Rob Trotta, Ed Wehrheim battle in GOP primary for Smithtown supervisor

Suffolk Legis. Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga) and Smithtown Supervisor Edward Wehrheim are competing in a June Republican primary in the Smithtown supervisor's race, with development in Kings Park emerging as a key issue.

Trotta is running on a slate with two challengers who say the Wehrheim administration has been too aggressive in its approach to approving development in Kings Park. Wehrheim is vying for his third four-year term and has served in office since 2018.

Trotta is running on a slate along with two candidates for town council: Joann Varello and Robert Semprini. Incumbent town board members Thomas J. McCarthy and Lynne C. Nowick are running for reelection and have Wehrheim's backing.

Smithtown GOP chairman Bill Ellis did not respond to requests for comment. Suffolk GOP chairman Jesse Garcia said he is backing the incumbents. The primary is scheduled for June 24.

Trotta said he is running in response to development in Kings Park, including plans for multimillion dollar apartment complexes, as well as a master plan that paves the way for future projects. The town should focus more on sprucing up the downtown and less on building high-density housing, he said in an interview with Newsday. 

“I would want a small number of apartments and condominiums where people can build equity,” Trotta said in an interview. By approving apartment complexes with steep rents, “we are robbing a generation from building equity by putting them in these apartments." He added: "Fix up the town, and the people will go downtown. Putting 200 people downtown piled on top of each other is not going to revitalize downtown.”

Wehrheim, 76, defended the town's approach to development in an interview with Newsday. He has argued that boosting the housing supply in the hamlet is the key to revitalizing the downtown corridor. 

The area has needed a boost since the closure of the Kings Park Psychiatric Center in 1996. "The Kings Park business district is quite depressed, and it’s been like that for years,” Wehrheim said in an interview. “All one has to do is go look at it, and one can see that the revitalization of downtown is something we need to do."

He said the town has approved projects following careful consideration. "These projects are not planned by myself or elected officials in town, they’re designed and reviewed by professional planners and engineers, and that’s ongoing,” he said.

Wehrheim also touted his record in office, saying his administration has invested in parks across Smithtown and improved the town's financial condition.

“I’m going to take my case to the public and the organizations I serve, and I think I’m going to be successful in June,” Wehrheim said.

Garcia said in an interview that the party will back Wehrheim ahead of the primary: “We support our local committee people who are in support of Ed Wehrheim. They see firsthand what the Wehrheim team has done to control taxes, to preserve the quality of life of the Town of Smithtown."

Garcia added, "No one can argue with the investments that have been made, especially in parks and recreation for families to enjoy and utilize.”

Apartments, term limits

Trotta has been critical of development projects in the Kings Park area — most recently Cornerstone Kings Park, a proposal for a $22-million, 46-unit apartment complex near the Long Island Rail Road station.

In March, Smithtown’s zoning board of appeals voted to approve the project. The plan requires additional sign-offs.

Trotta said if elected, he would focus on revitalizing downtown Kings Park with better signs and lighting. He also has proposed burying power wires underground to help improve the area's aesthetics. His slate also supports term limits for elected officials.

Semprini, 64, a longtime captain for United Airlines, criticized the board for what he felt was “tailoring zoning for specific individuals for developing different projects.”

Semprini, president of the Commack Community Association, referred to a developer's plan to build a 5,000-foot rail line on 82 acres near Town Line and Pulaski Roads to haul away incinerator ash and construction debris. Developer Toby Carlson said in March he was dropping the proposal amid community backlash.

Varello, 62, of Kings Park, who works as a marketing consultant, said the town could benefit from a change in perspective.

“What happens after a while is that you run into group think, and you run into everyone being aligned on the same ideas, and the losers in that situation are the residents,” Varello said. “That’s an important piece of our platform.”

McCarthy, 67, who is running for his eighth term on the board, said term limits were unnecessary. 

“In my years, I can count at least seven different elected officials in Smithtown replaced by the voters. I think the voters in Smithtown are very smart and very astute, and if you’re not doing your job, you’re not going to be here,” McCarthy said.

Nowick, running for her fourth term, said she wants to prioritize parks and beaches and make downtowns, including Kings Park,  safer for pedestrians to walk.

"If there were people walking in the area and close by and being able to go to these stores, they're not going to close down," Nowick said. "They're going to start to thrive, and that's what we want them to do."

The winners will hold the Republican line in the Nov. 4 general election. Democrats have nominated Rosemary Griffin for Smithtown supervisor, along with Jesse L. Phillips and Michael Catalanotto, according to the Suffolk County Board of Elections.

Phyllis Hart, chairwoman of the Smithtown Democratic Committee, told Newsday she was hopeful of her party's chances.

Hart said the Democratic slate is running on a platform that prioritizes protecting open space, cutting back on “rampant overdevelopment” and would counter an all-Republican town board.

“You can’t have one party rule," she said.

With Deborah S. Morris