Special Election Today, Tuesday, January 17
By Long Island Life & Politics
On January 17, residents of Brookhaven Town will go to the polls to vote for the new town clerk; it will either be Republican Kevin LaValle or Democrat Lisa DiSanto. The victor will fill the seat vacated by Donna Lent, who announced her retirement in November after serving at that post for nine years.
According to his campaign website, LaValle, who is currently councilman serving the 3rd Council District, worked as chief of staff for then-Suffolk County Legislator Dan Losquadro. He also served in the same position for the late Legislator Tom Muratore. In the private sector, he was president and co-owner of Pinnacle Title Agency. He earned his license as a mortgage loan originator and now works at Lynx Mortgage Bank, providing residential and commercial mortgages and specializing in working with first-time homebuyers.
As councilman, LaValle voted to migrate town records to a secure cloud service and implement new security measures at Town Hall, He also called for all town employees to be trained on cybersecurity. If elected, he will continue upgrading the town’s record center so that the records are not susceptible to damage, data breaches, fraud and theft.
Based on her Facebook page, DiSanto was a schoolteacher. The Suffolk County Democratic Committee said on its website that DiSanto, of East Patchogue, has “extensive experience as a community leader and educator [that] adds a critical dimension to her candidacy. As an experienced educator and business person, Lisa developed the communication and problem-solving skills that are essential to a responsive, good government.”
In a video she posted to her facebook page, DiSanto said she is running for town clerk because the town board needs “an independent voice.” In addition, she believes that all residents should be heard at the town board meetings and be treated with respect. In some media interviews, she called for transparency, and said the post of town clerk should not be used for political gain.
This is no contest. Whereas LaValle can point to his experience and knowledge of securing town documents, DiSanto offers no specifics. Her main concern seems to be changing the starting times of board meetings, rather than implementing security measures for town documents.
Long Island Life & Politics endorses LaValle.