His brother Carlos and nephew Mike also work for North Ferry, and the Payanos are one of at least nine families with more than one person working for a ferry on Shelter Island. “We’ve been living here so long, we know everyone,” Mr. Payano said. “Although some can’t tell if I’m Manny or Carlos.”The year-round population of Shelter Island is around 2,200, and 128 of them work at either North Ferry or South Ferry. To make matters worse, North Ferry and South Ferry each purchased new boats last year, increasing their capacity by about 25 percent, but also increasing their debt by millions of dollars. In meetings with Suffolk County legislators Mr. Siller urged lawmakers not to think of aid to the ferries as a bailout.

Source: New York Times September 11, 2020 09:00 UTC