Voters Guide: Suffolk County Comptroller: John M. Kennedy, Jr
John M. Kennedy, Jr., Republican incumbent candidate for Suffolk County Comptroller, poses for a portrait at the party's countywide convention held at the Courtyard by Marriott Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma on Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. -- slVOTE -- Credit: James Escher
JOHN. M. KENNEDY JR.
Republican
BACKGROUND:
- Kennedy, 66, of Nesconset, is seeking his third and final term as comptroller.
- He earned a bachelor's degree from Stony Brook University, a master's degree from Adelphi University and a law degree from St. John's University. Before he was elected comptroller, Kennedy represented the 12th district in the Suffolk County Legislature for 10 years.
- Kennedy, who is also an attorney, has served in government for more than 40 years.
ISSUES:
- Kennedy said he will continue to provide oversight of pass-through dollars and make it a priority to work with the Legislature and departments to recast how the county contracts with homeless housing operators.
- He will work to tighten vendor license contracts through the parks department and Legislature.
- Kennedy said he will seek state authorization for his department, along with the other six elected county comptrollers statewide, to be "contemporaneous co-auditors" with the state comptroller, of the county's Industrial Development Agency and local development corporations.
- He plans to continue with what he called a "big ticket" audit of how funds coming in from the surcharge on hotel rooms are distributed through the county parks department.
'His sacrifice made a difference': Gold Star mother honors son's memory Army Pfc. Raheen Tyson Heighter, 22, of Bay Shore, was the first serviceman from Long Island killed in the Iraq War.
'His sacrifice made a difference': Gold Star mother honors son's memory Army Pfc. Raheen Tyson Heighter, 22, of Bay Shore, was the first serviceman from Long Island killed in the Iraq War.
