Meet The Candidates: Kenneth Rothwell For Riverhead Town Board

Riverhead NY

31 October, 2021

9:39 AM

Description

RIVERHEAD, NY — Suffolk County residents will be heading to the polls Tuesday to elect local representatives and make their voices heard. Residents will weigh in on the race to represent one of the 18 legislative districts in Suffolk County, vote for Suffolk County District Attorney and Sheriff — and choose their local town elected officials. In advance of the election, Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaign — and the results will be published as candidate profiles in the days leading up to the vote. Incumbent Riverhead Town Councilman Kenneth T. Rothwell is seeking to retain his seat, one of two open on the Riverhead town board. Rothwell, who was appointed to fill the position of Jodi Giglio when she was elected to the State Assembly in November, is running on the Republican and Conservative lines, along with fellow Republican and Conservative candidate Robert Kern. Evelyn J. Hobson-Womack and Juan E. Micieli-Martinez are running on the Democratic and Working Families lines. Following is Patch's full Q&A with Kenneth Rothwell: Kenneth T. Rothwell Age (as of Election Day) 50 Position Sought Town Council Party Affiliation Republican and Conservative Family Wife Debra, son Kenny, 21, senior at SUNY Stony Brook and son, Cameron, 16, senior at Riverhead High School. Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No Education Associate degree in architecture from SUNY Delhi and an Associate degree in mortuary science from Nassau Community College Occupation Funeral director and funeral home owner Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office Riverhead Town Councilman Campaign website friendsofkenrothwell.com Why are you seeking elective office? To complete the work I started this year such as building a new Town Square, getting clean drinking water to the residents of Calverton, and revitalizing and the new development o Railroad Plaza. The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it. Obtain clean drinking water to the residents of Calverton. I am working with Congressman Lee Zeldin, Senator Charles Schumer and New York State Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio to obtain grants for the cost of installation. What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post? I am a local businessman and have worked tirelessly for the town. We are in the middle of many projects, and I currently have the most knowledge on the current issues facing our town. How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently? I responded very well. I worked with our governor's office to secure over 1,500 vaccines and set up a vaccination clinic. I expanded senior services such as meals on wheels to protect our seniors by limiting public contact. We never stopped working, we continued to hold meetings on Zoom and made sure our town employees were protected and had appropriate safety measures in place to stop the spread of the virus. Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform. We need to continue to work with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to get the subdivision approval to complete the sale of EPCAL. The town could use the $40 million dollar purchase to expand our town services, build infrastructure and reduce resident property taxes. In addition, we get the EPCAL property on the tax rolls with millions of dollars in revenue each year. What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job? I have completed many town projects since taking office in January of this year. I brought the PedalShare program to Riverhead, improved our parks, completed the Hometown Hero Banner project, built a Veteran's Wall of Honor. Expanded senior services. So many accomplishments were made by keeping our property taxes stable. The best advice ever shared with me was: Always take time to listen to others, understand their perspective, and respect their ideas. What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?I seek challenges. I'm an avid hiker and used my determination to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa. I don't give up. I have used my determination to complete long-stalled projects in our town. I have been a proud volunteer firefighter for 19 years and along with my family, we volunteer and participate in many charitable projects. There are many great projects now in the works, such as a new Town Square, the Railroad Plaza revitalization project, obtaining clean drinking water for our residents. Let's complete these projects and not change course in midstream.