Nation enters a new phase

It should hardly be a surprise that a presidential election everyone said was too close to call ended up being too close to call as Election Day turned into the day after. But as the counting continued deeper into the early morning hours, it appeared likely that former President Donald Trump would defeat Vice President Kamala Harris.

Whatever would have been the outcome, there is no escaping the fact that half the nation would be ecstatic, while the other half would be dejected. In the end, we are all going to have to accept the result and figure out a way to move forward as one nation.

That won't be easy. We have been living on the knife's edge of tension for so long now. But perhaps we can use as a building block the passion Americans on both sides exhibited in coming to the polls in droves, both early and on Election Day. Such engagement shows our strength.

As the tally continued, one clear result was that Democrats lost control of the U.S. Senate. Regardless of your party, relegating Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to the minority is a terrible loss for New York. Schumer's clout and acumen brought a flood of federal money to New York, a gusher that will be greatly diminished going forward. Control of the House, which will greatly determine the success of the next administration, likely will take days to determine. 

Also definitive and disturbing: the passage of New York's Proposition 1, the Equal Rights Amendment. This poorly drafted proposal seems likely to open the door to a flood of litigation, allowing judges to effectively make policy regarding constitutional rights that should be the province of the State Legislature. It seems destined to create chaos and produce results at odds with its creators' intent.

One welcome result was the approval of Suffolk County's water quality referendum. Proposition 2 was a long time coming — advocates started work on it more than a decade ago — but Suffolk voters by a whopping margin chose wisely as they almost always do when asked to weigh in on protecting the environment and, especially, clean water.

Prop 2 will hike the county sales tax by one-eighth of a penny — 12.5 cents on a $100 purchase — to create a reliable stream of funding for sewer expansion and septic system upgrades that will remove nitrogen from our wastewater. That will improve the water in our rivers, lakes, bays and harbors, as well as the water we drink. Kudos to all who kept working on this — and to the voters who understood its necessity, ignored the misguided and cynical opposition to it, and agreed to tax themselves. This was a long-term win for our region.

Like healthy participation among voters, it's also a plus when a common-sense focus prevails.