News

Bellone Congratulates Suffolk Olympians

Feb
5
2014

Lugers, Skeleton Slider Competing in XXII Games.

Bellone Congratulates Suffolk Olympians
Haupauge, NY - February 5th, 2014 - Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone sends congratulations to local athletes who are participating in the XXII Olympic Winter Games.

Among the estimated 2,500 athletes competing in the games in Sochi, Russia are: lugers Aidan Kelly of West Islip and Matt Mortensen of Huntington Station and skeleton slider John Daly of Smithtown.

“We are proud to have such a strong contingent of Suffolk County residents who will represent their country on such an international stage,” Bellone said. “They have all worked hard to get where they are and deserve a great deal of credit for their achievements. We will all be rooting...| read more ››

Assemblyman Hennessey calls for Common Core delay

Feb
4
2014

Assemblyman Edward Hennessey is joining the call to delay using Common Core test based assessments.

“The rush to implement the Common Core curriculum and the tests and evaluations associated with it have caused an overwhelming amount of concern, pressure and anxiety for our children, parents, teachers, and schools,” Assemblyman Hennessey said. “I too am extremely concerned.”

If true educational progress is to be made whereby children, educators and schools will become empowered and invigorated with the skills, knowledge and tools necessary to tackle the challenges of today, it must be made with the understanding that we are dealing with people, Hennessey noted.| read more ››

BELLONE’S WATER QUALITY AGENDA

Jan
30
2014

When I first heard that Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone was making Long Island’s water quality the number one priority of his administration, I was skeptical. And rightfully so. In the past I’ve argued that Long Island is entering the “age of the mega-project.”

As I wrote this past December:

Long-stalled projects within the Town of Islip (and across Long Island) are getting new life thanks to pro-growth government incentives, focused implementation and the perceived growing acceptance of multi-family developments. What once seemed impossible to build in a suburban setting is now being proposed with new zeal, paired with ample mention of this column’s favorite terms: “smart growth” and “brain drain.” Add to these the need for “housing for Long...| read more ››

County Executive Steve Bellone hosts live water pollution tele-conference; close to 10,000 citizens weigh in

Jan
28
2014

Are you worried about the quality of the tap water pouring out of your faucets? You are not alone. Last night Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone hosted a live tele-conference about the problem of water pollution in Suffolk County. According to a media advisory, Bellone considers nitrogen pollution of ground and surface water to be the number one threat to public health in our area. A recently released executive summary of Suffolk County’s Comprehensive Water Resources Management plan indicates that “nitrogen poisoning has reached critically high levels; impacting drinking water, recreational waterways and reducing wetlands, which act as Long Island’s last line of natural defense against disasters such as Superstorm Sandy.”

Residents were urged to take part in the tele-conference...| read more ››

Steve Bellone holds call-in on nitrogen campaign

Jan
28
2014

Jan. 28--More than 9,700 Suffolk residents listened to a telephone town hall hosted by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone Monday night, as he took his still-evolving campaign to address nitrogen-polluted waters in the county directly to the public.

Bellone announced on Thursday in a news conference at the county building in Hauppauge that addressing the problem of nitrogen in water -- which pollutes bays, contaminates the aquifer and harms tidal wetlands that protect from storms -- would be his administration's top priority.

He made the same promise Monday night, as he spoke to residents and answered a handful of questions from the public for about an hour, with county staff and water officials on hand.

Bellone acknowledged that reversing the...| read more ››

Suffolk County Legislator Bill Lindsay lll Appoints Kay Cameron To The Downtown Revitalization Committee

Jan
28
2014

Suffolk County Legislator Bill Lindsay III recently appointed Sayville Chamber Past-President and Director, Kay Cameron, to the Suffolk County Downtown Revitalization Citizen’s Advisory Panel, making this the first appointment of Lindsay’s legislative career. Kay has served on this panel under the late Presiding Officer William J. Lindsay since 2006.
“Kay is a remarkable person who has fought to protect our most vital downtowns for the past eight years while also continuing the success of her own business in downtown Sayville,” said Legislator Lindsay III. “Kay’s economic insight and her passion to preserve and reenergize the culture of our Suffolk County communities have made her an ideal candidate for this post.”

Kay began her career in public service as a...| read more ››

An Open Letter to Steven Bellone, Suffolk County Executive

Jan
24
2014

To: Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone
From: The Membership of Save The Great South Bay
Re: Water Quality on Long Island

Dear Mr. Bellone,

We of Save The Great South Bay applaud your leadership in helping to shine a light on the major issue threatening all of Long Island’s bays, rivers, ponds, its very drinking water, and with that our way of life. With the release of The Comprehensive Water Resources Management Plan, the public at large, the 1.5 million people who live in Suffolk County and the 1.35 million in Nassau County, can begin to understand the collective threat we face from nitrogenous waste in our groundwater.

The public release of the report was truly a watershed...| read more ››

Save Our Water

Jan
24
2014

Yesterday I announced the single most important initiative of my administration and what should be the single most important goal for all Long Islanders: Curbing the decades of nitrogen poisoning we have been inflicting on our ground and surface waters here in Suffolk County.

As I stated in my press conference, where I was joined by scientists, environmentalists, representatives from the business and agricultural communities, the water supply and construction industries, and elected officials from both sides of the aisle, nitrogen poisoning is public enemy number one for our bays, waterways, drinking supply, and the critical wetlands and marshes that protect us from future natural disasters. There is no denying the harmful and destructive nature of this problem or the...| read more ››

Bellone: Long Island’s Water Quality Is No. 1 Priority Of My Administration

Jan
23
2014

In the wake of a new study on Long Island’s water pollution, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone says improving the water quality is his new No. 1 goal.

“I consider this issue the most important priority of my administration,” Bellone said during a news conference in Hauppauge Thursday.

According to the report, nitrogen levels in the Island’s ground and surface water have become so critically high that it is impacting drinking water, recreational waterways, and reducing wetlands. Wetlands act as Long Island’s last line of natural defense against disasters such as Superstorm Sandy.

Stony Brook professor Chris Gobler told 1010 WINS’ Mona Rivera that the new water study is alarming. “Certainly in our coastal waters too much nitrogen is leading...| read more ››

Meet the new county majority leader

Jan
23
2014

In some ways, you can call Legis. Rob Calarco the whip of the Suffolk Legislature, a term used for Congress that basically mimics his new post as Democratic majority leader.

“It’s to see to the needs of the Democratic caucus, that we’re working as a team united,” Calarco said in his Patchogue office. “It’s not an easy thing to do. We all have different perspectives and needs. When we can support each other we do, but on the important issues, we understand each other, so we can be as united as possible. Then we take the issues to the minority caucus to find common ground as we move forward.”

Calarco, 34, and in his second term, was voted in via...| read more ››