The Port Times Record - December 1, 2022

Dancing in the rain

Garbage grief: PJ Village and DEC clash over land ll permit

BY RAYMOND JANIS EDITOR1@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

The Village of Port Jefferson is in a complicated permit dispute with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation over its solid waste landfill at Harbor Hills.

The Port Jefferson Village Clean Solid Waste Landfill, a 1.9-acre kettle hole located on the Port Jefferson Country Club property, has been historically operated to facilitate branch and leaf removal services in the village. In 2017, the small landfill was impacted by

changes in state regulations, throwing the future of these services into question.

In an exclusive interview, Mayor Margot Garant summarized the nature of the permit dispute between the village and DEC. For decades, the government has renewed its DEC permit every five years to continue operating the landfill. With its permit set to expire on Dec. 11, the village reapplied but met unforeseen resistance.

“Unbeknownst to us in 2017, there were changes in some of the regulations concerning landfills throughout New York state, and they became much more strict,” Garant said. “We got a letter that we weren’t meeting the needs

of the new statutory regulations for landfills.” She added, “They basically had classified our little kettle hole to be regulated like a landfill equivalent to the Town of Brookhaven [landfill].”

Garant referred to the pre-2017 regulations as manageable for the village, requiring breakdown and transport of the debris, among other workable conditions. The new rules, however, will “be impossible for us to comply with,” the mayor said.

An unusual landfill

David Tonjes is a research associate professor at Stony Brook University’s

Thinking about the future

Department of Technology and Society. His research focuses on solid waste management and the environmental impacts of landfills.

While the Port Jefferson site is officially listed as a landfill regulated under the Long Island Landfill Law, Tonjes described it as distinct from other landfills throughout the area.

“It’s unusual because it doesn’t have a liner system, which is required for all landfills on Long Island,” he said. “As far as I know, it doesn’t have any landfilling functions, which is to take things in, cover them up, and manage

Photo by Raymond Janis

Make a Statement...

Port Jefferson students attend university violin performance

In a partnership with Stony Brook University’s Staller Center for the Arts, Port Jefferson music students experienced a nearly sold-out performance by renowned violinist Caroline Campbell.

Accompanied by Port Jefferson orchestra teacher Vanessa Salzman, the closeto-home musical collaboration engages students with innovative performances, as this concert highlighted. “She is quite a violin superstar, so this was a very special event for us,” Salzman said.

Campbell, along with pianist Carlos Avila, was an engaging presence on stage and had the audience enthralled with her spectacular performance of virtuoso violin showpieces, from Hollywood film melodies to the music of Sting.

Port Jefferson orchestra students and their families are invited to attend concerts each year at the university, arranged

by Salzman and Paul Newland, outreach director at Stony Brook University. Tickets are provided courtesy of Staller Center Outreach Endowment.

“We are extremely grateful to Mr. Newland and the director of The Staller Center, Mr. Alan Inkles, for providing

our student musicians this incredible opportunity,” Salzman said, adding, “We were most appreciative of the time [Campbell] took following the performance to interact with our students and share inspiration to continue pursuing their musical journeys.”

Port Jefferson School District students with violinist Caroline Campbell (center), Port Jefferson orchestra teacher Vanessa Salzman (left) and Paul Newland, outreach director at Stony Brook University (right). Photo courtesy PJSD

Career Day returns to Terryville Road Elementary School

BY MEAGHAN REILLY DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

“What

grade students had the chance to plant seeds. Fourth graders got to try on FDNY bunker gear during their time with fire chief Tom Reilly.

SCHOOL NEWS

Students at Comsewogue’s Terryville Road Elementary School had the opportunity to consider this critical question and get some firsthand experience during Career Day on Thursday, Nov. 17.

Unable to host its generous presenters throughout the pandemic, the school’s biggest event of the year was reinstituted successfully once again.

“We were so happy to welcome our community members to present to the students at Terryville,” said principal Annemarie Sciove. “The students were excited and eager to learn from each professional. It was a memorable experience.”

A total of 26 professional presenters met in the school media center for brief refreshments before being escorted to their classrooms by two student ambassadors from each class.

The halls were full of excited students and enthusiastic Terryville faculty. All students were invited to dress for the occasion. Some students chose to dress for their intended future careers, while others donned their finest attire.

Each presenter was greeted with a welcome poster before setting up materials and presentations related to their profession.

Throughout the event, students had a chance to pose questions and try their hands at some of the skills of various trades. To name a few, in landscaper Barry Rose’s demonstration, fifth

Inflatable dragons got sent home with third graders who participated in an interactive story time from children’s librarian Debbie Bush of the Comsewogue Public Library. Some students even got to have real casts put on their fingers by Dr. Hayley Queller, internal medicine and sports medicine specialist based in East Setauket.

Presenters consisted of Terryville parents, community members and friends of the Comsewogue School District. There were regulars and newcomers alike. While setting up in the morning, Suffolk County police officer Rob Coffman shared that he’d been presenting at Terryville’s Career Day for nearly 15 years.

Meanwhile, Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) expressed his appreciation at being invited for the first time. Other presenters included geology researchers from Stony Brook University, a service dog provider, an MTA traffic controller, dance and martial arts instructors, an ocean researcher, a veterinarian, nurses, actors and local entrepreneurs.

Also attending were a psychologist, a respiratory therapist, a professional lacrosse player and a health teacher from Comsewogue High School.

It was a wonderful day, and students are already looking forward to celebrating this tradition again next year.

do you want to be when you grow up?”

Meaghan Reilly is the library media specialist at Terryville Road Elementary School.

Above, presenters during Career Day at Terryville Road Elementary School. Below, a Suffolk County police officer poses with students during the event. Photos courtesy Meaghan Reilly

Councilman LaValle and Di Santo go head-tohead in Brookhaven clerk special election

BY RAYMOND JANIS EDITOR1@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

In a race to fill former Brookhaven Town Clerk Donna Lent’s (I) seat, Town of Brookhaven Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden) will square off against community advocate Lisa Di Santo, of East Patchogue.

Lent announced her retirement last month, vacating her seat and triggering a special election for her expired term ending in 2025. [See story, “Brookhaven’s town clerk retires from public service,” TBR News Media, Nov. 24.]

Both candidates were chosen unanimously by their respective parties during separate nominating conferences last week. In phone interviews with TBR News Media, the candidates discussed their professional backgrounds, reasons for pursuing the office of clerk and plans for the future.

Before entering elected office, LaValle, a lifelong Brookhaven resident, owned a title agency, assisting prospective homebuyers with vital records, such as liens, deeds and similar documents. He then transitioned into the mortgage business, where he still works today.

In 2013, LaValle campaigned successfully to represent Brookhaven’s 3rd Council District, an office he has held ever since.

“Why I’m making this run for town clerk, I think it’s [because] we see in the paper every day with what just happened with Suffolk County, the hack that happened,” he said. “You can see very clearly that that’s something we don’t want to happen in Brookhaven. Managing people’s personal records is critical to our county and our township.”

Di Santo is a 50-year resident of Brookhaven whose background is in community advocacy. Before running for office, she was a social studies teacher, served as vice president of the Bellport Area Community Action Committee, and for over a decade was a trustee on the South Country Central School District Board of Education.

In her interview, she emphasized the need for citizens to have a stake in their local government and connect to the democratic process.

“When looking at the way the town functions, the town clerk plays a very important role in the accessibility of good government, accountability of good government and the security that’s necessary in good government,” she said. “In all of those three areas, I currently see that the town fails miserably.”

The Democratic candidate added, “I’m running because I do believe wholeheartedly that the town clerk, especially now, needs to be an independent person and an independent voice to

be certain that there is truly open government in Brookhaven Town.”

For LaValle, the protection of residents’ sensitive information is paramount. Like Di Santo’s proposal, he said he intends to promote efficiency and expand resident access to their records and to the office of clerk.

“We have to make sure records are secure, but we want to increase access,” the town councilman said. “We want to be able to have people with disabilities not have to come up to Town Hall to get handicap parking passes, and what have you.”

He added, “We have to increase our internet capabilities to be able to service residents’ needs without making them have to come to Town Hall. And certainly, we have to work to increase the transparency within the government.”

LaValle contends that town clerk is a technically demanding position to learn and to hold. However, he maintains that his professional training within the public and private sector have prepared him in unique ways for the demands of the office.

“I believe that I have the ability and the experience to be able to do this job effectively, managing an over-30-person staff, and making sure residents are taken care of as we move forward,” he said.

On the whole, Di Santo viewed Brookhaven as failing in its obligations to promote open government. She cited the Freedom of Information Law request process as needing reform.

“You’d be hard to find an individual who has taken the time to participate in Brookhaven Town government who would tell you that the FOIL process is one of accessibility and accountability, and there’s a serious problem there,” she said. “If a citizen, a taxpayer, can’t access information, then how can the government represent those people?”

Di Santo said her campaign rests on the notion that quality governance requires informed and engaged citizenship. Given her advocacy background, she considered herself uniquely suited to this task.

If elected, Di Santo said she intends to begin by reforming the scheduling of open meetings to bolster public participation.

“When government continues to schedule meetings that are inaccessible to people, they’re sending a message that they do not want to have a democracy,” she said. “You can’t have a democracy without the participation of the people.”

Brookhaven residents will get the final word on these two candidates during a townwide special election on Tuesday, Jan. 17.

Pictured above, Lisa Di Santo and Town of Brookhaven Councilman Kevin LaValle (R-Selden). Left from Di Santo’s Facebook page; right from the town website

CAUGHT ON CAMERA

Wanted for South Setauket Petit Larceny

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who stole allegedly stole merchandise from Target, located at 255 Pond Path in South Setauket on Sept. 3 at approximately 9 p.m.

Commack man suffers medical emergency, drives off dock

Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad detectives are investigating an incident during which a man died after driving his vehicle into the water in Bay Shore on Nov. 22. Robert Lancaster was operating a Nissan Rogue at the Maple Avenue dock when he suffered an apparent medical emergency and drove into the water at approximately 6:50 a.m. Lancaster, 39, of Commack, was pulled from the water and pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives are asking anyone with information on this incident to call the Homicide Squad at 631-852-6392.

CAUGHT ON CAMERA

Wanted for Selden Petit Larceny

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the man who allegedly stole merchandise from Target, located at 307 Independence Plaza in Selden, on Nov. 13 at approximately 9:20 p.m. The items stolen had a value of $370.

Tires and rims stolen from King O’Rourke Cadillac in Smithtown

Just released! Suffolk County Crime Stoppers is seeking the public’s help in finding the three men who police said stole tires and rims in Smithtown in September. Three men stole eight sets of tires and rims from two 2022 Cadillacs at King O’Rourke Cadillac, at 756 Smithtown Bypass in Smithtown, between 12:30 and 1 a.m. on Sept. 5, police said. The property was valued at approximately $9,600, police said. The trio is wanted for grand larceny.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS.

The following incidents have been reported by Suffolk County Police:

Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD

— COMPILED BY HEIDI SUTTON

Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD

LEGALS

NOTICEOFSPECIAL

DISTRICTMEETING

OFSUFFOLK,NEWYORK INTHECOUNTY FREESCHOOLDISTRICT, PORTJEFFERSONUNION

DECEMBER12,2022

NOTICEISHEREBYGIVEN

Meetingofthequalified 2022,aSpecialDistrict adoptedonSeptember13, CountyofSuffolk,NewYork, FreeSchoolDistrict,inthe thePortJeffersonUnion oftheBoardofEducationof thatpursuanttoaresolution

votersofsaidSchoolDistrictwillbeheldon Monday,

o’clockP.M.(Prevailing 6:00o’clockA.M.to9:00 December12,2022 from

Time)attheEarlL.VandermeulenHighSchool,350

OldPostRoad,PortJefferson,NewYork,forthe

followingBondPropositions: purposeofvotinguponthe

BONDPROPOSITION#1

(a)ThattheBoardof RESOLVED:

EducationofthePortJeffersonUnionFreeSchool

Suffolk,NewYork(the District,intheCountyof

“District”),isherebyauthorizedtoundertakea

whichPlanisonfileand Architect,P.C.(the“Plan”), preparedbyJohnA.Grillo, anddescribedinaplan substantiallyasreferredto District(the“Project”) instructionalneedsofthe infrastructureand projecttoaddressthe facilitiesimprovement

availableforpublicinspectionintheofficeofthe

toprovidenewmusicroom constructionofanaddition including,butnotlimitedto: DistrictClerk,saidProject

space,interiorspacereconfigurationandalteration,

heating,ventilationandair lockerroomrenovationsand

conditionsystemimprovements;alloftheforegoingtoincludetheoriginal

therewith;andtoexpend requiredinconnection demolitionandotherwork ancillaryorrelatedsite, machinery,apparatusand furnishings,equipment,

therefor,includingpreliminarycostsandcostsincidentaltheretoandtothe

oftheProjectassetforthin thecostsofthecomponents $23,127,000;providedthat estimatedtotalcostof amountnottoexceedthe financingthereof,an

To Place A Legal Notice

Districtareherebyauthorizedtobeissuedinthe

dueandpayable. asthesameshallbecome theinterestonsaidbonds taxisherebyvotedtopay exceed$23,127,000,anda principalamountofnotto

APPROVED ,theBoardof BONDPROPOSITION#1IS (a)T HATINTHEEVENT RESOLVED: BONDPROPOSITION#2

EducationofthePortJeffersonUnionFreeSchool

“District”),isherebyfurther Suffolk,NewYork(the District,intheCountyof

authorizedtoinstallasyntheticturffieldattheHigh

saidtax,bondsofthe (c)thatinanticipationof BoardofEducation; shallbedeterminedbysaid andinsuchamountsas installmentsinsuchyears tobeleviedandcollectedin financesuchcost,suchtax toexceed$1,876,000to votedintheamountofnot (b)thatataxishereby $1,876,000; estimatedtotalcostof anamountnottoexceedthe andtothefinancingthereof, andcostsincidentalthereto includingpreliminarycosts andtoexpendtherefor, officeoftheDistrictClerk, publicinspectioninthe isonfileandavailablefor P.C.(the“Plan”),whichPlan preparedbyJAGArchitect accordancewithaplan $1,876,000,substantiallyin estimatedmaximumcostof School/MiddleSchoolatthe

Districtareherebyauthorizedtobeissuedinthe

and becomedueandpayable; bondsasthesameshall paytheinterestonsaid andataxisherebyvotedto ofnottoexceed$1,876,000 aggregateprincipalamount

condensedform: substantiallythefollowing SpecialDistrictMeetingin usedforvotingatsaid shallappearontheballots SuchBondPropositions

BONDPROPOSITION#1

YES NO

(a)ThattheBoardof RESOLVED:

EducationofthePortJeffersonUnionFreeSchool

Suffolk,NewYork(the District,intheCountyof

“District”),isherebyauthorizedtoundertakea

infrastructureand projecttoaddressthe facilitiesimprovement

instructionalneedssubstantiallyasreferredtoand

describedinaplanpreparedbyJohnA.Grillo,

Architect,P.C.,andtoexpendnottoexceed

andpayable. thesameshallbecomedue interestonsaidbondsas herebyvotedtopaythe $23,127,000,andataxis amountofnottoexceed issuedintheprincipal areherebyauthorizedtobe tax,bondsoftheDistrict thatinanticipationofsuch BoardofEducation;and(c) shallbedeterminedbysaid andinsuchamountsas installmentsinsuchyears leviedandcollectedin suchcost,suchtaxtobe $23,127,000tofinance theamountofnottoexceed thatataxisherebyvotedin $23,127,000therefor;(b)

BONDPROPOSITION#2

YES NO

RESOLVED:

(a) THATINTHEEVENT

APPROVED ,theBoardof BONDPROPOSITION#1IS

EducationofthePortJeffersonUnionFreeSchool

“District”),isherebyfurther Suffolk,NewYork(the District,intheCountyof

suchtax,bondsofthe (c)thatinanticipationof BoardofEducation;and shallbedeterminedbysaid andinsuchamountsas installmentsinsuchyears tobeleviedandcollectedin financesuchcost,suchtax toexceed$23,127,000to votedintheamountofnot (b)thatataxishereby District; thebestinterestsofthe thatsuchreallocationisin Educationshalldetermine componentsiftheBoardof reallocatedamongsuch detailinthePlanmaybe therefor;(b)thatataxis nottoexceed$1,876,000 ArchitectPC,andtoexpend preparedbyJohnA.Grillo, accordancewithaplan $1,876,000,substantiallyin estimatedtotalcostof School/MiddleSchoolatthe

authorizedtoinstallasyntheticturffieldattheHigh

taxtobeleviedandcollectedininstallmentsin

suchyearsandinsuch

amountsasshallbedeterminedbysaidBoardof

Education;(c)thatinanticipationofsaidtax,bondsof

alsoapproved thatBondProposition#1is effectiveonlyintheevent approved,itshallbecome thisBondProposition#2is andpayable;and(d) thatif thesameshallbecomedue interestonsaidbondsas herebyvotedtopaythe $1,876,000andataxis amountofnottoexceed theaggregateprincipal authorizedtobeissuedin theDistrictarehereby

Thevotingwillbeconducted

byballotonvotingmachinesorbypaperballots

theirballots. votersthenpresenttocast necessarytoenablethe asmuchlongerasmaybe P.M.(PrevailingTime)and o’clockA.M.to9:00o’clock remainopenfrom6:00 Lawandthepollswill asprovidedintheEducation

NOTICEISFURTHERGIVEN

thatapplicationsforabsenteeballotsmaybeobtained

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applicationmustbereceivedbytheDistrictClerk

deliveredpersonallytothe Iftheballotistobe Monday,December5,2022. P.M.(PrevailingTime),on notlaterthan4:00o’clock

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December3,2022.Completedballotsmustbe

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availableforpublicinspectionintheofficeofthe

approved Proposition#1isalso intheeventthatBond shallbecomeeffectiveonly Militaryvoterswhoare

tofinancesuchcost,such ofnottoexceed$1,876,000 herebyvotedintheamount DistrictClerk KathleenHanley

suchballotapplicationor mailintheirrequestfor transmissionorelectronic bymail,facsimile applicationormilitaryballot receiveamilitaryballot designateapreferenceto ballot.Militaryvotersmay anapplicationforamilitary SchoolDistrictmaysubmit qualifiedvotersofthe

ballot.Militaryvoterapplicationformsmustbe

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THEBOARDOFEDUCATION BYTHEORDEROF

Dated:September13,2022

12DEDICIEMBREDE2022 DESUFFOLK,NUEVAYORK

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Small Business Saturday offers vital support for local downtowns

BY RITA J. EGAN & RAYMOND JANIS RITA@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM; EDITOR1@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Residents of communities throughout the area came out on Saturday, Nov. 26, to support local downtowns during Small Business Saturday.

Small Business Saturday was a campaign first developed by American Express in 2010. Martin Cantor, director of the Long Island Center for Socio-Economic Policy, detailed the history and purpose of this effort.

“Because everybody was focusing on Black Friday, American Express wanted to focus on small businesses,” he said.

Mary Joy Pipe, owner of The East End Shirt Company and president of the Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, described this year’s iteration of Small Business Saturday as a success. She forecasts a favorable holiday season for the small business community this year based on the turnout.

“Am I optimistic about how I did on Small Business Saturday and over that weekend, and that things should go well?” she said. “Yes.”

The success of these business initiatives, according to Pipe, is primarily contingent upon the weather. She characterized the clear skies on Friday and Saturday as fortunate for the business community.

Tandy Jeckel, owner of TandyWear in Commack, said Small Business Saturday was similar to last year saleswise but that Black Friday was better.

Black Friday “was major,” she said. “We beat last year. Small Business Saturday was pretty much the same as last year.”

Confronting difficult times

While some storefront owners saw favorable returns over the weekend, others discussed the several factors working against their businesses. Among these are nationwide economic instability and inflation, soaring prices and hardships related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jeckel said her business did well during the pandemic by making masks to match outfits and so drawing in customers. She added she had noticed customers opting for dressier outfits where people were looking for more comfortable loungewear for a while.

Joe Schwab, co-owner of Schwab’s 2nd Wind in East Setauket, said he didn’t experience an increase in traffic on Small Business Saturday. He said that the special shopping days did not necessarily boost sales, even though Black Friday was better this year than it has been in years past.

“I would love to have a big excitement about shopping days again, but for the time being it seems to be a bit lost or fizzled out,” he said.

Cantor maintains that the broader economic trends are squeezing small businesses and local downtowns. Ballooning costs associated with energy prices, rents and wages are making it harder for small businesses to stay profitable. At the same time, consumers have less discretionary income and, therefore, less

to spend in these downtown settings.

“Right now, small businesses are caught between trying to recoup the high rents, energy costs and things like that,” he said. “And then they’re running into the competition and the fact that consumers don’t have the money to spend.”

Competing with big businesses

Inflation and other economic pressures are driving consumers to try to stretch their dollars, Cantor said. This is adding even greater strain on small businesses compared to big businesses.

“The reality is that these big businesses can buy goods and services at much cheaper prices, and consumers are certainly looking for bargains,” he said.

Despite this popular narrative, Patty Kaczmarczyk, owner of Cheese & Spice Market in Wading River, insists that her prices are competitive and often outperform her larger competitors.

“People sometimes feel, ‘I’m going to go to the supermarket where I can get things cheaper there,’ but now that’s not so true,” she said. “I’m a small business, so I’m trying not to kill people in pricing to stay very competitive. That’s my goal.”

Contrasting the business models of large and small businesses, Kaczmarczyk said smaller stores are better adapted to meet the needs of consumers. Whereas large retailers emphasize bulk purchases, she said small vendors allow for smaller, often cheaper orders.

“I carry so many loose spices, which are way cheaper than buying them in a grocery store,” she said. “I sell it loose, and you can buy smaller amounts.” Maximizing these advantages, she suggests, can keep small businesses afloat while competing against their larger counterparts.

Susannah Meinersman, owner of Huntington-based Bon Bons Chocolatier, said the store has been busy in general, which she attributes to making a great product. Meinersman said she appreciates Small Business Saturday: “I think the day brings awareness to the small Main Street business, so that’s a good thing.”

Giving back to the community

David Wolmetz is co-owner of Urban Air Adventure Park in Lake Grove. He described the small business sector as an extension of the greater community. Through various interactions of small businesses with community members, he said these businesses foster a greater sense of local cohesion.

“It’s not only about money for us,” he said. “It’s about connecting to the community.”

For example, Wolmetz sits on the board of the Stony Brook Cancer Center Community Advisory Council. Maintaining connections between small businesses and other local institutions is crucial, Wolmetz said, for community prosperity.

“We look for them: Girl Scouts, Boys Scouts, anything that’s related to our demographic of a youth, family oriented connection,” he said. “I’m very familiar with that connection, and that’s my reason for having the business.”

This connection will be imperative as businesses transition into the post-pandemic era. For Suzanne McEnroe, owner of This n’ That Gifts in St. James, the turnout on Saturday was encouraging.

She said she appreciates resident support as the business owner opened the gift store in February 2020, just a few weeks before the COVID-19 shutdowns. She is grateful to be open.

In general, she noticed a difference in business this year with more people out shopping. “They love to have a town shop to be able to just come and get a quick gift,” she said.

A critical juncture

While Small Business Saturday primarily targets the retail and service sectors, Long Island’s regional economy consists of small businesses across many other industries.

John Hill is the founder and CEO of the Long Island Advancement of Small Business, an organization committed to the growth and development of small businesses that do not interface with customers, such as financial planners, bankers and IT service providers, among others.

Hill contends that these small businesses are struggling, too. “They’re not growing, they’re not failing, they’re just eking out a living right now,” he said.

Given the high living costs on Long Island, Hill sees more small business owners closing up shop and heading to more affordable regions in the country, a startling trend for Long Island’s regional economy.

“We’ve had four people leave our organization to move off of Long Island,” he said. “Two moved to Florida, one to North Carolina and one to Tennessee.”

To stay afloat, Cantor suggests business owners will soon have to find creative ways to attract consumers to downtown areas while eliminating operating expenses.

“Businesses are at a critical juncture,” he said, noting that Small Business Saturday is “super.” He added, “We want all these small businesses to survive, and it’s great that Long Islanders are coming out to the downtowns to shop on Small Business Saturday. But they have to continue to do it.”

Rising energy prices, rents and wages are all applying greater pressure on small business owners. Pictured above, storefronts in downtown Port Jefferson. File photo by Julianne Mosher

Bill Proios, state wrestling champ, author and traveler

PREPARED BY JOHN PROIOS DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

William “Bill” Proios died peacefully at age 71 from cancer at Good Shepherd Hospice Center in Port Jefferson on Friday, Nov. 11.

Bill spent his final days surrounded by family and friends. Born in Detroit, Michigan, July 16, 1951, to Panayiotis and Angeline Proios, he lived most of his life in Port Jefferson. He won the high school’s first New York State wrestling championship in 1969 during his senior year. He was also president of his senior class.

the book “Port Jefferson: Story of a Village.”

Bill was a good friend, a kind and wonderful husband, father, grandfather, son-in-law, brother-in-law and uncle. He was a loving man who shared his faith in God and his love of life with all who encountered him.

OBITUARY

He will be remembered by the many stories he shared about his travels across the United States and Europe, and his work as a painting contractor in New York. He will be missed by all who knew him.

While studying at Stony Brook University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in American history, he co-authored

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Bill is survived by his wife, Nancy Macnab Proios, son John, his wife Kelly, son Alex, and three grandsons, Ira, Bill and Muhammad.

May the Good Lord carry his soul forever, and may he rest in peace.

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Raining on Santa’s parade

BY RAYMOND JANIS EDITOR1@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Not even the rain could keep Santa from coming to town on Sunday, Nov. 27, during this year’s annual Santa Parade in Port Jefferson village.

Amid a steady downpour, dozens lined the village streets in rain gear and under umbrellas. Marchers along the parade route walked the duration of Main Street, starting from the Port Jefferson train station to the intersection of East and West Broadway, then ending at the Village Center.

Port Jefferson Fire Department featured several of its vehicles. Dancers twirled and fairy princesses trotted along, avoiding the puddles. Santa Claus, the rock star of the evening, rode in a stylish stagecoach pulled by a horse.

The festivities finished in the warmer, dry Village Center, where Santa greeted the children in attendance, asking them what they would like for Christmas. A children’s choir on the second floor filled the hall with songs.

The Greater Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce hosted the event, which coordinates the parade annually. Barbara Ransome, the chamber’s director of operations, explained why the event was held through the rain.

Sunday was the only possible date for the

event to be held, and Ransome decided that hosting the parade in the face of bad weather would be preferable to complete cancellation. “I’m glad we didn’t cancel in spite of the rain,” she said.

The chamber director of operations added, “We’ve been doing this for as long as I know. I was very surprised to see so many umbrellas on Main Street — it really worked out pretty well.”

Two elected officials representing the village government, Deputy Mayor Kathianne Snaden and trustee Rebecca Kassay, joined the parade procession. Snaden also expressed a pleasant surprise at the sizable turnout despite the conditions.

“Having the weather the way it was, I really thought it would just be empty streets when we walked down,” she said. “I was really impressed to see so many families brave the conditions to see Santa.”

Kassay described the experience as bringing together the various facets of the community’s heritage.

“To see so many people coming out in their raincoats and under umbrellas to celebrate this tradition in Port Jefferson was a truly heartwarming thing to be a part of,” she said.

— Photos by Raymond Janis

Warriors fall to Bulls in non-league matchup

BY BILL LANDON DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

left. The Bulls would edge out Comsewogue, 5450, for the final score.

Haug led his team in scoring with 27 points and teammate Dominic Galati banked 15.

SPORTS

The Smithtown East Bulls managed to keep the Comsewogue Warriors at bay through 16 minutes of play, protecting a three-point lead going into the locker room in a non-league matchup on Tuesday, Nov. 29.

The Warriors rallied in the second half, tying the game at 33-all at the 4 minute, 53 seconds mark of the third quarter. They then took their first lead of the game to open the final eight minutes of play.

Tied at 50-50 with 34 seconds left in regulation, both teams traded points at the free throw line when Smithtown East senior Ben Haug sank both of his shots with eight seconds

Comsewogue’s Chris Beverly led the Warriors with 14, with teammates Austin Nesbitt netting 13, and Hayden Morris Gray notching 12.

The Bulls are back in action Thursday, Dec. 1, with a road game against Hauppauge at 5:45 p.m., and the Warriors host William Floyd at 6:15 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2.

Pictured clockwise from above, Smithtown East’s James Burton lays up for two; Comsewogue’s Chris Beverly with a block; Daimler Valerio grabs the loose ball; Austin Nesbitt drives the baseline; and timeout, Warriors.

— Photos by Bill Landon

Falsehoods that need to be corrected

A letter by Richard Esopa, “New York’s destructive elected leadership,” appeared recently in this newspaper [Nov. 24] containing quite a number of serious falsehoods which need to be corrected. These include:

New York has the highest crime rate by state. False. The five states with the highest crime rates in the United States (2022) are: District of Columbia, New Mexico, Louisiana, Colorado and South Carolina. New York has the 42nd highest crime rate, between Michigan and West Virginia (source: World Population Review).

New York has the highest murder rate by state (related to first claim). False. The five states with the highest murder rate (2022) are: Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Missouri and Arkansas. New York state has the 34th highest murder rate (source: World Population Review).

New York City has the highest violent crime rate of any major city. False. The five major U.S. cities that have the highest violent crime rates are: Memphis, Detroit, Cleveland, Kansas City and Milwaukee (source: www.populationu.com based on FBI statistics). New York City is not on the list of most dangerous cities.

Criminals are being released with no bail. False. Unless we want to throw out

the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution, as well as centuries of established common law, simply being arrested does not make one a “criminal.”

Prosecutors and district attorneys are refusing to charge criminals. False. Prosecutors always have to make choices about how to allocate finite resources and about which crimes are most damaging to society at large and thus should be allocated a greater share of these resources.

Gun laws affect only law-abiding citizens. False. Many guns used in homicides were purchased legally by “law-abiding citizens.” This includes Adam Lanza’s mom (Sandy Hook) and Ethan Crumbley’s parents (Michigan), the Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo mass shooters, as well as Gregory and Travis McMichael (Georgia) who no doubt seemed to be very “law abiding.” So, too, was Stephen Paddock, who shot and killed 60 people and wounded at least 413 in Las Vegas. Those who shoot and kill people may be “law-abiding citizens” until they’re not.

We have quite enough of this kind of misinformation circulating through social media and openly partisan broadcasts and newspapers without propagating it further.

And here’s an opinion: New York state no more needs to be “saved” by U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin [R-NY1] than the United States needs to be saved by former President Donald Trump [R].

David Friedman St. James

Garbage grief

Continued from COVER

the gas and leachate [that are] generated when you do that sort of thing.”

Garant agreed that the landfill does not fit neatly into a conventional classification category, given its prior use. Consequently, the village government is considering entering into negotiations with DEC to reclassify the landfill as a transfer station.

Garant said a change of classification could enable the village to continue using the site. “We realized we were managing this more like a transfer station than we were a landfill, and that’s going to be our approach with the DEC,” the mayor said. “As a transfer station, it means that [branches and leaves] are held here on a temporary basis, broken down and relocated, just like we were doing.”

She added, “If we have to abandon the kettle hole, we then have to put a barrier down, backfill it with clean fill, bring up the grade, and that’s going to cost us approximately $500,000 to do that, to abandon it.”

Tonjes said the Port Jeff landfill seems to fit some of the conditions for a transfer station. However, he noted that DEC guidelines for transfer stations are generally restrictive.

“Typically, a transfer station is a site where waste comes in and is kept under a roof for a period of time, and then it’s moved out to either a reuse point or disposal point,” he said. Depending on the materials stored, that temporary window of time could be as small as 24 hours.

An uncertain future

Conflicts with DEC over the long-term storage of branches and brush are not unique to Port Jefferson. Tonjes said several towns along the East End had met stiff opposition from DEC due to accumulations of storm debris.

Such materials, if processed promptly, could have been reused. “When they grind it up, they end up with a pile of wood chips that no one really wants,” the associate professor said. “They’re really low-value material, they end up with stuff that should have been reused.”

Tonjes suggests Port Jeff is entangled within a broader conflict within New York state over the reuse of organic waste. By cracking down

on the long-term storage of organic waste, DEC aims to reuse these materials before their reuse value diminishes.

While municipalities have historically been responsible for waste disposal functions, this may soon change. Given the ballooning costs associated with managing solid waste, Tonjes suggests these may soon be too burdensome for a small municipality such as the village.

“With the village being such a small entity and trying to run its own — in a sense — disposal facility, it calls for a degree of technical oversight and awareness that may be too expensive for the village to do,” he said.

Further complicating matters is the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. This 2019 law mandates New York to reduce economywide greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and no less than 85 percent by 2050 from 1990 levels.

Enforcing these standards, Tonjes said, would require the complete overhaul of the state’s waste management apparatus.

Under this law, “all government actions have to comply with the notion of minimizing greenhouse gas emissions,” he said. “Almost all solid waste activities involve greenhouse gas emissions, so it’s clear that solid waste management will have to change dramatically to account for this new law.”

Meanwhile, Garant admitted that the changes in state law blindsided the village. For her, the permit controversy with DEC offers a window into the challenges small municipalities encounter when interfacing with higher levels of government.

“When large government makes change to a section of the code, they really don’t know the trickle-down impacts that they are making,” she said. “Wanting to be in full compliance, making an application six months ahead of time, now I’m in a situation where I’m in the middle of branch and leaf pickup, and I’m going to have a permit expiring.”

Tonjes said conversations surrounding solid waste management are only getting started. He suggests that finding a workable solution to these complex problems requires significant coordination between all levels of government.

“The future is going to get very interesting in terms of regulating how the state manages its garbage,” he said.

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Talking trash: Rethinking local control over solid waste disposal

Here on Long Island, local governments have been historically responsible for treating and disposing of solid waste. This dynamic is no longer workable.

Managing waste is among the most crucial functions of government. Without these services, untreated garbage would threaten the health and safety of our residents and endanger our local environment.

However, treating solid waste entails ever-increasing costs to dispose of the trash and keep up with the fast-paced regulatory climate. Those costs will only compound in the years to come.

In Port Jefferson, the village government is engaged in a messy permit dispute with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation over a small landfill it uses for branch and leaf pickup services. New DEC regulations targeting landfills have impacted Port Jeff’s kettle hole, entangling this small village in a much broader regulatory conflict.

The controversy may be affecting Port Jeff right now, but it will soon involve nearly every community on Long Island. Plans are underway to close the Brookhaven Town Landfill by 2024, which serves the entire region, precipitating a garbage crisis here on Long Island.

From these examples we are learning that solid waste treatment is not merely a local policy concern. It is integrated within a much larger context, affecting neighboring communities, regions and states.

Solid waste landfills, where much of our garbage is stored, are also significant emitters of greenhouse gases. These facilities may soon be prime targets for oversight and regulation under plans to curb the effects of climate change.

At TBR News Media, we are committed to the premise that local government is closest and, therefore, most accountable to the people. Local control gives residents a stake in what goes on within their community’s boundaries. But garbage is blind to these political distinctions and its hazardous effects often cross over these lines, impacting our neighbors. The problem is too grand for any one municipality to handle on its own.

Effective waste management is an increasingly regional, national and even global phenomenon. The situation calls for a coordinated and efficient response from these higher tiers of government.

Sustaining local control over waste management will soon come with a crippling price tag for municipalities and taxpayers alike. State and federal regulators will place heavy restrictions on the operators of solid waste landfills — local governments — passing the burden of cost and regulatory compliance onto these smaller governments.

Over time, municipalities will have to devote more resources and staff to their garbage, eating away at their budgets and diverting vital funds from other local programs and constituent services. All of this runs counter to the original idea of local autonomy.

Now is the right time for local governments to evaluate their involvement in waste management. Municipalities should seriously consider transitioning these duties to higher levels of government — such as counties or the state — with oversight from regional planning councils composed of delegates from our communities.

A consolidated waste management apparatus could be more efficient and less restrictive for small governments, freeing up money and attention for local matters within their control.

At the individual level, we must also take steps to limit our impact on landfills. On Long Island, we don’t even have reliable measures of recycling rates, let alone a plan to bring those levels up. Furthermore, many ordinary household items have the potential for reuse. Residents should take advantage of special recycling events that assign these items a reuse value.

While policymakers work out the nuances of an integrated waste management hierarchy, we can do our part to limit our contribution to solid waste landfills. These complex problems may find meaningful solutions if governments and citizens act responsibly.

Holiday Food Basket Drive 2022

With your help, last December our Lions Club was able to visit just over 100 families in need with a delivery of groceries.

These folks all live in nearby towns. Many of the families are single moms living in small apartments. A few of them are elderly couples. We find them in converted garages, rooms above stores, small cottages with several families, etc. Most of them get very excited and are so thankful to receive these groceries. It gives them a temporary sense of food security.

If we can achieve our goal of $14,000, we can feed 140 families between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Lions will arrange to purchase the food. We will get it all together on Dec. 9 with the help of our club and some volunteers.

Early the next day we will head out in our cars to the addresses given to us from local churches, schools, soup kitchens, social workers, etc. Suggested donation is $50. Many have donated more, some less. It all adds up, so please be as generous as you can.

I know that many groups are asking for your help and I very much appreciate your generosity to the Port Jefferson Lions Club Holiday Food Basket Drive. Please send your tax deductible check to P.O. Box 202, Port Jefferson, NY 11777, attention Rick G. For questions, call me at 631-680-7212 or email rickgiovan@gmail.com.

Rick Giovan

Port Jefferson Lions Club

School bond vote part of Port Jeff’s ‘perfect financial storm’

A “perfect financial storm” may well hit our area with two bond issues, both carrying hefty price tags.

One bond issue, which never saw a vote by village residents, might involve upward of $11 million to shore up the bluff at the village East Beach. Now, the Port Jefferson School District Board of Education is asking residents to approve two bond propositions — in an oddly timed Monday, Dec. 12, vote — totaling about $25 million in spending.

While some necessary facility upgrades are incorporated in the first proposition, the second seeks replacing the grass on the middle school/high school athletic field with crumb rubber artificial turf, an unnecessary expenditure justified by the district administration on the rather dubious argument of greater “playability.”

The school district has also chosen to ignore serious questions about both the safety of artificial turf as well as potential health and environmental dangers.

District residents will recall a 2017 bond proposition by a previous Board of

Education — that included several of the present board members — to install artificial turf on the middle school/high school field on Brook Road, as well as lights on the Scraggy Hill field. District residents rejected that bond by a 4-1 margin.

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grandiose district office.

The old adage that “those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it” may well describe the mindset of the majority of the present Board of Education.

School district residents have, over the years, been generous in supporting this very small school system with an annual per-pupil spending of almost $40,000, according to the most recent available data from the New York State Education Department.

However, can expenditures of this magnitude be justified at a time of major economic uncertainty and especially in light of the dwindling Port Jefferson School District enrollment, with a projected 20% decrease by 2031, according to a study published by the school district?

Add to this the LIPA “glide path” which will substantially raise school taxes and the makings of a “perfect financial storm” are in place.

Charles G. Backfish Port Jefferson

Vote ‘no’ on the Dec. 12 school bond

Some history on the upcoming school bond is in order.

Around 2004, lacrosse parents asked the school board for a lacrosse team. The athletic director at the time found no viability for such a program.

There were too few kids in the high school — there are fewer now. It would needlessly hurt baseball and track competing in the same season.

Later boards, however, gave in to pressure and created the lacrosse team. With less revenue coming in, we began adding more sports programs.

The 2017 bond proposal called for lights, turf and everything the lacrosse kids could have wanted. The public said, resoundingly, “no.” And now, these adamant parents and board members are back… with a vote in December — and on a Monday.

The public vote comes when some voters are in Florida or distracted by the holidays. If all this passes, the district will return to ask for stadium lights to illuminate their state-of-theart artificial turf field.

This bond is for many millions of dollars, most of it supporting nonacademic infrastructure. My prediction is that we will soon see future spending on a more

During my 12-year tenure on the board of education, we supported all kids. My daughter, Christina, was a class valedictorian. She only played one sport, volleyball. Yet, she spoke at a board meeting for a new track.

We built the track for our sports kids, and today walkers use it, too. And we also created all new science labs, multilinked fiber networks, technology labs, two libraries and an auditorium.

This board does not support all of our kids. This board does not support gifted kids or kids who need special programs, as required under the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142).

This board just canceled the SEAL program for elementary gifted youth. Previous boards canceled the nineperiod rotating schedule that made our kids more competitive for admission to the best colleges.

Some say the SEAL program wasn’t doing well. Well, that’s on them. Solution: Transfer the teacher, and make it better. Don’t fail to act. Don’t fail the kids.

There is no vision here, no equity. The board majority is driven by a vocal lacrosse minority.

We have proven we can be an academic powerhouse — we were once 34th in the nation, according to The Washington Post. Academics drove real estate appreciation. No Long Island district outperformed us in state tests.

A recent academic review compares our kids to state-level performance — not elite Long Island schools.

Where are we now academically? Closer to 1,000th in the nation. Board members are constantly under pressure to cut taxes.

If you have no idea where to go — you go where you are pointed. You kill the proverbial “golden goose.”

Some say Port Jeff is a sports powerhouse. Really? Let’s refocus on academics, a proven winner for our district.

Vote “no” on the bond. The vote is Monday, Dec. 12, not a Tuesday (just to further confuse you).

Bruce Miller Port Jefferson

Editor’s note: The writer served as Port Jefferson Village trustee from 2014-22.

Dropping unwanted baggage makes it easier to move ahead

As we reach the beginning of December, we are only a month away from the inevitable promises to shed unwanted pounds.

Today, however, only a few days after our journeys to visit friends and families for Thanksgiving, I’d like to urge you to consider shedding unwanted baggage.

answer on which we received no credit.

Some of that baggage is constructive, giving us the tools and the memory to learn from our mistakes and to have a perspective on the things that happen to us.

mindlessly eat and a dedication to exercise.

But how do we get rid of the emotional baggage that gets in our way? What do we do to move forward when the burdens around us weigh us down?

Believing the best about ourselves is difficult.

We might, for example, learn to cope with losses on the athletic field more gracefully when recalling how we felt the time we shouted at a coach, an umpire or an opposing player. Days, weeks, or years later, we might realize that we have the tools and the distance to understand the moment better and to develop a grace we might not have possessed when we were younger.

For starters, we might learn to forgive people for whatever they did that annoys or puts us down. Forgiveness isn’t easy, of course. We sometimes hold onto those slights as if they are a part of our identity, becoming a doctor to show our biology teacher who didn’t believe in us that we are capable and competent or developing into a trained athlete after a neighbor insulted us.

We also don’t, and won’t, always win. It’s easier to carry the memories of the times we failed a test or when we didn’t reach the top of the mountain on a hike. Carrying those setbacks around with us for anything other than motivation to try again or to go further than we did before makes it harder to succeed.

D. None of the above

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF

Metaphorically, we all lug unwanted baggage with us — remembering the spot where a girlfriend or boyfriend broke up with us; the moment we decided to substitute the wrong player in a game we were coaching; and the time our teacher gave someone else partial credit for the same

Extending the baggage metaphor, it seems that the more we carry with us everywhere, the harder it is to move forward. Baggage, like those unwanted pounds that make it harder to hike up a hill or to climb stairs, keeps us in place, preventing us from improving and moving forward.

Shedding pounds, which isn’t so easy itself, has a prescribed collection of patterns, often involving an attention to the foods we might

Tormented by letters and numbers

Holding onto those insults gives other people unnecessary power over us. We can and should set and achieve our goals because of what we want and not because we continue to overcome limits other people tried to set for us.

We also might feel weighed down by our own self-doubt. As I’ve told my children, their peers and many of their teammates, we shouldn’t help our competitors beat us.

Now is the time to set down that baggage, to walk, jog or even run forward, unencumbered by everything that might make us doubt ourselves and our abilities and that might make it harder to achieve our goals. While all that baggage might feel familiar in our hands, it also digs into our palms, twists our fingers and slows our feet.

Even before we resolve to eat better, to exercise, to lose weight and to look our best, let’s check or even cast aside our emotional and psychological luggage. Maybe dropping that baggage in the last month of the year will make achieving and keeping our New Year’s resolutions that much easier.

LEAH S. DUNAIEF

Here are three of my most feared words: what’s your password? I understand that passwords were designed to keep out the unwelcome in any digital circumstance. Early passwords worked for ATM machines. After all, we didn’t want anyone else to be able to get our money, right? OK, so that was four numbers that we could remember, certainly easier than committing our social security number to memory, for example. Not any longer do we enjoy such brevity. Now we are asked to use eight or 10 numbers and letters, the combinations of which must contain capitals, lower case, numbers and some other vital symbol, like an asterisk or a dollar sign or an

exclamation point. And we are admonished not to use the same password twice for fear of opening the gates to financial ruination. I would bet the fact is, though, that the only person kept at bay by the request for the password is the password holder who has forgotten the sacred assemblage of letters, numbers and pound signs.

Further, needing the password makes no sense since the frequently asked question, “Forgot your password? Press here to make another,” often allows anyone to bypass the gate anyway. All the intruder has to do is come up with a new password, and they are in.

Some passwords are useful. Certainly, we don’t want just anyone to access our banking records if we bank online. And if we pay for a service, like a subscription to a newspaper, we don’t want an undesignated person to share it. But some of the pass requirements are just plain stupid. Who else but me cares how many steps I walk per day? Or how much sleep I averaged over the past week?? Or how much I weigh? Almost as soon as I apply for an app, I have to select a password to use it,

even though the app is free.

Passwords are just one irritant of the digital age, however. As long as I am voicing my frustrations, let’s consider telephones and what has become of what was a perfectly helpful way to enter in conversation with another human. Just try to call an airline or an insurance company and see how long you are put on hold. Sometimes they will tell you that the operator will be with you in 28 minutes and ask if you would like them to hold your place in line and call you back. That’s civilized. Or the automated voice will try to shove you off to their website. But you cannot ask questions of a home page beyond the couple of programmed Q&As posted there.

When you finally get a person on the other end, after pressing any number of buttons, they will ask you to hold for the correct extension, which will ring and ring and finally disconnect you. Then you have to start all over.

I recognize that there is an attempt to have a paperless world. I understand that

companies are feeling pressured financially and are trying to cut down on personnel. But does the world have to get there by driving us to distraction first? Some technology is actually helpful. Instead of a password, some apps ask for fingerprint ID. Once you register with your thumb or whichever finger you choose, you need only to present that finger in the future, and you are immediately admitted. Why isn’t that more commonly used to authenticate the user? Or ask a personal question as the price of admission only the user would be able to answer, like the name of your junior high school or your first pet’s name. Sometimes I am asked two or three questions like that, but only after I have already offered my password. And usually it’s my mother’s maiden name, which by itself used to work but no longer. Not complicated enough, I guess.

One friend figured she had solved the password problem by putting all her passwords into one file on her cellphone. Only trouble? She has forgotten the file’s password.