News

Governor Cuomo Discusses 2016 Presidential Election

Nov
10
2016

Earlier today, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo discussed the 2016 presidential election at a media availability in Syracuse. Audio is available here.

A rush transcript is available below:

Reporter: About Donald Trump. Are you walking back on comments you previously made? You said Trump could be good for New York, but you also said he was un-New York.

Governor Cuomo: You need to separate two different facts. Number one, I have grave philosophical differences with the positions that Donald Trump laid out in the campaign. That is not going to change, that is not going to go away. I also think that dialogue and that debate is a healthy one for this country. This state of New York has a proud legacy...| read more ››

Election Day voter hotline announced, state AG says

Nov
4
2016

Voters in New York encountering problems Tuesday during the general election can call an Election Day hotline for help, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said.

Schneiderman said his office has created the hotline to help troubleshoot and resolve a range of issues and barriers encountered by voters at the polls, according to a Friday news release.

Schneiderman urged voters experiencing problems or issues at the polls to call the hotline at 800-771-7755 or email civil.rights@ag.ny.gov at any time on Tuesday between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.

His office has operated the hotline since November 2012. Since then, his office has fielded hundreds of complaints from voters across the state and worked with local election officials and others to promptly address...| read more ››

Anna Throne-Holst to represent the 1st Congressional District

Oct
31
2016

The 1st Congressional District starts on the East End of Long Island and reaches all the way to denser western Suffolk towns. It includes some of the most expensive real estate in the world, as well as working farms, a major research university and many working-class hamlets stung hard by a lack of opportunity.

It’s a district narrowly won by Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. In 2014, it turned out an incumbent Democrat to elect Lee Zeldin, a Republican.

Zeldin, disappointingly, is not representing it very well, not respecting its diversity of views and people. All too often, he has aligned himself with the most archconservative groups in his party.

In 2015, Zeldin was the only member of New...| read more ››

Colin Powell endorses Hillary Clinton for president

Oct
25
2016

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell told an audience of more than 1,000 Long Island business and political leaders Tuesday that he will vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton for president, citing her experience, temperament and — in a jab at GOP nominee Donald Trump — her “stamina.”

Powell, speaking at the Long Island Association fall luncheon in Woodbury, was harshly critical of Trump, arguing that the New York businessman was “not qualified” to serve as commander and chief and had sold Americans a “bill of goods” that he cannot deliver.

“He insults us every day,” said Powell, who served as secretary of state under Republican President George W. Bush.

“He has insulted America in one way almost every day,” Powell...| read more ››

Governor creates fellowship for aide killed in LIE crash

Oct
24
2016

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has created a state fellowship to honor a former Long Island aide killed this summer in a horrific car crash on the Long Island Expressway, he announced Monday.

The two-year Scott Martella Fellowship will be awarded to recent graduates committed to public service with a passion for helping others, Cuomo said in a news release. Scott Martella, 29, of Northport, was among six people who died in the Aug. 21 crash in Manorville.

“Scott believed in government’s potential to improve lives and worked day in and day out in pursuit of this principle,” Cuomo said in the statement. “With this fellowship, we will help ensure his legacy and public service will continue and endure for years...| read more ››

Hillary Clinton should be our next president

Oct
21
2016

These are perilous times at home and abroad.

Our economy is in stasis, pinching the dreams of millennials and leaving many older workers behind. Gaping fault lines in race relations are again laid bare. Evolving gender roles widen the cultural divide.

The Middle East is wracked by endless conflict, Russia growls and a more assertive China imperils our allies in the East. The threat of terrorism rises. The dangers of climate change loom.

And Congress, riven into warring camps, is unable to function.

Against that backdrop of uncertainty in this presidential election year, America has made it clear: It wants change. But that means real change — not change based on slogans, not change that can never happen. It wants...| read more ››

How to vote in New York State- 1 day grace period to register in person

Oct
15
2016

Looking to vote in the general election on Nov. 8, 2016? Here are important details to know.

VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE

It was Friday, Oct. 14, 2016, at 11:59 p.m., but if you missed the deadline, you get a one-day grace period to register in person because it’s a presidential election year. There will be multiple locations on Long Island where you can do so on Saturday, including Roosevelt Field mall and community centers in Nassau, and six town halls and some American Legion halls in Suffolk.

YOU CAN FIND A REGISTRATION LOCATION BY CLICKING THIS LINK

HOW TO FIND YOUR POLLING PLACE

Enter your information on the New York State Board of Elections' voter registration- SEARCH PAGE ...| read more ››

Opponent wants Sen. Kenneth LaValle’s name off SBU stadium

Oct
12
2016

The Democrat trying to unseat longtime Republican State Sen. Kenneth LaValle has filed legal papers alleging LaValle receives an illegal campaign benefit from the Stony Brook University football stadium that bears his name.

Gregory-John Fischer filed a notice of claim — a precursor to a lawsuit — in State Supreme Court in Riverhead claiming the university named the stadium for LaValle after he secured $22 million in state funds for the venue’s construction.

Fischer also said the stadium gives LaValle an unfair advantage over those who run against him.

“It is ludicrous for sitting legislators (seeking re-election or otherwise) to have public structures named for them for the de facto benefit of their personal political careers,” Fischer said in the...| read more ››

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to appear at Suffolk Democratic dinner

Oct
10
2016

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who faced 2000 angry protesters two years ago when he appeared at the Suffolk Democrats’ fall dinner, is making a return appearance to headline the event Oct. 24.

“We expect it will be a lot quieter this time,” said Richard Schaffer, who has known the Cuomo family since he attended the State University of Albany with the governor’s sister.

The $300-a-head event is to be held at Villa Lombardi’s in Holbrook, the same venue where Common Core protesters and unhappy victims of superstorm Sandy crowded the sidewalks near the catering hall.

Brookhaven Democrats, meanwhile, are getting state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman — touted by some as a potential gubernatorial contender — as the main attraction for...| read more ››

‘You should flip over this ballot’: Coalition group announces campaign to push for 2-percent transfer tax extension

Sep
9
2016

A ballot proposition to extend the East End’s 2-percent real estate transfer tax is one all voters should flip over — literally.

That’s because a measure to extend the tax to 2050 and allow some of the revenue to be spent on water quality projects will be the back of the ballot this November. The front of the ballot will only display candidates for elective office; propositions will appear on the back.

A coalition of more than 50 environmental and civic groups has formed to get the word out that voters need to flip the ballot over and vote “yes” to extend the transfer tax this year.

“You should flip over this ballot,” L.I. Pine Barrens Society executive director Richard...| read more ››