John Panicola: Huntington Town Board Candidate

Two weeks ago I profiled a "Suffolk County GOP Rising Star."

John Panicola is not your typical politician however, and is not your conventional Republican.

A Marine, bartender and current Adelphi student, Panicola got involved because he feels that politics shouldn't have such a significant divide between generations and that a new voice can aid in improving the town's politics.

"At times party seems to take precedent over the issues," said John Panicola. "I'm looking for votes because I'm trying to get involved with the youth, the disenfranchised, or those never involved in the political scheme."

Registered as an Independent until his recent courting with the GOP, Panicola has a blend of both Conservative and Progressive values that makes him a unique hybrid that could sit well on either side of the aisle depending on the issue.

On the Town Board there are four Democrats and one Republican.

 The Working Families Party, a center-left leaning third party could serve as a perfect fit for the young veteran and his aforementioned hybrid politics.

"They stand for workers rights, veterans benefits, affordable housing, equality and a lot of the things that are needed in the Town of Huntington" said Panicola. "To switch my affiliation is a possibility, to either a Democrat or the Working Families Party line itself."

Keep in mind the vast economic and social differences that range across Huntington's over 200 Thousand residents; Panicola is pushing to bridge the gap across an economically diverse community to make housing affordable for families across the spectrum.

To prove his loyalty and validate his intentions to his community Panicola also is a proponent of term limits.

Often in local politics the incumbent sits near unbeatable at election time and they eventually hold elected power in local communities for decades at a time.

Term limits should inspire individuals in our communities to get more involved to keep new blood to constantly flowing through the town and village halls of Long Island.

"With a collective mindset and the right bi-partisanship we can definitely come to a common ground to serve everyone," said Panicola.

Hopefully this can serve as a spark not just in Huntington, but across the Long Island within both political parties in the upcoming election season.

MTA Axes Bus System

It looks like the Long Island MTA bus service will lose 27/43 lines that run through Nassau County.

Cutting service will be a major problem for low income workers who primarily take the bus as transportation to and from work with no other means of getting there.

The MTA Proposal does have some rationale to it and they do their best to make it legitimate.

Basically, they're axing the service because County Executive Mangano won't cough up an additional $27 million this year and is protesting the cost as an
unfair fiscal strain on Nassau County.

                                  (Courtesy of Kriston Lewis' Photostream)

Just a few weeks ago it seemed however that our politicians were able to very easily "save the bus service."

Politicians Jack Martins and John Ciotti are both of note for having served their constituents well and ensuring that an alternative solution would be reached for the near future. The State Senate and the MTA approved some additional funding for this fiscal year, as well as some extra money for next year to keep the bus lines running in relative entirety through 2012.

This will become an issue again in 2012-2013 however.

The MTA will not sit around and take the ultimate burden of financial responsibility and when this agreement expires something new will have to be done, whether it be Mangano's plan to privatize the service or some government conceding additional funding to the MTA for the bus service to continue to run in relative inefficiency.

Check out my Podcast on the topic below!

Mangano Gambling on the Shinnecock

Nassau County and the Shinnecock nation are in stages of negotiations regarding a 40 acre plot of land that would be turned into the newest Native American owned casino in the tri-state area. The two parties are close to signing a Memorandum of Understanding to move forward negotiations to the state and federal levels.

(Photo Courtesy of Creative Commons)

The plot is located close to Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale and is part of the larger plan of revitalizing the Islanders franchise and stadium with what was once known as the Long Island Lighthouse Project.

Proponents have craved for a new -or at least renovated- Nassau Coliseum along with new hotels, as well as shopping and entertainment facilities that would compete directly with Roosevelt Field or anywhere else on the Island in size. Adding on a casino would only increase revenues, an estimated $2-3 Million per acre and another $30 Million annually.

Not to mention the whole project being given the go ahead much, much faster.

This is not something unexpected though. County Executive Mangano spoke of this less than a year ago, last summer as he asserted that everything could and should be on the table in order to bring down the crippling deficit the county is facing. Last June the Shinnecock Tribe of Suffolk County was recognized federally as a native American tribe.

None of this should be surprising anyone.

However, the partisan nature of not only just the county and island, but the state and federal levels could make for multiple overall outcomes: It could be fast tracked as a money maker by a bipartisan coalition just as easy as a bipartisan coalition could shoot down the project immediately. Just as likely would be the two sides digging into the trenches and arguing to no avail. Democrats would criticize the casino as degrading the community while Republicans would back their Exec and support the fiscally savvy move, even though they might be simultaneously compromising their morals.

Personally, I have mixed feelings, but it would save gas spent on those long trips to Atlantic City or Foxwoods.

Suffolk County GOP Rising Star

In the absence of political leadership the same old political process has once again left us unsatisfied and disillusioned. At times like this it is the responsibility of those who can to stand up and lead. Conventional politicians have served for years and even our local representatives play the same old politics that we complain about in Washington.


As the candidates, policies and representatives in many cases remain detached from the young voters that they so long to herd off to vote in oft low turnout elections that are consistently right down to the wire.  


John Panicola's candidacy is one new voice for generations of Long Islanders and particularly his hometown Huntington residents.


 "20- to 30-somethings see the same names on the ballot year after year and have become disenfranchised from local government,"said Panicola. "It's seems to keep them from potentially becoming involved and shaping the community for themselves."


The 33 year old former Marine, Panicola is considerably frustrated with the same old politics and the lack of leadership. Currently working as a bartender as well as an Adelphi University student; Panicola is in the thick of discussion between both students by day and the common man at night. His down to earth personality along with his innate leadership and first class USMC training serves as a strong resume that does lack any previous political service.


The Republican candidate may be one of the old men on the Adelphi campus, but on the contrary sees his candidacy as part of a youth movement in Long Island politics. Running for Town Board in Huntington this upcoming election, Panicola is truly an inspiring American story that will be closely followed by this blog.



Check in on the blog soon for updates on John Panicola and his candidacy including a more in depth profile, interview and some audio/visual first hand material! 

Long Island Murderer Must be Brought to Justice

It is common knowledge by now that Long Island is in the midst of a Serial Killer(s).

Police have reported that they are getting closer by the day with new leads and evidence constantly emerging.

Out of respect for the events this post is not meant to report the events that took place, plenty of other news sources have covered this in depth.

This is only to urge the community to remain vigilant, travel accompanied whenever possible (especially women at night) and to report any suspicious behavior or information that could potentially be useful to the authorities.