If there's one thing that directly affects one's quality of life, it's the actions of those responsible for governing. From the local to the national, here's a look back at some of the most pivotal government stories of 2012 in Miller Place-Rocky Point.
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- This year marked the first year the Town of Brookhaven charged residents a fee for parking at its town beaches and marinas. Enacted in April, the fee was highly unpopular among residents.
- The state's tax levy cap law factored into the failure of some local school districts' budgets, including Mt. Sinai.
- The Town of Brookhaven in September amended its housing code to be able to close a loophole that allowed some homeowners to get away with renting rooms in their homes to invididuals not part of their family.
Town of Brookhaven
- In August, less than a year after winning re-election, former town supervisor Mark Lesko announced he would be stepping down to lead Accelerate Long Island.
- In the special election that followed, Republican county legislator Ed Romaine defeated Democrat Brian Beedenbender to become Brookhaven's 70th town supervisor.
- When former highway superintendent John Rouse was elected a county court judge, state Assemb. Dan Losquadro, R-Shoreham, expressed interest in succeeding Rouse in the town highway department.
Suffolk County
- Freshman county legislator Kara Hahn, D-Setauket, successfully proposed legislation to equip police vehicles with Narcan, an anti-opiate-overdose drug that has saved more than 40 lives since it was piloted.
- Hahn and Legis. Wayne Horsely, D-Lindenhurst, led the way in banning hydrofracking waste from coming into Suffolk County water treatment facilities.
- Suffolk County officials voted to spend more than $32 million to fix ailing bridges and roadways in 2012, County Executive Steve Bellone announced in June.
- In August, Suffolk County officials announced a new contract with the police department that would help save the county money.
State
- In November, State Assemb. Steve Englebright, D-Setauket, was elected to a 12th term.
- During the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Englebright said the idea of burying power lines underground should be seriously considered.
Nation
- In November, incumbent President Barack Obama (D) defeated Republican challenger Mitt Romney to win re-election.
- In another contentious race between incumbent Democratic Congressman Tim Bishop and Republican challenger Randy Altschuler, Bishop emerged the winner.
