Laurel

The case for Civics

Teaching Civics in schools is essential for sustaining a healthy democracy, fostering informed participation, and preparing young people to navigate complex social and political systems. Civics education equips students with the knowledge needed to understand how government works, what rights and responsibilities citizens hold, the rule of law, and how individuals can influence public life. S

Students who learn about the structure and principles of government — such as the separation of powers, checks and balances, and constitutional rights — are better prepared to interpret political information and evaluate policy debates.

Understanding the Constitution helps students see how laws are grounded in enduring principles, while learning about institutions like the Supreme Court, thereby demonstrating how those principles are applied in practice. This knowledge reduces vulnerability to misinformation, social media and polarized discourse and political manipulation while promoting critical thinking and media literacy. Students must learn how to evaluate sources, distinguish facts from opinions, and recognize bias.

Civics helps preserve democratic norms across generations. Democracies are not self-sustaining; they depend on citizens who understand both their freedoms and their responsibilities.

Civics education is the preparation for citizenship. By teaching students how their government works and why participation matters, schools help ensure that democracy remains vibrant and responsive.

Charles Gueli

Orient

Boom!

It is May 28, 7:30 a.m., I am sitting on my porch with my coffee and my book, enjoying the sun, the scenery, listening to the birds. Then boom! At 8:00 the noise begins — the mowers, the leaf blowers, the saws!

It’s not just next door; after that, it’s the other side, then down the block, one after another all day long!
We moved here over 30 years ago for peace and quiet, but it’s not the same anymore. As more and more houses go up, there is more and more noise pollution!

Why can’t the town designate a two or three days a week and that’s it? It’s actually every day that someone has their lawn manicured! The leaf blowers are the killer!

What a shame!

Barbara Latham

Southold

Sweets from a stranger

In the past two months I have retrieved two parcels of baked brownies left in my mailbox with no identification and no hint of who made them.

I would like to properly say “thank you” to the kind person who left them. Please make yourself known to me.

Elaine Goldman

Riverhead

Troubling tactics

I’d like to thank Colin Tooker for his guest spot in the May 28 issue (“Foggy Facts Cloud L.I.S.C. Takeover Talk”). It revealed some less-than-optimal behavior on the part of some Town Board members. Why in the world would Councilwoman Denise Merrifield refuse to answer a legitimate question? And did she really need another councilperson to act as her attorney, essentially telling her to plead the fifth? The optics of this are troubling.

From the article “Halpin Pitches Tax-Hike Rollback” (also May 28), it seems to me that Councilman Ken Rothwell is an obstructionist. Apparently, he would have preferred that the early-retirement cost-savings plan was not widely announced to Riverhead taxpayers. That’s troubling as well, especially because the unions and the town’s financial administrator are in favor of this plan. Councilman Rothwell additionally had the audacity to accuse Supervisor Halpin of a lack of transparency for simply making taxpayers aware of this plan, while Rothwell’s fellow Town Board members engage in anti-transparent shenanigans like not answering questions and trying to hide a speaker’s spousal identity.

The Town Board members who wish to be reelected should be careful not to stand in the way of plans that can save tax dollars or to push for eminent domain boondoggles that could waste tax dollars. After Tim Hubbard’s 7.89% tax hike, Riverhead taxpayers are paying attention.

The old political stereotype has been “tax-and-spend Democrats,” but in Riverhead we seem to have discovered a new political animal: tax-and-spend Republicans. Lucky us.

Thomas Pfalzer

Riverhead

Last call

How do people feel about a five-story luxury hotel swallowing up half of Riverhead’s Town Square? A June 10 public hearing on the site plan and special permit applications is the last and only real opportunity to be heard.

The town attorney has told us this hearing is not an opportunity to challenge the whole misguided plan. We have seen the same manipulated process from the beginning: A plan developed behind the scenes with a favored insider [who] avoided competitive bidding and any real public discussion of the character of the Town Square park. The Town Board seized the Craft’d lease by eminent domain and demolished the building, ironically creating the opportunity for a better option of more open space.

It has just been revealed that Mr. Petrocelli demands “indispensable” IDA tax benefits. The profit he will make from room rentals in a Tapestry brand “positioned as upscale to upper-upscale lifestyle accommodations” evidently won’t be enough.

Forget about even limited parking for guests. All hotel patrons are to use valet service to reserved spots in back of The Suffolk. How will hotel parking affect clients of the [theater], Maximus gym, Robert James Salon and Goldberg’s deli?

The premise that a luxury hotel with a fancy restaurant will lead families to stay in town after visiting the aquarium is dubious. The Science Center, which the board is also determined to destroy for private profit, provides a far more likely motive to walk down Main Street. An East End Arts Council whose historic buildings are not hidden between Summerwind and the hotel is also a bigger aesthetic draw.

The spin that the hotel makes The Suffolk the centerpiece of the Town Square is directly contradicted by five stories of modernity overwhelming three stories of tradition.

I encourage you to check official documents and examine carefully the details of the behemoth that will add to, not offset, the growing five-story compromise of Riverhead’s downtown.

I created images with ChatGPS of what a Town Square without a hotel would look like and how we could outshine Mitchell Park in Greenport. They can be seen at tinyurl.com/newtownsquare.

I hope concerned residents will share their views June 10 in person or virtually, sign our petition at c.org/Y6dV7L9Rvs or e-mail Townclerk@townofriverheadny.gov.

John McAuliff
Riverhead Watch

Aquebogue

Surprise, surprise

Re this week’s article “Halpin retirement proposal stalls as Riverhead board questions incentive plan.”
Oh, what a surprise. The first proposal for saving money, and the Town Board — specifically Mr Rothwell — questions Mr Halpin’s motivation for presenting it on social media. What ideas has the Town Board come up with for reducing the budget? This isn’t a Republican or Democrat issue, this is a concern for all taxpayers of Riverhead Town.

Rather than complain or find fault with an idea, come up with a solution. How long is it going to take the board to do their “homework”? Mr Rothwell questions why the $1.4 million in interest earnings wasn’t used to reduce the 2026 budget and tax levy. Interesting, considering he was a member of the board at the time the budget was passed. I guess there wasn’t enough study time during the homework process.

Personally, I appreciate Mr. Halpin using social media to present this idea to the taxpayers, God only knows how long it would take the Town Board to do so.

John Woods

The post Letters to the Editor: The case for Civics appeared first on The Suffolk Times.

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