Dorothy Cavalier for Suffolk Legislative District 6

The 6th District covers northeastern Brookhaven Town from Mount Sinai east and south to Yaphank.

This district can be found in the northeast portion of Brookhaven Town, an area still graced with farmland as well as suburban homes.

Contending for the seat left vacant by Democrat Sarah Anker, who is term-limited, are Republican Chad H. Lennon, 43, of Rocky Point, an attorney with a background in military law and national security, and Democrat Dorothy Cavalier, also an attorney, who has served as Anker’s chief of staff for the past four years.

Cavalier, 54, of Mount Sinai, impresses with her knowledge of the legislature’s inner workings and her commitment to constituent service. She stresses the need to build workforce housing, especially for young people, and working with the schools, especially to promote fine arts. Cavalier is committed to numerous issues championed by Anker, including traffic safety, public health and the environment. She is particularly committed to getting a water quality referendum on the ballot that would help upgrade the county's sewage and septic systems.

While it would be expected that a legislative aide would track closely to her former boss' positions, Cavalier appears more than ready to prove she is a leader on her own.

Lennon works for a private law firm and is a major in the Marine Corps Reserve. He is deeply committed to veterans issues. In 2021, he walked 22 miles with others to bring public attention to the epidemic of suicide among veterans. As a Purple Heart recipient, he wants to translate his service to the nation to the local level. If elected, Lennon says he would stress budgetary restraint and public safety, drawing upon his past knowledge about military security. Lennon says he is well-suited to help Suffolk recover from its crippling ransomware attack that threw many county services offline for weeks, sometimes months.

Lennon says he wants to hire more police officers without specifying a number, "just that we need more" to fight gangs and drug traffickers, he said, and to promote more officers to detectives. He's unlikely to look for needed cost savings such as reducing overtime.

Cavalier, by comparison, says she will look for cost savings in police contracts. She also seems more likely to represent the multiple and complex interests of her district and ready to act effectively from her first day in office.

Newsday endorses Cavalier.