Recently, Supervisor Ed Romaine and Councilman Neil Foley held a press conference to ask Braemar Living in Medford to halt their plan to remove landline telephones from the facility by November 1 and have residents use their cellular phones. This proposed action is part of a technology upgrade to switch over to fiber optics that has been moving forward for some time.
The elderly residents at Braemer Living, including Paula Bergman, oppose the change and have asked for elected officials, including Suffolk County Legislator Dominick Thorne; State Assemblyman Joe DeStafano and New York State Senator Dean Murray to join with the Supervisor and Councilman in their protest. Pictured at right is Braemer Living resident Paula Bergman.
Supervisor Romaine said, “We are going to insist that the needs of the residents are met. Councilman Foley and the other elected officials are going to bat for the Braemar residents and that’s a great start.”
Councilman Foley said, “By the end of the day, is the changeover the right thing to do? Honestly, I say ‘no.’ We have Town, State and County officials on our side and we are working to do something about it.”
Credit: Town of Brookhaven