GOP looks to keep majority

With just a month and a half to go until Election Day, Republican coalition candidates for the City Council are ramping up their campaign efforts.

The three GOP candidates, incumbent John McLaughlin and newcomers Maureen Doherty and Marvin Weiss, are vying for three open seats, two of them vacant, with McLaughlin’s two-year term ending and Democrats Leonard Remo and Denise Tangney retiring. In the at-large election the top two vote-getters will earn four-year terms, while the third-place finisher will sit for two years.

The coalition held a rally at the VFW hall on Sept. 8 that attracted more than 100 people. Each candidate was introduced, including the nominees for county executive, Legislator Ed Magano (R-Bethpage) and district attorney, Joy Watson, who were held to a strict, but lighthearted, two-minutes speech limit.

“Overall there’s an upbeat feel to the campaign,” said coalition leader Jim Moriarty. “We’re going to keep the campaign positive. We’re not going to let the opposition drag us into the gutter.”

The Republicans have held the majority on the City Council since 2007, and have begun to reform the broken Long Beach Civil Service Commission, which was among the worst in the state. In previous terms, Republicans had vowed to freeze and reduce taxes. “We kept our promise,” said Moriarty, adding that under Democratic rule there was “overdevelopment” throughout the city.

Along with lawn signs and bumper stickers that were whisked away after the rally, candidates left having vowed to keep hitting the streets and going door to door to speak to residents.

McLaughlin, a retired FDNY lieutenant who is pursuing a degree in fine arts, said he takes any opportunity to campaign. “I talk to as many people as I can even when I’m out walking my dog,” said McLaughlin, a West Bay Drive resident.

He said he wants to keep reducing taxes, which he maintains isn’t as noticeable as county taxes continue to increase. He also vows to continue focusing on improving the city’s aging infrastructure, and wants to try to “resolve somewhat the parking issues that face Long Beach due to the influx of people,” he said.