(Pictured above) DawnMarie Kuhn (R-Bohemia) (Credit – Matt Meduri)
In 2021, the Town of Islip switched from its at-large method of electing members of its Town Board to the councilmanic district method, one in which each council member represents a district of set geography. The new election method debuted with the First and Second Council districts on the ballot, followed by the Third and Fourth districts’ debut in 2023.
Incumbent Second District Councilman Jim O’Connor (R-Great River) was first elected in 2017 and re-elected in 2021. O’Connor recently announced his departure from the Town Board after this year to seek an election to a judicial position.
(Left to right) Doug Smith, DawnMarie Kuhn, Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio, Assemblyman Keith Brown (Credit – Matt Meduri)O’Connor is also known for having run for Suffolk County Executive in 2015 against then-Executive Steve Bellone (D-West Babylon).
Eager to succeed O’Connor on the Town Board, and sporting the Republican and Conservative lines this November, is DawnMarie Kuhn (R-Bohemia).
Chief of Staff to Suffolk County Legislator Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holtsville) since he took office in 2020, Kuhn has deep roots within the Second District and is looking to put much of her extensive studying to practice for her community. Her fundraiser was held at Marconi Manor in Islip last Thursday evening, with several high-profile officials in attendance, including Suffolk County Republican Committee Chairman Jesse Garcia (R-Ridge).
The Second District contains the hamlets of Bohemia, East Islip, Great River, Islip Terrace, Oakdale, and North Great River, as well as parts of Central Islip, Hauppauge, Islip hamlet, Sayville and most of West Sayville.
“We need to preserve our suburban way of life and that our blighted and vacant properties are refurbished instead of knocking down woods,” Kuhn told The Messsenger. The Connetquot High School graduate (class of ‘05) also holds a degree in political science and minor studies in art and history from St. Joseph’s College – now University. She graduated with her first master’s degree in urban development and public administration in 2012, her master’s in elections and campaign management from Fordham University in 2017, and her third master’s in quantitative methods and social sciences from Columbia University in 2024.
She is currently pursuing her fourth master’s, also from Columbia, in political analytics. She is set to graduate in spring 2026.
Kuhn looks to bring her studies to the table with a “data-drive” approach to decision-making that will help “bring Islip into the Twenty-First Century”, adding that constituent services are her “number-one” priority.
“Different departments could use data differently for constituent services. We could track constituent complaints differently, utilizing apps or different machine-learning techniques for something as easy as tracking plows during a snowstorm and finding the most efficient method,” said Kuhn. “I would love to see an app created for the Town of Islip where people could log their constituent complaints, get push notifications for various events and happenings going on in town.”
The Town of Smithtown has a free app where constituents can track several constituent service requests, as well as receive information on roadwork, parades, festivals, utility work, and other information.
(Left to right) Leslie Kennedy, DawnMarie Kuhn, John Kennedy (Credit – Matt Meduri)
Kuhn has no shortage of government experience, starting with the Town’s Department of Environmental Control in 2012, where she spent five years. She then spent two-and-a-half years as Councilman O’Connor’s Chief of Staff. Although the Town did not have councilmanic districts yet, Kuhn still became acquainted with the areas that would become the very district that she is now running to represent.
The lion’s share of her government work has been that of Chief of Staff to Legislator Piccirillo, who has represented the Eighth Legislative District (LD-08) since 2020. LD-08 overlaps with some communities of the Second Council District, such as Bohemia, Oakdale, Sayville, and West Sayville, giving Kuhn a leg-up in understanding parts of the Town she could be representing next year.
“Working for Legislator Piccirillo has been great. I have my hands in everything from constituent services to drafting legislation to community service events, even coat drives and Valentine’s for Veterans drives,” said Kuhn. I’ve gotten to take a big role in his office; it’s been a pleasure to work for him.”
“DawnMarie is one of the most qualified people I’ve ever met to run for local office,” Legislator Piccirillo told The Messenger of his own chief of staff. “I can’t wait to not only support her in this endeavor, but to work with her when she’s an elected official after we have a big victory in November.”
“We need to make sure our water quality is good and that we protect our sole-source aquifer,” said Kuhn, noting that she is “keen on the environment”, adding that the Second District borders a precarious environmental situation with the Great South Bay and houses the mouth and majority of the Connetquot River.
Specifically within her own neighborhood, Kuhn is looking to get to work on dealing with development and the traffic problems that can arise from it. She takes note especially of the notorious “Oakdale Merge”, where Sunrise Highway (NY 27) Exit 46A allows for Montauk Highway (NY 27A) to become County Route (CR) 85. CR-85 continues parallel to Sunrise Highway for one exit before meandering south, with incomplete access to and from the Sunrise South Service Road.
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) announced proposals for the merge, including roadway grade separations, movable barriers to create reversible lanes, and express lanes. The $7.2-million project saw ramp meters installed, emergency access improved, and updated pavement and lane markings. Since 2022, millions have been allocated for fixing the merge, including provisions in last year’s Executive Budget for studies on how to best reconstruct the interchange.
“There’s a lot happening on Lakeland Avenue (CR-93) in Bohemia, not far from the Oakdale Merge,” said Kuhn. “Taking a look at the traffic flow that’s happening now that all of these developments are popping could definitely help the constituents.”
“DawnMarie is going to bring a new perspective to the Town of Islip,” Assemblyman Doug Smith (R-Holbrook) (pictured above), whose Fifth Assembly District contains parts of Islip, told The Messenger. “As a Millennial running for the Board, she is focused on water quality, open space preservation, and making Islip safer and more affordable. I’m looking forward to supporting her and seeing her be successful on Election Day.”
The first and, so far, most recent time the Second District was on the ballot was in 2021. Councilman O’Connor defeated Darrin Green (D-Central Islip) 68.62% to 31.38%.