Tish talks Trump at DNC

Daily Point

Far from court, James slaps back at Trump

In New York late Wednesday, the office of State Attorney General Letitia James filed a response to Donald Trump’s bid to void a civil judgment of nearly $500 million against him.

In Chicago early Thursday, the final day of the Democratic National Convention, James said the papers Trump filed mark "a repetition of all the things that he said previously."

Outside court, the civil case on appeal becomes fodder for uncivil statements. Trump keeps up a steady flow of nasty social-media attacks on James, Gov. Kathy Hochul, and Democrats in general as he seeks to return to the White House. He claims pols like James drive business out of state. She replied Thursday: "All you have to do is follow the law, respect the law. We have an open-door policy. New York businesses are doing well."

In a sense, Trump and the New York Democrats, whom he once supported, are indispensable enemies.

The Point asked James about her presence at the DNC, where delegates from elsewhere know about her legal tangles with Trump. She said that while she’s AG, "I’m also here as a private citizen. I’m someone who obviously enjoys her First Amendment right and her right to associate, and I’m proud to be a member of the Democratic Party."

The attorneys general of Michigan and Minnesota spoke at the convention. James had no such formal role but on Thursday she addressed those who attended the last New York delegation breakfast meeting and delivered a red-meat speech for the Harris-Walz ticket.

"Our rights are being threatened by the Republicans and by those on the MAGA right," she said. She recalled visiting Normandy and surveying the cemetery there. "I was overcome by emotion because I saw all of the crosses and all the stars of David of young men who died on the field for our freedom," she said.

"And anyone who disparages veterans and those who died for our freedoms and liberties is not qualified to be the president of the United States. That’s what this is all about."

Trump for years has been reported to make controversial remarks about veterans, even once suggesting those who died in war were "suckers" and "losers."

Others addressing the delegation Thursday included New York City Mayor Eric Adams, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Tom Perez, who is President Joe Biden’s director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.

— Dan Janison dan.janison@newsday.com

Pencil Point

Under the weather

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Final Point

Patchogue yet to home in on state housing dollars

When advocates talk about the communities on Long Island that are most welcoming to new housing and other development, they often point to one prime example: Patchogue.

But despite its clear bona fides, Patchogue may not be designated as a pro-housing community by New York State — because Mayor Paul Pontieri, who has garnered much attention for his successful housing advocacy, isn’t applying for the designation, at least not right now.

Pontieri told The Point that while he initially submitted a letter of intent, he no longer plans to apply. Gov. Kathy Hochul established the pro-housing certification process in an effort to encourage more municipalities to commit to adding more units. Municipalities cannot receive key pots of state funds without first getting the pro-housing designation. On Long Island, 22 communities — including seven towns, 13 villages and both cities — have filed a letter of intent, and 11 of them have been officially certified as "pro-housing."

This week, after The Point asked the governor’s office about Pontieri’s decision, Pontieri received a call from a state official seeking a meeting to discuss his concerns — which Pontieri is willing to have.

"I don’t close the door on anything," Pontieri told The Point.

Hochul spokesman Gordon Tepper said a state team "will continue to work closely with the village" so that Patchogue can join the program and receive the "pro-housing" certification.

Pontieri highlighted several concerns with the pro-housing certification process. He noted that the application doesn’t take into account past successes in the village, which has added 700 units of housing over the last 15 years. According to the state’s pro-housing certification requirements, applicants must outline local housing permit approvals over only the past five years — and must show enough permits to indicate an increase in their housing stock by 1% over the last year or 3% over the past three years.

Pontieri noted that in Patchogue’s case, that means work that dates back further won’t count. And 350 additional units he has in various stages of preparation now won’t count, either, because permits haven’t been approved yet.

"Why can’t we get credit for what we’ve already done?" Pontieri asked. "Why are they ignoring communities that have already made the effort? ... We have worked very, very hard to build what we’ve built in this village."

Beyond that, Pontieri also takes issue with the pro-housing resolution communities must approve. The resolution’s language promises that any village that adopts it will take steps to streamline the permitting process and enact policies to encourage "multifamily housing, affordable housing, accessible housing, accessory dwelling units, and supportive housing."

That’s tricky, says Pontieri, because some of those categories — especially accessory dwelling units, or ADUs — don’t work in every community — and yet the resolution covers all of them.

He noted that on top of all of those concerns, the process of applying, and the paperwork involved, isn’t simple for a small village like Patchogue.

"We have five or six people in the building and planning departments," Pontieri said. "We don’t have time to sit down and fill out these cumbersome forms that the state wants."

Without the pro-housing designation, Patchogue won’t have access to some state funds. That will make a difference in how much the village can do and, specifically, in how affordable some developments may be. More state funds could mean that any new housing development would be able to earmark a higher percentage of units as affordable.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

Programming Point

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