Category: News

Victor Montanez III was sworn in as the new trustee during the village’s October 4 board meeting. He replaces Barbara Lacey, who is relocating elsewhere.

A 49-year village resident, Mr. Montanez has been employed as an information technology (IT) specialist at the State University of New York at Stony Brook for the past 17 years. He also owns his own IT firm, Gemini Total Solutions, based in Islandia. Prior to this, he was a business manager and director for Phibro Animal Health in Fort Lee, New Jersey. His duties included serving as an assistant to the company’s chief information officer and handling domestic and international business matters.

Mr. Montanez is a graduate of Suffolk County Community College in Selden, New York, where he earned his Associate of Arts and Science degree in Business. He is currently enrolled at SUNY-Stony Brook as a Business major.

His father, Victor Montanez, Jr., is a member of the Col. Francis S. Midura Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #12144. In September, the younger Victor Montanez served as a guardian for his father during the Honor Flight, in which war veterans are escorted during visits to the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery.

Mr. Montanez is married and has two daughters.

The Village of Islandia held its annual Veterans Day ceremony at the Veterans Memorial Triangle on November 5. Mayor Dorman, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, was joined by village board members, local war veterans and members of the Lakeland and Hauppauge Fire Departments to honor those who served and continue to serve in the armed forces.

During the ceremony, Mayor Dorman asked those in attendance to remember those local residents who served in the military and have since passed on. He also recognized all the local veterans’ groups that were in attendance. An invocation was delivered by Chaplain Tom Brauner of Col. Francis S. Midura Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #12144.

A number of residents have recently expressed their concern about fire pits or bonfires creating excessive smoke, which can permeate clothing or skin and cause severe health problems. This is caused by burning damp or wet wood, adding too much wood to the fire, or using accelerants such as lighter fluid to make an even larger fire. Excessive fires may also be deemed a nuisance under the village code.

For the safety of your family, guests and neighbors, the size of the fire in your fire pits must be kept to a minimum. Below, please find some additional tips to help keep your family and guests safe.

Do not burn leaves — Not only is it illegal, but it is dangerous. Burning of leaves also gives off particulate matter and carbon monoxide, which affect a person’s heart, blood oxygen levels and respiratory system.

Always use dry wood — Using wood that is damp or wet will give off very heavy smoke.

Use the right amount of wood — Some people will add too much wood in order to create a fire as big as they can. This can be unsafe as some of the wood that is aflame may fall out of the pit and cause a fire.

Do not use accelerants — This is dangerous as the flames may shoot up, causing burns to yourself and/or others nearby.

Do not sit too closely — Some of the embers that come out of the fire pit may still be hot. This may land on your skin and your clothing, causing burns and/or your clothing to catch fire.

Be careful with the marshmallows — Give your marshmallow time to cool before eating it. If it falls into the fire pit, do not try to retrieve it. If you are with young children, make sure they are supervised and keep them away from the fire as far as possible.

On September 9, the Village of Islandia held a special ceremony at the First Responders Memorial in honor of the memories of five local first responders who were killed during the September 11, 2001 attacks: Raymond M. Meisenheimer, Peter Brennan, John P. Napolitano. Glen K. Pettit and William J. Mahoney, Jr. This event commemorated the 21st anniversary of the terrorist attacks on U.S. soil.

Mayor Dorman was joined by village elected officials, employees and residents and members of the Col Francis S. Midura Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #12144 in remembering those who lost their lives during the 9/11 attacks.

The mayor scheduled the ceremony for the 9th to give the residents the opportunity to attend other September 11th memorial ceremonies.

On June 10, Joanne Guerra, a member of the Col. Francis S. Midura Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #12144, was recognized by Suffolk County Legislator Trish Bergin for her service to this country as part of Women Veterans Appreciation Day.

This special day was established in 2020 by the Suffolk County Legislature as a way to honor Suffolk’s female war veterans and provide a lifeline to them who may be in need of services. Ms. Guerra was joined by Allan M. Dorman, Mayor, Village of Islandia, members of VFW Post #12144 and her friends and family for a special ceremony inside Legislator Bergin’s office.

Ms. Guerra is a Supervising Inspector for the Fire Department of New York (FDNY). She conducts site safety inspections for the Public Buildings Division focusing on schools and daycare centers.

For eight years, Ms. Guerra served in the U.S. Army. She was deployed in 2009 and 2012 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as a Human Intelligence Collector. During her time with the Army, she mentored and led soldiers as a Non-Commissioned Officer, participated in over 300 combat patrols and conducted more than 900 interrogations of detainees at a strategic-level detention facility.