Former White House staffer to run against Nolan

A former White House staffer and naval intelligence officer who served in Afghanistan is slated to become the Republican and Conservative candidate to take on Islip Town Supervisor Phil Nolan in November, both parties announced Tuesday.

Tom Croci, 38, of Bohemia has been working as district office director for State Sen. Lee Zeldin since January. He served two tours in Afghanistan, where, as a lieutenant commander, he supported a Navy SEAL team. He also served as senior duty officer in the White House Situation Room for two years and worked as deputy executive secretary to President George W. Bush’s Homeland Security Council.

Croci is a graduate of James Madison University and New York Law School, said Islip Republican Chairman Frank Tantone.

Incumbent Nolan, a Democrat, said he would run on his record.

“We have cleaned up corruption, we have restored accountability, rooted out wasteful spending to the tune of milllions of dollars, reduced the size of government and improved services,” he said.

Croci was one of five candidates who received the endorsements of the town Conservative and Republican parties Tuesday. The candidates will be seeking nominations at party conventions next month.

Running for two town board seats will be Republican John Cochrane Jr. of Brightwaters, an owner of Cochrane Insurance Group of Bay Shore whose father was a former Suffolk GOP chairman and state assemblyman from 1973 to 1994; and Anthony Senft of East Islip, an attorney who is a member of the Conservative Party. Cochrane was an unsuccessful town board candidate in 2007.

Cochrane and Senft will be seeking seats held by Democrats John Edwards and Gene Parrington, who are expected to seek re-election.

Tuesday's endorsements also went to incumbent Town Clerk Regina Duffy, a Conservative, and Alexis Weik, a Republican running for receiver of taxes. She is deputy to the incumbent Virginia Allen, who is retiring.