The Village Times Herald - September 29, 2022

With our ongoing commitment to East Setauket and the surrounding communities, we have completed our new center devoted to Women’s Health. We offer the latest imaging technology, radiologists specializing in Women’s Imaging, and a true patient-centric experience.

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Community trust announces fundraiser dedicated to beloved, late resident

BY RITA J. EGAN RITA@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Three Village Community Trust members gathered in Setauket for a special announcement Sept. 27.

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VILLAGE

Standing in front of the Bruce House headquarters on Main Street, TVCT president Herb Mones announced the kickoff of the Maria Hoffman $50,000 Challenge Grant campaign. Hoffman was a land trust member and an aide to state Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket).

Mones said nearly $10,000 had already been raised toward the goal. A $50,000 matching grant was acquired from the state by Englebright earlier this year, and Mones said the funds raised would go toward the restoration of historical properties in the Three Village community and the land trust’s operational costs.

Mones said Hoffman “impacted so much of what we have inside of this community on a continual basis, and provided the services that often we needed through a legislative office. She did it with grace, she did it with dignity and she always did it quietly.”

Englebright described Hoffman as “the right-hand side of my brain.”

“I think it’s appropriate that we recognize her and remember her to continue her legacy,” the assemblyman said, adding she was the “brains behind the whole operation” at his office.

He also talked about Hoffman’s sense of place that she memorialized through her work and with her photography and artwork, too.

Hoffman’s husband, George, was also in attendance. He said his wife loved the Three Village area and Setauket Harbor. The Bruce House was a spot Maria Hoffman always cherished. When the home was up for sale before they met in 2009, she was looking for a house but knew it would be too small if she were to marry one day. He added she was also excited when the immigrant worker homes were moved to the location from their former site near the Setauket firehouse down the street.

In addition to the state matching grant, Investors Bank recently gave TVCT a separate $4,000 grant. These funds will go toward restoring the immigrant worker houses which need work, such as replacing deteriorated exterior siding and damaged interior wallboard.

Overwhelmed? We

Phone: (631) 509-4911 | www.tarascully.com

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Tara Scully Is A Lifelong Resident of the Community

Herb Mones, right, announced the Three Village Community Trust’s new challenge grant in honor of Maria Hoffman, below. Hoffman’s husband, George, above left, was on hand for the announcement on Sept. 27. Photo above by Rita J. Egan; photo below by Robert Reuter

Community

Members of the Setauket Fire Department took part in the 21st annual Tunnel to Towers Run in New York City on Sept. 25. The run pays homage to all first responders and service members who answered the call on 9/11, and who continue to make extraordinary sacrifices in the line of duty.

The midway point between Manhattan and Brooklyn, under the East River, is delineated on the wall of the Hugh L. Carey

Tunnel — formerly known as the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. Members of the Setauket Fire Department stopped for a photo by the midway point.

Among the members was 89-year-old retired FDNY captain and longtime Setauket Fire Department member Lou Andrade, above with running bib, who completed the event along with the rest of the participating members.

Photo by Bob Olness, Setauket Fire Department

MEMBER • OF • THE • MONTH

The In ation Reduction Act’s Impact on Retirees

By Colette Frey-Bitzas, CFP®, MBA Director of Financial Planning

e recent healthcare bill President Biden signed into law marks the most signi cant changes to Medicare since 2003. is law nally empowers Medicare to negotiate with drugmakers on the prices of a shortlist of the most expensive drugs starting in 2026.

Rising healthcare costs pose a threat to retirees, who o en are on limited or xed income. is Act tackles drug costs along several fronts and several important provisions would take e ect in 2023.

• First the Act would halt the increasing costs of insulin, capping the cost to $35 per month to Medicare enrollees starting 2023.

• is Act also imposes In ations controls- drugmakers will be penalized if they impose price increases that exceed general in ation.

• In addition, starting in 2023 cost sharing for vaccines will be eliminated for adult vaccines covered under Medicare Part D.

e core problem with Medicare Part D is there are no total caps on the amounts bene ciaries pay out of pocket a er deductibles are met. is can be devastating to a retiree on a xed income needing prescriptions.

Most Seniors shopping for Medicare focus on premiums which have stayed fairly at in recent years. Premiums are just the starting point; Part D annual deductible is $480 this year and cost sharing for expensive drugs can be detrimental to a retiree.

Starting in 2025 no Medicare enrollee will be required to pay no more than $2000 out of pocket per year. is change will have a profound change to the Part D program. Many of the opponents to this Act claim it cuts Medicare bene ts, which is false. It will reduce federal government spending by approximately $300 billion through 2031. is reduction will be achieved through the cost controls not by taking away from the bene ciaries of the program.

Have questions about Retirement…call me!! Let’s talk! “Ask Colette”

Have any questions… Please call-email me…

Colette Frey-Bitzas, CFP®, MBA

Director of Financial Planning 631-439-4600 ext. 291

Email: cbitzas@ppsadvisors.com

Enter on Subject line: 3V Ask Colette

*Footnote: Morningstar article 1109390. Securities o ered through American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc. (APFS)Member FINRA, SIPC Investment Advisory Services o ered through American Portfolios Advisors, Inc. (APA) an SEC

SBU’s Brown Clarke named chair of National Fitness Foundation

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Judith Brown Clarke, a silver medal winner in the 400 meter hurdles at the 1984 Olympics, is taking a prominent role at the National Fitness Foundation.

Clarke, who is vice president for Equity & Inclusion and chief diversity officer at Stony Brook University, will become the chair from 2022 to 2024 of the only non-profit organization established by Congress to support youth sport, health and fitness initiatives. She will serve on the board until 2028.

The White House held a Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health on Sept. 28. Clarke said her goal after that conference as chair is to “take that call to action, look at what our role is in lifting some or those things off the page, and improving nutrition and physical activity, food insecurity and ending hunger.”

Tackling a number of challenges, such as the obesity epidemic, access and affordability of healthier foods, the lower rate of participation in youth sports among girls, and a need to increase physical activity will involve working with numerous partners and taking a multi dimensional approach.

“Some of the things that complement what happens at home” such as the expectations in gym class and the overall approach to health and

nutrition “need to be strengthened,” Clarke said.

Lower levels of activity among some children stem from concerns about safety. Children may not play in the park, ride a bike, jump rope or go outside because areas where they might engage in these activities could involve some risk.

The foundation will partner with parents, teachers and corporations.

“How often do you find within the ingredients [of popular foods and condiments] where there’s sugar and salt?” she asked rhetorically. Numerous foods have supplemental ingredients that may be for taste, but that are above the daily allowance. People start to crave foods with high levels of salt and sugar.

Working with companies that manufacture food products, the foundation hopes to encourage the kind of decision making that helps their customers and their workers.

“Unhealthy people” who have eating habits that include high levels of carbohydrates, sugar and salt have “higher levels of absenteeism” within a corporation, Clarke said. “It actually is a financial model for organizations and corporations to lean into this. There’s a return on investment as it relates to their organization’s enterprise model.”

Conference pillars

The foundation plans to use the five White House Conference Pillars to guide their efforts and assessment of their effectiveness.

The White House conference is focused on

improving food access and affordability. This includes expanding eligibility for an increase participation in food assistance programs and improving transportation to places where food is available.

Another pillar is to integrate nutrition and health. By prioritizing the role of nutrition and food security in overall health, the conference hopes to address the nutrition needs of all people.

The third pillar is to empower consumers to make and have access to healthy choices.

Fourth, officials would like to support physical activity for people, in part by ensuring that people have access to safe places to be active. The conference also hopes to increase the awareness of the benefits of physical activity.

Fifth, the conference plans to improve nutrition metrics, data collection and research to inform

nutrition and food security policy, particularly regarding issues of equity, access and disparities.

Xavier Becerra, Health and Human Services secretary, expressed confidence in the ability of the board to reach their goals. “This experienced group of advisors will enable the National Fitness Foundation to take the next steps in advancing the health of our nation through fitness and nutrition,” Becerra said in a statement.

In addition to serving as a role model through her success as an athlete, during which Clarke was a four-time national collegiate champion and 1987 Sports Illustrated Woman of the Year, she also hopes to encourage girls and their families to learn about the benefit of ongoing participation in athletics.

According to the National Fitness Foundation website, 30% of girls aged six to 12 participate in sports, compared with 39% of their male peers.

The foundation supports organizations committed to providing equal opportunity for girls to play sports.

In addition to leading healthy lives, women who participate in sports are often successful in the workplace, taking their disciplined approach to training, their ability to work together, and their recognition for how to handle fluid situations into a wide range of professional settings, Clarke said.

Ultimately, the effectiveness of some of these efforts may depend on the ability of people in communities to access these programs.

Judith Brown Clarke. Photo by John Griffin/SBU

Local doctors address how to handle a mental health emergency

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Long Island residents have taken CPR classes and learned lifesaving basics to help others with injuries through programs like “Stop the Bleed.”

HEALTH

But what about mental health emergencies?

Those may be more difficult to diagnose or understand, particularly for people who may not know the person in emotional distress.

While Suffolk County Police Department officers with specialized training, support service organizations like Diagnostics, Assessment and Stabilization Hub (known as DASH) and Family Service League, and mental health care workers are available to help, doctors offered suggestions for people who would like to provide assistance for a friend, coworker or relative while awaiting

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professional assistance.

Dr. Wilfred Farquharson IV, a licensed psychologist and director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic at Stony Brook Medicine, helped create a twopage patient education sheet titled “Mental Health Emergency Response Guidance Sheet — Knowing Your Options.”

The guide provides suggestions on how to respond to a variety of emergencies, starting with lower level crises, which could include a change in mood or side effects from a medication that is not dangerous to a person’s health.

The options in that case are to contact a mental health provider to schedule an appointment, to use a safety plan or to schedule an urgent visit with a primary doctor.

In situations in which a person is destroying property, is threatening physical injury and is not in a position for a safe transport, the guide suggests calling 911.

To Place A Legal Notice

To ensure effective help from emergency responders, the guide urges people to go to Smart911 to complete a profile for the household.

Additionally, people who call 911 should indicate that there is a mental health emergency. The person making the call should be prepared to offer the person’s name and location, the reason for the call, the person’s diagnosis (if known), things that upset the person, such as yelling at them or getting too close, things that might help soothe the person, and special considerations.

While people are waiting for first responders, they can try to deescalate the situation, using tools similar to the ones professionals practice.

Family Service League.

The SCPD collaborates with Family Service League on a 24-hour crisis hotline as well as a mobile crisis team of mental health professionals that can be deployed 24/7, officials from the SCPD explained in an email.

Additionally, the department said about 20% of SCPD officers are Crisis Intervention Team trained. Someone with that training is always on patrol.

In addition to 911, people can reach out to DASH, which is the Diagnostic, Assessment and Stabilization Hub. A community crisis program with a Mobile Crisis Team for Suffolk residents, DASH is open every hour of every day and offers services for people who have mental health and substance abuse disorders.

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“A lot of what we do is give the person space,” Farquharson said. “We show them our hands, with open palms, and let them know we’re not trying to be a threat. We don’t say too much. We allow the person to talk, as long as they’re being safe. We allow them to yell.”

Neutral tone

Dr. Adnan Sarcevic, chairman of the Psychiatry Department at Huntington Hospital, also urges people to provide “as much privacy as possible” for someone in distress.

Sarcevic recommended that supportive family, friends or community members be empathetic without being judgmental.

“Keep your tone and your body language neutral,” Sarcevic said. He urges people to remain calm and friendly.

People can help deescalate situations by acknowledging that someone else’s feelings are important and indicating that crying or being angry is okay.

Taking a cue from the person in distress can also help. If a person stops talking, “let him or her be there in silence. Let them reflect,” Sarcevic said.

Additionally, the Huntington Hospital doctor urged people to respect the personal space of someone who is struggling.

As far as his list of “don’ts,” Sarcevic said people shouldn’t use judgmental language or wag their fingers.

“Don’t ask, ‘Why’ or ‘How could you do that?’” Sarcevic advised.

Other resources

The Suffolk County Police Department implemented a 911 call diversion pilot program in 2021 which allows Emergency Complaint Operators to divert crisis calls, when considered safe, to the Crisis Hotline at

For situations in which there are no safety risks, Stony Brook Medicine suggested that DASH is a good option. Residents can call the hotline at 631-9523333.

Additionally, residents can call the Suicide and Crisis Hotline at 988 at any time.

Dr. Stacy Eagle, director of Psychiatry at St. Charles Hospital, cautioned that what deescalates one person might be different from what helps someone else.

Offering physical comfort to some people may help, while others might prefer to have their own space.

All three mental health professionals said the pandemic has contributed to higher levels of anxiety and depression among the population.

“The pandemic has increased the level of distress for those patients,” Eagle said. The pandemic could be the “stressful hit” that triggers discomfort or a mental health episode.

Farquharson has noticed an increase in the acuity of symptoms for some residents.

The mental health practitioners said the response to a crisis depends on the person involved and the type of problem he or she is experiencing.

“You have to use [your] judgment” when dealing with various circumstances, Sarcevic said.

Mental health professionals urged people to develop a plan that includes having phone numbers nearby, for 911, 988, DASH and the Family Service League, among others.

Additionally, doctors suggested people can help by being supportive and being prepared.

Farquharson said people should learn what to do if someone is not feeling well emotionally or mentally when a doctor’s office might be closed.

‘A lot of what we do is give the person space. We show them our hands, with open palms, and let them know we’re not trying to be a threat.’

—Dr. Wilfred Farquharson IV

PJS/T civic hosts meet the candidates forum for state offices

BY RAYMOND JANIS EDITOR1@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

ELECTION 2022

The Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association held its Meet the Candidates forum at Comsewogue Public Library on Tuesday, Sept. 20.

The Democratic and Republican nominees for New York State’s 1st Senate District and 4th Assembly District attended this civic meeting. The candidates received time to deliver opening statements, then answered questions covering a range of local subjects, followed by closing remarks.

Introductions

Before entering elective office, incumbent state Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) worked as an attorney in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. He was in private practice for roughly 10 years before running for the state Assembly in 2013. He served the 2nd Assembly District until 2020, after which he assumed his current position.

Challenging Palumbo is Democrat Skyler Johnson, a 22-year-old Mount Sinai native and former political aide to Southampton Village Mayor Jesse Warren. If Johnson were to win this November, he would become the youngest person to serve in the state Legislature since Theodore Roosevelt.

In the Assembly race, incumbent state Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) is also up for reelection. Englebright, a geologist by training, joined the state Assembly in 1992. Before that, he served as a Suffolk County legislator for nearly a decade.

Edward Flood is Englebright’s Republican challenger in this race. Flood serves as an assistant attorney for the Town of Brookhaven and is the town’s lead prosecutor for town code violations.

LIRR electrification

Each candidate supported electrifying the Port Jefferson Branch line of the Long Island Rail Road, with some variations in approach.

Englebright advocates moving the existing Port Jefferson train station onto the county-owned Lawrence Aviation property. This plan, the assemblyman believes, would bring value to the community in the form of cleaner air and higher property values.

“I am working to try to get the Long Island Rail Road to come into the modern age,” he said. “We will prevail. The first thing to do is to have a community that’s united. … If this community is supportive of that, that will be a big boost.”

Flood condemned the MTA for its historical neglect of Long Island communities. He seeks to pressure the MTA’s governing board and add a local representative to that body. “I don’t

believe we have a local representative, and I don’t think anyone on that board cares much about us,” he said. “That needs to change.”

Johnson criticized the needless delays for residents traveling to New York City by rail. He favored allocating more state resources to address these concerns.

“It’s not the most fun trip getting onto the Long Island Rail Road,” he said. “We need to continually invest in the Long Island Rail Road because that will properly benefit our communities, it will help people commute, help people live better lives, and it will make our communities cleaner and safer.”

Palumbo underscored several of these points, backing his support behind moving the Port Jeff train station to the Lawrence Aviation property. “All of those issues are extremely important to this community,” he said. “I think we all agree that this is something that needs to be done.”

Homelessness

Another central topic for Port Jefferson Station/Terryville residents is homelessness.

Flood proposed that many of the problems associated with homelessness stem from alcohol and substance abuse. He proposed strengthening addiction treatment programs and mental health services.

“Unfortunately, addiction is rampant throughout the homeless community and possibly the reason why they are homeless,” the Assembly candidate said. “We need to do a better job finding resources to adequately treat people.”

Englebright approached the subject of homelessness through the lens of planning. According to him, this requires offering a coherent vision for the Port Jefferson Station area, much of that concentrated around managing the Lawrence Aviation property, followed by investment.

“That would make it possible for us to accelerate the investment into Port Jefferson

Station itself,” he said. “We hear a lot of talk about transit-oriented development, and this is the appropriate place for that policy to be fully fleshed out.”

Johnson supported a “great investment into mental health” to ensure people experiencing homelessness receive the necessary tools to get off the streets. He also said the issue is tied to the affordability and housing crises on Long Island.

“We do not have proper affordable housing, and we do not have proper workforce housing on Long Island,” the state Senate candidate said. “I’m going to make sure that we do everything that we can to bring home the funds so that we are investing in housing projects, while investing in our critical infrastructure, our public transportation, our roads to make sure that we are keeping up with the flux of people coming into our community.”

Palumbo discussed homelessness as a multifaceted issue, requiring changes in affordable housing, enforcement practices and mental health services.

“I think, generally, Long Island is unaffordable,” he said. “We need to lower the cost of living on Long Island, make it all more affordable, and most importantly do what we can to deal with an affordable housing crisis.”

Concluding remarks

During their closing statements, the candidates were asked to provide their two highest legislative priorities that would also affect Port Jefferson Station/Terryville residents.

Johnson stated his two highest priorities would be affordability and infrastructure improvements. “We need to make sure that we are putting money back in the pockets of everyday people,” he said. “And I’m going to make sure that we do that, and we’re going to make sure that we are investing in our roads and infrastructure.”

Palumbo said his two highest priorities are closely linked to one another. He first hopes to alleviate the burden of high taxes and the unaffordable cost of living on Long Island, then tackle rising crime rates.

“I think other things will fall in place if we get control of the crime issue,” the state senator said. “Coupling that with affordability ... we’re losing people for a number of reasons in New York, and we shouldn’t be losing anyone.” He added, “We’re an amazing state, and we need to do what we can to save it.”

Though he did not identify the two highest priority issues, Flood highlighted several matters he would like to remediate if elected. Among these are rising crime, bail reform and better state budgeting.

“I see firsthand some of the effects the state has put into place in terms of bail reform,” Flood said. “They’ve added extra hardships to prosecutors and those in criminal justice, and you see it in an increase of crime, in the inability of a district attorney to bring cases forward, and in that, you have local governments who are handcuffed in trying to comply with a lot of these laws.”

For Englebright, his two highest priorities are the electrification of the Port Jefferson line and better community planning. The assemblyman foresees many positive effects if the existing railyard relocates to the Lawrence Aviation property.

“This is, after all, Port Jefferson Station,” he said. “Our station area should be enhanced, and the plan that we put forward for that should not just be something that looks like South Brooklyn. It should look like a vision of what this community should look like when it looks itself in the mirror.” He concluded, “It should be a place of pride. I believe it should be a public park.”

(Left to right) Anthony Palumbo, Skyler Johnson, Steve Englebright, and Edward Flood. Photos by Raymond Janis

School News

Ward Melville High School

Head of the class

Eleven students from Ward Melville High School in the Three Village Central School District were named semifinalists in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship program.

Congratulations to Adam Bear, Alexander Dong, Luke Hou, Benjamin Proothi, Riya Sangwan, Peter Sloniewsky, Serene Stoller, Kate Sun,

Minnesauke Elementary School

Isabel Xu, Dorian Zhou and Mikaeel Zohair.

These students are among the approximately 16,000 academically talented high school seniors from across the nation to be named semifinalists. High school juniors entered the scholarship program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National

Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/ NMSQT). Semifinalists represent less than 1% of U.S. high school seniors, including the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

The program’s semifinalists have the opportunity to advance in the competition to win scholarships worth nearly $28 million in

total. About 95% of semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing after submitting a detailed scholarship application. Finalists are expected to be announced in February.

Congratulations to these Ward Melville High School students on this outstanding accomplishment.

Community News

Reading is fun

Minnesauke Elementary School won this year’s Emma Cup for having the most students sign up and complete the Summer Reading Club at the Emma S. Clark Memorial Library. Each year, Three Village Central School District librarians collaborate with the public library to promote the program, which gives students the opportunity to receive prizes as they read and report on books throughout the summer.

Overall, participation increased this year and there was only a 0.4% range between Minnesauke Elementary School and the thirdplace school. Across the district, 23,847 books were read, marking the highest number ever reported for the program and nearly 7,000 more books than last summer.

The district and public library congratulate all of this year’s participants for continuing to foster their love for reading during the summer.

Wedding bells

Michael Kinney and Holly Menten were married Sept. 3 in Connecticut. Both are Ward Melville graduates. They recently bought a

home in Stony Brook. Holly is working in the Three Village Central School District and Michael is a New York union plumber.

Photo from Three Village Central School District

Photo from Three Village Central School District

Ward Melville Patriots prevail

BY BILL LANDON DESK@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

The Ward Melville Patriots girls volley program has not meet defeat five games into the 2022 season. The team and made it 6-0, defeating Bellport at home with a 3-0 sweep in a League IV matchup Sept. 21.

Senior Mackenzie Heaney notched 34 assists, and senior Gianna Hogan had 16 digs in the sweep, where the Patriots prevailed 25-14, 25-21 and 25-22. The win kept the Patriots atop the leaderboard in their league. They retook the court Sept. 23 with a road

game against Newfield, where they won 3-0. The following day, they competed in tournament play at Smithtown West High School.

Pictured clockwise from above, Ward Melville senior Mackenzie Heaney attacks at net; Patriots senior Jasmine Gandolfo tips the ball; Ward Melville senior Gianna Cerulli digs one out; Ward Melville sophomore Alexa Gandolfo puts the ball in play; Patriots senior Sophia DiGirolamo attacks at the net; and Ward Melville senior Gianna Hogan sets the play.

—Photos by Bill Landon

Best of

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READERS’ CHOICE:

Best of the North Shore Ballot

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Readers are asked to vote by October 19, 2022. Please print your choices and use complete names and TOWN of business. Winners will be announced in the Best of the North Shore publication, inserted in the full run of all six newspapers on Thursday, February 16, 2023.

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Editorial Letters to the editor

Get real, go green

Last month, President Joe Biden (D) signed the Inflation Reduction Act, a comprehensive investment package which covers taxes, health care and climate measures, too.

The climate portion of this act provides coastal communities across the U.S. with access to $2.6 billion over five years in federal funding through grants distributed by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. These funds can be used for projects not only in response to sea-level rise and heavy storms but also to help communities to become more resilient against such disturbances.

Green infrastructure is a new trend in coastal resiliency that offers an alternative to traditional, human-engineered construction, also known as gray infrastructure. These are nature-based solutions, working with rather than against the natural terrain to battle the negative effects of climate change and related issues.

It is vital that Long Island communities make an aggressive plea for green infrastructure funding offered through the recent federal act.

Instead of resigning ourselves to unsightly, inflexible, retrograde man-made sea walls to fight beach erosion, municipalities should explore more natural solutions for coastal hardening.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in July, “During the 20th century, global sea level rose by roughly 7 inches. Global temperatures are expected to continue to climb, resulting in rising sea levels, amplified storm surges, greater frequency and intensity of storms.”

Our era will be defined by these changes. Entire communities may soon be washed away. As shorelines continue to erode, homes and critical infrastructure will follow suit.

The EPA suggests measures such as using plants, reefs, sand and natural barriers to create a living shoreline which in turn can reduce erosion and flooding. Wave heights can be reduced by restoring wetlands that serve as buffers against the water’s velocity and intensity.

Vegetative shorelines also help to improve water quality, aquatic habitat and carbon sequestration. Living shorelines also don’t have to be one thing. Designers can use native wetland plants, stones and rocks, oyster reefs, mussel beds and more to create different shorelines.

In many cases, natural solutions can be more cost-effective than gray infrastructure. Structures such as seawalls can deteriorate quickly after they are constructed, and they can be difficult and costly to repair and replace. Green alternatives can be more cost-effective, even though some critics say it is time consuming to replenish them.

Of course, while choosing natural resources may work in some situations, in certain circumstances a home may be ready to fall in the water, and a seawall may be the only or quickest answer to saving the property.

To meet the demands of this century, we must radically adjust our thinking. We are competing with other coastal communities nationwide for limited grant funding. If we choose to avoid the difficult environmental realities of our time, we are going to get passed by. In the intermunicipal survival of the fittest, communities that adapt themselves to the changing circumstances will survive and thrive. Those that don’t will wither away with the coastline.

To survive, we must adapt to the new pressures of an everchanging environment. Moving forward, rigidity and narrowmindedness will be our worst impediments, adaptability and realism our greatest resources.

Make your redistricting voice heard this Thursday at Town Hall

Every person deserves to have their voice and interests represented in their government. Communities must have their needs met by their elected representatives. The redistricting process, which only happens once a decade, should produce maps that are fair and equitable.

Unfortunately, the redistricting process in the Town of Brookhaven is the antithesis of what democracy should look like. The public hearings were poorly advertised by the Town Board, leading to sparsely attended meetings in the first round. When the proposed maps, which were posted without the knowledge of members of the redistricting committee, were introduced, residents were shocked to find out that their communities were being split, and diverse communities would have their voices diluted.

There was no need for any of this to occur. Currently, the Brookhaven town code states that there cannot be a deviation of greater or less than 5% in population, to keep council districts relatively similar in numbers. There are two council districts that are currently outside the deviation. Council District 6 is overpopulated, and Council District 2 is underpopulated. The simple fix would be to move a portion of Council District 6 into Council District 2, and leave alone the other four council districts, which are well within the deviation.

Unfortunately, the Brookhaven GOP board majority [6-1] chose to target the most diverse communities in the town and is attempting to dilute their voices in government. The 1st Council District, which is home to a Latino community in Port Jefferson Station, and a young, diverse voting population at Stony Brook University, has been altered by Republican proposed maps. This is a clear attempt to make it more difficult for the board’s only Democrat, Jonathan Kornreich [D-Stony Brook], to be reelected.

In the 4th Council District, which is home to diverse communities including Gordon Heights, Coram and North Bellport, town Supervisor Romaine [R] is proposing to move more of the largely white community of Ridge into the district. There has been an outcry from civic and community leaders about this gerrymandering of District 4, which bolsters the reelection prospects of Councilman Michael Loguercio [R-Ridge], who won in 2019 by just 816 votes [6,4775,661]. This is not what democracy looks like.

If you believe that democracy matters, you must make your voice heard this Thursday, Sept. 29, at 5 p.m. at Brookhaven Town Hall, located at 1 Independence Hill, Farmingville. Residents of Brookhaven will have the opportunity to speak during

the public hearing over Romaine’s proposed map. If you believe that voters deserve to pick their representatives, and that representatives should not use the redistricting process to pick their voters, speak up at the hearing — and say “no” to the Brookhaven GOP’s gerrymandering.

Shoshana Hershkowitz South Setauket

Editor’s note: Council District 4, an important topic of this letter, currently consists of Farmingville (part), Medford (part), Holtsville (part), Gordon Heights, Coram (part), Yaphank, Middle Island, Ridge (part), Bellport, North Bellport, Brookhaven Hamlet, North Shirley (part).

Democracy is only one generation away from extinction

I say this without hyperbole. Democracy is only one generation away from extinction. Over the past 20 years, national gerrymandering efforts have splintered our national voice in the “People’s House” of Representatives. This is readily apparent in each midterm election where the House majority swings wildly left and wildly right with the adamant fervor of a ping-pong tournament. In 2022, we have the least amount of “competitive” House of Representative seats up for grabs than at any point in our nation’s history. The notion of “one voice, one vote” has been drowned in the partisan rancor that has overtaken Washington through gerrymandered redistricting.

Similarly, here in Brookhaven and in the Suffolk County Legislature, the redistricting efforts have failed to uphold this crucial tenet of democracy. The notion of “one voice, one vote” has made American democracy the envy of the modern world. Drawing voter lines isn’t a political football — Republican vs. Democrat — as it is often painted with the broad paintbrush of partisanship. This is about the hallmarks that make America the longest-lasting representative democracy in history.

The most current proposed maps in Suffolk and in Brookhaven violate the spirit of what was intended namely, a “least changed map that ensures common communities share a common councilperson.” We cannot let the toxic partisan climate of national politics pollute the county or Brookhaven Town, “the shining star of Suffolk County” — admittedly I am a bit biased to my home township. Let’s do what’s right for democracy by voting “no” on these maps and go back to the drawing board to draw maps that give the keys to our democracy to all voices from all communities. Let’s keep the embers of the people’s voice of Brookhaven and larger Suffolk County alive. Do the right thing.

In Brookhaven, our Town Board should protect its legacy and be the right side of history so generations from now

people will recall when presented with an opportunity to protect our democracy and its principles, this Town Board led by 40-year public servant Supervisor Ed Romaine [R], acted swiftly with integrity and honor to restore faith in our democratic institutions by drafting maps to allow all stakeholders a voice in our local elections in direct contravention to the actions of some of our national political leaders.

Isn’t that the very hallmark of public service?

Anthony R. Portesy Port Jefferson Station

Editor’s note: The writer is the chairman of the Brookhaven Town Democratic Committee, but he writes this letter as a concerned citizen of modern democracy.

Make your redistricting voices heard at town and county levels

For the past few months, I have advocated, along with others, for the protection of the Three Village, Port Jeff/ Port Jeff Station/Terryville communities in Council District 1 as Brookhaven Town undergoes the decennial redistricting process required by law. While in great measure we have preserved the “communities of interest” these neighborhoods represent, there is an equally devastating change afoot at the county level that presents an existential threat to the integrity of our area which shares a rich history of connections and resources.

The Republican majority in the county Legislature is advancing a plan to change the boundaries of the 5th District which would eviscerate this community and split our communities into three separate districts and dilute our voice. This most egregious example of gerrymandering would obliterate a district which has been unchanged since the inception of the Legislature in 1970. For over 50 years, our community has been represented by the likes of Millie Steinberg, Steve Englebright, Vivian Viloria-Fisher and most recently Kara Hahn, all of whom have served with distinction, and each having passed groundbreaking legislation improving the lives of our residents.

The organizing principle of redistricting in state and local law is to maintain communities of interest as well as protect the voting rights of minority communities to have a say about their own future. Neither seems to be guiding the “powers that be” in the majority party at the town or county levels.

I urge my fellow residents to show up at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 29, at Brookhaven Town Hall as well as write the Reapportionment Commission, William H. Rogers Building, 725 Veterans Memorial Highway, Hauppauge, NY 11787 and have your voices heard.

Ira Costell

Port Jefferson Station

What would I do if I gave up an historic Aaron Judge homer?

IfI were pitching to Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, I would probably take a long pause before throwing my first pitch.

I know it’s absurd to think of this older man who never threw a ball much harder than low high school level pitching to a generational legend, but let’s play out the fantasy for a laugh or two.

I wouldn’t pause so I could figure out how to get him out. Sure, it’d be nice to do my job well and my teammates might appreciate it if I gave us a better chance to win a game.

best choreographed reaction to him hitting a home run. I mean, after all, the pitchers who surrender his long home runs are, in their own way, famous.

They share the moment between when they release the ball, and he obliterates it into the night sky, sending thousands of people screaming out of their seats, arms in the air, sharing in the majesty that wouldn’t be possible without my meatball pitch sputtering, laughably, towards his powerful bat.

If he sent a ball out of the stadium, I would be joining select company, with so many pitchers around the majors surrendering home runs in a historic year.

would have to waddle out to the mound to put me in a neck brace.

Or, maybe I’d hold my glove up to my face and appear to yell a stream of expletives into my mitt, as if, somehow, I knew I should have thrown a different pitch in a different spot.

Then again, I could rub my fingers in some dirt and write a capital “AJ” on my uniform, like scarlet letters, except it wouldn’t be anything puritanical, and I would be acknowledging my inferiority.

None of that seems like me, even in my fantasy world.

make me more than just another guy who gave up a home run to Aaron Judge.

Maybe I’d wait at home plate and give him a high five or a fist bump to acknowledge a full season worth of greatness. While kids do that in Little League, professional players generally don’t acknowledge the remarkable achievements of their opponents.

When he reached second base, I could put down my glove and clap from the mound, ever so briefly. Then, perhaps, I’d take off my hat and salute him.

D. None of the above

BY DANIEL DUNAIEF

Instead, I would need to ponder the moment that history might be calling. I’d be thinking about the

I’d be thinking about how I’d look in newsreels or newscasts or digital versions of the Aaron Judge year to remember.

I could imagine ways to overreact. I could throw my glove on the mound, gesture wildly by putting my hands in the air, or shake my head so violently that my manager and the trainer

Being stoic would make me too much of a personality-less pitcher. Let’s face it: even in my imaginary moment of being an above average starter or relief pitcher, the time to focus on me would be incredibly short.

Let’s say I didn’t blink after he hit the home run. Or, maybe, I tracked the flight of the ball carefully, like a zebra eyeing a lion suspiciously in the Serengeti. That might get me on TV and

kind of

Have you ever heard of reflective listening? While I like to think of myself as being a good listener, and really I should ask others who speak to me to make that determination, I came upon this new technique and thought I would share it with you.

expressions or body language. And even when on Zoom, we don’t get a good look at the other person, nor do they have a good read of us.

Or, maybe I could take a page out of the more subtle but celebrated Mona Lisa textbook. I could give just a hint of a smile as if I were saying, “you beat me and you’re a pretty spectacular hitter. There’s no shame in losing this battle and now we’re weirdly connected, like we’re kind of twins, except that you’re great and going to be remembered forever and I’m just going to be remembered for starting the ball on its magical journey into the history books.”

BY LEAH

DUNAIEF

Reflective listening is a communications strategy that involves two steps. The first is, if you are the listener, seeking to understand what the speaker is saying. So many times in our lives, we think we hear what the other person is saying, and it turns out we didn’t hear that person correctly at all. I think that is particularly true when on the phone or when reading a text or an email. We don’t have the benefit of seeing facial

Then the second step is to offer back the thought, and even the words of the speaker, to confirm that his or her idea was understood. Here is just a simple example between two people who sometimes quarrel that could be misunderstood.

“Do you want to go to a Yankee game with me Friday night for a change?” asks the speaker.

The listener hears, “Do you want to go to a Yankee game with me?” as opposed to with another person Friday night, and so reflects back the question accordingly by repeating, “Do I want to go to a Yankee game with you?”

The speaker can then clarify with, “Yes, do you want to go to a Yankee game Friday night instead of going bowling?”

By repeating the words, the listener has given the speaker a second chance at making his meaning clear. The listener then answers, “Yes, I would like to go to a Yankee game with you Friday night.”

This is probably an oversimplification of how a speaker might be misunderstood, but the essence of the reflective listening is to pay respectful attention to the content and the feelings expressed by the speaker. The listener hears and then understands what is being said and lets the speaker know that she has gotten the message.

This kind of “checking out” requires responding actively while keeping focused completely on the speaker. It’s a step beyond what is normally thought of as listening. It’s reflecting back accurately on both content and feeling levels.

Reflective listening offers a number of benefits. It lets the speaker know that they have been heard, understood, and perhaps, even cared for and supported, depending on the nature of the exchange. It gives the speaker feedback on what he or she said and how it was understood.

It allows the listener to check his or her own accuracy in hearing what the speaker said. It avoids the illusion of understanding. It helps prevent what has been termed the “mental

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vacation” in which the listener is inattentive during conversation. It can give the speaker a second chance to focus on self, vent, sort out issues, express feelings and deal more effectively with emotions.

It allows the speaker to move to deeper levels of expression at his or her own pace. It can help the speaker to articulate more clearly. It may help the speaker to arrive at a solution to a problem being voiced. It helps the listener clarify what is expected of him or her. It helps the listener to deal effectively with the issue, problem or needs the speaker raised.

In a confrontational exchange, it gives a couple of seconds pause, which might enable a cooling down.

In a social situation, it can create a climate of warmth between speaker and listener. In another situation, directions can be clarified by the listener. And as a technique in leading a group discussion, effective hearing, then repeating all points of view, is certainly required.

I hope you can see why I thought this one communication technique was worth sharing.

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