Candidate Profile: Rebecca Sanin 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. Democratic challenger Rebecca Sanin is running against Republican challenger Ed Smyth 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.

Rebecca Sanin

Age (as of Election Day)

43

Position Sought

Town Supervisor

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

My family lives in Huntington Station

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

Nobody in my family works for the Town of Huntington.

Education

"I have a Juris Doctor from Fordham University where I was a Stein Scholar and a Masters in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University where I was a fellow at the National Center for Children & Families."

Occupation

"I am currently the CEO of a nonprofit umbrella organization for the region and have been for four years. Prior to this position, I was an Assistant Deputy County Executive for Suffolk County. My career has been in public service in both the government and nonprofit sector."

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

"I have not previously run for office."

Campaign website

www.rebeccasanin.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

"I love the Town of Huntington. It has given so much to my family and as a strong executive, I am watching our Town suffer from mismanagement in a moment in history unlike any other. With the infrastructure dollars coming from DC, we have a moment in time to innovate, to appreciably improve people's lives and to set Huntington on the path towards a much brighter, well-positioned future. We have seen the current administration hire unqualified, ineffective leaders to manage our most important functions as a locality and we need to make sure that as these dollars come, Huntington has a judicious steward at the helm. I love this Town and I am a strong and passionate executive with a laser-like focus on improving people's lives. I am a lifetime public servant; not a politician and I am a problem solver and an empathic, strategic leader. Huntington deserves better than what we have today. I am on fire about what we can accomplish together if the electorate gives me the privilege of serving as the next Huntington Town Supervisor."

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

"The single most pressing issue facing our Town is not actually a single issue; it's an approach. We have to address our infrastructure needs and effectively invest in projects that improve people's lives. We must fix our building department because having knocked on thousands of doors across Town, I know that homeowners and businesses are exhausted with waiting for months for permits. We have to innovate and take material steps to improve our water quality and environment. We need to address public safety by collaborating with the 2nd precinct and using the Town's jurisdiction to address slum, absentee landlords on residential and commercial properties. We can't do any of these things without fixing what is broken. We must root out waste, put qualified people in positions who have expertise and the passion to problem solve. We must create an environment of continuous improvement, rooting out corruption, building transparency and being an entity that operates for the people of our great Town with honor, dignity and success. This would be a significant change in approach from what we have today. Huntington deserves better and if elected, I will fix what is broken and create a bright future for every corner of our great Town."

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

"I am not a politician. I am a lifelong public servant, a seasoned executive and I know how to advance an environment of continuous improvement. Unlike others running for this position, I own the solutions, while they have spent years on the Board overseeing the Town's decline. The building department is in disarray, there are no metrics or data-driven decisions being made across the Town and in a time when people need their Town government more than ever, Huntington has the reputation as being exceptionally poor when it comes to reaching out and connecting to both families and our small business community. We need a leader in Huntington that can roll up her sleeves on day one and put Huntington on the map as a model in the region on issues such as the environment, functional departments with exceptional service, public safety improvements and material advancements in our quality of life."

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

"Respectfully, the Town is in the paper regularly for its failures. Town Hall has become a hiring hall for patronage positions with people who are not qualified being put in leadership roles. Leadership starts at the top and when it's poor, departments suffer and people aren't effectively served. The time it takes to get a building permit has earned Huntington the reputation as having the poorest service on Long Island. Our maritime department which is so important to Huntington families isn't properly resourced. There is no 311 system or appropriate routing of calls. Our small businesses are closing every day and leadership hasn't effectively convened them or worked on a solid small business strategy. Huntington deserves better!"

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

"Coronavirus was a challenge unlike any other and I am glad that the Town worked to keep its workers safe. That said, towns need to have a strong disaster mitigation plan and strong disaster planning generally. You can't blame coronavirus for reduction of services — an assessment of resource needs should have been immediately completed and departments that are needed more, should have been appropriately resourced. For example, my opponents have said the building department fell behind because of COVID. During a time in which people couldn't travel or leave their homes and wanted to make quality of life upgrades, the Town made it impossible — and every permit not issued was a job not available to someone who needed work in a time in which people's lives have been destabilized. The Town also failed to use the time in which people were largely not in our downtowns to make infrastructure improvements. Keeping employees safe was important but in 2021 with the technological capacity that exists, Huntington residents should have heard more from the Town; our businesses should have had strategy sessions to extend their commercial seasons and there should have been a spirit of collaboration, not silence. I am a strong crisis manager having helped lead our recovery from Superstorm Sandy at the County and having helped coordinate FEMA, State and County resources with the nonprofit sector during COVID's worst months. Every crisis represents an opportunity and Huntington missed the mark on using this time to improve people's lives and connect meaningfully with its residents."

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

"The Environment: We absolutely must prioritize improvement of our water quality and environmental position in Huntington. I am ready to take action on day one to do this. Public Safety: We absolutely must address our dilapidated housing and commercial businesses that are inviting crime and making our neighborhoods and our streets fall into disrepair. I will implement a crime prevention by environmental design strategy (CPTED) in partnership with 2nd precinct police officers. Our young people need more opportunities to be successful. I will work collaboratively to build public private partnerships and give our young people the opportunities to thrive. Our small businesses have been devastated by the last 18 months of COVID and I am very committed to working with them to relieve the burdens of operating in our Town, make it easier to build strong partnerships and assist them in the many ways that the Town can when leadership is committed to success. Most of all, I will make Huntington Town Hall an inviting place where communication with the public is respectful and focused on solutions and where families in all of our hamlets and communities get to live their best lives."

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

"Suffolk County Wastewater Permits: I co-led the team in Suffolk County that reduced permit time by fifty percent on residential and commercial properties by engaging in workflow analysis and revamping process.
2020 Census: I led the regional effort to garner Long Island as much federal resources as we deserve for the next ten years. It was an overwhelming success.
COVID-19: I led the coordination of human services regionally with FEMA, State and County collaboration.
Superstorm Sandy: I helped to lead the County's efforts to respond and meet the needs of families whose lives were most impacted by Superstorm Sandy.
Leadership in the Performance Management Team: I helped to lead Suffolk County's efforts to make departments operate more efficiently and successfully and make decisions in a data-driven way."

The best advice ever shared with me was:

"You can't make decisions in an ivory tower: You absolutely must always have your finger on the pulse of what's happening in communities. It's why I will continue to knock on doors as an elected official and go to people in communities; not expect people to come to me. I will always look for opportunities to better understand what is important to Huntington residents and small businesses and we will work together to advance our Town's bright future."

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

"If I have the privilege of serving as your next Supervisor, I will continue to come to the community, enact strategies to improve the accessibility of our Town and make decisions with every resident sitting on the dais with me — not before me. I will go to work every day to fight for your families, your businesses and your dreams. I work exceptionally hard and I can't wait to put my heart and mind — and endless energy — to work for our great Town!"