Suffolk police settlements, plastic waste, MTA  congestion pricing

We pay the price for police’s bad actors

Suffolk County has agreed to pay another settlement involving nefarious actions of some of Suffolk County’s Finest, now totaling $18,092,350 for last year alone [“$2.25M settlement in police misconduct case,” News, March 1]. Shouldn’t the headline have said, “The people of Suffolk County will pay $2.25M”?

In what reality do you or I get to commit a crime, be found guilty and have someone else pay the damages, then resign and retire, perhaps down south, work a security job, collect a pension and live happily ever after?

Suffolk Legis. Rob Trotta, chairman of the county Ways and Means committee, should be less worried that a jury might have found it to “be a lot more” money and more concerned with officers participating in criminal acts, possibly covering up those acts, and internal affairs allowing those officers to evade discipline in cases where their conduct led to death or serious harm.

The same article also cited settlements for nearly $500,000 in which Suffolk detectives habitually seized secondhand jewelry on suspicion it was stolen but refused to return it if it was not. Isn’t that stealing?

Bad cops ruin it for all the good cops, and it’s not helping this county or this country.

— Karen Camberdella, Ridge

Add ‘Skip the Stuff’ bill to remove waste

The editorial supporting the passage of the Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act and the Better Bottle bill was spot on in identifying worthwhile laws to address our burgeoning waste problem, especially that component stemming from plastics [“Time for action on plastic waste,” Opinion, March 6].

Another added strategy for Long Island should be a “Skip the Stuff” bill, in which restaurants and food delivery services no longer provide the single-use plastic utensils, straws, condiment packages, etc. in take-out orders unless requested by the customer.

It is an excellent example of waste reduction, which is a top priority in New York. No environmental impact from garbage would be created.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed the “Skip the Stuff” bill in January 2023, joining several dozen other cities. By doing so, the city is making a dent in the 561 billion food service items generated annually in the United States.

Adoption of “Skip the Stuff” legislation here is not only good for the environment by reducing the scourge of plastic waste, but it would also save small businesses money, too.

— John Turner, Setauket

The writer is a conservation policy advocate for the Seatuck Environmental Association.

MTA shouldn’t treat us like a piggy bank

The only play in the playbook of Janno Lieber, Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman and CEO, seems to be raising prices on commuters, be it bridge and tunnel tolls, subway, bus and railroad fares or, now, congestion pricing [“N.J. criticizes congestion pricing plan,” News, March 5].

As soon as the $15 fare to enter lower Manhattan goes into effect, I’m confident that the MTA will start plotting when to raise it to $20. They apparently have no other ideas.

— Doug Heimowitz, Jericho

Two flawed actions undermine McConnell

Like columnist Michael Dobie, I, too, have been thinking about the Senate minority leader’s legacy [“What’s the legacy of Mitch McConnell?”, Opinion, March 3]. I thought it was generous of President Joe Biden to say that “he has never, never, never misrepresented anything.” I assume Biden wanted to demonstrate a much-needed spirit of bipartisan respect among Washington colleagues. Still, I cannot agree.

As Dobie reminds us, McConnell made one representation to the American people in 2016 and a very different one in 2020.

In 2016, he decided the Senate would not consider President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, because it was too close to an election, about eight months away.

In 2020, he decided the Senate would consider then-President Donald Trump’s nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, even though it was only six weeks before an election.

These two representations are complete opposites. Therefore, one is a misrepresentation.

When McConnell refused to consider Obama’s nominee, he was derelict in his duty. Like Biden, we can speak kindly about some of McConnell’s legacy, but not this 2016 misrepresentation.

Dobie notes that people’s viewpoints “depend on how your sense of right or wrong is calibrated.” My sense of right and wrong evaluates decisions using a consistent standard.

— David Parsick, Port Jefferson