Three candidates vie for two trustee seats in Village of Poquott

BY DANIEL FEBRIZIO DANIEL@TBRNEWSMEDIA.COM

Village of Poquott residents will vote June 20 on the open seats on the village board. There are two trustee positions for twoyear terms while the justice position runs for four years.

For the two trustee seats, the three candidates are incumbent trustee and Deputy Mayor John Musiello, Jeremy Flint and Jim Ma. Current trustee Dee Parrish is not seeking reelection. For village justice, the candidates are incumbent Paul Edelson and current trustee Darlene Mercieca.

Musiello, Flint and Mercieca are running on an informal ticket known as Team Poquott. Their website is yourpoquott.com.

Village trustee candidates

John Musiello

Musiello has served as trustee the past two years for one term. He has lived in Poquott for almost 10 years now. He was appointed deputy mayor last year by Mayor Tina Cioffi. Traditionally the village mayor appoints one of the four trustees to take on the mantle of deputy mayor.

“I think it’s going really well,” Musiello said in a phone interview regarding his time on the village board. He explained that everyone on the board has their areas of expertise, and that a lot of what he has done is work with landscapers and construction workers fixing potholes and paving roads.

He said that his responsibilities include helping organize the annual budget as well as attending the monthly meetings which, he said, “gives me an opportunity to learn not only the operations but to work with a lot of our residents.”

“I agreed to run for trustee because I really felt like I could help bring the community together, and I certainly want to have a united front with our residents,” Musiello said. He explained that the platform he ran on was “to keep Poquott safe, clean and friendly.”

He said that neighborhood cleanliness is particularly important to him and that multiple times per month he’ll go out with gloves and garbage bag to pick up garbage on the neighborhood streets. He has also helped coordinate cleanup initiatives, like the annual beach cleanup.

Jeremy Flint

Flint is a newer resident of Poquott, having moved into the neighborhood in 2021 with his wife and now three small children. Flint was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, although his parents are from Brooklyn and Connecticut.

Flint has a “background in construction insurance and consulting,” he said in a phone interview. He has experience running his own public adjusting firm, which specializes in “commercial and large loss catastrophe work,” according to yourpoquott.com.

“I’ve worked with a lot of municipalities, vendors, associations,” Flint said. “I can bring some of that experience to the village with helping them run their day-to-day activities and any of the issues that the village [encounters] through the year.”

“I think it’s really important to be involved in your community,” Flint said. After he was approached to run for the open trustee seat, he spoke with his wife and they decided he should run for the position. “If you can help and contribute to it, we thought it would be a good opportunity to continue our involvement in the village,” he said.

He indicated that he’s looking forward to “better getting to know [the residents] and working with them and seeing the best way I can help with this process and the continued growth of the village.”

Jim Ma

Ma has lived with his family in Poquott since 2013. His professional experience includes more than 15 years as a financial risk manager. Now he consults for regulatory, credit and market risks on client portfolios.

“My consulting business mainly focuses on domestic and international banks on Wall Street,” Ma said in an email interview. “We have had many challenges in the village for the past few years that trace their roots to financial resources and planning. Some of the village’s previous very successful projects already showed the benefit of leveraging the proper financial tools.”

Ma continued, “I have a strong finance and business development background, which equips me to represent and fight for our interests effectively. I envision making Poquott village the best place to live, work and raise a family.”

He highlighted the importance of maintaining financial responsibility, enhancing infrastructure, preserving the environment and promoting community engagement.

“I will ensure our village’s budget is handled responsibly, focusing on essential services and strategic investments while also pursuing additional sources of funding to ease the burden on our taxpayers,” Ma wrote.

Village justice candidates

Village justice incumbent Edelson and health care professional Mercieca did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication.

According to Musiello, if Mercieca were to win, she would leave her trustee seat and the mayor would appoint a replacement trustee to fill the vacancy.

The elections will take place on Tuesday, June 20, from noon to 9 p.m. at Village Hall, 45 Birchwood Ave., Poquott.

The following incidents have been reported by Suffolk County Police:

Terryville man killed in hit-and-run

Suffolk County Police Major Case Unit detectives are investigating a hit-and-run crash that killed a man in Port Jefferson Station on June 2.

Peter Williams, 47, of Terryville was crossing Route 112 eastbound, south of Rose Avenue, when he was struck by an unknown SUV heading southbound on Route 112 that fled the scene, then struck by a second southbound vehicle that remained at the scene at 10:13 p.m.

Williams was pronounced dead at the scene by a physician assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner. Detectives are asking anyone with information on the crash to call 631-852-6553.

Two Farmingville men arrested for stealing cooking oil

Suffolk County Police arrested two men on June 5 for allegedly stealing cooking oil from restaurants in the Fifth Precinct in May and June of this year.

Gregory Smith and Andrew DeMarco allegedly stole cooking oil from three different restaurants on five occasions between May 22 and June 5. Smith drove a rented box truck and siphoned the oil into a 500-gallon container while DeMarco drove a 2023 Honda Accord to act as a look-out.

Following an investigation by Fifth Precinct Crime Section officers, the two were arrested in Patchogue on June 5 at approximately 1:45 a.m. for stealing from the following restaurants: Island Empanada in Medford on May 22 and May 31; Dirty Taco in Patchogue on May 31 and June 5; and Harbor Crab in Patchogue on June 5 Smith, 39, of Dogwood Ave., Farmingville was charged with Criminal Mischief 3rd Degree and five counts of Petit Larceny. DeMarco, 38, of Dogwood Ave., Farmingville was charged with two counts of Petit Larceny and one count of Criminal Mischief 3rd Degree. They are scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip at a later date.

The investigation is continuing. Police are asking anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a similar crime to call 631852-COPS to make a police report.

Visit www.tbrnewsmedia.com/police

— COMPILED BY HEIDI SUTTON

Caught On Camera

Do you recognize this woman? Photo from SCPD

Wanted

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate the woman above who allegedly stole approximately $500 worth of merchandise from Walgreens, located at 302 Route 25A, Miller Place on May 9 at approximately 2:45 p.m. with a male accomplice.

Do you recognize this man? Photo from SCPD

Wanted for Petit Larceny

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct Crime Section officers are seeking the public’s help to identify and locate a man who allegedly stole air conditioners from Lowe’s, located at 2796 Route 112 in Medford, at 5:23 p.m. on May 24. The merchandise was valued at approximately $710.

Suffolk County Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with information about these incidents can contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers to submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-800-220-TIPS.