The TIMES of Middle Country
Serving CentereaCh
Volume 11, No. 13
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Selden
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northern lake grove
July 16, 2015
$1.00
O’Connor challenges Bellone for exec spot Suffolk Republicans select candidate with experience serving as town councilman, building commissioner
New school year, same board
Stony Brook Film Festival 2015
Photos by Erika Karp
Also: ‘West Side Story’ at the SCPA and ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ at Theatre Three
PAgE B1
Left photo from O’Connor, right file photo
Jim o’Connor, left, says he hopes to improve the county’s financial standing if he is elected in place of incumbent County executive Steve Bellone, right.
appointed building commissioner for North Hempstead. The Suffolk County executive He had a very brief run at the race is on. Nassau county executive spot County Republicans have in 2001 — for approximately selected Jim O’Connor to chal- 48 hours, to be exact — before lenge Suffolk County Executive the Nassau Republicans chose Steve Bellone (D) in November. to back candidate Bruce Bent And in his words, O’Connor instead. said he could not O’Connor’s opbe more honored ‘Why wouldn’t ponent, Bellone, also to represent his you be interested garnered similar party in the pivpublic service acin that position?’ colades before asotal race. “John Jay La—Jim O’CONNOr suming office at the Valle [chairman county level in 2011. of the Suffolk County Repub- Bellone served on the Babylican Committee] called me lon Town Board for four years, up and asked me if I would be starting in 1997, and was then interested in the position, and elected supervisor of Babylon I said of course,” he said. “Why Township in 2001. wouldn’t you be interested in Since being voted into ofthat position?” fice, Bellone said he was proud O’Connor, now a resident of of passing three consecutive Great River, is a partner in the balanced budgets under the Manhattan law firm of Ma- tax cap, securing a $383 milroney O’Connor LLP. He has a lion investment in clean water long resume of working in lo- infrastructure — the largest of cal government, starting in the the county in 40 years — and Town of North Hempstead in negotiating labor contracts that 1998 as an elected councilman, make new employees more afwhere he served until 2001. fordable and requires new emFrom 2006-08, O’Connor was ployees to contribute to health By viCtoria eSpinoza
Fly away home A push to protect LI’s native pollinators
PAgES A2 &A3
The Middle Country Central School District Board of Education held its annual reorganization meeting earlier this month and welcomed back its incumbent board members. Above, from left, James Macomber, Arlene Barresi and Karen Lessler are sworn into their trustee seats. The trio ran unopposed and were reelected in May. Fellow trustees also elected Karen Lessler as board president — a position she has held for more than a decade — and Kris Oliva, left, as board vice president. care costs. But O’Connor said he found “We must continue to move flaws in the way that Bellone has Suffolk County forward,” Bel- handled the financial aspects of lone said in an email through a the county. “The attitude is, ‘Let’s put spokesperson. “While we have made a lot of progress there is off tomorrow what we could do today,’ and that is hurting my so much work left to do.” Specifics of moving Suffolk children and my children’s chilCounty forward, Bellone said, dren, in terms of the amount of debt that will fall include continuing on their shoulto hold the line on ‘While we have ders,” O’Connor taxes, creating new said in a phone injobs, growing the made a lot of terview. economy and keep- progress there Under an ing young people on is so much work O’Connor adminLong Island. istration, there Bellone also said left to do.’ would be an imhe is interested in — STeVe BellONe plementation of utilizing better the a Suffolk County many assets that Suffolk County has, includ- debt management plan, which ing Stony Brook University, would start the process of a Brookhaven National Laborato- debt ceiling, much like what has ry and Cold Spring Harbor Lab- been done in Washington D.C., oratory. If re-elected, he said he O’Connor told Times Beacon wants to make sure the county Record Newspapers in an excluis leveraging those assets to cre- sive interview. ate innovation jobs. EXECUTIVE continued on page A8