Candidate: Councilwoman Jane Bonner
Residence: Rocky Point
Office: Brookhaven Town Council, District Two
First Elected: 2007
Party Endorsements: Republican, Conservative
Notable Endorsements (including, but not limited to): Suffolk PBA, Suffolk County Correction Officers Association, Coram Civic Association
A well-known Brookhaven mainstay, Councilwoman Jane Bonner is running for re-election in the Rocky Point-based Second District.
Councilwoman Bonner responded to The Messenger’s direct request for a candidate spotlight.
Q: What is your professional background and how does it equip you for the Council?
Councilwoman Jane Bonner: I have been a Rocky Point resident for over thirty years, served as president of the Rocky Point Civic Association and as a member of the Rocky Point School Board. Prior to taking office as Councilwoman for Brookhaven’s Second District, I worked with former Suffolk County Legislator Dan Losquadro (R-Shoreham).
Q: What do you think is the defining political issue facing Brookhaven?
Councilwoman Jane Bonner: Crime and public safety. Residents deserve to feel safe in their homes and communities. These issues also contribute to the success of businesses and property values which help create thriving, vibrant, and desirable communities.
Q: What’s your top priority if you win this election?
Councilwoman Jane Bonner: Keep the Town’s finances strong, enhance public safety, prevent overdevelopment, and safeguard our environment.
Q: What’s your favorite quote, motto, or work ethic you live and work by?
Councilwoman Jane Bonner: “Well done is better than well said.” – Benjamin Franklin
Q: How do you like to connect with the Second District?
Councilwoman Jane Bonner: My favorite place is any beach, especially our north shore beaches.
The Messenger thanks Councilwoman Jane Bonner for returning our questions.
The Messenger did not receive a response from Councilwoman Bonner’s opponent, Carol Russell (D-Coram).
According to her campaign website, Russell lives with her husband on the small farm he was born and raised on. She worked as a critical care nurse and would begin studying law during the medical malpractice crisis to represent nurses, physicians, hospitals and health care providers for nearly thirty years. Russell has since been a community and church leader.
Russell’s platform discusses needing a solution to the Brookhaven landfill closure, ensuring that residents have clean drinking water, and that “Our Local Elected Officials and our Local Government agencies should look like and have similar life experiences as our residents. We must strive to create that balance.”
The Messenger’s forecast for Brookhaven Town Council, District Two: Safe Republican
About the Second District
The Second District includes a sprawling portion of northeastern Brookhaven on the Riverhead border. It includes Rocky Point, Shoreham, Miller Place, Sound Beach, Mt. Sinai, Wading River, and parts of Ridge and Coram.
The solidly-Republican hamlets and villages of northern Brookhaven, combined with Jane Bonner’s mastery of retail, bipartisan politics, lead us to believe Democrats cannot realistically contend this district this year.
