Primary threatened for Huntington Town GOP

The Huntington Town Republican Committee has named its slate for the fall town board elections, but one disappointed hopeful who did not get a nomination is collecting signatures to force a primary.

Gene Cook, who ran for the board in 2009, and Huntington Bay Mayor Herb Morrow got the nod last week to take on incumbent Democrats Susan Berland and Glenda Jackson.

But community activist Vivienne Wong, who was instrumental in using social media to galvanize opposition last year to AvalonBay's proposal to build multifamily housing in Huntington Station, says she has collected hundreds of signatures on a petition to force a primary. She said the nominees are out of touch with the issues.

"They never even come to the town board meetings," said Wong, who lives in Huntington and was Cook's campaign manager in 2009. "They have not taken a stand on any of the issues that have dominated Huntington recently, not flooding in Halesite, not even AvalonBay. They just want to be elected to something, anything."

Toni Tepe, the town party chairwoman, said 13 candidates including Wong were screened by the committee this spring and the strongest were selected.

"They have electability, credentials and knowledge of the issues," Tepe said. Cook, who said he also has the Conservative Party endorsement, lives in Greenlawn and owns an asphalt and concrete company in Westbury. He said he was surprised by Wong's comments but wished her well and said he would focus on getting elected.

"I want to make sure our politicians know that our job is to do the right thing for the taxpayers and I'm hoping to bring that back to the town," he said.

Morrow did not return calls.

Tepe said another town board primary challenge might be brewing. She said Anthony Mastroianni, who preceded Tepe as chairman, pressured her to remove one nominee in favor of his pick, a former appellate division justice, Robert A. Lifson, who was also screened, or Mastroianni would push for a primary. She said she refused.

"I cannot go against the wishes of the party," Tepe said. "Today's public does not want backroom deals. They want transparency and that's what this party is going to deliver to the public this coming election."

Mastroianni declined to comment and Lifson said only, "It was never my intent to be a spoiler and I don't want to be."

As for Democrats Berland and Jackson, each was unanimously endorsed by their party in May.

"We feel they have done a good job," said Mary Collins, Huntington Democratic Committee chair. "They work hard, they have the best interest of the town uppermost in their minds. We saw no need to replace either of them."

Berland was first elected to the board in 2001 and is in her third full term. Jackson is seeking her second full four-year term.