Meet the school board candidates:
Five in a race for two seats

Five people are seeking election to two open seats on the Riverhead Board of Education in Tuesday’s school district election. Below are transcripts of the statements the candidates gave at the May 12 school board meeting, in the order in which they were given. The candidates spoke in the order in which their names will appear on the ballot May 19, pursuant to a lottery.

Greg Fischer
Calverton
Business consultant
Hi, I’m Greg Fischer, I’m first on the ballot. I have children, two adults 27 and 29, two elementary children.

One of the things we do well in Riverhead is instruction. The teachers are really, really good. One of the things we have to worry about in the future are the taxes. On the present route taxes will probably double in 12 to 15 years. That would be really disasterous to our community.

So, my background is three degrees in business, 30 years in professional consulting, Price Waterhouse, Peat Marwick everything from auditing to finance, all kinds of stuff. So, I bring that experience. I am also the only resident SCORE counseling in Riverhead. SCORE We help businesses get started. So, I have a broad base of finance and business skills to bring to this job. When I look at what we’re doing there’s a lot of places to economize.

One of the things not put on the proposition is a gas line running to the Riley avenue schools so we can switch over to natural gas instead of oil. Save a lot of money there. There’s all kind of efficiencies that can be had. There’s a lot of things that can be discussed. Certainly I want to bring more openness to this board. And encourage a lot more scrutiny. I sent out mailings, so everyone has my points, more than I can discuss in 41 seconds. All my phone numbers and emails have been the same for a long time. I did run last year on a very similar platform. I am always available to answer questions, fill in the blanks. I hope everyone knows they can also vote by absentee ballot if they’re not going to be available on election day. Everybody in the district did get a copy of the absentee ballot from me mailed directly, you can get it only. You can vote by absentee ballot by submitting this application in person to the clerk up to the day before election. So there’s plenty of encouragement. Thank you.

Susan Koukounas
Aquebogue
SCCC mathmatics professor

I am Susan Koukounas, vice president of the school board and running for re-election. I have 20 years experience in education. I am a professor of mathematics at Suffolk County Community College and almost in completion with my studies at Dowling with a doctorate in Educational Leadership, I have been a resident of Riverhead for 14 years. I love Riverhead and hope it shows though my volunteerism. I participate in the Community Awareness Program, the Riverhead WAVE Foundation, the CPR committee, served as president of the Aquebogue PTO and was part of the school board’s policy, audit and wellness committees.

My platform was to preserve, enhance and promote all the educational programs that will ensure that our graduates are successful and have the knowhow to compete and meet the demands of our growing global economy. As always I will continue to collaborate, bring solutions and explore new opportunities to meet the needs and concerns of our community so that we may stay within our 2 percent tax cap. Get informed on May 19 and vote for Sue on lever two. Thank you.

Brad Harnig
Baiting Hollow
LIRR conductor

How are you doing folks? My name is Brad Harnig, I’ve lived in the district for 18 years. I am married to my wife Christine for 19 years. I have three children in the school district: twin boys – Adam and Kyle are in 10th grade and my son Aiden is in 6th grade at Pulaski Street.

Some of my qualifications: I graduated from Sachem High School in 1987. I enlisted in the United States Navy in 1988. In 1995 I got my associate’s degree in Liberal ARts from Suffolk Community College. In 1998 I started working for the Long Island Rail Road and have been a conductor for 17 years, and that’s always interesting. From 2007 to 2014 I was a union delegate in the United Transportation Union, SMART at the Long Island Railroad. In 2013 I decided to go back to college, I recently graduated from St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue with my Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Management. As far as any kind of volunteer work I have done, I was Cub Master for Riverhead Cub Scouts. I was involved with that organization for nine years. I was also a coach for Riverhead Little League.

I have to tell you, I love living in Riverhead. I enjoy what I do for a living, as far as being a conductor for the Long Island Railroad because it allows me see everybody from all over. But, I just want you to understand that I have no agenda. I am not affiliated with the teacher’s union here. I have no problem with any of the teachers here to be honest with you. I think we have some of the finest teachers out of any school I have ever been to. But some things that kind of disgust me are when I am out in public and I hear people say “Where do your kids go to school?” and I say “Oh, my kids go to Riverhead,” and people say to me “Oh, you let your kids go to Riverhead?” I want to make that change. I want to be a part of the school district and I want to be a part of making the right decisions to be a part of the school district so I don’t hear that any more. It disgusts me, because I think Riverhead is a really good community and I think the school district is top notch.

Some of the other things I just want to mention. I have no agenda, I have never run for any political position in this town. There are two candidates here who have. I don’t have that agenda. I’m not giving up on the kids, I’m doing this for the kids. Knowing that I have three kids in the school district, I truly care. I’ve watched a number of kids grow up in this community and I want to see them all be successful. That’s the reason why I’m doing this. It’s not because of any political agenda. I’ve never run for supervisor. I’ve never had anything, any kind of affiliation like that. So, I’m number three on the ballot. Thank you for listening to me.

Anne Cotten-DeGrasse
Retired teacher

Hello everyone. I think most of you know me. I came to Riverhead in 1966 from Texas to teach in Riverhead High School with the idea of staying three years and going back to Texas. Thirty-twi years later I was the senior person on the staff at the Riverhead High School. I retired and I stayed retired for approximately 12 years. In 2008 I ran for the school board and I ran on the platform on bringing civility back to the school board at the time there was a lot of animosity among board members and animosity toward people in the community of the board members. That was my goal, and in the first three years I think the board was able to turn itself around. I would have backed out then, but I felt I’d accomplished my goal, except that we were in the middle of a bond issue and I felt that I had started that and it was my obligation because I was president at the time to follow through with that project. So, at the end of the sixth year, I retired once again.

This time it only last a year. I’m very disturbed with what’s coming out of Albany. I’m disturbed not so much with Common Core because there are good things about Common Core, but I am disturbed about the fact that the districts are being held hostage with their state aid demanding that you implement the high-stakes testing and I think that’s wrong. I’m willing to give you another three years of my life. That’s 32 years in the classroom, six years on the school board and another three would be 41 years out of my life if you are willing to elect me again. So, thank you. And, considering that I have one minute and 17 seconds left I would like to say to the people who are being childish like they are in the third grade and stealing the lawn signs of Sue Koukounas and myself who are running as a team, along Peconic Bay Boulevard : grow up.

Laurie Downs
Riverhead
Civic activist

Hi, I’m Laurie Downs, I have been a resident for almost 30 years now. I have two children who are both graduates of this school. One is 27 and one is 25. I’m a new grandma. I’ve been attending board meetings now for 15 years. Lending my voice to the community, a lot of people would come to me and ask me questions and ask “can you do this for me” and stuff like that. I lend my voice. I was six years PTO president of the high school, I was six years PTO president of the executive council, I was also two years in the Middle School. I have no agenda, no personal agenda what-so-ever. All I have is an obligation, and the obligation is quality education which is broken and to tax payers which is our responsibility. I have no special interests, influences or need to pay anybody back for anything. I have no ties to the teacher’s union and I am not anti-teacher as people are saying. Because quality education includes quality teachers.

I will continue to speak to all of the people that come to me whether I am on the board or not and let them know what’s going and listen to their cares and concerns. You will never see my hand raised to give an administrator the highest salary of any school district within the State of New York. I would never raise my hand for that. I am ready for us to be able to make changes to the common core. In fact I even had a sign on my lawn, if my children were expected to take it at this time I would definitely opt them out. The one thing that is going on is that legislators once again are trying to make changes, it’s a small step, but it’s a step and I believe if parents continue like they are continuing and the districts stick together and the teachers all stick together – all together, eventually we will get done what everybody wants done with Common Core.

I would like to take the 15 years I was on this side [attending school board meetings], and I really would like the chance on this side [as a member of the school board] to continue to speak for you and continue to represent you.