Exits and entrances

Daily Point

A decade later 

In June of 2009, the Newsday editorial board welcomed a new leader to the campus of Stony Brook University. Dr. Samuel L. Stanley had arrived, taking over the reins from Shirley Strum Kenny.

As the board put it, “A lot is riding on his success.”

The board highlighted Kenny’s achievements, from Stony Brook’s admittance to the Association of American Universities, to a focus on new buildings, including the football stadium.

But it also focused on what was expected of Stanley. The priorities outlined a decade ago don’t look too different from today’s. There was the desire to expand the university’s research profile, but also to maintain focus on undergraduate education. And there was interest then in focusing on training students to start and work in high-tech companies on Long Island, and a recognition that the university was important to the region’s economy.

Now, a decade later, it’s Stanley who is leaving. The university and Long Island will depend on Stanley’s successor to push Stony Brook to new heights. Here’s our take on the tasks ahead for the next Stony Brook president.

- Randi F. Marshall @RandiMarshall

Talking Point

Tweet-le de Blasio, Tweet-le Don 

Mayor and presidential candidate Bill de Blasio might not be leading in the 2020 polls, but he has succeeded in getting President Donald Trump to tweet about him.

Over the weekend, Trump added de Blasio into his feud with London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who said it was “un-British” to be rolling out the red carpet for Trump’s UK visit.

Trump eventually tweeted that Khan was a “stone cold loser” who “reminds me very much of our very dumb and incompetent Mayor of NYC, de Blasio, who has also done a terrible job.”

Not only did Trump spell “de Blasio” right, he allowed the mayor to return with this nickname-heavy rejoinder: “#ConDon takes another shot at me. But I’m a total @SadiqKhan stan, so consider any comparison a compliment. Plus the Mayor is a much better British doppelgänger than Brexit Bojo.” 

Bojo is British politician Boris Johnson. ConDon is an unfortunately styled nickname for Trump that also happens to be the Spanish word for condom. And the whole tweet sounds like de Blasio told his social media staffers, “looks good, but make it more internet.”

Still, the 1.5 thousand-plus likes the tweet had racked up by Monday afternoon indicate that the Democratic White House hopeful de Blasio certainly got some needed attention from Trump’s attention.

Though it may not help him land that Fox News appearance he seems to be craving. 

- Mark Chiusano @mjchiusano

Pencil Point

Welcome to the show

For more cartoons, visit www.newsday.com/cartoon

Quick Points

• Democratic Oyster Bay Town leader Dave Gugerty and Republican legislative counsel Christopher Ostuni, son-in-law of former Nassau County GOP leader Joe Mondello, were cross-endorsed for two state Supreme Court judgeships in a deal party heads Democrat Jay Jacobs and Republican Joe Cairo described as bipartisan, nonpartisan and in the best interests of Nassau residents. Makes you wonder who they would have selected if they wanted to make partisan choices.
• When Benjamin Netanyahu rallied to win re-election as prime minister of Israel, his supporters called him a magician. Now that Netanyahu has been unable to form a governing coalition, forcing a new election, he is still in character — just like that, he made his victory disappear.
• The 12 victims of the Virginia Beach massacre were different ages, genders and races. That’s the thing about gun violence: It does not discriminate.
• When the Business Council of New York State says it opposes a move to get rid of the “severe or pervasive” standard to prove sexual harassment in the workforce, the group sounds like it’s saying that it’s OK with regular, normal sexual harassment.
• Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Jewish leaders that “one might agree” that Jared Kushner’s Mideast peace plan “might be rejected.” Here’s guessing the only thing Pompeo got wrong was the degree of uncertainty.
• Jared Kushner says President Donald Trump will be remembered for bringing people to Washington to work who previously “were not qualified by conventional standards.” Or, in some cases, by any reasonable standard.

- Michael Dobie @mwdobie