Letters to the Editor: Why Love Lane chose LEDs

Mattituck

Why Love Lane chose LEDS

In response to Ms. Ellinghaus’ letter to the editor (“Not loving Love Lane’s holiday trees.” Dec. 18):

Traditionally, the trees on the main roadways and Love Lane were placed in front of participating Chamber Member locations to show who was a member.  This year, we decided that since we were hosting Santa’s Bazaar Nite on Love Lane for the first time (a combination of the traditions of Santa Day and First Fridays), we would place 20 trees on the street to make it more festive. We ran the white light from First Fridays along the road and plugged the trees lights directly into them so there were no extraneous cords anywhere. 

So why LED lights? The simple answer is wattage. The difference in regular bulbs and LED wattage is vast, and this way we only had to plug 10 trees and 5 sets of white lights into one outlet on each side of the street (many thanks to Orlowski Hardware and Mattituck Florist for providing the electricity).

While we did sacrifice the warmth of the traditional bulbs, we had a great night on Love Lane with Santa, Mrs. Claus, a slew of kids, adults and a lot of happy faces… Even the Grinch showed up!

Also, this year, the PTSA began a new tree decorating competition that ended up including 30 of the Mattituck Chamber Trees!

I’d like to thank our supporting sponsors of the Santa’s Bazaar Nite event, and banners with their names and logos are at the Ray Nine Park in front of CVS and at the entrance to Love Lane.

Happy Holidays and Shop Local!

Terry McShane

president of Mattituck Chamber of Commerce

Southold

Shalom

I was most pleased to read the wonderful article written by your editor about Rabbi Shaya Hurwitz from Chabad of the North Fork. It’s not often rabbis “make the newspaper”; alas, the Australian shooting massacre made it possible.

Thank you for highlighting a man who is humble and low key, while serving the community in a myriad of ways. 

I wish my neighbors a joyful holiday season. 

Elaine Goldman

Lexington, N.C.

Celebrating Richard Olsen-Harbich

Nice article by Amy Zavatto about Richard Olsen-Harbich’s last vintage as a winemaker on Long Island.  No one deserves recognition more than Richard. He has maintained the inspiration for quality from the beginning of his career. In vino veritas!

Mark Friszolowski

winemaker at Childress Vineyards

Greenport

Thank you

With great pleasure, I thank Carrie Miller, your photographer and writer of the recent article documenting the success of the second Greenport Village Victorian House Tour. The article was full of interesting facts and information that I am sure will inspire many to advocate for historical home preservation.

Ms. Miller was lovely, inquisitive and genuinely interested in the subject matter, thus capturing some very special features and emotions of the homes on the tour. I am sure that each homeowner was delighted for The Suffolk Times coverage and as each owner brought forth unique and insightful home features.

I thank you from my soul and essence for covering this event, and I am certain that many more home owners will become “trustees” as William Morris, an English writer, artist and preservationist quoted:

“It has been most truly said that these old buildings do not belong to us only, they belong to our forefathers and they will belong to our descendants unless we play them false. They are not in any sense our own property to do as we like with them. We are only trustees for those who come after us.”

Sofia Antoniadis

Cutchogue

When ‘affordable’ is defined by politics

America has always thrived on competition. Competition is the ability to improve on the established norms. As a result America has grown into a world leader. Americans of all means share in this prosperity with equal opportunity.

Affordable is the value I place on an item, not what or how government defines the word. If we succumb to the government’s definition we lessen our competitive ability.

In essence, the government divides us — well, not so much the government but the politician. George Washington warned us of political parties. We have only to look at the past 30 years to understand his concern.

What is affordable to me may not be affordable to you — or you may even be able to afford more than I. This is not wrong; this is the competition that makes us better. 

When politicians exercise their power to influence competition through law and regulation, unintended consequences often become reality and lead to worsening conditions.

As evidence just look at the ACA (Obamacare). Has anyone seen premiums lowered as promised? Has health care gotten better? Has fraud proliferated within the ACA? Is there really competition among the insurance companies? Does it really benefit the individual?

What our politicians need to do is lessen regulation to encourage more competition and to reduce the money supply to increase the value of money earned. “Affordable” will then be in the grasp of the individual.

Bob Bittner 

Aquebogue

Another IDA giveaway

The News-Review aptly pointed to multiple questions about Riverhead’s sale of millions in taxpayer assets to Joe Petrocelli— a longstanding GOP donor — in a no-bid deal, with no public disclosure of the developer’s financials and limited public engagement. 

It only adds insult to injury to learn that Mr. Petrocelli has submitted an application to Riverhead’s rogue IDA seeking further subsidies for a Hilton hotel. He has already received millions in IDA benefits for his other projects. We believe Riverhead officials were well aware that Mr. Petrocelli would again ask taxpayers to bankroll his private venture and withheld this material information in a below-market giveaway of the Craft’D building. 

There are far more worthy beneficiaries of corporate welfare. We should not be compelled to subsidize private businesses that have no benefit for taxpayers.

Ron Hariri