GOP Names Candidates For Local Election

Councilman Ed Smyth, Andre Sorrentino, Councilman Eugene Cook, Cheryl Helfer, Hector Gavilla, Garrett Chelius, Town Clerk Jo-Ann Raia and Huntington Republican Committee Chairman Toni Tepe gather for the announcement for the GOP’s candidates for town elections. Photo/Huntington Republican Committee

By Connor Beach
cbeach@longislandergroup.com

The Huntington Republican Committee announced earlier this week the slate of GOP candidates for local elections in November.

Chairman Toni Tepe confirmed Wednesday the committee had named candidates for Suffolk Legislature, Town Board and Town Clerk.

Legislator Robert Trotta, of Fort Salonga, was tapped to run for reelection in the 13th Legislative District, which includes the eastern portion of the Town of Huntington. Trotta has served in the position since 2014.

Trotta had expressed interest in running for County Executiveagainst Democratic incumbent Steve Bellone, but Tepe said the committee has endorsed Republican John Kennedy. Kennedy has served as Suffolk Comptroller since 2015.

The Republicans have chosen Hector Gavilla to challenge Democratic incumbent Susan Berland in the 16th District. Gavilla, of Dix Hills, ran an unsuccessful campaign against Berland for the seat in 2017.

Garrett Chelius, of Lloyd Harbor, was selected to run against Democratic incumbent and veteran legislator William “Doc” Spencer in the 18th District.

The GOP’s candidates for Huntington Town Board include incumbent Gene Cook and first-time candidate Andre Sorrentino.

Cook, of Greenlawn, an Independence Party member, was first elected to the town board in 2011, and also ran on the Republican line in his previous two campaigns for town board.

Sorrentino, of Huntington, currently serves as the town’s director of general services. He was appointed to the position in February 2018. Sorrentino is also the co-owner of Huntington-based PAS Professional Automotive Services.

Sorrentino and Cook will face Democratic incumbent Joan Cergol. Cergol was first appointed to the town board in December 2017, ran a successful campaign for a one-year term last November.

Tepe said the committee has not decided on a candidate to run for Huntington Receiver of Taxes against Democratic incumbent Jillian Guthman. A Republican candidate for the position will be named in the coming days, according to Tepe.

Tepe also said Assemblyman Andrew Raia has been tapped to run for town clerk against Democratic candidate Simon Saks. Raia’s mother and currently Town Clerk Jo-Ann Raia decided recently she would not seek reelection after 38 years in the position.

The Republicans have also tapped Cheryl Helfer to run for District Court Judge.

Marathoner Runs For A Cause

Jorge Jimenez completes another race in preparation for the Boston Marathon, with the support of his wife, Leanne, and children, Tomas and Karina.

By Sophia Ricco
sricco@longislandergroup.com

This April, Northport resident Jorge Jimenez will race for a cause close to his heart at the Boston Marathon.

Jiminez will take on the world’s oldest annual marathon with the YMCA of Greater Boston’s team on Apr. 15.

Throughout his life, Jimenez has been involved with the Y, utilizing their services as child, and later donating time and financial contributions. After moving to Northport five years ago, Jimenez joined the YMCA of Long Island’s Board of Directors and ran in two New York City Marathons to support the organization.

“I’m a Y kid, I grew up at the Y,” Jimenez said. “I spent a lot of time at the YMCA when I lived in Miami and volunteered for the YMCA when I was in college. It was a really great place for me growing up, so now that I serve on the board, I can give back.”

A seasoned distance runner, Jimenez was drawn to the Boston Marathon’s magnitude and grandeur. By joining team YMCA of Greater Boston, he has committed to raise $7,500 for their cause, that will support the charity’s teen programs.

“The Y is just a great, safe place for kids to play, exercise and learn about healthy living,” Jimenez said. “These are programs I probably participated in as a kid, but didn’t know it.”

Last summer, the YMCA of Greater Boston offered free three-month memberships to 17,000 teens at the Y’s 13 branches, giving them access to summer programming, swim classes, and camp. Teens were empower and engaged at events focused on safe dating, volunteerism and leadership.

“This past summer was our busiest to date with each of our branches creating programming to fit the needs of the youth in their neighborhoods, which would not be possible without funds raised by our runners,” YMCA of Greater Boston president and CEO James Morton said.

To prepare for Boston’s 26.2-mile course, Jimenez is in the middle of a 16-week training program that focuses on speed during weekdays and distance on the weekends.

“I like for my kids to see me set a very ambitious goal and work towards it, they see me checking days off my list,” Jimenez said. “It shows them that hard work pays off, because the plan starts with a 4 mile run on Sunday, then a 6 mile and so on, it builds up and they see for themselves that if you do the work, you will get better.”

To prep himself for Boston, Jimenez recently ran the Prospect Park Half Marathon in Brooklyn and George Washington’s Birthday Marathon in Washington, D.C.

“You get to practice being in a race, running with other people, drinking water from the aid stations,” Jimenez said. “And you run with all your gear, what you’re gonna wear on race day, it’s like a dress rehearsal.”

Jimenez is looking forward to a 20 mile run this weekend, though he admits the last six weeks of training, when mileage is the highest, can be grueling. Before tapering down and giving his legs a rest, Jimenez plans to run 21 miles of the Boston Marathon’s course at the end of March, as preparation for the big day.

“It varies, some days you feel good and like you can run forever and some days you’re just not feeling it… It is a lot of time and a lot of running. But the good news is you can eat all the pizza you want,” Jimenez said with a laugh.

Anyoone wishing to support Jorge Jimenez and the YMCA of Greater Boston can donate at crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/ymca-boston-2019/jorgejimenez7.

Chamber Hosts Annual Media Forum

Newsday beat reporter Deborah Morris, right, pitched questions to a panel of journalists including, from left, Kristin Thorne, Long Island correspondent for WABC Eyewitness News, Connor Beach, staff writer for The Long-Islander, and Peter Sloggatt, The Long-Islander’s publisher and managing editor.

Development projects and parking in Huntington village, gangs in Huntington High School and developments in social media were just a few of the topics that came hot off the press last week at the Huntington Chamber of Commerce’s Meet the Media breakfast.

 The annual networking event allowed Chamber members to hear from local news industry insiders about some of the juiciest stories of 2018, as well as possible headlines for the year to come.

 The event was moderated by Newsday beat reporter Deborah Morris, who pitched questions to a panel of journalist that featured Kristin Thorne, Long Island correspondent for WABC Eyewitness News, Connor Beach, staff writer for The Long-Islander, and Peter Sloggatt, The Long-Islander’s publisher and managing editor.

 The panel fielded questions from the audience, which sparked a discussion about the role of social media in the new industry. Apartment-building and parking issues, two issues near and dear to Huntington business owners, also dominated the discussion.