So many opinions

Well, much to the chagrin of my daughter, I haven’t posted here in a few days. This is something I’m supposed to do EVERY day, she tells me. Like a diary. Not sure if I can pull that off. Maybe if I adjust to writing something shorter than a 700-word essay each time. Blogging is different than writing a column, right?

But rest assured, my lack of writing is not for lack of opinions.

I’ve gotta admit I’m a little bummed by the lack of comments on my blog. I was hoping that some of the thoughts I posted here on Thursday would have elicited more responses. The blog’s getting some traffic, but only two comments as of this writing? Come on. Nobody’s got nuthin’ to say about any of the issues I brought up? Jill Lewis and Mike Cholowsky? Housing at EPCAL? School administrators’ raises that weren’t discussed prior to the budget vote? Surely I can’t be the only Riverhead resident with opinions about these things.

Somebody told me today that people are “afraid” to post on this blog. Not that they’re afraid of me. More like they’re afraid of retribution around town, by town government officials or maybe others...

Since my daughter also chastised me about requiring people to register in order to comment here, I changed the settings and now you can post ANONYMOUSLY. Happy?

So, go ahead. Click that little comment button and let it rip.

Why do you think the administration isn’t doing anything to stop the ethics code from being openly flouted by the former deputy supe? Is Phil afraid of somebody? Should he be? Is he doing Dick Amper a favor by letting Amper’s former right-hand woman skate? It just doesn’t make sense to me. And why isn’t anybody calling him on it?

Ed’s quiet because he’s so chummy with Jill — and Mike — that people were saying Jill was actually working on Ed’s campaign. And he’s a proponent of getting Cholowsky his rail spur at EPCAL. I’m sure Ed’s campaign financials — and the Riverhead GOP’s — will reflect the benefit of that stance, too. So the most likely critic of the behavior of Phil’s former deputy is silent. Convenient for Jill — and Mike.


Here's a photo sent to me by a reader that graphically illustrates why the ethics code would slam shut the revolving door. The former deputy supervisor and her new employer sitting with the town planning director at a work session where the rail spur grant was on the agenda. Nice and friendly and cozy are these former colleagues, wouldn't you say? This particular threesome was seen frequently at local watering holes BEFORE the deputy supe left town employ and when she and the town planning director were both still on the public payroll.

This isn't any different than former supervisor Bob Kozakiewicz representing Suffolk Theater Enterprises right after he left office in the matter of the contract of sale for the theater — a contract Koz negotiated. That rankled Phil and, he said, inspired him to push for a long-overdue ethics code. Why doesn't this thing with Jill & Cholowsky and the rail spur bug Phil, too, especially since we now have an ethics code that pretty clearly prohibits her from representing Cholowsky at Town Hall on the rail spur stuff? Phil, you disappoint me. What happened to putting Riverhead first?