Ed Romaine meeting with County Road 48 Residents, Sept 22nd 2010. Photo Lynn Laskos
By John Betsch, Chairman SoutholdVOICE
How would you determine the success of a press conference? I wondered that after attending the Hashamomuck (Arshamomaque) Cove press conference held on September 22nd and this is what I came up with:
- Was it attended by the local news reporters? It was!
- Did it result in a story in a regional newspaper?The following day, there was a quarter-page story appearing in Newsday!
- Was it supported by local politicos? Not only was County Legislator Ed Romaine there, but Senator Ken LaValle and Assemblyman Marc Alessi committed to be there. Supervisor Scott Russell, representing the Town Board and Jill Doherty, as President of the Board of Trustees were in attendance!
- Did it appear people attending cared and were listening? Questions from those at the conference demonstrated not only did they care about the loss of these homes and the dangerous potential destruction of Country Road 48, they understood the issue and the lack of support of New York State to address the solution. As Legislator Romaine has said:
‘The loss of County Road 48 would leave just one east/west road on the North Fork and would most likely result in the loss of electricity and gas service to large areas of the eastern tip of Long Island as these services run along the roadway.”
This really hit home to those at the press conference.
- Did the Press conference get the attention it was designed for? Well, quite unexpectedly, Ted Finch, Regional Director of the NYS Emergency Management Office, representing Governor Patterson, attended at the last minute. You decide.
- It prompted NYS Assemblyman Marc Alessi, who committed to attend but could not due to a last-minute emergency, to write the Regional Director of the DEC (see these letters) and get the following answer from Regional Director Peter Scully, stating that from Scully’s perspective a solution is going forward, but as Scully wrote, there is a need for a
“Storm Damage Reduction Project Study Plan”.
- Does all this add up to Success? We’ll see. As Supervisor Russell said at the press conference, concerning the next phase and the missing funding from the State and Peter Scully’s hastily drafted letter,
“Can’t do the [Feasibility] Study [which was to be the next scheduled event] without another project study plan – that’s bureaucratic doublespeak for ‘Let’s delay it’, and that’s unacceptable.”
The following Thursday, September 30th, Lynn Laskos opened her copy of Suffolk Times and was pretty angry.
In today’s Suffolk Times, an article regarding the press conference by Legislator Edward Romaine’s appeared. I am greatly saddened to find out that the State has added an unnecessary study to justify the study needed to help this area. Supervisor Scott Russell said it best, “That’s bureaucratic double-speak for foot dragging.”
This just shows that the State of New York does not care about people, major arteries or the safety of the taxpayers and people who voted them into office. Our strip is in danger of being washed out, instead of spending all this time and money adding studies to studies, why can’t the State step up and just get it done. It would cost a lot less if they did.
I welcome anyone from the State to actually visit the cove and see the threat first hand, I also welcome a meeting so that the State can explain to all of us exactly the benefit of this additional layer and why all the dragging of feet to get this done.
Thank you Legislator Romaine and Supervisor Russell for all your support and caring about us. I look forward to hearing from ALL of you.Regards
Lynn Laskos
Hashamomuck Cove Group President
More photos of the Press Conference
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