PriceWas Right Second Time Around

By James Kelly
jkelly@longislandergroup.com

A month after Josh Price was rejected on a 3 – 2 vote for Director of the newly created Bureau of Administrative Adjudication, Price was nominated again for the post and confirmed in a 3-2 vote.

Councilman Gene Cook was the only vote that changed from a no to a yes.

In opening remarks, Councilwoman Joan Cergol asked why a political operative was but forward for a non-partisan position. The Director will be responsible for the appointment of 7 judges for the newly created town court. “What deals were struck to change the outcome, just one month later?” Cergol asked.

Councilman Mark Cuthbertson was curious as to why, in three weeks, the vote could change. He pointed out that only one person was put forward for consideration for this position.

“There is no evidence that we looked at any other candidates,” Cuthbertson said, adding he has concerns for the beginning of this bureau.

Cook, who voted against appointing Price last month, said he did so because the Board did not get the resume until just before the vote. Cook pointed out that Cergol first complained at the November meeting that the full board did not get resumes in time for proper consideration.

Cook agreed with her. He went on to say that since that meeting, neither Cergol nor Cuthbertson put forward even one resume. Price is a former business partner of Cook in an East Northport investment property.

Cuthbertson pointed out that it is not a council person’s job and he believed that the position should have been advertised and instead of a a political appointment, a real recruitment process should have been initiated to find the best candidate possible.

Before calling for the vote, Supervisor Lupinacci interjected that this Director will be the Chief Administrative Judge of the Bureau and is appointed to a 5-year term with the advice and consent of the Town Board. Lupinacci went on to say that being active in a political party should not preclude you from a judgeship, but also stated that once you are in the role you must be non-partisan in the operation of the court.

Look Out Below

Scaffolding was erected to protect pedestrians after a loose brick fell from the roofline of the building at the corner of New York Avenue and Main Street.

By Peter Sloggatt
psloggatt@longislandergroup.com

A protective scaffolding protects pedestrians on NewYorkAvenue atMain Street in Huntington Village after loose brickwork fell from the landmark building to the sidewalk below.

Decorative brickwork apparently fell from the roofline of the building that housesAnn Taylor Loft on Dec. 28, prompting a complaint to the Town’s Public Safety division.

Fire Marshal Terence McNally wrote in a an incident report that passersby had called in to Public Safety “concerning loose brickwork falling from the building to the sidewalk below.” Arriving at the property, McNally noted that “a brick which was part of a decorative facade located along the roof line had separated from the structure landing within the right of way below.”

Initially a small square of the sidewalk where the brick had fallen was roped off. Public Safety personnel followed up bringing additional wooden barricades and caution tape to secure the 30-foot length of sidewalk to Main Street.

The building’s owner, Emerson J. Dobbs, was issued a notice of violation and directed to secure an inspection, secure the loose brickwork and “make the right of way safe from falling debris.”

Front Row Seat For State Of The Union

Linda Beigel Schulman of Dix Hills stands with Congressman Tom Suozzi and other gun safety advocates at a rally calling for passage of for gun safety legislation in the days leading up to the State of the Union address. Beigel Schulman’s son Scott, inset photo, was killed protecting students in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida two years ago.

By Peter Sloggatt

psloggatt@longislandergroup.com

While most of the country watched President Donald J. Trump deliver his third State of the Union address on television, Linda Beigel Schulman ofDixHillswas in the house to hear first handwhat the Presidentwould say.

She didn’t exactly like what she heard, at leastwhen it came to talk about gun safety, an issue forwhich she has a passion.Beigel is the mother of Scott Beigel who was murdered while saving the lives of students in themass shooting atMarjory StonemanDouglasHigh School in Parkland, Fla. nearly two years ago.

Beigel was the guest of Congressman Tom Suozzi (D-Long Island, Queens) with whomshe spent theweek advocating for common sense gun violence prevention laws. She joined other gun violence survivors and victims’ family members to encourage action from the Senate on H.R. 8, a bipartisan bill thatwould require background checks for anyone purchasing a firearm. The bill passed the House nearly a year ago and is stalled in the Senate. It was not among the accomplishments outlined by the President in his State of theUnion speech.Rather, among the promises he made was the statement: “So long as I am President I will protect your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.”

Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter, a student, was also among those killed in Parkland, and whose brother lives in Commack, was quickly escorted from the House when he began shouting back at the President.

“Right before he made that statement I wanted to explode,” Beigel Schulman said. “I was hoping. I was looking for a nugget at least. The movement we have is not a partisan issue. It’s about everyone’s right to be safe.

“Our movement does not seek to infringe upon anyone’s rights, but we do want to make our communities safer and ensure that no one has to endure losing a loved to gun violence as I did,” she said.

Schulman, since losing her son to gun violence in Parkland, has dedicated herself to promoting common-sense gun legislation. She advocated for a Red Flag law in New York which was passed last year, and has noted that had a similar law existed in Florida, her son might be alive today.

While in Washington D.C., Beigel Schulman met with other gun safety advocates and rallied for passage of the background check legislation. Among them was the father of a boy killed in Columbine, Colo. 20 years ago. “He was wearing his son’s sneakers,” she said.

“I belong to a club I did not want to join,” Beigel Schulman said. “I spoke today with people who were standing in my shoes. I tell them I don’t want anyone else coming into my club.”