Meet the candidates for the 2021 November election

Suffolk Legislature (3rd LD)

Jim Mazzarella, (Republican, incumbent)

As a union leader, community activist, and family man, Jim Mazzarella has the experience and record to fight on behalf of Suffolk’s middle-class families. Mazzarella promises to work tirelessly on quality-of-life issues.

He was born and raised in the tri-hamlet area now living in Manorville. As the eldest son of an immigrant father and a first-generation mother; he is most proud of his family’s blue-collar, immigrant roots. 

A graduate from William Floyd High School in 1984 and from SUNY Maritime College in 1988, Mazzarella is currently the secretary/treasurer of Local 342, Long Island Public Service Employees, and dedicated his career to improving the working conditions of public employees. 

Mazzarella and his wife Mary decided to raise their children, Sarah and Joseph, in the community they grew up in.

He has also served on the board of the Mastic, Moriches, Shirley Community Library as a trustee and board president since 2009, and he is a longtime member of the Rotary Club of the Mastics and Shirley, and has been honored as a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International. 

Mazzarella is a member and past president of the Crystal Beach Property Association since 1996.

Kate Browning (Democrat)

Browning served as a Suffolk County legislator representing the 3rd District, where she fought for Suffolk County’s working families. She successfully controlled spending and held the line on taxes, cracked down on illegal housing and made protecting our precious environment a focus. Before taking office, Browning worked as a school bus driver for the William Floyd School District in order to make ends meet and have the same hours as her children while they attended school.

Browning was born and raised in war-torn Belfast, Northern Ireland, during “The Troubles.” At 19, she left Belfast for Germany, where she met her husband Steve, who was serving in the U.S. military and went on to work for the NYPD. In 1989, she and her husband settled in Shirley, New York.

Browning is proud of her husband and her sons, Sean and Aodhan, who are serving their country in the military. Steve is a decorated detective in New York City Police Department and retired from the Army National Guard in 2006. Sean and Aodhan serve in the Air National Guard, 106th Air Rescue Wing, Westhampton, and Sean has served three tours in Afghanistan. Browning avidly supports service members overseas and their families here at home. Browning graduated with a bachelor’s degree from National Labor College.

Suffolk County district attorney

Tim Sini (Democrat, incumbent)

Tim Sini previously served as the Suffolk County police commissioner prior to being elected as SC district attorney. Following a scandal that ended in the federal prosecution of the former chief of department, Sini was appointed to this position in January of 2016. Previously, he served as Suffolk’s deputy county executive for public safety. 

Ray Tierney (Republican)

Ray Tierney is a prosecutor who has dedicated his career to fighting for victims and protecting citizens. As a prosecutor, he has tackled some of the toughest cases in Suffolk County. He has approached Long Island’s gang problem head-on and put dozens of members of MS-13 behind bars, leading to safer communities and less fear. He has also prosecuted Colombian drug cartel cases, white-collar crime cases, public corruption cases, and MS-13 racketeering cases. He has advised the Attorney General, Department of Justice officials, and the President of the United States on long-term international criminal and MS-13 prosecutions, both nationwide and in New York.

Brookhaven Town receiver of taxes

Donna Lent

(Republican, incumbent)

In 2017, town clerk Donna Lent earned certification as a registered municipal clerk (RMC) by the New York State Town Clerks Association. Registered municipal clerk designation is earned through numerous hours of education and training, as well as extensive experience requirements.

Lent has a long history of public service and dedication to the community. For more than two decades, she was a stalwart volunteer for the Sachem Athletic Club, a sports program for boys and girls aged 6 to 13, where she served as a coach and mentor to numerous young athletes. Her invaluable guidance and oversight as the club’s treasurer was instrumental in the expansion of the program, enabling hundreds of additional Brookhaven students to benefit from the program.

While earning her B.A. at Stony Brook University, Lent enjoyed a successful career as a law office manager and small business owner. In 2001, she left the private sector to enter public service.

A lifelong supporter of women’s rights, she also serves as the president of the National Women’s Political Caucus, a bipartisan, not-for-profit organization established in 1971 whose mission is dedicated to seeing more women in elected and appointed office.

Lent and her husband of 48 years, Greg, raised their three children in North Patchogue and today have the additional joy of 10 grandchildren.

Ira Costell (Democrat)

Ira Costell has been a resident of the Three Village-Port Jefferson Station area for more than 50 years. A graduate of Suffolk County Community College, Costell graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in political science from C.W. Post College. He also holds a master’s degree in environmental planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Costell is the father of two daughters who attended Comsewogue High School.

Costell has a record of region-wide leadership in the fields of environmental conservation and preservation. He served as chair of the Suffolk County Pine Barrens Review Commission. He was also New York State commissioner of the Long Island North Shore Heritage Area Planning Commission.

In addition, Costell was a member of the county executive’s Watershed Protection Advisory Committee. He was also a member of the Long Island Maritime Preserve Study Group and the Suffolk County Watershed Protection Advisory Committee.