Northport Village trustee Mercy Smith was named Friday to lead Suffolk County’s public campaign financing program.
In her role as executive director, she will establish guidelines for candidates seeking public funding for their campaigns.
According to the Suffolk County Executive’s Office, studies have shown that publicly funded elections increase voter participation and reduce the power of large donors and special interests over elections.
Smith announced last week that would would resign from the Northport Village Board of Trustees by the end of May. She was first appointed to the village board in 2018 and then elected in 2019 to finish the term.
The funds would be available to county legislative and county executive candidates who qualify.