Brookhaven Highway Superintendent Vote Tuesday

Brookhaven voters will get their chance Tuesday to vote for the town's next Highway Superintendent. 

Councilwoman Kathy Walsh is running as the Democratic candidate against Republican Dan Losquadro, a state assemblyman representing New York's second district. Several others from Michael DePaoli, a Vietnam veteran and a former director of emergency preparedness for Suffolk County, to "Zabby" are pushing for write-in votes.

The race for the vacant Highway Superintendent position has gained momentum in the weeks following the Feb. 8 blizzard. Some streets across Brookhaven went unplowed for days after the storm, and the poor snow removal effort raised the ire of many residents. 

John Rouse, the former Highway Superintendent, resigned from the position in mid-January to run for Suffolk County Court Judge.  In his final action he appointed Michael Murphy to temporarily fill the position. Murphy failed to show for work during the storm and was forced to resigned. 

The newly elected superintendent will be expected to hit the ground running as Supervisor Ed Romaine has called for a slew of improvements to the Highway Department and is seeking a contractor to complete a full inventory and assessment of the department's equipment.

If the winner of Tuesday's election is by a clear margin, the new Highway Superintendent could be sworn into office as early as the March 12 town board meeting. 

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Voters should head to their regular polling place, which can be found here.