The Times of Smithtown - June 1, 2023

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Election results, hiring of new principal controversy at forefront of Smithtown BOE meeting

BY LEAH CHIAPPINO LCHIAPPINO@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

The Smithtown Central School District Board of Education held its first meeting following the recent election that passed the district’s budget, reelected BOE president Matthew Gribbin, and trustee John Savoretti; Kevin Craine was elected to fill the seat of outgoing trustee Jerry Martusciello

EDUCATION

Gribbin started the May 23 meeting by thanking the community for passing the budget.

“That gives us the opportunity to continue to build on the curriculum that we have [going] forward and to expand our programs and opportunities and just continue to provide for our students,” he said.

Gribbin said he was honored to have been reelected, and congratulated trustee Savoretti with incoming trustee Craine on their wins. Savoretti and Craine ran on an opposing ticket to Gribbin.

Superintendent Mark Secaur also expressed appreciation for the budget being passed and congratulated the winners of the election. He said he had heard from the community regarding the level of security at voting sites in the school building.

“What I heard concerns me as well and we will be taking steps to address these concerns,” he said.

The conversation during the public comment portion of the meeting turned to the hiring of Martine Francois-DePass, an assistant principal in the Longwood Central School District who was a candidate for Smithtown Elementary School principal. She

was scheduled to be voted on by the board at the meeting. Francois-DePass, a Black woman whose credentials include an M.S.E. in curriculum and teaching from Fordham University and an advanced certificate in educational leadership and administration from Long Island University, withdrew her name from the process before the meeting.

Also conversant in the Haitian Creole language, according to her LinkedIn page, Francois-DePass faced a slew of attacks on social media for tweets supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and racial justice. Her Twitter account now states it “doesn’t exist.” Without mentioning her by name, Secaur confirmed Francois-DePass was no longer being considered for the position.

“It would not be appropriate to discuss personnel matters in a public session but I can share that that candidate withdrew from the process,” he said. “I could also tell you that the district administration and the Board of Education is going to continue its conversations about the hiring process in a manner that will render the best possible candidates.”

Laura Campagna, a parent, expressed disappointment over Francois-DePass withdrawing from the process.

“It wasn’t about credentials,” she said. “I think the candidate was very well credentialed and I believe that I being a member of the school community as formally a school psychologist, I know that the process is very vigorous to hire all candidates. I really am very disappointed because I know this person was dragged through the mud on social media. I fear that the community coming after people like that

will stop talented candidates from coming to interview in this district and it will cause tremendously bad effects on our schools and on our community and our home values.”

Katie Kensinger, a lifelong Smithtown resident, said with feeling, “We must recognize the significance of hiring administrators who bring diverse perspectives on social issues to the table in Smithtown,” citing the number of students of color presently enrolled in the district.

“There’s been several instances over the last several years that we have found ourselves

both as a district and a community in both the international, national, local papers and not in a positive way for racial bias,” she said. “ It’s not new … what happened over the last couple of days was disgusting.”

A spokesperson for the district in a statement confirmed “the candidate withdrew from the hiring process,” but declined to comment further on the matter.

Francois-DePass did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.

The Smithtown Central School District Board of Education listened to parents’ concerns on May 23 about a principal candidate withdrawing her name from the hiring process. File photo

“The food was excellent and presented so beautifully. I received many compliments from the guests on it. Everything was excellent.

The entire staff was polite, professional and extremely capable. They took control and made it very easy for me to enjoy the party. Diane was always available to address any concerns I had. Linda, Karen, Barbara and Bob were terrific. They left the kitchen clean and in good shape.

Also wanted to compliment Neil on his professionalism as well.

I would highly recommend Elegant Eating to anyone.

Thank you Myra for going above and beyond and making this party such a success. Looking forward to catering from Elegant Eating again for any celebrations in the future. Once again, thank you for your outstanding food and services, and for the constant communication.”

– Lisa, Ocean Beach

Left behind? Long Island feels the pinch of high costs, housing shortages

BY AIDAN JOHNSON DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Decades-old fears over a possible Long Island “brain drain,” or people in their 20s and 30s leaving the region, have not been quelled. Instead, some are worried that the brain drain has spread to other age demographics as well.

much on a fixed income,” he said in a phone interview. “My wife’s been working, and her salary has gotten better over the last few years … but with the rising amount of taxes and everything else that’s going on on Long Island, it’s pretty much going to be unsustainable.”

HOUSING

Martin Cantor, director at the Long Island Center for Socio-Economic Policy, suggests every age demographic is looking to escape the Island.

“The young don’t come and stay,” he said. “Most kids, if they go away to college, don’t come back. The middle class is leaving because it’s too expensive.”

While some suggest that this may be due to a lack of housing options, Cantor is not entirely on board with this diagnosis. “There is a general feeling out there that they want to blame people leaving [on the] housing options and, to an extent, yeah,” but this doesn’t paint the complete picture, he said. “It’s because we’re just too darned expensive to live here, plain and simple.”

Sal Pitti, former vice president of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association, is moving to Florida. His case exemplifies how even prominent local leaders feel the squeeze of high costs, fleeing the communities they helped build and grow due to financial pressures.

“I’m retired from the NYPD, so I’m pretty

Instead of waiting a few more years, Pitti and his wife decided to take advantage of the recent high spot in the housing market and were able to sell their home relatively quickly.

Problems also arise with Long Island’s minimum wage, which currently stands at $15 — the same as for New York City and Westchester, with the rest of the state at $14.20. Even though the Long Island rate is more than double the $7.25 national minimum wage, it is still not nearly enough to afford a two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s 2021 Out of Reach report, the minimum hourly wage necessary to afford a twobedroom apartment in the Nassau-Suffolk HUD Metro Fair Market Rents Area is $39.13. This means that two local adults working full time on minimum wage could still not afford an apartment.

In an interview, Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) described his conversation with one homeowner who, along with her husband, works a minimum wage job. To afford the mortgage, she had to work two shifts.

The simultaneous problems of low wages and high rents represent a conundrum for policymakers. The interplay of local and societal factors can make this puzzle even more problematic.

“I don’t know what the answer is,” Kornreich said. “I don’t know how we value work in a way that allows people to do important work that’s societally vital” while also paying workers “enough that they can afford just to live a basic existence.”

While Long Island’s minimum wage will continue to increase — set to reach $17 an hour by 2026 — that would still not be enough to afford a two-bedroom apartment.

Village of Port Jefferson Mayor Margot Garant described her administration’s efforts to cater for affordable housing options.

“There is nothing that we’re going to do to stop building more workforce housing as long as I’m involved,” Garant said.

The village mayor described the heavy demand for affordable housing, with roughly 1,300 applications being submitted for Conifer Realty’s Port Jefferson Crossing project in Upper Port that offers 45 apartments based on the median income in the area.

“It just shows the need for clean, affordable

workforce housing,” Garant said.

While new affordable housing units may partially help alleviate some of the housing shortages throughout the region, it is not a solution to the overarching problem of high expenses.

To ease economic pressures on Long Island, Cantor urged policymakers to worry about costs and cut spending where possible.

“Nobody is worrying about costs,” he said, suggesting regional income taxes replace property taxes. “This way, people pay based upon what they earn, not the value of their assets.”

Eye on the Street: Thinking about fleeing Long Island or not

BY CAROLYN SACKSTEIN DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

In downtown Port Jefferson Saturday, May 27, we asked the passersby if they had ever considered moving away from Long Island and if so, why? Some had actually moved away and returned. Others said family and connection to the place they called “home” were contributing factors for staying on Long Island. While some people cited the high cost of living and taxes, only one native Long Islander committed to leaving the Island for this reason.

— Photos by Carolyn Sackstein John Stoldt with daughter Jocelyn, 4, Mount Sinai

“We talk about either South Carolina or Florida.” He continued by saying that his wife “went to college down in Miami and she loved it, plus we like the warmer weather. Ultimately, it is because of the high taxes and the expenses here on Long Island. And there is less opportunity for jobs here for what I do. I manage warehouses, micro-fulfillment centers, distribution centers. There are not many on Long

Island, so I have to commute into the city. That makes it difficult for a work-life balance.”

Michelle and John Chiappino, Smithtown

Michelle said, “I was born and raised in Smithtown, then I lived in Port Jefferson for 15 years. We lived in Nesconset, and now we are back in Smithtown.” Michelle explained they stay here “because it’s home, I really have no desire to go someplace else.”

John added, “It’s home. Leaving Long Island — there’s nowhere really to go. All our family is here.”

Nancy Volpi, Port Jefferson

“My business brought me here from Albertson 20 years ago. The shop, Carry-All Wine & Liquors, was in Mount Sinai. I still see a lot of my customers.”

When asked what keeps her here, she added, “My son. He lives around the corner from me.” When asked if she ever thought about moving, she said, “Yes, I have a daughter in Knoxville, Tennessee

and a son in Jupiter, Florida. Maybe someday the family will get back together.”

Larry Bramer, Shirley

“I have always lived in Shirley.” When asked what keeps him there, he replied, “The pay, the jobs. There are a lot of opportunities here.” When asked if he ever considered leaving, he replied, “I did leave for about a year. I went to Tampa Bay, Florida. It was beautiful. It was just very hard to survive there. We found work. My wife and I went there for a new start, but it was just hard. There are just a lot of opportunities in New York. That’s why we came back here.”

Maureen Corrdeliso, Mount Sinai

“We are connected with friends. Our medical care is really good here — that’s a big thing — between the two hospitals [in Port Jeff] and Stony Brook. And we are close to the city. I like Long Island. I have spent most of my life here. It’s home. If you go somewhere, you have to start off anew. I don’t want to do that.”

Karla Jimenez, Stony Brook

“I am from Mexico City. My sister moved here, and I kind of just followed her. I have been here 25 years. I finished high school here, and then got my associates [degree] from Suffolk [County Community College].”

When asked if she would leave she replied, “No. I married young and have three kids. My oldest is about to [attend] The Stony Brook School. We are home schooling the younger children. They will go to The Stony Brook School. I just like the way we are set. We get the four seasons. We have the beach, and we have the city.”

Joseph Lubrano, Shirley

“Yeah, we are going to move away when I retire [and] get Social Security. We already have a house in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. It is on the western border. Taxes! I can’t afford to retire here. $13,000-a-year here. There, it is only $1,500. How do you compare?”

Village of Port Jefferson Mayor Margot Garant suggests Conifer Realty’s Port Jefferson Crossing project, pictured above, may help ease workforce housing shortages. File photo by Raymond Janis

The following incidents have been reported by Su olk County Police:

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Central Islip bank robbed

Suffolk County Police Major Case Unit Detectives are investigating a bank robbery that occurred in Central Islip on May 30.

The man pictured above entered Bethpage Federal Credit Union, located at 233 South Research Place, at 9:36 a.m. and passed a note to a teller demanding cash. The teller complied and the suspect fled on foot with cash northbound through the parking lot. The robber was described as 5 feet 6 to 5 feet 7 inches tall with dark skin. He was wearing sweatpants, a plaid hooded sweatshirt and a medical mask.

Detectives are asking anyone with information on the robbery to call the Major Case Unit at 631-852-6555.

Woman killed in Islandia crash

Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are investigating a crash that killed a woman and seriously injured her passenger on May 29 in Islandia.

Erika Figueroa was driving a 2010 Ford Edge eastbound on the Long Island Expressway, between exit 58 and exit 59, with her boyfriend Juan Reyes in the front passenger seat, when the vehicle left the roadway, struck the center median, spun around, and struck the right guardrail at approximately 2:40 a.m.

Figueroa, 26, of Medford, was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital where she was pronounced dead. Reyes, 34, of Medford, was transported to the same hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The vehicle was impounded for a safety check.

Detectives are asking anyone with information on the crash to contact the Fourth Squad at 631-854-8452.

Visit www.tbrnewsmedia.com/police

Do you recognize this man? Photos from SCPD

Wanted for Grand Larceny

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fourth Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate a man who allegedly stole assorted merchandise, including an electric bike, from Target, located at 98 Veterans Memorial Highway in Commack, at 4:30 p.m. on May 10. The merchandise was cumulatively valued at approximately $2,060.

Do you recognize this man? Photos from SCPD

Wanted for Petit Larceny

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Fourth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate a man who allegedly stole alcohol from Lake Liquor, located at 299 Hawkins Ave. in Ronkonkoma, at approximately 12:30 p.m. on May 20.

— COMPILED BY HEIDI SUTTON

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

Bank robbery suspect Photo from SCPD

Ghost fishing is haunting Long Island Sound

BY AIDAN JOHNSON DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

In the depths of the Long Island Sound, stationed among the crustaceans and fish, lie hundreds of thousands of lobster traps.

ENVIRONMENT & NATURE

These traps, a shadow of a once-vibrant lobster industry, have been abandoned for decades.

Yet still active, they perpetuate a dangerous trend for marine life: ghost fishing.

Ghost fishing isn’t a supernatural phenomenon. It is a problem created by humans. It is the result of fishermen abandoning old but sometimes still functioning lobster pots and similar fishing gear in the Long Island Sound. While there are few lobsters left, those that remain can still be trapped, along with other sea life. With no way to escape, they end up dying a needless death.

The problems don’t end there, as Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai) explained. “People are like, ‘It’s fine, no one sees

it,’” she said. “But that’s not true because a lot of these lobster pots are starting to break down. They’re partly plastic, and the plastic is polluting the water.”

The solution, the county legislator insisted, is to remove the ghost gear as soon as possible. New York state law, however, prohibits the removal.

“No person other than the licensee shall set out, tend, haul or unduly disturb, or take or remove lobsters from, a lobster pot or trap or other commercial gear, or damage, take, remove or possess such gear,” New York’s Environmental Conservation Law states.

While there have been efforts to remove the equipment, the near million derelict traps still there continue to take a toll on sea life. “My vision is to have a massive flotilla … go out to Long Island Sound, remove hundreds of thousands of lobster

pots and ghost gear,” Anker said.

The problem gets worse with the realization that some of the fishermen aren’t around anymore, Anker added. “Maybe they’ve left the area, they’ve passed away, they’re no longer fishing in the area. There’s all kinds of reasons and it’s really a detriment to our local nautical community.”

To address these concerns, Anker is working with New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele Jr. (D-Sag Harbor) to draft legislation that could allow the state to remove the ghost gear after a designated period of time.

Organizations such as the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County have joined the efforts to remove as many ghost traps as the law currently permits. “What happens is they pay the fishermen about $850 to charter their boat for the fishermen to go and then retrieve these pots,” Anker said.

In praise of Amtrak, LIRR not so much

BY JOHN BROVEN DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

How should I travel to the recent Association for Recorded Sound Conference in Pittsburgh?

Although the air flight from New York is short, I was shocked when I found the round trip would cost up to $500. A 430mile car journey didn’t come into consideration.

Following a quick call to Amtrak and after negotiating the inevitable automated messages, I was quoted a return fare of $133.20 on the daily Pennsylvanian train.

After checking the Long Island Rail Road app, I found the connections between Stony Brook and Penn Station were workable, even if it meant all-day journeys to and from Pittsburgh on a Wednesday and a Sunday. I had the time.

With the booking made, I wondered how much extra a business-class seat would cost. When I was quoted $116.40 for the privilege, I accepted with alacrity. Why not travel in comfort? The total outlay was still half the price of an air flight without the hassle of going through LaGuardia Airport and the rest.

The 7:43 a.m. train from Stony Brook arrived on or close at Penn Station. After a short hike through the building site that is one of the premier U.S. rail stations, I arrived at bustling, brand-new Moynihan Train Hall in plenty of time for the 10.58 a.m. Amtrak train to Pittsburgh. We headed south on a perfect sunny day through New Jersey to Philadelphia before we veered west via Lancaster and Harrisburg. “This beautiful farming countryside is Trump country,” I mused to myself.

With a compelling book to hand, Mack

McCormick’s “Biography of a Phantom: A Robert Johnson Blues Odyssey,” detailing the author’s travails through 1960s Mississippi in search of family and friends of the country blues legend, the hours flew by.

The business-class carriage was located next to the café car. The meals were hardly haute cuisine, rather adequate comfort food that was washed down with acceptable Pinot Grigio wine.

At one point, the conductor excitedly announced that we were approaching the World Famous Horseshoe Curve where Irish immigrant workers in the 1850s had constructed rail tracks from the side of the Allegheny Mountains. It was a sight I would never have savored from 35,000 feet in the air.

On past Amtrak trips, my trains had been held up for longish periods by freight convoys, including the Tropicana orange (blossom?) special from Florida. Passenger trains, it appeared, were playing second fiddle to the more profitable freights. For certain, Amtrak has suffered for years from underinvestment, lack of political will and poor reputation.

Still, our train, due in Pittsburgh at 7:58 p.m., was only 10-minutes late on a mellow sunlit evening. “Are there any taxi cabs at the station?” I asked the ever-polite conductors on my first visit to the reinvigorated Steel City. “Never seen any,” they said in unison.

With my Uber app on the blink, I tried the iPhone map and was delighted to find it was just a 10-minute walk up Grant Street to the conference hotel.

The closeness should have been no surprise. Amtrak rail and Greyhound bus stations were invariably built in or near city centers, not miles away on the outskirts. I found out later that taxi

fares from the airport cost $60.

The music conference, after the pandemic hiatus, was good. Aside from seeing recordcollecting and archivist friends old and new, there were excellent presentations on Harlem’s Apollo Theatre, pioneering blues pianist Leroy Carr and Pittsburgh disk jockey Porky Chedwick. A personal highlight was seeing the film, “How They Got Over: Gospel Quartets and the Road to Rock & Roll,” including a stunning black-and-white clip of the Consolers husbandand-wife duet from some 60 years ago.

And so the return journey to New York, starting out at 7:30 a.m., was more of the pleasant same, although on this occasion the Horseshoe Curve view was obliterated by, you guessed it, a freight train coming in the opposite direction.

Downhill with LIRR

The scheduled 4:50 p.m. Amtrak train arrived some 10 minutes early at Penn. There was a 5:10 LIRR train which meant a modest wait at Huntington for a Port Jeff connection but it avoided another change of train — and track — at Jamaica.

From here on, the journey went rapidly downhill. My trolley bag, indeed any suitcase, would not fit into the overhead rack. There was one pull-down seat but the space was taken up by a bicycle zealously guarded by its owner. I knew I would not be permitted to block the carriage walkway with my case. What to do? Luckily, a kind lady from Hudson Valley, on her way to JFK airport and London, made room for my bag — and me.

Consider this: LIRR is serving one of the world’s major airports yet is almost totally commuter focused. There is little or no thought given to travelers and their luggage. “Oh, for Amtrak’s business coach class,” I thought.

According to a CCE statement made in March, 19,000 traps have been recovered from the Long Island Sound under this initiative. The traps are then recycled or returned to their owners, and burnable debris from them is converted into renewable energy.

Cooperation of the fishermen has helped the process. “These are local fishermen, and they want to do more,” Anker said. “They’re out there trying to make a living doing what they can.”

She added, “We have one of the largest seafood industries in the country and we have to keep our water clean.”

Anker is also working on a separate $2 million project funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that is focused on cleaning up the Sound and removing marine debris.

While there still may be many lengths to go before the Long Island Sound is free from ghost gear, with the help of lawmakers, organizations, and fishermen, the Sound floor could soon be friendly to all sea life, Anker hopes.

We arrived at Huntington on the opposite platform to the scheduled Port Jeff departure. “Use the elevator,“ the conductor helpfully announced. Not so fast. The contraption had broken down, not for the first time in my experience. And so I had to haul the trolley bag and myself up and down one of the long footbridges.

The train eventually limped into Stony Brook “on time” at 7:34 p.m. My journey from New York, allowing for the 36-minute stopover at Huntington, had taken 2 hours, 24 minutes — in the year of 2023. High-speed rail, anyone?

Is there any better argument for the electrification of the Port Jefferson Branch line –which services prestigious and populous Stony Brook University — along with a complete review of the LIRR system? How long are North Shore residents going to put up with a third-world rail service? Will the proposed Lawrence Aviation rail yard at Port Jeff Station happen? Yet there is no sign of any positive movement in the Metropolitan Transit Authority capital budgets, as the aging diesel trains continue to pollute the environment and potential riders take to the road in this age of climate change. I cannot forget I was spoiled by superefficient European trains in my younger life. America is a wonderful country, as I saw on my trip to Pittsburgh, but it deserves a better rail system everywhere. Meanwhile, our local elected officials — state, county, town, village — of every stripe should continue to lobby LIRR, MTA and Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) for a 21st-century railroad for the future benefit of us all.

John Broven, originally from England, is a copy editor with TBR News Media, and author of three award-winning American music history books.

Pixabay photo

Civil War Encampment draws a crowd at Smithtown Historical Society

A HISTORY LESSON

The Smithtown Historical Society hosted a Civil War Encampment on Saturday, May 31. The well-attended event featured battle demonstrations, North and South camp life and infantry drills, music and dancing at the Frank Brush Barn, field hospital demonstrations and tours of the Epenetus Smith Tavern and Arthur Farmhouse.

Townline Rail is a proposed alternative to trucking locally generated incinerator ash from the Huntington-Smithtown waste-to-energy facility as well as Construction & Demolition debris off Long Island once the Brookhaven landfill is closed.

This ash is created from incinerated trash collected in the Towns of Smithtown and Huntington only.

Townline Rail will not have the capacity to handle all of Long Island’s ash and debris. There are six active or proposed rail transport facilities on Long Island — all of which are local solutions to managing local ash and debris.

Town of Smithtown recognizes the environmental and cost benefits to the taxpayers of shipping its ash by rail versus trucking it off Long Island (2015 Draft Comprehensive Plan).

Photos

Scheuring and Tully run for Smithtown Town Council in the fall

BY DANIEL FEBRIZIO DANIEL@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

of those things and then I ended up becoming involved with the Smithtown Democrats.”

ELECTION 2023

Smithtown residents Maria Scheuring and Sarah Tully are challenging incumbents Tom Lohmann (R) and Lisa Inzerillo (R) for Smithtown Town Council this November.

Sarah Tully

Tully has lived on Long Island her whole life, growing up in Deer Park in a bluecollar family with her father working for the MTA. Her mother was a program support administrator for the IT department at the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Tully is the oldest of four siblings.

She has lived in Smithtown township for the past 14 years and in St. James since 2012. She lives with her husband and two children. They were born three weeks apart, as the couple adopted one as an infant.

Prior to this, Tully and her husband lost their first child to a congenital illness at five months old. “Through that I found so much of my own voice and my own strength, and I think that’s where I learned to advocate,” Tully said in a phone interview. “I’ll do something, and I’ll be kind of scared or nervous about it. But I can tell myself I know that I have lived my worst day, and that’s behind me. So, I sometimes feel I can do anything.”

She has a background in corporate management, which gave her experience in team building and project management. What got her into politics is that when reaching out to find a community for her children, she quickly found out that there was a lot of division and hostility.

“There were these outside groups bringing culture wars to places they didn’t belong, like school boards and library board,” Tully said in a phone interview. “I got involved in some

Her two boys will be entering kindergarten in September, so she would have additional time to do the job of a councilperson. She said that one of the things that she wishes to do is bring balance to the board, as it is currently all Republican.

One of her primary concerns is the 2023 budget, which gave a 22% raise to Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) and 10.5% raises to the rest of the council members.

“My first motion that I would make would be to get rid of the raises that they gave themselves,” Tully said. “It’s not about you. It’s about being a public servant.”

Maria Scheuring

Scheuring’s parents were Catholic missionaries, so she was not settled in one place as a young child. She spent time in Texas, Mexico and New Jersey, but in sixth grade she told her parents that she wanted to settle down, and they decided on the Bronx.

She has two siblings, a younger sister who is the head of the Education Department at Iona College and a younger brother who was adopted from an orphanage back when they lived in Mexico.

Scheuring and her ex-husband have three children: a daughter in college at Stony Brook University and two sons in Smithtown East High School.

Scheuring went to Fordham Law School, and she also has a master’s degree in philosophy. She teaches a class in ethics at St. Joseph’s University. “It keeps me grounded and I like dealing with students,” Scheuring said in a phone interview.

She and her ex-husband used to run a law practice together, but she started her own practice in 2013 and has practiced many different types of law, including litigation, insurance defense, family and divorce cases,

St. James Farmers Market opens June 3

The St. James Farmer’s Market reopens for the season on Saturday, June 3, in the parking lot of St. James Lutheran Church, 230 Second Ave., St. James from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

On opening day the market will feature 40 vendors, including Bakewicz Farm, vendors selling microgreens, fresh organic flowers, honey, coffee and teas, mushrooms, pickles, Brooklyn baked breads, treats from Norway, Polish Pierogies, craft beer, self care items, artisan crafts and much more.

There will also be hot empanadas, live music by Perfect Strangers, free face painting, on the spot poetry project as well as a Kids Corner. Organized by volunteers of the Community Association of Greater St. James, the market will run through Oct. 7.

For a complete list of Farmers Markets on the North Shore, see page B19.

guardianship and music law.

Having played guitar since she was seven, she is particularly passionate about music. Her three children are also musicians. This passion for music combined with her knowledge of music law led to her serve as executive music director for the Alive After Five Festival in Patchogue.

It is a series of four summer festivals and boasts 25,000 to 30,000 people in attendance.

“I’m a big believer in promoting original music on Long Island,” Scheuring said. “I think it’s really important that we foster Long Island artists.” She added that this year’s festivals will include some very big names that she can’t yet announce.

Scheuring got into politics because of her son’s interest. He heard that the Smithtown Democrats were looking for candidates to oppose incumbents and recommended that she run for office. She ran for town supervisor against Ed Wehrheim (R) in 2021, ultimately losing.

Scheuring is concerned with the direction in which Smithtown is heading. For example, she said there is no plan to address the empty

storefronts on Main Street. “I think a good policy would be to fine a landlord a certain amount every month that it’s empty, because they’re making more money in tax breaks leaving it empty,” Scheuring said.

She said that Huntington employs this tactic, but Scheuring doesn’t see the current administration addressing this issue.

“I still want to be involved in making a difference in this community, and I did, even when I wasn’t running,” Scheuring said. “I would go to school board meetings … and I’m involved with the Smithtown Democrats. Whatever I can do to try to bring attention to what’s happening in this town.”

“I enjoy everything that I do,” she said. “It’d be hard for me to give any of that up.” She added that while she serves in all of these different positions and areas, she would still be able to handle the workload of a councilmember. Since she runs her own law practice, she can decide how many cases she wishes to take on at one time. This provides her a lot of scheduling flexibility.

Democrats Maria Scheuring and Sarah Tully are set to challenge incumbent Smithtown councilmembers Tom Lohmann and Lisa Inzerillo this November. Photos from candidates

Smithtown residents gather for the 99th Memorial Day Parade

BY DANIEL FEBRIZIO

On Memorial Day, May 29, hundreds of Smithtown residents gathered on Main Street to watch the 99th annual Memorial Day Parade marching westbound toward Town Hall where a short ceremony was held.

Parade participants included veterans, volunteer firefighters, high school bands, twirlers, Scouts and more.

After the singing of the National Anthem by a Smithtown West High School student at the ceremony, American Legion Post 833 Commander Bill Coderre said a few words to begin the ceremony. “On this memorial day, we are reminded that the rights and freedoms that we enjoy as Americans are possible in large part because of those who have protected our great nation through military service,” he said.

Smithtown Town Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) spoke, reading a Memorial Day speech honoring the lives lost in U.S.-involved wars throughout its history. The piece concluded with, “Remember all that has been sacrificed when you look around at your beautiful families, at your homes, your neighborhoods and your friends. Only then can we truly appreciate the incredible gifts that we have: life, liberty, pursuit of happiness.”

The ceremony concluded with a rendition of “God Bless America” while those in attendance sang along.

Other elected officials that spoke at the ceremony included state Sen. Mario Mattera (RSt. James), Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick (R-St. James) and Suffolk County Comptroller John Kennedy (R).

— Photos by Daniel Febrizio

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beconductedinaccordance aforementionedauctionwill #601614/2022.The thefiledJudgmentIndex soldsubjecttoprovisionsof andcosts.Premiseswillbe $129,190.56plusinterest amountofjudgment 050.000.Approximate 072.00Block01.00,Lot

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againsttheLLCto:THE copyofanyprocessserved process.SSNYshallmail designatedforserviceof inSUFFOLK.SSNYhasbeen 07/27/2021.Officelocated ofNewYorkSSNYon withtheSecretaryofState ArticlesofOrganizationfiled MANONAMISSION,LLC. Noticeofformationof

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EMPLOYMENT/CAREERS

Administrative Opening Monticello Central School

Assistant Secondary Principal

The successful candidate should possess: Knowledge of research-based instructional programs & practices; exp. w/ teacher supervision & evaluation; a record of successfully improving learning experiences and enhancing school to home communication; and can provide a supportive environment with knowledge of social-emotional competencies, restorative practices, and promote a culturally responsive educational climate.

Salary Range: $95,000 to $105,000

NYS SDA/SDL/SBL Certification Required plus 3 yrs. exp. as a classroom teacher preferred.

Please apply online by June 15th at https://monticelloschools.tedk12.com/hire or OLAS EOE

Administrative Opening Monticello Central School

High School Principal

The Monticello CSD is seeking forward thinking and dynamic School Building Principal who can lead MCSD’s highly engaged faculty, staff, parents, students, and community. The successful candidate will have a vision of educational excellence, be highly motivated, and demonstrates an ability to impact student learning.

Starting Salary: $150,000

NYS SDA/SAS/SBL Certification Required plus 2 yrs. of previous administrative leadership and 3 yrs. exp as a classroom teacher preferred.

Please apply online by June 15th at https://monticelloschools.tedk12.com/hire or OLAS EOE

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Assistant Elementary Principal

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Salary Range: $95,000 to $105,000 NYS SDA/SDL/SBL Certification Required plus 3 yrs. exp as a classroom teacher preferred.

Please apply online by June 15th at https://monticelloschools.tedk12.com/hire or OLAS EOE

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Renting

Plug Long Island’s ‘brain drain’

Without intervention, the current youth exodus from Long Island will have crippling effects generations from now.

Here on Long Island, we excel at educating children. New and aspiring parents enter our communities for top-notch schools. This public education system offers a necessary springboard for prosperous lives.

Getting our youth to stay put and prosper on this Island is a puzzle. The cost of living is higher than in many other places around the U.S. Long Islanders have some of the country’s highest taxes, rents and utility costs. For too many young people, the costs outweigh the benefits, and they flee.

Consequently, we are losing generations of educated, homegrown Long Islanders. The investments we make into public schools are going unrewarded.

Without a new generation of workers powering our local economy, municipalities will miss out on a sizable tax base. With fewer customers patronizing local businesses, our downtowns will suffer. With fewer new families, our first-rate school districts will shutter. And the loss of youth will deprive our communities of continual cultural enrichment.

For all these reasons, our leaders must take a close look at why young people are leaving, then do something about it. Given the multitude of factors and variables, a multiyear study on the conditions of youth flight may be in order.

Some measures can be taken now. Investments in new, affordable housing options are beneficial, creating competition in our often-inflated rental market that squeezes those just entering the workforce. Offering below-market rents can encourage young people to stay and live here.

We also ask our public officials to respect their taxpayers, taking a close forensic accounting of their budgets. Amid this inflationary period and uncertain economic times, they should practice greater fiscal responsibility, exploring ways to limit needless spending.

While acknowledging this need, we do not endorse excessive cuts to school, library and fire district budgets. These vital public institutions remain major draws to our Island. With common-sense reforms and proper budgetary management, Long Island can retain and build upon our current population of young people. Through our efforts today, generations of Long Islanders could soon spring forth.

WRITE TO US … AND KEEP IT LOCAL

We welcome your letters, especially those responding to our local coverage, replying to other letter writers’ comments and speaking mainly to local themes. Letters should be no longer than 400 words and may be edited for length, libel, style, good taste and uncivil language. They will also be published on our website. We do not publish anonymous letters. Please include an address and phone number for confirmation. Email letters to: editor1@tbrnewsmedia.com or mail them to TBR News Media, P.O. Box 707, Setauket, NY 11733

OFFICE HOURS

Seeking asylum: legal then, legal now

In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower [R] pushed immigration law in a radical new direction. Instead of housing people in immigrant detention facilities like Ellis Island, such facilities were closed. While immigrants were being processed by the authorities, they would let people live wherever they wanted, blending into communities.

If a Republican president in the 1950s could take such a radical step toward humane immigration, I ask what are the Republican legislators of Suffolk County doing in 2023? Clearly acting inhumanely by drumming up fear. Fear of “those other people.” Stoking that fear as a cheap parlor trick to motivate their base while endangering the lives of countless people regardless of their nation of birth or their documentation.

Most of us have relatives who came to America looking to escape persecution, not of something they did but because of who they are. This is the same for many of today’s immigrants. The story is the same, it’s simply the country of origin that varies. These immigrants deserve a chance to live just as our relatives did.

Some 150 years ago there was a LatvianJewish immigrant working as a tailor in Reno, Nevada, named Jacob Davis. Jacob had customers whose work pants kept tearing. To solve the problem, he added metal rivets at the stress points of the pants, making them stronger. When he realized he had a product worth mass producing he teamed up with a merchant in San Francisco, Levi Strauss, another immigrant. On May 20, 1873, they obtained a U.S. patent on a style of jeans still worn today.

We can only speculate the challenges of the next 150 years, but I’ll tell you this. It’s going to require the creativity of as many people from as many diverse backgrounds as possible to solve. When some members of the Suffolk County Legislature decided to respond to the current migration situation with “not our problem,” they gave the incorrect response, for it does not set us up for success on the world stage of tomorrow.

Ian Farber East Setauket

LaLota’s disturbing immigration posture

I found your story of Suffolk County Republicans including my Congressman Nick LaLota’s [R-NY1] attempt to keep immigrants seeking asylum from coming to Suffolk County very disturbing.

[“Republican lawmakers, immigration advocates clash over asylum seekers,”

TBR News Media, May 25.]

We are better than that. Seeking asylum is both legal and an important principle. Jews, Irish, Italians, Chinese and others came here effectively seeking asylum because of the many dangers in their home countries. Those groups and others were vilified at first but have made important contributions to our country.

We, as a nation, depend on immigrants for our enormous innovation, progress and energy. All American communities must do our part to welcome these people and help them get a good start here. This is not only the right thing to do, it is very much in our country’s interest.

The problem at the southern border was not caused by President Joe Biden [D] but by a Congress that has failed to pass a safe and humane immigration policy. Pandering to our worst instincts, rather than leading and making good proposals to solve the problem, do more harm than good.

Adam D. Fisher Port Jefferson Station

An open letter on striped bass fishing

To DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos:

Our offices have been contacted by concerned fishermen and boat captains regarding the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s emergency measures to further reduce the size of striped bass for the East Coast Fishery.

It is our understanding that these emergency measures, changing the limit on keeper fish from one fish a day from 28 inches to 35 inches to one fish a day from 28 inches to 31 inches, are currently being reviewed by the Department of

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Environmental Conservation with the federal requirement to implement them by July 2.

We are being told by our recreational fishermen and boat captains that this rule change will greatly raise the mortality rate of striped bass causing an increase in catch-and-release deaths. This will obviously have the reverse effect on efforts to increase the stock.

Additionally, we have been informed that the for-hire industry utilizes less than 5% of the striped bass stock. The economy of our region is driven by the agricultural and fishing industries. The rich history of our fishermen is a legacy that attracts many tourists and enthusiasts to our area. It will become extremely difficult to encourage wouldbe customers to use charter and party boats with such a narrow window of striped bass possession.

We are asking that before any emergency measures are adopted by the DEC, a careful review is done based on input from our local fishermen and captains. As you are well aware, our fishing industry is already struggling with difficult quotas, the high cost of fuel, the high property and docking costs in our area, among other challenges. We are hopeful that you will put any plans on hold until all stakeholders are brought to the table and have the opportunity to share their input and concerns.

Please contact our offices if you have any questions or need additional information. We look forward to your expeditious response.

NYS Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) NYS Assemblyman Fred Thiele (D-Sag Harbor)

and letter writers are their own. They do not speak for the newspaper.

U. S. Congressman Nick LaLota, at podium, with Republican officials during a press conference at the William H. Rogers Legislature Building on Sunday, May 21. Photo by Raymond Janis

Opinion

The reviving benefit of reverential or spiritual silences

Shhh. Listen. If what you hear is nothing, then maybe you’re onto something.

Noise envelops us. Some of it, like the sound of a Broadway musical, the waterfall laughter of a giggling child, or the deep resonant breath of a humpback whale surfacing amid floating cubes of ice in Alaska can give us peace, pleasure and joy.

going to make it.”

We step outside of the airport, where whistles from people directing traffic echo in our ears and where officials in orange vests bark orders at drivers to “vacate this spot immediately!”

newspaper, chew their gum, or shake their leg up and down so rapidly that the material from their pants makes a repetitive rubbing sound.

But then, we can go to a meditation or yoga class or a religious or memorial service and reflect with others who sit still like a slope of shaded stones in an Ansel Adams photo.

have a pleasing symmetry, with windows, flying buttresses and A-frame houses looking remarkably similar on the left and right. Almost every field or arena for a sporting event has some symmetry, except for those with irregular outfield fences.

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF

Many noises, however, are irritants or worse. We step out of a loud airplane onto a jetway, where loudspeakers announce the boarding in group four of a flight awaiting takeoff. We walk through a crowded airport, as fathers shout to their children, a woman calls to ask Breanne if she “wants fries with her burger,” and a man informs his wife that he “has to pee so badly that he’s not sure he’s

We try to ignore many of the harsher and more abrasive sounds, even though our nervous system tracks noises as a way to protect us in case someone yells something we need to hear.

And then there are those wonderful moments when we hear nothing, not even the buzzing of a lightbulb, a dog drinking in the next room, or a cat cleaning himself on a nearby chair.

Silence.

If it lasts long enough, it’s the pause that refreshes, giving our ears a rest and our brains a chance to hear an inner voice that might otherwise get lost.

We can find those moments when we’re on our own. When we’re surrounded by others, the silence is harder to discover, as we either speak or hear the noises they make as they unwrap a

During those moments, we can slow our breathing, think beyond the constant fast twitch need to act and react to our phones, and can allow our minds to make unexpected connections.

During one of those recent times, I pondered symmetry in nature, where you can draw a line down the middle of something like our faces, and see that the image on one side, excluding freckles, beauty marks, and that scar from the time we tripped and got stitches, is incredibly similar to the one on the other.

With so much chaos in nature, I wouldn’t expect such symmetry. At a distance, most leaves have remarkable symmetry, as do the shape of most animals. Human designs often

During a recent service, I enjoyed time when I couldn’t look at my phone and when I could read religious text. I haven’t considered these texts in a while and was drawn in by their drama and story value, as opposed to the spiritual and life guidance I often imagine. Basic struggles for power, sibling rivalries, and the search for food and stability dominate these narratives, which makes it clear why religion (and mythology) continue to offer connections for people whose lives, at least on the surface, are considerably different from the ones people lived lo those many years ago.

Ultimately, silence can be refreshing, giving us auditory time and space to reflect and to clean a cognitive filter cluttered with chaos and cacophony.

Suddenly it’s June. Didn’t we recently put our holiday decorations away? Wasn’t it mid-winter break just a couple of weeks ago? Time warps, especially if we have busy lives. We look up and five months of the year have already passed.

But of course, June is most welcome. It is the month of high school graduations, of weddings, of the official turning to summer with the summertime solstice and the most daylight hours of the year. For those readers interested in random data, June is the second of four months to have a length of 30 days and the third of five months to have fewer than 31 days. Take that to “Jeopardy!”

June is also the month when all the trees are dressed in their finest, lushest leaves, when the weather beckons us outdoors because it is neither too cold or too hot quite yet. June is when the swimming pools in the neighborhood shed their covers and offer to the eye patches of refreshing blue as we drive along the local roads. June is when allergy season begins to recede with the gradual lessening of tree and grass pollens.

African American Music Appreciation Month

ALS Awareness Month in Canada

Caribbean American Heritage Month

LGBTQ+ Awareness and Pride Month

National Oceans Month

PTSD Awareness Month

Great Outdoors Month

And my personal favorite, National Smile Month, which is celebrated in the United Kingdom and should migrate across the globe.

There is also:

International Children’s Day on the first Tuesday

World Bicycle Day on the first Wednesday

National Donut Day on the first Friday

Father’s Day on the third Sunday

BY LEAH S. DUNAIEF

Early June is when I like to travel because each day is longer, and I feel I am really getting my money’s worth on a tour. That’s also when most families are still home, their young ones not yet finished with school, and therefore all services, from palaces to restaurants are less crowded. Unless I am in the southern hemisphere, where it is technically the start of winter, the weather in June tends to be perfect, not much rain, the temperature ideal.

June was probably named after the Roman goddess Juno, the goddess of marriage and the wife of the supreme deity, Jupiter, There are also other suggestions for how the month got its name, but we really don’t have to list them all because no one I know is actually preparing to appear on “Jeopardy!”

That said, you still might like to know a few of the month-long observances for June. There is:

TIMES BEACON RECORD NEWS MEDIA

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S. Dunaief

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EDITORIAL CONSULTANT

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LEISURE & SUPPLEMENTS

EDITOR

Here is one to ponder: Seersucker Day on the second Thursday

And on the third Friday, National Flip Flop Day.

Hmmm. Maybe with all that said, we should give a second thought to “Jeopardy!”

When our children were in elementary school, I always welcomed June with enthusiasm. It meant that July and the end of the academic year were not far away, which in turn meant sleeping in and not having to prepare for the early bus to school, long, lazy days at the beach, family baseball games on the empty school fields on weekends and frequent outdoor barbecues. This year, June means, among more hedonistic pursuits, a month with five Thursdays, and therefore five issues of the papers and website to fill with local news that we will report to you.

Happy reading!

Larry Stahl

Katherine Yamaguchi

BUSINESS MANAGER

Sandi Gross

BUSINESS OFFICE

Meg Malangone

CIRCULATION & LEGALS

MANAGER

Courtney Biondo

INTERNET STRATEGY DIRECTOR

Rob Alfano

Kathryn Mandracchia

AwardWinning Newspapers

Year After Year

Sheila Murray

D. None of the above

‘June is bustin’ out all over,’ according to Rodgers and Hammerstein