Candidate: David Chan
Residence: Oakdale
Occupation: Retired NYPD Detective
Office Sought: Islip Town Council, Second District
Endorsements: Democratic
Prior Campaigns: None
Councilman Jim O’Connor (R-Great River) is not seeking re-election to the Second Council District of the Town Board. After screening with the Republicans, he is now running on the Democratic line.
David Chan sat down with The Messenger for a candidate spotlight interview.
Q: What is your professional background and how does it equip you for the Town Council?
A: I joined the NYPD in 1985. I spent thirty years in law enforcement, with eight of those years at Islip MacArthur Airport (ISP). I retired as a First Grade Detective with the NYPD on the Joint Terrorism Task Force, got assigned there as a Y2K detective in the Major Case Squad. We got transferred over when the “world was going to end.” I served in that same capacity during and after 9/11; my team handled domestic terrorism. I got to travel a lot of the U.S., assisted with the Oklahoma City bombing trial (Timothy McVeigh), the VC Sniper case, as well as the Lackawanna Six, one of the first terrorism cases that went full-fledged after 9/11. I retired and took a job with the Town of Islip for the airport that works with TSA. I handled issues with security and checkpoints and worked with Suffolk County Police Department units.
I was the Oakdale Civic President for over four years, two years as vice president. I started the Idle Hour Neighborhood Watch in response to issues with the closed Dowling College property, and I got involved in the community. During that time, I got appointed to the Fifth Precinct Advisory Board.
Q: What is your best or proudest professional accomplishment?
A: I worked a lot of big cases as a detective, but recently, starting the Idle Hour Neighborhood Watch and bringing that to life in my home area. We actually got a community achievement award from The Suffolk County News last year. I also got an award from the Oakdale Historical Society for organizing a 5K race that raised $40,000 over two years to restore the Old St. John’s Historical Church on Montauk Highway.
Q: What are your priorities if you are elected to the Town Council?
A: Town government should be for the people. We don’t have the layers of the State, County, or federal government. So, if I need to speak to a Town representative, they should have an open-door policy. My biggest goal, if I get elected, is to have weekly or monthly hours within the communities I represent, ideally at the Oakdale Rec Center. I can pick a day once a week when I will be there, and people from Oakdale, West Sayville, and the surrounding areas can come to speak to a Town representative instead of trying to make their way to Town Hall. With the commute just to get to Town Hall alone, you don’t know if you’ll be able to get there to speak to someone. That councilperson will be in your neighborhood, and you can come actually see him or her. Let’s put the Town back to the people. We have businesses on Montauk Highway that have had nothing but problems when trying to work with the Town to get their businesses off the ground. Let’s work with communities and local businesses to get them on tax rolls.
We need to redefine how the Town has been working with businesses like a liaison or partnership. Instead of a new business owner coming in and needing 1, 2, 3, or 4, and then being told they need 1A or 2C, there should be a handbook to tell you exactly what you need. If you want to open a restaurant or store, there should be a handbook and a person they can work with.
Q: You screened with the Republicans before taking the Democratic line. Explain the change.
A: I screened with the Republicans but didn’t get the nomination. I was approached by the Democrats. I was on the fence but I finally made the decision and made the heartfelt decision, consulting with family and friends.
Even as a registered Republican, I’m not that far one way or the other way. I’m a more level-minded person. I wasn’t following the extremes of either party. I wanted to run a more commonsense campaign, and the Democrats said they would be all for that idea. That’s what I’ve been running on – grassroots, commonsense things for the actual people, not the parties.
I was approached by both parties first. I wasn’t even considering running. It wasn’t my goal. The GOP screening occurred first; I wasn’t shopping around. Both parties approached me and even at that point in time, my wife and I had a huge discussion about getting involved. I wasn’t into being a politician. It took a lot to make the decision where I’m at right now. I enjoyed being the civic president; I think I was effective at bringing everything to the community. We were bringing resources and meetings with 100 people at a time.
Q: What’s your favorite quote, motto, or work ethic?
A: I am a marathon runner; I have done 32 marathons. At 65 years old, they don’t get easier. I can tell you, the journey is not going to be easy, but the reward is what gets you there. I know the time and the effort that has to be put into it for a long-distance race. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. The reward is a finish. In the middle of this campaign, I am running and training for the NYC marathon, Marine Corps marathon, and I will do the Suffolk County marathon in October.
Q: How do you like to connect with your community
A: We bought our house in Oakdale. We were lucky to have an affordable home, one of the old Dowling properties. That got me to this journey. When I became civic president, my goal was to utilize my passion as a runner. I wanted to run every street in Oakdale to at least say I’ve seen every street. It came in handy if someone brought up an issue, such as litter, potholes, or a vacant lot. I got elected that June and spent that whole summer running every street in Oakdale. If you came to an Oakdale Civic meeting, I can say I ran down your block.
I put two passions together. The other goal in marathon training is to run my entire district if I win this election. I would love to do that.
I love running in my community; there’s a lot of history here. Heckscher State Park is a big piece of my training, and a great place for my daughter, my wife, and I. We know every road and path there. I also put on the Paws of War 5K in November when we raise money for the Knights of Columbus. We organized that race there at Heckscher. It means a lot to me. We’re very lucky here. We are literally within a stone’s throw of Connetquot, the Arboretum, Heckscher State Park all within a mile of each other.
The Messenger thanks David Chan for his time for this interview.
About the Second Council District
The Second District includes Bohemia, East Islip, Great River, Islip Terrace, North Great River, and Oakdale, as well as parts of Central Islip, Hauppauge, Islandia, Islip hamlet, Sayville, and West Sayville.
Councilman Jim O’Connor was elected in 2017 when the Town used an at-large Council system. In 2021, it began its use of the current councilmanic district system. O’Connor defeated Darrin Green (D) that year – 68.62% to 31.38%.
Candidate: DawnMarie Kuhn
Residence: Bohemia
Occupation: Chief of Staff to Legislator Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holstville) and small business owner
Office Sought: Islip Town Council, Second District
Prior Campaigns: None
Party Endorsements: Republican, Conservative
DawnMarie Kuhn is looking to parlay her extensive career in political strategy and constituent service to the Islip Town Board. Councilman Jim O’Connor (R-Great River) is not seeking re-election. Kuhn is vying for the open seat in what is her first run for public office.
DawnMarie Kuhn sat down with The Messenger for this candidate spotlight interview.
Q: What is your professional background and how does it equip you for the Town Council?
A: One of my very expensive hobbies is education. I love learning and applying what I learn to my community, whether that be in data analytics or public administration. I hold a Bachelor of the Arts degree from St. Joseph’s College in social sciences, concentration in political science, and I have a minor in graphic design, art, and history. I hold a master’s degree from Brooklyn College, dual master’s in public administration and urban development. I have a master’s degree from Fordham in election and campaign management, where I was trained professionally to be a political consultant and run my own consulting business.
After that, I spent six years studying data in quantitative methods and social sciences at Columbia University. That’s anything from studying regression analysis, experiments, anything data-related in social sciences. It helps me in my current job where I’m able to streamline government services to integrate more data. I graduated last year from Columbia and was offered the opportunity to return for my fourth master’s at Columbia with a fellowship opportunity, where I am studying political analytics- the data behind anything in social sciences, government, and political campaigns. So, I’m hoping to bring not only my educational background, but my governmental experience to the Town of Islip.
I spent five years in the Town Sanitation Department and the Islip Resource Recovery Agency, where I assisted with anything from answering phone calls to people concerned about their residence issues to designing mailers for when residents get their recycling picked up. I coordinated all that and have intimate knowledge of the different facilities that operate in the Town of Islip.
I took a break during a rough period of my life and found my way back to the Town as Councilman Jim O’Connor’s chief of staff for two years. In 2020, I moved to the Suffolk County Legislature where I have the pleasure of working for Legislator Piccirillo as his chief of staff. I have intimate knowledge of not only government operations day-to-day, but I also like to apply what I learned in school and bring it home to my community. It helped me track COVID-19 cases during the pandemic, and I collected data on where our senior citizens were and what they needed. We would then connect them with what services and resources they needed – masks, food, etc.
I also serve as the Bohemia Civic Association president.
Q: What is your best or proudest professional accomplishment(s)?
A: Working on the capital budget with Legislator Piccirillo, who is Chair of the Capital Budget Working Group. I have to find items within the budget that we can either cut or move around to the best bang for our buck for capital projects in Suffolk County. One thing that I found was a 113-year-old bridge in Oakdale that was sixty years past its lifetime. We were able to get it a County project number and move that bridge up for repairs. It’s set to be done next year. We already got the funding for them to break ground and start updating the bridge because it’s such a structural hazard.
Another instance was when I was working for the Town Sanitation Department. One lady’s husband accidentally threw out a blanket that she was making for her granddaughter. We were able to locate it in the recycling facility before it was shipped to the waste-to-energy plant. Helping people with the most innocent, little issues really makes a huge difference.
As a political consultant, I won four Pollie Awards – which is like the Oscar of political consulting. The American Association of Political Consultants come together where they honor the best and brightest work across the country, and it’s judged by a non-partisan panel. One was a Pollie Gold, which is the highest standard in consulting.
I also graduated Columbia with a 3.9 GPA, which I earned while taking a leave of absence while leaving a physically, mentally, and emotionally abusive marriage, and while falling gravely ill in 2021 with two near-death experiences due to blood clots. Being able to continue my studies and graduating at the top of my class is something I’m very proud of.
I was also awarded by nonpartisan groups such as Long Island Business News’ 40 under 40 twice and the Top 50 Women in business.
Finally, I was awarded Citizen of the Year by the Bohemia Fire Department. As a Bohemia resident for the past thirty-eight years, fourth-generation, I walked in those parades as a kid. It was humbling to be a part of a community that helped me get where I am today.
Q: What is your top priority if you are elected?
A: I want to pay special attention to the Town workers and take the time to meet everyone in the departments to figure out how we can make things better. I want to get fresh perspectives from people in Town and bring data to the Town by integrating their ideas to make departments run better. I want to pick up where Councilman O’Connor left off with any constituent complaints he’s been handling. I want to meet with all of the local civic and chamber leaders as well.
I will also pay special attention to zoning. We can’t have overdevelopment, such as the 1,000-unit Island Hills project in Sayville. The Oakdale Merge is already a notorious chokepoint. It takes me thirty minutes to travel just a few miles. We have to be smart about where we build. Our suburban way of life needs to be protected.
I want to increase government efficiency across all departments and bring data to the government. I also want to work on the Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) program to control the population of feral cats in the neighborhood.
I would also love to expand the bay bottom leasing program. The Town currently leases bay bottoms to oyster farmers. One oyster can clean up to 40 gallons of water. Not only are we cleaning our Great South Bay naturally, but we’re leasing parcels of land where farmers can grow their oysters.
I would also like to take a wait-and-see approach to MacArthur Airport expansions. I love having the airport in my backyard; I’ve been watching the planes come in ever since I was a child. If we’re spending taxpayer dollars on those expansions, I want to make sure they’re necessary expenditures. I think that revitalizing the current terminal might make more sense.
Q: What is your favorite quote, motto, or work ethic?
A: “We are made to persist. That’s how we find out who we are.” -Tobias Wolff, author.
Persistence is the key to everything in life.
Q: How do you like to connect with your community?
A: I love seeing the same familiar faces that I’ve grown up with and seen my whole entire life. This election season, I’ve knocked on about 8,000 doors, and it’s so nice to see friends I haven’t seen in ten or twenty years, to see my high school friends’ parents. I come from a big Italian family, so I have a wide network of support that I’m really grateful for. It’s tough being a single woman in political. I’ve had to face attacks about my integrity and character that I don’t think I’d have to face if I were a man. But my record speaks for itself.
I also want to be a voice for Millennials and Gen X’ers and Gen Z’ers on the Town Board. I’m proud to carry the mantle for people who are looking to stay here and keep the American Dream alive in Islip.
In my spare time, I love reading, and gardening. I’m Italian, so I love to cook. Sunday dinner with my family is a big part of my life; there’s nothing better than family. My 92-year-old Nonna is my biggest support. My dog, Ralphie, a chocolate lab, has been by my side through divorce, sickness, and health.
The Messenger thanks DawnMarie Kuhn for her time for this interview.
Councilman Jim O’Connor was elected in 2017 when the Town used an at-large Council system. In 2021, it began its use of the current councilmanic district system. O’Connor defeated Darrin Green (D) that year – 68.62% to 31.38%.
