1st minority candidate runs for Islip seat

For 47 years, Mary Reid has waited for Islip's town board to represent the growing diversity of the communities it serves.

"We should be able to go to a town board meeting and see someone who looks like us," said Reid, 74, of Bay Shore, a black woman.

This fall, she will be able to vote for such a candidate.

Two weeks ago, Islip Town Democrats nominated Renee Ortiz -- a German, Jewish and Puerto Rican woman from Central Islip -- to run for one of two open seats on the board. Party leaders say Ortiz's deep community roots and long record in governmental positions make her a qualified candidate.

If elected, Ortiz would be the first person of color on the town board, Islip Town historian Robert Finnegan said.

Ortiz said she understands the historical significance of her candidacy.

"For too long, diverse communities were left in the dark and feeling like they weren't part of the political process," said Ortiz, 38, chief deputy clerk of the Suffolk County Legislature and formerly county director of minority affairs. "This is a chance to break down the few remaining barriers."

Many community leaders in Islip Town, which is 29 percent Hispanic and 9.5 percent black, say having a candidate of color is a long overdue step.

Reid said Ortiz's candidacy means issues affecting communities of color -- including such townwide issues as the lack of affordable housing, rise in illegal apartments and need for more Spanish-speaking police officers -- may get more attention.

In the past, Reid said, the needs of heavily diverse communities such as Brentwood, Central Islip and Bay Shore were not prioritized and in turn became hotbeds of violence and gangs. "There was no one who represented us," said Reid, a Brentwood Library board member, who added that she never saw some past board members in those communities.

Brendan McCurdy, who is white and the president of the West Sayville Civic Association, called the council "homogeneous" and said Ortiz's election would "make for better representation and a stronger government."

Debbie Cavanaugh, who has worked with Ortiz on community boards for about 10 years as president of the Central Islip Coalition of Good Neighbors, said the town board's makeup shouldn't be an issue.

"It doesn't matter to me about color," said Cavanaugh, who is white. "What matters is the person who gets voted to Town Hall have a backbone and stand up on their own two feet."

Marcos Maldonado, 30, a Hispanic activist in Central Islip and Brentwood, said Ortiz would inspire people of color to become more politically engaged but added voters should focus on her credentials.

Islip Supervisor Phil Nolan, who heads the Democratic ticket, said Ortiz is "a proven community leader" whose "candidacy sends an important and positive message that Islip Town government is inclusive."

Republican Party chairman Frank Tantone, who is running Anthony Senft and John Cochrane Jr. against Ortiz and Democratic councilman Gene Parrington, said his party "recruits people of all ethnic backgrounds" and has "taken the approach of always picking the best candidates."

To date, Tantone said his party has not nominated a person of color to run for a voting position on the board.