Suffolk County Comptroller John Kennedy (R-Nesconset) hosted what he jokingly called his “better late than never St. Patrick’s Day Campaign Kickoff” at Napper Tandy’s on West Main Street in Smithtown.
The event was well attended with over 150 participants. Many labor leaders were amongst those in attendance, continuing their tradition of supporting Kennedy through his political career. Local IBEW 25 and the Suffolk County Police Benevolence Association were just two of the many organized labor groups.
Kennedy was able to tout his many achievements in office since he first became Suffolk’s comptroller in 2015.
“We are completing the refinancing of the 2014 general obligation bonds generating 5.4 million dollars in savings,” said Kennedy to The Messenger.
In total, his administration has refinanced 850 million dollars in general obligation bonds since first taking office for a cumulative interest savings of 51 million.
2021 was also the most productive year for the Office of the Comptroller thus far. The office conducted 22 internal audits for a total of 5 million dollars in disallowances. The office also had four external audits performed by outside contracting agencies for a total of 2.1 million dollars in disallowance discovered by the county’s healthcare provider.
According to the Kennedy campaign, technological upgrades are taking center stage. “We have just unveiled a new self-service portal for vendors to allow them to electronically submit claims vouchers and then follow their progress through the portal until they are paid electronically.”
“We created a website and mechanism to pay delinquent property taxes and also an online way of obtaining a certificate of residence used in community colleges.”
Smithtown, being Kennedy’s hometown, showed up strong with Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R-Smithtown), Town Clerk and Suffolk Clerk candidate Vincent Puleo (C-Nesconset), Council Members Lisa Inzerillo (R-Kings Park) and Tom Lohman (R-St. James) attending the fundraiser.
From across Suffolk County, District Attorney Ray Tierney (R-Commack), Suffolk County Legislator Stephanie Bontempi (R-Huntington), Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter (R-Islip), and Islip Receiver of Taxes Andrew Wittman (R-Sayville) came to show their support.
On the political side of the equation, Smithtown Republic Chairman Bill Ellis and Smithtown Conservative Party Chairman Gary Forte represented their respective parties, embodying the successful Republican-Conservative coalition in Smithtown. Along with them came dozens of their respective committees’ committee members to meet and greet with Kennedy.
The event featured a 50/50 raffle with the proceeds going towards Paws of War, which John Kennedy and Legislator Leslie Kennedy have been longtime supporters of. A national organization headquartered in Kennedy’s home hamlet of Nesconset, the charity has grown both in notoriety and impact since its 2014 inception. Many appreciative veterans attended and ran the 50/50, collecting money and dispersing tickets throughout the night.
With political fortunes changing in Suffolk to the benefit of Republicans, Kennedy’s supporters are expecting a race that more so resembles his 2014 victory. Despite the confidence, a Kennedy campaign spokesperson noted they are prepared for this race as ever.
