Southold Democratic Roundup: Candidates Want Better Transportation But No Tax Receiver

With conservative issues such as land preservation and tax reduction at the forefront, Democrats also have taken some strong stances on certain issues in 2011 — from encouraging eco-friendly businesses to proposing to abolish the position of tax receiver.

Their platform includes other shake-ups: Brian Hughes, candidate for Southold Town Justice, is a registered Republican running on the Democratic ticket, while

The party was also able to get approval from the Suffolk County Board of Elections to form aand is

Here's a rundown of democratic candidates for Southold Town Supervisor, Council, Trustee, Tax Receiver, and Justice:

Supervisor

D-Bob Meguin:

A native of Lindenhurst, Southold resident Bob Meguin graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in business administration and served in the U.S. Army Military Police Corps and the Army Reserves. Meguin studied law at St. Johns University School of Law and began practicing in 1975. He has served as the director of finance in the Town of Babylon and as a principal law clerk to three Suffolk County court judges in Riverhead. His law practice over the years has focused on litigation and appeals. Meguin has also served as member and as chairman of the Southold Town Board of Ethics and a member of the Anti-Bias Task Force in Southold.

Town Council

D-Marie Domenici:

After a career working for a Fortune 500 company, Marie Domenici’s main political focus since moving to Mattituck 10 years ago has been environmental advocacy in roles such as a member of the Southold Town Stormwater Run-Off Committee, chairwoman of the Southold Town Renewable Energy Committee — for which she received a proclamation from the town acknowledging her dedication — and as a volunteer for the Sierra Club. Domenici says she is acutely aware of the impact of the environment on human health.

D-Nick Deegan:

Mattituck resident Nick Deegan grew up in rural Ireland, where he found his passions for sports and community involvement. On the North Fork, this professional carpenter has served as a coach for both baseball and soccer teams for 14 years and as an active crew member of the Mattituck Soccer Club. Deegan has also served the Mattituck community a commissioner of the since 2007. Deegan worked with State Sen. Ken LaValle and former Assemblyman Marc Alessi to allow renters to vote in Park District elections. He also helped manage the conversion of a storage building at into a community center and is an active member of the Southold Town Parks and Recreation Committee.

Receiver of Taxes

D-Bill Edwards:

Mattituck resident and former Southold Town Board Councilman Bill Edwards is running for Tax Receiver for one reason — to do away with the job and save the town money, he says. Edwards has been a member of the Southold Town Land Preservation Committee and of the board. He has a B.A. from Harvard and an M.A. from the University of Minnesota. He founded a 100-store international giftware chain called The Museum Company.

Trustee

D-Steve Brautigam:

Laurel resident Steve Brautigam said he believes that a Town Trustee’s job should be about interpreting the town’s waterfront rules, following the town’s local waterfront revitalization program, and carrying out established policy and procedures — not creating those rules. Brautigam has worked over the years in Greenport as overseer of the finances of the buildings at k, handling over $10 million in grants. He also maintained the financial records for the Brownfield site grant, which was used to clean up the pollutants in Mitchell Park. Brautigam has years of experience interpreting SEQRA (state environmental) reviews for municipal projects and has organized $2 million in grants for storm water runoff prevention for Southampton Town.

D-Lynn Summers:

Summers is a Mattituck resident and a lifelong educator. She has worked in many capacities for the Mattituck-Cutchogue, New Suffolk and Riverhead school districts. She is also an environmental advocate, having spent 13 months to save in Mattituck from stagnation and also rallied to help keep chain and fast food stores out of Southold Town.

Town Justice

D-Brian Hughes:

Though Brian Hughes, a registered Republican, recently lost to incumbent Rudy Bruer in the primary race to run on the Conservative and Independence lines, he is still on the Democratic ticket for Southold Town Justice. Since graduating from St. John’s Law School, Hughes has been practicing law for 25 years in trial and litigation work in courthouses in New York City and all over Long Island. With a focus on public corruption, Hughes began his career as an Assistant Attorney General for New York State. He has also served as the Bureau Chief of the Economic Crimes and Arson Bureau for the Kings County D.A., where he prosecuted cases involving arson, white-collar crimes and fraud, and was promoted to Executive Assistant District Attorney. Hughes has been practicing law in Southold for 13 years.

Related: