Manzella Wins Special Election to Brookhaven's 3rd Council Seat

During a special election in Brookhaven's 3rd Council District last Tuesday, Republican candidate Neil A. Manzella won election over Democrat opponent Alyson E. Bass, to fill the seat that was vacated when former Councilman Kevin LaValle was elected to the office of Brookhaven Town Clerk. Former Councilman LaValle won election to the town wide Clerk's post during a special election last March.

Because last week's election was for the winner to fill an unexpired term through December 2023, residents in the 3rd Council District will be asked to return to the polls again in November to elect their council district representative for a full term. There will be a rematch between the candidates as both Manzella and Bass said they will run again in six months.

Manzella toppled his opponent at the polls with 57.80 percent of the vote over Bass's 43.09 percent. Manzella accrued 1,288 votes (45.67%) on the Republican line, and 314 votes (11.13%), on the Conservative line. Bass ran solely on the Democrat line and accrued 1,215 (43.09%) votes.

During an interview with Manzella last week, the new Councilman reflected on what prompted his decision to run for election and his plans when he takes the helm. "My whole career has been dedicated to public service, and when the opportunity presented itself to run for election for the 3rd council district, I jumped at the opportunity," Manzella said. "On Day 1, I want to meet with the heads of every department of Brookhaven Town so my vision is clear with them, and we can all work together."

Manzella recounted that he built his platform for election on maintaining a quality of life for residents and improving roadways. "As I was going door to door during the campaign, I was hearing that so many people are not happy with the roadways, which was the main focus of my campaign." Manzella said while he did everything in his power to get his message out to the voters, he was confident voting results would reflect his efforts but, he noted "Nothing is guaranteed."

Councilman-elect Neil Manzella

Bass, meanwhile, said, "Nothing is impossible-I looked at this election in April as a sprint, and the November election is the marathon. I'm not going anywhere; I'm staying around to go the distance," she added. Bass said she ran her campaign based on "local issues," most of which she said include stemming the tide of development in order to maintain the rural character of the district, and to address roadway issues.

Weighing in on Manzella's victory, Brookhaven Town Republican Chairman, Jesse Garcia, said Manzella's election is a victory for the constituents of the 3rd Council District and for Brookhaven residents at large: "Since being elected by the people of the 3rd Council District, Neil Manzella now joins the Brookhaven team of Supervisor Romaine and Kevin LaValle." Garcia, who in addition to serving as Town party leader, also serves as the Suffolk County GOP leader, added: "Together, they will protect the people of Brookhaven Town by keeping Town services affordable, maintaining the Town's bond rating at AAA status, saving taxpayers even more tax dollars, keeping our streets safe for families, attracting more small businesses to the district, and maintaining our rural quality of life against Governor Kathy Hochul's state-mandated overdevelopment and high density."

Manzella is married with two children. Employed in the Brookhaven Town Assessor's Office, Manzella said he will now serve as a full time Councilman. "This is my one and only job," Manzella said.