Meet Chad
Chad A. Lupinacci is a lifelong resident of the Town of Huntington. He graduated from Walt Whitman High School in the South Huntington School District and is a parishioner at St. Hugh of Lincoln Roman Catholic Church in Huntington Station.
Chad earned his B.A. in Political Science from Hofstra University, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He later went on to earn his Juris Doctor at Hofstra University School of Law and his Master’s in Business Administration at the Zarb School of Business at Hofstra University.
He served as Supervisor of the Town of Huntington from 2018 through 2021, leading the Town through the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to serving as Supervisor, he was elected and served in the New York State Assembly for five years, representing a district that included the western half of the Town. He served as a Board Member of the South Huntington School District from 2004 to 2012, where he worked to improve graduation rates and the quality of district-wide education.
He also teaches Business Law at Farmingdale State College. In addition to his academic duties, he practices law, concentrating in real estate.
New York State Assembly 2013-2017
As a member of the Assembly, Chad Lupinacci prioritized working on the retention and creation of jobs. He put forth proposals to jump-start the local economy, including reducing taxes on new and small businesses and providing incentives to hire new workers, including veterans and the unemployed. He also fought to address the impact of illegal drugs and curb crime, so that parents can raise their children in a safe and secure environment. He also worked to reform the school financing system, fought for meaningful mandate relief, and to reduce restrictions placed upon school districts to pursue alternative funding streams.
Huntington Town Supervisor, 2018 - 2021
As Supervisor, Chad Lupinacci streamlined government operations, expanded online services and cut red tape to keep the town within the tax cap for four consecutive years, while maintaining a AAA bond rating and the highest ratings from the State Comptroller’s office for fiscal stress. The Town’s strong fiscal condition helped it weather the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Supervisor Lupinacci increased transparency and openness in town government. He enacted term limits for all Town elected officials and began live-streaming of all Town Board, Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) and Ethics Board meetings on TV and online, while working to strengthen the independence of the Board of Ethics from the elected officials who appoint its members.
He worked to improve our quality of life by empowering Code Enforcement to more efficiently address noise pollution, public safety hazards, and other nuisance violations. He proposed and the Town enacted code changes in 2020 aimed to control the density of mixed-use buildings with apartments in commercially-zoned downtown areas, alleviate burdens on our infrastructure, and address the long-time parking congestion issue plaguing the Huntington’s downtown. He enhanced the Town’s recreational opportunities, including opening the Manor Field Spray Park.
Chad also worked to make changes to the Town’s legal accessory apartments law, allowing homeowners the choice of residing in either the main dwelling or accessory unit, helping to make homeownership more affordable for current residents, while increasing access to affordable housing. This was accomplished while limiting impact on our infrastructure and maintaining the suburban character of our Town.
He also worked to protect our local environment and expand open space, preserve farmland and protect our drinking water. His Administration implemented the cost-effective revitalization of the Town’s waterfront facilities and waterfront economy, making decades-long overdue improvements, to make our marinas and waterways safer and to protect our shorelines.
Always cognizant that Huntington must have a strong business community to provide jobs and economic opportunity, he worked to make Huntington a place where business could thrive and knew they had a partner in government. He established the Town’s Small Business Economic Recovery Task Force to help businesses overcome the economic burdens posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and State-imposed COVID-19 restrictions.
He has demonstrated effective leadership in crisis by zealously and consistently advocating on behalf of taxpayers, residents and businesses against the catastrophic threat posed by the LIPA tax certiorari lawsuit. After nine years of litigation and financial crisis looming, he successfully negotiated favorable terms for the Town that resulted in LIPA waiving all claims to tax refund payments totaling $825 million; LIPA agreeing to make guaranteed tax payments totaling $460 million to the Town over seven years; and LIPA agreeing to pay an additional $17.5 million -- $14.5 million directly to the Northport-East Northport School District and $3 million to the Town of Huntington for COVID-19 relief.
As your Legislator, Chad Lupinacci will work with County Executive Ed Romaine and District Attorney Ray Tierney to continue to put the interests of taxpayers first, while working to make Suffolk County safer and more affordable for its residents, while enhancing our local quality of life.