Political Endorsements

Anna Throne-Holst. Photo by Phil Corso
Anna Throne-Holst. Photo by Phil Corso

Freshman Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) has done some admirable things for constituents of the 1st district. A veteran himself, with four years of active duty — including a deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and nine years in the Army Reserves — he has done a lot for Long Island veterans. He was also instrumental in the signing into law of an amendment that bears his name, allowing states to opt out of Common Core without fear that there will be any loss of federal funding as a result. That’s a victory for the nearly unanimous animus we’ve heard candidates express for the program this fall.

Challenger Anna Throne-Holst (D) was elected four times to the Southampton Town Board and, as town supervisor, fixed financial problems, streamlined the budget and put the reallocated funds to use improving quality of life for Southampton residents. And she did this while in the minority, working with Republicans. Now she hopes to bring that skill set to Congress and we’d like to see her do it.

These are both hard-working, dedicated politicians, but one aligns with our values and ideals better. Only Throne-Holst believes in background checks for gun purchasers, revamping the existing Affordable Care Act, protecting a woman’s right to choose and overturning Citizen’s United.

We endorse Anna Throne-Holst to be our next congressperson.           

Jack Martins. Photo by Victoria Espinoza.
Jack Martins. Photo by Victoria Espinoza.

The congressional race between Tom Suozzi (D) and Jack Martins (R) in the 3rd district is an exciting one, with no incumbent and thus no clear front-runner.

After listening to both candidates, we were more impressed with Martins’ points of view and ideas to improve New York. While Martins is running on the Republican ticket, he was not afraid to stray from his party’s traditional ideologies, including his stance on the funding of Planned Parenthood, gun control reform and climate change. Martins described himself as a man in the middle, and we would agree. For example, while he is pro-life, Martins said he does not support defunding Planned Parenthood and believes intimate health decisions should not involve government officials. He has a proven record of bringing improvements to the area he served in the New York State Senate, and he also brought up some of the projects he was defeated on, showing that he understands the need to listen to a community when they don’t support ideas. We believe he would do the same for the 3rd Congressional District.

It’s also important to note Martins came into our office for an interview, and Suozzi was only able to speak on the phone, which is a less effective forum.

Suozzi also has a long record of public service, and he certainly understands the problems facing the district. He has some great ideas to improve New York, but when you can only chose one, we chose Martins.

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Susan Berland and Gene Cook talk at a Huntington Town Board meeting. File photo

There’s a lot of fire in the race for Huntington Town Board this year: You could see unfriendly sparks flying between incumbents Susan Berland (D), of Dix Hills, and Gene Cook (I), of Greenlawn, at a debate hosted by TBR Newspapers. Passion for public office is one thing these two have in common, and that’s where the similarities end.

But it’s that, coupled with their experience in the positions and unique political strengths that this paper endorses Berland and Cook for four-year terms on the board.

Say what you will about Berland, who is unpopular in Elwood for her controversial vote in favor of rezoning land to make way for The Seasons at Elwood — a huge condominium development geared toward the 55-and-up community — but the councilwoman works hard; it is her full-time job. She has also worked to sponsor legislation that’s made a difference, including laws that help put an end to blight and legislation to regulate the invasive bamboo, which can frequently be a nuisance to neighbors.

Cook’s greatest strength lies in being the sole minority party member on the board, and his willingness to speak up when something fishy is going on, whether he’s right or wrong. The Democratic-majority board members fall in line on mostly all votes, and Cook is often the one to keep Supervisor Frank Petrone (D) on his toes. Dissension is important: It encourages compromise and analysis, and prevents elected officials from slipping controversial measures past residents.

This wasn’t an easy choice. Democrat Keith Barrett, of Huntington Station, is a fine candidate. He has good ideas and has already reduced expenses and reorganized services as head of the town’s general services department. With a few more years under his belt, he’d be ready to take another stab at Town Board.

While Republican Jennifer Thompson possesses great communication skills and the right attitude, she would be stronger in her current role on the Northport-East Northport school board.

Vote for Cook and Berland on Tuesday.

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Steve Stern file photo

Ending veteran homelessness in Suffolk, seemingly an impossible feat, is something Suffolk County Legislator Steve Stern (D-Dix Hills) says he’s confident he can declare if given one more term in office in an election next week.

We endorse Stern. Not because of this vow. But because of the steps he’s taken to try and achieve this goal.

The legislator spearheaded a package of bills to attack the scourges of Suffolk County’s veteran homelessness problem. The bills propose to do so in a number of ways, including making properties available for veteran housing, working with nonprofits to offer greater services to vets and more.

He’s spent 10 years in office and he’s vying for his final two-year term before he is term limited.

While his challenger Republican Tom McNally, also of Dix Hills, has thought of some solutions to fix the county’s finances, we feel his plans need some work. Cutting from departments across the board may not be the best approach in certain cases.

Aside from his work on the ground with veterans, Stern chairs the county’s Veterans & Seniors Committee. In that role, he’s worked to help both populations while also saving the county money. He found a way to reorganize a program that provided free legal assistance to seniors funded by the county and the feds by getting Tauro Law school involved. The school now manages the program, and the county keeps the money it used to spend on it.

Experience is invaluable, and for that, coupled with his achievements, we say elect Stern to a final term in office next Tuesday.

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Bob Creighton and Ed Wehrheim. File photo by Rachel Shapiro

Experience and track record are the name of the game in this year’s Smithtown Town Board race, and on that note, we endorse Republican incumbents Bob Creighton and Ed Wehrheim.

The two work well as a team, and say they have downtown revitalization high up on both their lists of priorities for another term.

They’ve backed a proposal to restructure Smithtown government to lead to more accountability and cooperation. The plan would involve creating four commissioner positions that would oversee about five to six department heads, compared to the 26 department heads currently answering to the supervisor. That plan stalled due to opposition from Republican Supervisor Pat Vecchio.

When it comes to economic development, both men encourage it. Wehrheim said he helped facilitate the redevelopment of the Smith Haven Mall and assisted in bringing Bob’s Discount Furniture to the Smithtown area. With Wehrheim’s support, Creighton also pitched raising the minimum wage, which eventually made its way into the town’s 2016 preliminary budget.

It will be an uphill battle at the polls next Tuesday for Creighton, as he won’t be running on the Republican line. That spot belongs to Lisa Inzerillo, a Republican who narrowly beat him out in a primary election on a rainy day — the perfect storm for low voter turnout.

Inzerillo did not show up for a debate at the Times of Smithtown’s headquarters.

Democratic challenger Larry Vetter is a knowledgeable, nice man, who strikes us as creative, energetic, bright and pragmatic. It would be great to see him take on some government position. But we feel right now is not his time as councilman.

Vote Creighton and Wehrheim on Election Day.

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Legislator Tom Muratore, center. File photo by Rachel Shapiro

Suffolk County Legislator Tom Muratore (R-Ronkonkoma) said he doesn’t consider himself a politician but, instead, a man of the people. We agree.

Muratore, who was first elected to the Legislature in 2009, has plenty of evidence to back that up as he seeks his fourth term.

He stood up to the county Legislature alongside fellow Republicans earlier this month to call for changes to the Red Light Safety Program, with hopes of finding a fairer approach. He raised his voice alongside other county Republicans to push for more fiscal responsibility, but did not allow it to get in the way of advocacy for community-centric programming. He helped usher in key parkland projects throughout his Middle Country-centered district, including new baseball fields and walking paths.

He also kept his finger on the pulse of his district by listening to constituent concerns surrounding taxes and public safety, and making them key components of his agenda. He even took a proactive lead on one of the county’s first cracks at regulating the usage of drones, using it as a springboard to discuss privacy issues; and sponsored legislation establishing “safe spots” throughout the county to eradicate robberies stemming from online commerce.

On the issue of combatting Suffolk County’s drug epidemic, we stand behind Muratore in his approach. Muratore said the county needs to kill the roots of the drug problem by putting more police on the beat, performing outreach and targeting dealers.

Muratore’s Democratic opponent, Jonathan Rockfeld of Islip Terrace, has not actively campaigned.

Come Election Day, we say vote for Muratore.

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Martha Luft photo by Giselle Barkley

Martha Luft has served as a judge in Suffolk County Family Court for the past decade, and her experience and compassion while serving are why she deserves another term.

She is no stranger to serving in emotional courtrooms and meeting face-to-face with some of the most vulnerable members of our society. She comes to the job with humility, and the passion she shows while discussing different aspects of her work is impressive.

Some of the driving qualities she said keep her going include patience, communication and an ability to deliver tough love for those who need it most while still operating with compassion and understanding. She said she often calls on her experience as a mother of three and a grandmother of as many to guide her when working to balance her heart with her mind in her judgeship.

In her re-election bid, she faces off against Marlene Budd, George Harkin Jr. and Matthew Hughes. But of the four candidates seeking the two judgeships up for election this year, Luft was the only one rated highly qualified for the position, according to an Independent Judicial Election Qualifications Commissions report.

Luft is an exceptional candidate with a track record that supports our conviction.

She told us she loves family court. She said she thinks she found her calling, and so do we. Re-elect Martha Luft for Suffolk County Family Court judge.

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File photo by Desirée Keegan

Leslie Kennedy (R-Nesconset) is new to the Suffolk County Legislature but is by no means new to the governmental process. And with more time, we feel she could be an effective leader for the 12th District.

After being voted into office via a special election when her husband and predecessor, John M. Kennedy Jr., took on the county comptroller role, Leslie Kennedy has been tirelessly working as the peoples’ advocate and a fighter for constituent concerns. In a sit-down interview with Times Beacon Record Newspapers, she brought discussion on almost any topic back to her constituents’ needs in an effort to drive home the importance of constituent services to both her and her office.

The family has been a key component of determining where she stands on any given issue. She said one of her goals in all things she does is to make sure Suffolk County remains a place where families can grow and thrive without being overburdened by financial concerns or other detriments to quality of life.

Her opponent, Adam S. Halpern, has not actively campaigned for the seat and did not participate in an interview with our newspaper. Leslie Kennedy, however, demonstrated to us that she is a caring and palpable leader.

She may be untraditional in her approach, but we feel Leslie Kennedy truly wants to respond to the needs of her constituents and has a firm grasp of the issues to respond accordingly.

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Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone file photo

It’s a real race for the Suffolk County executive spot this year. In one corner, you’ve got a seasoned incumbent, Steve Bellone (D), who has an ambitious vision for the region’s future. On the other side, you’ve got Republican Jim O’Connor, who knows finances and is in tune with the taxpayers’ pockets.

It was a tough call, but we say re-elect Bellone.

While Bellone’s judgement call in tapping James Burke — who recently resigned as the county’s police chief amid a federal investigation — gives us pause, the county executive has some big plans ahead. Those include better connecting Suffolk’s existing downtowns to its research institutions to create an attractive environment that entices millenials and employers to stay on the Island.

O’Connor said he sees it in a different light, saying it’s too expensive to live on Long Island and that county government needs to make it cheaper for residents, who are leaving in droves, to stay put. We appreciate a focus on finances, but we prefer Bellone’s long-term vision of the county’s future.

Now, if he could only prevent his dreams from getting in the way of action.

The county executive has grand plans to change a lot of things in Suffolk, from his proposal to connect those downtowns to his desire to increase the sewer network and improve water quality. But after trimming his salary, the size of government and his own body weight, there’s one more thing he must trim: his big goals, into more tamed, specific plans of action.

It’s great to have ideas that would transform the way we live on Long Island, but we can’t get there in just one leap, which our county executive’s rhetoric seems to demonstrate. We have to take small steps that add up to larger ones.

Bellone can do it. He demonstrates an understanding of complex issues — for instance, he knows the solution to the Island’s drug addiction issue is to work on prevention and treatment resources, not just add more cops on the streets. Simple improvements like getting all the county’s town supervisors in one room to agree on streamlining a building process in the county may seem small, but it’d make a huge difference in spurring economic growth, which would also feed into his larger plans.

And maybe he might want to add O’Connor to his administration. He seems to have some good ideas.

Vote for Bellone on Election Day.

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Brookhaven Councilwoman Valerie Cartright, right. File photo by Elana Glowatz

The race to represent Brookhaven Town’s 1st District is a good one with two ambitious and qualified candidates, but we feel one of them is just the right fit at just the right time, and that’s incumbent Valerie Cartright (D-Port Jefferson Station).

Councilwoman Valerie Cartright. File photo
Councilwoman Valerie Cartright. File photo

Cartright, an attorney, was first elected to the seat two years ago and has been busy ever since. She can be seen at various community events and working on some of the town’s most pressing issues, like drug-related crime, zoning and planning. She has hosted roundtable discussions as part of her “be a good neighbor” campaign, bringing all involved parties together to address illegal student housing in the communities surrounding Stony Brook University, resulting in new code proposals to better regulate the housing. All in all, she has been responsive in addressing what her constituents identify as concerns facing the district.

Much of the same can be said for Cartright’s opponent, civic president Ed Garboski. The face of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association, Garboski is a proven leader on community issues and was named a Times Beacon Record Newspapers Person of the Year because of it.

However, Cartright’s perspective and life experience is necessary to the Brookhaven Town Board. Not only is she a Democrat on a Republican-controlled board, but she also has a background unlike her council colleagues — she brings a valuable perspective to town politics that would be lost without her.

Garboski is still a great candidate and an effective leader, and we hope he does not go away if he loses this election.

If re-elected, Cartright said she hopes to build upon her constituent outreach by perfecting her communication methods, knocking on doors and bringing in the senior community to better address their concerns in the district. She has already made great strides in bringing groups together to address and discuss problems, and she should be given another term to continue her work.