Huntington Town maritime services director resigns at request of Supervisor Lupinacci

Huntington Supervisor Chad Lupinacci said Friday in a statement that he has asked the town’s director of maritime services to resign.

Lupinacci said he requested Dom Spada’s resignation on Thursday after a discussion but did not say what led him to the decision.

Spada was appointed deputy director of maritime services in 2018 after losing his bid for the Suffolk County Legislature. He was named director this past June.

"It became clear to me that he could no longer serve in this administration, and it was with a heavy heart and deep disappointment that I asked for his resignation," the statement said. "This unfortunate situation, which appears to be unrelated to his role as Director of Maritime Services, cannot undo Mr. Spada’s stellar record of making our waterways and shorelines safer than ever before for residents, beachgoers and boaters."

When reached by phone earlier Friday, Spada said he was still working for the town but was finalizing his resignation.

"There’s a lot of evil people out there," he said, before declining further comment.

Spada, 58, is a Village of Huntington Bay resident and is also a trustee there. He has worked at Madison Square Garden for the past 26 years as a lead technician for telecasts of the New York Knicks basketball team and hockey’s New York Rangers.

Spada’s initial appointment came under fire at the time because he was appointed along with 10 other white men, something town board member Mark Cuthbertson, a Democrat, said did not reflect the town’s diversity and was only posted on Republican Supervisor Chad Lupinacci’s election team’s transition website.

On Friday, Cuthbertson assailed Lupinacci for not offering details about why he asked Spada to resign.

"It is disingenuous for the supervisor to say Spada’s resignation has nothing to do with his role as director of maritime services without offering any basis for that," Cuthbertson said. "Instead of offering a glowing assessment of Spada, he should either be forthcoming about what he knows or consider the strong likelihood that there are details of wrongdoing to come given Spada’s sudden resignation."

In June, Spada went from a part-time role with an annual salary of $60,000 to a full-time one with an $85,000 salary. Cuthbertson also criticized Spada’s promotion and questioned how he would be able to work two full-time jobs.

Spada said at the time that he would be able to handle both jobs because of his flexible schedule.