Supervisor Candidate Emerges As Petrone Remains Undecided
/By Jano Tantongco
jtantongco@longislandergroup.com
Darryl St. George, left, teacher and president of the Greenlawn Civic Association, has announced his candidacy for Huntington Town Supervisor, a position held by Frank Petrone, right, since 1993.
With incumbent and Democrat Frank Petrone yet to make a decision as to whether or not he will seek reelection as supervisor this November, a longtime resident and civic leader announced last week that he plans to run for the position on the Democratic line.
Darryl St. George, 34, of Centerport, a Northport High School teacher, president of the Greenlawn Civic Association and U.S. Navy veteran, said he decided to throw his hat into the ring after much “soul-searching.”
“I look forward to serving the people of Huntington and hearing from them. I’m going to start reaching out to the people of Huntington and I want to hear from them directly,” St. George said in an interview Tuesday. “This is not about one person, this is about the people of Huntington.”
He said he plans to base his platform around five points: service; government that works; public safety; growth and preservation; and supporting residents.
St. George ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Harborfields School Board in 2013. He views the loss as a blessing in disguise since it led him to the Greenlawn Civic Association, he said.
He’s been president of the civic group for three years, and was its vice president for one year before that.
St. George also made an attempt to enter the town council race in 2015, but withdrew his bid before the election.
St. George said he is ready to commit to running the campaign regardless of whether Petrone runs again.
“I firmly believe in term limits, and I think it’s time for change,” St. George, 34, said.
Petrone has been Huntington supervisor since 1993; he’s been elected to six four-year terms. He plans to make a decision on whether he’ll seek a seventh term in early April, according to town spokesman A.J. Carter.
If he does decide to seek another term, Petrone may have to step up his fundraising.
According to New York State Board of Elections, Petrone’s campaign committee, Friends of Frank Petrone, reported a balance of $164,204 in January 2017 filings. In January 2013 — the last year in which Petrone ran — the campaign committee’s balance stood at $431,915, according to the NYSBOE filings.
Mary Collins, chair of the Huntington Town Democratic Committee, said the committee will begin screening for their candidate for Huntington town supervisor after March 2. They’ll have until the end of May to come to a decision, she said.
“We’ll look over everyone who is interested and when the time comes, we’ll make a decision,” Collins said.
Regarding St. George, who is part of the group’s executive committee, Collins said, “If he wants to come and be screened as a candidate, we will certainly invite him.”
Another potential candidate could be current Huntington Councilman Eugene Cook, an Independence Party member who has twice run on the Republican line. He previously ran against Petrone for supervisor in 2013 and lost by a margin 843 votes out of more than 38,000 cast.
Cook did not return a call Tuesday for comment on a potential run.
On the other end, Chairman of the Huntington Republican Committee Toni Tepe said she has several candidates who have stepped forward, but cannot publicize their names until the screening process is completed.
On the incumbent Petrone, she said “everyone’s waiting patiently to see what Mr. Petrone does or doesn’t do.”
