Brookhaven Town Election 2021: Ira Costell For Town Clerk

PORT JEFFERSON STATION, NY — Election Day is one week away, and Patch is giving you a look at the candidates on the Nov. 2 ballot.

In the Brookhaven town clerk race, Democratic challenger Ira Costell is facing Independence Party incumbent Town Clerk Donna Lent.

Costell discusses why he should be elected and answers Patch's Q&As below.

Age (as of Election Day)

63

Position Sought

Brookhaven Town Clerk

Party Affiliation

Democratic

Family

I have two wonderful and loving daughters who are the lights of my life. Rachael is 31 years old and lives in the LA area, where she is establishing a career as a production assistant in the film industry. Corinne is 27 years old and is an aspiring opera singer and is a young artist with the Chicago Opera Theater.

Both are graduates of Comsewogue High School. I have three older brothers and a younger sister, and I marvel at my 91-year-old mother, Sydell, who helped us kids see that public service is of the highest calling.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

None

Education

I graduated from Suffolk Community College with an Associates Degree and completed my undergraduate diploma Magna Cum Laude from C.W. Post College of Long Island University with a B.A. in political science with coursework in public administration. I then went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received my Master's Degree in environmental planning.

Occupation

I have spent over 35 years running a business working with architects and engineers who design public recreation facilities. I manufacture several products and work with builders and contractors on large, complex-like universities and city parks projects from coast to coast. More recently, I am a partner in an organization that provides resources and assistance to families and individuals impacted by drugs and alcohol. As part of a management team, I monitor utilization, admissions, and discharges for a 35-bed medically supervised detox in Brooklyn.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

I served as chair of the Suffolk County Pine Barrens Review Commission charging an 11-member board made up of diverse members (engineering, environmental, developers, and others) to evaluate development applications in the area containing our freshest drinking water. We worked to cluster property to preserve open space and clean water and rejected projects having an adverse impact on the environment.

I also was appointed to the Long Island North Shore Heritage Area Planning Commission created by New York State to preserve, protect, and promote the cultural, historical, and natural resources of the north shore from Great Neck to Orient Point.

I have been on numerous environmental and civic association organizations over the years and have a long history of speaking for my community, locally and regionally.

Campaign website

costellforclerk.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

At my age and experience, it is not about ego or self-seeking, it is what I can do for others to impact their lives in a positive and meaningful way. I have come to do a job, not get a job. I see many areas where Brookhaven Town can improve the free flow of information and increase transparency to help residents shape their own community. I intend to take the advocacy work I have done over my lifetime and make a contribution to the town I grew up and love so much.

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

For me, perhaps the most pressing issue facing Brookhaven residents that is not being seriously addressed is the crisis of overdose deaths from opioids. Suffolk County has more of these tragedies and our Town constitutes 40% of that total. This is the epicenter of the disease of addiction in New York State.

I have worked for more than a decade running up to Albany with families like mine who lost a loved one to an overdose to get help. Brookhaven Town has an obligation and responsibility to do more as its people are suffering here at home on so many levels. I have proposed a four-point program of action, including streamlining the 451-TOWN Call Center and re-create it in a way that connects people to mental health resources and addiction services they may not be aware are available.

I am determined my work on a daily basis will be to save lives as well as efficiently keep records and issue certificates and permits. Having sensitivity and concern for others as a public servant requires an ability to serve with compassion and consideration of what is most impacting their lives and this deserves prompt attention.

There are many other serious concerns in Brookhaven Town as well, some of which have little direct connection to the clerk though some do. Specifically, the town is facing a dramatic budget crisis with the pending closure of its landfill in Yaphank and North Bellport, where the residents experience serious health impacts.

And, I believe the clerk can and should play a role in ensuring information and materials about the landfill are more readily available and not shrouded in secrecy or confusion. Often times crucial public information is not available or accessible to residents prior to the public hearing about a particular issue. Hearings are set and advertised by the clerk. This is unacceptable and I will ensure that all maps and materials are provided to residents impacted by any hearing in at least the same 10-day period, in which the clerk places it on the agenda and publishes it in a local newspaper.

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

I suppose the most important distinction is I am an entrepreneur who has a background in coming up with innovative ideas on how to improve systems and services which already exist. I have not spent my life in a direct government position and I bring a different and important perspective. Most notably, my opponent sees the position as strictly administrative and exclusively technical. And while this is essential to the functions of the clerk, I bring a slate of new ideas, programs, and initiatives including outreach to underserved communities by using town facilities to go to areas around town on a quarterly basis — essentially bringing the services to the people.

Additionally, I mentioned that I will be a champion for mental health and addiction services and give voice to those who have lost theirs.

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

During this campaign, I have been respectful of my opponent though I disagree with her on many issues but have not been disagreeable or engaged in negative campaigning. I am, however, passionate about my belief that the clerk has missed opportunities to bring new meaning to the role. State law envisions the clerk can take on several responsibilities. This clerk focuses only on the minimum of what the law requires and cannot think outside the box to collaborate with other aspects of town government to see where we can improve services and make a difference.

She has claimed the programs I advance about helping people in recovery — given that no other entity in the town is significantly focused on that issue — is not the clerk's responsibility. I cannot disagree more. If we issue birth certificates, marriage licenses, and death certificates, I am determined to also lend a helping hand to those residents in need during that cycle of life.

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

I had little direct interaction with town government during the shut down. But I can say that I would have cross-trained my staff with the ability to take on all tasks of the office so that at least one person was present at all times within the office. During the pandemic, there was only staff on hand for scheduled appointments (typically marriage licenses as that is required). Once in the position, I would have to review all internal procedures to ensure we are properly prepared for any type of similar circumstance.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Much of what I have campaigned on is covered above. But I want to do an audit and review of the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) process for which the clerk serves as the appeals officer. If a resident has requested information and been turned down by the FOIL officer, it can be appealed to the clerk. With nearly 14,000 inquiries last year, this takes a great deal of staff time and resources to comply with. I know of many instances where an inquiry was not acknowledged within the allowed five-business-day period and did not receive a decision of the information in the allotted 20 days.

I know of times where a year later there is still no response. I want to explore how this system can be streamlined to become more efficient and equitable.

Additionally, to summarize, I have called for additional outreach to the community, efforts to train seniors and non-English speaking individuals (Brookhaven has about 25% minority population including Hispanics and Asians) in either how to navigate the web or help in preparing documents since not everyone has access or can afford the Internet.

I also want to bring a pilot program to pass which is run by the clerk's office called Recycle-a-Bicycle working with the Brookhaven Bicycle Co-Op. We could take reconditioned bikes from donations (and recovered from the landfill) and provide them with helmets to people in recovery from drugs and alcohol. Often these individuals have lost a license and have no mode of transportation to get to a job or a 12-step meeting, which can help them build a new life.

It only takes a little time and effort for the clerk to do his or her job but envision how they can do even more to help the people they serve. That would be what I am about!

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

I have run a business for many years with multiple projects, complicated scheduling, and interacting with many organizations and individuals to ensure the timely completion of projects. Additionally, I have had to prepare budgets and investments to improve efficiency.
In my civic endeavors, I learned how to build consensus and set goals and objectives to move groups forward.

In all my activities I have had to manage staff, assign tasks, and delegate authority where feasible to complete the mission of whatever I was working on.

In my position with managing clients in the detox, we have served thousands of individuals where I was responsible for record-keeping, facilitating admissions, tracking discharge of patients, and reporting on revenues, and billing for a multi-million dollar operation.

I have been a small business owner my entire life and know that the diverse experience I have over my 35-year career leaves me well suited to lead the office of the town clerk.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Do not take yourself too seriously — no one has a monopoly on the truth. There is the way you saw it, the way I saw it, and the reality is somewhere in the middle, so try to see the other person’s view, and, do not be afraid of honest debate as two sharp knives, sharpen each other.

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

I am committed to giving my all for my Dad told me a job worth doing, is worth doing well. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, but I am highly motivated to show how proud I am of the place in which I live in hopes my place will be proud of me. My overriding intention is to bring decency and compassion to all that I do and there is no greater service than saving a life and I know I can advance that philosophy through working as town clerk.