By Hank Russell
A Northport Village trustee has announced that he will run for the Assembly seat that is being vacated by Keith Brown (R,C-Northport).
Dave Weber Jr. says he is looking to succeed Brown in this year’s election. As previously reported in Long Island Life & Politics, Brown announced that he will not seek reelection.
Weber and Brown have had “a close friendship,” having attended school together growing up. In addition, Weber said he is “in line with a lot of the initiatives,” including preserving the environment, funding mental health and drug prevention programs. “He thinks I’ll do a tremendous job in Albany where he’s left off,” Weber said of Brown.
According to a copy of his biography obtained by LILP, Weber began serving as Northport village trustee in 2020. He was appointed commissioner of docks and waterways and commissioner of wastewater management. He is also chairman of the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program & Harbor Management Plan.
Before coming to Northport, Weber lived in Florida, where he served for eight years as a patrolman. He is currently a volunteer with the Northport Fire Department. “I help where I feel I’m needed,” he said. “My desire to help people is rooted in my family’s beliefs.” Both his father and grandfather were firefighters.
In addition, he is the owner and operator of Seymour’s Boatyard, where he led a successful designation on the New York State Historic Business Registry during the company’s 100th anniversary.
One of his top priorities, Weber said, is to bring money from Albany back to the district. “I’ve been getting the hang of writing grants and obtaining money [for the village] and I feel that I can definitely bring that to the state level,” he said.
When asked if Governor Kathy Hochul is providing enough funding for Long Island, Weber said, “I think her priorities might be towards the larger cities and not Long Island. As a local representative in Albany, I will help bring money to the smaller communities. … It’s important that the tax dollars going to Albany gets to us in meaningful ways.”