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Displaying 1 through 10 of 118 records found.
Productive team
In the 41 years I've lived in Northport Village, I've witnessed village trustees who were so combative they rarely got anything done. Our present Board of Trustees has worked well together and achieved much. Members haven't always agreed with each other and debate has been vigorous at times but each person has conducted himself with courtesy and respect unlike some boards of the past. I would like to see this board continue with its current members.
Fostering a renewed sense of community, some of this board's achievements include such initiatives as outdoor dining, Tuesday nights' Family Nights, the Farmers' Market and the future movies in the park. This board facilitated the creation of our new theater and helped save the Lewis Oliver Dairy. It voted to protect our historic legacy by putting into legislation a considerate and responsible review process.
This board has met many challenges. It has struggled against circumstances, not each other, to control the budget during difficult economic times and each year has unanimously adopted a budget that has maintained our high municipal bond rating. It worked with the Town of Huntington to establish a code for development along Route 25A. It worked with Sen. Schumer to address our flooding problems. In fact, it obtained untapped state funds, got them earmarked for work on our sewer system and followed through with the project.
The board still has work to do. I would like to see them re-elected to tackle the issues that will confront us in the months and years ahead. They are a productive team. They are a team we can be proud of.
Gloria Sandler
Northport
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March 05, 2010
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Open letter to Northport residents
In March 2005, I was elected to the position of village trustee. My main mission at that time was to bridge the gap on a severely divided village board. I worked hard to make sure you, the taxpayers, would get the best possible service for your tax dollars. In March 2006 with your help I was elected to the position of mayor of this wonderful village. I cannot express how proud I am to have represented Northport these past four years as your mayor.
As a mayoral candidate in 2006 I made several campaign promises.
The first was to create a more civilized atmosphere at village board meetings: no longer would the board provide Tuesday night entertainment for the public with displays of bickering and grandstanding. Our efforts at meetings would be totally devoted to reaching a consensus on village issues.
Second, I would lead Northport back to a sound financial footing. Taxes, always an unpopular necessity, have averaged 2 percent lower for the past two years than the previous administration's prior four years. This lower rate has been difficult to achieve given our nation's poor financial condition. Most importantly is how we have used your tax dollars. Our legal fees for the past four years are 50 percent less than what the previous administration spent and our engineering fees are 25 percent less than the previous administration.
For roads and sidewalks, we put grant money that the previous administration left dormant and new grant money to work on Scudder Ave., Church St., Norwood Ave. and Main St. We have installed $500,000 worth of storm drains with grant dollars. We resurfaced 25 village roads with consolidated highway improvement program funds. CHIPS funds come from the federal government and are distributed to municipalities by the state. We used $520,000 of CHIPS funds to do these 25 roads without using any village tax dollars. We had plans to do another $500,000 worth of roadwork with grants from Albany but that money was withdrawn as the Albany budget crises developed. We applied for federal stimulus funds to do every village road. It looked promising until we learned that Northport would not be considered in this phase of the stimulus.
I promised to do away with open-ended spending. Every project — whether it be construction, legal, engineering, planning, consulting, etc. — has a clause in its authorization "will not exceed … amount of dollars."
We committed ourselves to help our commercial districts weather what was first considered as a "downturn" in the economy and then became a recession. Vacant stores began appearing on Main St. and the Northport theater was in jeopardy. Then Mr. Kevin O'Neill approached the village with a sound business plan that we thought would be a major boost to our local economy. We expedited the village's part of the planning, the permit process and inspection process. Kevin's transformation, the John Engeman Theater, has become a major presence on Main Street. We have also provided priority status to other prospective business applications. We have worked with our local merchants to develop and organize activities such as outdoor dining, family nights, the farmers market, art and music in the park and on Main Street — activities that prior to this administration were considered nonstarters.
Every piece of my campaign literature in 2005 when I ran as a trustee to 2006 when I ran for mayor, state that I was in favor of historical preservation and I was questioned specifically about it in 2006 debates. It took two years to develop and pass historical legislation for Main St. It took four years to develop and pass Historic Review legislation for the rest of the village. This was a campaign promise that I made and is something that I strongly believe in. Given some time, it will prove to be a great asset to Northport Village.
In the past five years, I have done nothing with the singular reason to be re-elected to this office. Every action, every decision, every debate has been for what I believe to be for the good of the village. My only agenda is to keep Northport Village the wonderful place that it is. I am asking you again for your vote for mayor on March 16, 2010.
George J. Doll Jr.
Mayor, Village of Northport
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March 05, 2010
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Re-elect Kehoe
It is my pleasure to write this letter on behalf of Tom Kehoe, who is seeking re-election as village trustee. As a lifelong Northport resident, former village trustee and past president of The Rotary Club of Northport, I have admired Mr. Kehoe's service and dedication to our community. It has been significant.
Mr. Kehoe brings a thoughtful, independent and rational voice to the village board, and truly listens to ours. And then he makes things happen. A few years ago he saw the needs of our struggling business community and took it upon himself to form Northport's Business Development Committee — a group of concerned Northport village residents, merchants and business owners — to work together with him (as liaison to the Board of Trustees) to help revitalize Main Street. I have had the privilege of working closely with Mr. Kehoe on that committee. It was his vision and leadership that brought outdoor dining on Main Street, Family Nights on Tuesdays in August, and improved garbage collection for all businesses and restaurants in our village. His initiative and hard work continue: he is currently working with the committee for a bed and breakfast provision to be added to the village code.
Every so often Northport village is fortunate to elect an outstanding candidate to the Board of Trustees and to reap the benefits thereafter. Four years ago we did that when we elected Tom Kehoe as village trustee. I am urging you to re-elect him on March 16, so that he may continue his significant work on our behalf.
Ann Stevens
Northport
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March 04, 2010
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Keep what works; re-elect Tobin
This is an endorsement for the re-election of Henry Tobin to the Northport Village Board. He has been a faithful and energetic citizen whose goal has been to enhance our village and continue its charm that brings so many visitors to us. They support our economy as do our residents and enjoy the many accomplishments that Henry has put into motion, such as outdoor dining and the farmers market.
Let us keep on our board what works, not the unknown.
Blanche Komarek
Northport
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March 04, 2010
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Citizen of the world
I am sending this letter to sincerely thank you for the honor of Northport's Man of the Year.
As a young person growing up in Northport and the surrounding hamlets of Huntington I can't say that I always appreciated the freedom of being an American, with the added blessings of my great family. As an older person living, working and raising my own family here on Long Island I understand how fortunate we are. I also realize that these freedoms and good fortune don't come naturally and to some fellow humans are only distant dreams. I believe that being involved in my community is a privilege and working to better the world is a responsibility that has been laid before my feet as a blessed and thankful Long Islander.
It is through God's grace that the Northport Rotary allowed me to serve a term as their president. This position offered an unbelievable resource to help me make a difference in the lives of all the people we reached out to with Rotary's helping hand. That resource is the unbelievably dedicated members of my Northport Rotary. Without my selfless, generous club mates and millions like them around the world this planet would be in much more trouble then we know today. From helping to form the U.N. to polio eradication, from scholarships for upcoming world leaders to water projects, Rotary has lived up to its motto: Service above Self.
So once again thank you for my 15 minutes of fame. But I must thank God, my family and extended family at Rotary for the support and opportunity to serve.
Peter Engelmann
Northport
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March 04, 2010
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The right thing: my first 45 days
During my campaign for Town Council I focused on the need to address both the financial crisis and crime crisis affecting the residents of Huntington.
When approached by Supervisor Petrone in December I wholeheartedly supported the decision to hold the inauguration at Jack Abrams Intermediate School to highlight the need to focus on the crime crisis in Huntington Station.
At my first two Town Board meetings I voted NO, with detailed explanations, on over 20 resolutions in furtherance of fiscal discipline.
I voted NO against contracts that were not being re-bid and awarded to the lowest qualified bidder. I voted NO to allow contracts that were being rolled over at the obscene prices that were established prior to the economy going into the tank.
I voted NO to save our residents hard-earned money.
My NO votes were against lucrative "part-time" jobs for political insiders to try to stop government waste.
However, the path toward job growth and fiscal discipline is not always a NO vote.
Most recently I voted YES to sponsor a resolution for the build-out of a branch of The First National Bank of Long Island in Cold Spring Harbor. This improvement will help to stimulate economic growth and to help the struggling area merchants.
I also voted YES to establish the Huntington Local Development Corporation. That is a vehicle that can be used to provide funding for qualified businesses to help stimulate the local economy. It will also be one of many funding sources incorporated into the Small Business Resource and Recovery Center that I am in the process of establishing.
These initial steps are the very beginning of what needs to be done to address the crises facing Town government.
There many challenges ahead and I will continue to advocate for all the residents of the Town of Huntington.
Councilman Mark Mayoka
Cold Spring Harbor
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February 24, 2010
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Outrageous affront
It is an outrageous affront to the residents of Huntington that the Town Board appointed former Councilman Stuart Besen to a position as a Special Assistant Town Attorney at its Feb. 9 meeting. It is political payback, pure and simple; obvious cronyism, and a continuation of the overt arrogance of this board. Once again the taxpayer gets ripped off, this time to the tune of $50,000 a year plus benefits, while friends of the board get paid off.
Since Supervisor Frank Petrone first took office, the salary of a Town Board member has gone from $28,000 annually to over $78,000, not including benefits — for a part-time job. The Board is taking good care of themselves at the expense of their constituents.
Mr. Besen is now the 28th attorney working for the town, yet the leadership claims the town is being run well. If it were being run well, would we really need 28 attorneys? This appointment was clearly made just to ensure that Mr. Besen's employment history with the town will justify his receiving a lifetime pension and lifetime health benefits. How many of our residents have that?
According to recent published information, Mr. Besen will be spending part of that time working on "a project to qualify the town for federal funds for downtown revitalization." The town is not qualified for federal funds already? How can that be? And, if the project actually involves simply filling out the applications for the funds, do we really need a $50,000 a year attorney to fill them out? Furthermore, don't we already have a community development department with its own lawyer? Why are we paying them if they are not doing the community development?
Lest we forget, Mr. Besen, and most of the current Town Board members in office, were serving on the board when the debacle at Crab Meadow occurred, which, by the way, led to litigation against the town. And, since nearly all votes of the board were 5-0 when he served, he actually voted for the hiring freeze that has been conveniently overridden to supply him a with very personal gain, while the town's highway department — a separate taxing entity — couldn't even plow the roads well during these past two storms because they are understaffed.
Shame on you Susan Berland. Shame on you Glenda Jackson. Shame on you Mark Cuthbertson. Shame on you Frank Petrone. Stop doing only what you want to do and think of the taxpayer for a change.
Mr. Besen has also been appointed to the New York State Judicial Screening Committee by Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy. That position is reportedly voluntary. Why should Huntington residents be subsidizing his time to work for free for the state when the state won't even give us our fair share of school funding? By making this appointment, County Executive Levy gives clout to the future political aspirations of someone that the voters have already decided should not hold political office. Shame on you too, Steve Levy.
Wake up people of Huntington, and remember all this come election time or you will continue to get your pocket picked, one political buddy at a time.
Eugene Cook
Greenlawn
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February 24, 2010
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Obscene practice
It is heartening to see William Naughton fighting back against the town board, which during an unscheduled meeting Feb. 3, voted to file a lawsuit seeking to block the superintendent of highways from hiring needed personnel.
As an independently elected official, the superintendent of highways is not beholden to the town board. Yet the board continues to usurp Naughton's authority. Its lawsuit is a cynical act of political retaliation against him for refusing to kowtow to its head honchos, Supervisor Petrone and Councilman Cuthbertson.
In an open letter to Huntington residents last October, Naughton wrote that the town board has prevented him from filling a number of vacant and much-needed positions and has not allowed him "to spend the requisite funds to pave and rehabilitate more roads and improve drainage conditions in many areas of our town — which you have paid for with your tax dollars."
Naughton further noted that "While $35 million in capital spending was approved over the past several months — much of it towards a second ice rink that will serve just a small percentage of our residents — I have been unconscionably deprived of the use of monies in the highway budget to properly maintain and improve roadways that benefit residents in neighborhoods and communities throughout our town."
More recently, when a December snowstorm dropped a foot and a half of snow on Huntington roads, six highway department vehicles sat idle because there were no employees to drive them. While our town board is quick to spend money on pet projects benefiting a few favored people or communities, providing for the clearing of roads and public safety during a snowstorm is seemingly not a priority — especially if doing so interferes with its ability to seek to settle a political score with the superintendent of highways.
The town board persists in treating our independently elected superintendent of highways as just another appointed department head. While others may function within board-imposed financial restrictions, the shifting needs of the highway department are such that William Naughton can't — and won't.
Not content to interfere with Naughton's ability to run his department by blocking the release of funds for vacant positions, the town board, under the guise of a supposed mandate to do so, has the chutzpah to dictate whom he may retain as legal counsel to defend him against its mean-spirited lawsuit. As reported in The New York Times a few years ago, Huntington town boards have a predilection for legal action, retaining as outside counsel a number of lawyers who have contributed handsomely to the campaign coffers of its members. This obscene practice continues despite the fact that Huntington has more lawyers employed in its town attorney's office than any other LI municipality.
Michael Kornfeld
Huntington
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February 18, 2010
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Solution for Long Island
The future of Long Island and those who continue to live here will be determined by the changes in its population over the next several decades, and those trends do not indicate a healthy economic future. For a healthy future we must bring and retain income into the area in two ways that we are failing to do.
First, if more retirees with income from pensions, social security and accumulated savings stayed here instead of moving off-Island, their spending would support more service jobs and provide additional employment for local residents. Unfortunately too many retirees are leaving because they have no alternative to the high real estate taxes and upkeep efforts and expenses associated with their current single-family homes. Second, young people who are just starting their careers and families must be able to find reasonable and affordable housing here, or they will continue to leave the area at four times the national average and settle elsewhere.
The common solution to both these problems is a mix of both rental and owned housing that is affordable to younger workers and appropriately sized for singles, young families and retirees.
One such development is being planned for Huntington Station, where 30 acres that is currently zoned for over 100 single family homes could instead be developed by Avalon Bay into a combination of 538 rental and ownership units with one, two, and three bedrooms. The buildings would be clustered to allow for green space, play areas, a swimming pool with clubhouse and fitness center. The anticipated mix of residents would likely send fewer children but more tax dollars to the Huntington School District than the currently zoned single-family development would. Finally, the location of the development within convenient walking distance of the Huntington train station would encourage commuters to live there and walk to the train instead of living elsewhere and driving and occupying spaces in the station parking lots.
I urge all Huntington residents and the town board to support this important step in keeping on Long Island those people who are necessary for a vibrant future here.
Peter Gollon
Huntington
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February 18, 2010
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Poor timing, indeed
Last week, we learned that the town board approved the hiring of Stuart Besen as a part-time attorney at a salary of $50,000, plus benefits. It's not surprising that the board would try to find a position in town hall for Mr. Besen after he lost his re-election bid for the town board. It happens all the time in politics.
What is surprising, and quite frankly totally outrageous, is that they've done this at a time when people in the town are struggling with the current economic conditions, at a time when we are experiencing record unemployment on Long Island, at a time when we have a hiring freeze in place in the town and at a time when the town board is suing the Highway Superintendent for hiring people without board approval and labeling those hirings as "poor timing." Now, Mr. Besen is clearly a gentleman, obviously has knowledge of the inner workings of the town and is probably a very good attorney. But unfortunately, that still does not excuse Mr. Petrone's and the town board's move to create a new position to, in effect, "take care" of a former board member.
What will be interesting to watch is whether or not the public is finally tired of these kinds of antics in local government. I am, what say you?
Frank J. Stalzer
Huntington
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February 18, 2010
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