Lupinacci Won’t Run for Second Term

Update Huntington Supervisor Chad Lupinacci announced Friday afternoon that he won’t run for a second term.

Town Republicans have been preparing to name their candidates for supervisor and the Town Board, with an announcement expected momentarily. Lupinacci is facing a lawsuit by a former Assembly aide who accused him of sexual harassment. An inquiry just concluded found complaints against him involving a town employee to be unsubstantiated but also said that the investigation had been “stymied” because witnesses were not truthful.

“After much deliberation and consideration with my family, friends, and advisers, I have decided not to seek re-election as Huntington town supervisor this November. 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.

“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, who previously served on the South Huntington school board and then as  assemblyman from the 10th District, took office in January 2018.

“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.

“The decade-long litigation with LIPA over the assessment on the Northport Power Plant posed 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.  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.

“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.  Our Town developed a comprehensive plan to safely reopen facilities and deliver important services to our residents.  We continued to provide daily meals for our senior citizens.  We adopted countless measures to assist struggling local businesses, including the creation of a small business task force that continues to make recommendations for additional measures.

” Our country suffered terribly from this pandemic, and our Town was not spared that pain.  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.

He said he will serve the remainder of his current term in office.

This story will update.

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