Editorial

Reporter Editorials: No bluster, just results

REPORTER FILE PHOTO County money is coming to the Island to help pay for a state-of-the-art septic system at the American Legion Hall.
REPORTER FILE PHOTO County money is coming to the Island to help pay for a state-of-the-art septic system at the American Legion Hall.

Patience is always tested when it comes to government action on infrastructure initiatives. From first voicing the idea, to hashing it out among elected officials, to finding the money, to putting on the hard hats and cranking up the backhoe can seem like a siege against an implacable enemy.

Part of billionaire bully Donald Trump’s appeal (especially to those with short attention spans) is that he pounds his chest and says he’ll get things done, just get out of his way. Last week in Alabama he was yelling in a football stadium about how voting might be too slow a process. With his poll numbers, Mr. Trump said, he was clearly the superior candidate and “we don’t need an election.”

It’s a commentary on Republican Party politics that it’s acceptable for a candidate to say something like that, even as a joke.

Time, however, and persistence by dedicated public officials working through the system, has produced real benefits for the Island. One example is Town Engineer John Cronin sounding the alarm more than a year ago about aged and malfunctioning septic systems and cesspools. His report to the Town Board in June 2014 was what Supervisor Jim Dougherty rightly called an “eye opener.”

Mr. Cronin stated the facts and said that radical changes must be made — if not, the systems polluting our groundwater and surrounding waterways will only make the situation worse, and at an accelerated pace.

Since then Town Board members, to their credit, have been active in seeking funds to replace systems. Good news came this week with a joint announcement by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Supervisor Dougherty that $49,500 in county money would be coming to the Island to help pay for a state-of-the-art septic system at the American Legion Hall.
Patience and commitment have paid off for an improved quality of life for all Islanders.

Ed Brown
We were saddened to hear that Councilman Ed Brown has decided to resign his post as Town Councilman effective December 31 for, as he said, personal reasons.

Mr. Brown has been known as a fiscal hawk, serving on the board for almost 15 years. As we’ve said before in this space, Mr. Brown doesn’t speak in theories, but in numbers and what it will mean to the taxpayer’s wallet.

In addition, Mr. Brown has spoken often about making decisions carefully, knowing that setting precedents today may handcuff future Town Boards.

He has been a solid legislator leaving histrionics to others, but never afraid to weigh in on important issues. He has always demonstrated a calm and measured political and personal temperament.

We wish him well. He’ll be missed at Town Hall, and always remembered.