Eight-Year Incumbent Faces Challenge in Brookhaven's 4th Council District

Brookhaven Councilman Michael Loguercio has at least one thing in common with his challenger for his 4th District seat: they both have experience as trustees with their local school boards. Cameron Trent, vice president of the South Country School District, also has experience as a South Country Library Board member vs. Loguercio's service as vice president of the Ridge Fire Department's Rescue Squad and past fire police captain.

According to the eight-year incumbent, his top priorities as a councilman are public safety, quality of life, and holding the line on taxes. "Safety is paramount, as I will continue to work with law enforcement and all levels of government to do whatever necessary to keep our town as safe as possible," Loguercio said. "We have taken down over 400 zombie homes and will continue to rid the community of these dangerous and unsightly structures, which can be deadly and bring down property values."

If re-elected, the councilman said he will continue to work with the community and developers to bring in new businesses along the Montauk Highway corridor in a district that includes Bellport, North Bellport, and Brookhaven Hamlet. "This will bring much-needed affordable living, many additional new jobs, and positive tax revenue for the community and school district, and allow families to remain in the area for years to come," Loguercio promised.

Michael Loguercio File Photo

Trent, a Bellport resident who is a Citizens Services Representative in the Babylon Town supervisor's office and was previously on the staff of county Legislator Rob Calarco, pointed to Brookhaven's Yaphank landfill as a major problem in the area, along with asphalt plants and other industrial development. The Democrat pledged to open up communication between the town and its residents. "We're not having a conversation about this," Trent said. "We're supposed to be concerned about our health and what the public opinion is. You can't forgo public hearings because these were rolled into some plan made years ago."

Loguercio pointed to the town's excellent financial health as a key reason to stay with the Republicans on the town council. He noted the town's Triple-A bond rating and ability to stay within the state-mandated 2% tax cap every year since he's been in office. The councilman also pointed to a zero financial stress score recently given the town by the state comptroller, the best possible. In addition, he said, "I will continue to work closely with our highway department and parks department to make certain that they have the resources needed to keep our roadways safe and our parks enjoyable for everyone."

Cameron Trent File Photo

As a councilman, Trent said he would place a high priority on the affordable housing shortage and would work with the town's Industrial Development Agency on projects that would create lower-priced living units and jobs for local residents. "You hear about a lot of people leaving to go Florida and other places, but you don't hear about people from those places wanting to come here," he said, pointing out that vacant commercial properties would be potential targets for housing. "We have the tools to fix the problem," including first-home buyer assistance.

In conjunction with Suffolk Legislator Dominick Thorne, Councilman Loguercio recently announced a plan to revitalize Gordon Heights, an area that suffers a high unemployment rate and lengthy commuter times for its residents. They're pushing to create a sewer district to increase the tax base by supporting the type of businesses that cater to community needs, such as supermarkets, laundromats, and banks. "I've been trying to bring some type of improvement to the Gordon Heights Fire District because, unfortunately, there isn't a lot of business there," Loguercio said.

The incumbent councilman has over 40 years of experience as a licensed insurance broker and insurance technology expert who's also been a journalist for a 125-year-old insurance trade publication where he wrote a bi-weekly column on risk management for more than 10 years. He's a member of the Bellport Rotary Club, Bellport Chamber of Commerce, and the Central Brookhaven Lion's Club. He served two terms on his church's vestry and is a member of many local civic organizations.

Trent is currently enrolled at Western Governors University, an online college, studying healthcare administration. "My track record has proven that I'm a problem solver, and I'm willing to put the work in," Trent said, noting that he was an advocate of getting the South Country district back to normal as quickly as possible after the COVID crisis. "We had our children in the building and our faculty in the building, and the school board was still meeting remotely," he said. "I felt if they could be in the building, so can we." He ran for the board of education at age 18, shortly after graduating from the district. "I'm concerned about the same things that the residents are concerned with. I want to hear their ideas and what they think the solutions are. I'll work incredibly hard to make sure that district is better than it was yesterday."

Educated at the City University of New York, Suffolk County Community College, St. Joseph's College, and the University of Phoenix, Loguercio has an Associate degree in Criminal Justice and a Bachelor's in Business Administration. "I'm deeply involved in my community; I bring their issues to the town board, and we solve them," he said.

The 4th District also includes Middle Island, Ridge, and parts of Coram, Farmingville, Holtsville, Medford, North Shirley, and Yaphank. The council position pays $76,742 per year.