Here are the candidates for the 13th district of the Suffolk County Legislature:
LYNNE C. NOWICK, REPUBLICAN
BACKGROUND: Nowick, 60, of St. James, is also running on the Conservative and Independence lines. She was first elected to the legislature in 2001 and is seeking a fourth term. Before becoming a legislator, Nowick served as Smithtown’s tax receiver for six years. She has an associate’s degree in business from Suffolk County Community College and has an insurance broker’s license from the state.
ISSUES: Nowick said she considers the most important issues to be preserving the environment, keeping children safe, providing workforce housing and revitalizing downtowns. In June, she said she secured 20 acres of waterfront property along Stony Brook Harbor in Nissequogue for preservation. She also touted adding 5 acres to Arthur Kunz County Park in Smithtown. She authored legislation to prevent the sale of cough suppressants that contain dextromethorphan, which when taken in large doses is a hallucinogen. She also plans to work toward improving sewer capacities for downtowns in Smithtown and Kings Park.
WILLIAM J. TURLEY, DEMOCRAT
BACKGROUND: Turley, 49, of Fort Salonga, is the founding partner of a law firm that specializes in worker’s compensation law, Social Security law and long-term disability law. He has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brooklyn College and a law degree from John Marshall Law School in Chicago.
ISSUES: If elected, Turley plans to look at providing identification to undocumented workers. “These people are like a shadow workforce and they’re a very vital part of our economy,” he said. He also favors hiring halls away from main thoroughfares as a safe and orderly way for undocumented workers to find jobs. “I don’t see them as interlopers or invaders,” he said. Another issue he plans to address is encouraging energy conservation by launching an educational campaign to promote carpooling and solar energy use. To deal with the affordable housing crisis on Long Island, he wants to study balancing open space preservation with building more homes.