Huntington Supervisor Chad Lupinacci Will Not Seek Re-Election

HUNTINGTON, NY — Chad Lupinacci announced Friday he will not seek re-election as Town of Huntington supervisor in 2021. He will serve the remainder of his term.

Lupinacci said he arrived at the decision "after much deliberation and consideration" with family, friends and advisers.

"To be clear, this was my decision and my decision alone made in the best interest of my family, the Town, and the Republican Party," Lupinacci stated. "While this decision is a difficult one, it is made easier by the fact that in less than one term I have delivered on all of my campaign promises and will continue to accomplish the many goals I set out to achieve before this final year is complete. Few administrations have faced as many challenges, and few have achieved what we have. I am proud that I will leave the Town of Huntington in a far better place than when I took office, and for that reason, I am incredibly optimistic about the future of the Town and its hamlets that I love so much."

Lupinacci, a Republican, was elected to the position in November 2017 when he defeated Democrat challenger Tracey A. Edwards and End Corruption in Huntington candidate Michael A. Raspantini. Lupinacci garnered 53.77 percent of 51,327 votes cast to Edwards' 44.08 percent and Raspantini's 2.15 percent.

Lupinacci's effort to take the township in a new direction was inspired by his "deep roots" in Huntington, which began with a small butcher shop operated by his grandfather on New York Avenue in the old Huntington Station.

"On the campaign trail, I often recounted the importance of this butcher shop to my family’s history in Huntington and it served as my impetus for revitalizing the Huntington Station area," he said. " My campaign attracted a broad coalition inspired by my community connections, broad platform and commitment to move the Town in a new and better direction."

In his first month, Lupinacci said he worked to enact term limits on all Town of Huntington representatives. Legislation proposed by Councilman Gene Cook was approved in a 4-to-1 vote by the town board, limiting the officers of town supervisor, town council, town clerk, receiver of taxes and the superintendent of highways to three consecutive terms, or a total of 12 years in office, according to a report by TBR News Media.

Lupinacci says his other accomplishments include revitalizing Huntington Station; investing in open space, farmlands and the waterfront; and spearheading the creation of the Town of Huntington Bureau of Administrative Adjudication, which aimed to efficiently settle Huntington Town Code violations, hold the line on property taxes, protect the town's AAA-bond rating, and invested in town parks and facilities.

"While so much was accomplished to date, my time as Supervisor may be defined by two unprecedent challenges, one inherited, and one that no one could have anticipated," he said.

The decade-long litigation with LIPA over the assessment on the Northport Power Plant was the inherited issue. The litigation posed what the supervisor called "an existential threat" to all homeowners, commercial property owners, and the Northport-East Northport School District.

"With settlement negotiations stagnant, a looming court judgment threatened ruin for our beautiful Town," Lupinacci said. "Under my leadership, the Town negotiated an unprecedented settlement few thought possible. We eliminated the threat of total financial devastation, including up to $825 million in future tax refund payments to LIPA, which hung over the heads of our residents for over a decade, secured millions of dollars in additional funding for our schools and Town, and protected our residents against unsustainable tax increases."

Then the coronavirus pandemic came along, effectively shutting down most of the United States in March 2020.

"The once-in-a-lifetime pandemic came without warning and required quick decision-making and visionary leadership to protect our residents, businesses, front-line workers and Town employees," Lupinacci said. "Our Town developed a comprehensive plan to safely reopen facilities and deliver important services to our residents."

The town worked to provide daily meals to its senior citizens and adopt measures to assist struggling local businesses.

"Our country suffered terribly from this pandemic, and our Town was not spared that pain," Lupinacci said. "I send my thoughts and prayers to all the victims of this insidious virus as well as their surviving family members. We will never forget, and the first Monday in March has now been designated as 'COVID-19 Victims and Survivors Memorial Day' in the Town of Huntington."

Lupinacci, who said "this phase" of his public service career is coming to a conclusion, thanked the "outstanding" town workers for everything they've done to make his "new direction vision" a reality.

"Our Town remarkedly includes so many people of different backgrounds and we draw our strength from this diversity," Lupinacci said. "The Town Supervisor must ensure that the voices of all such people are heard and respected. I am proud to have served as a time when Huntington has come together with a united voice, even as our national discourse tends to divide us. To this end, over the course of my term, I have encouraged the celebration of our diversity while promoting a vision of a unified Town centered upon our shared values and common humanity as evidenced by initiatives preserving Huntington’s Black history and honoring the lives of Dr. Agnes Hiller, Samuel Ballton, Peter Crippen, and Paul Johnson."

The supervisor said he often thought of Jackie Robinson's famous quote that "a life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives."

"This quote motivated me during challenging times and inspired me to do more to help our residents," Lupinacci said. "Whether one is in the public or private sector, we should remember Mr. Robinson’s wise words and do our best to make our corner of the world a better place. I am committed to doing just that in the next phase of my life because those values are my inheritance.

"I want to thank everyone for the friendship and support they have given me during my time as Town Supervisor. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve our Town and its residents and, rest assured, that I will continue approaching each day through the end of my term with the same vigor and passion for public service that I had on the day I was first elected."