Opinion

Endorsements 2014 Gallery

Ours is the only nation in the world where local prosecutors are elected, a way for citizens to hold them accountable for the enormous power they wield on individual lives and our collective well-being.
That wasn't always the case. District attorneys were once appointed by governors or the state's top judge. The result was patronage for political supporters and partisan investigations of political opponents. A reform movement swept the nation in the mid-19th century, and the public won the right to elect local prosecutors.
So now district attorneys must respond to the electorate even though their institutional role demands they be separate and removed from everyday politics.
Acting Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas, a Democrat, and Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray, a Republican, are in a fierce race to succeed Kathleen Rice. 
Few do retail politics better than Murray, always accessible and delivering what her constituents want. Unfortunately, her extensive resume does not include the critical background in criminal law and courtroom procedure that is essential to being a successful prosecutor. 
Singas doesn't have Murray's high name recognition. Instead, she brings 24 years of respected experience in law enforcement. The evidence points to only one verdict: Singas is by far the better choice. 
Rice hired Singas away from the Queens district attorney in 2006 to head Nassau's special victims unit, which deals with crimes against children, sexual abuse and domestic violence. Singas, 49, of Manhasset, became top deputy in 2011; and when Rice left for Congress in January, Singas became Nassau's acting district attorney and has handled the job ably.
Stopping 'pay to play' 
Singas has shown she's willing to fight public corruption and stop the pay-to-play culture corroding the public's faith in government. 
After a federal indictment charged state Sen. Dean Skelos and his son with improperly influencing the county's awarding of a $12 million wastewater treatment contract, Singas responded by reviewing Nassau's entire contracting process. 
That investigation is continuing. But in July she issued a report that found deep flaws in the county's system, one that failed to flag potential conflicts of interest, including identifying vendors with criminal convictions and shaky finances. 
Her findings pressured Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano to appoint a panel led by former Nassau Interim Finance Authority chairman Frank Zarb and accept its recommendation to improve the process. Singas wants to extend her review to Nassau's towns and cities.
Using her office as a tool to make systemic changes is also seen in her comprehensive response to the heroin scourge. Beyond the criminal prosecution of dealers and traffickers, she wants to reduce demand.
Singas is funding a desperately needed program to provide round-the-clock treatment of heroin addicts. The program will allow Maryhaven's Hope Crisis Center in Freeport to have 35 beds for those who overdose, are revived with Narcan in emergency rooms but then have no place to go to kick their habit. Maryhaven vans will go to emergency rooms evenings and weekends to take recovering addicts directly to the facility. In crafting her plan, Singas worked with addiction counselors and families. The $585,000 program is the first in the state paid for with forfeiture funds, the assets seized as criminal proceeds.
Wrong place to learn the job
Murray, 53, of Levittown, who has led Hempstead for 12 years, sees the job of district attorney as one of setting a vision and then managing the office of 187 attorneys to achieve it. 
This managerial approach worked in her current job and prior positions as a state legislator and town clerk. But being a prosecutor demands singular skills and specialized knowledge that take a long time to develop. Her few years as an assistant attorney general defending the state against lawsuits by state prison inmates isn't enough. Leading an organization while trying to develop a deep and granular understanding of what it does would present a steep uphill climb. 
Critical legal skills
The district attorney is solely responsible for decisions on civil liberties -- such as signing affidavits, authorizing search warrants and wiretaps, dismissing cases when there is no evidence to support charges, or indicting someone despite his or her prominence or political connections.
Murray deflects concern that she would be the first district attorney in recent history on Long Island not to come from the ranks of active attorneys working in criminal justice or from the judiciary. Pointing to her job as supervisor, Murray says she has surrounded herself with smart staffers to run the town. Managing the budget, she says, is one of her top skills, and her campaign literature includes the phrase "tax cutter." That's not only inaccurate, it's a fundamental misunderstanding of the unique nature of the post she is seeking. If Murray wants to move on to a countywide office, she seems better suited as a candidate for county executive. 
In detailing her priorities as district attorney, Murray lists battling the heroin epidemic, domestic violence and political corruption. Murray says she will advocate for tougher sentences for drug dealers, although it is the presiding judge in a particular case who makes that decision. Targeting the heroin scourge on the streets is a complex effort that involves working with federal agents in the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to take down trafficking rings. It will take Murray a long time to establish the deep trust and professional respect needed to work on sensitive investigations in which strategies and confidential informants are shared. 
Murray likes Singas' idea
Murray understands well the toll the heroin problem has taken on the county's young adults. 
Her answer is to expand Singas program. That's quite an endorsement of her challenger. Singas said she will commit more funds but she wants the pilot program tested before expanding it. 
As for her third priority, public corruption, Murray asserts she has done more than Singas on this front. Her sole example is that she turned over a complaint in 2012 that then-Hempstead Town Clerk Mark Bonilla had made unwanted advances on a young female staffer. Murray said she called Rice directly. She did, but then Rice turned to Singas to oversee the case. Singas uncovered much more damning evidence against Bonilla, and he was convicted of official misconduct.
Sexual harassment by an elected official is an uncommon definition of public corruption. And Murray only reported an incident that was reverberating off the walls at town hall.
When asked whether she would prosecute county legislators for the misuse of taxpayer dollars on official mailers before Election Day, Murray said there were "issues far more important that should be focused on." Singas wants the law changed so that she can.
Public officials who can't or won't do what is expected of them are exactly what's frustrating Americans from Main Street to Washington. Choose a district attorney who can and wants to do the job.
Newsday endorses Singas.

Editorials

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Newsday endorses Madeline Singas for Nassau district attorney

Editorial: Nassau needs a qualified DA. Vote Singas

Madeline Singas on fighting heroin addiction

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Newsday

The story of the first term of Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone has been a tale of two Steves.
One is the visionary with exciting regional plans, eager to overcome traditional obstacles to progress. This Steve wants to lead Suffolk to a bright future with a reinvented economy in which new businesses offer good-paying jobs in places where people can work and live, all linked by a modern transportation network.
The other Steve is forced to focus on the financial crisis he inherited when he took office in 2012, a crisis that threatens those big plans. And he has made progress. The county is not in as dire shape as it was then. But it still is in trouble and he continues to work at it, even if he'd rather be doing something else.
Bellone, a Democrat from North Babylon, says he focused 98 percent of his time in his first two years on the budget but does not "obsess" about it. He obsesses, he says, on the region. We understand. A stronger economy will lift county finances, but the ship never will reach the new world if you don't fix the leak in the hull.
His opponent, Great River attorney James O'Connor, IS obsessed with Suffolk's budget. It's his one real issue. And he's asking the right questions about deficits, debt, and borrowing.
O'Connor, a Republican and former North Hempstead Town Board member and building commissioner, says he witnessed Nassau's financial meltdown and worries Suffolk is headed in the same direction. He wants a financial control board for Suffolk to freeze salaries while the county restores its fiscal house.
But even O'Connor concedes that while identifying problems is easy, solutions are a lot harder. And his vision for Suffolk's overall future is lacking.
So what does Bellone's ledger look like?
On the fiscal side, the county:
 shed 1,100 employees,
 privatized its health centers,
 merged the offices of comptroller and treasurer,
 got out from a state mandate that it spend $112 million to build another jail,
 attracted nearly $400 million in state and federal funding for sewers, and
 is near a deal to sell the former John J. Foley nursing home to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center.
On the other hand, the structural deficit has been narrowed but still approaches $100 million in next year's $2.9 billion budget, a continued reliance on borrowing has driven up debt service to a projected $188 million in 2016, and bond ratings have declined, potentially leading to higher interest rates. Bellone trumpets keeping general fund taxes flat, but has increased the much-larger police district tax four times for a total of 10.5 percent, about $104 for the average household.
Another problem: unrealistic estimates of sales taxes, which generate nearly half of Suffolk's revenue. The current budget estimated a 4.87 percent increase; receipts thus far have fallen 1.1 percent. Considering growing Internet sales, stagnant local wages, and lower gas prices, Bellone's estimate of a 2.75 percent increase in 2016 might be too rosy.
Bellone must ensure Suffolk recovers $19 million in health care savings promised by unions in contracts but which have not materialized. He says he's on the case, but he has to deliver soon.
One ongoing program seeks more efficiency in government by using data to measure workers' performance. It's a good idea, but it must produce savings whether through cuts or reorganization. Bellone also would consider adding auditors in the comptroller's office to help root out tax avoiders, another wise step.
He is open to hiking the hotel-motel tax if the money is invested in increasing tourism, through marketing or infrastructure, but opposes asking the state to raise the sales tax. However, like Democrats who are running for legislative seats, he would be receptive to a voter-approved referendum for a small sales tax increase dedicated to, for example, water quality -- an issue he has embraced fervently.
Bellone says he'll work to improve the county police department's relationship with federal law enforcement agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. That's welcome news. In the midst of a heroin epidemic and sporadic gun violence, Suffolk's lack of presence on task forces dealing with drug and gun issues is very disturbing.
Given another term, Bellone wants to be judged on his ability to nuture economic development by connecting transit-oriented downtowns with research centers. He ticks off the signposts:
 bus rapid transit and bicycle lanes on Nicolls Road,
 a new train station at Brookhaven National Laboratory,
 a direct connection between the Ronkonkoma Hub and MacArthur Airport,
 build-out at the Hub,
 progress on the massive Heartland Town Square project in Brentwood,
 expanded East End transportation,
 more sewers and advanced septic systems, and
 a successful Wyandanch Rising project, which hinges on attracting retail to the site.
It's a big agenda. Growing Suffolk's economy would solve many woes, including the budget. We hope he pulls it off.
It's the long game, and Bellone knows it. But he needs to keep playing the short game as well. Fix today's holes as we navigate toward that brighter future he envisions. That would meld the two Steves into one, writing a better tale and a stronger legacy.
Newsday endorses Bellone.

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Newsday endorses Steve Bellone for Suffolk County exec

Steve Bellone shares his vision for Suffolk County

In the race for Oyster Bay supervisor, the choice for voters shouldn't be difficult.
Republican incumbent John Venditto, who is seeking his 10th term, has generally won election by wide margins. For years, his old-fashioned policies and charming personality were a good fit for his town. Now after a good run, there is a rain on his parade.
Since 1998, Oyster Bay's debt has quadrupled to $800 million. The town suffered at least eight downgrades from debt rating agencies in the past few years. Venditto, 66, of North Massapequa, has consistently overspent, and doesn't seem committed to cutting back. And the town is reeling in scandal. Subpoenas from the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District are flying, and officials at town hall are lawyering up and shutting up. 
Town planning and development Commissioner Frederick Ippolito is charged with failing to pay federal taxes on $2 million in commissions he received from a paving contractor that got lucrative contracts from the town. Venditto says he doesn't know what Ippolito did to earn the $2 million. He should have asked. Ippolito, a powerful party leader, is still on the town payroll.
Federal prosecutors are very focused on the dealings between the town and indicted restaurateur Harendra Singh, who operates several public concessions. Singh won control of the valuable restaurants at Tobay Beach through 2065 and at a town golf course in Woodbury through 2070 at time when his finances were shaky and he wasn't making his payments to the town. 
Singh is also accused of picking up the tab for the travel of former town attorney Frederick Mei who went to South Korea and twice to India. In return, Mei allegedly arranged for the town to improperly guarantee loans to Singh.
Venditto's signature is on those loan guarantees, and Venditto has consistently understated how far Singh is in arrears in rent payments. Now he says he cannot discuss his role any further because of the widening federal investigation and an expected lawsuit. That's a smart legal strategy, but it deprives voters of any real accounting for all these questionable transactions before the election.
It's clear that Oyster Bay's quite expensive outside counsel let Mei know it would be illegal for the town to guarantee Singh's loans and put taxpayers on the hook if Singh failed to pay. It's also clear that even if that weren't illegal, it would be irresponsible. But it still happened.
The Democratic challenger, attorney John J. Mangelli, 49, is not a political insider, though he did run an independent campaign for the U.S. Senate. The Bayville resident will have a big learning curve, but he's smart enough to handle it. Mangelli, a debt management attorney, says more needs to be unearthed about the town's financial dealings. He says too many sweetheart deals have been made, and he would make more town records available online. While he would keep the existing town workforce, he would closely review who needs a town vehicle. Mangelli says the town must increase revenue through business development. However, it would be best if he were open to all kinds of development, including multi-family residential housing, to make that happen. 
The choice is between a popular incumbent who ran the town poorly in recent years, and a newcomer who has little political experience, but a lot of upside potential. 
Newsday endorses Mangelli.

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Newsday endorses John J. Mangelli for Oyster Bay supervisor

Editorial: Dump Venditto, vote for Mangelli

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So, what's changed since the members of the Suffolk County Legislature last faced election two years ago?
Plenty, and nothing.
On the progress side, the Foley nursing home is finally on track to be sold, county health clinics have been privatized, a big sewer expansion is on the drawing board, water quality problems are being attacked, and construction is underway on the Wyandanch revitalization and ready to begin at the Ronkonkoma Hub.
Then there's the budget. 
It's not that legislators are not concerned about the county's finances, although some Democrats are a little too satisfied with their party's work to date. It's the lack of good ideas from both sides -- other than the evergreen "grow the economy" prescription -- to balance spending and revenue.
Developing serious proposals requires less posturing and more collaboration in a body in which Democrats hold a 12-6 majority. Control is not going to change on Nov. 3. But with three legislators running for their sixth and final terms, and one new face guaranteed as another lawmaker departs because of term limits, perhaps a combination of wise experience and fresh urgency can produce results.
Big issues loom -- making realistic sales tax estimates and finding alternatives to revenue that is not coming back, reducing the cost of policing, dealing with the heroin epidemic, building affordable rental housing. The legislature can play a critical role in addressing them, if it can summon the creativity and focus needed for the task.

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A lot at stake in Suffolk legislature

Editorial: A lot at stake in Suffolk legislature

Suffolk leg cropped

After the state rescued Nassau County 15 years ago, the very wealthy but highly taxed suburb seemed at a turning point. Now the county is again going down the wrong path. The members of the next legislature will bear much of the responsibility for steering Nassau back to the right course.
The county budget is in constant deficit, and is projected to stay that way for the foreseeable future. Neither County Executive Edward Mangano nor the current Republican majority and Democratic minority seem to have the ability to devise workable plans to fix it.
The county owes more than $3.5 billion. The state control board charged with overseeing its finances is threatening once again to seize the reins.
Nassau is mired in an opaque contracting process that has led to excessive patronage spending and reckless decision-making. The timid legislature must exercise its oversight authority, especially by holding hearings that reveal information and lead to better choices. New leadership and members bringing ideas and energy are needed. 
Nassau County must find revenue to cover its mounting bills. Yet even after convincing Albany to give it permission to establish a video lottery casino, the county can't find a place to put it. And it needs to fund an ocean outfall pipe to stop the decades-long pollution of the western bays by its Bay Park sewage plant. 
Please invest the time to know the candidates and their positions. Weary voters know there must be a better path. Choose legislators who can find it.

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Difficult choices face next Nassau legislature

Editorial: Difficult choices face next Nassau leg

poNASShs

We all will need the services of the Surrogate's Court. 
When the time comes, however, most of us could be dead. So it's better to pay attention now and make the best choice for you and Nassau County. 
This highly specialized court mostly oversees the processing of wills, or when none exists, overseeing the administration of an estate. If no one comes forward to handle the affairs of the deceased, the court chooses a lawyer for the task. The surrogate also processes adoptions and appoints guardians for people unable to care for themselves. 
There is only one surrogate in Nassau and that judge serves a 10-year term. The seat is open this year because Judge Edward McCarty has reached mandatory retirement age. 
Two well-respected and experienced state Supreme Court justices seek the job. Margaret C. Reilly, 51, of Oyster Bay, is the Republican nominee. Angela G. Iannacci, 55, of Manhasset, is the nominee of the Democrats. 
The Newsday editorial board rarely endorses in judicial races, but for this race, we are making an exception. 
There shouldn't be a Republican or Democratic way to administer justice. But as long as these judgeships are elected positions, and the Surrogate's Court is an especially powerful perch, there's a compelling need to keep watch.
The blatant patronage of yesteryear, when the party leader sent the surrogate judge a list of favored lawyers, no matter their skills, to handle estates and reap generous fees is gone. But the favors to the chosen few haven't gone away. 
A recent Newsday investigation questioned the administration of an estate with no heirs by attorney Steven Schlesinger, a former powerhouse in Nassau's Democratic Party. In response, McCarty, who did not initially appoint Schlesinger but whose court had oversight of the case, demanded on Thursday that a full accounting be filed by Dec. 10. Schlesinger was administering the Gitenstein Foundation, which gave money to health-related causes and Jewish charities.
Among actions under review by the surrogate and the state attorney general is Schlesinger's donation of $250,000 to a foundation run by his poker partner, Gary Melius, the owner of Oheka Castle. The gift came two days before Schlesinger's 2014 wedding at Oheka. 
"I don't want to be the surrogate; I want to be a friend of the surrogate," is an adage that hasn't gotten stale.
In the editorial board's 90-minute interview with the candidates, both Reilly and Iannacci recoiled at the notion of having any obligations to party leaders or their campaign donors. Both care deeply about serving the public with compassion. And both prioritized customer service and said the court must be more productive. For example, it now takes four to six weeks to obtain the necessary paperwork to take charge of an uncontested estate. Such delays are unacceptable. Reilly said the filings should be processed "right away, if not by the next day." Iannacci said no more than a week.
Reilly said it is time to end the era of the "gentleman's court" of congenial insiders. She regards herself as a "hands-on judge" who sits on the bench every day and reviews every case personally.
Iannacci, too, said she would lead by example to improve the court's operation. But she said she would need to see the workflow before determining whether daily open sessions were the best practice. 
What best distinguishes the two candidates is their openness to try something new, to rattle the cage. Iannacci, who handles guardianships, gives the impression that she would keep working primarily with bar association-centric attorneys, the ones with whom she is most familiar. 
While Iannacci agreed there could more transparency, such as posting online the names of attorneys awarded cases and their fees, she did not fully embrace the idea.
Reilly was more impressive in her determination to transform the Surrogate's Court. "There should be a way for us to open the courts and say, 'Come in,' " Reilly said. Her steely, no-nonsense resolve, combined with her strong sense that openness is key to accountability, is impressive. 
Newsday endorses Reilly.

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Newsday endorses Margaret Reilly for Surrogate's Court

Editorial: Why this judicial race matters

Spin Cycle ... gavel cropped 4.23.12

As he seeks his second full term as supervisor, Republican Edward P. Romaine is one of Long Island's most seasoned and judicious political hands. Any challenger would have a battle unseating him.
Making an effort is longtime Brookhaven activist Douglas P. Dittko, a Democrat from Manorville. It's his third run for a seat on the town board, this time for supervisor.
Dittko, 64, says he's running because the seven-member board lacks balance, with the two Democrats feeling frustrated about advancing their causes. He served on the town planning board for almost seven years, briefly as its chairman, and he believes the Brookhaven board should be run with the same regard for fairness over politics. As the former president of the Manorville-East Moriches Civic Association and Affiliated Brookhaven Civic Organization, Dittko has been outspoken about land-use issues. He now works for the Suffolk Board of Elections.
Romaine, 68, of Center Moriches, won a special election for supervisor in November 2012 after serving as county clerk and a county legislator. He has demonstrated fiscal prudence by reducing the town's debt and beginning to sock away money to pay for closing the town landfill, which he says is just 10 years out.
At the same time, Romaine is trying to extend the landfill's life. He introduced single-stream recycling, which collected 23 percent more household paper, plastic, metal and glass in 2014 than the previous year. And the supervisor has championed an anaerobic digester in Yaphank, a facility that will turn organic waste, such as food and grass clippings, into energy and compost.
While Romaine's environmental commitment is genuine, his intransigence over the Brookhaven Rail Terminal development in Yaphank is becoming counterproductive. The supervisor should find a way to settle this long-running dispute and work with the BRT operator to bring in more freight by rail, reducing truck traffic that jams and degrades Long Island roads.
Dittko is critical of a new limit on parking at rental housing -- a measure the Brookhaven board passed earlier this month to unblock roads, especially around Stony Brook University. Landlords are packing students into boardinghouses, neighbors contend, turning streets into virtual parking lots. Dittko says the code change to restrict vehicles to the number of bedrooms plus one is unenforceable. "You've got to go after the people who own the homes," he insists. The town board's solution is at least an effort to deal with the problem. Let's give it time to work.
While it's true that Democrats are outnumbered on the town board, Romaine is an able administrator who brings members together in most cases to accomplish important goals.
Newsday endorses Romaine.

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Newsday endorses Edward P. Romaine for Brookhaven supervisor

Newsday endorses Romaine for Brookhaven 

You don't often see a political party take out its own incumbent town supervisor. But this is Riverhead, where brawling is a political pastime and no one much likes each other, especially next week's three candidates for supervisor. Here's the scorecard:
Sean Walter, 49, an attorney from Wading River, is the six-year incumbent. He's a Republican running on the Conservative Party line after narrowly losing the Republican primary.
Jodi Giglio, 47, a Baiting Hollow developer whose primary job is to expedite building permits, is the six-year GOP town councilwoman who knocked Walter off the Republican line. Democrat Anthony Coates, 54, a Riverhead financial adviser and insurance broker, worked for Walter in public affairs in three prior races before a fallout and once switched parties to run a primary against Giglio.
They agree on many goals. The 2,900-acre Enterprise Park at Calverton must be developed smartly. Downtown Riverhead must be revitalized. The environment must be protected. The town's budget must get better. Walter says he's making progress on all fronts. He's mostly right. His opponents disagree to varying degrees.
Giglio says she would better manage the budget as a businesswoman, but she's been on the board all along. It's hard to be a change agent when you're in the power structure. And she and Coates lack specific ideas for improving town finances. We're also concerned about the money the Suffolk police union is spending on Giglio's campaign. Riverhead police are interested in merging with Suffolk County cops, which Walter strongly opposes. Giglio says she's also against the idea but has given conflicting signals, saying it would have to work for Riverhead police and taxpayers.
Downtown Riverhead finally shows signs of life. Walter says EPCAL's subdivision process is nearly done, with a big deal involving solar-powered drones on the horizon. He deserves one more term -- to see whether he can bring both to fruition, whether he can get the budget closer to balance, and whether he can soften the edges of his personality in a way that would lead to useful compromises. Newsday endorses Walter.

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Newsday endorses Sean Walter for Riverhead supervisor

Newsday endorses Walter for Riverhead supervisor

Whoever governs Southold must balance the pressure to build and grow against the need to preserve the bucolic charm that is its economic engine. Ten-year Republican incumbent Scott Russell, 51, of Cutchogue, and Democrat Damon Rallis, 41, of Mattituck, have a rocky history.
Rallis has worked for the town for 15 years, mostly as a plans examiner, except a few years when he took charge of code enforcement. Rallis says he took back his old job in 2013 after he was pressured as code officer to give some people preferential treatment. Russell says Rallis asked to leave the job because "it didn't work out." Code enforcement is now overseen by the town attorney to ensure follow-up of citations, which Russell says was lacking. 
Under Russell, the town wisely held off on hiring police until reaching a contract that slows "step" raises for new cops and requires them to contribute to health care. To cut summer traffic, some running and biking events were banned on local roads. The town passed a law requiring two-week rentals in homes to deter speculators from buying up houses to rent on the Internet. Russell's top goal for what he says would be his last term is to finish a master plan that would cluster businesses in downtowns and be updated for new industries, such as aquaculture. And he is trying to unify East End towns to support high-tech septic systems for new homes. 
Because of his vision on water quality and his overall experience, Newsday endorses Russell.

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Newsday endorses Scott Russell for Southold supervisor

Newsday endorses Russell for Southold supervisor

Southampton faces clear and well-defined issues. Jay Schneiderman and Richard Yastrzemski agree on most of them. Water quality and environmental protection are critical. Development must continue but not go too far. Housing that's affordable is needed for the middle and working classes currently priced out of the East End.
But in the race to succeed Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst, who is leaving to run for Congress, Schneiderman's long history of legislative and executive experience and his knack for creative solutions make him the right person for the job.
Schneiderman, 53, of Southampton, an Independence Party member running on the Democratic line, is finishing his 12th and final year in the Suffolk legislature. Before that, he served four years as supervisor of East Hampton. Yastrzemski, 49, a Southampton Republican, is a financial adviser and deputy mayor of Southampton Village.
Both stress the importance of upgrading antiquated residential septic systems, which requires working closely with Suffolk County; Schneiderman is better-positioned to do that. They share concerns about overdevelopment, but Schneiderman has a more detailed and nuanced approach. Yastrzemski says the ship has sailed on preserving land at a proposed golf course/residential subdivision in East Quogue. Schneiderman says preservation still is possible and also wants a moratorium on such planned development districts to give the town time to re-examine the law that allows them. Both support affordable housing, but Schneiderman has an intriguing idea for the town to match young professionals with empty-nest homeowners who have space for apartments and the willingness to rent them.
Newsday endorses Schneiderman.

VPSHAMP

Newsday endorses Jay Schneiderman for Southampton supervisor

Newsday endorses Schneiderman for Southampton

Responding to a persistent clamor from a wide swath of the eastern Long Island, East Hampton Supervisor Larry Cantwell found a way to reduce noise from aircraft that use the town airport. After refusing Federal Aviation Administration funds, Cantwell and the town board set curfews that provide some quiet to residents while allowing reasonable access to the East End by air. It's working.
The challenge to any leader of this famously bucolic town is to harness the tourist economy that powers it and protect the landscape which lures it. Differing responses to that tension are at the heart of the contest between Cantwell and his challenger. Tom Knobel, who turns 60 on Monday, is a bayman from Springs, chairs the local Republican party, and is a former town trustee and board member.
Knobel is critical of Cantwell's handling of the surge of summer visitors to Montauk. After an underwhelming response to unruly behavior and overcrowded clubs, a heavy-handed crackdown by police and code enforcers dampened the atmosphere and profits of local merchants. But Cantwell found a balance by midseason and seems ready for 2016.
However, Cantwell, 64, a Democrat from East Hampton, risks seriously devaluing his first-term accomplishments with his shortsighted attempts to block Uber and other ride-sharing services in the town. Traditional taxi services are unreliable at peak times, if available at all, and charge outrageous fares. It's likely the State Legislature will pass regulations for the whole state, rendering his stubborn policy an asterisk. Knobel, who supports allowing Uber, is an authentic voice of the community who says full-time residents need good-paying jobs and affordable housing. But he doesn't have a workable plan to accomplish these goals.
Newsday endorses Cantwell.

VPEHAMP

Newsday endorses Larry Cantwell for East Hampton supervisor

Newsday endorses Cantwell for E. Hampton supervisor

After 12 years, Kate Murray is leaving her job as Town of Hempstead supervisor. That leaves the position open to new blood, even if the right candidate is an old hand. 
Republican Anthony Santino has been on the town board for 22 years and active in party politics for longer. The East Rockaway resident, 54, clearly knows every inch of the town, Long Island's most populous, and how it works, the ins and outs of its $436 million budget and governing processes. And how to best get things done. He'll need the experience. The town's cash reserves and bond rating have fallen in the past few years, and in a town with little appetite for tax increases, a tight grip on the finances is needed.
He's also well-versed in the political tradition of patronage that has come with more than a century of GOP rule in Hempstead, which is not so good. Santino is a close adviser to Nassau Republican Party chairman Joseph Mondello and is the party's spokesman. He says he will leave that job if elected, but he also must make sure he leaves the "party first" and the "party is always right" thinking behind. 
Santino says he will be fair, open, inclusive and see that services are provided to all residents and areas regardless of politics. Certainly, his willingness to talk about building rental housing in communities like Baldwin and his openness to ideas like having a Spanish-language translator at public meetings show he knows the town must change. 
Democrat Rita Kestenbaum, 57, of Bellmore, served a term on the town board 15 years ago, and remains a talented watchdog on the budget, the animal shelter and the town's lack of transparency. She is a powerful voice for change, but she does not have Santino's experience. 
Newsday endorses Santino.

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Newsday endorses Anthony Santino for Hempstead supervisor

Newsday endorses Santino for Hemp supervisor

Supervisor Judi Bosworth's deft management of the Town of North Hempstead has led to a more collaborative approach on the town board, and spurred improvements in the beleaguered Building Department, which had been systematically understaffed and unfriendly to town residents. 
The incumbent Democrat made customer service a priority and has hired three additional inspectors. That's a good start. The town also has stayed within the state's 2 percent tax cap, cutting $600,000 in town expenses and reducing debt during her 22-month tenure.
We urge Bosworth, 67, of Great Neck, to continue to press the pedal on the Building Department, to hammer together a truly comprehensive plan to curb illegal housing and to expedite department business. Further, she should use her mediation skills to resolve the thorny issues surrounding the Spinney Hill senior housing development. And she needs to focus town attention on the Yes We Can Community Center -- a $26 million facility that is supposed to be key to New Cassel's revitalization but has not lived up to its promise.
Her opponent, Republican Anthony Bulzomi, is a construction manager who has good ideas for streamlining services at the Building Department. He is a Westbury resident and a trustee of the Carle Place school board. Bulzomi, 43, is civic-minded and well-intentioned, but lacks the extensive experience of Bosworth, who served 12 years as a county legislator and is a former president of the Great Neck school board. Her managerial know-how and grasp of the shared relationship between town and county are superior.
Newsday endorses Bosworth.

VPNHEM21

Newsday endorses Judi Bosworth for North Hempstead supervisor

Newsday endorses Bosworth for N. Hemp supervisor

Angie Carpenter has been Islip Town supervisor for about eight months. It seems longer. That's a good thing. She has brought competence, maturity and accountability to a town reeling from illegal dumping at Roberto Clemente park and elsewhere in Islip.
Carpenter, 72, the former Suffolk County treasurer, took office in March after Tom Croci moved on to the State Senate. She oversaw the removal of debris from the park, replaced Islip's parks director and now waits for state officials to approve the town's plan to fill the hole.
Her opponent, Thomas Licari, 63, an attorney from Kismet making his first run for public office, approves of her work at Roberto Clemente. But he says the town moves too slowly on permit and zoning approvals, enforces codes in a way that discriminates against residents in places like Brentwood and Central Islip, and does not offer enough language services to Spanish speakers. Carpenter says she is sensitive to these issues but contends that complaints largely are baseless, and that some complainers seek to exploit perceived divisions rather than work together to solve problems. Still, she and the town would be well served to make sure rules are applied fairly and no area is overlooked.
Carpenter, of West Islip, is working to reinvigorate Long Island MacArthur Airport -- assembling funding for a customs center to allow international flights, talking to Southwest Airlines about adding routes and seeking more money for marketing. She also wants to put up for public vote a bond to pay for needed road repairs, infrastructure and parks.
Carpenter is an energetic pro with the steady hand needed to bring Islip back from the dumping scandal and financial turmoil.
Newsday endorses Carpenter.

VPISLIP

Newsday endorses Angie Carpenter for Islip supervisor

Newsday endorses Carpenter for Islip supervisor

Newsday Editorial Board endorsements 2015

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