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Port Times RecordTRANSCRIPT
The Port TIMES RECORDVolume 22, No. 15 March 19, 2009 75¢
PORT JEFFERSON • BELLE TERRE • PORT JEFFERSON STATION • TERRYVILLE
Port Jefferson clicks here! www.northshoreoflongisland.com
BY DAVE [email protected]
A pair of first-time office seekers last week announced their intent to run for village trustee in the June elections in Port Jefferson.
Leslea Snyder, Public Pol-icy and Government Affairs Manager for Forest Labora-tories, and Adrienne Kessel, an interior designer who co-owns her own Port Jefferson-based firm, Kessel & Seppala; coincidentally both worked
for Sen. Ken LaValle (R-Port Jefferson), but each arrived at her decision, and is running, independently.
Kessel, 64, a mother and grandmother, has been a resi-dent for 15 years. She worked at Village Hall from 1994 until 2000 in the capacity of deputy treasurer and deputy clerk. Kessel was appointed village clerk in December 1999, but left after one month to assist LaValle in his Long
Real Irish hospitality packsPort Jeff pub St. Patty’s Day
Two more candidates to enter PJ village race
Continued on page A10
Kessel, Snyder would seek trustee seat
Photos by D. Willinger
Above: Debbie Hoey, a server at the Higgins family’s Tara Inn in Port Jeff erson, was busy Saint Patrick’s Day bringing plates of corned beef and cabbage to diners. The price of a plate was 1¢, as advertised outside the landmark Irish pub on upper Main Street. Below: An appropriately clad clientele watched the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade while toasting the Emerald Isle.
Cardiowise Café at Mather Protect your family and learn to live better, longerPage B9
Meet LI business and professional women Our annual feature focusing on their success, how they do itPage B28
‘Through the looking glass’At Huntington Library, Smithtown restaurant weekPage B1
Stony Brook SportsweekAthlete of the Week Pages B45
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VILLAGE OF PORT JEFFERSONDepartment of Recreation and Parks
EVENTS at the VILLAGE CENTER• Hip Hop demonstration Presented by A & G Dance Company on Saturday, March 28, at 11 am.• “Night at the Copa” An evening of song and splendor. Friday, April 3. Presented by St. George Productions and sponsored by Mario’s restaurant, the PJ Conservancy and the PJ Recreation Dept. Seating is limited so get your tickets early. Call 802-2160 for information. • Antiques & Garden Weekend April 24 - 26Trips: • Backstage Tour of the Met & 2 short operas Thursday, March 26• Andre Rieu in Bridgeport April 24 (ferry trip details TBA)Tickets on sale nowNew! Looking for senior (60+) softball players Contact Ron Middleton at 698-5267 or at [email protected] SPRING YOUTH PROGRAMSLook on www. portjeff .com for registration forms for girls’ softball, boys’ baseball, coed T-ball, coach-pitch baseball, lacrosse and tennis. Forms will be posted as start dates are fi nalized. Call the Recreation Offi ce for information.
New! AT THE VILLAGE CENTER — No residency restrictions. Register now. Registration forms and links at pjvillagecenter.com.• Fencing March 16. Contact LIFFES for information at 642-8081• Tai chi March 23• Intermediate yoga March 30• Country line dancing April 7• Latin ballroom dancing April 22• Dance for kids (Coed ages 3 to 8) new dates TBA• Hip hop for adults new dates TBA• Zumba fi tness classes TBAICE SKATING now open! Located at the Village Center outdoor rink in Harborfront Park.• Public skating, private lessons. Call 403-4357 or visit www.portjeff rink.com. Managed by Rinx at Hidden Pond Park.
EXHIBITS & SPECIAL EVENTS AT THE VILLAGE CENTER• “Close to Home” Paintings by local artist Louise Brett will be on display through March.• Visit the Children’s Maritime Museum on the fi rst fl oor of the Village Center; many exciting events and programs. See www.childrensmaritimemuseum.org for schedule and program information.
VILLAGE CENTER ROOM RENTALS• Unique rooms with harbor views available for corporate and private functions.
Free Wireless Internet access is provided at the Village Center, through a partnership with the Port Jeff erson Free Library.
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BY DAVE [email protected]
The halfway house at the Port Jefferson Country Club at Harbor Hills will open with the 2009 golfing season.
In an email yesterday, Filomena Lombardi said, “We have received the CO [certificate of occupancy] from the Village and the halfway house will be open as agreed upon.”
In the meantime, village officials are still trying to figure out how to complete payments to at least two contractors involved in the project.
A document referred to in last week’s story about the costs of those renovations (“Halfway house of horrors,” March 12) was made available to the Port Times Record by Village Trustee Carmine Dell Aq-uila, who describes said document as an “altered invoice.” Dell Aquila said he does not suspect Kito Nursery of having done the altering, because the company’s owner, Ben Kito, had presented Dell Aq-uila with the unaltered version several weeks ago, when seeking the balance of $10,000 owed to his company for the “landscaping of pro shop/club-house area.”
The so-called “altered” document bears the hand-written addition of an item No. 5 in the amount of
almost $10,000. Dell Aquila theorizes that an un-known person may have been planning to bring that version to the attention of the Village Board at a later date in order to request that additional sum be paid. If that happened, Kito Nursery would receive the balance of the money owed it — almost, the amount is shy $50 — without ever necessarily realizing its bill had been doctored. Meanwhile, $10,000 above and beyond the stated invoice would have been dis-bursed, so the theory goes.
It is certainly not clear, however, given the full ac-counting of the halfway house renovations — some 100 pages of photocopies of invoices and cancelled checks — that such supposed subterfuge could have succeeded.
Village Treasurer Don Pearce yesterday said of the accounting, prepared by Filomena Lombardi, “It appears to be complete.” According to that account-ing, Lombardi’s spent at least $300,000 of its own money on the halfway house. In addition, the village has authorized the disbursement to date of $56,900 from a trust and agency fund established as part of the original licensing agreement between Lombar-di’s and the Village. That account was funded by Lombardi’s itself with two payments of $100,000
Got time to bleed?Th e Long Island Blood Ser-
vices will hold a blood drive at the Port Jeff erson Village Center on East Broadway Friday, March 27, from 2 to 7:30 pm.
FILM: Autism Every DayThe Greater Port Jefferson-Northern
Brookhaven Arts Council presents Monday, April 6 at 7 pm the documentary “Autism Every Day” at Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jef-ferson. Admission is free. In addition to the film screening, there will be guest speakers Carol and Eric Solomon, (producers and editor) and Michele and Ralph Iallonardi, parents of the child with autism in the film.
The movie is presented as part of the Arts Council’s Documentary Film Series.
For information about this very special event, please log on to www.gpjac.org or call 473-5220 during business hours.
The week in meetingsTh e Port Jeff erson Village Board will hold a busi-
ness meeting Monday, March 23, at 7 pm at Village Hall on West Broadway.
Continued on page A9
Correction, clarifi cationIn the story “Halfway house of horrors”
(March 19), we incorrectly reported the name of the company whose invoice, in the opinion of Village Trustee Carmine Dell Aquila, had been altered. That firm is Kito Nursery Inc.
In a subsequent interview with Dell Aquila, the trustee said he never suspected Kito Nursery of having altered the invoice, because the com-pany’s owner, Ben Kito, had presented Dell Aq-uila with an unaltered copy several weeks ago, when seeking the balance of $10,000 owed for the “landscaping of pro shop/clubhouse area,” part of the overall renovation of the halfway house at the golf course at the Port Jefferson Country Club at Harbor Hills.
Halfway house has CORenovations to PJ Country Club facility complete but bills remain
Photo by D. Willinger
The renovated halfway house at the Port Jeff erson Country Club at Harbor Hills boasts a commercial grill for hot lunches.
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Mazzei and Lesko diff er on issues, style, directionLesko: Town needs strong supervisor; Mazzei: Town Board is where power belongs, wouldn’t reverse movesBY LEE [email protected]
Th e chill in the room was palpable last week as Brookhaven Town supervisor can-didates Tim Mazzei and Mark Lesko sat down for an almost two-hour face-to-face debate. Neither off ered to shake the other’s hand, either when they arrived at the TBR newspaper offi ce nor at the conclusion of their verbal jousting.
Lesko, a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York until he re-signed to make his fi rst run for public of-fi ce, stressed his experience in leading the Long Island offi ce for many years, oversee-ing “hundreds of attorneys” and staff , and prosecuting many cases. He specifi cally mentioned a few high-profi le prosecutions, including the Lawrence Aviation pollution and fraud case in Port Jeff erson, and the asphalt cartel corruption case that reached directly into Brookhaven Town.
Mazzei, the current Brookhaven Town councilman from the 5th District, spoke of his roots in Blue Point, where he attended school, and later served on the school board prior to his appointment and subsequent election to his council seat, and his experi-ence as a prosecutor in the Suff olk County district attorney’s offi ce. Mazzei ultimately served as head of the district attorney’s ho-micide bureau and helped prosecute the high-profi le Pius and Solomon murder cases. He maintains a law practice in Blue
Point and owns a restaurant.First addressing Brookhaven’s fi scal
health in the current recession, Mazzei pointed to cuts in spending already imple-mented by the town council and suggested “another 5 percent cut” could be in the off -ing. He said he was working closely with the town’s Division of Waste Management, looking to maximize planned revenues and seeking new ones.
His opponent, Mark Lesko, said, “We need a strong chief fi nancial offi cer, a su-pervisor determining what cuts to make.” Lesko criticized the “$10 million increase in spending” in 2008 that he blames on the Town Board’s Republican majority, led by Mazzei. Lesko also criticized Mazzei for the plan enacted last month to reopen the Brookhaven amphitheater on Bald Hill in Farmingville, stating it could cost taxpay-ers half a million dollars.
“Th e amphitheater has never been closed,” Mazzei responded to the claim that it is being reopened, explaining that changes in plans for using the venue this year eliminated town-funded shows. “At worst,” he said, “we expect to break even.” Mazzei also said he “voted against [former Supervisor Brian] Foley’s spending in-creases twice” in 2006 and 2007.
Mazzei said he had met with waste management March 12, and “projections look okay” for revenues in 2009.
“‘We should be okay’ is not good
enough,” Lesko retorted. He said acting supervisor Lori Baldassare complained she was unable to get fi gures at the landfi ll from the commissioner hired by Mazzei.
For his part, Mazzei said Commissioner Ed Hubbard “updates the supervisor’s of-fi ce every month.”
Asked if the 10 year contract with Brookhaven’s labor unions, signed in 2001 prior to Mazzei’s tenure on the board, was a mistake, locking the township into raises and benefi ts untenable in the failing econo-my, the councilman said, “I would consider renegotiations at this point.” Mazzei said he has had “extremely preliminary talks” with union leaders that have been “positive.”
Calling the 10-year agreement the lon-
gest on Long Island, Lesko said he too has had preliminary discussions with theunions. “Th ey understand reality,” Leskosaid. “It’s a good sign that the union is being realistic.” He called the unions represent-ing Brookhaven’s white collar and blue col-lar employees and Highway Department staff the town’s “most important partner.”
Both candidates refuted allegations ofnegative campaigning, and both accusedthe other of doing so. Lesko said his hasbeen a “fact-based campaign.”
Mazzei said negative campaigning has “not been on my side, all my mailings arepositive.” Actions on “the other side speak
Photos by Joe Darrow
Brookhaven Town Supervisor candidates Mark Lesko, above left, and Tim Mazzei barely looked at one another during the two hours they sparred in The Port Times Record offi ce.
Continued on page A13
The PORT TIMES RECORD (USPS 004-808) is published Thursdays by TIMES BEACON RECORD NEWSPAPERS, 185 Route 25A, Setauket, NY 11733. Periodicals postage paid at Setauket, NY and additional mailing offices. Subscription price $35 annually. Leah S. Dunaief, Publisher. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to PO Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733.
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Dean says news literacy is critical to democracySBU Journalism School hosts national conference on eff orts to create savvy media consumersBY LEE [email protected]
“We must train the next generation of news consumers,” said Howard Sch-neider, dean of the Stony Brook Univer-sity School of Journalism. “Th ey have to judge the credibility and reliability of information,” he added, and such judgement is “crucial” to the future of our democracy.
Schneider has been an advocate for news literacy for everyone — not just journalism students — since being named SBU’s fi rst J school dean in May of 2006.
Toward that end, and demonstrating an infl u-ence unusual for a school so young, SBU’s School of Journalism hosted a news literacy conference at the Wang Center last week, underwritten by the Ford Foundation and attract-ing heavy hitters in print and electronic journalism. Speakers included Arthur Sulzberger Jr., publisher of Th e New York Times, and panelists included former Nightline host Ted Koppel, now a senior news analyst for National Public Radio; Viv-ian Schiller, president and CEO of NPR; the presidents of Syracuse and Louisi-ana State universities and the chancel-lor of the University of Missouri. An-drew Heyward, the former president of
CBS News, moderated one of the panel discussions during the three-day con-ference.
Schneider said a “tsunami of infor-mation” from traditional outlets such as newspapers and network news pro-grams and newer sources like the Inter-net and 24-hour cable news networks is “blurring the line” between news, press releases, public relations, blogs and Tweets. Without the ability to diff eren-tiate between reliable and questionable sources and stories, the public will be
hamstrung in its ability to make informed choices, he argues. Schneider said the goals for the conference were to “share what we’ve learned, create a communi-ty of interest, and plan how to move forward.”
“Th e news media is the largest continuing edu-cation institution in the world,” Schneider said, but warned that without train-ing in the critical consider-ation of news, citizens may be unable to discern the
facts from the hype.Over 3,000 undergraduates at SBU,
not just journalism students, have al-ready taken the news literacy course at the university, Schneider said. He re-ported that over 120 people attended last week’s inaugural news literacy con-ference, some coming from as far as
Florida and California — and Bhutan, high in the Himalayas between India and Tibet. Siok Sian Pek-Dorji, execu-tive director of the Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy and herself a writer and documentary fi lm producer, presented a “Report From Th e Front” to the conference participants on Friday.
Schneider said this week that Syra-cuse and LSU will begin news literacy programs of their own. Also — in what he described as a “proposal only” at this point, and still in need of a fund-ing source — SBU would train 50 to 100 out-of-work journalists to teach news literacy at 25 or more universi-
ties across the country. In addition, Schneider said, the Ford Foundationhas underwritten a two-week course innews literacy for high school teachersthis summer at SBU.
“On the whole,” said Schneider, “weare very pleased with the results” of lastweek’s conference. He said his J schoolis “certainly one of if not the key leader in driving this movement across thecountry.”
Support for the conference was alsoprovided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Mc-Cormick Foundation, as well as Stony Brook University.
File photoJournalism School Dean Howard Schneider has been a proponent of teaching the science of critical information analysis since being appointed in June 2006.
SBU’s School of Journalism is ‘certainly one of if not the key leader in driving this movement across the country.’
— DEAN HOWARD SCHNEIDER
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2009 2009 SPRINGSPRING
BRANCH BRANCH PROGRAMPROGRAM
1. Mid-Town: April 6 - April 10 E/S Main St. to W/S Belle Terre Rd.2. West Side: April 13 - April 24 From Setauket line to W/S of Main St.3. East Side: April 27 - May 8 E/S Belle Terre Rd. to E/S Village Boundary
• All branches must be out bythe first Monday of the start of your area, as we cannot be on every road at the end of your
scheduled pick-up!
• Once we pass through your area, we will not be back until the next
fall branch pick-up,sometime in October.
• We will continue throughout the summer to pick up small tied
bundles of brush no larger than 4 ft. long - 25 lbs. that can be picked
up by hand and placed in truck.
• We will not be picking up leaves in the spring. Do not rake leaves into
the curb. Please make arrangements with your carter regarding
leaf bag pick-up.
Thank you.Port Jefferson Village Highway Department
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INCORPORATED VILLAGEINCORPORATED VILLAGEOF PORT JEFFERSONOF PORT JEFFERSON
SWEEPERSWEEPERPROGRAMPROGRAM
APRIL THROUGH OCTOBEREvery Day in Business District
STORM-INDUCED BUILDUPAS NEEDED at problematic areas
i.e.: bottoms of large hills and intersections.
APRIL 13TH THROUGH APRIL 17THMiddle of town (all roads in between
Belle Terre Rd. and Main Street)following the branch schedule cleanup.
APRIL 27TH THROUGH MAY 1STWest side (all roads from
Main St. west to Village border)following the branch schedule cleanup.
MAY 4TH THROUGH MAY 15THEast side (all roads east of Belle Terre Rd.
to Village border) following thebranch schedule cleanup.
NOVEMBER SCHEDULEWEATHER PERMITTING
following the COMPLETION of leaf program.
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each in 2004 and 2005, and is intended for capital improvement projects de-termined by the Village.
At the beginning of the renovations to the halfway house, the fund, which had been used several years ago for re-paving the parking lots at the country club, maintained a balance of $62,807, according to Pearce. Of that amount, $56,900 has been disbursed to date by Village Hall for cost overruns on the halfway house, as per the January 2008 amendment to the licensing agree-ment. The current remaining balance of $5,907 is therefore $4,093 below the amount needed to pay Kito Nursery the $10,000 still owed the company for the landscaping work it did.
Ben Kito of Kito’s Nursery said this week he had still been working on the landscaping project last August when his company received a check for $10,000 from Lombardi’s, something Kito characterized as a “progress pay-ment” which, he said, was “fairly typi-cal” in the trade.
However, Filomena Lombardi wrote in an email Wednesday, “… Kito Nurs-ery was not hired by Lombardi Cater-ers, they were contracted directly by the Village. The Village issued a check to Lombardi Caterers and in turn a check was issued to Kito Nursery on their behalf for the full amount re-quested. We are unaware of any bal-ance due or any requests to issue any other checks on their behalf.”
The check issued by the village was in the amount of $23,000 on Aug. 14, 2008. Four days later, Lombardi’s is-sued two checks totaling that amount:
the $10,000 payment to Kito Nursery and a $13,000 payment to Opus Build-ers, a carpenter, who is another con-tractor still waiting to be paid for work done on the halfway house. Village Clerk Bob Juliano said yesterday that Opus had submitted bills to the vil-lage, including one in the amount of $7,000, Juliano recalled.
Halfway houseContinued from page A3
The so-called altered document is printed on Kito Nursery Inc. letterhead and titled ‘Proposal for landscaping of pro shop at Port Jeff erson Country Club.’ It is dated July 15, 2008, and breaks the project into four parts, listing total cost at $20,000.Below that fi gure a fi fth item, the ‘altered’ part, is handwritten: ‘Pavers in areas indicated on plan’ with an arrow pointing to the amount ‘$9,950.00,’ also handwritten. The document bears neither the signature of the client nor of a Kito Nursery representative.
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Island district office. Kessel said she has experience in budget development and implementation. “I had a front row seat,” she said, referring to her five years working for the administrations of former mayors Frank Frasca, Bob Strong and Jeanne Garant.
Kessel said she is running because of the many problems facing the vil-lage, and called it part of her “civic duty.” “You have to be there to do some good,” Kessel said. “I have no personal agenda.”
Kessel wants to see the stalled up-
town revitalization process move for-ward. Given the uncertainties around the repowering of the National Gridplant, Kessel believes the village should “look down the road” and be-gin preparing a better tax base for thenext generation, in particular in the Marine Waterfront and uptown com-mercial districts, all while holding on to the present quality of life.
“The trustee position is a trust. Ifyou’re elected to serve, your obligationis to serve all residents,” she said. “You have to trust your own judgment. Thatvote is important. It impacts a lot oflives. … I have the time and am con-
CandidatesContinued from page A1
Continued on page A17
Photos by D. WillingerLeslea Snyder, left, and Adrienne Kessel have announced their intent to run for village trustee in Port Jeff erson’s June elections
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PatchworkScott Stueber and Bill Nixon of the Port Jeff erson Highway Department labored this week patching potholes around the village. The men said their work was a temporary fi x until those sections of road could be repaved beginning next month.
for themselves.” Th e councilman singled out a mailing in which his opponent claimed Mazzei used excessive amounts of gasoline in his town-owned vehicle and pur-chased the gas using a town credit card instead of fi lling up for less at town pumps.
Mazzei said his gas consumption amounted to 13 gallons per week, hardly excessive in a town the size of Brookhaven. He said town-issued vehicles are appropriate for elected offi cials who spend so many nights and week-ends attending offi ce-related functions.
Lesko said Foley’s “reform agenda” included taking gas cards away from employees driving town cars and only a handful still used them, including Mazzei. Lesko pledged not to use a town vehicle to commute to Town Hall.
Regarding the charge of negative campaigning, Lesko said an unfl attering photo of his opponent in a mailing was not “doctored” but in fact was taken from a Repub-
lican website. He then ac-cused Mazzei of bringing back the “old guard” that worked at Town Hall un-der prior Republican su-pervisors Felix Grucci and John LaValle. Lesko also said asphalt companies are contributing to Mazzei’s campaign, some of the same companies Lesko
prosecuted for price fi xing in Brookhaven.Lesko claimed it took a Democratic administration to
end decades of no-bid insurance contracts that cost tax-payers millions of dollars. Mazzei countered that the re-form of the town’s insurance policies actually began under the LaValle administration, headed by former Republican 2nd District Councilman Kevin McCarrick.
“In two years they didn’t get it done,” Lesko said. “In two months Foley got it done.” Th e Democrat also criti-cized a mailing in which Mazzei is pictured standing with Suff olk District Attorney Tom Spota. Lesko said the mail-ing is “misleading” since Spota will not endorse any candi-date due to his position.
Mazzei countered that Spota is a former law partner from the 1990s and the two remain friends. “It was done because I want citizens to know I can be trusted,” Mazzei said.
Both candidates indicated their support for preserving open space. Lesko said it must not be funded with taxes and indicated one element of his BIG plan for the town — Brookhaven Initiative for Growth — includes addi-tional monies that would be paid to the town in return for speeding the approval process for development projects. Th at revenue would be targeted to parks and open space, Lesko said.
Mazzei said he would endorse a new bond act to provide funding — he pointed out his support for the $100 million
bond approved in 2004 for open space preserva-tion that has now been exhausted — and noted $10 million remains in the town’s adopted capi-tal budget for open space, intended to be spent over fi ve years.
“We need a planner to run the planning depart-ment,” Lesko said, ad-
dressing the vacancy that has existed since early last year when Mazzei’s Town Board majority fi red Commissioner David Woods. Lesko said attracting a “national caliber” candidate to the position was a “critical issue.”
“I voted for David Woods,” replied Mazzei, referring to the vote to approve Foley’s appointment in 2006, describ-ing him as a “very good cerebral planner.”
“But,” Mazzei added, “he doesn’t get the train into the station on time,” eff ectively blaming Woods for delays in processing applications under his leadership. “We have 20 certifi ed planners” on the planning staff . “We need some-one to manage the department.”
Asked how he would hope to govern eff ectively should he be elected, Lesko, who would be in the minority on the Town Board, said he “believes in the power of good ideas.” Lesko also said “powers inherent in the offi ce of supervisor can be exercised, for example, selecting the lowest respon-sible bidder for town contracts.”
For his part, Mazzei was asked if he could lead with-out the extreme partisanship that has marked Brookhaven
government since Foley’s election in 2005.“I already do that,” he replied. Noting votes he has cast
with Foley and the Democratic council members, includ-ing the Tall Grass development in Shoreham and the Caithness power plant in Yaphank, “I get along very well.” He said “97 percent of votes” on the Town Board were 7-0 during the Foley administration.
Lesko decried the “partisan” moves to remove author-ity from the supervisor’s offi ce, such as the economic de-velopment division, the public information offi ce and two citizen advocate positions defunded from Foley’s staff . He called Mazzei’s moves “an obsession that paralyzed town government.”
“Economic development was moved to the Town Board,” Mazzei responded angrily. “Public information to the Town Board. Th e whole Town Board. No powers have been taken from the supervisor.” Mazzei said if elected to the post he would not reverse the actions and would not re-place the supervisor’s staff positions defunded by his Town Board majority.
“For three years under [former Republican supervisor] LaValle he didn’t move those departments,” Lesko argued,
describing the changes as “pure partisanship.”
Th e two disagreed vehe-mently on the current role of the supervisor’s offi ce in per-sonnel moves.
“Oversight is critical,” said Lesko. “Th e chief fi nancial offi cer is now removed from that equation. … Personnel is not under the supervisor.”
“Personnel and purchas-ing are under the supervisor,” Mazzei said. But, he added, “Commissioners hire and fi re, not the supervisor.”
Th e special election is on March 31. Polls will be open from 6 am to 9 pm. Th e su-pervisor’s post will once again be contested in November no matter who wins in March.
Lesko v. MazzeiContinued from page A3
Mazzei said, if elected he would not replace supervisor staff positions defundedby his majority.
Lesko said, if elected he would govern eff ectively in the minority by using powers inherent in the supervisor position.
Photo by D. Willinger
Whose name will be stencilled beneath the title ‘Supervisor’ on town signs around Brookhaven come April? You decide.
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-PROUD-It’s kind of hard to fi nd too many things to get excited about these days. Everything is pretty tough both business-wise and personally for lots of people in our community and around the world. Of course, it would be nice if the media would stop pounding everyone over the head with negative news over and over again. It’s becoming a self-fulfi lling prophecy. But we felt pretty good the other day when, aft er announcing some pretty tough fi nancial results for the end of the year, Ford still sees no need to ask for government loans. In fact the CEO of Ford Motor Company said “Right now, I think with everything planned in the fi scal and monetary policy, I am very comfortable that we are going to start to turn things around through the second half of the year.” Th is doesn’t mean that Ford isn’t using lines of credit. But they have done it the old-fashioned way; they went out to banks and found fi nancing. Ford is doing it! Ford is fi nding a way to make it through these hard times. Th is is the type of auto manufacturer that wants people to feel confi dent when buying one of their products.
With all that being said, Ford is putting out GREAT vehicles! Our new Ford vehicles are safe (more top safety-rated vehicles than any other manufacturer), high quality (now in a virtual tie with Toyota and Honda), good looking and fun to drive. In fact, Ford GAINED market share in the last three months of 2008. And there’s a lot more coming soon! Ford has said that, despite the economic challenges out there, they’re not pulling back on the most important thing of all; product.
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Area nonprofi t fêtes two decades of helping kidsBY JENNIFER [email protected]
Alternatives For Children, a not-for-profi t organization that provides early intervention, day care and therapeutic preschool programs, is celebrating 20 years of service today.
Since the late 1980s, Alterna-tives For Children has off ered programs both for develop-mentally delayed and typically developing children ages 6 weeks to 6 years, Executive Di-rector Marie Ficano said this week. With locations in East Setauket, Melville, Aquebogue and Southampton, the organi-zation serves over 600 children from across Long Island, about half of whom attend the East Setauket site.
Formerly the St. Charles Educational and Th erapeutic Center in Port Jeff erson, the East Setauket location opened its doors in January 2004 and serves as the organization’s main facility, Ficano said. While the day care service is open to the public and funded through private fees, funding for the intervention programs is provided by the county and state. Alternatives For Children provides universal prekinder-garten for the Middle Country, Riverhead and Southold school
districts, in addition to children from around Long Island, ac-cepted on a case by case basis. In all instances, offi cials from a child’s home school district determine eligibility and lesson plans, Ficano said.
In the East Setauket build-ing, there are at least 150 “very dedicated, experienced staff ,” she said, including special edu-cation teachers, physical thera-pists, speech pathologists, psy-chologists, social workers and vision and music therapists. Fi-cano, who has served as execu-tive director since the organiza-tion’s birth, she said, called the work “great” because “you’re making a diff erence in the lives of children.” A former special education teacher, Ficano said her goal is to “advocate for the children and their families,” adding, “I found my way to St. Charles and haven’t left .”
Aft er 20 years of service, pro-viding quality care for children
with special needs remains the primary mission of Alterna-tives For Children, the execu-tive director said: “We’ve neverdeviated from our mission.Even in this economy we’re fo-cused, and this is our mission.”Off ering integrated programsthat combine children with and without special needs is alsobenefi cial because it instills asense of acceptance, she said: “Ittruly teaches children tolerancefor people in the community who are diff erent from them.”In addition, the programs aredesigned to address specifi cneeds of every child, accordingto Ficano, so it’s not a “one sizefi ts all” approach.
Equipped with a library, 20classrooms and spacious ar-eas for therapy, the new build-ing in East Setauket has beena “luxury,” Ficano said. Andwhile the “peripheral things”have changed over the years,the “absolutely rewarding” ex-perience of helping children re-mains the same. “Th e ability tomake a diff erence and see thatyou’re making a diff erence is what’s kept me here,” she said.Th e secret to the organization’slongevity has been staying trueto its mission, Ficano added.
In celebration of their suc-cess, the staff and board oftrustees of Alternatives ForChildren are hosting a 20/20Anniversary Celebration and fundraiser tonight at Lombar-di’s on the Sound at the Port Jef-ferson Country Club in HarborHills from 6 to 10 pm. All con-tributions designated for this event will be allocated towardthe organization’s $1.3 millionCapital Campaign goal. For in-formation, visit website www.alternativesforchildren.org.
Photos courtesy of Alternatives For Children
Above, youngsters learn in a classroom setting at Alternatives For Children. Below, a group plays together in the fresh air. Bottom, speech therapy. Bottom left, Executive Director Marie Ficano.
Fundraiser tonight at Lombardi’s on the Sound in support of Alternatives For Children.
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fident I have the f lexibility to do this.”Kessel’s outside interests include
history, architecture and art. She is a registered Republican and said she votes that way about 80 percent of the time, but stressed, “You can’t adhere to just one philosophy.”
Leslea Snyder, 37, said last week she has decided to run for trustee af-ter sensing the frustration of many residents and members of the busi-ness community alike. Snyder said she would come at the job from the pub-lic policy aspect, which has been her professional strength. Snyder vowed to “bring more transparency” to village government, and she would begin by “hearing all sides” to an issue.
Snyder said she would bring adja-cent municipalities into the process and “absolutely help get things done using their systems and resources.”
“I’d like to see the Village tap into that,” Snyder said.
Snyder grew up in the village. Her father owned a business in upper Port. She is a country club member, and pre-viously worked at the Port Jefferson Free Library. Snyder’s twin sister cur-rently holds the appointed position of deputy treasurer at Village Hall.
Snyder worked for Sen. Ken LaValle and the Long Island delegation craft-ing public policy. She says navigating government affairs is her strong suit.
But Snyder stressed, “I want to run as an independent voice,” not on a ticket.
Snyder commutes on the LIRR to a Manhattan office and, when the legis-latures are in session, divides her time
between Port Jefferson, Washington, D.C., and Albany, as needed.
Margot for mayorStella Tessler, director of commu-
nications for the campaign of Margot Garant, said in an email last week, “It has come to my attention the ‘word on the street’ is that Margot is running on a slate with Adrienne Kessel. This is absolutely untrue.” Tessler added, “Margot is running completely inde-pendent of any other declared or po-tential candidate.”
Tessler said Garant and campaign members had met brief ly with Kessel and Barbara Ransome. “The commit-tee had a congenial discussion with both women on a variety of local is-sues.” Tessler said Garant would also seek a meeting with Snyder and any other potential candidates.
CandidatesContinued from page A10
Courtesy of Stella Tessler
Margot Garant has declared her intent to seek the offi ce of Port Jeff erson mayor.
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LegalsNOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT: COUNTY OF SUFFOLK - OPTION ONE MORT-GAGE CORPORATION, Plaintiff , AGAINST BARTOLOMEA PIPIA, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a judgment of foreclosure and sale duly dated 1/2/2008, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Front Steps of Brookhaven Town Hall, One Independence Hill, Farmingville, County of Suf-folk, New York, on 4/9/2009 at 10:00 AM, premises known as 47 SUNFLOWER RIDGE ROAD, SOUTH SETAUKET, NY 11720. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Town of BROOKHAVEN, County of Suff olk and State of New York, Section, Block and Lot: 388.00-4-23. Approximate amount of judgment $406,985.54 plus in-terest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of fi led Judgment Index #5821/07. John C. Tsunis, Esq., Referee, Steven J. Baum PC, Attorneys for Plaintiff , P.O. Box 1291, Buf-falo, NY 14240-1291 Dated: 3/6/2009
125 3/12 4x ptr
Incorporated Village of Port Jeff erson
Please take notice that the Plan-ning Board of the Incorporated Village of Port Jeff erson, New York will hold a general busi-ness meeting on March 26, 2009 at Village Hall 121 W. Broadway, Port Jeff erson, NY 11777 at 7:00PM.
Date: March 12, 2009
Cindy Suarez, Secretary, Planning Board
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NOTICE OF SALE
SUPREME COURT: SUFFOLK COUNTY. FREMONT INVEST-MENT & LOAN, Pltf. vs. GAIL ALP-ERT, et al, Defts. Index #11946/07. Pursuant to judgment of fore-closure and sale dated Sept. 23, 2008 and a subsequent order dated Dec. 10, 2008, I will sell at public auction at Brookhaven Town Hall, One Independence Hill, Farmingville, NY on Apr. 23, 2009 at 1:15 p.m. prem. k/a 15 Windover La., Coram, NY a/k/a Section 338.00, Block 02.00, Lot 025.000. Said property located on the Easterly side of Windover La. 590.24 ft. as measured in a Southerly direction along the Easterly side of Windover La. from the extreme Southerly end of an arc of a curve which con-nects the Southerly side of Ce-dar Ave. with the Easterly side of Windover La., being a plot 150 x 100 ft. Approx. amt. of judg-ment is $359,544.12 plus costs and interest. This is a First Mort-gage. Sold subject to terms and conditions of fi led judgment
and terms of sale. NEIL ABEL-SON, Referee.DRUCKMAN LAW GROUP, PLLC, Attys.. for Pltf., 242 Drexel Ave., Westbury, NY. File No. 16588 - #74554
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NOTICE OF RESOLUTIONSUBJECT TO
PERMISSIVE REFERENDUM
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of Fire Commissioners of the Port Jeff erson Fire District at a regular meeting thereof held March 11, 2009 duly adopt-ed the following resolutions:
BE IT RESOLVED pursuant to the Town Law of the State of New York that the Port Jeff erson Fire District expend from the House Reserve Fund for the renovation of the Kitchen and Ready Room a sum not to exceed $20,000 and be it further
RESOLVED, that the resolution is adopted subject to permis-sive referendum as provided in the General Municipal Law of the State of New York and be it further
RESOLVED, that the secretary of the Fire District, within ten (10) days of the adoption of this resolution, publish a notice within the Times, Beacon, Re-cord Newspaper setting forth the date of the adoption of the resolution and an abstract of the resolution concisely stating the purpose and eff ect thereof and that the resolution was ad-opted subject to a permissive referendum.
Dated: March 11, 2009BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OFFIRE COMMISSIONERS OF THE PORT JEFFERSON FIRE DISTRICT
Barbara CassidySecretary
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NOTICE OF ADOPTION
Notice is hereby given that the following amendment(s) to the Uniform Code of Traf-fi c Ordinances of the Town of Brookhaven was/were adopt-ed by the Brookhaven Town Board on Public Hearing Date 03/10/2009 to become eff ective ten (10) days from this publica-tion as required by Section 133 of the Town Law.Article VII Section 26 entitled STOP AND YIELD INTERESEC-TIONS is hereby amended by ADDITION of the following in the hamlet of PORT JEFFERSON STATION
NORTON AVE & PETERS LNALL WAY STOPN/PETERS LN, E&W/NORTON AVE
STATE OF NEW YORK) SS:COUNTY OF SUFFOLK)
I, Pamela J. Betheil, Clerk of theTown of Brookhaven in saidState and County do herebycertify that I have comparedthe annexed copy of theAmendment(s) to the UniformTraffi c Code with the record ofthe original fi led in my offi ce,and that it is true and correctcopy of such record and of thewhole thereof.In Testimony Whereof, I havehereunto set my hand and Af-fi xed the seal of the Town ofBrookhaven on this 10th day ofMarch, 2009.
SEAL
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NOTICE TO BIDDERS
Bids will be received, publiclyopened and read aloud at 11:00a.m. in the Division of Purchas-ing of the Town of Brookhaven,One Independence Hill, ThirdFloor, Farmingville, NY 11738,for the following item(s) on thedates indicated:
CAPE AMERICAN BEACH GRASS-------------------MARCH 31, 2009WELDING & BURNING EQUIP-MENT---------------APRIL 1, 2009F & I GUIDE RAILS – Re-Bid-----------------------------APRIL 2, 2009VARIOUS SIGNS – Re-Bid-------------------------------APRIL 3, 2009TROPHIES, PLAQUES AND MEDALS------------APRIL 6, 2009
Specifi cations for the above-ref-erenced bids will be availablebeginning March 19, 2009 at theDivision of Purchasing on anybusiness day, Monday throughFriday, between the hours of9:00 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. ONLYTHOSE VENDORS OUT OF THESUFFOLK AREA WILL BE MAILEDBIDS UPON REQUEST.
The Town of Brookhaven re-serves the right to reject and de-clare invalid any or all bids and towaive any informalities or irregu-larities in the proposals received,all in the best interests of theTown. The Town of Brookhavenwelcomes and encourages mi-norities and women-ownedbusinesses to participate in thebidding process.
Further information can be ob-tained by calling (631) 451-6252.
Anthony T. DeMaioDirector of PurchasingTOWN OF BROOKHAVEN
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PEOPLE
Igloo escapadesNoah’s Ark Daycare Center in Port Jefferson offers care to children
between the ages of 6 weeks and 5 years of age, year round. Housed in the Village of Port Jefferson, their preschoolers recycled plastic milk contain-ers that were donated from another village neighbor, Starbucks, to create this life-size igloo. This fun project enabled the children to help keep the environment green while learning about Eskimo culture and customs.
Your Community ... Your News ... Your Life
Celebrate ... Honor ...
Share.Submission is easy and publication is free:
Email to [email protected] and include pictures as jpeg attachments.
- or -Write to People Section, PO Box 707, Setauket, NY
11733 and include your phone number.
PORT TIMES PEOPLE
Whittam named to dean’s list at SUNY FredoniaPresident Dennis L. Hefner announced that approximately 1,727 students at the State
University of New York at Fredonia have been named to the dean’s list for the fall 2008 semester. Among them is Jessica Barbara Whittam of Port Jeff erson Station. Dean’s list students have earned a grade point average of at least 3.30 or higher for that semester out of a possible 4.0, while carrying a full-time minimum course load of 12 credit hours.
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Celebrating the First 100 Days of SchoolFirst-graders at
Edna Louise Spear Elementary School celebrated the first 100 days of school by participating in a multidisciplinary lesson that helped the youngsters visu-alize what the num-ber 100 looks like. The students brought from home a group-ing of 100 items such as buttons, beans or pencils, and paraded around their class-rooms with head-bands decorated with 100 stickers.
In AnnMarie Frega’s class, the students counted 100 Fruit Loops while crafting necklac-es, made a structure out of 100 Legos, and even wrote 100 words in their notebooks.
Pictured top, Frega and first-grade students Dillon Scott, Brianna Ureh and Gabby Bardon-eschi made necklaces out of 100 Fruit Loops during the 100 Days of School celebration at Edna Louise Spear Elementary School. Pictured below, Port Jefferson first-grade students Kate-lynne Righi and Samantha Ayotte wrote 100 words during the celebration.
Courtesy Elizabeth Sobel, Syntax Communication
PEOPLE
Send information for the People page to: [email protected].
Leo Club students assist the needy with Blizzard BagsBeing prepared for blizzard-like conditions is part and parcel of living. For the needy and elderly, however, getting to the grocery store can be an eff ort or impos-
sibility. Recognizing this need, members of the Earl L. Vandermeulen High School Leo Club have expanded their community service eff orts this winter and put together and delivered “Blizzard Bags” for the clients of Th ree Village Meals on Wheels Inc.
Blizzard Bags contain nonperishable food items that clients can use when Meals on Wheels is unable to deliver meals due to ice and snow. For several years, the Port Jeff erson students have raised money, purchased the food, and packaged the bags for the Meals on Wheels organization. Each November, clients have received three bags in time for the winter weather. Th is year, the Leo Club delivered an additional three bags per client, due to the number of severe storms this winter season.
Leo Club advisor Brian Chalmers explained that the club members recognize the need for food delivery during the winter, and these Blizzard Bags ensure that Meals on Wheels clients receive the nutrition they need. Three Village Meals on Wheels Inc. President Thomas Bell stated in a letter, “Our organization feels it is important for the students of the Leo Club and their advisor to receive public recognition for their generous donation and to know how much we ap-preciate their efforts.”
Pictured, Port Jeff erson Leo Club members at Earl L. Vandermeulen High School have stepped up their eff orts to provide clients of Th ree Village Meals on Wheels Inc. with additional Blizzard Bags due to this winter’s severe weather. Th ey are photographed with Leo Club advisors Chalmers and Maria Llorens.
Courtesy Elizabeth Sobel, Syntax Communication
Gertrude F. (Smith) GoodmanMarch 27, 1924 – Feb. 3, 2009
Survived by her husband, Leslie Sr.; children, Joyce, Leslie Jr., Alan, Ronnie, Linda and Benjamin; sisters Constance, Katharine and Mary; grandchildren, Tony, Tamara, Eli, Joshua, Milan, Amanda, Serin, Isaiah; and fi ve great-grand-children.
A Celebration of Gertrude’s Life will be held at Mount Sinai High School, Saturday, March 28, noon to 2 pm. A religious memorial service at Gertrude’s home church, Mount Sinai Congregational Church, will be at 3 pm; interment immediately following at Seaview Cemetery. Aft erward, greet the family at a reception in Fellowship Hall.
Albert IrvineAlbert Irvine passed away Jan. 9. Following his wishes, no services were to
be held at that time. However, Albert’s family is now hosting a celebration of his life.
Friends and acquaintances of Albert, please come and remember him. If you have a story or anecdote you’d like to share, let the greeter at the door know. It will be noted and we will call on you later to relate it.
Date: March 21. Time: 2 to 5 pm.Place: Miller Beach Surf Club, 23 Harbor Beach Road, Miller Place.Tel: 473-9034.
Memorial services
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BY ROBERT [email protected]
Shaun O’Sullivan is one of the good guys, one of those rare student-athletes who excel in both the classroom and on the athletic fi eld. A three-year member of the Port Jeff erson varsity football team, O’Sullivan help lead the Royals to a 6-2 record and their fi rst playoff appearance since 1991. In the classroom, he has sported a 91.9 grade point average and has been a member of the National Honor Society in both his junior and senior years.
In recognition of his combined athletic and academic achievements, O’Sullivan was named to the prestigious Golden 11 team last month, the fi rst player from Port Jeff erson to be so hon-ored since 1993 when quarterback Ste-ven Eaton earned the award. Th e Golden 11 team was selected by the National Football Foundation and chosen from 56 Suff olk County scholar-athlete fi nal-ists. O’Sullivan’s name was submitted for consideration by head football coach Jim Mimnaugh.
“I was pretty surprised,” said O’Sullivan upon learning of the honor.
“It’s a pretty big deal and it’s pretty ex-citing. It’s good to see that all the hard work I’ve put in over the past four years fi nally paid off . It’s really great even to be considered for it.”
Last fall, O’Sullivan ran for 685 yards on 106 carries and scored six touch-downs while catching another 11 passes for 177 yards and one touchdown. On the other side of the ball he paced the defense with 87 tackles, three sacks and was Port Jeff erson’s defensive MVP. For the past two seasons, he has earned All-Division and All-County honors as the Royals outside linebacker.
“You could say so many things about Shaun,” Mimnaugh said. “He is well rounded and a pleasure to coach. He’s got a lot of heart and that’s what made him the excellent player that he was. He’s only 5-7 and 170 pounds but he plays so much bigger than that. Because of his determination, you wish that you had 11 guys like him. He was not a verbal leader but rather he led by example and was one of the keys to our success this past year. He’s worked so hard and deserves all the accolades he’s gotten.”
O’Sullivan’s athletic prowess extends beyond the gridiron too. He has been a dynamic leader on the wrestling mat as well. Last year he was 30-5 while wrestling at 152 pounds and this year he compiled a 22-8 record as the Roy-als won their fi rst-ever regular season league championship behind a perfect 6-0 League VII record, 7-1 overall. He went on to win the county champion-ships at 160 pounds and last weekend represented the Royals at the New York State wrestling tournament in Albany.
“Athletically, he did the most with what he had,” said Port Jeff erson wres-tling coach and assistant football coach Mike Maletta. “He would work out in the morning before school started. Th at’s why he was so successful. He was a team leader by example. He did it all on the fi eld and on the mat.”
Although still undecided, O’Sullivan hopes to continue his academic stud-ies at Rensselaer, Worcester or Western New England College where he plans to major in engineering. All three col-leges have Division III football teams and all expressed an interest in having
O’Sullivan join them.“It’s up to me to decide where I want
to go at this point,” said O’Sullivan, who says he puts in a minimum of two hoursstudying a night. “But it’s nice to knowthat the hours I put in studying havepaid off in the long run.”
Port Jefferson’s Shaun O’Sullivan named to Golden 11 team
Petty Offi cer 2nd Class. Buehler went on to earn a bache-lor’s degree at St. John’s University in athletic administra-tion and then a master’s degree in guidance counseling. Currently, he is a middle school guidance counselor for Port Jeff erson.
Aft er guiding the Royals to consecutive county titles in 2002 and 2003, Port Jeff erson struggled for the next two years. “Th e low point was the year aft er we won our sec-ond title,” Buehler said. “We had been a B school the year before but we had lost all our seniors and I thought that we would win the C championship but we won only three games that year and lost 16. As a coach you have those kinds of years.”
But that was one of only two seasons in which the Roy-als under Buehler had losing records. Using his patented 2-3 zone defense, the Royals suff ered just one more losing season in 2005 before entering success. Coincidently, it was
also the time when Port Jeff erson’s second all-time leading scorer John Nielsen began his varsity career.
“[Coach Buehler] put so much time and eff ort in,” said Nielsen, a senior captain. “I’ve known him since the sixth grade and had a great relationship with him. He was kind of like a big brother. I could speak to him about anything. As a coach he did a great job scouting out other teams. We were never unprepared and he was a good in-game coach.”
“He really went out of his way to connect with us,” added senior forward Justin Battelli, a two-year member of the varsity squad. “He kept us focused on our main goal while allowing us to enjoy ourselves at the same time. He was the fi rst person I met coming into the school my fi rst year in the school in the eighth grade aft er I moved from Centereach.”
While Buehler has given up coaching for the time be-ing, he will remain as a guidance counselor at the middle school. Although no longer an infl uence on the court, he will continue to be an uplift ing presence to those fortunate to encounter him.
BuehlerContinued from page A21
Courtesy Shaun O’Sullivan
Shaun O’Sullivan helped lead the Royals to their fi rst playoff appearance since 1991. He has excelled academically and athletically.
and tough,” said Mitchell. “He’s a real good one-on-onedefender who rarely gets beat. He is a great takeaway guy.”
Also expected to play a signifi cant role on defenseis senior James Taddeo. “James leads by example,” said Mitchell. “He’s just a great hard worker.”
Goalie may be in question. Presently, senior Cory Ban-waree and junior Sean Kennedy are battling for the startingrole, but Mitchell also indicates he may go with a rotation of the two if neither establishes himself as a clear-cut starter.“Cory has worked hard and is a good stopper on outsideshots,” the coach said. “Sean is nice and big in the cage andtakes up a lot of room.”
Despite their strengths the Warriors are in the unenvi-able position of playing in perhaps the strongest division inthe state. Th ey are a preseason fi ft h seed but Mitchell saysthey could have been seeded anywhere, as could any of thetop six teams in Division II.
Comsewogue LaxContinued from page A21
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BY ROBERT [email protected]
Port Jeff erson’s 60-58 loss to Oyster Bay in the New York State boys’ basketball tournament last week signaled not only an end to the Royals’ season but also marked the con-clusion of Keith Buehler’s reign as head coach. Citing fam-ily obligations, Buehler announced he was stepping down from the post at the completion of the 2008-09 season last fall. Now the decision has become a reality.
“As the game [against Oyster Bay] ended I was looking around thinking that it’s over,” Buehler said. “Later I came to realize that there is no next year. Th is was a really fun year for me, a special year.”
For the most part Buehler kept the fact that this was his fi nal season under wraps. In fact, it wasn’t until their win over Pierson in the fi rst round of the playoff s that the real-ity of what was happening settled in.
“As the season went on I really wasn’t thinking about it at all,” Buehler said. “But with the last home game against Pierson I remember saying to myself, ‘Oh, wow.’ I did a good job of blocking it out and was able to keep my emotions in check.”
Buehler ends his career on an high note. Although, the Royals failed to get beyond their Nassau County opponent, they were back-to-back Suff olk County Class C champi-ons. Buehler also leaves with 104 career wins, reaching his landmark 100th victory in a Jan. 30 57-54 victory over Southampton. Th e Royals fi nished the season third in League VII behind a 10-4 record and were 15-8 overall.
“Keith has been an asset not only to the athletic staff but to the school as well,” said Port Jeff erson Athletic Direc-tor Deb Ferry. “His coaching has been outstanding and his record speaks for itself. He is one of those people who is a role model, someone the kids can look up to.”
In his nine seasons as the Royals head coach, he has guided Port Jeff erson into the postseason seven times. Th e Royals have been crowned county champions four times and once, in 2002, the team advanced to the state regional fi nals before losing to the Section I champion.
“When I took over, the varsity program was falling apart,” said Buehler. “But we did well right away. Th e excitement for me was having the kids get the success.”
Buehler became head coach following a stint at North Babylon where he served as junior varsity coach. A gradu-ate of Bay Shore High School in 1985, Buehler put off con-tinuing his education for several years, joining the U.S. Navy aft er graduation. He left the Navy in 1990 as an E5
PJ hoops coach retires after
years of success
Warriors will compete in what may be the toughest division in NY
Courtesy Deb Ferry
Keith Buehler, top, has been coaching at Port Jeff erson high school for nine years. He has guided the Royals to seven postseason appearances and has won back-to-back Suff olk County championships. Buehler, above, stands proud with the members on his team as they receive their plaque after winning one of those county titles this year.
BY ROBERT [email protected]
Th e Comsewogue Warriors came within one game of winning the Suff olk County Division II la-crosse championship last year, losing to eventual New York State champion Rocky Point, 7-3, in the fi nals. However, head coach Pete Mitchell returns a team as solid as the one he had last year and which stands poised to challenge for a title. Th e Warriors fi nished 11-3 last year and were 12-4 overall including a dramatic upset of top seeded Shoreham-Wading River in the playoff s.
“Th e kids worked hard last year and I think we may have overachieved a bit,” said Mitchell. “Th e boys wanted to make an impression and represented the school well and I couldn’t be more proud of them. We lost just two of nine off ensive players from last year’s team and I have very high expectations for this year. We still need to develop some team chemistry and our division is brutal. Whoever makes the least mistakes will do well.”
Off ensively, expect the Warriors to try to push the ball into their opponents end. “We move the ball as well as any-one I’ve seen in a few years,” Mitchell said. “We don’t have any superstars on the team this year and that may pay off . Th ey are an unselfi sh group.”
Conversely, expect the Warriors to use the hard-nosed defense that they’ve incorporated over the past few years that have propelled them into one of the county’s elite squads. “Th ey can adjust to anything — a zone or man-to-man,” said Mitchell. “We have the athletes who can really press the ball.”
Senior captain Rich Carlson will play off ense. Carlson had 12 goals and eight assists last year. “He was in the shad-ows of a couple of guys last year,” said Mitchell. “I love his change of direction. He’s a shooter, feeder and a dodger. He’s very quick, tenacious and can shoot with either hand.”
Joining Carlson will be sophomore Ryan Brunet. As a
freshman last year Brunet split time in themidfi eld and on attack scoring nine goalsand six assists. “He is a big, strong left -hand-
er,” said Mitchell. “He goes to the cage real well and has astrong outside shot.”
Captain Alex Zomerfeld will anchor the midfi eld. Zomerfeld tallied 11 goals and eight assists last year whilegobbling up 97 ground balls. “He is one of the best kids I’ve seen in between the lines,” Mitchell said. “He’s an oldschool kid who can play off ense and defense.
Also playing midfi eld will be Danny Rodriguez who scored 12 goals and four assists last year. Th e Stony BrookUniversity-bound senior captain is yet another player who can go to the cage. Joining Rodriguez in the midfi eld will bejunior Tom Cleary and sophomore Connor Duddy.
Th ree-year varsity starter and junior captain Brian Mi-chalec will solidify the defense. Michalec was honored asthe Division II Rookie of the Year in 2008. “Brian is strong
SPORTSSPORTS
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Time for hastePain. Th ere is, unfortunately, much of the
economic variety to pass around these days. Th at is particularly true of our schools, where offi cials try to make the best of less revenue despite rising costs.
Th e federal stimulus bill was supposed to bail them out, right? Two weeks ago we reported that Gov. David Paterson said New York’s share would negate the education aid cuts he had pro-posed to help counter a record state defi cit.
Except that Paterson’s assurances have made it no further than the newspapers, it seems. School districts embroiled in the budget forma-tion process, which must be wrapped up next month, have yet to see an amended state aid proposal from the governor.
Districts don’t know if Paterson’s promise to “restore” state aid means eliminating the defi cit reduction assessment imposed on districts, or zeroing out overall aid decreases in comparison with 2008-09. For large districts the diff erence amounts to millions. Until they know the num-bers, they can’t reliably calculate the tax impact of the spending the districts are proposing.
Now is when schools need those fi gures most, as many consider layoff s to keep tax increases low so their budgets pass muster with a belt-tightening electorate.
Perhaps with the federal stop-gap money, job cuts are no longer necessary, but until they know for sure school offi cials are obligated to plan for the worst. Which means that until the “all clear” is sounded, some teachers may be an-ticipating unemployment. Such consternation will clearly not promote the economic confi -dence the stimulus and other bailout eff orts were intended to inspire.
Th e Paterson administration claimed this week it cannot release fi nal fi gures until ongo-ing budget negotiations with the Legislature are complete. But the governor has not even answered the most basic questions posed above by school offi cials, making their task far more arduous than in years past when districts had relatively accurate numbers to work with. Paterson should provide up-to-date data to the districts immediately.
News literacy criticalTh e prominence of the attendees at the News
Literacy Conference at SBU last week indicates the importance many place on the ability we must all master to understand and evaluate the “tsunami” of so-called news pummeling all of us every day (see page A7). We think the SBU School of Journalism, and in particular its dean, Howard Schneider, are on to something.
Separating the wheat from the chaff is essen-tial if we are going to position ourselves to make informed decisions on critical issues. Th e im-portance of analytically considering what news-papers and television and radio and the web toss at us, the ability to see through the fog and spin, and the need to understand an ever-increas-ing universe of information — far too much of which is generated by, shall we say, “journal-ists” not entirely loyal to the creed of who, what, where, when and how but instead determined to tell you why (in their own oft en skewed opin-ions) — has never been more important.
Whether you read it on these pages, or in a daily, or learn it the radio, TV or the web, apply an appropriate level of skepticism, seek the facts, and always remember to consider the source.
Kito Nursery wrongly implicatedTO THE EDITOR:
I would like to address the way in which my company, Kito Nursery Inc., was depicted in the article “Halfway house of horrors,” written in the Port Times Record [March 19]. First and foremost, I had no personal involvement in any transac-tion concerning the “halfway house” other than those events pertaining solely to landscap-ing and pavers. Therefore, I am in no way speaking on behalf of any individual discussed in the article except for myself and the professional reputation of my company.
Kito Nursery did, in fact, en-ter into an agreement to restore and improve the area surround-ing the newly renovated half-way house and was directed by Mayor Harty to collaborate with Trustee Harry Faulknor, Presi-dent of the Board of Governors, PJCC, Ray Sommerstad and Director of Golf Bill Mackedon regarding specifics and design elements. I take issue however, with the way in which the article falsely insinuated absolutely corrupt and scheming behavior of all parties involved — thereby implicating Kito Nursery. This comes as a personal insult to me, my family and the many clients I have had in the community who know me as an honest hardwork-ing individual. Kito Nursery donated the initial landscaping around the halfway house years ago. In addition, we have main-tained the corner of Main Street and Arden Place for no cost to the Village for many years and donated greenery and accents for winter decoration in the pots and planters lining the streets of Port Jefferson just this last year. As a member of the Port Jef-ferson Chamber of Commerce, our work and honesty have been acknowledged and validated by previous Village administra-tions in contracts and projects in town and on the golf course. I grew up here, went to the high school here and am still proud to live here and call the village my home. My son, after growing up on the greens at the country club and leaving for school, has returned and also calls the vil-lage home.
The article, with its slanted innuendos and cleverly placed quotations, makes it seem as though everyone involved was engaged in some form of self-dealing to “attempt to pad the cost of the total project,” as per the quote taken out of context and attributed to Mr. Dell Aquila. I am offended that terms like “padded the cost” and “altered” were used in the same
sentence as my name without first investigating the facts. Even if the intent was not to accuse me or my company of any wrongdo-ing, throwing around such terms so carelessly is not responsible or accurate reporting. Respon-sible reporting would have been supporting the innuendos with fact and not generalizing so that innocent readers were duped into believing all their elected officials are on the take and every contractor employed by the Village is inf lating prices to cheat the residents. As a village taxpayer, neighbor and friend, I take it personal that such broad and sweeping language was used to raise questions directed at a few, but seemingly implicating many.
Ben KitoPort Jeff erson
In supportof Ben KitoTO THE EDITOR:
Mr. Willinger has been a strong advocate of our Village and has tried to keep the residents in-formed of Village business. How-ever, I share Mr. Kito’s concern re-garding the Port Jeff erson Record article [“Halfway house of hor-rors,” March 12]. I would concur that in a cursory reading someone could construe the general tone as negative. I know Mr. Willinger’s intent was not to paint everyone with the same broad brush. I know I speak for myself, as well as the other trustees, when I say that our dealings with Mr. Kito have always been professional and his patience while this matter is being resolved is appreciated. He has donated his time as well as fi nancial resources to the Village without question on many occasions and is not in any part viewed to be engaged in any improper activities at the Halfway House, if any such things did exist. We look forward to working with Mr. Kito on other projects.
Village TrusteeCarmine Dell Aquila
Missing police reportTO THE EDITOR:
Recent issues of TBR News-papers no longer feature the Police Report column. I urge you to reinstate it. Th e information it contains is important. We, your readers, need to be aware of the challenges our police offi cers face in the line of duty and of recurring trends in criminal activities (e.g., theft s from parked cars, vandal-
ism, and the like). I suspect that many of your readers also miss the occasional fl ashes of wit the editor of these reports injected into the column.
John SheaEast Setauket
Editor’s note: We continue to keep readers informed of police activities and crime within our stories and briefs. Reporting on police activities remains one of our primary beats.
Veterans thankfulTO THE PUBLISHER, EDITORS AND STAFF OF TBR NEWSPAPERS:
On behalf of the offi cers, executive board and members of the American Legion Wilson Ritch Post 432 of Port Jeff erson Station, we would like to thank you for your support and continu-ing coverage of our events and of veterans’ issues. In almost every issue I notice that one of your edi-torial staff is covering a veterans’ event and reporting on it. We at the Wilson Ritch Post are very grateful for this eff ort.
We would like to also take this opportunity to thank whole-heartedly the eff orts of Congress-man Tim Bishop, state Sen. Ken LaValle and Assemblyman Steve Englebright for their unwavering support of veterans’ issues and of veterans’ causes.
For those who braved the cold, crisp weather during our Pearl Harbor Remembrance Service this past December, you would have heard a gentleman eloquent-ly playing “Taps.” To this gentle-man, who to us is anonymous, we off er our sincere thanks as well. Please keep up the good work. Our veterans are certainly well worth it.
Richard Knutson, Public Relations Offi cer
American Legion Wilson Ritch Post 432
Letters ...We welcome your letters.
They should be no longer than 400 words and may be edited for length, libel, style and good taste. We do not publish anonymous letters. Please include a phone num-ber for confirmation. Email letters to
[email protected] or mail them to The Port Times Record, PO Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733.
The opinions of columnists and letter writers are their own. They do not speak for the newspaper.
EDITORIAL OPINION
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TIMES BEACON RECORDNEWSPAPERSWe welcome letters, photographs, comments and story ideas. Send your items to PO Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733 or email to [email protected]. Or drop by our news offi ce at 185 Route 25A, Setauket. Th e opinions of our columnists are not necessarily those of the paper.Times Beacon Record Newspapers are published every Th ursday. Address: PO Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733. Telephone: 631-751-7744Web • northshoreofl ongisland.com Con tents copyright 2009.
EDITOR AND PUBLISHERLeah S. DunaiefGENERAL MANAGERJohness KuiselEXECUTIVE EDITORLee LutzEDITORDave WillingerLEISURE EDITOREllen BarcelSPORTS EDITORKatherine ConsorteONLINE EDITORPatricia Proven
ASSOCIATE EDITORAlyssa CutlerEDITORIALJohn BrovenJennifer ChoiJoseph DarrowMichael DownerArlene GrossRobert LeunerPatricia ProvenLisa SteuerJohn Westermann
PHOTOGRAPHYJohn GriffinRobert O'RourkART AND PRODUCTIONDIRECTORDavid R. LeamanART AND PRODUCTIONJanet FortunaBeth Heller MasonWendy Mercier
ADVERTISING DIRECTORKathryn MandracchiaADVERTISINGMary ChirichellaRobin LemkinBarbara NewmanElizabeth ReuterLaura SatchwillNancy SolomonTed TaylorLynn TunneyMinnie Yancey
CLASSIFIEDS DIRECTOREllen SegalBUSINESS MANAGERSheila MurrayCREDIT MANAGERDiane WattecampsCIRCULATION MANAGERAlyssa CutlerBUSINESS OFFICESandi GrossMeg MalangoneSUBSCRIPTION MANAGERTerri Caruso
In our new recession-induced age of propriety, owning a personal jet is under a storm of disfavor. Th ough they represent the ultimate in conspicuous consumption, at least one good thing can be said about these super-expensive planes — compared to their big brothers the commercial airliners, they are relatively quiet. I know, because the seaside apartment I am renting in Florida lies in the approach path to the small airstrip at Boca Raton favored by jet-setting multi-millionaires. Th eir personal jets fl y in and out all day long, announcing themselves with a thrilling whine of power and rumble of engines. Th e brethren of these planes, the big eardrum-pounding heavies, must use either West Palm Beach to the north or Fort Lauderdale to the south.
Th e little jets are sleek and beautiful to watch. Th e sight of them approaching to land or climbing for altitude aft er departing suggests an intriguing air of mystery. Th eir silver fuselages carry no markings, no recognizable airline logos or colors. Th ey arrive as early as dawn, and fl y out way aft er dark. So to whom do they belong?
One can only guess, but one thing is sure — the ranks of the wealthy have been thinned by Bernie Madoff . One assumes that prior to his depredations, the airways in and out of Boca Raton were even more crowded.
Still, this remains a rich country, and though he ap-peared to have tried very hard Bernie did not manage to steal everybody’s money. Th e East Coast of South Florida is still a haven of extravagant wealth. Th e town
where I am staying, Highland Beach, is lined with an odd juxtaposition of high-rise condominiums and co-ops with modest apartments, and gargantuan ornate mansions in the $20 million price range.
(For perspective, though it is right on the ocean, my own apartment is in a 50-year-old co-op whose windows and sliding glass doors don’t work very well. Yesterday one of the two elevators failed, trapping for a while a fellow snowbird from Stony Brook.)
Madoff is much in the public awareness here. Fift een miles to the north, in his winter retreat of Palm Beach, he ruined large numbers of friends and acquaintances. In Delray Beach, a mile from here, there’s an old-fashioned newsstand much like the late, lamented Darling’s in Port Jeff erson. I go there oft en for my Racing Form and Wall Street Journal, and fall into conversations with old-time locals who congre-gate to complain about snowbirds like me. One morn-ing the proprietor had on display a 168-page reprint of the list of Madoff ’s victims, which was eagerly perused for local names.
Th e Palm Beach Post reported this morning on what wealthy society matrons are doing to show empathy with the less fortunate during the recession. Among other things, they’re digging into the back of their closets and wearing last year’s gowns to charity balls. In December, a group of women pledged they would insist their rich husbands not buy them expen-sive jewelry for Christmas. (Th ough this may have made them feel good, it might have cost the jobs of a couple of gold miners in South Africa and diamond
cutters on 47th Street. Oh, the law of unintended consequences).
As this grim recession drags on, I think more and more of the lost wisdom of small town America. It was Wall Street, not Main Street, that plunged us into the abyss. Had the sharks on Wall Street not been de-monically clever at concealing what they were doing, the little fi sh on Main Street would have refused to take the bait. I think of the brief single term of Mike Lee as mayor of Port Jeff erson, when he doubled taxes to diminish the debt hanging over the Village Center. Said Mr. Lee, “I was raised not to buy things until I could aff ord to pay for them.”
Mike, you should have been chairman of the Secu-rities and Exchange Commission.
In post-Madoff world, tarnished trappings of wealth
What fun we had this past Sunday evening at the Th ree Village Inn. It was the Men and Women of the Year reception, at which the winners of 2008 in Th e Village Times Herald were presented with framed certifi -cates before an audience of 137 (count ’em) community leaders. Th is was our 33rd such party, and they are always a high for us at the newspaper.
We started the Men and Women of the Year issue, our only “all good news” issue, the week between Christmas and New Year’s in 1976, the year we started Th e Village Times. I copped the idea, sort of, from Time magazine, where I had worked. But Time selects one person who, each year, is the most newsworthy, regardless of the value of their eff orts, wheth-er Hitler or Mother Teresa.
We, on the other hand, divide our community into categories, from the Arts to Business to Civics, all the way through to Sports and Volunteers. We then select
the residents who are making outstanding contributions to our villages, going that extra mile above and beyond what might be expected from them, and give them the spotlight — to further help them in their work and to express our collec-tive appreciation. We ask your help in the nominating process, which begins in early summer with a form that we run in the paper. With those nominations that come in through the mail, Internet and telephone and the suggestions of our staff , we sit down and decide the winners each year.
Once, early on, I thought we might run out of winners. It will never happen. Th e more people we get to know by cover-ing the news, and the more we understand about how much is contributed to the greater good, the more people we want to honor. Sometimes we honor a past winner again because he or she has done something new or something more.
We never tell the winners
why exactly we are interviewing them in the late fall for a story, and usually they don’t think to ask because what they are doing is newsworthy enough on its own. So when they discover that they have won, it’s a fun surprise.
Th at fi rst year, members of the Th ree Village community stepped forward and suggested a reception for the winners. Th ey also off ered to underwrite the party in a hands-across-the-community gesture. So we are the hosts each year, we speak about what each winner has done, we then give him or her a chance to tell where they are planning to go with their work in the coming year, and when they sit back down we give them a resounding round of applause in a public show of appreciation.
Why did we start this and why do we enthusiastically continue it to this day?
A sense of community is so important, such an enrichment in our lives. Learning about our common history, knowing
we are surrounded by kindly and caring neighbors, working together to maintain and pre-serve our natural resources and educate our children, these all contribute to a sense of security and well being for children and adults alike.
At times of stress, like some of the economic uncertainties we are living through today, people tend to turn toward each other for support. Here’s an extreme example of what I’m talking about. If you remember, New York City — long con-sidered a cold and impersonal place — became a lot more fi lled with kindness and mutual helpfulness aft er 9/11. Human values come more into focus in times of crisis. We are in what Frank Rich, columnist for Th e New York Times, calls a time of “social consciousness.”
How lovely that we, who live out here, don’t have to fi rst develop such a consciousness. It’s already here, as these awards ably demonstrate. We are so fortunate to live in a place with
community leaders and activ-ists, and whatever the issues are locally, we sooner or later see most of them through to a suc-cessful resolution.
So a sense of community is a wonderful thing. And since we are the community newspaper, we have always felt it part of our job to strengthen that sense wherever we can. Let me tell you, by the time everyone leaves the Men and Women of the Year reception each year, and we have recognized the eff orts of all those special people who enhance our lives, there is a glowing pride of place.
Celebrating strength in community
BY JOHN [email protected]
As this grim recession drags on, I think more and more of the lost wisdom of small town America.
Signals
BY LEAH S. [email protected]
Between you and me
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