Candidate Profile: Pat Snyder For Riverhead Town Board

RIVERHEAD, NY — Suffolk County residents will be hitting the polls soon to elect local representatives.

The race is on in local town and village races leading up to Election Day, which, this year, falls on Tuesday, November 5. Patch asked those running for office to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles in the days leading up to the election.

Pat Snyder, 63, of Riverhead is a Democrat seeking election to the Riverhead Town Board. Her opponents include Diane Tucci, a Democrat, Timothy Hubbard and Frank Beyrodt, Jr., Republicans, and William C. Van Helmond, running on the Libertarian line.

Snyder has a daughter, Kristen Realander, a teacher in Riverhead Schools, and a son, Dan Snyder, a naval architect. Both are graduates of Riverhead Schools. She has a Master's in education and works as a non-profit consultant. She is the former executive director at East End Arts, where she worked from 2001 to 2018, and she was a teacher for 10 years.

Check out Patch's full Q&A with Pat Snyder below.

Patch: The single most pressing issue facing our community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Pat Snyder: EPCAL development. EPCAL represents Riverhead's biggest opportunity to increase the tax base and provide good paying jobs. I will make sure promises that are made in regards to EPCAL's development will be fulfilled.

P: What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?:

S: I have a long-term track record of successfully serving the Town of Riverhead and eastern Long Island using innovative problem solving, working with all levels of government across party lines, reaching a diverse population, and collaborating with a multitude of organizations and businesses.

P: If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community

S: There has been a lack of action on behalf of the residents of Riverhead by the incumbent.

P: Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

S: I am an advocate for advancing Riverhead as a Climate Smart Community. I will work with regional environmental agencies, schools and surrounding towns to address environmental issues we are facing, especially water quality. Downtown Riverhead has languished long enough. We should be proud of our downtown. I will bring strategies for downtown revitalization, addressing safety and blight. I will work to make Downtown Riverhead a destination. I will work to develop incentives to encourage developers to reuse empty big box stores on Route 58 and discourage over development.

P: What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

S: I was successful growing East End Arts to its multi-award status by:

Integrating the arts with community development.

Securing $1.2 million to renovate buildings and grounds on East End Arts campus.

Growing the EEA School from 45 to 1,000 students

Developing nationally acclaimed Winterfest, bringing an annual $1 million in economic impact to eastern Long Island.

Developing the Community Mosaic Street Painting Festival, drawing thousands of visitors to Riverhead since 1996.

Developing The Teeny Awards, a regional project that celebrates high school theater for the past 16 years.

P: The best advice ever shared with me was ...

S: "Have fun campaigning!"

P: What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

S: I am driven to pursue a town board seat out of the frustration of seeing Riverhead's potential being wasted. I am determined to make marked improvements for the community and future generations.