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Leg. Cooper's response to the crowd's concerns:
He would consider the possibility of moving the dog run
up the hill. “I can propose that,” he said, “I’ll try.” Before leaving, he gathered
more information on the preferred location for the run.
However, he noted, the chances of
preserving a non-fenced-in dog run at Coindre Hall are “non-existent.” A woman was
bitten by a dog at the park several years ago, he said, and some local residents are
wary of walking through the park with unleashed dogs. “They are tax-payers, too,” he
noted.
HERE'S WHAT'S NEXT:
In March, the CEQ rules on the dog run
at Coindre Hall. There are three strong supporters, three strong opponents and one
swing vote on the Council. Leg. Cooper is handling those contacts.
Next, Leg. Cooper’s bill to create dog
runs at Coindre Hall and West Hills Park goes before the Suffolk County
Legislature’s Parks Committee. The committee is chaired by Legislator Ginny Fields,
a strong opponent of dog runs.
Leg. Cooper, however,
is now vice chair of the committee. Given his position and the fact the dog run is
in his
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district, Leg. Cooper said he felt his bill had a good chance of getting approved.
Then, the bill finally goes before the
full county legislature. That’s when dog owners need to come out in force, like we
did Feb. 6th, to show our commitment to a dog run at Coindre Hall and to
dog parks throughout Suffolk County. We’ll need 10 of 18 votes to get our dog runs!
WHAT WE NEED TO DO:
Substantially build up our forces
throughout Suffolk County! We need to make sure that legislators from Babylon to
the Twin Forks hear from dog owners in their own districts, not just Huntington.
Contact your friends and family
throughout the county! Get them to sign our petition (click here to get a copy)
and sign up for our e-mail list. Tell them to write their legislator that dog owners
are tired of being discriminated against. We pay taxes and want our fair share of
parkland!
If we get enough people behind us,
we’ll get our dog parks! As Leg. Cooper put it, “Winning a case on the facts is not
the way it works in the legislature.” The only thing that counts is People Power.
Dog owners are 650,000 strong in Suffolk County. We have the people. All we need to
do is create the power!
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