No. 10 -- Local athletes dominate winter season

From the swimming pool to the wrestling mat to the track, five local athletes rose to the top of their sport in the winter season, capping off masterful individual performances with state titles.

In Albany three local wrestlers earned state titles. Ernest James of Longwood, Steven Keith of Shoreham-Wading River and Stephen Dutton of Rocky Point all stood atop the podium, the best in New York. Keith (119) and Dutton (135) both went undefeated while James finished 44-1 at 215.

It was a breathtaking display of efficiency for the local wrestlers, who all came into the season as the county's top-ranked wrestler in their respective weight classes. Keith finished his career as a two-time state champion. For James and Dutton, these were their first state titles.

A week after the dominance on the mat, two more local athletes would emerge as New York's best.

Mount Sinai swimmer Tom Luchsinger broke state records in the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly at the state championship at the Nassau Aquatics Center.

It wasn't easy for Luchsinger, who had to swim the 200 free with the back of his suit open because the zipper malfunctioned. He still broke his previous state record to win the race. For his next race, in the butterfly, he was able to have the suit fixed and he broke a record that was set in 2004.

As Luchsinger dominated in the pool, Shoreham-Wading River's Bobby Andrews pursued his own title in Ithaca at the track and field championship. Andrews won the 3,200-meter race and the 1,600. He was the federation champion in the 3,200 and public school champion in the 1,600.

No. 9 -- Miller Place community rallies against development

When a proposal to build a 58-lot subdivision on the Vassilaros property in historic Miller Place was before the Brookhaven Town Planning Board this March, residents of the North Shore hamlet didn't just express their opposition to it -- they fought it with all they had.

In the end, the residents were rewarded for their efforts.

Despite an approval from the Planning Board, the town and county managed to reach an agreement in October to have the land sold for preservation, the option most residents had desired for nearly five years.

The parcel had been a major concern for Miller Place residents since 2004, when the county first looked into the possibility of preservation. The town later included the parcel on its preservation wish list in 2007, but those talks cooled down after the Community Preservation Fund referendum was rejected by Brookhaven residents, leaving the town, at the time, without an obvious funding mechanism to preserve the property.

In addition to the impact the project might have had on the hamlet's historic district, residents were concerned about the potential increase in enrollment in an already crowded school district. There was also concern about increased traffic along North Country Road, where, according to a town traffic study report of last year, more than 10,000 cars travel daily.

No. 8 -- Shoreham-Wading River girls lacrosse wins third-straight state title

Coming into the 2009 season with its biggest senior class in five years, the Shoreham-Wading River girls lacrosse team faced lofty expectations in its bid to win a third-straight state championship.

The pressure, though, never fazed the 24 Wildcats as they stormed through the playoffs in dominant fashion to record their third-straight state title. The Wildcats would lose only once all season -- on the road at Moorestown (N.J.) -- and would improve their three-year record to 59-5.

In the state championship game at SUNY/Cortland, the Wildcats won 13-11 against Honeoye Falls-Lima, a team that hadn't given up more than 10 goals all season. To reach the finals the Wildcats cruised past Carthage, 21-11. Kaitlyn Brosco would be named the tournament Most Valuable Player.

The Wildcats' three-year run capped stunning careers for the eight seniors. For Rachel Wiederkehr and Stephanie Anderson, the title marked the end of five-year varsity careers that saw them win five county titles, four Long Island titles and three state titles.

For all their success on the field, the Wildcats posted an equally memorable campaign off it. On Saturday mornings throughout the season, the Wildcats, in groups of four, visited children with cancer at Stony Brook Medical Center. Kaitlyn Suarez served as the inspiration for the endeavor. The Wildcats adopted Suarez on the team before the season as she recovered from Hodgkin's lymphoma.

After the season Suarez donated a plasma TV, Blu-Ray player, DVDs and video games to the hospital's pediatrics unit, where she stayed.

No. 7 -- Local residents fight Levy over Legacy Village

The project has been in the works for several years, but 2009 was by far the biggest for County Executive Steve Levy's work-force housing project in Yaphank.

Not only did the county executive choose the Legacy Village project over other contenders, but the proposal had its first public hearing and the sale of the land came close to being approved by the County Legislature in December.

A contract to sell the land to the Legacy Village Real Estate Group for $57.5 million was delivered to the Legislature in November.

The group proposed the construction of 1,000 affordable housing units on the site, which would also be developed for commercial, industrial and recreational purposes. The plan calls for a 5,500-seat arena and outdoor stadium, a 90-room hotel, retail stores, four restaurants, 70 rental apartments and 50,000 square feet of office space.

The sale price computes to about $225,000 per acre.

The development has been fought by a large coalition of civic, environmental and school leaders who have argued the development could drastically alter the character of the Yaphank community, while doing damage to the Carmans River and overburdening Longwood School District taxpayers.

It wasn't until this month, after Suffolk's Council on Environmental Quality voted that the county should do a detailed environmental study before selling the land, that it became clear the sale would not be approved this year.

But the plan remains a top priority of the county executive and the future of the project could become more clear in just a matter of weeks.

No. 6 -- Councilman Keith Romaine dies at 36

Brookhaven residents were stunned at the sudden death of Councilman Keith Romaine in November.

The 36-year-old councilman died merely 11 days after winning re-election to a second term in office. Mr. Romaine, the son of Suffolk County Legislator Ed Romaine, was a Moriches resident who represented the 6th Council District, which includes parts of Ridge, and was first elected in 2007. Remembered by many as a diligent pubic servant, Mr. Romaine was ill toward the end of his campaign and was later diagnosed with pneumonia.

At Mr. Romaine's last Town Board meeting, he stayed only long enough to voice his opposition to the payment of the state-mandated MTA payroll tax. Two days later, he was having trouble sleeping because he couldn't breathe well and was admitted to Peconic Bay Hospital Medical Center in Riverhead. He died the following day at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola from complications of a virus attacking his heart. Hundreds of mourners turned out to pay their respects at Mr. Romaine's funeral at St. John the Evangelist in Center Moriches.

Under town law, Mr. Romaine's seat will need to be filled through a special election, which will likely be held in March or April.

No. 5 -- Brookhaven town clerk arrested

Brookhaven Town Clerk Pamela Betheil and her husband, Irwin, were arrested and charged with running a scheme in which newlyweds were overcharged for marriage fees.

As part of the alleged crime, the Betheils, according to Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota's office, charged $200 for marriage ceremonies performed outside Brookhaven Town Hall, when both state and local law limits the amount to $75. Mr. Betheil also used public resources in his wife's office while he scheduled the ceremonies, according to the DA's office. In another part of the scheme, Ms. Betheil conducted weddings, one followed by another, after business hours at Town Hall, though she only charged $75 for the those ceremonies. Ms. Betheil also allegedly forged the name of a witness at the ceremony of at least one couple.

Ms. Betheil, 63, and Mr. Betheil, 67, were charged with two counts each of first-degree scheming to defraud and official misconduct. In addition, Ms. Betheil also faces separate felony charges of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, first-degree offering to file a false instrument and receiving a reward for official misconduct. Both pleaded not guilty to the charges and were released on their own recognizance. The couple are expected to appear in court again early next year.

Their attorney denied any wrongdoing, stating that anywhere between $12,000 and $14,000 has been returned. Ms. Betheil's term expires Dec. 31. She did not seek re-election.

No. 4 -- Violent crimes rock SunLand

Similar to the rest of Suffolk County, SunLand did see a spike in violent crime this past year, with shootings and assaults shocking residents of several area hamlets.

Suffolk Police started off the year in January by making arrests in the murder of a trucking company owner, whose body was dumped inside the trunk of a car in Middle Island. James Caldwell, 49, of Mastic Beach was charged with second-degree murder, and a neighbor, Steven Browne, 29, was charged with first-degree hindering the prosecution.

In February, a female bartender was brutally raped and beaten inside a Mount Sinai lounge. Michael Wachholder, 30, of Rocky Point later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 years in prison this past October.

In August, a Middle Island man was assaulted by a group of alleged bikers outside a tattoo parlor in Rocky Point while a concert was going on up the block. No arrests have been made in the incident.

Darryl Fowler, a retired cop from the New York Police Department, broke into his estranged wife's Middle Island home and shot her in October. He fled the scene, but then side-swiped the responding ambulance. He is being held at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility in Riverhead on a charge of attempted murder.

In December, Longwood graduates Darren Lynch and James Wall were found guilty in the murders of Joseph Odierno and Jairo Santos, who were shot and their bodies dismembered and buried at two Coram locations last year. Mr. Lynch was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, and Mr. Wall, 50 years to life.

No. 3 -- Mark Lesko elected Brookhaven town supervisor

Heading into 2009, the name Mark Lesko didn't mean a thing to most Brookhaven residents.

But come March 31, Mr. Lesko had become just the fourth Democrat elected Brookhaven town supervisor in 100 years.

Mr. Lesko left a career as a federal prosecutor this year to take on Republican majority leader Tim Mazzei in a March special election to replace former Supervisor Brian Foley, a race Mr. Lesko won by more than 10 percent of the vote.

It was the first time in more than a century that a Democrat has succeeded a fellow party member as Brookhaven town supervisor. John Randolph and August Stout are the only other Democrats elected town supervisor during that same stretch of time.

With Mr. Lesko's victory came significant change on the Brookhaven Town Board. A surprising decision to appoint Republican Councilwoman Kathy Walsh as his deputy shifted the balance of power on the board in favor of the Democrats.

But with a new supervisor also came a new tone on the Town Board, as the partisan bickering that had dominated the previous two years gave way to a period of civility.

The new supervisor won re-election in November, months after proposing an $8 million decrease in town spending for 2010.

No. 2 -- The great divide in Shoreham-Wading River

Perhaps no school district on Long Island made more headlines in 2009 than Shoreham-Wading River, where a 26 percent tax increase and a pair of votes on a school safety proposition sparked fierce debate within the community.

The increase, the result of a shortfall in the district's revenue budget and a decision to not borrow against prior years' state aid, was ultimately implemented when the Board of Education adopted a contingency budget in June. The district's initial budget proposal was shot down by a more-than-750-vote margin May 19, believed to be largely the result of dissatisfaction from district residents over the tax hike.

School board members argued not borrowing the money was the "up-front" thing to do and that it would help the district avoid future debt, while others suggested the right course of action would have been to borrow and protect the taxpayer today in a difficult economy.

Residents also rejected a health and safety proposition to fix code violations at the middle school in May, only to approve a similar proposal later in the year. Had the proposition not been approved the second time around, the district faced the possibility of a state-mandated closure of its middle school.

The failed votes in 2009 lent further credence to a belief that the communities of both Shoreham and Wading River are divided on school district issues. It was the second straight year the budget was rejected on the initial go-round and the ninth time in 22 years.

No. 1 -- Gordon Heights fire taxes take center stage

The Gordon Heights Fire District, which has the highest fire taxes in the state, was embroiled in controversy all year in 2009.

The town's approval of a petition to dissolve the district and the revelation that three nonresidents cast ballots in the previous year's fire commissioner election were just two reasons the district made headlines this year. Proponents of dissolving the fire district, one of whom was defeated last November by three votes, also won two seats on the district's Board of Fire Commissioners. Maryanne Owens, who decided to run again after district officials refused to reconcile last year's election results, and Alex Hanson secured 60 percent of the votes cast in the election. They are expected to be sworn into their posts sometime after Jan. 1.

Disgruntled over the high fire taxes, a group of residents filed a petition last December to dissolve the Gordon Heights Fire District and create a fire protection district in its place. Brookhaven officials announced this September that the petitions had been certified and that they would be moving forward with a feasibility study of dissolving the fire district.

In the meantime, town officials are awaiting the results of a request for proposal that is seeking a group to conduct the feasibility study on the dissolution issue. Officials expect the contract will be awarded by the end of January and the study could be finished by the end of April, so that a public hearing can be scheduled sometime in May.

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2 comments found

PAMELA and IRWIN BETHEIL : 1/1/2010
You keep reporting what the District Attorney claims about Mr. and Mrs. Betheil, but you refuse to comment on the fact that this was a political prosecution in an attempt to destroy the 36 public career of Pamela J. Betheil and to obtain publicity for a District Attorney with statewide ambitions. The District Attorney has ample evidence that marriage officiants all over Suffolk County, including prominent Judges, have charged more than the statutory amount for many years, mainly because they were unaware of the statute. The marriage officiants in Westhampton Beach have been charging $200.00 for all weddings for at least 10 years. This is what lawyers call "selectifve enforcement" which is one of the many legal defenses to these charges. There were no victims. No couple married by Mrs. Betheil ever complained. This was all caused by a holdover from the years of Republican control of the Town Clerk's Office. She was fired by Mrs. Betheil, because she was insubordinate and corrupt. She tried to assist the Republicans in their attempt to win back the Town Clerk's Office by filing an anonymous complaint. She failed. This whole prosecution is an attempt on the part of the Democratic District Attorney to prove that he prosecutes Democrats so that he will be considered for the post of New York State Attorney General should Andrew Cuomo run for Gervernor. The Betheils' are innocent and Pam will be heard from again!

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Gordon Heights not highest tax : 12/24/2009
The Gordon Heights Fire District does not have the highest fire tax rate in the state. The Fairview Fire District in Dutchess County has had a higher fire tax rate in 2008 and 2009, and will also in 2010. For more details, see http://firetaxdutchess.blogspot.com/2009/04/gordon-heights-fire-district.html

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