Dan Panico's got the money but where's he going?

Daily Point

Brookhaven supervisor's fundraising is tops on Long Island

Trying to separate money from politics would be like trying to get stink off a skunk. You can't win a campaign without money. Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico has never had a close election in his political career spanning almost two decades, yet he is one of the most prolific fundraisers in the state. A review of campaign finance data by The Point shows that few elected officials at any level of municipal government in New York have more money in their campaign bank accounts than Panico.

Candidate for governor? Panico's got more money. County executives from Suffolk to Steuben? Panico's got more money. Town supervisors, county comptrollers, sheriffs, legislators, State Senate and Assembly leaders ... Panico's got them beat.

According to January filings with the New York State Board of Elections, Panico has $1,463,035.18 in his campaign bank account. He raised $169,278.19 in contributions and spent $86,138.70.

Panico spent about $50,000 for a fundraiser at a Wading River golf course last fall. In that filing period he received $5,000 contributions from developers, lawyers, car dealerships, unions, and real estate and construction companies. He received more money in interest — about $19,000 — than many politicians did in contributions.

Of Long Island's 13 town supervisors, Panico's campaign coffers dwarf them all. And he's not even running for reelection this year. He has more cash on hand than Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the presumed Republican candidate for governor and a notoriously good fundraiser. Blakeman reported $1.2 million in the bank while Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine has $777,448.94. Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino is closest to Panico with just over $1 million in his campaign account.

Panico even has more campaign dollars than statewide power players like Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie ($83,591.01), State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins ($1,180,663.67), and Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado ($1,125,778.62), who is making a Democratic primary run against Gov. Kathy Hochul.

With such a massive campaign war chest — and no need to spend any since he has two years to go on his current term as supervisor — is Panico laying the groundwork for a run at a bigger office at the county, state or even federal level?

Nope, Panico told The Point on Wednesday, saying he has no desire to run for anything other than reelection as Brookhaven Town supervisor. "I have no designs on any other office," he said. "I'm not looking to leapfrog or springboard."

Panico said he had been offered chances to run for other offices in the past but he turned them down. "Far too many people that get elected are already looking for their next job," he said. "... People assume he wants to run for this or run for that. I simply want to do my best for the residents of the Town of Brookhaven. People are naturally cynical and anyone reading that comment would do so perhaps cynically. ... I've walked the walk and I live by my own words ..."

Panico won his first term as Brookhaven supervisor when the seat opened up as Romaine ran for and won county executive. Since his first election in 2010 to the Brookhaven Town Board, Panico has eased to victory in every race with huge margins. His closest race was the supervisor election in 2023 when he won with 62% of the vote. A longtime Long Island political insider told The Point that Panico's fundraising isn't unusual nowadays. A few decades ago, fundraising in nonelection years was frowned upon by party leadership since it drew dollars away from that year's candidates. Now, the impetus is to raise as much money as possible and prove to party leaders that you are a fundraising virtuoso, so your name is front and center if another bigger or better office opens up.

Incumbent supervisor, their town and balance at end of the January 2026 filing period: 

• Dan Panico, Brookhaven Town: $1,463,035.18
• Joseph Saladino, Oyster Bay Town: $1,020,253.08
• Angie Carpenter, Islip Town: $610,853.39
• Rich Schaffer, Babylon Town: $510,150.57
• Ed Wehrheim, Smithtown Town: $259,495.56
• John Ferretti Jr., Hempstead Town: $155,854.98
• Jennifer DeSena, North Hempstead Town: $66,467.30
• Ed Smyth, Huntington Town: $14,556.94
• Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, East Hampton Town: $13,213.50
• Jerry Halpin, Riverhead Town: $2,669.17
• Maria Moore, Southampton Town: $2,303.11
• Al Krupski, Southold Town: $1,445.64
• Amber Brach-Williams, Shelter Island Town: Not available on state website

Krupski and Moore didn't post filings for January. Figures shown are from their most recent filings, in November 2025.

— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

Pencil Point

The deluge

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Final Point

LI senator goes viral after testy exchange with MTA chief

Republican State Sen. Mario Mattera didn't realize he was going to go viral when he chose to raise a question regarding a $35 million private out-of-state security contract during his questioning of Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Janno Lieber on Tuesday.

But his exchange with Lieber went off the rails quickly. And a day later, Mattera, of St. James, told The Point he is hoping that perhaps the anger in the Q&A — and the social media sharing that followed — will result in future action.

Mattera focused his questioning on Allied Universal Security Services in Pennsylvania, arguing that the MTA shouldn't have contracted with an out-of-state company, and that the contract had not helped to alleviate fare evasion. Lieber angrily tried to respond to Mattera's claims by noting that all of the employees were unionized New Yorkers.

"Let me finish! Let me finish!" Lieber said angrily, as Mattera interrupted.

"You're rambling," Mattera responded. "Why do we have this?"

"It's reduced fare evasion by 36%, mister," Lieber yelled.

That's when Assemb. J. Gary Pretlow, who chairs Ways and Means, broke in.

"Stop! Right now," Pretlow screamed. "Shut up!"

Mattera quickly sought Pretlow's apology — which Pretlow gave.

"We will not have this hearing get out of hand," the Assembly member added. "This is not a shouting match."

Lieber, too, apologized.

"I shouldn't raise my voice," Lieber said.

"All right. Guess what? Then we'll move on," Mattera said.

Video of the testy back and forth quickly spread — and by the time Mattera got back to his hotel room friends and colleagues had all learned of the exchange, with the response continuing the next day.

"It's been unbelievable," Mattera told The Point Wednesday.

While Mattera said he didn't expect the question-and-answer session to devolve, even before he asked a question Lieber seemed to be on guard, Mattera said, pointing to earlier tense questioning by State Sen. John Liu.

And as Mattera, the ranking member of the State Senate's Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Committee, took the mic, the MTA chair made an offhanded remark even before any questioning began.

"I decided not to resign," Lieber told Mattera, likely responding to a news conference from more than a year ago, when Republican lawmakers, including Mattera, called for Lieber's resignation after the start of congestion pricing.

But Mattera, too, had concerns even going into the exchange.

"I'm not going to take nonsense from somebody who has an open checkbook, from an authority that's gouging us even as he's saying he's doing an amazing job," Mattera said.

"I am frustrated that Long Islanders — the people I represent — are being gouged by the MTA," Mattera said, pointing to congestion pricing as an example. "You're gouging people right now and you're not fixing the problem of fare evasion and toll evasion. I'm going to be aggressive to make my point especially at these hearings."

While Pretlow and Lieber apologized during the hearing, Mattera noted that he specifically did not.

"I wish I didn't raise my voice, but you know what? I got my point across," he said. "And maybe this is going to spark something ... I'm hoping they're going to look at this and we're going to save $35 million and come up with a better plan."

And what will happen now, if Mattera sees Lieber in the halls of Albany again?

"I'll say, 'Let's sit down and talk. I want to help,'" Mattera said. "We can do better." 

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

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