News

Proud North Fork residents join Women’s March on Washington

Jan
22
2017

About 100 North Fork residents boarded a pair of buses out of Southold before sunrise Saturday to attend the Women’s March on Washington.

The group, made up mostly of women, departed at 4:30 a.m. to join an estimated 500,000 protestors in the nation’s capital on the morning after Donald Trump’s inauguration as president. The buses returned to Southold shortly before midnight.

“It was an absolutely amazing experience,” said Debbie O’Kane of Orient, co-president of the Southold Town Democratic Club, which organized the bus trip. “There were wonderful signs. Lots of different issues people were bringing to the forefront. I was very proud.”

Among the issues raised by the group of Southold and Riverhead town residents on the bus trip...| read more ››

Open Mike: The real legacy of Barack Obama

Jan
20
2017

This piece is not an evaluation of the president’s legislative accomplishments or failures. or even his politics — but rather a reflection of the very personal impact the 44th president had on one 15-year-old boy from Port Jefferson.

It was 2008 and I was just coming of age. Then I saw him on television, delivering his iconic “Yes We Can” speech. In that moment Barack Obama instilled in me a genuine sense of hope, a firm belief that in the course of human history it is possible to make a lasting difference. His words transformed my perception of our Constitution. No longer was it a thing of antiquity, but rather something tangible, something alive, and worthy of any sacrifice to...| read more ››

Gov. Cuomo announces series of voting reform proposals

Jan
8
2017

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is once again urging state lawmakers to allow early voting access in New York as part of a series of voting reform measures his office unveiled on Sunday.

Cuomo, who last year proposed early voting and automatic voter registration at state licensing offices, is also calling for same-day voter registration, saying in a news release the measures would “remove unnecessary barriers that prevent participation in elections and increase accuracy within the voting process.”

“Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy. This past election shined a bright light on the deficiencies of New York’s antiquated election laws and the artificial barriers they create that prevent and discourage voters from exercising this sacred right,” Cuomo said. “These proposals...| read more ››

Cuomo proposes free college tuition assistance for eligible students

Jan
3
2017

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Tuesday proposed free state college tuition assistance to ease the burden of paying for higher education for hundreds of thousands of low- and middle-income students.

Cuomo announced the Excelsior Scholarship college degree program, which would help cover the cost of SUNY and CUNY tuition, including at two-year community colleges, for students whose families earn up to $125,000 annually. Individuals also would qualify.

The governor made the announcement before a cheering audience of high school students, labor leaders and elected officials at LaGuardia Community College.

Cuomo said of college debt, “That is not fair, that is not right.”

He said it hobbles the futures of young people. “The debt is so high, it’s like starting a...| read more ››

Chuck Schumer to vow Dems will hold Donald Trump ‘accountable’

Jan
3
2017

WASHINGTON — Sen. Chuck Schumer prodded President-elect Donald Trump and said Democrats will hold him and the Republican majority “accountable” to the American people and the law as the New Yorker made his first speech Tuesday as Senate minority leader.

“With all due respect, America cannot afford a Twitter presidency,” Schumer said as he warned Trump about using social media to make policy. “These issues are complex and demand both careful consideration and action. We cannot tweet them away.”

Schumer also criticized Trump for calling Russian leader Vladimir Putin “very smart” for ignoring American sanctions, saying that “conducting foreign policy by tweet while spurning vital intelligence briefings . . . should alarm Democrats and Republicans alike.”

In remarks made on...| read more ››

DuWayne Gregory re-elected Suffolk presiding officer

Jan
3
2017

Suffolk’s Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory won his fourth term Tuesday to lead the 18-member county legislature for another year, vowing to focus on county’s budget problems.

Gregory was voted in on an 11-5 party line vote, with Republican lawmakers nominating Legis. Kevin McCaffrey, GOP caucus leader, as a symbolic alternative.

Despite his candidacy, McCaffrey complimented Gregory on being evenhanded with the minority Republicans.

Legis. Steve Stern (D-Dix Hills) and Tom Muratore (R-Ronkonkoma) were not present, but had excused absences.

Gregory said after the vote that he plans to name an ad hoc budget committee in the next few weeks to concentrate on cutting the county’s structural deficit, more closely scrutinize spending by county contractors and tackle fiscal matters lawmakers did...| read more ››

Cuomo creates new team to focus on minimum wage law

Jan
2
2017

A 200-member team of investigators has been assembled to help ensure businesses across the state comply with the new minimum wage law that took effect Saturday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and his top aides announced Monday in Manhattan.

The Multiagency Enforcement and Outreach Unit will hold employers accountable by notifying employees of their rights, collecting their complaints and conducting investigations, Cuomo said.

New York State is moving in phases toward a $15 minimum wage statewide — a plan Cuomo signed into law last April.

“One thing I want to make clear, this is not a voluntary effort,” the Democratic governor told reporters at his midtown offices. “This is the law. And if a business does not follow the law, they...| read more ››

Southold Dems Organize Bus Trip for Women's March on Washington

Dec
12
2016

More than 100 local men and women will board buses and head to our nation’s capital Jan. 21 for the Women’s March on Washington.

“This bus trip is about making sure that voices are heard,” said Damon Rallis, a Southold Town Democratic Committee member and co-president of the Southold Democratic Club. The town committee is sponsoring the two buses, which filled up quickly.

Mr. Rallis, who will not take part in the trip, said he was initially contacted about the idea by fellow club member and East Marion resident Sue Stamatis. Ms. Stamatis said she wanted to channel her feelings following the election into something positive and, after a few phone calls, realized she wasn’t the only person who felt...| read more ››

Cuomo: State investigates post-election hate ‘explosion’

Nov
15
2016

ALBANY — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo established a statewide “hotline” Tuesday to report hate and bias crimes and incidents after an “explosion” in “bias-motivated events,” including displays of swastikas and Confederate flags in White Plains, Wellsville, Geneseo and other parts of New York following Donald Trump’s win in the presidential election.

Cuomo, a Democrat, said the State Police, the state Division of Human Rights and university police around New York would investigate acts he called not only immoral but illegal.

“They were very, very troubling and we want to make a clear statement in this state: That there is no place for racism. No place for hate. No place for swastikas. And there is no place for racially inflammatory rhetoric...| read more ››

Victory For Proposition 1: The Vital Extension of Eastern Long Island’s Community Preservation Fund

Nov
14
2016

On Tuesday, November 8th, voters on the East End of Long Island had an important environmental decision to make on their ballots: whether or not to extend the Community Preservation Fund (CPF) in the five East End towns. Voters have spoken and the results showed a resounding desire to extend the CPF, the vital 2% real estate transfer tax that protects and preserves local farmland, water quality and open space. This ballot initiative to extend the CPF from 2030 to 2050 is important because of the environmental risks of inaction on the initiative were enormous. The revenue generated from the CPF goes toward protecting land and water out across Suffolk County, and by voting yes on Proposition 1, East End...| read more ››