News

Kara Hahn for Suffolk Legislative District 5

Kara Hahn
Oct
25
2021

Karina Hahn works and pushes nonstop on many fronts at once.

The Setauket Democrat, 50, chairs two important committees — economic development and planning, and environment, parks and agriculture. Recently, she advanced smart legislation to assure opioid company settlement funds will start and expand addiction programs, rather than reimburse the county for past expenses. Her proposals for capital improvements are realistic, taking into account how long those take to accomplish, as with wastewater treatment.

Hahn will look to convert vacated big-box stores and strip malls into much-sought housing, while touting the North Shore Rail Trail, which runs from Mount Sinai to Wading River. That could promote both recreation and transportation safety. Next year, during her all-but-assured sixth and final term, she plans on running for Congress.

Salvatore SB Isabella, the Republican nominee from Port Jefferson Station, is not actively campaigning.

Newsday endorses Hahn.| read more ››

Sarah Anker for Suffolk Legislative District 6

Sarah Anker
Oct
25
2021

If Sarah S. Anker wins her sixth full term, it will be her last, a tenure during which the 57-year-old Mount Sinai Democrat has become more knowledgeable and effective over time.

One of her biggest efforts, the North Shore Rail Trail, will soon be completed. Her efforts to combat drug addiction, starting with her role on the Suffolk County Addiction and Prevention and Support Advisory Panel, are tireless. Her district knowledge positions her well to help residents.

Republican Brendan R. Sweeney, 28, of Shoreham, a law student and assistant to Brookhaven Town Supervisor Edward Romaine, clearly has a passion for public service. His desire to close the loophole that lets term-limited legislators run again after a break makes sense. His complaints about county patronage positions are justified. He should stay on a path of public service.

But Anker is a seasoned, effective legislator, at the height of her powers.

Newsday endorses Anker.| read more ››

Samuel Gonzalez for Suffolk Legislative District 9

Sam Gonzalez
Oct
25
2021

Democratic incumbent Samuel J. Gonzalez relentlessly listens to and advocates for his community. This past term, he was the lone "no" vote in the legislature on the county's police reform plan, fueled by concerns from his constituents that it lacked an independent investigator to hold the department accountable.

This district was hard hit by COVID-19. Gonzalez, 60, of Brentwood, used his ties as a former labor union official to borrow trucks with screens and microphones to provide vaccination information in English and Spanish. That, plus other messaging and organizing pop-up vaccination sites, helped improve vaccine rates. His out-of-the-box thinking includes union certification programs for high-schoolers, non-train-station-oriented downtown development around 5th Avenue, and innovative multifamily housing solutions. He should see these through in his next term.

Republican Maxima Castro of Brentwood is not actively campaigning.

Newsday endorses Gonzalez.| read more ››

Rebecca Sanin for Huntington Supervisor

Rebecca Sanin
Oct
20
2021

Chad Lupinacci, elected Huntington Town supervisor in 2017, didn't make it to this Election Day ballot. Lupinacci is finishing his term, politically derailed by personal controversy, after a longtime aide accused him of sexual misconduct.
Entering the electoral fray for the first time is Sanin, 43, of Huntington Station. She makes a persuasive case for upgrades in the town, saying justly that residents should not find it necessary to pay "expediters" to get building permits. Sanin recognizes the woeful lack of data and metrics that would help town officials better govern and, channeling voter dissatisfaction, emphasizes the need for a 311 nonemergency system and information technology that track services and complaints and accept filings and applications online.| read more ››

Statewide Early Voting Begins Saturday; Here's How to Vote

Oct
18
2021

ALBANY — Early voting, which will include weekend and evening hours, begins Saturday and extends through Oct. 31 at select polling sites in counties statewide.
Voters will be able to cast ballots on local races and on five statewide ballot proposals.
Here's how to participate in the increasingly popular method of casting ballots for the Nov. 2 election:
In Suffolk County, early voting begins Saturday and Sunday with polls open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Evening hours begin Tuesday. Suffolk County will have 12 early voting sites. The locations and hours are available at https://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/BOE/Early-Voting-Sites-11-2-...| read more ››

Peter Van Scoyoc for East Hampton supervisor

Oct
17
2021

East Hampton Town might be located at the most eastern edge of Long Island, but it sits squarely at the convergence of numerous issues that will shape Long Island for generations.

Managing our precious coastline as sea levels rise, incorporating offshore wind energy into our electric grid to fight climate change, building more housing that is affordable for residents — East Hampton is grappling with all of that right now, along with the future of its indispensable airport. Navigating these challenges requires smarts, common sense, and a steady hand.

Incumbent supervisor Peter K. Van Scoyoc, 62, a Democrat from Northwest Woods, has been a deft and effective manager in his two terms. He understands the need to move quickly but carefully in meeting urgent needs, as in shepherding a proposed landing in Wainscott for the cable from the planned South Fork Wind Farm, overcoming the loud and well-funded, but minority opposition of homeowners in the hamlet.| read more ››

Errol Toulon for Suffolk County Sheriff

Sheriff Errol Toulon
Oct
11
2021

In the Suffolk County sheriff's race four years ago, the editorial board supported the Republican Party nominee, Lawrence Zacarese, who then lost a close election to Errol Toulon, a Democrat cross-endorsed by the Conservatives.

Our choice in 2017 was based not only on Zacarese's promise of independence in the post but also on our strong objections to the backroom party machinations that secured Toulon the nomination.

This year brings a very different scenario. While Sheriff Toulon seeks reelection, on the D and C lines, Republicans have filled the ballot line with a nominee, William Amato, who isn't campaigning.| read more ››

Stony Brook University Hosts Law Enforcement Leadership Conference

Oct
6
2021

A two-day executive leadership conference for law enforcement is being held at Stony Brook University this week.
The conference called “Leading Through Adversity” comes at a time when police departments across New York had to submit police reform plans to the governor’s offices and critics are questioning what has been implemented.
It was organized by Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr.
Former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton is the keynote speaker at the event and says this the most challenging time for law enforcement.
“You literally have to go back to the 1970s to have a time from a moral standpoint, an attractiveness of the profession, it’s been quite as bad as it is now,” Bratton says.| read more ››

Data-Driven Justice Community Portrait: Sheriff Errol Toulon, Jr

Sheriff Errol Toulon
Sep
20
2021

Dr. Errol D. Toulon, Jr. is the Sheriff of Suffolk County, New York on Long Island. He was born and raised in the Bronx in New York City, and his father and brother were both wardens on Rikers Island. As such, Toulon learned about the criminal justice system from a very early age; in 1982 he joined the New York City Department of Correction where he had a 22-year career in uniform serving in various positions in the Emergency Service Unit, Firearms & Tactics Unit and Compliance Unit. He retired as a captain due to health reasons. In 2014, he returned to the Department of Correction as the Deputy Commissioner of Operations overseeing the Intelligence Unit, Training Academy, Applicant Investigations Unit, Emergency Management and Compliance Units. Taking office in January 2018, Sheriff Toulon is the county’s first African American person to be elected to a non-judicial countywide office. He received his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Monroe College, a master’s degree in Business Administration and a doctorate in Educational Administration from Dowling College.| read more ››

Suffolk Legislation Seeks to Expand Diversity in Top County Jobs

Aug
23
2021

Suffolk County officials must interview candidates from "underrepresented communities" for commissioner positions, under new legislation that seeks to expand the diversity of the county’s top management.

The County Legislature passed a bill last month requiring officials to interview at least two qualified applicants who self-identify as minorities in their racial or gender identities for open commissioner jobs.

Legis. Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon), who sponsored the bill, said the measure seeks to provide equal opportunities to people from underrepresented backgrounds for high-level roles.

"It’s about ensuring we have a diverse amount of applicants who can and are allowed to apply for commissioner positions," Richberg said in a July 27 legislative meeting. "We want to have the best and brightest."| read more ››