Gillibrand, Fields and Carpenter Hit the Stump

Partisanship remains alive and well on Fire Island going into the fall.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand attended two fundraisers at the home of Michael Lin and Jim Spencer and another at the Blue Whale while she was in Fire Island Pines on Saturday, Aug. 6. Neither were open to the press, but she spoke to The News in an exclusive interview shortly after she arrived in the Pines.

Standard and Poor's decision late on Friday, Aug. 5, to downgrade the country's debt rating loomed large as Gillibrand spoke to her Fire Island supporters. She was quick to question the credit ratings agency's credibility-the Obama administration claims Standard and Poor's overestimated the country's future deficits by $2 trillion.

"The mistakes that were in the Standard and Poor analysis really raise serious concerns about the legitimacy of the downgrade," said Gillibrand.

She expressed hope that the markets would discount the downgrade based on her belief that the other two rating agencies "will likely not follow" Standard and Poor's lead. Gillibrand also acknowledged growing concern and outrage over the downgrade.

"I was also very disappointed with the news and concerned about it because obviously we have an economy that needs to grow and we need to be reinforcing opportunities for both," she said as she discussed why she voted against the bill that increased the country's debt ceiling hours before. President Barack Obama signed the measure into law only hours before the country could have begun to default on its debt at the end of Aug. 2.

"One of the reasons why I voted against the debt ceiling vote was because I thought it was not the right balance and having a cuts-only approach may well lead to a further cuts-only approach that will actually harm the economy," said Gillibrand.

When asked about Congress' 14 percent approval rating, Gillibrand singled out what she described as the Republican-led Tea Party movement in the House. She said their agenda has "hijacked politics."

"American voters are rightly concerned that this is not what they voted for," said Gillibrand. "What they voted for was a focus on the economy, on creating jobs and on people who are willing to build a consensus and get things done. They've seen the exact opposite out of this Tea Party-led Republican Congress in the House and they're becoming more and more disillusioned."

On more Fire Island-specific issues, Gillibrand expressed disappointment that the Fire Island to Montauk Point (FIMP) Reformulation Study remains unimplemented. The state Department of Environmental Conservation remains the last hurdle for the decades-long project. Gillibrand urged all sides to come together and find a way to finally implement FIMP.

"This is such a beneficial solution to be able to do dredging and replenishment at the same time," she said, noting she toured local beaches when she last visited Fire Island in Aug. 2010. "It's very important to me that we can urge the DEC to move faster, urge the local constituencies to move faster, because this is the kind of work that should be being done now."

Gillibrand once again commended marriage equality activists and Gov. Andrew Cuomo for making nuptials for same-sex couples in New York a reality. She stressed the state can become an example to other states that may consider similar measures down the road.

"I believe New York can well be the leader in bringing marriage equality to the rest of the country," said Gillibrand. "New York being a large state-the first of the large states to pass marriage equality-I think it will become a bellwether of things to come."

Gillibrand co-sponsored a bill in the Senate that would repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Her colleagues held a hearing on DOMA on July 20. Gillibrand said passage of the bill that ended the military's ban on openly gay and lesbian servicemembers gives her hope that the DOMA repeal bill has a chance in the Senate.

"We can build upon the success of repealing 'don't ask, don't tell,'" she said, noting the bill passed late last year with bi-partisan support. "We can take that base of support for equality and begin to apply it to the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. So many of the laws in New York and the laws of the United States... are there to protect families and children-especially during difficult times, so we want to make sure all of these protections are in place for all American families."

Carpenter Seeks County's Top Job

Suffolk County Treasurer Angie Carpenter, the Republican candidate for county executive, has made headlines for being the first woman to run for the county's top job. But Carpenter, who has summered in Ocean Beach for years, is better known locally as being the only candidate in recent memory-if not ever-with any significant ties to Fire Island.

Carpenter is facing off against Democrat Babylon Town Supervisor Steve Bellone. The two are vying to replace disgraced County Executive Steve Levy, a Democrat turned Republican who announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election when he turned over his $4 million war chest to prosecutors to resolve a criminal investigation into his campaign fundraising practices. The winner will inherit a county that faces many of the same increasing deficit issues as other municipalities nationwide amid persistent economic uncertainty.

"The more we can educate people as to how important the barrier beach is to people on the mainland, the better," said Carpenter. She pointed to Fire Island's role as a buffer between Long Island and the ocean during storms and hurricanes, as well as the island's status as a tourist destination that generates much-needed economic activity.

The county executive race comes as all 18 legislative seats are also up for grabs. Two races will have no incumbent because the pair of local lawmakers are term limited and the two Democrats who represent heavily minority districts are running unopposed. Democrats hold the majority in the Suffolk County Legislature.

For all of Carpenter's history on the beach, Bellone is not without any experience overseeing a barrier island. His township includes the eastern half of Jones Beach Island, which includes half a dozen communities between Gilgo Beach and Oak Beach.

As a former county legislator, Carpenter fought to consolidate Fire Island into one legislative district instead of having two legislators divided over the beach's needs. She said her best asset is her experience as a former small business owner who is now intimately familiar with the county's checkbook in her current administrative role. "No one knows the financials of this county better," said Carpenter. "That kind of life experience you just can't buy."

Carpenter, 67, called her 42-year-old opponent a "nice young man," but said he lacks county-level know how.

A fundraiser will be held for Carpenter at the Palms Hotel in Ocean Beach on Saturday, Sept. 3, from 6-8 p.m.

A Change of Heart

Former Assemblywoman Ginny Fields (D-Oakdale), who was unseated by state Assemblyman Al Graf (R-Holbrook) last November, is hoping to get back into politics with her run for Islip Town Clerk this November. Although she originally said she would not seek office again, Fields, who remains a visible figure on the beach, said she has had a change of heart.

Fields is running against GOP candidate Olga Hopkins-Murray, an attorney from Bayport who is the former director of Islip's Foreign Trade Zone. Also having a change of heart was incumbent Clerk Regina Duffy, a Republican, who announced this spring that she would not seek re-election after initially throwing her hat in the ring. Duffy had been dogged by a New York State audit that found $3,550 missing from her office, a sexual harassment lawsuit and an Equal Opportunity Employment Commission complaint.

"I'd like to make that department more efficient and friendly to constituents," said Fields, who spent nearly four decades as an administrator in the medical field before first being elected to the Suffolk County Legislature. "None of that is going to happen on my watch," she said of the controversies.

Democratic Supervisor Phil Nolan and Republican challenger Tom Croci will also be on the Islip ballot, as well as four candidates for two at-large council seats, the receiver of taxes and a district court judge. Democrats currently have a 3-2 majority on the town board.

Both Fields and Hopkins-Murray have been campaigning around town all summer, but the race is heating up in the run-up to Election Day.

"Olga will provide needed documents, in a competent, easy to understand format to expedite the process of applying for permits, licenses and vital business, family and historic records," Hopkins-Murray wrote in one of her campaign mailings. She is managing partner at Murray and Hopkins, a small general practice law firm in West Sayville.

Fields noted that she would take pride in officiating gay and lesbian wedding ceremonies under the state's recently enacted marriage equality law.

"I'm looking forward to same-sex marriages on Fire Island," said Fields. She added that she also still attends Fire Island Law Enforcement Security Council meetings although she is not an elected official.

Hopkins-Murray has also received the Conservative and Independence party nominations. The Working Families Party has not yet announced if it would endorse Fields as it has in the past.