Port Jefferson Mayor announces candidacy for Brookhaven Town Supervisor

Brookhaven, NY (April 26, 2023) — Margot J. Garant has released the following statement outlining why she is the most qualified candidate for Brookhaven Town Supervisor. Garant is running for the position under the Democratic Party line and is also endorsed by the Brookhaven Town Working Families Party.

My name is Margot J. Garant and I am running for Brookhaven Town Supervisor in the November 2023 election.

For those who don’t know me, I am the Mayor of Port Jefferson Village elected by residents to seven consecutive terms. The skills I bring to Village Hall are the same needed for the Brookhaven Town Supervisor’s office. I am a bold, forward-thinking community and business leader with a proven record of success, productivity, and positive impact.

I stepped up to run this race because with my experience in local government and my passion for public service, I know I am the best candidate to resolve the many environmental and economic problems facing Brookhaven Town today.

We are facing significant, critical issues that require immediate solutions with real impact. I am most concerned with the decrease in quality of life, ignoring environmental justice issues and an increasing economic burden that Brookhaven Town residents face without a transparent and inclusive way to resolve our problems. These include:

• The Brookhaven Town landfill is fated to close in 2024. This will create both an environmental and economic blow to residents. Shockingly, the Brookhaven Town Waste Management Plan expired in 2009. The lack of urgency and transparency of the current administration to resolve this is appalling and unacceptable. What will happen once that revenue stream goes away? And, what is the plan for the material that is being accepted by the landfill currently?

• Revenue generated by the landfill provides funding for 42% of Brookhaven’s budget! Without the fees generated by the landfill once it closes, residents will be expected to pick up the tab. Outrageously, the current administration’s only solution to make up for this loss of revenue is to raise your taxes!

• Smarter growth. An out-of-date zoning map and a crippling permitting process in Brookhaven Town stifles small business growth and prevents the opportunity for balanced affordable housing development. The game is tilted toward big companies, while mom-and-pop businesses and working families suffer.

• Current development is not fair or equitable. There is an undue burden placed on BIPOC neighborhoods in Brookhaven Town when it comes to the development of environmentally sensitive projects like waste management transfer stations and industrial properties. I am demanding environmental justice for every community.

• Out of control pollution. Even with the excessive cost of living, Brookhaven Town still has brown water, toxic pollution, and congested roads with an ever-expanding carbon footprint. We need to do our part locally!

Despite the enormous impact of these issues, there is no TRANSPARENCY or INCLUSION on solutions. I am confident that when we work together and believe in change, we will move forward to create a Better Brookhaven that works for all residents and not just the select few.

Thank you,

Margot J. Garant

2023 Candidate for Brookhaven Town Supervisor

www.garantforbrookhaven.com | Facebook: @garantforbrookhaven | Twitter: @garantforbh2023

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