Dear Editor,
My name is Tammie Topel. I've lived in the Town of Huntington for 28 years. I am a registered nurse, I’ve served on several boards and organizations; including the Northport-East Northport Board of Education, PTAs and SEPTA (Special Education PTA), Northport Rotary and as a community activist, I work to raise awareness so everyone has access to the facts and has the opportunity to participate in community discussions and make informed decisions.
I ran a foundation, KIDSPLUS, for 14 years, providing therapeutic recreation and sports programs for children and young adults with developmental disabilities. This led me to a project to build a home for adults with disabilities in Huntington. The approvals and permits to move my project forward was a daunting task, which led me to meet Councilman Eugene Cook. Many people told me, if you have questions, talk to Eugene Cook, as he gets you answers. It didn’t take me long to recognize Eugene Cook wasn’t only a proven leader but a doer.
After my meeting with Councilman Cook, I met with all of the Town Councilmembers and then Town Supervisor Frank Petrone, with his amazing Deputy Supervisor, Pat Del Col; together the Town Board helped me develop a plan to move my project forward. Unfortunately, the timing was not in my favor; Frank retired, Chad Lupinacci was elected Supervisor along with Councilman Edmund Smyth and my project stalled. To my dismay, neither of the two newly elected officials were interested in helping to move a project forward to benefit our developmentally disabled community.
In the four years that Ed has been in office, I have yet to see him take the initiative to move any program or project of value forward to benefit Huntington communities. The only projects he initiated, that I know of, are Pick 6, where residents can pick up litter from the streets and parks, during his campaign for New York Senate in 2020. Well, some may say one would’ve benefited Huntington.
Ed lied to the Northport community while campaigning in 2017, promising he would support us against LIPA. Now, he attacks Eugene Cook’s integrity in a smear campaign because Eugene Cook continues to fight for us, at his expense, in a fight against LIPA’s unethical practices. A mailer with the lie that every homeowner in Huntington would be responsible for the payment of back taxes with an immediate payment of $10,313, was an outright fabrication of the truth. Suffolk County would be responsible for the back taxes, NOT THE HOMEOWNERS, EDMUND! You should know that, as you're a real estate attorney!
Why would any candidate need to lie while campaigning? The only reason any candidate needs to lie or smear about the opposing side is because they cannot run on their own merits. You, Ed Smyth, lack the integrity and reputation of a Eugene Cook, a man who says what he does and does what he says and stands by his word. One of Eugene’s priorities is to help each and every individual in the town of Huntington to make our town the best that it can be.
During a live interview with June Margolin on Tuesday, Smyth referenced a bus program for our youth called “cheeks in the seats,” a program that he would implement as Supervisor to incentivize students to use the bus system for transportation. Sounds great, but why haven't you done this program already as Councilman? Especially since we all have been hearing that with the return of full-time in-person school, there has been a shortage of bus drivers and on the interview, you said that you see the buses are empty every day. You've had four years Ed, 18 months of the pandemic to figure it out; reach out to schools, parent groups, and the youth bureau or at least try to teach a small group of neighborhood children to use the local bus service. Unless you just came up with it for your interview? Perhaps you can ask Eugene Cook to move the idea forward now, rather than wait until the election, because if you don't win, it will never be implemented and that would be shameful.
Speaking of shameful and smear campaigns, Tom McNally, Smyth's “boss” and head of the Huntington Republican GOP is a man who seems to like dirty politics. Every email, letter to the editor or mailer he designed attacks Eugene Cook, a member of his own party. Funny, Mr. McNally, you like to say the Republican majority on the town board, but doesn’t that include Eugene Cook? But then you claim Eugene Cook is a Democrat. Mr. McNally, you seem very confused.
Mr. McNally, if your endorsed candidate deserves our vote then tell us why; there is no need to attack the opposition. Maybe you should take an example from long-standing Republican and former Town Clerk Jo-Ann Raia, who called out Mark Cuthbertson for attacking Stephanie Bontempi and demanding he apologize for his smear campaign against Stephanie’s husband and making disparaging comments about her. Mr. McNally, where is your apology to Eugene Cook? As a reluctant and embarrassed Republican, I ask.
We all need to remember Mr. McNally tells Smyth what to do as one of his soldiers and make no mistake, Ed follows those directions. Do you want a town supervisor who is indebted to a political party? Or do you want a supervisor who works for Huntingtonians? Do you want a leader who stands for the people and with the people?
For me, that is Eugene Cook. He is our Huntington Councilman who has done the most for our town during his tenure on the Town Board. Eugene was the one to discuss term limits, not Ed Smyth, as Mr. McNally proclaims. Councilman Cook even sponsored the resolution for the public hearing which was held before Ed was even on the Town Board. Eugene Cook takes our calls, calls from ordinary, average people looking for help. He responds with what he is going to do, who he is going to reach out to and if he doesn't know the answer, he will tell you that he will get back to you. Eugene Cook stood with parents of sick students from Northport Middle School who were asking for further soil testing, while other town board members said it’s a school and state issue. These are just a few ways Councilman Cook has helped our community.
I am ashamed to admit that I am a registered Republican, as I am embarrassed and disgusted with smear campaigns. My family and friends definitely will not be voting for Supervisor on a Republican line this year. We will be voting for a grassroot, precedent-setting, STOP LIPA, independent line that was orchestrated by and moved forward with almost 2000 signatures on a petition, as this is the true democratic process. This is what Huntington needs, an independent candidate, FOR THE PEOPLE AND BY THE PEOPLE! I urge everyone in the Town of Huntington and especially those in Asharoken, Northport and East Northport to vote for Eugene Cook for Supervisor!
For the two seats on the town council, my support goes to Jennifer Herbert and Dr. Dave Bennardo. These two candidates make the most sense for the town council and will move Huntington forward in a manner that champions Huntington. I hope you will join me in supporting these three candidates for YOUR Huntington! Eugene Cook, Jennifer Hebert and Dr. Dave Bennardo.
Tammie Murphy Topel
Northport
