GOP Backs Assemblyman For Supervisor After Councilman Drops Out Of Race

State Assemblyman Chad Lupinacci

By Andrew Wroblewski

awroblewski@longislandergroup.com

With Huntington Councilman Eugene Cook reportedly dropping out of the race for Huntington Town Supervisor, Huntington Republican Committee Chair Toni Tepe said Tuesday that she will back State Assemblyman Chad Lupinacci in his bid for the seat.

The news came with some surprise as Cook, a member of the Independence Party, announced his candidacy last month and seemed poised to notch both the Republican and Conservative lines, as he did in 2013 when he ran for supervisor and was narrowly defeated by 843 votes. Cook, however, has withdrawn from the race, according to both Tepe and Suffolk Conservative Chairman Frank Tinari.

Cook has not returned repeated calls for comment.

With Cook out of the race, Tepe said in an emailed statement, “I am thrilled that Chad expressed an interest in running. I will be recommending Chad Lupinacci to our executive committee.”

Lupinacci said in a phone call Tuesday he made his decision over “the past 24 hours” between meetings with his campaign and phone calls to Tepe.

He said his experience as both a state lawmaker and former South Huntington School District trustee would help him be successful as supervisor.

The town “is in need of a new direction to best prepare our communities and neighborhoods for the future. For too long our residents have witnessed a decline in the quality of life, constantly increasing taxes, and gang violence so rampant that it has made national news. It is time for new leadership in town hall,” he added in an emailed statement.

Lupinacci, 38, of Huntington, was elected in 2012 to the state’s 10th Assembly District, which spans most of the western and southern portions of the township, from Lloyd Harbor on the north shore to Melville and Dix Hills to the south.

He’s a graduate of both Walt Whitman High School and Hofstra University, and currently works as an attorney and an adjunct assistant professor of political science at Hofstra.

Also getting the Republican nods for the local elections are attorneys Jim Leonick and Ed Smyth for town board, and John Clark for highway superintendent.

The four candidates will also likely be backed by the Conservative Party, according to Frank Tinari, Suffolk Conservative chairman.

“Certainly we’d like to have the support of the Conservative Party,” Lupinacci said Tuesday evening, adding that he also plans to screen for the Independence Party.

To force a September primary, candidates can start collecting the required 1,000 signatures on June 6. The deadline for filing is July 13.

Editor's note: This story was updated with additional information at 6:28 p.m., May 30