Candidate Profile: Will Ferraro For Brookhaven Town Supervisor

LONG ISLAND, NY — Voters in Suffolk County will head to the polls Nov. 5 to cast their ballots for Brookhaven Town Supervisor.

Voters will elect Democrat challenger Will Ferraro or Republican incumbent Ed Romaine.

Patch reached out to both candidates to hear where they stand on important issues affecting the community.

Here are the responses for those who participated. The answers have been lightly edited for clarity.

Will Ferraro

• Age (as of Sept. 1, 2019): 36
• Town of Residence: Selden
• Position Sought: Brookhaven Town Supervisor
• Party Affiliation: Democratic
• Family: Kerry Ferraro (35, wife), Liam Ferraro (5, son), Jack Ferraro (1, son)
• Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?: No.
• Education: Masters in Public Policy (Stony Brook University, '10), Bachelor of Arts in Government & Politics (St. John's University, '07), 60 Credit Journalism Major (Suffolk County Community College, Selden Campus, transferred in '05).
• Occupation: Senior Contract Manager, New York City Administration for Children's Services.
• Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: None.
• Campaign Website: https://ferraro2019.com/

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

"Recycling and long-term waste reduction. My 6-Point Plan would make recycling easier and divert waste to the recycling bin by switching Brookhaven to a weekly recycling schedule for all streams, and restoring curbside glass pickup. I would eliminate waste pickup from the property tax bill and treat garbage pickup like a utility, incentivizing household waste reduction and recycling practices, saving taxpayers money, and reducing our town's trash output by an estimated 45 percent. This would save the town a significant amount of money, and help to solve the financial component of the landfill's 2024 closure."

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

"I'm proposing innovative solutions to a number of major Town issues such as road infrastructure, recycling, waste reduction, air quality at the landfill site, and reform at the animal shelter. I believe in a town that serves middle class and working poor families on Main Street. My opponent has put our Town at the mercy of rating agencies on Wall Street. When confronted with these problems, he says we can't solve them, or they are problems that belong to somebody else. I believe in leading from in-front, and taking our biggest challenges head-on."

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

"Supervisor Ed Romaine failed to get ahead of the single-stream recycling collapse, which happened a full year before the Town lost its contract with Green Stream. The result is a botched, confused recycling system that people have stopped participating in. Our road infrastructure is among the worst in New York State, and our Supervisor refuses to work in any meaningful way with the Highway Department to solve the problem. When residents in towns surrounding the landfill confront him about odor emissions, he tells them the odors have gotten better. And currently, there is no significant plan to deal with the closure of the landfill in 2024. This is unacceptable, and it's why I ran: to pose detailed solutions to these problems."

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

"Buildings Department needs more employees and a streamlined online applications process, as well as a crackdown on politically-connected expeditors. The Brookhaven Animal Shelter is in desperate need of a second site, and a full-time vet (or two part-time vets) to perform spay and neuter services, so that we can reduce the feral cat population. From overzealous code enforcement, to the problem of demolished zombie homes being left to turn into overgrown zombie lots, and the number of Town contractors donating big money to incumbent politicians, there are a number of fronts requiring the attention of a reform government. I plan to lead such a government."

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

"I have over 15 years of experience in government, non-profit, and community organizing. I lived in Albany for two years while I worked as a legislative analyst for the NY State Assembly; I also spent time working for the State Senate. For the past seven years, I've worked for a major New York City department as a speechwriter, policy advisor, and manager of large, million dollar public contracts. In my community, I serve on the Middle Country School Board's legislative outreach committee, owned a small business, and have spent the better part of two years organizing through Brookhaven Action Network, where I led the fight against Brookhaven's Toxic Term Extension, which unfortunately extended the terms of Brookhaven politicians from 2 years to 4 years. I've worked at all levels of government, remain a constant voice and advocate for my community, and understand how to solve problems."

The best advice ever shared with me was...

"When making a plan, don't work backwards from your perceived limitations. Design the plan the way you want, and find ways to move past or around the limits."

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

"I'm a fierce advocate for people. Even if we disagree, I'll always give you the time of day because I believe nothing we do matters without participation and dialogue from the community."