Long Island

Politics

More coverage: Suffolk County Executive-elect Steve Bellone 

Rachelle Blidner

Suffolk County Republican chairman Jesse Garcia has chosen Betty Manzella, a top party official and a former deputy elections commissioner, to serve as Suffolk's next GOP Board of Elections commissioner. 
The Suffolk County Legislature on Tuesday unanimously approved Manzella, executive director of the county Republican Party, to replace former Commissioner Nicholas LaLota. 
LaLota resigned Jan. 3 to become chief of staff to legislative Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst). 
Manzella's salary will be $152,906. 
Manzella, 64, of Selden, will serve as GOP commissioner until LaLota's term expires Dec. 31. 
Manzella will work alongside longtime Democratic election Commissioner Anita Katz. 
Katz and Manzella will run the board as it prepares to oversee midterm congressional races, state Senate and Assembly contests and the race for governor. 
"I hope to serve all of you well," Manzella told Suffolk legislators, who approved her nomination Tuesday without posing questions. 
Manzella retired as deputy Suffolk elections commissioner in 2018 after serving 23 years with the agency in a variety of roles. 
Manzella also is vice chairwoman of the Brookhaven Town Republican Committee, which Garcia chairs. 
Manzella was among top GOP officials on the letterhead of Garcia's official letter nominating her as elections commissioner. 
Manzella, a cousin of the late Suffolk Republican chairman John Powell, served as a Mastic Beach trustee before the village dissolved in 2017. 
Manzella ran unsuccessfully for Suffolk County Legislature against incumbent Legis. Kate Browning, a Working Families Party member, in 2007. 
Under state election law, the county Democratic and Republican party leaders each nominate a commissioner for county election boards. 
Garcia, also the GOP Hispanic outreach coordinator at the Suffolk Board of Elections, told Newsday Manzella, "has a long record of advancing policies that ensure that elections are conducted in a proper, fair and open manner, that encourages more participation among the electorate." 
County legislators approved Manzella via an emergency resolution submitted by County Executive Steve Bellone, a Democrat, instead of through the standard process in which lawmakers interview appointees in committee meetings. 
Bellone's office said he put forth the resolution on McCaffrey's behalf. 
Officials said they needed to install an elections commissioner quickly, without waiting for the next legislative meeting on March 8. 
County Democratic chairman Richard Schaffer, also the Babylon Town supervisor, noted that candidates for office will begin circulating nominating petitions March 1. 
"The commissioner is supposed to be a professional and Betty is that and more, and so that's why it's going to be great in terms of the operations of the BOE," Schaffer told Newsday. 
Also Tuesday, the county Legislature approved: 
<ul> 
 <li>$9 million in spending to replace 225 public safety vehicles, as part of a $25 million capital project. Legis. Tom Donnelly (D-Deer Park) said the county had a "shortage" of unmarked and undercover vehicles last year.</li> 
 <li>Allocation of $4 million for a capital project to replace the county payroll system.</li> 
 <li>Borrowing of $5 million for farmland preservation.</li> 
</ul>

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Betty Manzella confirmed as Suffolk GOP elections commissioner

Manzella confirmed as Suffolk GOP elections commissioner

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<h2>Nixing redistricting plan an awful move </h2> 
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone’s deal on redistricting is self-serving and shameful ["Bellone vetoes redistricting map," News, Jan. 27]. 
The prior plan established a new Suffolk County Legislature district map, including four majority-minority districts for the first time. Although the legislature was majority Democrat and could have passed a gerrymandered monstrosity, it instead took the high road, submitting a map which split districts evenly based on the 2020 Census. Republicans tried to stop it but were struck down by the appellate court, which ruled that the redistricting process was conducted fairly. 
Now, Bellone has met behind closed doors with the Republican presiding officer, thwarting the communities who supported the new map. 
These two want to change the code in two days without input or oversight from the communities who continue to be harmed by being barred from a seat at the table. This new deal was made without input from Democratic minority leader Jason Richberg, the only Black legislator. 
What are we to conclude from this but that fair and equal representation isn’t a priority for Bellone or Republicans. Bellone’s seemingly disingenuous attempts to convince the constituency of the correctness of his path have shown his true character. 
— Garrett Petersen, East Islip 
Nowhere did I read that those objecting the most to the new redistricting plan can’t be part of a public committee in formulating the policy ["Criticism of redistrict veto," News, Jan. 28]. 
Once again, it shouldn’t be a Republican or Democratic political policy. It should involve those in the affected communities where redrawn lines will determine the voting patterns of the future, along with the public’s opinions, discussion and support in formulating these lines. 
— Frank Knight, Mastic 
<h2>NYPD cops living in city still a bad idea </h2> 
Mayor Eric Adams’ idea of a residency requirement for NYPD officers is nothing new ["Mayor: More cops need to live in city," News, Jan. 26]. In 1992, I wrote a letter to Newsday concerning this very issue. I thought the concept was a bad idea then, and it’s still a bad idea 30 years later. 
First, the reason for originally permitting the cops to live outside the city — the lack of adequate middle-income housing — has not changed over the years. 
Second, newly hired officers must now pay city income taxes at the higher resident rate regardless of where they live. 
Third, despite the new community policing concept, officers are still prohibited by the department from working in precincts where they reside. 
Last, and most important, the implication that suburban cops don’t care about Black and Latino neighborhoods where they work insults the memory of the scores of officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Just ask their 
families if their lost sons, daughters, husbands and fathers really cared. 
— John J. Tarpey Jr., Massapequa 
The writer is a retired NYPD lieutenant. 
  
There should be a residency law for teachers working in New York City as well as police officers. Growing up on Long Island and ultimately teaching in New York City is a challenge for many in relating to and understanding a different and diverse culture of values and beliefs. 
For some, teaching in the city is viewed as a training ground until teaching positions open in Nassau or Suffolk counties. 
— Phil Cicero, North Massapequa 
<h5></h5> 
<h2>Online gamblers can’t afford to lose money </h2> 
It seems that the proliferation of online gambling is like a regressive tax, or worse ["Don’t lose all your bets," Editorial, Jan. 14]. Wealthy people generally didn’t get that way by making investments that return much less than the investment, such as gambling does. People who aren’t wealthy seem to think that they may become rich by gambling, that somehow they will be the exception that gets a big payday. So, most gambling money likely comes from people who can’t afford it but hope to escape poverty. At least sales taxes generally affect people equally. 
Why don’t wealthy individuals or companies pay appropriate higher taxes? It is because they have the money for lobbyists and lawyers who can find loopholes. 
Why don’t our state lawmakers oppose these regressive gambling fiascos? Could it have something to do with the money it brings them? 
— Jerry Mintz, Roslyn Heights 
The writer is director of the Alternative Education Resource Organization.

Opinion

Letters

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Redistricting, NYPD residency, online gamblers

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Alfonso A. Castillo

The LIRR aimed for regular service Tuesday morning and town and county crews cleared most major roadways as the region went back to work following a weekend nor'easter with near-record snowfall. 
The Long Island Rail Road had a barrage of service disruptions Monday morning, some storm-related, including an hourlong suspension of service in and out of Penn Station at the height of the rush; a train derailment in a Port Jefferson yard that caused four trains to be canceled; another four cancellations attributed to switching problems in Valley Stream, and dozens of other delays throughout all of the railroad’s 11 branches. 
In a statement, LIRR president Phillip Eng attributed some disruptions Monday to "residual weather issues and an Amtrak switch failure." 
The LIRR’s issues continued through the Monday evening rush, with several delays of up to 40 minutes, including on the Port Jefferson and Ronkonkoma branches. 
Meanwhile, town crews struggled to plow roadways from the storm that was declared a blizzard in Suffolk, and dumped the second-highest daily snowfall amount on record for Long Island. 
Brookhaven Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro said on Monday roads were passable after parts of the area received nearly 24 Inches of snow. The majority of the day was spent widening roads, clearing intersections and or cul-de-sacs. 
"Your primary focus has to be getting those roads open and accessible," he said. "Making sure those roads are passable doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re pushed back all the way to the curb. Sometimes that does take a couple of days." 
Some residents failed to remove vehicles off the road when the state of emergency was declared, creating clean-up "headaches," Losquadro said. 
"Especially in a large storm like this when you do get those folks who leave their cars on the street it really causes headaches because it’s a large volume of snow that’s still left out in the road," he said. 
In the Town of Southampton, which got hit particularly hard by the storm, all the roads are "passable," said Public Safety &amp; Emergency Management Administrator Ryan Murphy. 
"In many cases, they still have some snow on them," Murphy said of town roads, adding that "cascading" delays for bus services can result, as each stop may take a few minutes longer. 
In Islip, Tom Owens, commissioner of department of public works, said approximately 6,000 tons of salt were dropped in the town between Friday and end of business Monday. 
On Tuesday, more salt will be dispersed along with "checking those icy conditions to make it safe for school buses and then as the temperatures rise, scrap the road off" of snow, Owens said. "I’m thinking a couple of warm days and it will be back to normal again." 
County roads were also in decent shape, officials said. 
"The majority of county roads have already been cleared and are down to blacktop," Nicole Russo, a spokeswoman for Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said in an email. 
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, whose new administration had its first bad-weather test, said Monday that he mainly encountered blacktop when he set out to assess conditions 
Suffolk County Transit, which also suspended all service Saturday, was still dealing with storm-related disruptions, officials said, including detours on some routes and delays it attributed to "snow-covered and icy streets." By Monday afternoon, the situation had shown signs of improvement. 

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Also Monday, several Long Island school districts switched to remote instruction under the state’s "COVID-19 Snow Day Pilot Program," a renewed state policy that allows districts to go virtual in the event of bad weather or other natural disasters. 
The policy first took effect in 2020-21, as a way of providing more schedule flexibility during the pandemic. 
With John Hildebrand and Keldy Ortiz

News

Weather

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LIRR aiming for regular service Tuesday, roads improving after storm, officials say

LIRR pushing to return to regular service after day of delays

James T. Madore

Former Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini, defeated for reelection in November, has joined an international law firm as a partner. 
Nixon Peabody LLP in Boston announced on Monday that Sini is working at its Jericho office in the litigation department, specializing in government investigations and white-collar defense. Monday was his first day. 
Sini, a Democrat, lost his bid for a second term as Suffolk’s top prosecutor to Republican Ray Tierney. 
"After Tim lost the election, he was looking for something new to do and was interested in the private practice of law, which he hadn't done in a very long time," said Allan Cohen, managing partner of Nixon Peabody's local office. 
"For our part, we were looking to build out our white-collar criminal defense and government investigations practice. So, it really was the right person being available at the right time," he told Newsday. 
Sini said joining Nixon Peabody allows him "to do something entrepreneurial" at a law firm "that serves Long Island businesses but has a national and international reach." 
He said law enforcement agencies have increased their probes of companies. 
"I know how government agencies investigate and how to navigate crises," he told Newsday, referring to his work in rebuilding the reputations of the Suffolk district attorney's office and Suffolk County Police Department after his predecessors resigned in disgrace. "I look forward to helping clients navigate challenges by developing and implementing strategies to eliminate or mitigate damage to their reputations and businesses." 
Prior to becoming district attorney, Sini served as Suffolk police commissioner, deputy Suffolk County executive for public safety under County Executive Steve Bellone and as an assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division for the Southern District of New York, where he worked as a trial supervisor. He received his law degree from Brooklyn Law School. 
Sini, 41, is the second prominent local prosecutor to join a big law firm recently. 
Two weeks ago, Mark Lesko, former acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, was hired by the Greenberg Traurig LLP firm as part of its plan to open two offices on Long Island. 
Greenberg Traurig is the nation's ninth-largest law firm with 2,400 attorneys, including a projected 45 locally. Nixon Peabody has 600 attorneys, including 35 locally. 
Sini's hiring will help Nixon Peabody to compete because potential clients "are naturally attracted to the names that they know," said Cohen, who runs the firm's Long Island office. "But Tim isn't just a name. He's developed a resume over a very short period of time that any lawyer would be envious of."

Business

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Ex-Suffolk County DA Tim Sini joins big law firm

Former Suffolk DA Tim Sini joins big law firm

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Long Islanders spent Sunday recovering from getting walloped by a storm with a near-record snowfall and high winds, with the potential for an icy week ahead. 
The storm brought the second-highest daily snowfall on record for Long Island, the National Weather Service said on Sunday. A 2016 storm day beat it by 0.2 inches. 
Suffolk notched its first official blizzard in four years, meeting that criteria with a blend of blowing snow and winds that blew at least 35 mph for hours. Gusts in Suffolk were clocked up to 63 mph out east; in Nassau, they were measured up to 48 mph. 
With cleanup still underway, several Long Island school districts decided to cancel classes Monday. Others planned two-hour delays. 
The sheer volume of snow that fell rapidly from Friday night through Saturday afternoon was staggering. 
Suffolk's high was 25 inches in Orient Point and Nassau's was 19.2 inches in Levittown, the weather service said. Long Island MacArthur Airport in Islip saw 23.2 inches on Saturday alone, just below the daily record of 23.4 inches from Jan. 23, 2016. 
The Orient Point total includes snowfall from the entire storm. For the duration of the storm, Islip saw 24.7 inches. 
The snow won't be leaving soon. The forecast calls for arctic temperatures in the region until midweek, when daytime temperatures go into the 40s but back down to freezing or below at night.<a data-onecms-id="contentid/storywidget.1.50494128" data-onecms-type="storywidget" href="#/content/contentid/storywidget.1.50494128">Story Widget Link</a>
 
While a blizzard is not "uncommon" in the Northeast, Long Island received so much snow in one day because the storm tracked so close to us, weather service meteorologist David Stark said. 
Snow fell so quickly that crews were in a "merry-go-round — because you feel like you're just going around in circles," said Brookhaven Town Highway Superintendent Daniel P. Losquadro. 
"You plow a road. If you don't get back through that road for another hour or two when it's snowing two inches an hour, you might have six inches of snow back on that road by the time you get back around," Losquadro said. 
Two people died while shoveling snow and two more deaths are also believed to be storm-related, officials said. 
After frigid temperatures Sunday night, the roads will have a sheen of ice to them Monday, meteorologists warned, starting a melt and refreeze cycle as the week goes on. The Island should "snap out of" the unusually cold weather by Tuesday, allowing for some snow melt before rain is expected Thursday and Friday, meteorologist Jay Engle said. 
<h2>Challenge of snow clearing</h2> 
The storm that started Friday night and continued through Saturday shut down airports, trains and buses. Its harsh, sweeping winds — with gusts of more than 50 mph — were a nightmare for work crews plowing and deicing roadways, as roads that were cleared quickly filled again with snow. 
Jennifer DeSena, the North Hempstead town supervisor, said trucks went through every neighborhood three times Saturday — and the trucks were back out Sunday. 
While there were dozens of crashes, police said most of them were minor. 
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone called the weekend storm "one of the most difficult storms we have seen in a number of years," during a morning briefing at the Suffolk County DPW Yard in Commack. 
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said public work crews had been on the job around the clock. The main problem Sunday, he said, was motorists sliding off roads into snowdrifts. 
"They are blocking streets and blocking our salt trucks and plows," he said. 
Officials also urged residents not to blow snow back onto the street when clearing homes. 
<h2>Ice, then melting</h2> 
After bitter cold Sunday night, with a low in the teens, Monday and Tuesday will remain dry with highs in the mid- to upper 30s. 
Wednesday will see temperatures reach the 40s. Rain is likely on Thursday and Friday, with a chance of snow Friday. But all three of those nights will be either near or below freezing, meaning anything that melted could refreeze. 
Long Island officials said they were prepared for the forecast and its potential impacts on roads. 
In Brookhaven, crews will clear out storm drains to make room for melting snow and ice, and salt and sand should be effective with higher temperatures, Losquadro said. 
"We will be in good shape for tomorrow's commute," Losquadro said on Sunday. 
Babylon spokesman Kevin Bonner said the town would have streets clear enough by the end of Sunday for a smooth morning commute on Monday. 
"Dig out Sunday, clean up Monday, wrap up Tuesday," he said. 
Larry Falabella was busy shoveling the two-foot wall of ice that plows had pushed in front of his Baiting Hollow home Sunday morning, but he wasn't complaining. He praised the work of the Riverhead highway department for keeping the roads passable so he could get back to his job Monday as a real estate agent in Bayside, Queens. 
"They take care of two feet better out here than eight inches in Queens," he said. 
The storm and its near-record snowfall took its toll in a deadly way. 
Two men in Syosset, ages 53 and 75, died while shoveling snow Saturday, Blakeman said. Their identities were not released. 
A woman was found dead in her vehicle early Saturday in the parking lot of the Marriott hotel in Uniondale by a Nassau snowplow operator. She may have suffered a medical emergency, according to Blakeman. 
On the North Fork, a man died Saturday after he fell into a swimming pool while shoveling snow, Suffolk Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison said. The man's death remains under investigation. 
<h2>Neighbors helping neighbors</h2> 
Relatives and neighbors helped each other clear driveways and sidewalks. In some instances, homeowners said they did the work themselves because landscaping companies were overbooked. 
"We try to help each other," said Tom Cincotta, 71, who shoveled snow for his Seaford neighbors while they were away. "Some of the people are not able to do it, so we chip in whenever we can." 
The snow also brought a fun diversion for some families and a reason to gather and help out. 
Hundreds of parents flocked to Cedar Creek Park in Seaford to enjoy a snow day with their kids. The park was lined with children and adults taking turns sliding down the snowy hills. 
"I guess you can call it a tradition," said Marcello Deperalta, 47, of Massapequa Park, who went sledding with his wife, kids and family friends. "I’ve been down the hill over 30 times." 
A band of Greenport Fire Department volunteers made their way around the mostly empty village’s downtown Sunday morning as they dug paths to fire hydrants. Robert Corwin, a captain with the department, said the volunteers would probably dig out about 50 hydrants in Greenport, but urged homeowners to clear a path to the hydrants in their neighborhoods if they can. It could save valuable minutes in the event of a fire. 
At D'Latte Cafe, one of the few businesses open in Greenport Sunday, Michael Fay, 68, grabbed coffee and planned to enjoy an empty and snow-covered village. 
"It’s a huge hassle," Fay, 68 and retired, said of the snow. "But you know, it's a beautiful day. The sun is out. The snow looks beautiful."

LISTORM220131

LI recovers from historic snowfall that leaves slippery roads

LI recovers from historic snowfall that leaves slippery roads

After Mother Nature dropped the first blizzard in Suffolk in four years, Long Island residents and businesses looked to shovel out and reopen on Sunday. Newsday's Faith Jessie reports.


After blizzard passes, it's time to shovel

Newsday

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Black ice should be concerning for commuters on Monday, particularly on shaded pavements and elevated roadways like bridges, officials warned. 
With temperatures again expected to dip into the teens, highway experts said the slush from the weekend's nor’easter will freeze, creating dangerous roadways. The low Monday morning was predicted to be between 15 and 20 degrees and 19 at night, according to the National Weather Service. 
The storm dumped as much as two feet of snow across Long Island, leaving Suffolk and Nassau county public works departments with messy roads and side streets to deal with on Sunday. 
"If it looks wet and there is no spray being kicked up by the car in front of you, <a href="https://www.newsday.com/news/weather/black-ice-long-island-1.50493992">it’s ice and you need to be careful,</a>" said Robert Sinclair Jr., a spokesperson for AAA Northeast. 
Airports were back operating Sunday, but hundreds of flights remained canceled. The Long Island Rail Road restarted service on Sunday, after Gov. Kathy Hochul had said service wouldn't resume until the Monday morning commute. 
Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma and Republic Airport in East Farmingdale both reopened Sunday morning after being shut down Saturday. Southwest canceled all flights at MacArthur on Sunday, while American and Frontier canceled some flights, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. 
About 21 inches of snow fell in Patchogue, close to MacArthur, according to the National Weather Service. 
Service was scaled back on Sunday at Kennedy and LaGuardia airports, with hundreds of flights scrapped. JFK’s AirTrain resumed operations from Jamaica Station to Federal Circle, but passengers would need to use free buses at other stations, the airport tweeted Sunday afternoon. 
The LIRR had 15- to 20-minute delays on Sunday. Buses replaced trains between Ronkonkoma and Farmingdale, and between Montauk and Speonk, because of higher snowfalls and drifts in those areas. 
NICE Bus, or Nassau Inter-County Express, and Suffolk Transit buses resumed regular Sunday service on all routes. 
Meanwhile, drivers were urged to use caution because of icy conditions and black ice. Wet roads caused by melting snow or rain can refreeze in frigid temperatures, turning liquid into transparent ice that blends with the dark-colored pavement. 
"The roads may be icy, so once again we encourage those that have the availability, to stay home," said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison, at news conference with Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone in Commack. 
Bellone said the cold temperature Sunday was making cleanup efforts difficult. 
"Many, many side streets, tertiary roads, are still covered with snow and ice that is now packed in, that is packed down," he said. "You can’t really do much with that kind of snow with plows. What you count on at this point is salting and sanding the roads to start melting that snow … that ice, so that so plows can operate." 
State Department of Transportation crews were working through Sunday night assisting municipalities, DOT spokesperson Glenn Blain said. 
"All state roads remain open. However, drivers should continue to exercise caution and give themselves extra time," Blain said in a statement. 
Suffolk County police reported 114 car accidents and assisted close to 200 disabled vehicles as of midnight Saturday. Nassau County police said officers responded to 28 crashes from Friday into Saturday. 
Sinclair said there had been a 60% surge in the number of roadside assistance calls on Sunday compared with normal weekend call volumes. "We are seeing a significant increase in the number of people who need their batteries jump-started. It’s not surprising, given how cold it is," he said. 
Before hitting the roadways, he advises motorists to pay special attention to the tailpipe and the top of the vehicle while removing snow. 
"Before starting the car, you have to do that visual inspection," he said. "If there’s a lot of snow caked up in there [tailpipe], you need to clear it out. It’s very, very dangerous." 
The snow on the roof will heat up and can either blow off or slide over the windshield and block visibility, Sinclair said.

Transportation

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Commuter warning: Beware of black ice on highways from freezing slush

Drivers beware: There could be black ice on roadways

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Long Islanders should plan for a lot of shoveling Sunday after a massive snowstorm brought the first blizzard in four years to Suffolk and left more than a foot of snow in many places. 
The storm that lasted from Friday night to Saturday evening shut down airports, trains and buses, and at least one person died as a result, officials said. 
Its harsh, sweeping winds — with gusts over 50 mph — were a nightmare for work crews plowing and de-icing roadways, as roads that were cleared quickly filled again with snow. 
The storm hit the Island on a weekend, sparing those who would otherwise have to struggle back and forth to work. It also left roads open for snowplows. Moreover, the snow was more powdery than heavy, resulting in relatively few power outages, officials said. 
While there were dozens of crashes, police said most of them were minor.
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Consequently, many Islanders who hunkered down indoors emerged from the wintry blast with relatively few regrets, save for the shoveling ahead. 
"I'm glad this is happening today and not on a Monday when I would have to drive to Garden City for work," said Jen Wallace, 32, walking her husky, Rock, along Grand Avenue in Long Beach. 
Looking ahead, people should bundle up for Sunday as the high temperature is expected to be only 25 degrees. But warmer days are expected during the week, weather experts say. 
"By Wednesday we’re going to see 40 degrees, by Thursday we could be close to 50," meteorologist Bill Korbel said. 
The National Weather Service said it could "preliminarily confirm that blizzard criteria was met" for Suffolk. A blizzard is blowing, falling snow — or both — with winds of 35 mph or more, reducing visibility to a quarter-mile or less for at least three hours, according to the weather service. It was the first blizzard to hit the Island since January 2018.
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More than a foot of snow had fallen on parts of Long Island: 22.4 inches in Islip, 18.5 in Deer Park, 18 in Orient, 16 in Plainedge and 13 in Massapequa. 
The Island's heaviest snowstorm of the season so far left many places looking like a deserted scene frozen in place. Stores, restaurants, parks and entertainment facilities shut their doors. 
Melissa Maly, 32 of Rocky Point, had nowhere to go but shoveled her driveway amid the blowing storm. 
"I'm just getting started so I don’t have to do 2 feet later," she said. 
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said the snowfall started winding down about 2:30 p.m. Saturday and that the county received 10 to 18 inches of it. He said he was concerned about icy roads and high winds. 
"It is very treacherous out there," Blakeman said. "We’re doing a good job removing snow, but there’s ice underneath. I would say do not get on the roads before noon … [Sunday]. We’re going to need another 16 hours to get the roads in shape." 
Roads were virtually empty except for drivers of snowplows, Blakeman said. 
Brain Ciemnecki, of the weather service, said snowfall totals were 13 to 15 inches in Nassau and 15 to 22 inches in Suffolk, with the highest out east.
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The massive storm brought with it some tragedy. 
In Cutchogue, on Suffolk County's North Fork, an elderly man died Saturday after he fell into a swimming pool while shoveling snow, police said. 
According to a report from the Southold Town Police Department, police received a 911 emergency call around 8:30 a.m. reporting that the man, whose identity was not released, had fallen into the pool. 
Police officers and Cutchogue Fire Department rescue personnel who arrived at the scene pulled the man from the water and began administering CPR, the report stated. Fire rescue workers transported him to Stony Brook Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. 
In Nassau County, a woman was found dead in her car early Saturday morning by a Nassau snowplow operator in Uniondale. She may have suffered a medical emergency, according to Blakeman. 
The woman, who was elderly, was found around 2:45 a.m. in the parking lot of the Marriott hotel in Uniondale, according to Officer Michael Usinger, a Nassau police spokesman. He said her car window was open. 
<h3>Few outages for PSEG</h3> 
The storm prompted Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday to declare a state of emergency for the Island, New York City and three other counties in the state. 
On Saturday at 10:30 p.m., PSEG reported it was dealing with just seven active outages affecting seven customers. That’s far lower than for most big storms. 
PSEG has 900 local contractors and employees on hand to restore power.
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All state parks across Long Island were closed Saturday, said George Gorman, the regional director of Long Island state parks. 
Crews worked around the clock to plow and shovel the parks, he said, and it was unclear when they will reopen. "We’re digging out, as everyone else is," Gorman said. 
State park beaches saw higher-than-usual high tides Saturday morning, with minor flooding, but it has receded, Gorman said.
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Other Island communities also reported no flooding issues. "We’ve not had any reports of flooding in the city thus far," Long Beach spokesman John McNally said. 
"We’re 100% fine," Asharoken Village Mayor Greg Letica said. "We have no water issues. High tide came in at 8:30 and was marginally higher than the previous one." 
Blakeman said the Nassau County’s Office of Emergency Management had not seen any major coastal flooding. 
<h3>Suffolk worse than expected</h3> 
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said the storm was worse than originally predicted. He said the governor and state sent extra plows and resources to Long Island with the emergency declaration. 
"This is a significant blizzard, and there is a lot of work left to do," Bellone said. 
Any Suffolk County residents facing heating emergencies or transportation needs can call 311, he said. 
In Southold, highway crews had to work in whiteout conditions across town roads, according to Dan Goodwin, the town's highway superintendent.
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"The snowfall rates have been pretty hard on us, as well as the wind," Goodwin said. "We definitely had at minimum 2- to 3-inch-an-hour rates out there, and the wind has just been blinding at times with the blowing snow, so it's been a challenge to keep on top of it." 
In Southampton, Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said the town had been getting reports of major snowdrifts near farmland areas. 
Some cars and trucks had been seen stuck on the roads, according to Schneiderman. 
A Suffolk County police officer rescued a baby accidentally left inside a locked pickup truck as the brutal conditions persisted outside, Suffolk County police said.
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Responding to a 911 call that came in just before 1:25 p.m., Officer James Garside sprang into action in a parking lot in Huntington Station. Garside used a lockout kit to crack the door open before slipping a tool inside to press the power lock button. The baby was bundled up and inside a car seat in the back passenger seat of the Dodge Ram. 
"The little baby was pretty comfortable and kind of wondering what all the excitement was about. She was very calm," said Garside, a paramedic who had just returned from another aided call.
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Several town facilities were shuttered. Brookhaven Town's recreation centers and aquatic center were closed Saturday, with plans to reopen Sunday. The Huntington Town cat shelter closed Saturday, also with plans to reopen Sunday. 
<h3>Warming centers open</h3> 
The following warming centers are open across the Island: 
<ul> 
 <li>Mitchel Field Administration Building: 1 Charles Lindbergh Blvd., Uniondale</li> 
 <li>Cantiague Park Administration Office: 480 W. John St., Hicksville</li> 
 <li>Wantagh Administration Building: 1 King Rd., Wantagh</li> 
 <li>Southold Human Resource Center: 750 Pacific St., Mattituck</li> 
 <li>Village Green Center: 423 Park Ave., Huntington</li> 
</ul>

LISNOW220130

LISNOW220130_photos

Blizzard hits Suffolk County, National Weather Service says; storm still not over

Weather service: Yes, Suffolk County, that was a blizzard

A vicious storm slammed into Long Island overnight Friday into Saturday, sending plow crews scrambling to keep up. Newsday's Pat Dolan reports.


Monster storm slams Long Island

Nassau

Remsenburg

Commack

Jericho

East Massapequa

Smithtown Town

Plainedge

Oyster Bay Town

Huntington Town

Suffolk

Smithtown

Southampton Town

Asharoken

LISNOW220130_video

The region’s airports and mass transit system came to a near standstill on Saturday because of the snowstorm, but some services are expected to resume by Sunday. 
Hundreds of flights were canceled on Saturday, and the Long Island Rail Road shut down service for the weekend. 
Gov. Kathy Hochul said Saturday evening on 1010 WINS that the railroad would reopen on Monday, but just after 7:30 p.m. the LIRR tweeted that regularly scheduled service would resume at 5 a.m. Sunday. The railroad said bus service would be provided between Ronkonkoma and Greenport and between Speonk and Montauk because of greater snowfall and drifts in those areas. 
LIRR president Phillip Eng said in an interview with Newsday that deicing equipment was deployed for tracks, and roughly 1,700 LIRR workers were clearing snow and switches. 
"Even though we’re not carrying passengers, we’ll see a lot of equipment trains running throughout the system, and those are important because they will continually clear snow. The other trains out there, they’re applying deicer to the third rail," Eng said. 
Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma shut down on Saturday, but flights are expected to resume Sunday, Islip Town spokeswoman Caroline Smith said. 
At Kennedy Airport, more than 76% of flights, or 894, were canceled, and more than 90%, or 556, at LaGuardia Airport on Saturday, according to Port Authority spokesman Tom Topousis. The airports had a combined 525 cancellations for Sunday, as of late Saturday evening. 
NICE bus, or Nassau Inter-County Express, and Suffolk County Transit canceled service early Saturday. But by 7:30 p.m. Saturday, NICE had resumed hourly service on most of its routes, except for the n21 and n71 lines. Suffolk said buses also will be operating on a normal Sunday schedule. 
Fire Island ferries were canceled through Monday, and Shelter Island ferries are running on a limited basis, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said. 
Suffolk reported 96 vehicle accidents since the storm started on Friday night. Nassau reported 28 accidents. 
Earlier Saturday, Hochul, in a news conference in Manhattan, reminded New Yorkers "to avoid travel at all costs." 
The state reduced speed limits to 45 mph on the Long Island Expressway and parkways to keep distance around snowplows, said Jackie Bray, the commissioner of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. All trucks are restricted to the right lane on the LIE. 
Lower speed limits also were enacted on bridges, and the state has banned all empty tractor trailers and tandem trailers, Bray said. 
Crews were busy clearing roadways across the area but had a hard time keeping up with the accumulating snow. The state Department of Transportation dispatched 94 workers to Long Island — including 70 plow operators — to assist with snow and ice removal.

liTRANSP220130

Snowstorm brings Long Island MacArthur Airport, LIRR, buses to a standstill

Storm brings MacArthur Airport, LIRR, buses to a standstill

hoSECONDLIFE220204

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday declared a state of emergency for Long Island, New York City and three other counties as a monster storm expected to dump up to 17 inches of snow on the Island moved in. 
The National Weather Service earlier Friday issued a blizzard warning for Suffolk County that is in effect until 7 p.m. Saturday. 
Blizzard conditions could extend "potentially across Nassau at times, especially early tomorrow morning," Dominic Ramunni, a meteorologist in the weather service's Upton office, said Friday afternoon. 
It's the first blizzard warning on Long Island since January 2018, he said. 
As of 10 p.m. Friday, snow was already falling steadily across parts of Long Island.
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Total snow accumulations of 13 to 17 inches were expected in eastern Suffolk, 12 to 16 inches in western Suffolk and 9 to 12 inches in Nassau County, the weather service said late Friday afternoon. Nassau is under a winter storm warning. 
PSEG warned that the potentially strong winds and heavy snow could lead to broken tree limbs that fall onto wires and cause outages. 
Maximum wind gusts are forecast to range from 45 mph in Nassau to 55 mph in western Suffolk to 60 mph in eastern Suffolk. 
Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said the Long Island Rail Road likely will suspend service early Saturday, with a planned reopening on Sunday. Frontier and Southwest canceled all Saturday flights into and out of Long Island MacArthur Airport, and hundreds of flights were canceled at Kennedy and LaGuardia airports. 
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All state parks on Long Island will be closed as of Saturday morning. 
Hochul said in a statement that "out of an abundance of caution I am declaring a State of Emergency today as this storm is poised to create dangerous travel conditions, heavy snowfall rates and sustained winds over 50 mph tonight into Saturday." 
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A state of emergency allows the governor to coordinate state and local emergency efforts and suspend state and local laws and regulations, if necessary, a state official said. 
The snow could fall at a rate of up to 3 inches an hour in eastern Suffolk and an inch an hour farther west, weather service meteorologist James Tomasini said. 
Hochul warned during a Melville news conference that "storms could be devastating, they could be deadly, they could be dangerous." Strong winds may lead to "complete whiteout conditions," she said. 
The weather service said the combination of wind and snow "will make travel nearly impossible." 
<h3>Forecast becomes clearer</h3> 
The storm has been unpredictable, causing wide variations in potential snow amounts in weather forecasts over the past few days because of uncertainty over how far west the heart of the storm would travel. As recently as Thursday, forecasters said there was a small possibility of little or no snow in parts of Long Island.
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"We’re more and more confident it’s going to take a closer track" to the west, Tomasini said late Friday afternoon. 
There was a 1 in 10 chance that snowfall totals could be as high as 2 feet or more in Islip, Montauk and Westhampton, and a 1 in 10 chance that they could be as low as 8 inches in Syosset, the weather service said. 
The weather service also issued a coastal flood advisory from 3 a.m. to midnight Saturday for the North and South shores of Nassau and Suffolk, with "minor to locally moderate flooding ... expected in the most vulnerable locations." 
PSEG vice president Mike Sullivan said, "We are prepared to respond." 
Sullivan said in a statement that PSEG would continue to monitor and pinpoint the storm’s track as the utility performs system and logistics checks, and it has alerted workers to be at the ready. 
"However the storm tracks, our crews will safely restore any outages as quickly as these wintry conditions allow," Sullivan said. 
Customers who see a downed wire or experience an outage during the storm can call 800-490-0075, or text OUT, to 773454. 
<h3>Towns get ready</h3> 
Long Island's municipal leaders were gearing up for the storm Friday and warned Long Islanders to stay off the roads. 
"We are expecting blind-out conditions during the overnight hours," Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said. 
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman urged residents to "stay inside." 
"Make sure you're ready to not go outside for at least 36 hours, and we will all get through this," he said.
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Blakeman said plows will not operate if visibility is low. 
"We are expecting there will be a whiteout, so we might have to stand down for four or five hours during the course of this storm…," he said. "The roads won't be clear probably until Sunday morning." 
Brookhaven Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro said he was concerned about snowdrifts from blizzard-force winds. 
"We know we’re going to face some additional challenges because of the wind," he said Friday morning. "We’ll have roads we’ll plow multiple times, and 15 minutes later it’ll look like we never touched it." 
In Riverhead, Highway Superintendent Mike Zaleski said town crews will "plow the same roads over and over and over and keep our main thoroughfares open with the drifting and blizzard conditions." 
Officials in towns across the Island said crews on Friday were salting and sanding roads in anticipation of the storm, and they urged residents to move vehicles off the street to allow plows to clear snow. 
"Clearing main roads to assist any first responders or emergency vehicles will be a top priority as our DPW crews work to keep up with what is expected to be a fast-accumulating snowfall," Babylon Town spokesman Patrick Maslinski said in a statement.
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In an effort in Glen Cove to get vehicles off the street, "we're giving residents permission to park on their lawn, which they wouldn't typically have," Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck said. 
In Southampton, Highway Superintendent Charles McArdle said the town police department has been asked to send out warning summonses for overnight parking. 
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said forecasts of snow Saturday and freezing temperatures Sunday mean the snow isn’t likely to melt quickly. 
"If possible, please stay off the roads throughout the weekend," Saladino said. 
Oyster Bay, Huntington and North Hempstead were among the towns opening up warming centers Saturday and, in some cases, Sunday as well. 
In Southold, Highway Superintendent Daniel J. Goodwin said the department is preparing for wind and water damage. 
"We've also got equipment ready to go out for any fallen trees and flooding, which we're kind of anticipating due to the strength of the winds and the tides that are going to be coming in with this system as well," he said.
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If the storm qualifies as a blizzard, it is because there would be sustained winds or frequent gusts of at least 35 mph and visibility of less than a quarter mile, the weather service said. 
Temperatures will slide to the teens or lower 20s by 9 a.m. Saturday, with wind chills below zero on parts of the Island. The snow was expected to taper off early Saturday evening. The nighttime low will sink to 9 to 16, with wind chills as low as minus 10. Sunday will see highs in the mid-20s, but with wind chills as low as minus 10. 
National Grid, the regional natural gas supplier, said it’s making preparations for the storm, with crews conducting flood patrols in low-lying areas and staffing up to respond to any problems on the system, which is almost exclusively underground. 
Long Island customers can report any problems to National Grid at 800-490-0045.

LIWEAT220129

LIWEAT220129_photos

"We're on notice," Governor Kathy Hochul said Friday, ahead of the big storm. Officials urged residents to stay home as the governor declared a state of emergency. The storm is expected to bring a lot of snow, strong wind gusts and frigid temperatures. Newsday's Cecilia Dowd reports


Long Islanders brace for storm

LIWEAT220129_video

Forecast: Up to 17 inches of snow expected as massive storm moves in

The massive snowstorm forecast to hit Long Island will affect public transportation this weekend and snarl flights at area airports. 
The Long Island Rail Road was expected to shut down overnight, ahead of the worst of the expected storm, and resume service on Sunday. It could remain out of service until the Monday morning rush hour, the head of the MTA said Friday. 
Speaking at a Melville news conference alongside Gov. Kathy Hochul, Metropolitan Transporation Authority chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said he expected the LIRR to suspend all service during the early morning hours Saturday, to avoid operating during the brunt of the storm, which he said could drop 2 inches of snow per hour on the tracks. 
Later, speaking on WCBS radio, Lieber said he expected the LIRR to be "back in action some time on Sunday and be ready for the Monday morning commute." 
The LIRR has a policy of suspending service when 10 inches or more accumulates on the tracks — the threshold at which trains could lose connectivity with the electrified third rail. 
"The Long Island Rail Road is about to take what is sure to be the biggest hit this weekend," Lieber said. "Our goal is to get everybody safely through the weekend and restore morning rush hour service on Monday." 
Lieber said the MTA is calling hundreds of workers to respond to the storm, including some who are already applying salt and sand to LIRR station platforms, walkways and parking lots. New York City subways are expected to run normally. 
Suffolk County Transit announced it would suspend all bus service on Saturday. Nassau's NICE Bus advised customers to expect "heavy delays and possible detours, especially along the North Shore." 
Some airlines at Long Island MacArthur Airport began canceling flights on Friday in anticipation of the storm. Frontier and Southwest canceled some inbound flights on Friday and canceled all Saturday flights, according to Caroline Smith, a spokeswoman for Islip Town, which operates the airport. 
Storm preparations were underway Friday morning at LaGuardia, with outbound planes being sprayed with deicing fluid, according to the FAA. 
On Friday, 209 flights were canceled at Kennedy Airport, and 232 flights were canceled at LaGuardia Airport. On Saturday, 731 flights have been canceled at Kennedy and 535 flights were canceled at LaGuardia. 
The state was planning to issue an advisory speed limit of 45 mph on the Long Island Expressway and on parkways starting Friday night and restrict trucks to the right lane only on the LIE. 
State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez, who said she will remain on Long Island during the storm, said the agency will be monitoring road conditions all night and on Saturday to determine whether any roads are too unsafe to remain open. 
Saturday ferries from Orient Point to New London, Connecticut, were canceled, according to the Long Island Ferry website. The ferry reservation department was to close at 9 p.m. Friday and reopen at 5:15 a.m. Sunday. 
Port Jefferson-Bridgeport, Connecticut, ferries also were canceled Saturday, resuming 7:30 p.m. Sunday, according to that service’s website. 
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said the Smith Point Bridge to Fire Island will close. 
With Nicholas Spangler

LITRANS220129

Snowstorm expected to disrupt mass transit, airports on Long Island

Snowstorm expected to disrupt mass transit, airports

LITRANS220129_photos

Here are the answers to Friday’s news quiz, which asked you to identify the name of the Long Island activist who, when asked about a new deal to redraw district lines for the Suffolk County Legislature, said, "It is a backward step for Suffolk County by 30 years." 
The first letters of each clued word spell out: Fred Brewington, the civil rights attorney from Hempstead. 
FOUR: The number of majority-minority districts that would remain under a new legislative redistricting proposal agreed to by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey. 
RONALD REAGAN: The U.S. economy grew at its fastest pace since this person’s presidency. 
ELIO’S: Manhattan restaurant where Sarah Palin ate twice, both time unmasked, once after testing positive for COVID-19. 
DAVID ORTIZ: The lone player voted by writers into the Baseball Hall of Fame. 
BURKINA FASO: African country whose democratic government was toppled by a military coup. 
RIHANNA: Singing superstar and fashion mogul whose lingerie brand raised $125 million in new investment as it opens its first retail store in Las Vegas. 
EAST ROCKAWAY: Nassau County village that held a memorial vigil for two slain NYPD officers. 
WALMART: Giant retailer that announced a big investment in vertical farming as a way to deliver fresher produce to its stores. 
INTERIOR: Federal department whose faulty climate analysis led a judge to invalidate the largest offshore oil and gas lease in the nation’s history. 
NORTH CAROLINA: One of the two universities whose admissions policies will be examined by the Supreme Court in an affirmative action case. 
GENERAL MOTORS: Automaker that announced a $7 billion investment in building electric vehicles in Michigan. 
THREE: The first number of Nassau County’s new area code. 
OLYMPICS: American athletes are being advised to bring burner phones instead of their cell phones to this athletic event. 
NISSAN: Car company that is recalling 793,000 small SUVs in the United States and Canada due to wiring issues. 
— Michael Dobie <a href="https://twitter.com/mwdobie">@mwdobie</a>

OPTANSWERS220128

Answers to Friday's news quiz

Michael Dobie

<h3>In the news</h3> 
Welcome to this week’s news quiz, based on events that took place this week. As usual, provide the answer for each clue, one letter per blank. The first letter of each answer, taken in order, spells the name of a Long Island activist who, when asked about a new deal to redraw district lines for the Suffolk County Legislature, said, "It is a backward step for Suffolk County by 30 years." 
A link to the answers appears below. 
_ _ _ _ The number of majority-minority districts that would remain under a new legislative redistricting proposal agreed to by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ &nbsp;&nbsp; _ _ _ _ _ _ The U.S. economy last year grew at its fastest pace since this person’s presidency. 
_ _ _ _ ’ _ Manhattan restaurant where Sarah Palin ate twice, both times unmasked, once after testing positive for COVID-19. 
_ _ _ _ _ &nbsp;&nbsp; _ _ _ _ _ The lone player voted by writers into the Baseball Hall of Fame. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ _&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; _ _ _ _ African country whose democratic government was toppled by a military coup. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ Singing superstar and fashion mogul whose lingerie brand raised $125 million in new investment as it opens its first retail store in Las Vegas. 
_ _ _ _ &nbsp;&nbsp; _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Nassau County village that held a memorial vigil for two slain NYPD officers. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ Giant retailer that announced a big investment in vertical farming as a way to deliver fresher produce to its stores. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Federal department whose faulty climate analysis led a judge to invalidate the largest offshore oil and gas lease in the nation’s history. 
_ _ _ _ _ &nbsp;&nbsp; _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ One of the two universities whose admissions policies will be examined by the Supreme Court in an affirmative action case. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ &nbsp;&nbsp; _ _ _ _ _ _ Automaker that announced a $7 billion investment in building electric vehicles in Michigan. 
_ _ _ _ _ The first number of Nassau County’s new area code. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ American athletes are being advised to bring burner phones instead of their cellphones to what athletic event. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ Car company that is recalling 793,000 small SUVs in the United States and Canada due to wiring issues. 
Click <a href="https://www.newsday.com/opinion/commentary/news-quiz-answers-1.50492201">here</a> for the answers to the clued words and to the identity of the mystery person.

OPTQUIZ220128

The Point: In the news

<h2>Daily Point</h2> 
<h3>Spending right and left</h3> 
Even the end of an election season couldn’t stop the political spending habits of the Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association PAC. 
The group logged big political contributions to opposite ends of the party spectrum: $35,000 to the Suffolk GOP and $25,000 to the county Democratic Committee, according to state campaign finance filings covering the period since the November election. 
The political action committee also contributed $4,000 to the Suffolk Conservative Chairman’s Club, and $2,500 to the county Conservative Party. 
The group tends to have plenty of money to spread around for political purposes, with big chunks coming from union members’ paychecks, a practice about which a <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/suffolk-pba-campaign-contributions-1.50181363">Newsday investigation</a> has raised legal questions. 
The PAC’s January filings show an end-of-period balance of nearly $170,000. State filings for the separate PBA-led Long Island Law Enforcement Foundation show its own January balance of $140,576, also after a period of spending heavily on local races. 
It’s not unusual for the PBA to support Democrats and Republicans — the PAC’s postelection filings show small contributions to both State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin, for example. But the five-figure donations directly to the parties after a flip in party control of the county legislature suggest some sense of maintaining relations or hedging one’s bets. 
Asked about the reason for and timing of the big contributions, PBA 2nd vice president Louis Civello said in an email that "the Suffolk County PBA makes contributions in support of law enforcement regardless of the calendar or party affiliation. We will continue to do so in the interest of public safety." 
— Mark Chiusano <a href="https://twitter.com/mjchiusano">@mjchiusano</a> 
<h2>Talking Point</h2> 
<h3>A sound of choppy waters in LI’s CD3</h3> 
There is a strange local feature to that redistricting proposal floated by Rep. Sean P. Maloney (D-Newburgh), who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. 
In the unlikely event that it is adopted, whoever succeeds Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) next year in the 3rd Congressional District might find it best to tour their new domain by yacht. 
Maloney’s plan, intended to reduce the number of "safe" Republican districts to a mere three of 26 CDs stateside, is far from regarded as likely to be absorbed into the maps about to be unveiled for approval next week in Albany. 
But the specifics of his recommendation to redraw CD3 have become a bit of a conversation piece in Long Island political circles the last couple of days. That’s because in the name of uniting "communities of interest," Maloney would put Mamaroneck, and adjacent communities in Westchester, in the same representational boat as parts of Nassau and Suffolk counties, separated by a stretch of Long Island Sound. 
A memo from Maloney, who was not immediately available for comment Friday, stated: "The northwestern Long Island seat should remain largely the same, extending east to add similar Long Island Sound communities like Port Jefferson, Stony Brook and Smithtown. 
"The Third should unite Long Island Sound communities on both sides of the estuary, linking shoreline towns of Mamaroneck, Larchmont, and Rye to Kings Point, Sands Point and Bayville." 
And the DCCC memo concludes: "These communities are closely connected to the water in terms of culture, economy, tourism, and leisure activities. They are also most closely related in their infrastructure, environmental conservation, and pollution mitigation needs." 
All that "communities of interest" stuff may have some validity — in the abstract. Currently, that Mamaroneck portion of Westchester is represented by Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a left-leaning Democrat — and Suozzi or someone simpatico with his centrist politics would seem like a better fit. 
But when it comes to the anti-gerrymandering goals of considering compactness, government and school district jurisdictions and other factors, there is still that very big and obvious problem — miles of Long Island Sound dramatically separating constituents. 
In fact, it’s even more glaring than lumping Staten Island in with part of lower Manhattan as the DCCC plan also recommends. At least there’s a public ferry system connecting the boroughs. 
Several Long Islanders steeped in political and civic matters who asked not to be named speculated that with Suozzi vacating the district seat to run for governor, the DCCC had more flexibility to make the district different, played with the computer program, and came up with this. 
Someone even quipped that it would create a new advocate in Washington for that once-discussed tunnel between Rye and Oyster Bay. 
But that, too, rests on a distant shore of the imagination. 
— Dan Janison <a href="https://twitter.com/danjanison">@Danjanison</a> 
<h2>Pencil Point</h2> 
<h3>Never stop trying</h3>

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For more cartoons, visit <a href="http://www.newsday.com/nationalcartoons" target="_blank">www.newsday.com/nationalcartoons</a> 
<h2>Puzzle Point</h2> 
<h3>In the news</h3> 
Welcome to this week’s news quiz, based on events that took place this week. As usual, provide the answer for each clue, one letter per blank. The first letter of each answer, taken in order, spells the name of a Long Island activist who, when asked about a new deal to redraw district lines for the Suffolk County Legislature, said, "It is a backward step for Suffolk County by 30 years." 
A link to the answers appears below. 
_ _ _ _ The number of majority-minority districts that would remain under a new legislative redistricting proposal agreed to by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ &nbsp;&nbsp; _ _ _ _ _ _ The U.S. economy last year grew at its fastest pace since this person’s presidency. 
_ _ _ _ ’ _ Manhattan restaurant where Sarah Palin ate twice, both times unmasked, once after testing positive for COVID-19. 
_ _ _ _ _ &nbsp;&nbsp; _ _ _ _ _ The lone player voted by writers into the Baseball Hall of Fame. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ &nbsp;&nbsp; _ _ _ _ African country whose democratic government was toppled by a military coup. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ Singing superstar and fashion mogul whose lingerie brand raised $125 million in new investment as it opens its first retail store in Las Vegas. 
_ _ _ _ &nbsp;&nbsp; _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Nassau County village that held a memorial vigil for two slain NYPD officers. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ Giant retailer that announced a big investment in vertical farming as a way to deliver fresher produce to its stores. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Federal department whose faulty climate analysis led a judge to invalidate the largest offshore oil and gas lease in the nation’s history. 
_ _ _ _ _ &nbsp;&nbsp; _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ One of the two universities whose admissions policies will be examined by the Supreme Court in an affirmative action case. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ &nbsp;&nbsp; _ _ _ _ _ _ Automaker that announced a $7 billion investment in building electric vehicles in Michigan. 
_ _ _ _ _ The first number of Nassau County’s new area code. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ American athletes are being advised to bring burner phones instead of their cellphones to what athletic event. 
_ _ _ _ _ _ Car company that is recalling 793,000 small SUVs in the United States and Canada due to wiring issues. 
Click <a href="https://www.newsday.com/opinion/commentary/news-quiz-answers-1.50492201">here</a> for the answers to the clued words and to the identity of the mystery person. 
— Michael Dobie <a href="https://twitter.com/mwdobie">@mwdobie</a> 
<h3>Did you miss an issue of The Point? <a href="https://www.newsday.com/opinion/the-point-1.13955009" target="_blank">Browse past newsletters here.</a></h3>

OPTPOINT220128

OPTOON220128

Postelection donations, crossing the Sound and Friday's quiz

Long Island is bracing for a two-day winter storm arriving Friday night that forecasters said will bring 8 to 18 inches of snow, high winds and potential blizzard conditions. 
After days of watching models of different storm tracks, the National Weather Service said in an advisory Thursday evening that eastern Long Island can expect 12 to 18 inches of snow and blizzard conditions from the nor'easter while the rest of Long Island should see between 8 to 12 inches. 
"Confidence is increasing on forecast snowfall," the advisory said, adding, "but there is still uncertainty on the western extent and/or duration of moderate and heavy snow banding late Friday night into Saturday. This will be refined over the next 36 hours." 
Indeed, models put out by the weather service Thursday evening still show a worst-case scenario of about 20 inches of snow for the Island and another best-case scenario, now increasingly unlikely, showing just a couple of inches. 
Newsday meteorologist Bill Korbel in a Thursday evening forecast said there is no question a "really big snowstorm is headed our way." He called for 6 to 8 inches of snow for western Nassau, 8 to 12 inches for central Nassau and western Suffolk and more than a foot for the East End. 
He acknowledged that the storm track projection was still unresolved and that meant a degree of uncertainty in the forecast. 
Strong winds are still predicted to be a factor. 
On Saturday, eastern Long Island is expected to see 25 to 35 mph sustained winds with gusts up to 55 mph. Winds will be strong, but less damaging, on the rest of the Island. 
Minor to moderate coastal flooding is probable on both the North and South shores. 
Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a news release Thursday afternoon: "We are monitoring forecasts and making emergency response preparations for whatever this storm system throws our way. As we head into the weekend, I encourage New Yorkers to closely follow their local weather forecasts, stay off the roads and avoid unnecessary travel." 
PSEG said the prospect of possibly heavy winds with heavy snow could mean broken tree limbs that fall onto wires and cause outages. 
"We are prepared to respond," PSEG vice president Mike Sullivan said in a statement. He operates the transmission and distribution system for the Long Island division of the New Jersey company. He said the company will continue to monitor and pinpoint the storm’s track as it approaches. Meanwhile, he said, the company is performing system and logistics checks, and has alerted workers to be at the ready. 
"However the storm tracks, our crews will safely restore any outages as quickly as these wintry conditions allow," Sullivan said. 
Customers who see a downed wire or experience an outage during the storm can call 800-490-0075, or text OUT, to 773454. 
The New York State Department of Transportation has 270 plows to clear 4,000 miles of Long Island roadway with additional crews coming to the region to assist, spokesman Stephen Canzoneri said. 
Canzoneri urged residents to avoid travel if possible Friday night and Saturday. He encouraged drivers who hit the roads to stay four car lengths behind plows. 
"Social distancing doesn’t end when you’re driving," he said. 
New York Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray said the state moved plow and emergency equipment downstate and repositioned state troopers and debris clearing crews, ready to respond to the storm on Long Island and in Suffolk County. 
"The weather reports have uncertainty, but confidence is increasing for at least 6 inches of snow in Suffolk County," Bray said. "In order for crews to do their job, we needs folks off the road. Don’t wait until 4 or 5 p.m. tomorrow to see if it’s big. Get home, be safe. It’s better to be safe on this one." 
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said the timing of the storm could affect commuters getting home Friday and for plow operators working in possible whiteout conditions Saturday. 
"This potentially could be a big storm," Bellone said. "It could turn out to be a lot less than that, but we are preparing for this to be a very big storm." 
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said in a statement: "While we are still uncertain of the path the storm will take, and how much snow accumulation we will see in Nassau County, we are fully prepared to handle anything that comes our way. 
"The County’s Emergency Operation Center will activate at 4 p.m. tomorrow for any issues that may arise, the Department of Public Works has all of the salt, plows and personnel it needs, and our operators will begin salting the roads Friday. I urge all residents to call our nonemergency hotline 516-573-0321 should they need any nonemergency assistance." 
The amount of snow could threaten the Long Island Rail Road. According to the LIRR’s published winter weather policy, service could be "modified or suspended" during heavy snowfall, which the railroad defines as 10-13 inches or more. At that amount, the snow could compromise trains’ connectivity with the electrified third rail. 
LIRR service could also be "severely curtailed or suspended" during blizzards, when there are sustained winds of more than 39 mph, according to the railroad. Bray said the MTA emergency operation center is monitoring if there need to be any changes to LIRR schedules and the LIRR has canceled all weekend maintenance. 
LIRR officials said they expect to begin preparing their system for the weather on Friday by pre-salting stations, protecting track switches from snow and ice buildup, and positioning crews and equipment to key locations to respond quickly to issues. 
Janno Lieber, chairman and chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority — the railroad’s parent agency — said Wednesday that the MTA was "starting the cycle of communications that plans out exactly how were going to manage through" the storm. 
"We’ve had a lot of experience as a team in preparing for weather emergencies and extreme weather," said Lieber, who noted that the LIRR last year rebounded relatively quickly from September’s Hurricane Ida. "All the preparations that have paid off well in the past will continue at the MTA." 
Mark Smith, spokesman for the Nassau Inter-County Express, or NICE Bus, said the agency has begun preparing its terminals and alerting snow removal teams. He advised bus riders to check NICE’s website and mobile app for real-time information. 
Long Island towns began preparing this week for the potential severe weather. 
North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSana said her team was briefed Thursday afternoon about the inclement weather. Highway crews pretreated the roads Thursday and will return Friday morning. Crews will begin plowing when 4 inches or more of snow falls. 
"Everyone is ready and the trucks are gassed up," she said. 
Riverhead Town crews spent Thursday mixing salt and sand and strapping plows to trucks. Heavy equipment is on standby due to the possibility of snow drifts, said Mike Zaleski, the highway superintendent. 
Islip Town has tasked mechanics with checking equipment and began receiving salt deliveries this week, a spokeswoman said. Salt is at full capacity with 20,000 tons on hand. Crews will begin pretreating the roads Friday morning, and 300 workers are on standby to assist with plowing. 
The Town of Babylon has 4,500 tons of salt and 100 plows fully fueled ahead of the snow. Public works crews will be on standby Friday night and will mobilize as the storm impact becomes clear, a spokesman said. 
Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin said residents should prepare to stay home Saturday with a wide range of snow forecast for the region, blizzard-like conditions with heavy winds and coastal flooding on the South Shore. 
Clavin said snowplows will be ready in advance of snow arriving to clear the town’s 1,200 miles of roads. 
"The storm is making Long Island more of a target. We’re telling residents to get prepared now," Clavin said. "Don’t wait until Saturday morning because it will probably be too late. On Saturday morning, we don’t want you on the roads." 
Mechanics in Brookhaven Town began evaluating equipment Wednesday night, Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro said. Residual salt remains on roadways from the last storm, and Losquadro expects crews to begin brining roads Friday once he knows whether rain is expected before the snowfall, as water would wash away the salt. Crews will plow roadways around the clock until any snow stops, he said. 
"We’re ready," Losquadro said. "This is going to be a significant storm, but by far not the largest storm that we’ve dealt with." 
The Brookhaven Fire Department posted on Facebook that its crews refreshed their ice water rescue skills with a class and hands-on training. 
Huntington Town's salt barns are filled to the top with 170 snow plows at the ready, said Andre Sorrentino, the highways superintendent. 
The town is concerned about flooding along the coast on Lloyd Harbor Road and Asharoken Avenue, a spokeswoman said. The highway department plans to leave trucks near the roads as a precaution in case they are impassable due to ice. 
In Smithtown, crews are in "all out" preparation Thursday and Friday, said William Murphy Jr., a general manager with the highway department. Like Brookhaven, Smithtown is tracking the storm before workers salt the roadways. Murphy anticipates 125 pieces of equipment will hit the roads once snowfall begins. 
Towns asked residents to avoid parking on the streets so crews can salt and plow effectively. 
Nassau County opened three warming centers for 24 hours a day until further notice: 
<ul> 
 <li>Mitchel Field Administration Building: 1 Charles Lindbergh Blvd., Uniondale</li> 
 <li>Cantiague Park Administration Office: 480 W. John St., Hicksville</li> 
 <li>Wantagh Administration Building: 1 King Rd., Wantagh </li> 
</ul>

liWEAT220128

Long Island weather: Winter storm warning issued, more than a foot of snow possible

Winter storm warning issued, more than a foot of snow possible

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Some voting rights advocates said Thursday they felt "betrayed" by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone's veto of a Democrat-sponsored redistricting plan, and expressed concern his move could lead to disenfranchisement of minority voters. 
Advocates said the Democratic plan, which until the veto was set to go into effect Monday, would have created fair and equitable boundaries for the Suffolk County Legislature's 18 districts. 
But under an agreement between Bellone, a Democrat, and legislative Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst), a commission would convene to propose new district maps. 
The panel would have four Republican and four Democratic appointees. 
If it were to deadlock, Republicans would control the redistricting process. 
Advocates said Thursday they were organizing a telephone and letter-writing campaign to tell Bellone of their displeasure with his decision. 
Dan Lloyd, president of the nonprofit advocacy group Minority Millennials, said with the veto "we lost an opportunity to have one of the most segregated regions in America truly reflect diversity for the next 10 years." 
Lloyd, 35, of North Amityville, told Newsday, "I think County Executive Bellone really missed a historic moment to transform the landscape of Suffolk County." 
Bellone said in a statement Thursday: "I took this action because it was the best path to establishing a transparent process that produces equitable maps and guarantees a minimum of four majority-minority districts." 
But Tracey Edwards, regional director for the Long Island NAACP, criticized Bellone's approach. 
Edwards told Newsday the Democratic maps were based on election districts, and kept together communities where residents may have similar needs and concerns. 
Bellone’s plan would "just find the minorities and group them together as one in order to achieve his goal," Edwards said. 
"He has made this squarely about using race as a means to an end," Edwards said. 
The Democratic redistricting plan passed Dec. 31, hours before the GOP took control of the legislature. 
The measure would have had equal numbers of districts that leaned Republican or Democratic. 
It also would have squeezed four Republican incumbents into two districts without making any Democrats run against each other. 
In issuing his veto Wednesday night, Bellone said the Democratic plan "would never have survived" legal challenge because it violated the county charter. 
Republicans and Suffolk County Attorney Dennis Cohen, a Bellone appointee, argued the legislature lacked the authority to approve district maps before the Feb. 1 deadline for the commission to act. 
Their deal would extend the deadline for the commission to produce district lines from Feb. 1 to Aug. 1, and require the panel to hold 12 public hearings on proposed maps. 
The Democratic plan passed after one public hearing. 
Any map approved by the legislature would have to have at least four districts in which Black, Latino and other minority residents are in the majority, as the Democratic plan did. 
"I can tell you that this bipartisan commission is going to be directed to make sure that they do better" than the Democratic plan, McCaffrey said. 
McCaffrey also said Thursday he would drop a lawsuit against the Democratic plan because Bellone’s veto had made it unnecessary. 
Willie Perez, a member of the Huntington Town Hispanic Advisory Task Force, backed Bellone's veto and said he hoped the bipartisan commission would result "in a more transparent process, in which all voters feel able to understand how redistricting affects them." 
Legis. Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon), minority leader of the county legislature, said Democrats were considering their next steps. 
Richberg said caucus members and had "a lot of intense feelings" after the veto from a fellow Democrat. 
Richberg and some voting rights advocates said it was unclear why Bellone joined with Republicans before courts could rule on the GOP's lawsuit. 
"When you see the coalition of support that was built around this, particularly from communities of color, why he would turn his back on them, I can't understand," Shoshana Hershkowitz, founder of Suffolk Progressives, an advocacy group. 
"This is a real betrayal," said Hershkowitz, who had organized a campaign calling on Bellone to sign the redistricting plan.

poDISTRICT220128

Voting rights advocates decry Steve Bellone veto of redistricting plan

Advocates decry Bellone veto of redistricting plan

poDISTRICT220128_photos

John Asbury

Suffolk County will connect about 1,900 South Shore homes to the Forge River Watershed Sewer Project in Mastic and Shirley with the groundbreaking Thursday of a $224 million wastewater treatment plant. 
The state and county announced the $409 million Suffolk County Coastal Resiliency Initiative last fall. The project includes three different sewer lines following Superstorm Sandy to connect nearly 6,000 homes in Babylon and Mastic, by replacing septic tanks and cesspools and eliminating nitrogen polluting the bays and marshlands. The treatment plant in Mastic is expected to be completed in 2025. 
The Forge River Watershed district runs from William Floyd Parkway to Forge River south of Sunrise Highway. It joins the Carlls River Project in Babylon and connected about 1,500 homes in the Suffolk County Sewer District No. 3 that are being connected at no cost to homeowners, 
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said the project was at least a decade in the making to add water treatment and sewers across the entire peninsula, using federal funding from Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) joined with state funding secured by Gov. Kathy Hochul and former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. 
"This is just the beginning," Bellone said. "This infrastructure is necessary to protect our communities, expand the economy and protect water quality. We cannot have a peninsula if we’re not protecting water quality and reversing decades of pollution." 
Hochul has allocated $315 million statewide for local water quality and environmental projects, said Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray. She said the sewer improvements will restore natural resources and marshlands to reduce storm surge and protect communities from coastal flooding. 
"Water is life on Long Island and this project wouldn’t happen if not for the idea to link storms to what we do to our wastewater," said Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos. 
Zeldin said he recalls the flooded homes after Superstorm Sandy and community members advocating to project Forge River. He credited Cuomo for securing sewer funding and former State Sen. Ken LaValle raising the issue of water pollution in Forge River. 
"This was a storm that hit us so hard, there came great opportunity to rebuild stronger than ever before," Zeldin said. "This is the fruit of hard work from many people in the community who saw an important need for this to get done." 
Schumer said he pushed for more than $300 million in funding to be approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the White House Budget Office earlier this year. 
"Suffolk County’s lack of modern wastewater infrastructure leads to vast nitrogen pollution in our waterways, degrades our coastal defenses, threatens public health, and stifles sustainable, economic growth," Schumer said.

liSEWER220128

Work starts on wastewater treatment plant in Mastic

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone on Thursday marked the start of construction for the SCCRI Forge River Watershed Sewer District, which will connect 1,889 homes to a new treatment plant to be built in Mastic.


Steve Bellone marks groundbreaking for SCCRI Forge River Watershed Sewer District project

liSEWER220128_video

A Huntington Station developer is proposing its sixth housing project in the area north of the Long Island Rail Road station — and is on the way to winning tax breaks for the plan. 
Blue &amp; Gold Holdings wants to construct a 16-unit apartment building on vacant land along New York Avenue. Three of the apartments would have rents that are below the market rate, and there would be two stores or offices on the first floor, executives said. 
The $7.3 million project won preliminary approval on Thursday for $871,550 in tax breaks from the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency. The board vote was unanimous. 
Much of the savings, $537,000 over 15 years, is on property taxes. But local schools and governments will receive an additional $805,580 in property taxes over the period than if the land remained vacant, according to an analysis by the National Development Council, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit hired by the IDA. 
Blue &amp; Gold isn't "unduly enriching [itself] in any sense" by seeking tax aid, the development council's Kevin Gremse told the IDA board on Thursday. 
The Landmark at Huntington Station project aligns with a larger plan to revitalize a neighborhood that was devastated by urban renewal in the last century, according to Grant Havasy, Blue &amp; Gold's owner and president. 
In the 1950s and 1960s, the federal government paid for the seizure and demolition of blighted neighborhoods across the country that were supposed to be replaced by new buildings — but too often weren't. In Huntington Station, funding ran out for the new structures, leaving empty lots and parking fields for decades. 
Havasy said he needs the IDA tax aid to build the Landmark at Huntington Station because construction costs have soared in the pandemic and the "affordable" rental units required by Huntington Town make it difficult to turn a profit. 
The IDA’s consultant estimated the affordable rents for the one-bedroom apartments would be $1,850 per month, on average, compared with the market rate of $2,438, on average. 
"If the project did not receive the requested financial assistance and therefore did not move forward, this would likely stall or prevent the entire Huntington Station revitalization effort — and as a result downtown Huntington Station would remain blighted," Havasy wrote in the application for IDA aid. 
Previously, the IDA granted tax breaks to two of Blue &amp; Gold’s apartment buildings in the area. Each also received property-tax savings over 15 years. 
IDA chair Natalie Wright, who also serves as Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone's economic development chief, said the developer "has transformed this entire one- to two-block radius" along New York Avenue with building renovations and new construction that still maintain the "external character of the neighborhood." 
She said Blue &amp; Gold has invested more than $26 million in the area and its property-tax bill will go from $11,500 per year to $347,000 once the tax breaks have expired. 
IDA executive director Anthony J. Catapano credited Huntington town with devising a revitalization plan for downtown Huntington Station that's attractive to private investors. "That's what all government [economic development] programs are trying to achieve," he told Newsday.

bzIDA220128

Developer wins IDA tax breaks for Huntington Station apartment building

Developer wins tax breaks for Huntington Station apartments

bzIDA220128_photos

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone vetoed a Democratic redistricting plan Wednesday, rescuing a compromise agreement with Republicans to redraw legislative district lines for the next decade. 
The deal had appeared to collapse Wednesday afternoon after officials canceled a scheduled vote because they did not have enough support to pass the agreement. 
But Bellone’s veto Wednesday night resuscitated the deal, under which a bipartisan commission would redraw maps for all 18 legislative districts. 
With the veto, Bellone, a Democrat, blocked a Democratic redistricting plan from taking effect Monday, giving his agreement with legislative Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst) a better chance of passing the legislature. 
Bellone told Newsday he vetoed the Democratic plan because it "would never have survived" legal challenges that it violated the county charter. 
"What we have ultimately now is a process that is legally sustainable and will definitely result in equitable maps that reflect the demographic realities of the county," Bellone said. 
McCaffrey said after the veto the "truly bipartisan agreement" would provide for a "fair, open and transparent process." 
"It’s truly the right thing to do," McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst) said of the agreement. 
Voting rights advocates had criticized the agreement, calling it a "backroom deal" that could violate voting rights laws by undoing fair maps and leading to gerrymandering. 
About 40 groups and 500 individuals had signed a letter urging Bellone to sign the Democratic redistricting plan into law. 
"I’m concerned what this means for communities of color," Minority Leader Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon) said after Bellone announced his veto. "They put their trust in us to get this done. We got it done. And their voices were silenced." 
Civil rights attorney Fred Brewington said the veto "is a dagger aimed at the heart of hopes and opportunities long fought for. When you make deals on promises and language that can’t be kept and sacrifice to the rights of Black and brown voters as political real estate you shouldn’t expect folks to say thank you." 
The Democratic plan passed on Dec. 31, hours before Republicans took control of the legislature. 
The measure, which had broad support from voting rights advocates and community groups, would have created four majority-minority districts, and kept similar communities within the same districts. 
Backers said the plan would have created 18 districts evenly split between those that leaned Republican and Democratic. 
The Democrats' plan also would have squeezed four Republican incumbents into two districts without requiring any Democratic legislators to run against each other. 
Republicans and Bellone’s county attorney, Dennis Cohen, said that plan violated the charter because the legislature did not have the authority to approve its own map before Feb. 1, the deadline for the bipartisan commission to propose district lines. 
Former Presiding Officer Robert Calarco, a Patchogue Democrat who lost his race for reelection in November, said his office had to draw the maps because legislative leaders failed to appoint commission members by a Nov. 10 deadline. 
The compromise deal would extend the commission’s deadline from Feb. 1 to Aug. 1. 
If the commission fails to complete its work by Aug. 1, including holding 12 public hearings, the Republican-led legislature will control creation of new district maps. 
In a letter Wednesday, the 11 GOP caucus members said they were committed to approving maps reflecting Suffolk County's diversity. 
The new maps will have a minimum of four "majority-minority" districts, the Republican lawmakers said. 
Residents who identify as Black, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander or American Indian account for more than one-third of the county's population, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. 
Voting rights advocates had expressed concern that under Bellone's and McCaffrey's agreement, communities of color would be packed together or split apart — particularly if the commission were to fail to agree on new lines and the legislature drew its own maps. 
Bellone said Wednesday: 
"At the end of the day, I wouldn't support any process that is not fair and transparent and … produces equitable maps." 
His deal with McCaffrey Wednesday afternoon collapsed when legislative backers realized they lacked the 12 votes needed to pass an emergency resolution before the Democratic plan took effect Monday. 
With no Democrat willing to support the resolution, it remained one vote short of passage. 
But Bellone’s veto, just hours after McCaffrey had pronounced the deal "dead," stopped the clock on the Monday deadline for the Democrats' plan to take effect. 
The deal can now go through the normal legislative process, for which only 10 votes are needed. 
McCaffrey said he expects a vote on the plan during March.

poDISTRICT220127

Steve Bellone vetoes Democratic plan for new legislative districts

Bellone vetoes Democratic redistricting plan

poDISTRICT220127_photos

Randi F. Marshall

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board already looked a bit different at Wednesday’s monthly meeting — but more changes likely are still to come. 
Wednesday marked the first board meeting without Larry Schwartz, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s controversial appointee who resigned last month, and the first board meeting for Gov. Kathy Hochul’s first appointee, Elizabeth Velez, who heads a construction firm. 
But Wednesday also signified a "last" — the last board meeting for Suffolk County representative Kevin Law, the former head of the Long Island Association who has served on the MTA board for three years. 
Hochul has nominated Law as the next chairman of Empire State Development and his confirmation hearing is expected to take place next week. Law has said for months that once confirmed, he would step down from the MTA. 
In a short farewell Wednesday, Law applauded the board, the MTA’s professional staff and the workers on the subways, buses and commuter rails. And he made two specific requests. One, he said, was "parochial" — to get the Long Island Rail Road’s new Yaphank station and the electrification of the Port Jefferson line done. The other, he said, was a "systemwide" concern — the need to continue addressing and investing in accessibility. 
And Law didn’t leave without a small joke about how his outgoing and incoming jobs converge. 
"And finally, I want to be invited to the ribbon cutting ceremony for the third track and East Side Access later this year," Law said with a smile. "Because remember, at ESD we play a big role at Penn Station and you guys don’t want to have any issues there, right?" 
No word yet from Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone on whom he plans to recommend to replace Law. The county executive usually provides three potential candidates, leaving the governor to choose to nominate one, who then must be confirmed by the State Senate. 
And Hochul herself hasn’t yet nominated anyone to fill Schwartz’s seat, either. 
But those two spots aren’t the only ones that might sit empty — or be filled by holdovers — in the coming months. MTA board members’ terms now end with the term of the elected official who chose them. That leaves Nassau representative David Mack’s term up, as well — though new Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman has said he hopes to keep Mack on the board. 
And then there are the four members recommended by the New York City mayor, whose terms expired at the end of 2021. That leaves the future tenure of board members Victor Calise, Lorraine Cortez-Vazquez, David Jones and Robert Linn up in the air. 
Mayor Eric Adams said earlier this month that he has "several names" he’s considering, adding that he hopes his picks will be regular subway and bus riders. 
But so far, Adams, like Bellone and Blakeman, hasn’t indicated when he might officially make such recommendations.

OPTMTA220126

The Point: Ins and outs of the MTA board

bzESD211029_photos

<h2>Daily Point</h2> 
<h3>Redrawing on deadline, the old-fashioned way</h3> 
Now that the state’s first-ever Independent Redistricting Commission goes out of business without having sent a unified 10-year map plan to lawmakers, the old imprecise acronym LATFOR — long familiar to Albany insiders — gets bandied about in a rush to finish redrawing in time for early-March nominating petitions. 
The formal title is the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment, established in 1978. It has been drafting congressional, Assembly and State Senate district maps ever since. Controlled by the majorities of both houses — this cycle both Democratic for the first time — the task force is abuzz with what has always turned into an insider process of deep concern to incumbents. 
Even as the IRC was drawing up maps and at least attempting bipartisanship earlier in the process, the old LATFOR apparatus was fired up. Legislative sources told The Point that discussions of the ultra-high-stakes congressional districts were discreetly begun among state lawmakers who must approve them. 
Expect the decision-making on state lines to be divided between the two legislative chambers, with "a lot of deference" to the Assembly and Senate shaping their own lines, as one official put it. In 2012, the Senate was Republican-controlled and the Assembly Democrat-controlled. 
LATFOR cannot keep a lid on the maps it crafts for long. To make election deadlines, the Assembly under Speaker Carl Heastie and the Senate under Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins are planning to vote on maps next week. 
But first the bills enacting them must be introduced, indexed, sent to the proper committees, and set aside to "age." For that reason, details of the plans are expected to be revealed by Saturday. As a former Bronx party chairman, Heastie is expected to play a key role in the map, as is Sen. Michael Gianaris, who is Stewart-Cousins’ deputy Senate majority leader and key player on the standing LATFOR. 
IRC officials, meanwhile, said materials the new commission collected, including its own conflicting partisan map plans and hearing transcripts, have been sent to key lawmakers. David Imamura of Westchester, who served as the IRC’s Democratic chairman, said Wednesday he is "confident" the final maps will reflect the needs of the people and reflect testimony that his commission gathered over several months. 
Republicans on the panel, led by Vice Chairman Jack Martins from Nassau County, said Democrats on the panel had abruptly ended negotiations toward a single plan. 
"It appears that Chairman Imamura and our other colleagues are handing over the keys to the Commission to the Democrat controlled legislature as they were apparently instructed to do when they were appointed," the GOP members said in a joint statement this week. 
Any irregularities in the process that ended in lawmakers drawing their own maps, as well as details of that coming product, appear likely to become fodder for litigation. 
"Does it go to court? That’s always what happens" with redistricting, said a veteran elected official. 
Meet the new system, now just about the same as the old system. 
— Dan Janison <a href="https://twitter.com/danjanison">@Danjanison</a> 
<h2>Talking Point</h2> 
<h3>Ins and outs of the MTA board</h3> 
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board already looked a bit different at Wednesday’s monthly meeting — but more changes likely are still to come. 
Wednesday marked the first board meeting without Larry Schwartz, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s controversial appointee who resigned last month, and the first board meeting for Gov. Kathy Hochul’s first appointee, Elizabeth Velez, who heads a construction firm. 
But Wednesday also signified a "last" — the last board meeting for Suffolk County representative Kevin Law, the former head of the Long Island Association who has served on the MTA board for three years. 
Hochul has nominated Law as the next chairman of Empire State Development and his confirmation hearing is expected to take place next week. Law has said for months that once confirmed, he would step down from the MTA. 
In a short farewell Wednesday, Law applauded the board, the MTA’s professional staff and the workers on the subways, buses and commuter rails. And he made two specific requests. One, he said, was "parochial" — to get the Long Island Rail Road’s new Yaphank station and the electrification of the Port Jefferson line done. The other, he said, was a "systemwide" concern — the need to continue addressing and investing in accessibility. 
And Law didn’t leave without a small joke about how his outgoing and incoming jobs converge. 
"And finally, I want to be invited to the ribbon cutting ceremony for the third track and East Side Access later this year," Law said with a smile. "Because remember, at ESD we play a big role at Penn Station and you guys don’t want to have any issues there, right?" 
No word yet from Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone on whom he plans to recommend to replace Law. The county executive usually provides three potential candidates, leaving the governor to choose to nominate one, who then must be confirmed by the State Senate. 
And Hochul herself hasn’t yet nominated anyone to fill Schwartz’s seat, either. 
But those two spots aren’t the only ones that might sit empty — or be filled by holdovers — in the coming months. MTA board members’ terms now end with the term of the elected official who chose them. That leaves Nassau representative David Mack’s term up, as well — though new Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman has said he hopes to keep Mack on the board. 
And then there are the four members recommended by the New York City mayor, whose terms expired at the end of 2021. That leaves the future tenure of board members Victor Calise, Lorraine Cortez-Vazquez, David Jones and Robert Linn up in the air. 
Mayor Eric Adams said earlier this month that he has "several names" he’s considering, adding that he hopes his picks will be regular subway and bus riders. 
But so far, Adams, like Bellone and Blakeman, hasn’t indicated when he might officially make such recommendations. 
— Randi F. Marshall <a href="https://twitter.com/randimarshall">@RandiMarshall</a> 
<h2>Pencil Point</h2> 
<h3>Reading the scrawl</h3>

<figure class="image2 image" data-attr-f="default" data-attr-img-credits="" data-attr-img-height="" data-attr-img-width="" data-attr-show-caption="true" data-href="#/content/contentid/image.1.50488914" data-onecms-id="contentid/image.1.50488914" data-onecms-type="image">
 <img alt="" src="/image-service/alias/contentid/image.1.50488914/1.50488914.jpg?f=default"> 
 <figcaption></figcaption> 
</figure>
 
For more cartoons, visit <a href="http://www.newsday.com/nationalcartoons" target="_blank">www.newsday.com/nationalcartoons</a> 
<h2>Final Point</h2> 
<h3>Moving away, again?</h3> 
The notion that people are leaving Long Island — or New York as a whole — isn’t new. But the pandemic highlighted concerns over just how many residents the state is losing. Recent data, however, tells a more nuanced story. 
New York holds the distinction of being the state with the third-largest exodus, as 63% of New Yorkers making moves were flocking out of the state, according to a study by United Van Lines released this month, which looked at its own customers’ moving habits. More than half of the customers cited either job or retirement reasons as factors in their decisions to leave the Empire State. 
But in this data set, Long Island held the distinction of having an even greater spread between those who left the region and those who moved into it. The study showed that 79% of those moving were heading out of the region — the highest percentage of any of the state’s 10 metropolitan statistical areas. 
Interestingly, despite the pandemic and all of the talk of people flocking to the Island, that data hasn’t shifted much over the years, according to an examination of six years of United Van Lines statistics. 
However, an examination of United States Postal Service change of address data tells a bit of a different story. When looking at all change of address requests — whether business or residential, temporary or permanent, there was a clear shift in 2020, when more people changed their addresses to Nassau or Suffolk County locations than away from Long Island addresses. USPS showed a total of 213,491 changes of addresses from Nassau or Suffolk counties, and 221,837 changes to Nassau or Suffolk counties in 2020. 
But by 2021, the data showed, there was a return to the pre-pandemic norms and there was a marked decline in the number of shifts to the Island, with 214,988 changes of address from Long Island, and 201,896 changes of address to the region. 
In a report released late last year analyzing similar data, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer showed that the city had regained about three-quarters of the population it had lost during the early months of the pandemic. 
The Long Island data set analyzed by The Point includes business moves, along with individual moves and full family moves. So, it accounts for a single person — like a college student — leaving home and changing his or her address, in addition to full household moves or business comings and goings. 
The Postal Service data drills down by ZIP code. Some areas, like Bay Shore, Brentwood, Hempstead, Uniondale and Westbury, showed hundreds more changes of address from the community than to the community in each of the last three years, including during the height of the pandemic. Others, particularly on the East End, showed significant jumps in the number of changes of address to the neighborhood in 2020, while in both 2019 and 2021, departures outweighed entrances, but often not at nearly the same rate. 
Take Sag Harbor. In 2020, there were 1,032 more address changes to the East End community than away from it. In 2019, the "from’s" outpaced the "to’s" — by just two address changes, while in 2021, there were 31 more address changes away from the neighborhood. 
Then there are the steady success stories. In Garden City, for instance, changes of address to the area outpaced those from the area by 71 in 2019, by 201 in 2020, and by 235 in 2021. Jericho, Manhasset and Plainview showed similar steady trends. 
— Randi F. Marshall <a href="https://twitter.com/randimarshall">@RandiMarshall</a> and Kai Teoh <a href="https://twitter.com/randimarshall">@jkteoh</a> 
<h3>Did you miss an issue of The Point? <a href="https://www.newsday.com/opinion/the-point-1.13955009" target="_blank">Browse past newsletters here.</a></h3>

OPTPOINT220126

OPTOON220126

Rapid redistricting rehash

Voting rights advocates on Tuesday criticized a "backroom deal" between Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey to redraw legislative lines, saying the pact could lead to disenfranchisement of minority voters. 
Civil rights attorney Frederick Brewington said the deal announced Monday — and crafted with "no Black person in the room when it happened" — would "trample on" voting rights laws by overturning a Democratic plan that Brewington and other supporters say improved representation of minority residents. 
"It is a backward step for Suffolk County by 30 years," Brewington told Newsday. 
Criticism by Brewington and others came on the eve of an expected vote by the Suffolk County Legislature on a redistricting compromise announced Monday by Bellone, a Democrat, and McCaffrey, the Republican legislative leader. 
Under the deal, a bipartisan commission would convene to propose maps for 18 new legislative districts. 
The agreement would undo a redistricting plan that Democrats pushed through on Dec. 31, hours before they lost control of the legislature to Republicans. 
With the Republican caucus holding an 11-7 majority, the deal would need at least one Democratic vote to pass. 
But Suffolk Democratic chairman Richard Schaffer said he didn't expect any Democratic legislators to support the deal in the legislative vote Wednesday. 
"It's not going to have 12 votes tomorrow," Schaffer told Newsday on Tuesday. 
Minority Leader Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon) said he had "that same expectation," noting Democrats had not seen the proposed legislation by Tuesday afternoon. 
Neither Bellone's office nor McCaffrey responded immediately to a request for comment Tuesday. 
McCaffrey said in a statement Monday the deal shows his commitment "to establishing a fair redistricting process and legislative map that reflects regional demographic trends." 
McCaffrey acknowledged Monday he would have "some arm-twisting to do and some heart-to-heart discussions" with legislators to get enough support for the measure. 
Republicans said the Democratic plan violates the county charter because it was created without input from a bipartisan commission, which under the charter is responsible for proposing new district lines by Feb. 1. 
Under McCaffrey's and Bellone's deal, a bipartisan commission would have until Aug. 1 to propose new district lines and hold 12 public hearings. 
The deal would keep the four "majority-minority districts" featured in the Democratic plan. 
But Brewington and other voting rights advocates expressed concern Tuesday that communities of color would be packed together or split apart — particularly if the commission fails to agree on new lines and the legislature has to draw its own map. 
"I'm concerned about what the districts will look like," said Dr. Beverly Dean, president of the Brookhaven Rosa Parks Democratic Association. 
For the deal to work, Bellone would have to veto the Democratic plan. Bellone's office said his action on the legislation will depend on Wednesday's vote. 
In a Jan. 19 letter to Bellone, the Long Island NAACP said vetoing the Democratic plan would "rob" Black residents of voting rights that had been gained and "damage the very rights that Black people died for." 
The potential to "dismantle the maps that provide a more equitable landscape [is] disturbing," NAACP Long Island regional director Tracey Edwards said in the letter.

poDISTRICT220126

'Backroom deal' on Suffolk redistricting raises ire of voting rights groups

Rights groups question deal on Suffolk redistricting

poDISTRICT220126_photos

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Republican Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey on Monday announced a compromise agreement on legislative redistricting, days before a Democratic plan to create new district lines for the next decade is set to take effect. 
Under the deal between Bellone, a Democrat, and McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst), the legislature’s new leader, officials would convene a bipartisan commission to propose maps for 18 new districts. 
The commission would have until Aug. 1 to propose maps and hold 12 public hearings, with at least one in each town in the county. 
The deal would undo the redistricting plan forced through by Democrats on Dec. 31, just hours before they lost legislative control. 
That plan, the subject of a court battle, would take effect Jan. 31 if Bellone does not veto it. 
Bellone did not commit Monday to vetoing the Democratic redistricting plan, although McCaffrey said Bellone would have to veto the measure in order for the new agreement to work. 
The County Legislature is expected to vote on the agreement Wednesday at a special meeting. 
Bellone spokeswoman Marykate Guilfoyle said "any actions," by Bellone "will depend on the results of Wednesday's meeting." 
A key feature of the Democratic plan would stay intact: the new map must have at least four districts in which Black, Latino and Asian residents compromise the majority, officials said. 
Advocates had lauded the Democratic plan for doubling the number of majority-minority districts from two to four. Minorities make up more than a third of the county population, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. 
"Given the importance of ensuring fair representation for communities of color and looming legal challenges to the proposed map in (the Democratic bill), we cannot leave to chance anything short of ensured equitable representation, reflective of the County’s diversity, in our legislative district map," Bellone said in a statement. 
The Republican caucus controls the legislature with an 11-7 majority, but at least one Democrat would have to vote Wednesday for the agreement, which requires 12 votes for passage. 
McCaffrey, a plaintiff in a Republican lawsuit against the Democratic plan, said he believes his colleagues are "going to see that this is the right thing to do." 
Republicans also have filed legislation to rescind the Democratic redistricting measure. 
"At the end of the day, everyone's going to say that this was the best way to do it, and everyone's going to do what they need to do to ensure that this is a fair, transparent and legal process with plenty of public input," McCaffrey said of the agreement with Bellone. 
Minority Leader Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon) said he was not aware of the agreement’s details Monday night. 
Richberg said he was "disappointed" that Democratic legislators and community members were not involved in the agreement, particularly while the court fight continues. 
"We have maps that are fair for everyone, that bring more voices to the table," Richberg said of the Democratic redistricting plan. 
The Democratic redistricting plan was proposed by former Presiding Officer Robert Calarco in early December, about a month after he lost reelection. 
Calarco, a Patchogue Democrat, said his office had to draw the map after legislative party leaders missed a Nov. 10 deadline to appoint commission members. 
Calarco has said his map created 18 fair and equitable districts, with an even split between districts that lean Republican and Democratic. 
But the plan squeezes four Republican legislators into two districts in the 2023 election cycle, while not requiring any Democratic incumbents to run against each other. 
Republicans said the Democratic plan amounted to a last-minute "power grab" that violated the county charter. 
Under the charter, the bipartisan commission has the power to hold four public hearings and propose new district lines until Feb. 1. 
If the deal between Bellone and McCaffrey were to fail, Republicans could draw district lines legally after Feb. 1, the charter's deadline for the bipartisan commission to propose maps. 
Bellone’s county attorney, Dennis Cohen, agreed with Republicans that the measure would violate the charter, according to a legal memo obtained by Newsday last month. 
A state Supreme Court justice blocked the legislature from taking action on the measure three times last year, but an appellate judge overruled that decision three times. 
Republicans said they are appealing the most recent appellate ruling that allowed the vote to proceed. 
Legislators held just one public hearing on the measure and approved it on party lines, 10-8, the day before Republicans took control of the legislature after picking up three seats in the November election. 
The special meeting will be held Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. in the legislature's Hauppauge auditorium, with remote options.

poSUFFOLK220125

Steve Bellone, Kevin McCaffrey announce redistricting deal

Bellone, McCaffrey announce redistricting deal

poSUFFOLK220125_photos

Mark Chiusano

New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ wallet might be ruing his decision to convert some salary payments into cryptocurrency, what with the plunge in that market in recent days. 
But Adams appears committed to promoting the electronic, blockchain-based money system even on pain of a short-term loss, which got The Point wondering whether Long Island’s county executives have had any similar flirtations with crypto in this brave new world. 
Spokespeople for Suffolk’s Steve Bellone and Nassau’s Bruce Blakeman said neither county executive had plans to be paid in Bitcoin or the like. Neither had Nassau’s former top official Laura Curran, but it turns out there has been something of a common crypto denominator with Adams in New York City: Brock Pierce. 
Pierce, the former child actor and 2020 Independence Party presidential standard-bearer, is also a crypto enthusiast on whose private jet Adams flew last year to Puerto Rico — seen as a tax haven of sorts for crypto magnates (an Adams spokesman has said the then-mayor-elect paid for the flight). 
Pierce has also donated to Curran and Bellone, according to state campaign finance filings. And he talked crypto with both Democrats last year. 
That included a Suffolk "roundtable discussion" in the spring with local elected officials and business and labor leaders, in which Pierce did a briefing on the future of crypto and how local governments should plan for it. 
Pierce also made his pitch to Nassau leaders in the fall of last year, as Curran was getting into campaign season. No big crypto policies appeared to come of it. 
Curran went on to lose to Bruce Blakeman, and though the Republican has reshuffled the office on other fronts he doesn’t appear to be jumping on the crypto train yet, either. 
Spokesman Chris Boyle said Blakeman has not met with Pierce and won’t take his salary in crypto.

OPTCRYP220124

The Point: Crypto politics

LIENDORSE200905_photos

<h2>Daily Point</h2> 
<h3>Smithtown addiction facility may get zoned out</h3> 
When Charlie Murphy’s Residence opened in 1942, Alcoholics Anonymous had only existed for seven years and its instruction manual, originally titled "Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism," had only been in print for three. 
But in 2016 the famed Fort Salonga facility, which housed and rehabilitated thousands of Long Island addicts over eight decades, burned down. 
And since the time Charlie Murphy’s was established, the neighborhood around it has grown up. 
At 6 p.m. Tuesday, investors hoping to again use the site for an addiction treatment facility will appear before the Smithtown Board of Zoning Appeals, opposed by a local civic association and neighbors fighting to stop it. The proposed facility is for-profit; Charlie Murphy’s was a not-for-profit. 
The neighborhood is residential, both in zoning and character. As long as the treatment facility was operating, and holding 12-step meetings for patients staying there and locals needing a meeting, its use was grandfathered in. 
But opponents led by the Fort Salonga Association, which is asking residents to send form letters to elected officials that can be found on its website, say when the rehab burned and stopped operating for more than 12 months, the site lost its right to a zoning exception. 
Additional arguments are that the proposed 50 beds of the new facility would double the old facility’s census, and that the rehab would increase traffic, endanger children at a school one-third of a mile away, and bring "violence" and "the dregs of society." 
Vincent Trimarco Sr., the attorney for John Bonlarron and William Alvaro, the buyers looking to acquire and reopen the site, told The Point he may argue the use was never abandoned. And, Trimarco points out, similar uses like halfway houses, which this could become instead, are largely exempt from zoning bans under state law. 
In previous similar battles, like a rehab in Blue Point proposed by the Seafield Center that never opened and one for eating disorders in Glen Cove proposed by Monte Nido that did, the outcry in the recovery community in favor of the planned facilities was loud. 
In this case, it has been more muted. 
And elected officials and addiction-treatment advocates say the difference that has them holding their fire and doubling down on due diligence is that they don’t know the operators’ work the way they did Seafield and Monte Nido, which have strong track records here. 
Those officials and advocates say they’d like to know more. Opponents would certainly like to say more, and perhaps even hear more, too. 
And once more, on Long Island, anxious residents will spell "donnybrook" with the letters "B.Z.A." 
— Lane Filler <a href="https://twitter.com/lanefiller">@lanefiller</a> 
<h2>Talking Point</h2> 
<h3>Crypto politics</h3> 
New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ wallet might be ruing his decision to convert some salary payments into cryptocurrency, what with the plunge in that market in recent days. 
But Adams appears committed to promoting the electronic, blockchain-based money system even on pain of a short-term loss, which got The Point wondering whether Long Island’s county executives have had any similar flirtations with crypto in this brave new world. 
Spokespeople for Suffolk’s Steve Bellone and Nassau’s Bruce Blakeman said neither county executive had plans to be paid in Bitcoin or the like. Neither had Nassau’s former top official Laura Curran, but it turns out there has been something of a common crypto denominator with Adams in New York City: Brock Pierce. 
Pierce, the former child actor and 2020 Independence Party presidential standard-bearer, is also a crypto enthusiast on whose private jet Adams flew last year to Puerto Rico — seen as a tax haven of sorts for crypto magnates (an Adams spokesman has said the then-mayor-elect paid for the flight). 
Pierce has also donated to Curran and Bellone, according to state campaign finance filings. And he talked crypto with both Democrats last year. 
That included a Suffolk "roundtable discussion" in the spring with local elected officials and business and labor leaders, in which Pierce did a briefing on the future of crypto and how local governments should plan for it. 
Pierce also made his pitch to Nassau leaders in the fall of last year, as Curran was getting into campaign season. No big crypto policies appeared to come of it. 
Curran went on to lose to Bruce Blakeman, and though the Republican has reshuffled the office on other fronts he doesn’t appear to be jumping on the crypto train yet, either. 
Spokesman Chris Boyle said Blakeman has not met with Pierce and won’t take his salary in crypto. 
— Mark Chiusano <a href="https://twitter.com/mjchiusano">@mjchiusano</a> 
<h2>Pencil Point</h2> 
<h3>Their silence is golden</h3>

<figure class="image2 image" data-attr-f="default" data-attr-img-credits="" data-attr-img-height="" data-attr-img-width="" data-attr-show-caption="true" data-href="#/content/contentid/image.1.50486525" data-onecms-id="contentid/image.1.50486525" data-onecms-type="image">
 <img alt="" src="/image-service/alias/contentid/image.1.50486525/1.50486525.jpg?f=default"> 
 <figcaption></figcaption> 
</figure>
 
For more cartoons, visit <a href="http://www.newsday.com/nationalcartoons" target="_blank">www.newsday.com/nationalcartoons</a> 
<h2>Quick Points</h2> 
<h3>Comfort zones</h3> 
<ul> 
 <li>Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is backing a Republican-sponsored bill in that state that would bar public schools and businesses from inflicting "discomfort" on white people during lessons or training about discrimination. Oh my, now who’s getting triggered and reacting to micro aggressions?</li> 
 <li>Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul said Russian President Vladimir Putin "smells weakness" in President Joe Biden’s approach to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Funny, McCaul never said anything about what Putin smelled while Donald Trump was president.</li> 
 <li>New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has registered to become licensed as a substitute teacher as part of an effort to deal with a COVID-19-created teacher shortage. Now there’s a hands-on governor.</li> 
 <li>Sen. Bernie Sanders said President Joe Biden cannot count on his support for "almost any compromise" with Sen. Joe Manchin on a social spending and climate package. OK, as long as Sanders understands that guarantees the failure of almost any compromise.</li> 
 <li>Arizona Democratic leaders voted to censure Sen. Kyrsten Sinema for her role in killing voting rights legislation. But what they and lefties in the right-to-center state don’t realize is that what doesn’t kill Sinema will make her stronger.</li> 
 <li>Inflation continues to plague the United States. And here’s the thing: It might not be President Joe Biden’s fault, as the White House says, but it’s his problem.</li> 
 <li>Like a bat out of hell, he flew high over rock ‘n’ roll, took the words right out of our mouths on many occasions, reminded us that two out of three ain’t bad, and established that paradise could indeed be found by your dashboard light. RIP, Meat Loaf.</li> 
</ul> 
— Michael Dobie <a href="https://twitter.com/mwdobie">@mwdobie</a> 
<h3>Did you miss an issue of The Point? <a href="https://www.newsday.com/opinion/the-point-1.13955009" target="_blank">Browse past newsletters here.</a></h3>

OPTPOINT220124

OPTOON220124

Rehabbing a rehab in Suffolk County

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