Tim Hubbard, Angela DeVito debate in first public forum

The two candidates for supervisor in this year’s Riverhead Town elections spoke at a public forum Sept. 21, and expressing sharply different viewpoints on nearly every issue. 

The forum, held at Riley Avenue Elementary School in Calverton, was co-hosted by the Greater Calverton Civic Association and the Wading River Civic Association. 

Republican Councilman Tim Hubbard of Riverhead has served on the Town Board for eight years and is making his first run for supervisor. He is a retired town police officer. 

Democrat Angela DeVito is making her second run for supervisor and has been active in a number of positions in Riverhead, the Building and Construction Trades Council of Nassau and Suffolk Counties, the Riverhead Board of Education and the Greater Jamesport Civic Association. 

The issues that seems to have drawn the most controversy in recent years are an increase in warehouse proposals in the Calverton area and the potential for a jet cargo port at EPCAL, where the sale of land to Calverton Aviation & Technology (CAT) has been stalled for seven years.

On the subject of EPCAL, Ms. DeVito immediately went on the offensive. 

“There are many reasons to run for town supervisor,” Ms. DeVito said. “There is a need for a commitment to end the seven-year EPCAL drama. Also, I will respect all speakers who come into Town Hall, I will carefully manage our town finances and I will eliminate the [Industrial Development Agency] corporate welfare program.”

Ms. DeVito said she will enact a moratorium on all code changes until the comprehensive plan has been finished. 

She said Mr. Hubbard should not bee rewarded with another term. 

“It’s right out of the gate,” Mr. Hubbard responded. “You know me; you know what I do. There’s no mystery with me. I was a member of the Riverhead Police Department for 32 years.”

Mr. Hubbard was born and raised in Riverhead. 

“I know this town like the back of my hand,” he said. “I’ve helped a lot of people in this town.”

He said the time is now to run for supervisor. 

Mr. Hubbard promised open and transparent government if elected and said, “That has not existed in my tenure on the board. We need supervisors who listen to the people.”

The candidates were asked what they’d do to prevent redevelopment of the EPCAL property as a jet cargo port. Ms. DeVito said the town needs to look to its comprehensive plan for guidance.

“We need to see what it is that we want at EPCAL,” she said. 

With regard to the CAT’s contract with the town for EPCAL, she said the town has an Industrial Development Agency “making a decision for the future of Riverhead that is of such magnitude, we have never experienced anything like thing it.” 

Ms. DeVito said the CAT project is based on “100% speculation.”

“EPCAL is certainly the number one discussion in the Town of Riverhead,” Mr. Hubbard said. “My opponent and her camp would like to put forth that I am responsible for this.”

He said he voted against the town contract for the sale of EPCAL.

“I did not agree with it in substance, I did not agree with 1,000 acres being given away, and I did not agree that our runways were being sold ,” Mr. Hubbard said. “It was wrong and I voted no to that contract.

Mr Hubbard said he was against the project but was outvoted 3-2.

“The next vote that came up was the ‘qualified and eligible sponsor’ hearing,” he said, noting that the information that they had indicated that CAT had the money to do the project at the time.

Mr. Hubbard said he did vote yes on that hearing “because it was the right thing to do. A ‘no’ vote there would have led instantly to litigation and would cost the taxpayers more money.”

The EPCAL deal is currently in the IDA’s hands.

“Until they come up with a filing, we can’t determine what our next step is going to be,” Mr. Hubbard said, adding that at this point CAT is not “qualified and eligible … Their true colors have showed and I think we can do a lot better with that property.” 

But Mr. Hubbard said he will always be in favor of developing the EPCAL property, noting that it was given to the town for economic development. 

MEGA WAREHOUSES

Mr. Hubbard said that when the current town code was adopted in 2003, “no one had any idea about logistics, warehouses or what the future would be,. 

He said there are now many people who want to come to Riverhead to build large warehouses and logistics centers and noted that the code does need to be changed. 

The town code definition of warehouse “is a basic generic definition,” Mr. Hubbard said.

“Where you think about a warehouse, you think about a building that’s large and you store things in it,” he said. . “Logistic warehouses are completely different. They are 24-7, with trucks coming and going. Whey they drop off, another truck comes and picks up.” 

Mr. Hubbard said he feels that Riverhead “is not the place for that,” adding that unless the trucks are tied directly into the Long Island Expressway, “I don’t want truck traffic coming and going on our local roads.”

Mr. Hubbard has also proposed a moratorium on development in Calverton.

Ms. DeVito said she felt Mr. Hubbard waited until September to call for a moratorium on warehouses and that there wasn’t Town Board support for the moratorium until last week. She added that the town should have public hearings on the warehouses and needs to differentiate between a traditional warehouse and a “mega warehouse.”

IDA

Ms. DeVito said the town’s IDA should be disbanded and does not believe the town will be hurt by using the Suffolk County IDA, instead. 

Mr. Hubbard disagreed. He said the Riverhead IDA, which has come under criticism for giving away too much in state revenue, is responsible for bringing projects to town like the original Atlantis Marine World (now the Long Island Aquarium) , and for improvements at Peconic Bay Medical Center 

WATER 

Mr. Hubbard said the town doesn’t need a plan for increasing water quality in Manorville. “We’ve already done it,” he said, making reference to the Suffolk County Water Authority’s announcement that it will connect homes in Manorville to clean water. 

Ms. DeVito countered that those funds have not arrived yet. She also criticized the town for spending millions of dollars more on things like the Town Square or a hockey rink at EPCAL.