The New York League of Conservation Voters has endorsed East Hampton Town Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez in her bid for supervisor, as well as Westhampton Beach Mayor Maria Moore, who is running for supervisor of Southampton Town. Both are Democrats.
The league also announced its support for Supervisor Edward Romaine of Brookhaven, a Republican, for Suffolk County executive. The announcement on Monday endorsed 23 candidates on Long Island, including eight for town supervisor and 12 for the Nassau County Legislature.
The league is supporting just two incumbent candidates for the Suffolk County Legislature, which it calls a direct reflection of the Legislature’s failure to act to put the Water Quality Restoration Act on the Nov. 7 ballot, which would have let voters decide whether the county sales tax should be increased by one-eighth of a cent to create a water quality restoration fund. The Legislature’s inaction was covered in last week’s issue of The Star.
The league “is only supporting candidates who have taken action to advance the Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Act, NYLCV’s top priority in the county,” according to a statement the league issued on Monday. “At their public hearing on July 25, just two legislators — Samuel Gonzalez and Jason Richberg, who the league is endorsing — voted to place the water quality measure on the November ballot,” the statement reads. Mr. Gonzalez and Mr. Richberg are Democrats.
“In one of the most cynical political maneuvers I’ve seen in a long time, the Suffolk County Legislature decided against empowering their constituents to fix the water quality crisis that is happening, quite literally, in their backyards,” Julie Tighe, the league’s president, said in the statement. “There is no time to waste when it comes to water quality and the health of Suffolk County residents, and so for the legislators who voted to go on recess from their responsibilities, NYLCV is choosing to recess their endorsements.”
The league also endorsed Suffolk Legislator Al Krupski, a Democrat running for supervisor of Southold Town, and the Republicans Angie Carpenter, running for Islip Town supervisor, and Dan Panico, who seeks election as Brookhaven Town supervisor. The group is to announce additional endorsements later in the year.
Early voting for the Nov. 7 election starts on Oct. 28 and concludes on Nov. 5.
