County Legislator Edward P. Romaine has resigned his membership in and chairmanship of the New Ferry Advisory Group at the recommendation of the Suffolk County Ethics Commission.

In a letter to the Town Board submitted two weeks ago, Mr. Romaine wrote, “The commission has advised that I should not be a voting member of the ferry group nor should I serve as chairman.” Legislative aide Bill Faulk told the reporter, “The Ethics Commission feels it's a conflict of interest for a legislator to be part of an advisory panel that makes recommendations on an issue he must later consider and vote on.”

The New Ferry Advisory Group reviews North and South Ferry company applications and makes recommendations on them for consideration by the Suffolk County Legislature prior to that body's vote to authorize ferry rates.

Mr. Romaine also wrote, “I will always make myself available to meet with the members of the ferry group and will continue to attend ferry group public hearings on Shelter Island.”

The Town Board has not appointed a replacement. Other advisory group members are Town Supervisor Jim Dougherty, Councilwoman Chris Lewis and at-large members George Walsh, Patricia Shillingburg and Heather Reylek.

Brandenstein open space passes county hurdle

A resolution to join in a 50/50 partnership with the Town of Shelter Island to buy 12.7 acres of woods and tidal wetlands on Crab Creek for $5 million was passed by the Suffolk Legislature last week in Hauppauge.

The Brander Parkway property, owned by Judith and Howard Brandenstein, was approved for town open space acquisition last August and is being reviewed by the town Planning Board prior to subdividing the existing house, a small cabin and a new residential lot from the 17-plus-acre property.

“This acquisition will add to the county's holdings in this area and helps solidify our commitment to preserving the remaining open space on Shelter Island,” Mr. Romaine said after the bill passed.

Town leaders rally to keep hospitals on Empire Plan

The East End Supervisor and Mayors Association lobbied the CEOs of Empire Blue Cross and Oxford United Healthcare to maintain service agreements with Southampton Hospital, Peconic Bay Medical Center and Eastern Long Island Hospital after the insurers threatened to drop the facilities from their networks.

That lobbying and other efforts have paid off, Town Supervisor Jim Dougherty announced at a recent work session. Empire Blue Cross, which insures town employees and many other residents, has reached an agreement with the hospitals at a slightly higher reimbursement rate. According to a Southampton Hospital website posting, negotiations continue with Oxford/United Healthcare.

Legislature prohibits text messaging while driving

The Suffolk County Legislature voted last week to prohibit drivers from text messaging or emailing while operating a motor vehicle. Legislator Jay Schneiderman (R-Montauk) co-authored the bill.

“This is a huge success for safety on our roadways,” Mr. Schneiderman said in a press release. “This groundbreaking law continues the long tradition of Suffolk County taking the lead in adopting innovative and important legislation that sets an example for the rest of the nation.”

Text messaging, also referred to as short messaging service (SMS), allows users to send electronic messages on wireless handsets such as cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and BlackBerry “smartphones.” According to the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, an international organization representing all sectors of wireless communications, Americans sent close to 65 billion text messages during the first half of 2006.

Under the law's provisions, no person may “use a wireless handset to compose or send text messages while operating a motor vehicle on any public street or public highway within the County of Suffolk.” However, it does include exceptions for those messages composed via voice recognition technology. Violations of the law could carry fines of up to $150 for each violation.

Mr. Schneiderman's research indicated that texting is “far more dangerous than simply chatting on a cell phone” and a big distraction for teen drivers.

Since Mr. Schneiderman first proposed the ban, Washington State and the City of Detroit have followed suit.

County Executive Steve Levy has 30 days to hold a public hearing and then approve or veto the bill. If approved by Mr. Levy, the bill will take effect 90 days after it is filed with the Secretary of State.

Backyard burning may be banned statewide

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is proposing to extend the ban on open burning statewide in an effort to reduce the impacts of pollutants such as dioxins, particulate matter and carbon monoxide and to limit the risks of wildfires.

Open burning of residential wastes in any city or village, or in any town with a population of 20,000 or more, has been prohibited since 1972.

Once considered harmless, open burning has been found to release more dangerous chemicals into the air than previously thought. A recent study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in conjunction with the DEC and the State Department of Health, found that emissions of toxins from backyard burning alone were greater than all other sources combined for the years 2002-2004. The study also found that burning trash emits a long list of harmful chemicals.

In addition to releasing pollutants, open burning is the largest single cause of wildfires in New York State.

The proposed rule allows for a number of exceptions including camp fires, prescribed burns, celebratory bonfires (where allowed), fire training exercises, specialized burning to protect crops from frostbite and burning of agricultural wastes (though not agricultural plastics).

The Town of Shelter Island has banned burning of garbage and construction debris but allows open burning of branches and other woody vegetation by permit from September to June.

Prior to releasing the proposal, the DEC held meetings and received input from stakeholders and state agencies. The proposal has won backing from environmental and health groups and the Firemen's Association of New York State (FASNY).

The state will conduct a series of public hearings on the proposal, the closest in Batavia on Wednesday, July 2, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Genesee Community College, College Drive, Conable Technology Building, Room T102.

County to expand rules to license legal workers only

After strong comments from opposing speakers and extensive debate by legislators, the Suffolk County Legislature this week by a 12-vote margin passed a bill authored by Legislator Brian Beedenbender requiring that all those who apply for occupational licenses from Suffolk County demonstrate that their employees are legally able to work in the United States.

County Executive Steve Levy will sign the bill, said his spokesman, Mark Smith. Mr. Levy sees the measure “as an expansion of our legislation which requires contractors working directly for the county to state they have verified worker status,” said Mr. Smith.

Mr. Beedenbender, a Centereach Democrat, was an aide to Mr. Levy before becoming a legislator at the start of the year. The measure was his first major bill.

The two representatives of the East End on the 18-member legislature, Republicans Edward P. Romaine and Jay Schneiderman, were part of the majority that crossed party lines in voting for the measure.

Mr. Romaine said it was a “very difficult bill” for him to vote on but “every legislator has a job — vote yes or no, weigh all the factors.” The Center Moriches Republican said “we want to” challenge “the underground economy; we want people to play by the rules.”

Mr. Beedenbender, responding to criticism that the bill is anti-immigrant, insisted that “I never said I wanted ever illegal immigrant out of this county. But we have laws. If you work, you must have proper papers.” He said the basic reason he introduced the bill was to “level the playing field” for businesses in Suffolk, to not let those who hire workers off the books to compete with businesses that have “legal workers.”

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