Candidate Profile: Edmund Smyth For Huntington Supervisor

TOWN OF HUNTINGTON, NY — Town of Huntington residents are gearing up to head to the polls for Election Day on Nov. 2, where they will be voting on the Town of Huntington supervisor. Republican challenger Edmund Smyth is running against Democratic challenger Rebecca Sanin and Stop LIPA challenger Eugene Cook. Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci is not seeking re-election.

Patch reached out to the candidates to hear where they stand on important issues affecting the community.

Here are the responses for those who participated. The answers have been lightly edited for clarity.

Edmund J. Smyth

Age (as of Election Day)

50

Position Sought

Town Supervisor

Party Affiliation

Republican

Family

Married to Coriander Smyth, we have four teenaged children.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Widener University
New York Law School

Occupation

I have been practicing law on Main Street for 24 years.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Town of Huntington Councilman, 2018-present

Campaign website

ElectEdSmyth.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

"I am incredibly honored to run for Huntington Town Supervisor. As a current town board member and deputy supervisor, I have the experience necessary to lead the town and manage 700+ employees from my first day on the job. My vision for the next four years is to streamline services in Town Hall and invest in infrastructure throughout the town."

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

"There is a critical need for continued investment in our infrastructure, specifically our sewer systems.

"The most important overall issue the Town will face in the next supervisor’s term will be solid waste management – garbage! This is an issue nobody is talking about because it is very boring, but is a massive problem. The only disposal site on Long Island (the Brookhaven Landfill) is closing in 2024. The next closest disposal site is in western Pennsylvania. If an alternative for disposal is not developed, the cost of solid waste management (fancy way of saying 'garbage collection'!) is projected to double. As Supervisor, I will promote various programs to reduce solid waste tonnage from both residential and commercial properties. These programs will include promoting recycling, composting, reduced packaging, and overall reduction of waste."

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

"I have the necessary experience to lead the town's 700+ employees and manage 17 departments. I am a trusted voice in Town Hall. I bring steady leadership. If you are looking for entertainment from your local government; I’m not your guy. I don’t promote drama or extreme views. What I bring is good government — practical solutions to everyday issues and sustainable programs that unify our town."

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

"The current town supervisor has been too passive concerning the management of each department. I will have a much more active working relationship with each department director and deputy director."

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

"Local officials did the best they could with the (often conflicting) information they had available to ensure that their constituents were able to keep themselves as safe as possible. It is a testament to everyone working in the Parks Department that they were able to run summer programs with over 1,000 campers without a single positive case of COVID-19. As restrictions began to be lifted, I met with business owners and restaurant owners and came up with creative ways to help these businesses weather the effects of the pandemic. Outdoor dining was just one of the ways we helped these businesses.

"As a small business owner, I am very aware of the financial hardships of the past year, and the challenges that lie ahead. Small business is the lifeblood of Huntington. As Supervisor, I will support existing businesses to re-open and promote 'outside-the-box' ideas that promote commerce."

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

"High Taxes, overdevelopment, traffic congestion, and crumbling infrastructure – all of these issues diminish our quality of life. Keeping our downtown areas as vibrant as we can while curtailing the overdevelopment is a top priority of mine as Town Supervisor.

"As Supervisor, I will continue to encourage the re-purposing of existing space and restricting zoning to curb overdevelopment. While growth is inevitable, it is imperative that we do so responsibly without putting a strain on our resources or compromising the habitats of our local wildlife. The most important environmental issue in the Town of Huntington is ensuring the cleanliness of our drinking water and our waterways. Recently, I was proud to sponsor a resolution for the Town of Huntington, in partnership with the Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Oyster Bay Cold Spring Harbor Protection Committee, establishing a program that will raise oysters to help improve our water quality, while cultivating sustainable oyster populations and enhancing marine wildlife.

"I will also advocate for a program I call 'Apples for Apples' which would allow builders to redevelop sites with existing inefficient homes into entirely new energy-efficient homes with modern efficient systems, with the same number of bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens as the prior house (hence 'Apples for Apples'). The property would enjoy the original tax assessment as the prior house. The benefits of this are many. First, it would reduce the demand for developing vacant land, as it would be far more economical to develop land that already has roads, utilities, sidewalks, etc, to the site. Second, modern construction offers far more efficient heating, air conditioning, insulation, reducing the carbon footprint of the home. Third, with the same number of bedrooms, the same number of children would (theoretically) attend local schools. Fourth, a new kitchen and heater would reduce the number of fire department calls to the home. Fifth, this would generate an economic benefit by providing re-development jobs for the building trades and suppliers. Sixth, neighborhood eyesores of blighted and run-down houses would be bought and redeveloped. Lastly, all of this would happen with private capital investment and the municipal tax rolls would not go down.

"I am committed to preserving green space in the Town of Huntington. Earlier this year, I sponsored a resolution to appraise the vacant land surrounding the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Lloyd Harbor. This 225-acre property is one of the many pieces of land in our town that I would seek to protect and preserve.

"I will work with local businesses to help address the issue of parking in our town. Recently, the town purchased the Chase Bank property on the corner of Gerard Street and New York Avenue to be used as municipal parking. Using empty lots of businesses that operate 9 to 5 p.m. will also help to alleviate some of the parking congestion for businesses operating into the later hours of the night. The voluntary participation of private property owners in a parking meter program would bring hundreds of new parking spaces online very quickly, at no cost to the town other than placarding the spots and re-programming the meters."

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

"I have served on the Town Board since 2018 and am intimately familiar with how Town Hall operates and what changes need to be made to increase efficiency."

The best advice ever shared with me was:

"At my high school graduation, as I received my diploma and walked off the stage, the usher said, 'Keep moving, don’t stop, keep moving…'*

"*This didn’t actually happen to me. Someone told me this story and I’ve followed the advice ever since. Keep moving!"

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

"As a Marine Corps veteran, the leadership style I bring to the supervisor's office is direct. I give clear directions and follow up with dry-eyed accountability. Everyone will know exactly what is expected of them, how their success will be measured, and where they stand at all times. No surprises and no drama."