Steve Bellone picks Derek Poppe to run re-election campaign
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, above, has hired former aide Derek Poppe to manage his reelection campaign. Credit: James Carbone
Derek Poppe, a spokesman for Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, has left his post in the administration to manage Bellone’s reelection campaign.
Poppe, 28, began as Bellone’s campaign manager Monday after three years in the county executive’s press office. He will oversee Bellone’s race against Republican county Comptroller John M. Kennedy Jr.
"He has had a front-row seat to the important work we’ve been doing in the county, and so I am fortunate to have him take on this new role on his own time in order to bring our story of reform and accountability to the voters this fall," Bellone said in a statement.
Poppe, of Babylon, most recently served as Bellone’s deputy communications director, a position he had held since March. Poppe's annual salary was $104,739 this year, said Robert Lipp, the county legislature’s budget director.
In addition to coordinating the release of public information, Poppe helped roll out the county’s new website and managed the county’s social media accounts, according to a March news release.
Poppe had worked previously as an account executive for political consulting firm Millennial Strategies, LLP. He has a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Plattsburgh.
Rachelle Blidner covers Suffolk County government, politics and breaking news.
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