Op-Ed: Celebrating Halloween Safely During A Pandemic

Enjoying a Safe Halloween This Year

By Rob Calarco

In 1918, as the United States dealt with the Spanish Flu pandemic, cities across the country called on their residents to have a different kind of Halloween. At that time, the holiday was more of an opportunity for adults to have costume parties and for boys and young men to pull pranks and commit vandalism. During the pandemic, cities banned or discouraged these traditions and called on residents to be respectful of those who might be sick or have lost a loved one. Overall people observed these restrictions knowing that what they were doing was for the benefit of the community. The Buffalo Express reported on that year’s Halloween, saying “Hallowe’en revels lack the spirit of previous affairs.”

This year we are again asking Americans to be safe as they celebrate Halloween. COVID-19 is still with us, andOld Westbury Pumpkin Festival 2019 while our infection rates do remain low, there is still a risk to us all. That does not mean we cannot celebrate all things spooky this year. We can still find creative ways to enjoy the day and take precautions to minimize potential spread of the virus. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has characterized traditional trick-or-treating, where treats are handed to children who go door to door, as a high-risk activity. To avoid this risk consider participating in one-way trick-or-treating. This is when individually wrapped goodie bags are lined up for families to grab and go while continuing to social distance. Try to avoid placing large bowls of treats where children have to grab out of the same container. These treats can be placed at the end of a driveway or at the edge of a yard. You can communicate whether you are participating in the festivities by placing a sign on your yard. Also if you are wearing a costume mask, remember that it is not a replacement for a cloth mask. Instead consider incorporating a cloth mask into your costume this year.

If you are looking for a safe outdoor adventure, consider heading over to Southaven County Park in Yaphank, which has been taken over by Gateway’s Haunted Playhouse in partnership with Suffolk County. The Gateway has created a drive-through haunted trail experience called “The Forgotten Road,” which includes sounds and sights outside the car as well as a narrative that can be listened to over your car’s sound system. Additionally the Patchogue-Medford Library is offering a Halloween Story Walk. This is a self-guided quest for the entire family. You can pick up your map at the Children’s Department Information Desk during library hours or print your map and story questions from home at any time to navigate your way through Patchogue Village by following a story. Those who complete the quest will receive a Halloween surprise at the end.

With a different kind of Halloween celebration this year, it is going to take us all working together to keep each other safe. There are plenty of precautions to make sure that we all have fun while not contributing to the spread of COVID-19. By following these easy guidelines and doing more socially distanced activities, we can all do our part and stay safe.

Rob Calarco is the Presiding Officer of the Suffolk County Legislature

Remember Those Lost On 9/11 And The Hero Responders Who Have Lost Their Lives

By Peter Hanson 

A few years ago I was flying through Chicago’s busy O’Hare International Airport on 9/11. I purposely wore a shirt with a 9/11 logo. A reminder of the day that has stayed fresh in my memory since 2001. As I navigated the airport I looked for someone, anyone, who would also be remembering 9/11. I found none.

One woman, while passing me, commented, “Oh, it’s 9/11”.

Next year will be the twentieth anniversary of the World Trade Center (WTC) tragedy.  Americans across the country will be reminded of the events that occurred on that day. We will pause and remember those who died.

Many do not know about all that happened at the WTC site after 9/11/01. History tells us that memories of significant events fade after twenty years. Many first responders rushed in to assist in the search for people and many people from all walks of life assisted in the clean-up.

Here in Nesconset, we have created a site which honors those who worked at the demolished WTC and who sadly, over they years succumbed to illnesses incurred.

The 911 Responders Remembered Park began with a dream of John Feal. John worked at the WTC site and was seriously injured. His time at the site inspired him to form a mission to create a park to remember the workers.

Feal shared his vision and a committee consisting of local residents was formed. For years money was privately raised through dinners, marches, etc. with the goal to open the Park on the ten year anniversary of 9/11. Land was donated by Vincent Monaco, owner of Little Vinny’s Pizzeria. Mark Mancini, architect, designed the Park pro bono. 

Local residents James Ryder, Marty Aponte and Eroll Toulon have each served terms as president of 911 Responders Remembered Park currently, Judi Simmons serves as president.  John Feal serves as chairman of the board.  

We completed the mission to honor and recognize the heroes who have died, and continue to die and 911 Responders Remembered Park successfully opened on 9/10/11. Sadly since the park officially opened we have placed the names of hundreds of fathers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts and friends on our memorial walls.

In the beginning most of the fallen were young; in their twenties and thirties with young children. Now those passing are in their forties and fifties; grandparents. Those of us who bear the pain will never forget those we lost. We continue to add names yearly at a somber but uplifting ceremony.

Join us on Saturday, September 12 at 10:00 am. The Park’s location is at the corner of Smithtown Blvd. and Gibbs Pond Rd, Nesconset.

Peter Hanson is a Nesconset resident and a member of the 911 Responders Remembered Committee

Opinion: Working With Science To Tame The Covid-19 Beast

Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center: Global Cases 15,800,544 Deaths 641, 013 U.S. Confirmed Cases 4,137, 411 Deaths 145,860 

On July 24th there were 1,141 COVID - 19 Deaths in the U.S. with 19,098 people in serious/critical condition 

By Elaine Turley

Earlier this week I screened to be a volunteer for clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine.  

My initial motivation was largely superficial and self-serving.  I want to travel, be with friends and family, have my lip waxed, and not be hindered by this disease.  I want to scuba dive in clear, warm water and not wear the heavy wetsuit required for the New York diving.  I want to visit North Carolina for my summer beach vacation as I have done every year since 2005.  I want to go to concerts, the theater and the ballet.  It’s about what I want – not what I need.

On deeper reflection I see my motivation is actually about something bigger than the tiny piece of universe in which I reside and thrive.  Our immediate family has incurred some financial damage from the pandemic, but not enough to create real hardship.  Some of our extended network of family, friends and acquaintances have suffered significant economic loss and have real fear of losing the safety and security they worked to achieve over the years.  Some have become mildly or seriously ill – and we’ve seen more people we know die in a shorter period of time than in all our past years.  Students and teachers we know are struggling as the government tries to restart our education system so our teachers can continue to teach and earn a living and our students can continue the path to their adult lives without losing gains accumulated over the years.  And health care workers I know face the fear of exposing themselves and their families to the dangers of this virus to do an increasingly vital job in which the danger has increased exponentially. 

Isolated, I’ve had time to observe and reflect on myself, my world and my country.  I’ve taken stock of my priorities as I have done in the past when experiencing major life events – like the death of a family member.  I’m trying to overcome my tendency toward self-righteous judgment of others and to focus on my behavior and words – what I do to improve circumstances.  I want life to go back to what it was before the coronavirus began dictating our lives – to regain a sense of self-determination rather than confronting the reality that the human race and its members are not in total control of our destiny.  I see many in America and throughout the world denying the reality of the stupendous challenge before us and trying to convince themselves there is an easier, simpler way forward.  If this denial and refusal to use all our resources to overcome this challenge prevail, we will suffer devastating global consequences.  

So, I have decided to contribute the resources I have to achieve liberation not through denial of fact and ignoring the danger confronting us, but by working with the scientific community to tame nature and overcome this terrible threat.  I don’t have the capacity to fully understand and work to overcome this challenge and I am putting my faith in those who have proven time and again their ability to do so.  I’ve lately perused the history of medical advances that identified causes and treatments for yellow fever, cholera, tuberculosis, influenza, AIDS, Ebola -  just a few of the exhaustive list.  I’ve discovered that the reaction of the general population to an epidemic or pandemic is very similar regardless of time or place, and not always helpful.  But more importantly I’ve discovered that science has remained steadfast in the face of all opposition and obstacles to eventually find the best possible way forward. It is our scientific community that will find the path to liberate our global society from the beast nature has unleashed upon us and that has so changed our world for the near future.

As a semi-retired, financially secure, woman in my sixties in great health, notwithstanding my diagnosis of COPD, I am ready and willing to be a test subject. The mission of this clinical study, according to the COVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN) is to “to develop and conduct studies to ensure rapid and thorough evaluation of US government-sponsored COVID-19 vaccines and monoclonal antibodies for the prevention of COVID-19 disease.” In other words, to help scientists around the world supported by the US government find a way to return us to the world as we knew it.

Visit the CoVPN website below to participate in this study.  https://www.coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org/?fbclid=IwAR1YR-8tocRPssKxUU7fIW9dTMBuh9fAfK9-dxtCelbcUNP_j1DnutWMCAM. 

Elaine Turley is an attorney who lives with her family in Smithtown

Opinion: The Future Of American Cities Post-Coronavirus

By Richard Murdocco

The following was originally published by TheFoggiestIdea.org and through Inside Sources.

As the pandemic emptied out our nation’s central cities by relegating workers to the confines of home offices rather than gleaming towers of glass and steel, those within the policymaking and real estate realms began to ask seriously, “Will cities come back?”

If history gives any insight, the answer is clear — of course they will. The broader, more important question is how.

In New York, home to a metropolis that bore witness in the past to colonial unrest, draft and race riots during the Civil War, fiscal insolvency in the 1970s, and acts of terrorism at both the end of the 20th century and dawn of the 21st, both the city and surrounding suburban counties have rebuilt themselves time and time again.

A quick walk around downtown Manhattan during the post-9/11 years showcases the vibrancy and resiliency of our urban centers — a lesson many too quickly forget when things get rocky.

Instead of focusing on snappy headlines and quick punditry, the better question that should be addressed collectively is not IF cities are coming back, but how stakeholders can best work with policymakers, local civic leaders and residents to ensure that our communities are made even more economically resilient than before.

Fifth Avenue at East 45th Street in Manhattan sat nearly deserted during the height of the coronavirus pandemic in April 2020. (Photo Credit – Richard Murdocco/The Foggiest Idea)

Reshaping our landscape to meet this historic moment is especially necessary in less-dense areas, which were already grasping in the relative dark on the best way to move forward.

Throughout suburban counties, local elected officials continually struggle with how to contend with declining sales tax receipts, which fuel most of their municipal spending, and the delicate question of how to balance creating economic prosperity while simultaneously maintaining the quality-of-life factors that locals prize.

Solutions presented don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

With the right mix of public input, builder expertise, and the application of oft-forgotten urban planning principles, it is possible for the coronavirus pandemic to serve as a launching point in reshaping the urban form in ways that are both financially and environmentally sustainable.

However, just because it’s possible, doesn’t mean taking such actions would be easy. It will take a unified effort across all levels of government to overcome the very real partisan and fiscal hurdles our cities and their environs face.

Due to the coronavirus, cities and local municipalities are now mired in dire financial shortfalls. Within the New York region, officials say that the city itself is facing a staggering $9 billion in losses, leading policymakers to consider a move reminiscent of the graffiti-stained 1970’s — municipal borrowing.

On Long Island, the numbers are just as dire. Nassau County, ironically one of the country’s wealthiest and highest-taxed localities per-capita, faces a $384 million gap, while Suffolk County is staring down a $589 million hole that is missing from their coffers. All of these losses are virus-related, local officials say.

As such, it’s critically important that Congress immediately act to give localities the funding they need to get back on their feet in the short term. But it won’t be enough. The coronavirus crisis has amplified already-present weaknesses in the composition of our cities.

Of all the terrible impacts of COVID-19, the silver lining is that we now understand how antiquated the suburban/urban relationship is, and are beginning to see opportunities to adjust the dynamic to a post-pandemic 21st century.

To help sustain economic growth in the years ahead, the federal government must take charge by working at the state and local level to inject these hard-hit regional economies with the large-scale public works and infrastructural spending that serve as a solid foundation for future prosperity.

We’ve done this as a nation before, and despite facing a multitude of crises in the present-day, we remain well-positioned to do so again.

Governmental intervention, when properly channeled and regulated by a strong legislative branch, can work to this end. Much of the infrastructure that shouldered the growth of New York was built during the throes of the Great Depression and under the nuclear veil of the Cold War.

In more modern times, we’re witnessing in real time evidence emerging that the federal Paycheck Protection Program has had a tangible effect on buttressing the economy, despite the initial rocky roll-out and inequitable distributions. Imagine for a moment how much more effect the program would’ve done if things ran smoother.

In the end, the formula for success comes down to political will, civic open-mindedness, and a spirit of unity that our nation hasn’t seen in years.

As American cities pick themselves up, we face two choices — seize the unique moment we’re living in and thrust forward — or regulate ourselves to simply treading water, trying not to have our collective heads dip below the relentless tides of history.

Richard Murdocco is an adjunct professor of economic development and planning at Stony Brook University. He wrote this for InsideSources.com. Murdocco is also the founder of The Foggiest Idea, an award-winning resource on real estate development. View all posts by: RICHARD MURDOCCO

Opinion: Pulling Out Of The World Health Organization Jeopardizes Lives And Threatens The Fight To End Polio

 

Pulling Out Of The World Health Organization Jeopardizes Lives And Threatens The Fight To End Polio

By David Ardam

Polio - short for Poliomyelitis - a crippling and potentially fatal disease, is caused by a virus that invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis in a matter of hours. The disease, spread by person-to-person contact, has been with us for thousands of years. It has struck fear into the hearts and minds of millions around the world (read the Phillip Roth novel Nemesis if you want to get a sense of that fear right here at home) and has no cure. We do, however, have two vaccines which are nearly 100% effective in preventing the virus from infecting someone and spreading. Developed by Drs. Salk and Sabin in the 1950’s, these vaccines have prevented millions of cases of polio and have immeasurably eased the fears of parents around the world.

In fact, the disease has not been seen in the United States in over 40 years. In the United States our public health infrastructure has been successful in getting almost universal compliance with polio vaccinations, and the last recorded case in the U.S. occurred in 1978. Not so with the rest of the world.

I have been a member of Rotary since 1983. Rotary is a service organization of 1.2 million exemplary people, with a mission of doing good in the world. Rotarians do not get paid to do service. They just do it. Their reward is simply the good feeling one gets out of making the world a better place. Just a couple of years after I joined, Rotary embarked on a quest to vaccinate the world with the polio vaccine, and to rid the planet of a terrible scourge. 

Rotary was not alone in this venture. From the beginning, Rotary partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO), The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). More recently, that partnership – known as the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) – has been expanded with the addition of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance. This partnership has been incredibly effective, reducing the number of worldwide cases from 350,000 per year (or about 1,000 per day) down to only 81, total, in 2020 as of this July 4^th. And the number of countries affected by endemic polio has been reduced from 125 to only two (Pakistan and Afghanistan).

Results like this doesn’t just happen. It takes coordination, scientific expertise, cooperation of all stakeholders, and significant amounts of money to eradicate a crippling virus like polio. To date, the United States has been the biggest single contributor of financial resources to the effort. Until now.

Today the United States, under its present leadership in the White House, has announced that it is pulling out of the World Health Organization. That means, it will no longer be funding projects like polio eradication. And it is doing so just at a time when we are in a critical battle against Covid-19, another viral pandemic, a battle that is already drawing away significant resources from the quest to finish off polio for good. The danger is, if we drop our efforts against polio for too long, we will lose so much of the ground we’ve gained. Experts estimate that if we stop the polio eradication efforts now, the number of new cases will swell to 200,000 cases a year in just a few decades. In addition to lives crippled and lost, in 20 years we will lose an estimated $20-40 billion in economic benefits that come from eradicating the disease.

As noted by the WHO, Polio now survives only among the world’s poorest and most marginalized communities, where it stalks the most vulnerable children. Places like this have been denigrated and spat-upon by our leadership in Washington. In our president’s eyes, these places are not worth the trouble or economic investment it takes to deal with them. Forgetting about compassion, our government now exudes a racist and hateful attitude towards anyone that comes from beyond our shores, with the possible exception of our European allies. What our president fails to realize, however, is that we live on an inter-connected planet, where the next virus transmission is but a plane-ride away. There’s no better example for this than to look at what happened as the Corona virus spread around the globe at virtually lightning speed.

So, my question for the day is, was it right to pull out of the WHO at this critical time? To borrow a popular phrase, should we “defund” this organization right in the middle of a global pandemic? Are there shortcomings in the management of money and resources at the WHO? Most probably yes. Does the US provide an out-sized amount of financing for the WHO projects around the world? Most certainly yes. But these are problems that should and could be negotiated between the WHO members (including the U.S) and its leadership. Instead, our president has chosen to walk away from the game like a petulant child who doesn’t get his way. The supposed champion of the “art of the deal” apparently can’t negotiate successfully with his peers worldwide. Instead, he huffs and puffs and pulls our country further and deeper into its turtle shell, and ignores the whole world around us. It is an embarrassment. And it has to end on November 3.

David Ardam is an attorney living and practicing in Commack for nearly 40 years. He joined the Commack-Kings Park Rotary Club in 1983 and remains a proud member today. He was selected as Rotary International’s District Governor for District 7260 (now 7255) and served the greater Long Island community in that role in 2007-08, and until this June 30, served for 8-10 years as the Polio Eradication Subcommittee Chair for the district. He currently sits on the Board of Gift of Life, Long Island, New York, Inc. The opinions expressed in this article are his own, and not necessarily those of Rotary International or the Commack-Kings Park Rotary Club.

Editorial - Weijia Jiang Asked The Question Many Of Us Wanted To Ask

I normally don’t watch press conferences done from the White House Rose Garden, but I did yesterday. Information was going to be presented on COVID-19 testing and how the US will move forward. An unfortunate fact is that the United  States was late, very late, in making testing available. Many people could have benefitted from knowing that they had COVID-19 and could pass it along to others. Another fact is over 81,000 people in the United States have died from COVID-19. Another fact is that people who die in hospitals die alone, separated from their families and at the same time suffer with symptoms so severe it makes breathing almost impossible. We are now learning the disease manifests in many ways often impacting other organs in the body and affects all populations of our society including children. 

It is a fact, not an opinion, that the U.S. was late in developing and providing testing to the population. That fact cannot be changed. In other words it is what it is.  Yesterday, when Trump spoke, it was with bravado and to give an impression that all is well in the US because we are doing more COVID-19 testing than countries like South Korea, which is often praised for its immediate response to the pandemic. 

It is also a fact that Trump has often given misleading information on the availability of testing and the need for testing.

But it was the constant verbalization of the idea that somehow in dealing with COVID -19, our response was better than other countries who have been successful in dealing with the pandemic that troubled me.

Then came  CBS reporter Weijia Jiang ’s question:

“Sir, you have said many times that the US is doing far better than any other country when it comes to testing. Why does that matter? Why is this a global competition to you if every day Americans are still losing their lives and we’re still seeing more cases every day?”

That was the question I wanted to hear, the question that needed to be asked. It was respectful, honest and relevant. 

Trump’s response “Well they’re losing their lives everywhere in the world and maybe that’s a question you should ask CHINA don’t ask me ask CHINA that question, okay, when you ask them that question you  may get a very unusual answer.”

Trump’s response was  offensive on many levels, Jiang of Asian descent, asked Trump why he was saying that to her specifically. Trump responded by saying he would give that answer to anyone who asked that NASTY question.

Nasty question?  No Mr. Trump not nasty relevant. This American and many like me want facts not pep rallies. There will be plenty of time to explore mistakes made in dealing with this pandemic, but for now we need to have confidence that we are taking seriously the herculean challenge of dealing with COVID-19. We need to know that we are taking seriously the new models predicting US deaths to near 140,000 by August, not berating mathematical models that have been pretty accurate. 

Americans as a whole want society to open with the caveat that it opens safely. We have sacrificed much during this crisis and we demand that elected officials not diminish the value of our sacrifices. We demand decisions and actions to be driven by science, data and facts. 

Thank you Weijia Jiang for your relevant question.

Pat Biancaniello

OP ED - Comments On Proposed Subdivision Of Gyrodyne Property

The following comments were submitted on January 7th, 2020 to members of the Town of Smithtown’s Planning Board.To the Town of Smithtown Planning Board –

My name is Richard Murdocco, and I am writing to submit public comments in regards to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed subdivision of the 75-acre Gyrodyne Property.

As part of the research process for its award-winning body of work on Long Island’s environmental and real estate development issues, The Foggiest Idea regularly reviews the policy actions taken by local, state, and federal governments that impact communities throughout Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

Being one of the last large tracts of developable land in western Suffolk County, any development at this particular site is regionally significant.

Upon review, it is clear that Cameron Engineering and Associates has compiled an extensive document that outlines both the history of the Gyrodyne/Flowerfield site, as well as the developmental direction that the applicant is looking to take in the coming years.

However, despite the volume of materials compiled, outsized concerns remain unaddressed by this draft, including a detailed assessment of the collective impacts that the proposed development would have on neighboring municipalities, local watersheds of significance, and the area’s limited transportation network.

As such, the following issues should be more clearly addressed before the DEIS document is accepted by Smithtown officials, including:

1. Inter-municipal concerns. The DEIS should go further in its analysis of the collective impacts of the applicant’s proposal as they relate to neighboring Town of Brookhaven. On multiple occasions in the past, the Town of Brookhaven has expressed concern to both Suffolk County and the Town of Smithtown over ensuing traffic and quality-of-life impacts that would result from development of the Gyrodyne site. The DEIS makes no mention of these inter-municipal concerns, nor does it suggest any mitigative measures to be taken by the applicant that would alleviate Brookhaven’s longstanding fears of growth at the site.

2. Impact on local watersheds. While the DEIS notes how a proposed sewage treatment plant would impact nearby Stony Brook Harbor and other local watersheds, a significant concern first raised by New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket), the document does not outline specific targeted actions that would reduce nitrogen loadings as the result of development in nearby waterbodies aside from noting all projects would have general compliance with existing environmental guidelines.

3. Collective impacts on regional/local hospitality markets. The collective market impact of the proposed hotel must be more clearly delineated due to a spate of hotels that are either being proposed or have been newly constructed near the Gyrodyne parcel. With additional hotel space being pitched locally at the Watermill site on nearby Nesconset Highway as well as at various locations across western Suffolk and Nassau Counties, the DEIS should address expected changes in market dynamics due to other proposed hospitality projects within reasonable distance to the project site.

4. Further exploration of a scaled-down As-of-Right alternative. The DEIS should engage in a more detailed exploration of the as-of-right development options at the Gyrodyne site. While the document favorably compares the applicant’s proposal with the impacts of a hypothetical 382,500 square foot light-industrial project allowed as-of-right under the parcel’s current zoning, more options that reflect less-than full build-out should be seriously explored and compared.

More broadly, it is concerning to review a DEIS document that editorializes in favor of the applicant’s proposed direction within the narrative. In this draft, such bias is evidenced by the DEIS’ frequent mention of “synergy” with nearby Stony Brook University, the positioning of the proposal as a favorable complement to a lightly-sourced analysis of existing market conditions, as well as the declaration that the proposal is “sustainable” in the document’s opening lines.

Such analyses should let the findings and data speak for themselves. Otherwise, the authors risk eroding their credibility on developmental matters with both policymakers and the public alike.

Sincerely –

Richard Murdocco
Founder/President
The Foggiest Idea Inc.

Editorial Say No To Videoconferencing for Legislators

The Suffolk County Legislature is holding a public hearing this evening on videoconferencing for legislators who can not attend meetings. The public is invited to attend the meeting and speak or to share comments with Presiding Officer Gregory. SC Legislators Want Your Opinion On Doing Their Work By Videoconference Below are the comments I submitted. Pat

Presiding Officer Gregory,

Thank you for the opportunity to give comments via email addressing the video conferencing public hearing.  As the owner/editor of the online news site Smithtown Matters, I am a fervent supporter and user of technology. I appreciate and support incorporating technology for the speed, ease and unencumbered distribution of information.

I often watch Smithtown Town Council, Planning and BZA meetings as well as Suffolk County Legislature meetings in my office. I am proud of the role I played while serving as a Smithtown Councilwoman in bringing taping and online access to Smithtown residents.  The use of technology goes far in allowing the public to see their elected officials at work.

The subject of the public hearing is not about the use of technology for the benefit of the tax paying public, but rather it is about providing a very well paid (Suffolk County legislators are the highest paid county legislators outside of NYC) county legislator the opportunity to give the appearance of being attentive and involved while they are off premises on vacation, place of business or another venue.

I oppose this proposal. Attending and participating in legislative and committee meetings is in fact the responsibility of the legislator. 

For too long elected officials have made attending functions, where they are recognized for their mere presence, synonymous with legislating. They are not!

Legislators owe it to their constituents to be physically present at meetings, to be versed on subject matter and to represent their constituents interest. That is their job, that is what they get paid to do. I suggest to those legislators who support video conferencing that they link in at a scout function, ribbon cutting ceremony or veterans event and see how much support they get.

I urge all legislators to vote NO on the videoconferencing proposal.

Thank you for your time and consideration of my opinion.

Patricia Biancaniello

County Exec Bellone's Newsday OP-Ed Calling For End Of Fusion Voting

Today, Newsday published an op-ed by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone calling for an end to fusion voting and changing the way judges are selected in New York.  

The text of the op-ed is available below and can be viewed online here. 

Our democracy in New York State is at a crossroads.

While we recognize that the recent increased level of political engagement is a positive development for our democracy, our optimism must be tempered by the reality that New York State has historically maintained some of the most anti-democratic voting laws in the nation. While the State Legislature and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo strengthened our democracy by passing voting reform legislation in the last legislative session, there is still much work to be done.

The most significant step New York can take now to strengthen our democracy is to finally ban the practice of fusion voting. Under state law, candidates for public office may appear under multiple party lines.  It is legal to simultaneously appear on the Democratic, Republican, Independence and Conservative party lines, effectively guaranteeing victory.

We have seen the pernicious impact of fusion voting in Suffolk County. Tom Spota was repeatedly re-elected as district attorney through fusion voting. Spota, who is under federal criminal indictment and awaiting trial, went through three election cycles unaccountable to the people of Suffolk County because he ran with the endorsement of all of the major and minor parties. 

In his last race in 2013, Spota was given the endorsement of the Conservative Party in a deal engineered by then-county chairman Edward Walsh, who was indicted in 2015 and later convicted. In a pre-trial memo, the U.S. attorney’s office accused Spota of protecting Walsh from prosecution by refusing to investigate credible allegations against him. In short, Spota protected Walsh, and Walsh helped guarantee Spota’s election by handing him the Conservative Party ballot line.  That’s fusion voting.

Fusion voting has not only corrupted our politics, but it also has eroded the independence of our judiciary. New York is one of only a handful of states where judicial candidates run for office in partisan elections and the only state that permits fusion voting in judicial races. This system ensures that most judges are effectively selected in backroom deals long before voters get their say on Election Day. As the former New York State Chief Judge Sol Wachtler said in an opinion piece in Newsday, “By keeping this system and refusing to pass legislation to prevent fusion voting, New York has all but eliminated an independent judiciary.” 

If New York is serious about criminal justice reform, then we must change the way we select judges. There is no doubt that there are some talented and highly qualified judges on the bench today, but over the last few years, our method of judicial selection also has given us the gambling judge, the texting judge and the panty-stealing judge. The gambling judge was censured for attending illegal poker games and lost reelection, while the texting judge, who was caught giving advice to prosecutors on how to try cases against criminal defendants, chose not to seek reelection. The good news — for them — is that they were both welcomed back into our court system with six-figure salaries. Most recently, the panty-stealing judge pleaded guilty to a felony charge of second-degree attempted burglary.  

To be clear, a ban on fusion voting would not eliminate the ability of minor parties to exist. In fact, nothing in the law would prevent minor parties from fielding candidates for office.

One important result of a fusion-voting ban is that we would no longer see the same candidate endorsed by parties with diametrically opposed ideologies, which often makes a mockery of their party members. If those parties believe in their principles, they can and should put forward the best individuals to make their cases, and then let the voters decide, just as our founders intended.

New York must abolish a practice that corrupts our politics by ending fusion voting.

OpEd- NYC Police Commissioner is Right – We Must Keep 9/11 Fund Permanent

NYC Police Commissioner is Right – We Must Keep 9/11 Fund Permanent 

By Perry Gershon

Every American should pause, as we approach Memorial Day, to think about first responders we lost and those who stepped up – into a fiery breach for America –on 9/11.  We needed them on that horrible, infamous day; and they need us now.  Let’s not disappoint ourselves or them by forgetting their compassion and heroism, or debt owned through after-the-fact compensation.  That is a moral duty that rests on all of us. 

The 9/11 responders did not ask themselves, when entering those burning buildings, if they would come out alive.  That is not how first responders think.  Many did not.  

They did not ask whether we would remember their families if they did not make it out alive.  And they did not conduct a cost-benefit analysis to assess whether life-changing damage to their health would ever be paid for. They just went in.  We owe them everything for doing that. 

Today, we are at a big moment. The 9/11 compensation fund is in free fall, repeatedly leading to 50 percent health benefit cuts, and on a trajectory to producing 70 percent cuts until it is gone.  These heroic families need oxygen, as they needed the real thing that day. 

No wonder, then, that New York City’s Police commissioner made another direct appeal last week to Washington.  He argued that the fund for injured first responders, those who incurred life-changing health impacts “as a result of the terror attacks on 9/11,” needs to be kept solvent.  And he is right. 

May 17^th represented Peace Officers Memorial Day.  This remembrance is purposely close to another day on which we remember our Nation’s fallen – Memorial Day.  This is precisely the right time to put aside partisan disagreements, rhetorical clashes and lesser disputes to remember fallen Americans – and those injured in selfless service. 

As the New York City Police commissioner noted, when adding names to the memorial, at One Police Plaza, “These names are a reminder that the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, has not ended for us, for our families or for our great city.”  His words lie heavy on warn spring air:  “We lost so much that day and it’s not over,” adding “They represent something else, too — the very real risk cops face when they put on their uniforms and go to work.”

So, what can Congress and President who calls New York home actually do?  They can make our rapidly disappearing 9/11 compensation fund again real, immediately passing bipartisan legislation to assure that these hurting families –families of those who put it all on the line that sunny day turned black – are properly equipped to face the future. 

As public reports confirm, the fund is nearing insolvency, leading to deep cuts in compensation; it is about “to run out for funding for the sick,” which is what has led to a unified call for Congress and the President to act.  

In a time when agreement seems to be a bad word, when political success seems calibrated by what we are against, maybe this is a moment when we can be – as one Nation under God – for something.  Because this something matters.  

Specifically needed is a firm, timeless commitment to honor the sacrifice of the first responders suffering from 9/11-related ailments.  We need to rally and make an unstinting commitment to assisting them, without reservation or cost-saving at the forefront, the way they made an unreserved, open-ended commitment to us.  

On that day, as on many days since, the law enforcement and first responder community makes an open-ended commitment to our health and safety.  They sign up to do that, the way combat veterans sign up to serve – come what may.  For that reason, we need to be equally unflinching.  

Let’s get the bipartisan congressional bill assuring compensation to 9/11 responders passed – before another month of falling benefits, quiet suffering and unmet obligations passes.  We can do this, and we should do this. 

 Politics has its place.  But love of neighbor, gratitude for unfailing selflessness, and honoring those who honored us creates a binding, unshrinking obligation.  That is what is before us now.  Let’s step into the breach, and make them whole – as whole as life and law allow.  This is the time. 

Perry Gershon is a business leader and national commentator on business, trade, policy and politics. A congressional candidate for New York’s first district, he holds a BA from Yale and an MBA from Univ. of California.