Democrat Andrew Merola’s Opinion on Election:
With the election for Huntington Town Board looming, and the reality that I will not be on the ballot well behind us, I’ve had to think long and hard about who I’d be voting for this year. We need change, that is clear. We need to remove these career politicians who use our town as a personal piggy bank. But what’s the point of voting out one person, just to vote in somebody who’s drinking the same juice.
One thing I know as true, is that Susan Berland needs to go. If there was ever a politician who personifies everything that is wrong with our system, Susan is it.
Andrew Merola
Whether it be her claiming that “there’s nothing she can do” about the slumlords, and crime that pervades our neighborhoods, or her greed in charging the taxpayers nearly $3,000 a year to drive to fund raisers or funerals, for her own personal gain of a photo op, she needs to go. Let’s look past the fact that she has manipulated our elections process to prevent any competition from having the opportunity to challenge her, what reigns true above all else, is Susan Berland needs to GO!
So what other options do we have. Her running mate, Keith Barrett, has proven himself to also be in the pocket of Petrone and the others that pull the strings on the Democratic side. Then we have Gene Cook, seeking a second term, with his new running mate of Jennifer Thompson. Of the 4 options we have, if we’re going off strictly merit and capability, I would support Gene Cook and Jennifer Thompson for Huntington Town Board. However, that’s not the reality we’re dealing with today. We’re dealing with a relatively uninformed electorate. The number of people paying attention compared to the number that show up to vote are vastly different. A fair estimation would be that you can expect a solid 16,000 votes being cast down party line, with the voter knowing nothing more than to pull the lever for the person who shares their team colors. There is nothing we can do in the next 2 weeks to change that reality. The remaining approximate 3,000-4,000 votes that will be cast, will be what decides this election. Approximately 75% of those remaining votes will be cast based on name recognition. Which would result in Susan Berland and Eugene Cook both maintaining their seats on Huntington Town Board this year. So we’ll have no change. What’s the point?
The point is, that in order to have change, we must be that change. We cannot do the same thing over and over and expect different results. I’ve seen the same 3 person majority on the Huntington Town Board for the last 15+ years, and I’ve seen the same results for our town too. I’ve seen Dix Hills get Gubernatorial calls when a tiny rest stop shows up on the LIE, while the people of Huntington and Elwood have been ridiculed by Sue Berland for trying to defend their homes against 30,000 Square foot structures being built in their backyards. We need change. So we must be willing to do something different.
I am a Democrat. I have always voted Democrat. November 3rd, 2015 will be the first time I cast a vote for a Republican. Clearly Gene Cook has our interests at heart and he deserves a second term, and we deserve a Councilman like Gene Cook. But who should replace Sue? Today, I announce that I will be voting for Keith Barrett for the 2nd open council seat this year. I’ve said many negative things about Keith Barrett, and I stand by them all as true. However, we need to be realistic to
the fact that Huntington is a Democratic Majority town. It is highly unlikely that BOTH Democrats will fall short of the needed votes to win one of the two available seats. We need to be honest to the fact that 16,000 votes will be cast blindly for Sue and Keith based on nothing more than team colors. For there to be a change, we must be that change. We must piggyback on that Democratic voting base, and by casting a vote for Eugene Cook (R) & Keith Barrett (D), we will see the change that we so desperately need. If we go into this election with the Red team vs. Blue team mentality, like we have for the last decade, we will be stuck with the same results we’ve been experiencing these last 15 years.
If you are one of that small minority of people, who cared enough to read this far into this article, then the fate of the town rests with you. You must join me in my determination to remove career politicians, as that is the first step to taking back our town. By splitting your vote, between Gene Cook and Keith Barrett, that is the best and only way we have to remove Susan Berland from Huntington Town Board. If you care about Huntington, and want to see change, you must lead the way, and tell your friends and family, to split their votes and vote for People over Party. Our political system is disastrous, this election is not about changing the world overnight. However, you drive change one day at a time, one vote at a time, one politician at a time. Let us take this November 3rd to tell Susan Berland, and the other career politicians on our Board, that their time is up.
Andrew Merola
Andrew Merola
Below is a sound clip from the John Gomez Show Tuesday August 11, 2015 with Andrew Merola.