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LI elected officials push back against even-year elections law
Suffolk County has collected $3.8 million earmarked for a new fund to pay for countywide wastewater improvement projects since a sales tax hike took effect March 1, according to County Executive Edward P. Romaine. Joe Werkmeister reports in NEWSDAY that the total generated through an eighth of a percentage point increase in sales tax, approved by voters in November, will help fund projects that officials say will improve water quality and drive economic growth.
“We’re depending on that because state and federal funding has not come through,” Romaine said yesterday.
Last month, the Suffolk County Legislature unanimously adopted a resolution to appoint 21 members to the new Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Board of Trustees, which is tasked with overseeing the fund and recommending projects for approval.
That board will prepare a Subwatersheds Wastewater Implementation Plan that lists proposed projects eligible for funding and outlines how each project would improve water quality, according to county code. While the code lists a May 1, 2025, deadline for the plan to be submitted to the county executive, Romaine said Tuesday that has been extended into July and possibly August.
Funds would be available to use for water quality projects in 2026, officials previously said.
The tax could generate an estimated $3 billion by 2060 when the fund expires.
The number of outdated septic systems in Suffolk County totals about 380,000, Newsday previously reported.
***
In a show of unified opposition to the even-year elections law, dozens of Long Island elected officials gathered outside Farmingdale Village Hall yesterday to slam the law and New York State for enacting it. Nassau and Suffolk counties, joined many other municipalities in the state in a lawsuit to block the law, enacted by the state in 2023, intended to force all local elections outside of New York City to take place in even-numbered years.
Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the stated purpose of the law was to increase voter participation in local elections, which are almost always held in odd-numbered years and see significantly lower turnout. Proponents of the law argue that aligning local elections with contests for president, Congress, and the state legislature are on the ballot will draw more attention—and more voters—to local issues.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine were joined by officials from Long Island towns and villages - nearly all Republicans — to slam the law as a politically motivated power grab by a state government run amuck under Democratic one-party rule and domination by New York City.
The officials who spoke Tuesday afternoon decried the law as overreach. They said moving local elections to even years would result in local issues being eclipsed by federal and state issues and local candidates essentially getting lost on a very lengthy ballot that will overwhelm many voters.
***
The public is invited to the 48th annual meeting of the League of Women Voters of the Hamptons, Shelter Island and North Fork, this coming Sunday, May 18, at 2 p.m. in the East Hampton Library, 159 Main Street in East Hampton Village. The guest speaker is Emily Mastaler, the new chief administrative officer of Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, who will speak about the hospital and its new emergency services building in East Hampton. She will be introduced by Valerie King, Ph.D., of East Hampton, chair of the League’s Health Committee. Refreshments are also on the agenda. Reservations may be made by calling 631-324-4637 or the East Hampton Library at 631-324-0222, ext. 3.
***
Consumer prices on Long Island and the N.Y.C. metropolitan area edged up last month as the higher costs of meat, eggs and residential rent were only partially offset by plummeting gasoline prices. James T. Madore reports in NEWSDAY that the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported yesterday that its consumer price index for the 25-county region that includes Nassau and Suffolk, rose 3.9% in April compared with a year earlier. That year-over-year increase was a bit faster than March’s 3.8% but slower than February’s rate of 4.2%. The price index is a measure of inflation. The cost of meat, poultry, eggs and fish climbed 6.3% last month compared with April 2024. But grocery prices overall rose 1.1% because of declines in the cost of cereal and baked goods, dairy products and fruits and vegetables. The latter was down 2.6%, year over year. Residential rents were up 5.5%, which mirrored rises seen in recent months. The higher costs of food and housing in the metro area were mitigated by a 13.2% decline in gasoline prices between last month and April 2024. Besides groceries and rent, the commodities with the biggest price increases in the metro area in April compared with a year earlier were recreation, up 9.3%; restaurant meals, up 3%; and medical care, up 2.3%, the statistics bureau reported. Besides gasoline, the commodities with the biggest price declines were clothing, down 1.9%, and new automobiles, down 0.2%.
Nationwide, consumer prices grew more slowly in April than in March. The national price index climbed 2.3% last month, year over year, compared with March's rate of 2.4%
John A. Rizzo, an economist and Stony Brook University professor, said the price indexes for the nation and metro area moved in opposite directions because of the latter's expensive housing and recreation.
"With the cost of living already substantially above national levels, further increases in prices pose significant challenges, especially for low- and middle-income families on Long Island," he told Newsday. "And persistently high housing costs are particularly burdensome for first-time homebuyers."
***
The New York State Inspector General’s office has opened an inquiry into the Long Island Power Authority and its primary contractor, PSEG Long Island, according to people with knowledge of the probe. The people include some who have been contacted by the state watchdog, whose purview includes LIPA. Michael Cook, a spokesman for Inspector General Lucy Lang, said office policy is not to confirm or deny the existence of investigations. He noted "LIPA is under our jurisdiction and we would investigate if there were any complaints brought to us" concerning the authority.
People familiar with the probe say the agency appears to be examining potential influence brought to bear as LIPA considered a range of options about its future.
Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that LIPA, which owns the Long Island electric grid, and PSEG, which operates it under a 10-year contract, had seen early years of some harmony followed by periods of acrimony, heightened following PSEG’s acknowledged failures during Tropical Storm Isaias in 2020.
In the years since the storm, LIPA’s board and top executives have openly challenged and publicly criticized PSEG for its performance failures and transparency.
The most recent turmoil at LIPA came earlier this month when six LIPA trustees, most appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul, voted to reject the advice of LIPA’s most senior executives who had recommended they award the grid-management contract to Houston-based Quanta Services. Former LIPA trustees said such a rejection has never happened in the past, and three of them, including former vice chairman Mark Fischl, in a statement read at the LIPA board meeting, called the vote the "height of arrogance."
LIPA could opt to extend its existing contract with PSEG Long Island, if only because the utility has no other options. LIPA’s $80 million a year contract with PSEG already has a clause for a five-year extension and finding a new bidder other than Quanta could take months.
***
Learn about skin cancer risks and prevention with Dr. Steven Ouzounian, Peconic Bay Medical Center’s Cancer Committee chairman, this coming Saturday, May 17 at the Riverhead VFW Post 2476 in Riverhead. The event starts at 10 a.m. It is free and open to the public. Riverhead VFW will provide light refreshments.
Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that Dr. Ouzounian’s presentation will include photos of the different types of skin cancer and detailed descriptions of the lesions. He will also provide information for self-exams.
That’s this Saturday at 10 a.m. in the Riverhead VFW Post 2476, 620 Parkway St, Riverhead, NY 11901
***
The first public forum on Southold Town’s new Zoning Update was the hottest ticket in Peconic this past Monday evening. Nearly 100 members of the community turned out to give feedback on a long-anticipated project to completely overhaul a code that has been updated on a piecemeal basis through the last 50 years. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that while Southold Planning Director Heather Lanza worked to encapsulate the 190-page document into a two-hour long presentation, members of the public asked pointed questions about the decision to not address coastal erosion in the update, the need for affordable housing, and the new code’s method of dealing with pre-existing, non-conforming uses.
Residents and business owners also shared concerns about how hotels are treated in the code, and on whether the residential lot coverage restrictions proposed were too severe.
Those changes would include pavement and patios, including gravel driveways, in calculations of lot coverage. Only buildings are included now.
The new code would change and consolidate some of Southold Town’s many zoning use districts, and also provide new tables of uses allowed in each district - "Comprehensive Use Permissions" - with the goal of making the code more user-friendly.
A Zoom-only repeat of Monday’s forum will be held this evening at 6:30 p.m. https://southoldzoningupdate.com/get-involved
Monday’s forum was also taped by students from Southold High School, and will be posted to the town’s zoning update website in the near future.
The complete proposed zoning code, along with details on upcoming, hamlet-specific in-person meetings and maps of the proposed zoning, can also be found online at southoldplanningupdate.com.
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By WLIW-FMSuffolk County has collected $3.8 million earmarked for a new fund to pay for countywide wastewater improvement projects since a sales tax hike took effect March 1, according to County Executive Edward P. Romaine. Joe Werkmeister reports in NEWSDAY that the total generated through an eighth of a percentage point increase in sales tax, approved by voters in November, will help fund projects that officials say will improve water quality and drive economic growth.
“We’re depending on that because state and federal funding has not come through,” Romaine said yesterday.
Last month, the Suffolk County Legislature unanimously adopted a resolution to appoint 21 members to the new Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Board of Trustees, which is tasked with overseeing the fund and recommending projects for approval.
That board will prepare a Subwatersheds Wastewater Implementation Plan that lists proposed projects eligible for funding and outlines how each project would improve water quality, according to county code. While the code lists a May 1, 2025, deadline for the plan to be submitted to the county executive, Romaine said Tuesday that has been extended into July and possibly August.
Funds would be available to use for water quality projects in 2026, officials previously said.
The tax could generate an estimated $3 billion by 2060 when the fund expires.
The number of outdated septic systems in Suffolk County totals about 380,000, Newsday previously reported.
***
In a show of unified opposition to the even-year elections law, dozens of Long Island elected officials gathered outside Farmingdale Village Hall yesterday to slam the law and New York State for enacting it. Nassau and Suffolk counties, joined many other municipalities in the state in a lawsuit to block the law, enacted by the state in 2023, intended to force all local elections outside of New York City to take place in even-numbered years.
Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the stated purpose of the law was to increase voter participation in local elections, which are almost always held in odd-numbered years and see significantly lower turnout. Proponents of the law argue that aligning local elections with contests for president, Congress, and the state legislature are on the ballot will draw more attention—and more voters—to local issues.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine were joined by officials from Long Island towns and villages - nearly all Republicans — to slam the law as a politically motivated power grab by a state government run amuck under Democratic one-party rule and domination by New York City.
The officials who spoke Tuesday afternoon decried the law as overreach. They said moving local elections to even years would result in local issues being eclipsed by federal and state issues and local candidates essentially getting lost on a very lengthy ballot that will overwhelm many voters.
***
The public is invited to the 48th annual meeting of the League of Women Voters of the Hamptons, Shelter Island and North Fork, this coming Sunday, May 18, at 2 p.m. in the East Hampton Library, 159 Main Street in East Hampton Village. The guest speaker is Emily Mastaler, the new chief administrative officer of Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, who will speak about the hospital and its new emergency services building in East Hampton. She will be introduced by Valerie King, Ph.D., of East Hampton, chair of the League’s Health Committee. Refreshments are also on the agenda. Reservations may be made by calling 631-324-4637 or the East Hampton Library at 631-324-0222, ext. 3.
***
Consumer prices on Long Island and the N.Y.C. metropolitan area edged up last month as the higher costs of meat, eggs and residential rent were only partially offset by plummeting gasoline prices. James T. Madore reports in NEWSDAY that the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported yesterday that its consumer price index for the 25-county region that includes Nassau and Suffolk, rose 3.9% in April compared with a year earlier. That year-over-year increase was a bit faster than March’s 3.8% but slower than February’s rate of 4.2%. The price index is a measure of inflation. The cost of meat, poultry, eggs and fish climbed 6.3% last month compared with April 2024. But grocery prices overall rose 1.1% because of declines in the cost of cereal and baked goods, dairy products and fruits and vegetables. The latter was down 2.6%, year over year. Residential rents were up 5.5%, which mirrored rises seen in recent months. The higher costs of food and housing in the metro area were mitigated by a 13.2% decline in gasoline prices between last month and April 2024. Besides groceries and rent, the commodities with the biggest price increases in the metro area in April compared with a year earlier were recreation, up 9.3%; restaurant meals, up 3%; and medical care, up 2.3%, the statistics bureau reported. Besides gasoline, the commodities with the biggest price declines were clothing, down 1.9%, and new automobiles, down 0.2%.
Nationwide, consumer prices grew more slowly in April than in March. The national price index climbed 2.3% last month, year over year, compared with March's rate of 2.4%
John A. Rizzo, an economist and Stony Brook University professor, said the price indexes for the nation and metro area moved in opposite directions because of the latter's expensive housing and recreation.
"With the cost of living already substantially above national levels, further increases in prices pose significant challenges, especially for low- and middle-income families on Long Island," he told Newsday. "And persistently high housing costs are particularly burdensome for first-time homebuyers."
***
The New York State Inspector General’s office has opened an inquiry into the Long Island Power Authority and its primary contractor, PSEG Long Island, according to people with knowledge of the probe. The people include some who have been contacted by the state watchdog, whose purview includes LIPA. Michael Cook, a spokesman for Inspector General Lucy Lang, said office policy is not to confirm or deny the existence of investigations. He noted "LIPA is under our jurisdiction and we would investigate if there were any complaints brought to us" concerning the authority.
People familiar with the probe say the agency appears to be examining potential influence brought to bear as LIPA considered a range of options about its future.
Mark Harrington reports in NEWSDAY that LIPA, which owns the Long Island electric grid, and PSEG, which operates it under a 10-year contract, had seen early years of some harmony followed by periods of acrimony, heightened following PSEG’s acknowledged failures during Tropical Storm Isaias in 2020.
In the years since the storm, LIPA’s board and top executives have openly challenged and publicly criticized PSEG for its performance failures and transparency.
The most recent turmoil at LIPA came earlier this month when six LIPA trustees, most appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul, voted to reject the advice of LIPA’s most senior executives who had recommended they award the grid-management contract to Houston-based Quanta Services. Former LIPA trustees said such a rejection has never happened in the past, and three of them, including former vice chairman Mark Fischl, in a statement read at the LIPA board meeting, called the vote the "height of arrogance."
LIPA could opt to extend its existing contract with PSEG Long Island, if only because the utility has no other options. LIPA’s $80 million a year contract with PSEG already has a clause for a five-year extension and finding a new bidder other than Quanta could take months.
***
Learn about skin cancer risks and prevention with Dr. Steven Ouzounian, Peconic Bay Medical Center’s Cancer Committee chairman, this coming Saturday, May 17 at the Riverhead VFW Post 2476 in Riverhead. The event starts at 10 a.m. It is free and open to the public. Riverhead VFW will provide light refreshments.
Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that Dr. Ouzounian’s presentation will include photos of the different types of skin cancer and detailed descriptions of the lesions. He will also provide information for self-exams.
That’s this Saturday at 10 a.m. in the Riverhead VFW Post 2476, 620 Parkway St, Riverhead, NY 11901
***
The first public forum on Southold Town’s new Zoning Update was the hottest ticket in Peconic this past Monday evening. Nearly 100 members of the community turned out to give feedback on a long-anticipated project to completely overhaul a code that has been updated on a piecemeal basis through the last 50 years. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that while Southold Planning Director Heather Lanza worked to encapsulate the 190-page document into a two-hour long presentation, members of the public asked pointed questions about the decision to not address coastal erosion in the update, the need for affordable housing, and the new code’s method of dealing with pre-existing, non-conforming uses.
Residents and business owners also shared concerns about how hotels are treated in the code, and on whether the residential lot coverage restrictions proposed were too severe.
Those changes would include pavement and patios, including gravel driveways, in calculations of lot coverage. Only buildings are included now.
The new code would change and consolidate some of Southold Town’s many zoning use districts, and also provide new tables of uses allowed in each district - "Comprehensive Use Permissions" - with the goal of making the code more user-friendly.
A Zoom-only repeat of Monday’s forum will be held this evening at 6:30 p.m. https://southoldzoningupdate.com/get-involved
Monday’s forum was also taped by students from Southold High School, and will be posted to the town’s zoning update website in the near future.
The complete proposed zoning code, along with details on upcoming, hamlet-specific in-person meetings and maps of the proposed zoning, can also be found online at southoldplanningupdate.com.