The Democrat slate of candidates is on the campaign trail in pursuit of winning seats on the Brookhaven Town Board in the November elections.
Topping the ticket for supervisor is Port Jefferson Village Mayor Margot Garant. Elected in 2009 and just announcing her intent to retire from the village board earlier in February, Garant is the longest serving mayor in the village's history. Under Garant's administration, Port Jefferson underwent large scale smart development projects along Port Jefferson Harbor, and facelifts further south near the railroad station that turned the village into a premiere community and vacation destination. Garant struck a balance with preseving open space of the last remaining tract of undeveloped land in Six Acre Park.
As Garant pursues election to the supervisor's seat against 6th District Councilman Dan Panico, she has set an aggressive agenda to move the town forward. "As mayor and CEO for 14 years, and with Ed (Romaine) now running for county executive, this is an exciting opportunity for me to address issues on a much larger scale townwide, and I'm perfectly qualified to take those accomplishments and apply them townwide," Garant explained. "We've got great highlights on the North Shore and the South Shore, but there are still significant issues that impact us in the town.
Garant points to the town landfill as a high priority issue. "For example, there's very little if any plan that we're aware of for the landfill and waste management." With the landfill set to close in 2024, huge fiscal implications hang in the balance as Garant notes: "The landfill is 47% of the tax base, and if it closes in 2024, what's the plan?" Garant continued: "I've been doing my homework - there has to be meetings with the DEC. I'm excited about the challenge of addressing the landfill, creating more affordable housing and jobs, and taking the blighted Computer Associates property and Dowling, and redeveloping them to bring commerce back," she said. "A wholistic approach impacts us on so many different levels."
Asked what makes her the better candidate over Panico, Garant told South Shore Press: "He hasn't walked in the supervisor's shoes, whereas I've been CEO (of the Village of Port Jefferson), for 14 years with a proven track record. From a fiscal standpoint, Garant said she took the helm of the village whose budget was negative $300,000 to a $13 million plus budget and a $1.8 million surplus today, taking some of that surplus and reinvesting it into the municipality's brick mortar.
In Council District 1, Democrat incumbent Jonathan Kornreich is seeking re-election to a full four year term after winning a special election in 2021. Kornreich cites his private sector small business and entrepreneurship experience as an asset in moving the town forward. He is most proud of the Train Car Park which features a fenced performance stage, playground, expanded parking lot and new signage with a walking trail on tap situated at the corner of Routes 112 and 347. "This park is a central point of pride for Port Jefferson Station," Kornreich said.
Kornreich brings fiscal experience to the town board having served on the Three Village School Board with a $230 million budget and chair of the Audit & Finance Committee. He served as president of the Three Village Civic Association, and worked closely with Assemblyman Steve Englebright and the Historical Society on environmentally sensitive water and parklands. Land use, environmental protection, and management of historic resources are priorities for the councilman. "I am a full time councilman because this district deserves and needs a full time representative and I love my job and attending meeting and events. In this job, you have got to show up." Kornreich and his family make Stony Brook their home.
In Council District 3, Alyson.E. Bass is the Democrat nominee. She is a lawyer in the county attorney's office. Asked why she us running, Bass said: "I was always interested in local politics and looking for ways to grow and help people." Bass said there are "a lot of pressing issues" she would like to resolve. "The dump is going to have a fiscal impact, the roads are in bad need of repair, and we have traffic pattern and traffic volume issues, and roite 97, 25 and Portion Road can be nightmares which impacts commuting times."
She works closely with Gordon Heights Chamber of Commerce, and sits on the Suffolk County Region PTA's Arts in Education Committee. Bass is president-elect of the Long Island Black Bar Association.
Cameron Trent is the Democrat nominee for the 4th Council District. Trent is running against Republican incumbent Michael Loguercio. He works in the Town of Babylon Supervisor's Office in the Citizens Services Section. He previously worked as an aide for former Suffolk County Legislator Rob Calarco addressing constituent issues. The top reason Trent says he is running is to provide better representation for constitients. "Basically, we in the 4th Council District are in desparate need of a council representative who is visible, present and who can provide the constituents with the respresentation they deserve-not just someone who comes out at election time," Trent said.
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| Margot Garant |
Francis J. Salazar is running on the Democrat line in the 5th CD against GOP incumbent Neil Foley. Assistant Principal of Copiage Middle School, Salazar resides in Patchogue Village with his wife and two children. He is a member of the Patchogue-Medford School Board. Salazar said he's running as an extension of his career he has built helping children, people and his community.
One of several reasons Salazar cites for seeking election is the landfill's shelf life nearing its end. "The landfill closing is going to cause an impact on taxes, so we have to work with all stakeholders collaboratively to move past this," Salazar said.
Salazar compared and contrasted his ability to fill the seat over his opponent: "I do feel like I can do a better job because I can work collaboratively to build relationships and build problems, and because for a long time on many issues, they've kicked the can down the road, and have done nothing."
Kerry Spooner, Ph. D. is the Democrat candidate in the 6th CD. Dr. Spooner worked in higher education at SUNY Stony Brook and SCCC for 20 years before founding the not-for-profit Sound Justice Initiative in 2019. She presently teaches in the Suffolk County Jail and assists the formerly incarcerated no re-entry into their comnunities. Dr. Spooner says she is running for election in the 6th CD for greater accountability. "Our elected officials make consequential decisions without the people being heard. They talk about zombie houses, yet we still see them in Shirley and Mastic." Dr. Spooner asserts there should be redevelopment of blighted properties into much need affordable housing. She says she is concerned about how the shortfall of funding will be made up when the landfill closes. "We need to begin serious discussion about where the trash goes and where to make up the funds when the landfill closes, because there is no economic plan," she said.
Dr. Spooner said she wants "accountability and solutions" from the seated town board. "This (Republican) party may have had control for a long time, but they've become cocky and they're taking people and power for granted," she said. "New voices and ideas will be very welcome." Dr. Spooner resides in the 6th CD with her husband and their 9 year old son.
Michael D. Kaplan is the Democrat candidate looking to unseat Republican incumbent Daniel Losquadro in the race for Highway Superintendent. Kaplan comes to the table with 25 years of town highway experience and 10 years service in the Army having served in two combat zones. Most recently, he retired from the Town of Huntington Highway Department where he served as Project Supervisor working directly for the Superintendent of Highways. He previously worked in the Town of Islip's Highway Department. "I'm running because there's a break in trust between the Highway Department and the residents for a myriad of reasons," Kaplan said, "and I'm going to rebuild that trust between Highway and residents by having an open door policy and establishing a 36 hour response time for residents when they put a call in to the department" Kaplan said.
A number of issues affecting town roads were noted during the interview. Kaplan said the absence of a comprehensive sweeping program and drainage study are costing the town money. "Roadsweeping and draining of the catch basins are integral, or else the salt and sand will end up in drains," he explained. "There's a drainage project in Setauket that's now taking 6 weeks and it's still not complete, and it's embarrassing." Kaplan said sleet precipitation earlier in March turned the intersection of Middle Country Road and 25A into a sheet of ice. "When I passed the Highway Department at 6 a.m. that morning they looked like they were closed, but surrounding.towns were called in at 1 a.m. to treat their roads." Kaplan said he was sure the Highway employees are doing their jobs: "I'm sure they're hard workers but they are understaffed, and the department is very mismanage," Kaplan said.
Kaplan said he is running an active campaign and is up for the challenge in his pursuit of election to the Highway Department.