News

Democrats flip two seats in state special elections

Sep
27
2017

Democrats on Tuesday flipped two seats in special state elections in Florida and New Hampshire.

In Florida, Annette Taddeo won a Miami-area state Senate seat, The Daily Beast reported.

The Miami Herald noted that the race was heavily contested due to its importance to both parties, adding that the Republican who resigned from the seat faced controversy after reportedly making racist comments.

She won in a district that Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton took in the 2016 presidential race, 58 to 40 percent.
In New Hampshire, Kari Lerner won a special state House election in a district President Trump won by a significant margin.

Lerner beat her opponent, former state Rep. James Headd (R), by 39 votes, according to WMUR....| read more ››

Legislator Anker Hosts Lighting of the Pink Tree for Hope at Heritage Park

Sep
26
2017

Mount Sinai, NY - September 25, 2017 - On Wednesday, October 4th at 6:30 PM, Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker and the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition will be hosting a tree lighting ceremony for the Pink Tree for Hope at the North Shore Heritage Park at 633 Mount Sinai-Coram Road in Mount Sinai. In recognition of National Breast Cancer Month and in support of breast cancer awareness, the tree at Heritage Park will be decorated with pink lights and illuminated throughout the month of October.

“Having lost my grandmother from breast cancer, I am honored to partner with the North Shore Neighbors Breast Cancer Coalition to raise awareness about the prevalence of breast cancer, honor our loved ones...| read more ››

GOP health effort on hold indefinitely

Sep
26
2017

The Republican push to repeal ObamaCare is officially on ice.

Now the question is when — if ever — the GOP will try again.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) insisted Tuesday that Republicans “haven’t given up on changing the American health care system.” Yet he made clear that, for now, they are moving on to other priorities.

“Where we go from here is tax reform,” McConnell said.

It’s a sobering moment for the GOP.

After seven years of campaign promises, the Senate on Tuesday gave up on a last-gasp ObamaCare repeal bill from Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.).

The decision effectively ended any chance Republicans had of repealing ObamaCare this year, and potentially before the 2018...| read more ››

Babylon Town has lowest average municipal pay, records show

Sep
21
2017

The Town of Babylon paid its employees less on average in 2016 than any other town or city on Long Island, payroll data shows.

Babylon workers last year had an average salary of $23,180, which was 38 percent less than the Islandwide average of $37,664 for employees of Long Island’s 13 towns and two cities, according to a Newsday analysis of data from Babylon and other municipalities.

Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer defended the lower pay, saying it stems from local socio-economic conditions.

"We’re a middle-class, blue-collar town, and the salaries of our town employees reflect” that, he said.

“We wish we could pay everybody more, but unfortunately we know the limits of the taxpayers,” Schaffer added, calling the town wages...| read more ››

Suspected gang members arrested

Sep
21
2017

Three known gang members and one associate were arrested in Shirley during a traffic stop, the Suffolk County Police Department announced last week. The incident occurred on Tuesday, Sept. 12 in the late evening hours.

According to SCPD commissioner Timothy Sini, members of the department’s elite Firearms Suppression Team were conducting surveillance in the Bellport area when they spotted a 2015 Dodge Durango driving erratically. The officers followed the vehicle to Victory Avenue in Shirley, where they then attempted to make a traffic stop. As the officers approached the car, the driver took off, prompting a brief chase. The perpetrators ultimately turned onto Candido Avenue, a dead-end street, turned around and headed right for the officers. “The driver of...| read more ››

Cuomo orders agencies: Don’t ask about immigration status

Sep
15
2017

ALBANY — State agencies including the State Police won’t be allowed to ask a person about his or her immigration status in most cases, under an executive order issued by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo Friday.

Police won’t be able to ask whether a person is in the United States illegally when a person contacts police as a victim of a crime, is a witness or is seeking assistance, according to the order.

State agencies also won’t be able to ask about immigration status unless the law requires it or the information is needed to provide benefits or services.

The executive order is the latest effort by the Democratic governor to combat a crackdown on illegal immigration by the administration of...| read more ››

Edwards wins primary for Huntington supervisor

Sep
14
2017

The risky decision by Huntington Councilwoman Tracey Edwards (D) to run for town supervisor rather than seek re-election to the town board has paid off so far following her primary night victory Sept. 12.

Edwards beat challenger and Centerport resident Darryl St. George (D), 3,482 votes to 1,664 votes, in the primary to become the Huntington Democratic Party candidate for town supervisor, based on the unofficial election results posted Sept. 13 by the Suffolk County Board of Elections.

Winning more than 60 percent of the overall vote, Edwards is already looking forward to the general election.

“I am ecstatic,” Edwards said. “You are always a little nervous, of course. But I was ecstatic to receive the confidence of the Democratic...| read more ››

It Must Never Return. Never Again!

Sep
6
2017

Strong condemnation of the white nationalist march in Charlottesville, Virginia has come from Suffolk County.

It is a county that itself has known hate. The KKK was active in Suffolk in the 1920s, Nazis had a New York area center in Yaphank in the 1930s and racial discrimination has persisted.
A Suffolk sidelight in the Charlottesville situation: Christopher Cantwell, raised in Suffolk, was a leader of the “Unite the Right” rally that drew members of the KKK, white nationalists and neo-Nazis. Originally from Stony Brook, he was prominent in a widely aired Vice News documentary on the march saying “I carry a pistol,” “I’m trying to make myself more capable of violence,” “We’ll f… kill these people if we...| read more ››

Top Suffolk Democrat weighs in on the past and future of the party

Aug
11
2017

As the night progressed Nov. 8, 2016, it steadily became clear that months of data and polls had failed to accurately predict the future. Around midnight, it was no longer in doubt — Donald Trump was going to be the 45th president of the United States, and Democrats had a long road ahead to figure out what went wrong.

Both nationally and locally, the time since the shocking 2016 presidential election has served as a period of reflection and resistance for the Democratic Party. Political leaders across the country, like Suffolk County Democratic Committee Chairman Rich Schaffer, were tasked with crafting a new message and understanding the emotion Americans voiced with their votes in November: anger.

In an exclusive interview...| read more ››

Attorney, Navy reservist running for Brookhaven Town supervisor

Aug
8
2017

Concerned about the direction of Brookhaven in recent years, Stony Brook attorney and U.S. Navy reservist Jack Harrington (D) has decided to take his first step into politics to push a new vision — one he hopes will make him the town’s top leader this fall.

Harrington, 34, who grew up in Sound Beach and was a student in the Miller Place school district before graduating from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and Yale Law School, is the official nominee of the Democratic, Working Families, and Women’s Equality parties. In November, he will run against Town Supervisor Ed Romaine (R), who has held the position since 2012 and is pursuing his third term at the helm.

As the father...| read more ››