PAC: Help watershed, or lose our support

An environmental political action committee is threatening to withhold endorsement in the Brookhaven supervisor race unless the town board adopts a plan to protect the Carmans River watershed before Election Day.

"It may be novel to ask candidates to demonstrate their leadership before we pull the lever for them," but they "have the capacity to make something happen here," said Richard Amper of the Environmental Voters Forum.

Supervisor candidate Brian Beedenbender, a Democrat, said he has been lobbying Democrats on the board to back a plan. The GOP candidate, county Legis. Edward Romaine of Center Moriches, said the forum and other environmentalists have backed him in the past, and "it's a shame they are not judging me on what I have done in the county, but something over which I have no responsibility."

Amper said Romaine could show leadership on the issue by lobbying Republican town board members Dan Panico and Tim Mazzei on the issue. -- Rick Brand