Trish Bergin Weichbrodt, Angie Carpenter fighting it out in Islip

Islip Town Board member Trish Bergin Weichbrodt last week took a cyber-swing at Supervisor Angie Carpenter, and her fellow Republican shot back.

Bergin Weichbrodt launched her Facebook salvo shortly before midnight Monday saying, “This is going to be a TAXPAYER showdown! Trish vs. Angie on taxes and spending! I will fight for the taxpayers and the taxpayers will WIN!” She continued: “Come down to town hall to see for yourself how ridiculous Angie’s spending gets.”

The battle was over the town’s $46 million capital spending plan. Borrowing of $30 million was up for a vote. Bergin Weichbrodt said past capital spending has been about $15 million a year.

Carpenter sent out a message of her own. She called Bergin-Weichbrodt’s attack “a total mischaracterization” of proposals at Tuesday’s town board meeting for needed infrastructure work such as fixing potholes. “This is not a personal dispute,” wrote Carpenter. “All the members of the town board are committed to protecting taxpayers and no one takes that responsibility more seriously than I.”

Unexpectedly, retired Islip Supervisor Frank Jones, joined the scrum from Palm Springs, California. “Keep doing the right thing and ignore those people who wish they were supervisor . . . citizens of Islip will smell out a skunk every time.” Former Democratic Assemb. Ginny Fields, now a Republican, wrote: “It’s ALWAYS about Trish Bergin! She loves the attention.”

Bergin Weichbrodt said she doubts Jones or Fields was aware how much Carpenter wanted to spend. “Anyone would mind that level of borrowing,” Bergin Weichbrodt said.