Voters Guide: Suffolk County Comptroller: John M. Kennedy, Jr

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.