Letter To The Editor: Susan Berland Responds To Hector Gavilla

LONG ISLAND, NY — Patch recently sent out questionnaires to candidates for Suffolk County Legislature's 16th L.D., Democrat incumbent Susan Berland and Republican challenger Hector Gavilla. Gavilla wrote a letter to the editor in response to Berland's questionnaire.

Below is Berland's full response to Gavilla and message to voters:

"While I was under the impression that candidates were submitting their completed Patch questionnaires to provide information about themselves for reader review and comment, my opponent has instead used it as an opportunity to spread misinformation and to hurl insults at me. True to form, he begins his letter by claiming that he is responding 'to some misinformation my opponent said about me,' but instead – because there was no 'misinformation' about him in my response to the questionnaire – he proceeds to attack me with lies.

"I have been in elected office for 18 years, and it is my practice always to 'go high,' to take the high road when an opponent hurls insults, calls me names or spreads misinformation about me. In this instance, going high means standing up to this dishonest bully who disparages my character and misrepresents the facts.

"I have earned the reputation for being hard working, putting in long hours serving the public interest. Even on the one family vacation I take each year, I continue to work to address constituent concerns and problems, keep in constant contact with my staff and am always available.

"Most Legislators are appointed to three to five committees. In 2018, I was appointed to serve on six committees, and now, in 2019, I serve on eight committees. As a result, in the 22
months I have been in office, I have attended 138 committee meetings and EVERY General Session Meeting (27) of the Legislature. In addition, I have participated in over 400 other governmental, civic, constituent and other meetings and work seven days a week. My opponent’s fake math, distortions and misrepresentations show not only that he has no idea what the job of Legislator entails, but that he has no qualms about propagating lies. Add to that his name calling, his distasteful and misogynistic references to my body, his manipulation of photographs and his many other horrible tactics, and it is clear that his strategy is to play in the gutter.

"In 2000, legislation was enacted in New York calling for government bodies to begin
implementing means for electronic attendance and participation at meetings. Since then, many agencies and public bodies in New York have taken the steps necessary to make that possible, but Suffolk County has not. Thus, when Suffolk Legislators are unable to attend a meeting, they ask for, and are given, an excused absence. Because I go away only once a year, I knew that I would be on vacation with my family when committee meetings would be taking place. Given my dedication to my responsibilities, and having led the initiative to televise Huntington Town Board meetings in order to foster greater public participation when I was a Councilwoman, I sought - beginning in July, not January - to make arrangements to Skype into the committee meetings in accordance with the procedures laid out in the 2000 New York State legislation, using my own equipment
(and therefore at no expense to the County). What I learned, however, was that because no one had Skyped in before – they had simply taken an excused absence if they were away – the Legislature had no procedure in place for electronic participation. So ultimately, I withdrew my request, and it was agreed that a committee would be formed to recommend procedures going forward. As an aside, although the absence of formal procedures meant that I could not 'officially' participate in the meetings, I was present at each and every one of the committee meetings by Skype at no expense to the county and was able to work with colleagues to ensure that all of my questions were asked and answered at each of the meetings. That my opponent would distort all of this in an effort to turn my dedication somehow into something negative, and to then have his party political county chair issue a disgustingly misogynistic press release, is all the more despicable. (And no, we don’t have a house on the water, we don’t spend months there, and I have skin cancer, so I don’t get to lie on the beach in the sun).

"I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised by my opponent’s loose relationship with the truth and his offensive behavior. He resorted to lies, name-calling and misinformation in his last race against me, two years ago. He has yet to clean up his act, but his hypocrisy has increased. The campaign finance laws call for full disclosure and complete transparency, but my opponent consistently fails to file proper campaign finance disclosures, leaving us all to wonder what he is concealing - who pays for all of those signs, literature and mailings? Where does the money come from?

"Do the research yourself. See if you can find any solution offered by my opponent - any
suggestion for improvement - anything positive. You will not be able to find anything. He is running a base campaign to conceal his lack of substance. His refusal to answer any of the tough questions – Which programs would he cut? Which employees would he lay off? Which vital services would he eliminate? – and his resort to name calling and lies, clearly shows that he is unfit for public office. Please do your research on me as well. Go to my website at SusanABerland.com and see my 18-year record of public service. See what I’ve accomplished and what I stand for. Then please base your decision on the facts.

I will not be bullied by my opponent. Voters are entitled to know the facts.

Very truly yours,
Susan A. Berland"

Read Berland's original Q&A with Patch here.