Angie Carpenter sworn in for third term as Town of Islip supervisor

At a ceremony Thursday afternoon, the Town of Islip swore in Angie Carpenter as its supervisor for the third and final time.

Carpenter, who is limited to three terms, is the first woman to serve as supervisor in the town’s 300-year history and says she has no plans to retire after she steps down in four years.

“Oh, I will be doing something. I'm not quite sure what it will be,” she said Wednesday before the ceremony, adding that she hoped to continue with public service. “I'm not going off into the sunset.”

At Thursday's ceremony, which took place at Touro Law Center in Central Islip, newly elected town councilmen John Lorenzo and Michael McElwee, Receiver of Taxes Andy Wittman and Town Clerk Linda Vavricka also took their oaths of office.

With an audience of Long Island community leaders and officials from all levels of government, the ceremony included a performance by the Central Islip High School choir and speeches from state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer and Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine.

Carpenter is co-chairing the transition team for Romaine, who was sworn in as the new county executive earlier this week.

“Suffolk County, Islip — backbone of the middle class … you couldn’t have a better person who understands that than Angie Carpenter,” Schumer said of her work in the town.

Carpenter, who over the past 30 years also served as a Suffolk County legislator and county treasurer, has highlighted a focus on improving town facilities and infrastructure in her eight years as supervisor, including the renovations of Byron Lake in Oakdale and Roberto Clemente Park in Brentwood, which was marred by illegal dumping in 2013 and 2014.

She has also touted her work to keep the town’s budget in order, build community services, implement environmental programs, overhaul Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma and guide Islip through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“She really worked her way up the ladder step by step, getting here the old-fashioned way,” Schumer added. Carpenter is a child of Italian immigrants and worked in the publishing industry before entering politics.

Addressing the audience in her closing remarks, Carpenter thanked her colleagues in government and the community for their support.

“We’ve built a better, stronger Islip together,” she said. “I'm so proud of what we've achieved together, and I can't wait for what lies ahead.”

By Brianne Ledda

brianne.ledda@newsday.com

Brianne Ledda covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.