News

Statewide Early Voting Begins Saturday; Here's How to Vote
October 18, 2021
Newsday

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
October 17, 2021
Newsday

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
October 11, 2021
Newsday
Sheriff Errol Toulon

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
October 6, 2021
News 12

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
September 20, 2021
National Association of Counties
Sheriff Errol Toulon

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
August 23, 2021
Newsday

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