This week in Huntington newsletter: Supervisor's election fallout continues, 8 months later

Hello, everyone. Here we are, deep into summer, and the saga of Maria Delgado, a mystery candidate in last fall's supervisor election, continues. And it tops our newsletter this week.

Last November I was assigned to write a story on Delgado, the Huntington Station woman who, days earlier, had garnered about 3% of the vote in the election as the Working Families Party candidate. She received enough votes to possibly swing the close three-way race to incumbent Republican Ed Smyth. 

Before the Nov. 4 election, I hadn't been able to reach Delgado for Newsday's annual voters guide preview. After her strong showing, I set out to find her. When I did, Delgado told me she didn't vote in the election, though voting records indicated she did.

I never thought that her candidacy and that conversation might be the catalyst for an investigation by the state attorney general. But the AG's office got involved, as Newsday previously reported, reviewing complaints amid concerns by Democrats that opposing parties were raiding the WFP line. 

On Monday I got a tip that the AG’s office had subpoenaed the town. That led to my latest story on the election fallout.

More than eight months later, there's no end in sight to this saga. I'll continue to follow along.

Have you been following the story of Huntington's 2025 elections? Let me know at deborah.morris@newsday.com.

Elsewhere in town

• My colleague Barbara Barker wrote a profile of Huntington native Sydney Taylor, a rookie guard with the WNBA's Chicago Sky, and how her dedication to her craft helped her reach her goals.
• Two of my colleagues, Rachel Weiss and Celia Young, took a look at what will be the changed landscape of Melville when the proposed NYU Langone Hospital campus in the hamlet is built.

• Check out this story by Richard Galant on a sailboat built in Huntington in 1939 that's still seaworthy. It's called the Perroquet and it has found its way to the Indian Ocean. 

Readers Speak Out

Last week I mentioned there was an unexpected debate at a town board meeting July 14 about a proposed African American museum to be located in Fair Meadow Park in Huntington Station.

At that same meeting, there was a public hearing on a measure that would allow town officials to pierce the tax cap for the 2027 budget — but not one person signed up to register their thoughts on that.

So I asked: Were you more concerned about the proposed museum or a possible increase in your property taxes?

Here’s a sample of responses I received. 

Gail Issing, who has lived in Huntington for 46 years, said without question: taxes. 

"I have paid more than my share of taxes and strongly oppose piercing the tax cap!! Clearly taxes are a bigger issue than the proposed museum, especially if it does not use all of the property similar to the Heckscher museum. …"

Peter Rosenfield said taxes are already too high:

“Every department in the town should be looking for ways to CUT taxes! Huntington should start by halving the number of 'Public Safety' employees. Total waste of money. ... Build the museum! I’ve never seen a single person in that 'park.'”

Lisa Leonardi said she’s in favor of an African American Museum: “A large portion of Huntington township is affluent and able to withstand raising property taxes."

I appreciate the feedback. What's your opinion? Let me know at deborah.morris@newsday.com.

Things to do

Check out what's happening around town in the coming week.

Help Support Local Moms

A diaper collection to support local expectant mothers is being held now through Sept. 4 at Huntington Town Hall, 100 Main St. Drop them off in the lobby between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.  All sizes and brands are welcome. For more information, check here.

Free Naloxone Training for Students

A Free Naloxone Training session for high school and college students will teach attendees how to recognize the signs of an opioid overdose and how to administer Naloxone (Narcan), a life-saving medication that can reverse the effects of an overdose. Hosted by Councilwoman Theresa Mari, the session will be held Tuesday, July 28, at 4:30 p.m. at in the town board room at Huntington Town Hall. For more details. go to Mari's Facebook page here.

Find more things to do at newsday.com/lifestyle.