re-election’ is a blatant mistruth and conveys to voters the false impression of legitimacy. It’s a strong reminder of our need for integrity, transparency and ethics by those who serve in public office.” 

Sounding a little frustrated in a phone conversation Tom Lohmann said that the signs cost over $700 and that they would remain. He emphatically denied that he was trying to mislead voters. Saying that he did not personally order the lawn signs, he stated  “the Re-Elect should have been removed, it was a mistake. When I am out campaigning I tell everyone that I was appointed.” 

Lawn signs are used by candidates to increase name recognition and when posted at a residence it signals support. The effectiveness of lawn signs on the voting public is debatable. A study of the impact of lawn signage on a political campaings from 2015 shows mixed results with a small impact on influencing elections.

People In The News - Myra Naseem & Elegant Eating

By Stacey Altherr

Myra Naseem  - Elegant Eating - 739 Smithtown Bypass, Smithtown

If you ask Myra Naseem how she juggled teaching, being a single mother of two teenage girls, and starting a second career, she will tell you that she is more herself when juggling many balls in the air and looking for something new and different.

“I’m the sort of person that has to change,” she said. “I wake up in the morning and take a picture from one room and put in a different room.” 

That ability to change – actually inspired to make constant changes – is what makes Elegant Eating such a success. Starting while she was still a home economics teacher and raising two teenage girls, she would cook for family and friends, often catering dinner parties and other small gatherings. 

She made a cake and some other dishes for her eldest daughter’s bat mitzvah, and the caterer at the time liked what he saw. He hired her to work for him, which gave her an early insight into the catering world. She was soon supervising.

“For me, supervising the staff on the floor was like a classroom,” said Naseem, 76. “It came naturally to me.”

By the time of her youngest daughter’s bat mitzvah, she catered the whole event, with help from current and former home economic students and friends.

During this time, she met Neil Schumer, who also worked for the same caterer and was graduating from college with a business degree. She and he became partners, opening their first storefront in an old deli in Stony Brook in 1986. From there, Elegant Eating expanded its catering business, eventually moving to their present spot on Smithtown Bypass. Although she never went to culinary school, her home economics background and ability to keep those balls in the air led to success. Schumer is strictly the business side, which Naseem said has always helped her concentrate more on the food side.

Elegant Eating currently has a staff of at least 14 people, with 12 of those in the kitchen. A separate wait staff goes out to work the parties.

With more than 30 years, Naseem has seen the business through good times and lean times. The key to success? That ability to constantly change with the times, and the dietary needs and wants of the clientele. For instance, no one wants bread anymore, she said. Crudités are out.

“I think people are much more willing to try new foods,” she said. “Especially vegetables.”

She has always tries to introduce a new idea or food item in her catering. She tells a story of bringing artisan bread years ago to a catered event, only to be told the bread was stale. She explained that it wasn’t stale, but a different texture.

More stories: The time she introduced Jicama at an event, she was told someone put raw potato on the table, or the time she was told the red lettuce was bad, because people were only eating iceberg or romaine.

“I would put out guacamole, and no one would touch it.”

She sees her role as educating the customer to the different variations of a dish they already have in mind. If they want Chicken Francese, she will ask them to think about rosemary chicken.

Not only has the food evolved over the years, but the business model itself. There are many less dinner parties and more corporate catering.

Elegant Eating also does a lot of memorial services. Since people who have moved out of town remember her so well, they will call their old friend to cater the event.

And, of course, weddings. Those have also changed over the 30 something years, said Naseem, from catering halls to weddings in barns out east or on private lawns. Elegant Eating can cater to large crowds with specialized dishes. 

“We cook on a different level, with unique presentation.”

There is a lot to owning a business, she said, since the burden is always on the owner. If the walk-in refrigerator goes down and you lose the food, you have to pay for it. 

“It isn’t as easy as it seems, and it isn’t for everyone.”

Naseem has seen it changed for small mom-and-pop style business. It’s hard to compete with the vast shopping sprees available on the internet. But it is possible to succeed in a small business.

Her advice to new entrepreneurs? If you have a dream, be sure to set a goal and write it down.

“If you set yourself up for success, you will do it. You have to feel really strong and really positive.”

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP - Environmentalist Irving Like Has Died We Must Keep Going

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP

By Karl Grossman

Irving Like, an environmental giant in Suffolk County, New York State and the United States, has died. 

Irving Like (photo Legacy.com)Mr. Like was instrumental in getting the Shoreham nuclear power plant abandoned; was a key in the successful fight to stop the four-lane highway that public works czar Robert Moses sought to build on Fire Island and to create instead a Fire Island National Seashore; he was the author of the Conservation Bill of Rights that’s part of the New York State Constitution; and he established a model since emulated across the U.S. of exposing the deadly dangers of nuclear power at proceedings of federal nuclear power licensing agencies that otherwise are kangaroo courts. And there was so much more.

Attorney Like, of Bay Shore, never stopped fighting for the environment. He was still involved in crusades and litigation when he passed away on October 3 at 93.

I began writing about Mr. Like in 1962 and was regularly in touch with him through the years since. Our last communication came on September 20 when Irv emailed me about his crusade to have UNESCO designate Fire Island a World Heritage Site. This, he said, would result in international protection for that extraordinary barrier beach. In the email, Irv related how “my wife Margalit to whom I was happily married for 69 years” had died. “What keeps me going are the environmental projects I care about & the knowledge of people like you. Let’s keep going!!!” 

I was 20 years old starting out as a reporter at the Babylon Town Leader when I first wrote about Irv. Mr. Moses, a Babylon resident, had just announced his Fire Island highway. I was dispatched to Fire Island and wrote a lengthy front page article on how the highway would pave over the exquisite nature and magical communities of Fire Island. It was my first big story. 

Irv and his brother-in-law, Murray Barbash (who passed away in 2013) swung into action creating the Citizens Committee for a Fire Island National Seashore. Irv and Murray figured there wouldn’t be a way to stop Moses on the state level. After Moses suffered what was a then record loss in a run for governor, he instead amassed vast influence in New York particularly through commissions. Needed was federal involvement to stop Moses’ highway. Also, the National Seashore goal would make the campaign positive, more than anti-highway. In 1964 the Seashore became a reality, the highway stopped.

Irv and Murray flipped that strategy on Shoreham. They determined that the nuclear project couldn’t be stopped on the federal level—with the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) never having denied a construction or operating license for a nuclear plant anywhere, anytime. (This has continued with its successor agency, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.) So they formed Citizens to Replace LILCO with a focus on using state power, especially the power of condemnation, to stop Shoreham and the Long Island Lighting Company. They worked to establish a Long Island Power Authority with the clout, if LILCO persisted with Shoreham and its plan to build seven to 11 nuclear power plants on Long Island, to eliminate LILCO. The Long Island Power Act was enacted in 1985 and LILCO gave up turning Shoreham over to the state for a nominal $1 to be decommissioned as a nuclear facility.

Irv had gotten involved in challenging nuclear power in Suffolk earlier. He was attorney for the Lloyd Harbor Study Group which fought a previous LILCO nuclear plant project in Lloyd Harbor. LILCO, in the face of the opposition in that upscale village in Huntington Town decided to shift the location of its first nuclear plant to Shoreham. It assumed the Lloyd Harbor Study Group and Irv would not go many miles east to continue the battle. But they did. 

The AEC construction permit hearings for Shoreham lasted two years and were the longest hearings it ever held. Irv understood he wouldn’t be able to win. But as he wrote in a paper delivered before the American Bar Association in 1971 and in a version published nationally, the AEC hearings, although fixed, could be an “educational forum to alert the public” about the perils of nuclear power and spur people to political action. 

Most recently, Irv has represented Helene Forst’s Long Island Businesses for Responsible Energy battling the placement of giant toxic chemical-coated poles for transmission lines by PSEG and LIPA. Ms. Forst who worked earlier with Irv as co-chair of East End Shoreham Opponents, speaks of his “brilliance, positivity and resilience.” She reflects: “l was fortunate to be able to work side-by-side with Irving, passionately fighting the David and Goliath fights that needed to be fought.”

Irv’s important work goes on and on including his being counsel to Suffolk County challenging offshore Atlantic oil drilling and his involvement in the lawsuit on behalf of Vietnam War vets suffering from cancer caused by the use by the U.S. of Agent Orange,

We must all “keep going.” 

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.