Huntington Supervisor Ed Smyth faces primary amid dissension over development plans

The Huntington Republican Committee will face a primary challenge next month to the candidates it selected to run for town board in November, including Supervisor Ed Smyth, amid lingering divisions within the GOP over future development. 

The slate of challengers — town board member Brooke Lupinacci, former town board member Gene Cook and former zoning board of appeals chair John Posillico — petitioned the Suffolk County Board of Elections to run a primary against the candidates the committee nominated in March, committee chairman Thomas McNally said.

The board of elections certified the candidates May 1.

Lupinacci, who is not related to former Town Supervisor Chad Lupinacci and is in her first term of office, will face off against Smyth.

The winners of the June 24 primary will appear on the November ballot.

In addition to Smyth, the committee's candidates are incumbent town board member Dave Bennardo and attorney Gregory Grizopoulos. The latter will run for the seat left open by town board member Sal Ferro, who is not seeking reelection. Incumbent Highway Superintendent Andre Sorrentino also is seeking reelection.

Grizopoulos, of Melville, is the chair of the Huntington Conservative Committee. All four candidates also have the Conservative nomination.

The town Republican committee filed objections with the county board of elections to the challengers' petitions, but officials say the primary will move forward. 

The validity of some petition signatures was among the committee's objections. The petitions require 1,000 signatures from registered Republicans in the town. A bipartisan review team determined that more than enough,1,628, were valid, Democratic Board of Elections Commissioner John Alberts said.

The board of elections has two commissioners: Alberts, appointed by Democrats, and Betty Manzella, appointed by Republicans. Though Manzella declined to validate the petitions, Alberts let them stand.

“If it’s a split decision, it’s still deemed valid,” Alberts said. “It takes both commissioners to make it invalid.”

McNally said in a statement that the challenge to the nominated candidates is "fueled by Democratic support and backroom politics," and "a threat to Republican unity and integrity."

County Republican Party Chairman Jesse Garcia said the county party is backing all candidates nominated by local Republican committees. 

“Ed Smyth is someone who has worked with our county partners, County Executive Ed Romaine, the district attorney, local legislators, to ensure that Huntington is safer and more affordable,” Garcia said. 

Friction over Melville plan

There has been discord among the five members of the Republican town board over the Melville Town Center Overlay District, which was approved in December. The idea is to use that district to encourage developers to convert to mixed-use buildings to help create a walkable downtown of housing and businesses in an area of Melville. 

Lupinacci has opposed the idea since it was first officially unveiled to the public last spring. She said more research needed to be done.

The board approved the measure 3-1-1, with Lupinacci voting no. Ferro abstained after published reports criticized him for his ties to a developer who could have benefited from a resolution Ferro had been advocating for, aimed at changing the town's zoning code in Melville, Newsday previously reported.

Lupinacci also accused her board colleagues of purposely keeping her out of the loop in February when the board voted to eliminate council aide positions, Newsday previously reported.

“As a former Assistant District Attorney, I will restore ethics and transparency to Town Hall and continue my fight to protect our suburban quality of life,” Lupinacci said in a text message to Newsday.

Cook, of Greenlawn, declined to comment. Posillico, of Northport, could not be reached for comment.

Conservative line challenge

Huntington Bay resident Dom Spada, the town’s former maritime director, filed petitions to challenge Smyth’s Conservative line endorsement, Grizopoulos said, adding that the Conservative Committee is challenging some of the signatures. Grizopoulos said a primary will be held.

Spada, in a text, said he was challenging Smyth because of what he said is Smyth’s "unconscionable" push "to build thousands of high-density apartments in Huntington without a comprehensive master plan or the legally required studies" under the State Environmental Quality Review Act. 

Smyth said he has demonstrated his ability to manage the town well, with responsible fiscal policies, public safety initiatives and a balanced budget delivered under the tax cap for eight consecutive years.

“By every measure the Town of Huntington is thriving,” he said. “I have a strong record to run on and I would be happy to compare my record with any challenger.”

On April 15, the Republican committee put out a scathing news release accusing the weekly newspaper The North Shore Leader and its “de facto” publisher, Grant Lally, of reporting incorrect and misleading information about Smyth to boost Lupinacci’s candidacy.

“Grant Lally is manipulating the editorial voice of The North Shore Leader to advance his personal political agenda,” McNally said in the release. “This is not journalism. It’s a political attack machine cloaked as a newspaper.”

Lally said in an interview that he is one of several editors at the paper, which is owned by his mother. He said politicians attack newspapers all the time.

McNally said he stood by his statements in the news release.

Democratic and Working Families candidates include Cooper Macco for supervisor, Jennifer A. Hebert and Stephen Anastasia for town board, and Vincent E. Colavita for highway superintendent. They all face primary challenges on the Working Families line.

Maria Delgado is challenging Macco, George B. Bergbuchler and Erick B. Greene are challenging for the town board seats, and Chris Haines is challenging Colavita. 

Jill Kaufman, chair of the Huntington Town Democratic Committee, said her slate of candidates is fiscally responsible and has integrity and "are concerned about the issues affecting our town, and they will listen to the people and be responsive to them."