Frank MacKay Re-Elected as New York State

Sept. 19, 2010 — (Troy, New York) The Independence Party of New York is pleased to announce that Frank MacKay was re-elected as the Party’s State Chairman for a seventh term. He ran unopposed. The convention of State Committee members took place on September 18, 2010 at the Hilton Garden Inn, in Troy, New York.MacKay also serves as the Suffolk County Chair.  The Independenc e Party of New York has grown significantly throughout Chairman MacKay’s tenure.It is the largest statewide third party political organization in the nation, with 413,855 members as of April 2010, according the State Board of Elections. MacKay made the following statement: “The party is growing in numbers and strength and this is due to the hard work and talent of our County leadership around the state, and our dedicated State Committee.I appreciate their support and, and we now look forward to rallying around our candidates and making a strong statement on Election Day.”

Senator Flanagan and Assemblyman Fitzpatrick Honored by KP Fire Commissioners

Senator John Flanagan (2nd Senate District) was recently honored b the Kings Park Fire District’s Board of Fire Commissioners for his efforts in getting the state to transfer a parcel of land on the former Kings Park Psychiatric Center property to the Kings Park Fire District (KPFD).

( Senator Flanagan (far left) and Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick (far right) are thanked for their efforts by (from left to right) Commissioner Paul Barattini, Commissioner Ronald Hobel, Commissioner James Ruggiero and Chairman James Starke.)

The transfer, which was sponsored by Senator Flanagan and Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick (7th Assembly District) in their respective houses of the legislature and signed into law on August 26TH, will enable the fire district to build a substation at the site and provide better service the Kings Park residents.


The land that will be transferred is 2.68 acres on the west side of St. Johnland Road just east of Kings Park Boulevard. This site was chosen due to its access to St. Johnland Road which runs through the entire fire district and will give responding personnel a quicker route to emergencies throughout Kings Park.


According to district officials, the substation will house at least one engine and one ambulance to serve the residents of the Kings Park region. Additionally, the plan also includes placing their rescue boat and
water rescue apparatus at the site to expand and enhance the district’s ability to respond to water emergencies. The site is also large enough to allow the KPFD to install a buffer around the new facility and allow them to be good neighbors in their new home.

As a condition of the transfer, the legislation states that the property must be utilized for the exclusive purpose of building a substation and any other use will cause the land to revert back to the state.

Suffolk County Legislator Nowick is Collecting Used Cell Phones for VIBS

  (Smithtown, NY)…If you are thinking of getting a new cell phone, why not consider donating your old one to be used by the Victims Information Bureau Family Violence and Rape Crisis Center (VIBS), which provides free services to victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse. “My office is collecting used cell phones, which will be distributed to VIBS’ clients who can use them to dial 911 in case of an emergency,” said Legislator Nowick. “Please feel free to drop off your phone at my district office, located at 59 Landing Avenue in Smithtown, Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. For directions, please call 854-3900,” added Legislator Nowick.

VIBS offers group or individual counseling for adults and teens, as well as for children who have witnessed domestic violence or who have been sexually assaulted. Its advocates can provide court accompaniment, information on victims’ rights, assistance with law enforcement and criminal justice agencies and with the Crime Victims Board. VIBS also has an Elder Abuse program where they provide counseling, home visits and case management to elderly people who are victims of emotional, physical, financial or sexual abuse. Trained and certified counselors are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help any victim of domestic violence or sexual assault. VIBS Family Violence and Rape Crisis Center hotline number is 631-360-3606

 Pictured with some of the collected cell phones are Suffolk County Legislator Lynne C. Nowick (left) and Pamela Johnston, executive director of VIBS.

Best Buddies Begin at Hauppauge High School

In support of the newly formed Hauppauge High School Best Buddies Chapter, senior Carley Weinstein and advisors Tanya Bellia and Angela Braun recently attended the 21^st Annual Best Buddies Leadership Conference.   The three-day conference was held at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN.  It brought together leaders, with and without disabilities, from high schools and colleges worldwide, providing them with personalized training to develop leadership skills that are needed to organize a Best Buddies chapter.

 Anthony Kennedy Shriver and Hauppauge High School senior Carley Weinstein at the 21st Annual Best Buddies Leadership Conference.

Carley, who will be serving as the 2010-2011 club president stated, “The 2010 Leadership Conference was incredibly inspirational.  People with intellectual and cultural differences connected and we made lifelong friendships.”

Through numerous breakout sessions, attendees enhanced their knowledge of the Best Buddies movement by learning about and discussing topics including the global disability rights movement, inclusion, advocacy, professionalism, public speaking, time management, fundraising, and volunteer management.

Attendees were challenged to explore their full potential, tap into their power to motivate others, and translate awareness into quality friendships between students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities.

For more than 20 years, the conference has inspired thousands of leaders to be Best Buddies ambassadors and to bring about social change in their communities. 

“It is my hope that Best Buddies will touch the hearts of Hauppauge, and I’m looking forward to being a part of that process,” said Carley.

Founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Best Buddies has chapters in each of the 50 states.  The organization continues to create opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

SENATOR FLANAGAN RECEIVES HIGH MARKS FOR JOB CREATION EFFORTS

Senator John Flanagan (2nd Senate District) recently received a top score on the job creation scorecard released by the Business Council of NewYork State. The Business Council recognized Senator Flanagan for consistently voting to protect small businesses across the state from increased taxes and out of control state spending that were proposed and passed by Senate Democrats.

“Small business is the very lifeblood of our state and our state should be doing all we can to help them grow so they can create sorely needed jobs. I am certainly honored that the Business Council has recognized my efforts and look forward to working with them in the future to make sure that our state respects the needs of small business owners.

The reality is that when they succeed, our entire state succeeds and that is good for all of our residents,” stated Senator Flanagan.

The Business Council lauded Senator Flanagan for voting against bills passed by Senate Democrats that imposed costly new regulations and mandates on small and large businesses, including the downstate MTA payroll tax and bills that significantly increased costs for things such as energy and insurance coverage for employees.

Ken Adams, President of the Business Council said: “Republicans really have a much higher score and did much better in supporting pro-economic legislation. The scorecard will remind voters that the
economy is what really matters.”

Senator Flanagan also received high scores for job creation from the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB).

Mike Elmendorf, NFIB State Director said: “There’s no question that because of the state’s dire fiscal crisis, small businesses became a target this session for lawmakers looking for quick fixes. Job creators need to know which legislators stood with small business and which legislators voted against their interests.”

This year, as part of his efforts to protect and grow small businesses in the state, Senator Flanagan proposed a job creation plan that included new tax credits for businesses that create jobs, consistently
fought for much-needed property tax relief, advocated for the repeal of all state regulations that merely inhibit business growth and fought for state spending cuts including reduced Medicaid spending and more government consolidation.

“There is a real need to provide our small businesses with effective programs that stimulate economic growth and create jobs. The tax and spend policies of the current Democrat majority in Albany is killing small business. We need to provide greater tax incentives and credits to
encourage small business to grow and thrive,” concluded Senator Flanagan.