Candidate Profile: Patrick Deegan Jr. For Huntington Town Council

TOWN OF HUNTINGTON, NY — Voters in Suffolk County will head to the polls Nov. 5 to cast their ballots for Huntington Town Council, where they will choose from Patrick W. Deegan Jr., Joan Cergol, Kathleen A. Cleary, Eugene Cook and Andre Sorrentino.

Patch reached out to all 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.

Patrick W. Deegan Jr.

• Age (as of Sept. 1, 2019): 46
• Town of Residence: Huntington
• Position Sought: Huntington Town Council
• Party Affiliation: Independence party member running on Libertarian line.
• Family: I will not be including personal data about my family.
• Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?: No.
• Education: St Anthonys High School; Brandeis University, St. Johns University, University of S. Carolina.
• Occupation: Civic activist for 18 years.
• Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: None.
• Campaign Website: https://www.facebook.com/4commonground

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

"We seem to consistently get the short end of the stick when it comes to representative governments safeguarding our interests and concerns. We are forced to represent ourselves and that in essence is why I'm running. I believe in the ability of the citizen representative and as someone who has had to stand time and time again to review plans, projects and debate, I've realized this is what representative government is and I must take that next step. We need to return to a community-based form of representation where residents are the first and foremost priority as stakeholders / taxpayers/ residents, and if elected, that is what I intend to do by being the people's advocate and voice on the board."

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

"I have not collected or spent any money on this campaign. I have no waste generated from this campaign. I cannot and will not sell out and cannot represent myself or family as a product on display. I won't be smiling for pictures while in a suit holding a golden shovel or cutting a ribbon with giant scissors. I feel the offices we seek are to be held with some sense of dignity and the pageantry associated with campaigns leaves us with the results we see time and time again; we get what we paid for or in these cases, what we voted for."

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

"The Town Board position is a part-time position. We need full-time representation in the Town of Huntington to ensure that Huntington business and issues are the only focus of its representatives. Transparency was promised but not given. The community demands that the board not allow special exceptions through pay to play politics and the various forms of cronyism and nepotism that have become epidemic. In ways, the board, through its successive title, has violated the public trust both figuratively and literally. Confidence has been lost."

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

"My platform is simple and, in fact, not of my own design. I believe in a government of the people, by the people and for the people. I've noticed that although our government is supposed to operate on behalf of the people, it doesn't at an increasingly alarming rate. To affect change we, as citizens, as residents, as neighbors have the obligation of stepping up and speaking the truth to the powers that be. If elected, I can be that bridge between the community members and the Town services, programs and protections that the people expect but are often denied."

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

"Google: Patrick Deegan Huntington.

"See what I have stood for and what we have accomplished. That is my evidence."

The best advice ever shared with me was...

"You can do anything you put your mind to."

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

"I believe this position I seek is one of service. Community service cannot happen without the advice of the people it is intended to help. I would do something unheard of in recent times; I will listen and respond. I believe the residents themselves can show the direction they want the Town to proceed in and what is needed to improve quality of life of all residents. We need a representative of the people on the inside acting on their behalf. That can only happen if the people put me in there."