Longtime Babylon councilwoman to retire

A longtime Babylon Town official is stepping down and political parties have announced the candidates vying to take her place in the next election.

Ellen McVeety, who was elected councilwoman in 1999, is retiring at the end of her two-year term this year, according to Robert Stricoff, chairman of the Babylon Democrats. McVeety, who served as town clerk from 1991 to 1999, said her decision to step down was a personal one.

"I decided it was time for me to spend time with my husband and grandchildren," she said. McVeety, 63, of Amityville, said she believes it can only benefit the five-member town board to get some "fresh blood."

Democrats have chosen Deer Park resident Tom Donnelly to run for McVeety's spot. Donnelly, 45, was appointed to the town's planning board in 2009. He has been a member of the Deer Park Fire Department since 1984 and serves on the board of fire commissioners for the Deer Park Fire District. Donnelly is also a 22-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department.

Councilwoman Jackie Gordon, 46, of Copiague, who was first elected to the board in 2006 to fill an unexpired term, is running for re-election. Donnelly and Gordon also have the backing of the Independence and Working Families parties.

Donnelly -- who assisted in the 9/11 recovery as well as the Hurricane Katrina and Haiti earthquake efforts -- and Gordon, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserves who served in Iraq, were called "real life local heroes" by Stricoff.

"These are two individuals who have spent their adult life in public service," Stricoff said. "I would say these are the two most qualified council candidates the town has ever seen."

Republicans and Conservatives have announced candidates William "Matt" Groh and Thomas A. Gargiulo for the two open seats.

Groh, 45, of North Babylon, is a labor and employment law attorney who previously drove a newspaper delivery truck as a member of the Newspaper and Mail Deliverers Union. He has frequently lobbied for more government transparency at town hall meetings, is founder of the civic group Concerned Citizens for Sewers, and ran unsuccessfully for county legislator in 2007 and 2009.

Gargiulo, 53, of Babylon Village, is the longtime coach of Bethpage High School's girls varsity basketball team, recording his 250th win in December. He has also worked for 29 years as a high school special education teacher at Eastern Suffolk BOCES. He ran for town board in 2005 but lost.

Babylon Republican chairman Tony Pancella praised Gargiulo's work with youth and church groups and said of Groh: "He really knows the issues . . . He's a bright guy and a passionate guy."

Pancella said the pair "cover very diverse areas of town" and "make a great team."

Babylon Conservative Party chairman Donald Nohs said the duo would bring balance to a town board that has long been dominated by Democrats.