Rep. King networks with Islip execs

Islip Town business leaders found themselves face-to-face yesterday with the new man in town, who has actually been around a long time.

Because of new boundaries that a federal court approved in March to shrink New York State's congressional delegation from 29 to 27 members, veteran Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), is likely to find himself, come Jan. 1, representing a brand new district, which will include most of Islip and parts of Babylon. It was time, he thought, to meet the Islip business crowd, so King stopped by the regular meeting of the town's Economic Development Committee, an advisory group to Islip's Economic Development Office, made up mostly of small businesses.

King, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, was asked about a variety of issues, most of them national in scope. He criticized Congress for "lurching from crisis to crisis" and said he expected little to happen on major energy or other issues until after the elections in November. Democrats won't give on entitlement programs, and Republicans won't give on taxes, he said.

King's conservative views fit in well with the business executives. Committee chairman Bill Rowley said, "We're happy he'll be taking over."