Long Islanders to cast ballots Tuesday in primary elections

The stage for the November general election will be set Tuesday, as voters across Long Island cast ballots in primary elections to determine the contenders for key races this fall.

In Nassau, businessman Adam Haber and Thomas Suozzi, who served as county executive from 2002-2009, face off for the Democratic nomination for county executive.

Haber, 48, of East Hills, has posed a challenge to Suozzi, 51, of Glen Cove, who is seeking another chance at the position.

Haber, a member of the Roslyn school board, spent the primary campaign getting his name and positions out among voters countywide, while Suozzi stressed his experience in office.

In Suffolk, criminal defense attorney Raymond Perini is challenging District Attorney Thomas Spota for the Republican ballot line. Spota, 71, a Democrat from Mount Sinai who has served as district attorney since 2002, last month won a court challenge by Perini, who sued to keep Spota from running for a fourth term. Spota is cross-endorsed by the Democratic, Republican, Conservative and Independence parties.

Perini, 66, a Republican from Huntington who led the narcotics-prosecution unit in the Suffolk district attorney's office for more than a decade before going into private practice, has said that he is running to give voters a choice in the race. Spota ran unopposed in 2005 and 2009.

Suffolk County Legis. Rick Montano, who has represented the 9th District since 2004, is facing a challenge from school administrator Monica Martinez for the Democratic line.

Montano, 63, of Brentwood, has said that he has helped to bring much-needed funds for infrastructure improvements to his district, but Martinez, 36, of Brentwood, has argued that the district has been neglected under Montano's watch.

Also in Suffolk County:

Sheriff Vincent F. DeMarco faces Suffolk police Officer Samuel Barreto Jr. in a Republican primary.

William J. Lindsay III faces Anthony Gralto in a Working Families primary in the 8th Legislative District.

In the 13th District, Paul Hennings, Mario Mattera and Robert Trotta are competing in a Republican primary.

In Smithtown, Long Island's longest-serving town supervisor is being challenged for the Republican line. Patrick Vecchio, 82, who became supervisor in 1978, is facing Robert Creighton, 75, a former Suffolk County police commissioner.

Vecchio has said he wants to keep Smithtown's quality of life intact in the face of "bad zoning decisions" and development. Creighton said he wanted to bring in new businesses and develop the town's infrastructure.