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Re-elect Gaughran in 5th Senate District

Oct
27
2020

State Sen. Jim Gaughran, a Democrat from Northport, has made it his mission to focus on the needs of his constituents in his first term in the Senate, and it is clear from his advocacy that he has their best interests at heart. The Herald Gazette enthusiastically endorses Gaughran’s re-election.

The fight for public water has been one of the North Shore’s hottest topics in recent years, and Gaughran has heard residents’ cries for lower water bills. Ratepayers in the Sea Cliff Water District pay more for water than any other district on Long Island, and he wants to put an end to that. This summer he authored a bill to establish the North Shore Water Authority, which passed the...| read more ››

Residents Jam Polling Places for Early Voting

Oct
24
2020

Thousands of residents turned out Saturday morning to cast ballots on the first day of early voting in the Nov. 3 election.

Lines of voters snaked through the parking lots of the Dix Hills Fire Department and the Huntington Public Library Station branch polling places. By noon, several voters said they had been waiting for at least three hours, having lined up an hour or more before the doors opened at 10 a.m.

A line at the library site started in the LIRR parking lot, came up alongside the building, onto the sidewalk on New York Avenue, down the roadway past Sunny’s Discount and Penne Lane Pasta, and then curled back around to the rear door of the library. The...| read more ››

Keeping score

Oct
15
2020

Among the many election season verities is the release of the environmental scorecard for state lawmakers by the advocacy group Environmental Advocates Action. And the 2020 version unveiled Thursday confirmed another eternal truth: Democrats score better than Republicans.

That was most starkly true for Long Island’s delegation in the State Assembly, where Independence Party member Fred Thiele (Sag Harbor) and the nine Democrats with whom he caucuses all registered perfect scores of 100, based on their votes on 16 bills. Only two of the 11 Republicans graded — Melissa Miller ( Atlantic Beach) and Edward Ra (Franklin Square)– matched that score.

The lowest-scoring GOP members were Michael Fitzpatrick (48), David McDonough (57), Michael LiPetri (60) and Michael Montesano (62).

The...| read more ››

Sea Cliff Library gets $50,000 grant

Oct
15
2020

$50,000 New York state grant, Sea Cliff Village Library officials plan to purchase new furniture, carpeting and front doors, and expand the teen space, library Director Camille Purcell said.

A representative of State Sen. Jim Gaughran ap- proached library officials in January to see if the library needed funds. Ar-lene Nevens, who was then the director and retired a month later, presented ideas on how the money might be spent to Gaughran.

When Purcell became director in February, she immediately went to work to enhance the library’s collection of young- adult books to better serve the teen population of readers. The children’s library, she said, has long had extensive programs and collections, but once children hit middle school, there...| read more ››

Biden Endorses Two Democrats in Key State Senate Races

Oct
13
2020

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Tuesday endorsed two Democrats seeking second terms to battleground state Senate districts in New York.

Biden, the former vice president, backed Democrats Kevin Thomas and Jim Gaughran in their re-election bids. Both lawmakers flipped a pair of state Senate districts on Long Island two years ago, helping the conference gain control of the chamber for the first time in a decade.

Biden's running mate on the national ticket, California Sen. Kamala Harris, also endorsed the incumbents.

“I am elated, honored and humbled to receive the endorsement of Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris,” Thomas said in a statement.

“Vice President Biden and Senator Kamala Harris understand what it takes to...| read more ››

Cuomo to Host Virtual Fundraiser for Gaughran in Key Senate District

Oct
8
2020

Governor Andrew Cuomo later this month will be the virtual host for a fundraiser in a race for a key state Senate district.

Cuomo is backing Democratic state Sen. Jim Gaughran's bid for a second term in the 5th Senate district on Long Island, a seat that was key for Democrats to win majority control of the chamber two years ago.

Long Island Senate seats are often seen as bellwethers for broader state legislative races in the fall and are often a focal point for maintaining power in the chamber.

An invitation to the event, scheduled for October 19, says it will be the "last major" fundraising event for Gaughran of the campaign season.

"Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership,...| read more ››

$90K Grant Secured For Huntington Station Public Safety

Sep
30
2020

HUNTINGTON STATION, NY — State Sen. Jim Gaughran (D-New York) secured $90,000 in state funding for the Huntington Manor Fire District, he announced Wednesday.

Huntington Manor Fire District will use the money to install security cameras outside of the fire station facing the street, and inside the building, according to the news release. The cameras are meant to help bolster safety.

"This critical funding will improve public safety within the Huntington Station community and aid local law enforcement in their mission of deterring crime and responding to criminal behavior," Gaughran stated. "I am proud to secure this $90,000 for the Huntington Manor Fire District to install security cameras. My top priority is the safety of our residents and community, and...| read more ››

Cameras to be replaced, upgraded in Huntington fire district

Sep
29
2020

Surveillance cameras — some decades old — inside and around the exterior of Huntington Manor Fire District buildings are getting an upgrade.

State Sen. Jim Gaughran (D-Northport) recently secured $90,000 in state funds for the district to install and upgrade security cameras and equipment on its three properties.

The cameras will be placed inside district buildings and outside facing the street. Christopher Fusaro, Huntington Manor Fire District board of commissioners chairman, said the money will cover a little over 50% of the cost to replace and upgrade 90 cameras installed across the district’s three buildings.

"We’re grateful to receive money to update our cameras which are over 20 years old, many of which are analog," Fusaro said.

The inside cameras...| read more ››

Storm Aftermath

Sep
26
2020

New York State Sens. Jim Gaughran and Tim Kennedy recently met with Huntington Highway Superintendent Kevin Orelli at the Highway Department’s facility in Elwood to discuss possible state funding opportunities, as well as to get an up-close look at the Department’s response toTropical Storm Isaias on Aug. 4.

“I would like to thank New York State Senators, Jim Gaughran and Tim Kennedy, for their time today and for having a better understanding of the resources and challenges that face the Department each year,” stated Highway Superintendent Kevin Orelli.

“Today I had the pleasure of joining Superintendent Orelli to lead my colleague, Senator Tim Kennedy, Chair on the Transportation Committee, on a tour of the Huntington Highway Department. An urgent...| read more ››

New York Legislation Aims To Expand Use of 'Red Flag' Gun Law

Sep
25
2020

A bill in the state Legislature seeks to expand the use of “extreme risk protection orders” as New York’s “red flag” law remains sparsely implemented in many places downstate.

The state’s “red flag” measure, one of the most high-profile gun laws in New York as of late, allows courts to order the temporary seizure of firearms from people believed to pose a danger to themselves or others.

An “extreme risk protection order,” outlined in the law, temporarily bans a person from buying or having a firearm.

State court system data obtained by the New York Law Journal shows such orders were hardly used in New York City in the one year after the gun law went into effect....| read more ››

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