Suffolk Legis. John Kennedy Jr. said he would consider running for Smithtown's Town Supervisor seat if Patrick Vecchio was not a candidate, and with another friend in Town Councilman Robert Creighton now running, he is not taking any sides.
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"The registered Republicans of the Town of Smithtown will make a choice who they want to ultimately be the candidate for Town Supervisor and I will respect whatever their choice is," Kennedy said in a phone interview Wednesday.
Creighton, a Republican from Kings Park, announced his Town Supervisor candidacy Wednesday morning and will formally announce his candidacy to his constituents at the the Smithtown Elks Lodge on Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.
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Creighton's decision to run for the seat came as somewhat of a surprise to Kennedy, R-Nesconset, but he is not completely shocked. Kennedy said he did not speak with Creighton about his candidacy before the Wednesday announcement, but with Creighton changing his registration from a Conservative to Republican in the fall of last year, there was some speculation concerning the upcoming election.
While previously unaware of Creighton's candidacy, he believes the councilman's intentions for running are positive.
"I believe that people seek the positions by and large for good reasons, public service is not something that most anybody ever gets wealthy off of or lives a cushy life," he said. "What prompted Councilman Creighton to make this decision I could only believe is his belief that he might be able to lead the town in a different direction that he believes Supervisor Vecchio is taking the town."
Since he is not running for the Smithtown Town Supervisor seat Kennedy will seek re-election as the Suffolk County Legislator for the 12th District in November. If re-elected it would be his fifth term in the position.
