Everywhere you look in our community, from Kings Park to St. James, Commack to Nesconset, residents are raising their voices, but too often, they’re being ignored. Neighbors show up at hearings, submit comments, and demand accountability, yet projects keep getting approved. That’s not a coincidence. It’s a pattern.

WHAT’S GONE WRONG

• Town leadership keeps approving dense projects that overload our roads, threaten water quality, and eat away at our open space.
  
  

• The Suffolk County IDA continues to hand out tax breaks (PILOTs) that shift costs from developers onto local families.
  
  

• Too often, residents are treated as an afterthought; public hearings feel like a formality, not a forum where the community has a real say.

This broken system has tilted power toward developers, while the people who live here every day are left with more traffic, higher costs, and less of the suburban character that drew us here in the first place.

The Stakes for District 13

• Kings Park – Tanzi/Cornerstone project: A $22.5 million, 46-unit apartment building next to the LIRR. The developer received IDA support, despite strong local opposition at the Aug. 20 public hearing (official hearing notice here) over traffic, infrastructure strain, and tax fairness.
  
  

• Kings Park – Country Pointe Estates: A $220 million, 288-unit condo complex proposed for 71 acres. The Final Environmental Impact Statement raised serious red flags: hazardous traffic intersections left unaddressed, steep driveway approaches unsafe for school buses and emergency vehicles, misleading claims about habitat “enhancement,” questionable nitrogen estimates that threaten water quality, and undercounted school-age children. These aren’t minor oversights-- they are fundamental threats to community wellbeing.
  
  

• St. James – Flowerfield: 49 acres of Flowerfield were sold to B2K for $28.7 million, with assisted-living and commercial uses expected, despite years of community opposition and legal challenges.
  
  

• St. James – Bull Run Farm: Residents successfully fought a proposed assisted living facility at the former Bull Run Farm on Mills Pond Road, stressing the need to preserve open space and community character. Even Suffolk County and the Peconic Land Trust expressed interest in saving the land (News12 coverage).

Across District 13, the message is clear: traffic, environmental degradation, and loss of suburban character are real and present dangers.

What “Our Turn” Really Means

I know many neighbors feel helpless. They’ve said: “I went to the meeting, I spoke out, and nothing changed.” That frustration is real. But “our turn” doesn’t mean more empty hearings, it means real power where it matters:

• At the Ballot Box: Developers have the Town Board and the IDA. Residents have their vote. Electing town leaders who will put people before developers is how we change course.
  
  

• In the Legislature: As your legislator, I’ll fight for stronger environmental reviews, push the county to buy and preserve open space like Bull Run before it’s gone, and hold the IDA accountable for tax giveaways.
  
  

• Through Organized Action: Civic groups like the St. James–Head of the Harbor Neighborhood Preservation Coalition show that when neighbors unite, we can protect what matters.

My Commitment

• Champion Open Space Preservation- fight for county funds to protect parcels like Bull Run.

• Halt Reckless Overdevelopment- demand full environmental reviews, no shortcuts.

• Stop Shifting Taxes to Homeowners- oppose PILOT deals that let developers off the hook.

• Listen to Residents First- because your voice should matter more than a developer’s lawyer.

District 13 deserves a legislator who listens to residents, not developers. Together, we can stop watching our neighborhoods fade and start preserving our open spaces and community values.

Developers have had their say for too long. Now it’s our turn: through our votes, our voices, and our vision, all of District 13: Kings Park, Smithtown, Commack, St. James, Nesconset, Fort Salonga, and Head of the Harbor, for the next generation.

Want to meet my running mates?
Learn more about Jesse Phillips & Mike Catalanotto HERE