Press Center

CECILE FORTE FACES AN EMPTY CHAIR AS HER OPPONENT FAILS TO ATTEND

NEWS RELEASE
September 16, 2009



At a key meet-the-candidates night, Dr. Cecile Forte, the Republican and Conservative candidate for Brookhaven Town Clerk, was left to debate no one. Her opponent, Assemblywoman Patricia Eddington, failed to appear at the event sponsored by two local community organizations and attended by scores of south shore voters.

The gathering, held Monday night, was sponsored by the Mastic/Shirley Chamber of Commerce and the Montauk Highway Merchants Association at Ladakins Restaurant in Moriches. While Dr. Forte was present, her opponent failed to show.

“I don’t know why Mrs. Eddington did not attend this event and discuss the issues,” said Dr. Forte. “If she wants to be town clerk, she has an obligation to the electorate to explain why she should be trusted with their votes. I guess after all those years in the state assembly she feels a sense of entitlement.”

Dr. Forte was warmly received by the overflow crowd where she talked about her vision for the town clerk’s office.

“The reason I am running for town clerk is very clear: to restore honesty and integrity to a once respected office,” said Dr. Forte. “I will never put my own personal financial gain above the people of Brookhaven Town.”

“As town clerk, I will not accept a town car nor will I perform marriages. Instead, I will have a cadre of qualified marriage officers to do so; no cash will be accepted, she added.”

Dr. Forte is running to succeed the current town clerk who was recently indicted by the Suffolk County district attorney. Incredibly, she has not resigned her office and continues to collect a paycheck.

Dr. Forte also pledged to make the town clerk’s office more open to the public. Her top priority is making more documents available to everyone on the Internet.

“There are many documents, like town board resolutions and minutes, that should be readily available to the public on the Internet. This is what open government is about,” added Dr. Forte. “I will institute cost effective innovations that will bring the office into the 21st century.”

The author of five books, Forte holds a Ph.D. in Reading and Learning Disabilities. She is an award winning expert in college and university accreditation. Dr. Forte is a member of the Brookhaven Town Planning Board and the Board of Directors of John T. Mather Memorial Hospital. She resides in Port Jefferson with her husband, David Pike, and has one son, David Pike, III.