How About We Close The Suffolk County Legislature?

Suffolk Legislature Proposes Closing Stores On Thanksgiving

Steve Stern and the Sidewalk To Nowhere

UPDATE: November 30, 2010 - According to the Suffolk County Highway Department's consultant, the $3.5 million was for the total project on Commack Road.  That includes paving AND the sidewalk.


So, what this proves is that there is a complete lack of disclosure on the part of the Suffolk County Legislature since it is not clear:

1. Who requested this road to be paved?
2. Why was the sidewalk added when it appears nobody uses it?
3. Why weren't county highway funds used to maintain this road?
4. Where are the copies of the bids for this project and have they been vetted to
insure that any of the vendors are not connected to county legislators?
5. Why isn't all this information posted on their website or somewhere else?
6. Why do I have to FOIL everything???!!!

Stay tuned.


Here is a copy of the Suffolk County legislature's resolution authorizing the expenditure of $3.5 million of stimulus money on a sidewalk adjacent to the Edgewood Preserve.  This is a classic example of a government boondoggle!!

Smart Growth - Dumb Politicians

For some reason or another, the majority of people headlining Vision Long Island's Smart Growth conference are members of either large corporations seeking favorable zoning (or revenue) or government planners seeking their own fame and fortune.

Smart Growth has been around for a few decades and doesn't work. Never has and never will. The principles behind it rely on government coercion, faulty science and wishful thinking.

Central planners and progressive agitators have different goals but share the same passion for controlling the voters as any political machine. The central planners think they know more than anyone else and the progressive agitators can't stand the fact that some people succeed and others don't.

According the groups like Vision Long Island, suburbia is a nightmare. Filled with giant SUV's polluting the atmosphere, hideous strip malls and mcmansions as far as the eye can see.

Vision Long Island, the Working Families Party, Acorn and the rest of the left feel that such development interferes with their vision of autopian society where everyone goes to work riding their bicycle.

Just who are these people? Eric Alexander, from Vision Long Island, was recently criticized for having a “very light resume” when it comes to regional issues. The rest of the bunch are just looking to get their names in the paper or in the latest trendy blog.

If 'smart growth' policies were so sound, why doesn't everyone VOLUNTARILY adopt them. Why does it take an act of the state or county legislature to institute this madness?

More Arguments For Protecting Property Rights

Here is an article from Amity Shlaes regarding the need for government to do a better job protecting property rights.

Clueless In Huntington

In what appears to be an ethics violation, councilperson Mark Mayoka held a seminar entitled: "Financial Crisis Planning For Small Business,Winning The Battle For Business Survival"." He discussed his survival guidebook at the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Program at the Tri County Youth Agency on Tuesday, October 26, 2010."

Is this guy kidding?  This is a total violation of not only common sense but of whatever 'ethics' is left in Huntington.  Not only that, but who the hell put it up on the town's website??


Looks like the circus is back in town.  Where's Stu Besen when you need him?

Naughton Slams Board

Update: Nov. 7, 2010




At least I'm not the only one who has a problem with the newly adopted town budget:

During my 24 years as Superintendent of Highways, I have worked to ensure better roads for a better Huntington.  However, in recent years, starting well before the current economic situation, my efforts have been hampered by town board members who do not like the idea of having an independently elected town official who is not beholden to them.

The highway office has been unconscionably deprived of the use of budgeted monies to properly maintain and improve roadways that benefit residents in neighborhoods and communities throughout our town. Huntington residents have been denied fair value for their hard-earned tax dollars.

Effective and efficient highway operations contributed to a $10 million surplus in the highway office’s budget as of last December.  However, instead of being prudently reserved for future highway needs, $1.9 million of surplus was improperly transferred this year to a contingency fund so as to show a healthy reserve funds balance that might not have otherwise existed and help artificially prop up the town’s bond rating. What most of our residents may not realize is how much the town’s debt services will increase because of extensive borrowing to fund pet capital projects such as the second ice rink at Dix Hills, the costs of which are way over budget.

Despite the fact that the monies were in my budget, the town board sought to prevent me from filling a number of vacant and much needed positions in the highway office and from spending the requisite funds to pave and rehabilitate more roads and improve drainage conditions in many areas of Huntington.  They had the audacity to sue me for filling several vacancies that were fully funded and tried to prevent me from promoting a number of employees in the highway office by refusing to pay them. An arbitrator’s decision overruled the board’s actions. 

Despite all of this, the supervisor now proposes to cut the highway office’s allocation of funding for 2011.  His proposed budget calls for the elimination of 12-15 employees and will significantly hinder our abilities to properly maintain and improve hundreds of miles of town roads. Although such cutbacks may result in a reduction in highway taxes, this will have a negligible effect on homeowner’s taxes. All other taxes are significantly higher; garbage taxes, for example, are slated to go up by almost five-percent.  And our debt services, as I’ve mentioned, are exploding. The supervisor’s budget priorities are wrong, while his treatment of the highway office has been mean-spirited and wrong-headed. Our town and its residents deserve better than this. I urge the town board to amend the proposed 2011 budget prior to its adoption.

William Naughton

Friday's Ramblings

The central planners are beginning to coordinate their efforts in an attempt to micromanage growth on Long Island.  Their track record speaks for itself.

Nancy Rauch Douzinas and her 'Long Island Index' are clearly responsible for more than their fair share of global warming.  Her latest tirade against the middle class is an article in the Long Islander that basically blames homeowners for all the ecological misery that surrounds us.

I would like to stick my carbon footprint up the collective ass of smart growth advocates and their political lackeys.

Open Space funds are used to cover up deficits in the town's park funds.

Here's a contradiction:  The town government spends millions in Open Space funding in order to preserve the 'character' of Huntington.  Yet, the Comprehensive Plan basically maps out a complete revamping of the entire town.  Why can't they just leave us alone?

Still no answer to my list of 22 questions regarding the town budget.

Rumor has it that Supervisor Petrone is stepping down in March, 2011.

More rumors have it that an endorsement from the CSA is the kiss of death.  This one comes from the founder, Steve Flanagan!

Despite his win, Steve Israel seems to be a weakened congressman.  Let's hope.

Commack Road needs a traffic light at the intersection of the entrance to Otsego Park.  I put in a request two weeks ago and have not heard back.

Why is there a sidewalk going to nowhere on Commack Road near the Edgewood Preserve?  Something's not right.

Forget Alan Hevesi.  Is there a 'pay for play' pension scam brewing in town hall?

Brookhaven is leading the way with property tax reform by passing referendums limiting tax increases.

The Huntington Lighthouse is looking more like the next Federal bailout candidate.  Is there anyone brave enough to say, "Let the fucker sink!" ?

Huntington Conservatives are honoring Bob Bontempi, chairman of the Huntington Chamber of Commerce.  Gimme a break!  The Conservatives fought for council districts and Bontempi fought against it.  Now they're honoring his leadership??  Go figure.

There is a Smart Growth summit being run by dumb politicians and Leadership Class rejects on November 19, 2011 at Melville Marriott.   Some guy in a cheap suit named Fonzi will be talking about Transit Oriented Development and how he and his buddies know more than the rest of us.

Vision Long Island got its head bashed in by a group of frustrated developers from the Association For A Better Long Island.  As long as the planners and developers are fighting each other the rest of us are safe.

Another policy wonk, Martin Cantor of the -- (some long name organization)--- is pissing and moaning that he didn't get a chance to show off what he learned in Soviet planning school because Avalon Bay got shot down.

Sometimes the voters get it right.

State Of The Election

A return to the issues is what's needed after a bitter 2010 campaign that seemed to go on forever.  And, the one issue that all candidates seem to be avoiding ("because it's so damn hard") is property taxes.

Forget tax caps, circuit breakers, spending caps or any of the other gimmicks and tricks.  The only way to reduce property taxes is to get the right people in office and let them do what's necessary to reduce the size of government. The right people (meaning those who are willing to serve as a civic duty) and not the clowns who want to parade around in front of TV cameras and blog about their latest hobbies.

Further, cutting spending does not mean reducing the amount you spend to study the sex life of frogs in Centerport from $500,000 to $450,000.  And, it definitely doesn't mean electing self appointed wind bags like Jon Cooper.  What it means is identifying what the true purpose of government really is and acting accordingly.

In 2011, SaveHuntington will be running candidates for town board and possibly for town supervisor (if the rumored retirement of Frank Petrone turns out to be true).  To summarize, we are going to kick the collective asses of groups like LICAN, Vision Long Island, the Working Families Party and anybody named Jon Cooper.