Schneiderman Announces Race For Suffolk County Comptroller's Seat

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman announced this week that he's poised to wage a campaign for the Suffolk County Comptroller's seat.

Schneiderman, a Democrat, will face off against Republican incumbent John M. Kennedy in the November race.

Schneiderman, who previously served as deputy presiding officer of the Suffolk County Legislature and East Hampton Town supervisor, said he brings a "strong fiscal record" to the proverbial table, including earning a AAA bond rating as supervisor of both Southampton and East Hampton towns.

“This is an unprecedented time in the history of Suffolk County. Our finances are in critical condition and Suffolk County residents need a comptroller who will help get the County back to fiscal health," Schneiderman said.

Schneiderman said he brings a "unique perspective" to county comptroller position, with experience on the town and county level.

"I will be an independent voice and vigilant fiscal watchdog for the taxpayers of Suffolk," he said.

Financial concerns propelled his decision, Schneiderman said.

"Year after year the county’s expenditures greatly exceed its revenues, to the point where we now borrow nearly half a billion dollars from the following year’s revenues just to get through the current year," he said. "The practice is unsustainable and must change."

Should he win the seat, Schneiderman said he will work with the legislature and the executive branch to develop a plan to establish a structurally balanced budget; he also plans to participate in regular meetings of the county’s audit committee, and to work with stakeholders to identify areas where taxpayer dollars can be saved.

"I have the experience of delivering 18 consecutive years of not raising property taxes," Schneiderman said.

A Long Island native who grew up in Hauppauge, Schneiderman lives in Southampton and has two children.

After graduating from Hauppauge high school, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry from Ithaca College and then obtained a Master of Arts degree in education from the State University of New York at Cortland. Schneiderman taught science and mathematics in East End schools, managed his family’s hotel business in Montauk, and later formed a successful resort management company, he said.

Schneiderman also served on the Town of East Hampton's zoning board of appeals, and was appointed as chairman in 1996, serving until 1999 when he was elected to the first of two terms as East Hampton Town supervisor, where he served until in 2003, he said.

In 2003 he was elected to the county legislature and re-elected in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2013, he said.

Among his proudest accomplishments, Schneiderman said, are the widening of County Road 39 in Southampton, initiating Suffolk County public bus service on Sundays, and preserving thousands of acres of open space and farmland.

Schneiderman was elected Southampton Town supervisor in 2015, the first person in New York State to be elected supervisor of two different towns; he was re-elected in 2017. Schneiderman was also named chair of the East End Supervisors and Mayors Association.

Looking ahead to the November race, Scheiderman said if he wins, it will be the first time in many years that an East End comptroller would serve in the seat.

Should he win, he would take the office of comptroller in January and Southampton Town Deputy Supervisor Frank Zappone would likely fill his shoes on the Southampton town board, although unable to vote, until a special election could be held, Schneiderman said. His current term as supervisor runs through 2019, Schneiderman said.

Reflecting on why he's opted to throw his hat into the proverbial ring, Schneiderman said: "Suffolk County is a big place, with 1.5 million people. There's a certain appeal to representing the county I've spent my entire life in."

Financial issues are critical, with the county still not having "fixed the underlying problem — expenses exceed revenue," he said. "There are no easy choices, but not addressing it isn't an option."

Of his own record, Schneiderman added that just this week, Standard & Poor's, a credit rating agency, reaffirmed Southampton's AAA rating and referred to the town's management as "very, very strong," he said; he led the presentation to S & P himself when the comptroller was unable to attend, Schneiderman said.

Since taking the helm in Southampton, Schneiderman said, "our crime rate is down significantly, property values are up, and even opioid deaths are down significantly."

Schneiderman also said he plans to seek minor party support and will screen for the Conservative, Independence and Working Families Parties.

"It would be a great honor to represent the entire county," Schneiderman said.

Patch file photo.