From Long Island Wins: February 15, 2012

Make Your Vote Count: Push for Fair Redistricting

Let’s flash forward to November 2012: The leaves are in full bloom, you’re getting ready for the holidays, and the Yankees have just won the World Series again (sorry Mets fans).

It’s also time to vote. You’re registered and ready to have a say in who represents your community. Democracy is about you, right?

But it’s too late. State politicians in Albany have already decided who will represent you when they drew district lines back in the beginning of the year. You’re stuck with Assemblyman X and Senator Y, whether you like it or not.

This isn’t a dystopian fantasy: In 2006, no incumbent lost a race for the New York State Senate or Assembly. That either means that New Yorkers think all state politicians are doing a fantastic job, or the system is rigged.

From the LI Water Conference: February 8, 2012

How Can You Help Protect Our Water Supply?

Long Island residents benefit from some of the most abundant and most affordable drinking water in the entire country, but that makes it all the more vital that we preserve our precious natural resource. While the deep aquifers from which Long Island draws its water supply are much less susceptible to contamination than most other sources of drinking water, it is nevertheless important to be aware of possible hazards and take all necessary steps to avoid them. With 3 million Long Islanders living, working, and playing on top of our water supply, some contamination is inevitable. The Long Island Water Conference suggests that we all take the following steps to help conserve and protect our unique water supply.

Always ensure that hazardous materials, such as household chemicals, paints, oils and batteries are disposed of properly. Because Long Island’s drinking water supply is derived from underground aquifers, it is very important for residents to minimize their households’ runoff of hazardous materials. One quart of oil can contaminate up to 250,000 gallons of water, effectively eliminating that much water from our water supply.

What Every Long Islander Should Know: February 1, 2012

Long Island at a Tipping Point

I often get curious looks when I tell people that Long Island could be the next Silicon Valley or San Diego. Believe it or not, we’re not so far off.

Like Silicon Valley and San Diego, Long Island is ripe with innovation. We have world-class research centers like Brookhaven National Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and the Feinstein Institute at North Shore LIJ. We also have successful research universities in Stony Brook University, Hofstra University and Farmingdale to name a few. These institutions are having an impact.

As the newly released Long Island Index report shows, our science and engineering sectors are growing. Long Island has already created nearly 46,000 technology jobs. From 2000-2010, federal funding for research and development increased 50 percent. Over the past three years, Long Island churned out over 2,000 patents – a record for our region. Last year, Long Island was second only to Silicon Valley in the number of small business grants.

Poll: Linking Teacher Evaluations to State Aid Won’t Expedite Agreement

Submitted by the New York State School Boards Association

School board members don’t see a quick resolution to the teacher evaluation process even though state and federal aid are at stake, according to a recent online poll from the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA).

Nearly two-thirds of the 526 respondents to the poll said they did not believe linking state aid to the completion of a teacher and principal evaluation system would expedite a fair agreement.

“School boards do not want to be put in a position to accept a watered-down evaluation system,” said NYSSBA Executive Director Timothy G. Kremer. “The threat of funding losses will not resonate as strongly with employees as it does with school officials who must manage the budget and make ends meet.”

Parenthood Plus: January 25, 2012

Get Spiked

In the five-year period from 2005 to 2009 there was a dramatic increase in emergency room visits related to nonalcoholic energy drinks, according to a report issued on November 22, 2011 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Just about half of those emergency room visits were made by 18- to 25-year-olds who were found to be using alcohol, illicit drugs or pharmaceuticals.

What are energy drinks? They are highly-caffeinated flavored beverages for sale in cans and bottles in grocery stores and vending machines. Children, adolescents and young adults - half of the energy-drink market - are the primary targets of energy-drink marketing.

One popular energy drink – Red Bull – bills its beverage as “developed for people who want to have a clear and focused mind, perform physically, are dynamic and performance-oriented.”

Maragos: Traffic, Parking Violations Agency Needs New System

Needs to collect millions in fines

Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos released his Traffic and Parking Violations Agency (TPVA) audit conducted at the request of Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano and Executive Director Judge John Marks. Since taking over the agency on Jan. 26, 2010 Judge John Marks has implemented a number of initiatives to improve collections through improved management effectiveness. The audit found that the improvements already implemented are a step in the right direction but more needs to be done to collect the large backlog of unpaid parking and traffic tickets, especially the rising number of unpaid Red Light Camera fines. Also, while auditors found no instances of ticket fixing, more safeguards are needed to prevent future fraud.

“Our taxpayers need to have assurances that they are part of a fair system where everyone is treated equally and tickets are not being dismissed or, perhaps, changed improperly,” Maragos said. “The current administration has addressed this issue by limiting access to the system and establishing security profiles which limit system access to only assigned personnel functions. The growing backlog of unpaid tickets is an urgent issue that requires more aggressive collection efforts.”

From Long Island Wins: January 18, 2012

Meet Carrié Solages, Nassau’s First Haitian-American Elected Official

This November, Legis. Carrié Solages (D-Elmont) became Nassau County’s first Haitian American elected official after a hard-fought victory over the Third Legislative District incumbent John Ciotti. Raised on Long Island by Haitian parents, Solages overcame the struggles of a second-generation immigrant to serve as a prosecutor in the Bronx and the head of the Nassau County Commission on Human Rights before running for the legislature.

Long Island Wins recently caught up with Solages to ask about his background, the economy, and racism he encountered during his campaign:

LIW: The area you represent is one of the most diverse on Long Island, with immigrants from around the world. Did your campaign encourage immigrant communities to vote?

Letter: With Care, Fracking Can Work in NY

While it is true that the issues related to hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” are not simple we should not be influenced by much of the misinformation that has been disseminated and we should base our decisions on the facts and develop a regulatory regime which can assure safety and environmental sensitivity.

It is ironic that natural gas development, which can reduce carbon emissions by a third compared to oil and a half compared to coal, is caught in an emotional debate over environmental impacts. As businessman and publisher Mortimer Zuckerman pointed out in a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed, using data from the U.S. Energy Information Agency, this abundant new gas source has reduced our oil imports from 60 percent in 2005 to 47 percent today. Recent events in the Middle East should reinforce the need for a U.S. energy policy based on domestic natural gas.

Chamber of Commerce News: January 11, 2012

Scholarship Application Available

It’s hard to believe 2011 has come to an end. Let’s all hope 2012 will ring in health, peace and prosperity for all. On behalf of myself, the executive board and board of directors, please accept our very best wishes to you and your families for a Happy New Year.

Our special thanks to everyone who participated in the Toys for Tots Program. You’re toy donations helped the less fortunate children enjoy their holiday.

Letter: The Alarmingly Dangerous Impacts of Fracking on Health

 As representatives of many voices in the breast cancer community on Long Island, our coalition urges Governor Cuomo to ban hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in New York State since 25 percent of chemicals used in the fracking process have been demonstrated to cause cancer or mutations. Hydrofracking companies use products containing 13 different known and suspected carcinogens. Two of those carcinogens, benzene and ethylene oxide are linked with breast cancer as cited recently by a report released by the Institute of Medicine.

Moreover, 37 percent of chemicals in fracking fluids are endocrine disruptors which alter hormonal signaling and in doing so can place cells on the pathway to tumor formation. Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals has been implicated in cancers of the breast, prostate, pituitary, testicle, and ovary.