News

Democrat Jonathan Kornreich Wins by Wide Margin in Special Election for Brookhaven Council

Mar
24
2021

Democrat Jonathan Kornreich has won a Brookhaven Town Board seat in a special election to fill the vacant post.

Kornreich, 51, of Stony Brook, trounced Republican Theresa Laucella in Tuesday’s election, garnering more than 85% of votes cast, according to unofficial tallies posted on the Suffolk County Board of Elections website. Kornreich, a Three Village school district trustee, claimed victory late Tuesday in a statement emailed to reporters.

Kornreich will complete the unexpired four-year term of Democrat Valerie Cartright, who resigned in December after being elected in November to serve as a State Supreme Court justice. The term ends on Dec. 31, 2023.

With Kornreich’s victory, Republicans will hold a 6-1 majority on the town board.| read more ››

Southold Democrats Nominate Candidates for Southold Town Office

Southold Town Council Zoom Convention
Mar
3
2021

The Southold Town Democrats are proud to introduce their candidates to run for election in Southold Town in 2021, nominated at a virtual convention held on March 2nd, 2021.

These six candidates will bring needed transparency, accountability, productivity, energy, experience, and diversity into Town Hall, strengthening the leadership and expertise of our town for all the residents of Southold.

The Screening Committee interviewed dozens of phenomenal candidates this year. They spent over 24 hours meeting and deliberating on the best representation for this town out of a pool of highly qualified residents. We were honored to interview half a dozen people for Town Council seats- respected business and civic leaders from the community came forward to be considered for these...| read more ››

Doroski, Mealy Top Democratic Ticket in Town Elections

Mar
3
2021

Two years ago, Greg Doroski of Mattituck came up just 117 votes shy of ousting incumbent town Supervisor Scott Russell from office.

Now, he’s returning to local politics in a run for one of two open seats on the Town Board in November’s election.

“I feel called to do the hard work required to preserve the irreplaceable character of our community,” Mr. Doroski said as the Southold Town Democratic Committee announced its slate of candidates at a virtual convention Tuesday.

The committee also unanimously supported Brian Mealy for town council, Dan Goodwin for Highway Superintendent and Liz Gillooly, Elizabeth Peeples and Eric Sepenoski for Town Trustee.| read more ››

Kate Browning Announces Legislative Run

Feb
24
2021

Today, former Legislator Kate Browning announced a campaign run in an effort to return to the 3rd Legislative District seat. Her announcement came after Suffolk County Legis. Rudy Sunderman (R-Mastic-Shirley) announced last week he would be stepping down as of March 21 to pursue a career in the fire/EMS field as the Suffolk County Fire Academy director.

“The 3rd district demands a full-time legislator who can hit the ground running and fight day in and day out for its working families. I worked as a school bus driver while my kids were in school and I know what it’s like to struggle to make ends meet on Long Island,” Browning said of her reasoning behind first deciding to run for legislator and her reason to return after three and a half years out of office. “As a full-time Legislator, I’m proud of my record – I made Suffolk County safer by passing one of the toughest sex offender laws in the country and ensuring that we graduated one of the largest police classes in Suffolk County history. I focused on quality-of-life issues, rehabilitating foreclosed zombie homes and selling them to first- time homebuyers, keeping them away from speculators and absentee landlords. And I secured historic funding for clean water infrastructure to protect our drinking water and our shorelines.”| read more ››

Suffolk County Sheriff's Office Unveils Reform Pllan

Feb
23
2021

The Suffolk County’s Sheriff’s Office will create a review board to evaluate use of force and update technology to collect racial data from traffic stops and arrests to eliminate potential bias, according to a 78-page reform plan released Tuesday.

The agency, which operates Suffolk County jails and provides police services in parts of Long Island’s East End, will also offer greater support to the needy and the mentally ill, provide training to staff on the impacts of trauma and deliver increased mental health services to its officers, according to the report.

Sheriff Errol Toulon’s office released the report to comply with an executive order issued by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo after George Floyd’s death while in police custody in Minneapolis in May.| read more ››

Power Broker: America’s Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr.

Feb
14
2021

In January of 2018, Suffolk County became safer. This was the month that Errol D. Toulon Jr. assumed the position of sheriff—Suffolk County’s highest ranking law enforcement official. Elected that prior November, Toulon brought to the table a skill set that few possessed, to fill a position tasked at keeping more than 1 million Long Islanders safe.

Toulon’s career of service prepared him for this moment, with more than 30 years of criminal justice experience. With the intimate knowledge of the needs of the Suffolk County sheriff’s office after serving 25 years with New York City Department of Corrections, 22 of which were spent as a corrections officer captain and his final three he was appointed the deputy commissioner of operations, Toulon was now the leader of 840 corrections officers, 240 deputies and 130 civilian employees, across two detention facilities.

Now, after three years at the post, his mission remains the same as it was on day one: reduce recidivism, do so with fiscal responsibility and use state-of-the-art methodology to reduce crime in Suffolk neighborhoods.| read more ››

First Responder Friday: Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon

Jan
22
2021

SUFFOLK COUNTY, Long Island (WABC) -- This First Responder Friday we honor Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon.

Sheriff Toulon is originally from the Bronx.

He received his Master's degree in Business Administration and Doctorate in Educational Administration from Dowling College; an advanced certificate in Homeland Security Management from Long Island University, and he attended leadership courses at the JFK School of Government at Harvard University.

Toulon has had a long career in policing. He spent 22 years in the Corrections Department before being elected sheriff of Suffolk County in 2017.

The list of programs under his tenure is impressive.

Toulon is a two-time cancer survivor, having been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1996 and with pancreatic cancer in 2003.

He's an avid sports fan and even served as a Yankees batboy back in 1979.

Thank you for your service!| read more ››

Facing crush of crises, Joe Biden sworn in as 46th president

Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. Credit: Getty Images/Alex Wong
Jan
20
2021

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in Wednesday as president and vice president of the United States, taking the helm of a deeply divided nation and inheriting a confluence of crises faced by few of their predecessors.

With Donald Trump absent — he became the first president since 1869 to skip his successor's inauguration — Biden said he would be the president "for all Americans."| read more ››

Stony Brook Resident Announces Run for Town Council

Jonathan Kornreich
Jan
13
2021

One of the names on the ballot for a special election in Brookhaven March 23 is a familiar one to many Three Village residents.

Kornreich, left, with former Councilwoman Valerie Cartright and town Supervisor Ed Romaine at a 2017 press conference. Photo by Rita J. Egan
With the Town of Brookhaven Council District 1 seat vacant, after Valerie Cartright (D-Port Jefferson Station) won her run as a judge for the Supreme Court of the State of New York, the town called for a special election. While the Republican candidate has not yet been officially named, Jonathan Kornreich has been announced as the Democrat in the race. Kornreich has been a Three Village Central School District trustee for more than a dozen years and is president of the Three Village Civic Association.

When he first heard Cartright was vacating the seat, he said he didn’t even think of running.

“A few people contacted me, and they were like, ‘What are you doing?’ Kornreich said. “So, I agreed to think it over.”| read more ››