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Port Jefferson, Comsewogue budgets pass

Vincent Ruggiero goes in for a handshake after being re-elected to the Port Jefferson school board. Photo by Desirée Keegan

Two write-in candidates will become Port Jefferson school board members in July, after Tuesday night’s trustee election and budget vote ended a month of uncertainty about the future of the board.

Three seats were up for election this week but only one candidate, incumbent Vincent Ruggiero, turned in paperwork to appear on the ballot by an April 20 deadline — Trustee Mark Doyle and Vice President Jim Laffey did not, nor did any other district residents. But in the face of a deficit of candidates, Doyle announced a write-in campaign for re-election, and newcomer Tracy Zamek one for first-time election.

Tuesday night, Ruggiero was returned to the board with 468 votes, and Doyle with 178 write-in votes. Zamek was elected with 246 votes.

In an interview after hearing the poll results, Zamek said she is “honored to be a voice for our children here in Port Jefferson and my plans are to really work collectively with this team to provide the best educational experience for our students in Port Jefferson.”

Doyle said he is looking forward to his third term on the school board.

“I wanted to stay on the board and I’m happy to serve another three years.”

While Ruggiero expressed excitement about working with Doyle and Zamek in the next school year, he said he would miss having Laffey on the board of education.

“He was tremendous — a hard worker, dedicated parent and member of this community.”

School board member Mark Doyle is all smiles after being re-elected by write-in votes on Tuesday night. Photo by Desirée Keegan
School board member Mark Doyle is all smiles after being re-elected by write-in votes on Tuesday night. Photo by Desirée Keegan

Aside from the two winning write-in candidates, there were other write-in candidates who received a minimal number of votes and thus fell shy of securing Port Jefferson school board seats. The largest of that write-in group was former board member Dennis Kahn, who garnered 58 votes.

Also on Tuesday night, Port Jefferson voters approved a $42.4 million budget for next year, with 491 votes in favor to 130 against. A second ballot proposition, to create a new capital reserve fund that would help fund roof replacements throughout the district, also passed, with 467 votes in favor and 122 against.

“We’re extremely pleased with the results of the vote,” Port Jefferson Superintendent Ken Bossert said. “We’re very happy to see such an overwhelming level of support from the community.”

Over in the Comsewogue School District, voters approved an $85.2 million budget, with 1,024 votes in support and 204 votes against. That district’s second proposition, to expand bus service to include 38 more John F. Kennedy Middle School students, also passed, with 1,096 votes to 134.

Three candidates ran unopposed for the Comsewogue Board of Education: board President John Swenning was re-elected with 1,058 votes; Trustee Rick Rennard was re-elected with 1,010 votes; and newcomer Louise Melious was elected with 978 votes.

Desirée Keegan contributed reporting.

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Deanna Bavlnka and William Connors celebrate after the elections Tuesday night. Photo by Andrea Moore Paldy

Voters approved the Three Village school district budget Tuesday. The $189.5 million budget received 2,401 votes in favor and 723 against.

Residents also re-elected trustees William Connors and Deanna Bavlnka. Board president Connors received 2,200 votes and Bavlnka, 2,052. A third candidate, Jeffrey Mischler, who had hoped to unseat either Bavlnka or Connors, got 1,095 votes.

Connors, a board member since 2012, plans to continue the work the board had started and to “maintain the academic programs and quality that the district has been known for within the fiscal reality.”

Connors was previously on the board from 1994 to 2006.

Mischler, who congratulated the trustees, said early in the evening that it had been a “clean campaign” and that he was pleased that he’d been able to “stick to being green.” He had run his campaign primarily on social media.

Before the results were in, Bavlnka, a trustee since 2011, said she was very optimistic about the budget, which was her priority, because it directly affected the students in the district.

At the 2.79 percent cap on the tax levy increase, next year’s budget restores programs and staff cut in recent years. They include the return of fourth- through sixth-grade elementary health classes, high school American Sign Language, full-time elementary school social workers and increased guidance and counseling at the three secondary schools.

District officials have also said that declining elementary enrollment and retirements will make it possible to balance elementary class sizes and add a STEM teacher to each elementary school to help with science and math enrichment and remediation. At the secondary level, the administration will add 1.2 full-time equivalent English as a second language (ESL) positions to fill a state mandate. Positions will be added to reduce math and English class sizes and to restore electives in technology, social studies, science and math.

Three Village plans to restructure its administration for the 2015-16 school year without additional costs. New positions include a coordinating chair for junior high foreign language and districtwide ESL, a coordinating music chair as well as  assistant directors for pupil personnel services, health and physical education and instructional technology. The 2015-16 budget includes money to restore security, clerical, maintenance and operations staff.

While a $1.65 million increase in state aid played a role in meeting the district’s budget, a $3.6 million decrease in retirement system costs and 5 percent drop in health insurance also helped. Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Jeff Carlson said that Three Village also has benefited from increased revenues from tuition paid by nonresidents attending its special education and Three Village Academy programs. That has netted an additional $1.2 million for the current school year.

The favorable financial situation means that the district will be using less money from its fund balance and reserve accounts to balance the upcoming school year’s budget. It’s the reason the tax levy increase will be higher than the 0.81 percent budget-to-budget increase, Carlson said.

The district will continue to undertake capital improvements covered by the bond residents approved in February 2014. An anticipated $3.39 million from the state’s Smart Schools Bond will go toward facilities for the prekindergarten program, as well as classroom, school safety and security technology, Carlson said. With a state-approved government efficiency plan that shows at least a 1 percent saving to the tax levy and with the budget within the cap, residents will be eligible for a tax freeze credit, he added.

Superintendent Cheryl Pedisich said the 77 percent approval of the budget sends an important message about support from the community and confidence in the school board and district.

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Cold Spring Harbor
Voters passed a $64 million budget, 335 votes to 130. Proposition 2, to spend capital reserve money on various projects, passed 318 to 107. Proposition 3, to establish a new capital reserve fund, passed 314 to 114. Board President Anthony Paolano and Trustee Ingrid Wright ran unopposed for re-election and received 366 and 359 votes, respectively.

Commack
Community members passed Commack’s $185 million budget 1,927 to 575.

Comsewogue
The district’s $85.2 million budget passed, 1,024 to 204. Proposition 2, to add bus service for 38 John F. Kennedy Middle School students, passed 1,096 to 134. Three people ran unopposed for board seats and were elected, board President John Swenning, Trustee Rick Rennard and newcomer Louise Melious.

Harborfields
An $80.5 million budget passed with 82.5 percent voter support. Voters also supported a proposition on the ballot to establish a new capital reserve fund, with 79.4 percent in favor. Incumbents Donald Mastroianni and board President Dr. Thomas McDonagh were returned to the board, and voters elected newcomer Suzie Lustig. Candidates Chris Kelly and Colleen Rappa fell short.

Hauppauge
Voters passed the district’s proposed budget, 1,458 to 442. Michael Buscarino and Stacey Weisberg were elected to the board with 1,098 and 1,122 votes, respectively. Candidate Susan Hodosky fell short, with just 984 votes.

Huntington
A $120.3 million budget passed, 1,228 votes to 301. Proposition 2, to spend just over $1 million in capital reserve monies to pay for state-approved projects, passed 1,252 votes to 251. Four people ran unopposed for re-election or election: board President Emily Rogan got 1,193 votes, board members Xavier Palacios and Tom DiGiacomo received 1,139 votes and 1,185 votes, respectively, and newcomer Christine Biernacki garnered 1,189 votes. Rogan, Biernacki and DiGiacomo won three-year terms. As the lowest vote-getter, Palacios will serve the remaining two years on a term of a vacated seat.

Kings Park
Voters passed an $84.7 million budget, 2,065 to 577. A second proposition on the ballot, regarding a school bus purchase, passed 1,998 to 542. A third proposition, regarding a capital project to replace the high school roof, passed 2,087 to 455. Incumbent Diane Nally was re-elected to the board with 1,821 votes, while newcomer Kevin Johnston was elected with 1,886 votes. Incumbent Charlie Leo fell short in his re-election bid, garnering 1,108 votes.

Middle Country
Middle Country’s $236 million budget passed, with 1,863 votes in favor and 579 against. All three school board incumbents — President Karen Lessler and Trustees Jim Macomber and Arlene Barresi — were running unopposed and were re-elected to their seats.

Miller Place
Newcomer Keith Frank won a seat on the school board, edging out candidate Michael Manspeizer, 781 to 287.
“I’m just looking forward to the next three years,” Frank said. “I have big shoes to step into.”
Residents also passed the district’s $70 million budget, with 964 voting in favor and 262 voting against.
Board President Michael Unger said voter turnout was low “as a result of a good budget and good candidates.”

Mount Sinai
Voters approved the $56.7 million budget with 1,241 in favor and 316 against. Newcomer Michael Riggio was elected to the board with 993 votes, followed by incumbent Lynn Capobiano, who garnered 678 for re-election to a second term. John DeBlasio and Joanne Rentz missed election, receiving 624 and 321 votes, respectively.

Northport-East Northport
The $159.6 million budget passed, 3,281 to 788. Proposition 2, to spend $1.2 million in capital reserves, passed 3,561 to 504. Incumbent David Badanes, former trustee Tammie Topel and newcomer David Stein were elected to the board, with 2,446 votes for Badanes, 2,130 for Topel and 2,548 for Stein. Incumbent Stephen Waldenburg Jr. fell short of re-election, with 1,290 votes. Newcomers Peter Mainetti, Josh Muno and Michael Brunone missed the mark as well, with Mainetti garnering 1,018 votes, Muno receiving 542 votes and Brunone getting 1,039 votes.

Port Jefferson
Voters passed a $42.4 million budget, 491 to 130. Proposition 2, to create a new capital reserve fund that would help replace roofs throughout the district, passed with 467 votes in favor and 122 against.
Trustee Vincent Ruggiero was re-elected to the board with 468 votes. Write-in candidates Tracy Zamek, a newcomer, and Trustee Mark Doyle were elected with 246 and 178 votes, respectively. There were a number of other community residents who received write-in votes, including former board member Dennis Kahn, who garnered 58 votes.

Rocky Point
The $78.7 million budget passed with 788 votes in favor and 237 against. Board Vice President Scott Reh was re-elected to a third term, with 679 votes. Newcomer Ed Casswell secured the other available seat with 588 votes. Candidate Donna McCauley missed the mark, with only 452 votes.

Shoreham-Wading River
The school budget passed, 910 to 323. Michael Fucito and Robert Rose were re-elected to the school board, with 902 and 863 votes, respectively.

Smithtown
Smithtown’s $229.5 million budget passed, 2,582 to 762. School board President Christopher Alcure, who ran unopposed, was re-elected with 2,295 votes, while newcomer Jeremy Thode was elected with 2,144 votes. MaryRose Rafferty lost her bid, garnering just 860 votes. A second proposition on the ballot, related to capital reserves, passed 2,507 to 715.

Three Village
Voters passed a $188 million budget, 2,401 to 723. Incumbents William F. Connors, Jr. and Deanna Bavlnka were re-elected, with 2,200 and 2,052 votes, respectively. Challenger Jeffrey Mischler fell short, garnering only 1,095 votes.

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Republican Party establishes new Hispanic alliance

Latinos congregate at Xavier Palacios’ law office in Huntington Station last year to watch President Barack Obama announcing executive orders on immigration. File photo by Rohma Abbas

Republicans are vying for the votes of Suffolk’s Latinos.

The county GOP committee announced in a press release last week that for the first time in its history, it would create a Hispanic alliance tasked with registering Latino voters and recruiting potential candidates to run for office.

“For far too long, the political left has taken the Hispanic community for granted and recent polls indicate a growing frustration with the [Democratic] Party’s lack of family values and understanding of small business,” GOP chairman John Jay LaValle said in the statement.

Republicans are seeking to tap into a growing Latino electorate in Suffolk County, the statement said.

According to Nick LaLota, the Republican commissioner of the Suffolk County Board of Elections, Latinos comprise about 7.8 percent of Suffolk County’s 907,000 total registered voters this year. That’s up from 5.82 percent in 2006, he said.

When drawing up the figures, BOE officials analyzed the last names of voters to determine which individuals have “Hispanic-oriented” names, LaLota said. And while it’s not an “exact science,” it gives officials an idea of the growth of the population.

Two Hispanic Republicans — Brookhaven’s Jose Nunez and Victoria Serpa of Islip — will co-chair the Suffolk County Republican Hispanic Alliance, LaValle said. When reached this week, Nunez said there was a great opportunity for the Republicans to attract Hispanic voters, who traditionally lean Democratic.

“We believe that they have the same core values — family, business,” he said. “They’re very conservative. There’s a lot of religion.”

But as far as Suffolk County Democratic Chairman Rich Schaffer is concerned, the Republicans are late to the party. He noted the Democrats have backed several Hispanic individuals who were elected.

“It’s about time,” Schaffer said. “We welcome them to finally recognizing that the Hispanic population is an important part of our county.”

Nunez said the GOP’s new alliance would also serve an educational purpose — engaging Latino voters in a political dialogue and perhaps dispelling fears of the political process that some may have learned in their native countries.

It’s “smart” for Republicans to be reaching out to Hispanic voters, according to Xavier Palacios, a Huntington resident, school board member and co-founder of the Friends of Huntington Station Latin Quarter — a group established to revitalize Huntington Station through business development, mentorship, vocational training and other programs. The No. 1 issue on the minds of Hispanics, Palacios said, is immigration reform, and Republicans need to address the issue head-on if they’re going to attract Latino voters.

“I think it can no longer be the hot potato,” he said. “A solution to real immigration reform needs to be had.”

Not everyone thinks that Latinos care most about the immigration issue. Nunez said there are many Latinos out there who feel people should arrive and settle in the country through legal channels. He also said immigration was a federal issue, not a local one.

Other issues on the local level are of importance to Latinos too. Palacios said Republicans and Democrats would be smart to focus on economic issues, as many Latinos are staggered in professions or can’t afford college. Immigrants come here to fulfill the American Dream, something that appears to be becoming more challenging.

“Folks nowadays, in my view, are losing that dream,” he said.

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Two remain in school board race

The two remaining candidates running for one open seat on the Miller Place Board of Education opened up to the community Tuesday night during the district’s meet the candidate night.

Keith Frank photo by Barbara Donlon
Keith Frank photo by Barbara Donlon

Mike Manspeizer, 55, a former board member and Keith Frank, 50, an attorney running for the first time, answered questions from roughly 20 people in the audience during the 45-minute event.

Tom Brischler, a retired high school English teacher, announced he was withdrawing from the race on Tuesday.

Manspeizer, 55, a program manager for Cisco Systems, said board members do a lot and he wants to be there to review sensitive issues, like those discussed in executive session.

“I want to make sure we’re thoughtful about the things that we do so when personnel issues come up, we want to make sure we address that,” he said.

Frank said he is running because he’s seen how well the district has met the needs of his three children and he would like to be part of helping others as well.

“I think the main reason I wanted to run for the board this year is because I live it everyday [with his own children],” Frank said.

Residents at the meeting wanted to know what the two candidates would bring to the board. Both men felt their careers would assist them.

Mike Manspeizer photo by Barbara Donlon
Mike Manspeizer photo by Barbara Donlon

“What I will bring to the board is my 25 years experience working with businesses, working with management, working with unions, working as a labor and employment attorney, working to make everybody work together,” Frank said.

Manspeizer highlighted the contractual work he does with his company and the technology knowledge he could bring to the board. Manspeizer said his business in the tech world has given him a somewhat worldly background.

“I work with people from all over the world, different cultures,” Manspeizer said.

When a question on education reform was asked, things got tense, as Manspeizer stopped mid sentence to address an audience member who may have rolled their eyes.

“Like I said before, things are changing the world is changing. Education may stay the way it is for a while, but forces will break it eventually. So you have to … ,” Manspeizer said with a slight pause. “Yeah I mean you can come up here and you know talk if you want to if you want to roll your eyes that’s fine.”

Manspeizer went on to finish his statement. He said that because the district is a state institution, they must adhere to the law.

Frank expressed similar sentiments.

“What it really does come down to is we are guided by the law, we do have to follow the law,” Frank said. “However parents can feel the way they want to feel [and] parents can do what they feel is necessary for their child.”

In their closing remarks, the candidates thanked the community for coming out to the event and encouraged residents to come out more often.

The school board election and budget vote will be held on Tuesday, May 19 at North Country Road Middle School from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m.

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Northport High School. File photo

Seven candidates vying for three seats on the Northport-East Northport school board in next week’s election got together to talk about pressing issues and field questions from the PTA Council and district residents in a forum on Tuesday evening.

Hot topics included dealing with declining enrollment, maintaining the district’s facilities and grounds, deciding what kind of relationship should exist between a school board and its superintendent, and determining the level of programs the district should offer.

It was a packed room at the Northport High School library, where the lineup of candidates included incumbents Stephen Waldenburg Jr. and David Badanes; newcomers Peter Mainetti, Josh Muno, David Stein and Michael Brunone; and former school board member Tammie Topel.

Declining enrollment is an issue facing not only Northport-East Northport; districts across Long Island are also facing the trend. Candidates had differing opinions on how to address declining enrollment, particularly when it came to consolidating programs.

Topel said it wouldn’t be necessary to cut any programs that have enough students in them. Waldenburg said the numbers “bode for scary times” and the district may need to consider closing schools. Badanes said he wanted to approach the issue from the mind-set of maintaining instead of cutting and said that the enrollment numbers projecting declines could be wrong. Brunone said the district needs to look at its fixed costs.

Mainetti, Muno and Stein said they were in favor of keeping the current programming level intact. Stein said the district needs to stop cutting its programs.

“We have to make ourselves the most competitive,” he said.

Most candidates said they’d be in favor of floating a bond to pay for maintenance and repairs to the district’s buildings and grounds. Mainetti said he’s not a huge fan of bond issues, but it would be good to involve the community if one goes forward. Topel, however, said she wouldn’t support a bond because she’s “not sure the community would go for it.”

The candidates also weighed in on what to do about pending litigation by the Long Island Power Authority, challenging the value of the Northport power plant. The utility has maintained that it’s grossly over-assessed and pays more than it should in taxes, and if successful in court, Northport-East Northport school district residents could see huge spikes in their taxes.

Candidates were asked how they would plan financially if the school district and Huntington Town lose the lawsuit. Badanes, who said he couldn’t comment in detail about the litigation, said the district’s attorneys are working on the issue, and that a loss of revenue, if it happens, would be planned over time. Brunone offered similar thoughts and said he wouldn’t be surprised if the lawsuit continued for five more years. Topel said there should be a crackdown on illegal accessory apartments in the district, many of which house families with school-aged children who aren’t paying taxes. Muno said he was optimistic about a positive resolution to the litigation.

“I really believe justice will prevail in this situation and we won’t have to resort to that type of thing,” Muno said.

Waldenburg said there’s a chance the plant could be upgraded and repowered, which would increase its value and potentially take the issue off the table.

Candidates were also asked whether it’s better to retain programs to attract people to the district or make some of the district’s programs the best around, even if the district is offering fewer overall. Most candidates said it’s important to offer a variety of programs.

“Variety of programs is what keeps a well-rounded, well-educated individual,” Mainetti said. “It’s not just STEM, it’s not just athletics, it’s not just the arts — it’s balance. We need those programs.”

Brunone said it’s important to keep the taxpayer, or the “shareholder,” in mind.

“Of course I think [we should] offer as much as we can through the budget,” he said.

Next week’s school board election and budget vote is on Tuesday, May 19, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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Two candidates remain

Tom Brischler. Photo from Brischler

Just one week before the election, a Miller Place school board candidate has withdrawn his petition to run for the one open seat on the board.

Tom Brischler withdrew his petition on Tuesday, according to a district spokeswoman. In a phone interview, Brischler said he pulled out of the race for personal reasons. The news comes just hours before a meet the candidate night at the high school.

According to a press release from the district, petitions to run can still be filed until 5 p.m. on Tuesday and are available at the district office, 7 Memorial Drive, Miller Place.

Last month, Brischler, a retired high school English teacher, said he decided to run for the board because he felt public education was in jeopardy. He said he hoped to bring shared decision making come back to the Miller Place school district.

Two candidates — Michael Manspeizer and Keith J. Frank — remain. Manspeizer, a program manager for Cisco Systems, is a former school board member and 10-year Miller Place resident. Frank is an attorney and is running for the first time

The election and 2015-16 budget vote will take place on May 19 at North Country Road Middle School.

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Deanna Bavlnka, William F. Connors, Jr. and Jeffrey Mischler address the crowd. Photo by Andrea Moore Paldy

Not since 2012 have three candidates vied for two seats on the Three Village school board. The last time that happened, incumbents William F. Connors, Jr. and Deanna Bavlnka were running for their current seats, which will expire at the end of June.

This year Connors and Bavlnka are joined in the at-large race for two three-year board positions by newcomer Jeffrey Mischler. Their order on the ballot, determined in a drawing required by law, will be Connors, Mischler, and then Bavlnka.

Last week, residents gathered at R.C. Murphy Junior High auditorium to listen to the candidates respond to a series of prepared questions from the audience.

Concerning the importance of the arts, extra-curricular activities, vocational training and concerns about high stakes testing and teachers’ evaluations, the trio were in agreement.

Connors, current president of the Three Village school board, referred to extra-curricular activities as “co-curricular,” explaining that for many students, those programs “are something that really makes all the difference in the world in their happiness and success in school.”

Connors, 70, has lived in the district since 1973. He retired as associate vice president of academic affairs for Suffolk County Community College and said he hopes to continue to use his professional and past board experience to shepherd the district through the fiscal challenges presented by the cap on the tax levy.

All three candidates agreed that high stakes testing is a problem for both students and teachers.

The emphasis should not be on the test, but on the materials being taught and on “teaching these kids the right way to study and the right way to learn,” responded Mischler, 44.

A high school business teacher in Center Moriches, where he also taught seventh and eighth grade math for eight years, Mischler and his wife have lived in Stony Brook for eight years. They have two — soon to be three — sons at Nassakeag Elementary School.

Mischler said he hopes to represent “the teachers, the parents, the working families” and to make sure that “financial decisions are made soundly.”

Bavlnka, the director of human resources at P.W. Grosser Consulting, an environmental engineering firm, spoke of the importance of advocacy and encouraged parents to write to government officials to protest high-stakes testing.

“We need to have our voices heard and stick together and work as a team,” the mother of two W.S. Mount Elementary students said.

A 1983 Ward Melville graduate, Bavlnka wants to continue the district’s momentum and emphasis on academic excellence and “inclusiveness to maximize each student’s chance to reach their own unique potential.”

When the discussion during the hour-long Meet the Candidates Night turned to finances, Mischler promised to examine some of the Common Core programs the district pays for, such as Go Math!, to make sure they are working.

“I’m still on the fence whether it’s effective or not,” he said of the math curriculum that was just recommended by the elementary math committee.

If funds remained, Mischler said he would use them for special needs programs in the elementary schools.
Bavlnka, 50, referred to the upcoming school district budget, which includes elementary STEM teachers, and the restoration of social workers and American Sign Language, as an example of the board’s sound financial decisions. The district’s move to natural gas heating and preparation to go solar also point to the board’s efforts to save money, she said.

“We are thinking business. We are thinking revenue and efficiency and conserving. And we’re doing a great job at it,” she told the audience.

Connors, father of four Ward Melville graduates, said he would like to do more to get secondary students out of study halls and into more electives.

“We have to work with employee groups and work with them within the fiscal realties we are now facing,” Connors said regarding the district’s long-term financial health.

“That involves a change in mindset of all of us.”

Asked about term limits, Connors, who was previously on the school board from 1994 to 2006, serving as president for the last 10 years, joked that he was definitely against them.

“The community certainly can decide if I’m representing them well,” he said.  “And if they feel that the Board of Education needs some new blood, new ideas that I don’t offer, they can elect another individual.”

Bavlnka said continuity and consistency are important for building relationships. It’s also important, she said, because educational law can be “overwhelming” and “one big chunk to take on.”

Mischler does believe in term limits. “I always look for a fresh look sometimes. You know yourselves if you keep doing the same thing over and over again, you may start to fall into the same pattern,” he said.

“I feel like it’s a chance for the public to make a decision.”

That decision will come on May 19. Voting for the board seats and 2015-16 school budget will take place from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Three Village elementary schools.

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A Centerport veteran and high school teacher who was hoping to run on the Democratic ticket for one of two open seats on the Huntington Town Board has dropped out of the race.

Darryl St. George file photo by Rohma Abbas
Darryl St. George file photo by Rohma Abbas

Darryl St. George, 33, an Afghanistan combat veteran, announced in a statement on Wednesday night that he’s withdrawing his name from consideration for the board, citing a “desire to do what is best for the Democratic Party and to strive for party unity in the upcoming election.”

Earlier this year, St. George vowed to wage a primary if the party didn’t back him for one of the seats, held by Councilwoman Susan Berland (D) and Councilman Gene Cook (I), who are both running for re-election. Wednesday’s statement, from the Friends of Darryl St. George, acknowledged the change of heart, saying, “A number of leaders within the party urged him to respect the decision of the committee and avoid forcing a primary.”

“When there were clear indications that he was not likely to gain the committee’s nomination, St. George ultimately chose to step down and offer his support to the chosen candidates,” according to the statement.

Huntington Town Democratic Committee Chairwoman Mary Collins didn’t immediately return calls for comment on Thursday.

Keith Barrett, a Melville resident and the town’s deputy director of its general services department; Jim Kelly, a Huntington Station resident and retired EMS supervisor from the Nassau County Police Department; and Berland also want to run for Town Board on the Democratic ticket.

The Republicans also have a few possible candidates for the board seats on their hands, incumbent Cook being one of them.

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Harborfields High School. Photo by Victoria Espinoza

This year’s race for the Harborfields school board will be a contest.

Chris Kelly is running for the Harborfields school board. Photo from the candidate
Chris Kelly is running for the Harborfields school board. Photo from the candidate

With three openings, five people — including two incumbents — are hoping to snag a seat on the board come May 19.

Candidates Chris Kelly, Colleen Rappa, and Suzie Lustig are vying for one of the two seats. Incumbents Donald Mastroianni and board President Dr. Thomas McDonaugh are seeking re-election. Maggie Boba, a former school board member, resigned last year, leaving a vacant seat on the board.

Each term is for three years.

Chris Kelly
The father of three has lived in the area his entire life and has decided to make a run for one of the empty seats.

“I’m basically running because I want to help maximize Harborfields students’ entire experience, start to finish,” Kelly said. “I want to make sure we provide all the support parents and teachers need.”

If elected, Kelly said one of his biggest goals is to bring full-day kindergarten to the district, feeling that the district is in desperate need of a full-day program.

Colleen Rappa is running for the Harborfields school board. Photo from the candidate
Colleen Rappa is running for the Harborfields school board. Photo from the candidate

“I want to create the best education our children can get while being fiscally responsible,” Kelly said.

Colleen Rappa
The 18-year resident and mother of five sons decided to run for the board after observing what has been going on in education. She said she feels people are buying into the commercialization of education, and they don’t understand the real issues at heart. She also feels local control of education has been taken away from districts.

“People drink the Kool-Aid and think one size fits all,” Rappa said. “I want to change the way people think about education.”

The former attorney said she has an understanding of educational law and would bring that to the table if elected. She would also like to restore vocational programs and add classes relating to media to help students prepare for the future.

“I can connect the dots and I understand the stakeholders and I can come up with the methodology needed,” she said.

Donald Mastroianni is running for the Harborfields school board. Photo from the candidate
Donald Mastroianni is running for the Harborfields school board. Photo from the candidate

Donald Mastroianni
Mastroianni, a nine-year incumbent is seeking a fourth term in an effort to finish many of the things started while serving the community.

“I’m not running on any specific agenda,” Mastroianni said. “I believe in volunteerism.”

The father of three said he would like to finish what he started. He said he would like to see the issue of full-day kindergarten through and wants to help with the capital improvement bond referendum the community will be voting on in the fall, which, if approved, would allow the district to make
capital improvements and upgrades. He wants to continue to work on getting the full Gap Elimination Adjustment money — school aid money taken by the state in order to fill the state’s revenue gap — restored for the district.

“I’m very proud to be a member of this community,” Mastroianni said.

Dr. Thomas McDonagh

Dr. Thomas McDonagh is running for the Harborfields school board. Photo from the candidate
Dr. Thomas McDonagh is running for the Harborfields school board. Photo from the candidate

McDonagh is finishing up his second term and is currently the board’s president. The father of four announced he would be seeking re-election, as there are ongoing projects he’d like to see through.

“The board has done a good job at providing the educational experience that the district children deserve while recognizing the financial constraints,” McDonagh said.

Two projects McDonagh would like to continue to work on is the capital improvement bond referendum project and the full-day kindergarten evaluation study that the district will start working on next school year.

If re-elected, McDonagh said he would like to continue to find ways to enhance the experience of the children in the district.

Suzie Lustig
A mother of three and 22-year district resident has decided to make a run for the board after many years volunteering within the community.

Suzie Lustig is running for the Harborfields school board. Photo from the candidate
Suzie Lustig is running for the Harborfields school board. Photo from the candidate

“I’ve seen the highs and struggles with the district over the last 15 years and I want to make sure our district stays as strong as possible,” Lustig said on why she is running.

If elected, Lustig said she would like to create a three- to five-year plan that will help the district stay on task if there are funding cuts in the future. She would also like to create an education committee to share ideas on curriculum, events and more and analyze what is going on in the district and community. She said she would also research ways to bring the district more revenue.

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