Matthew Connolly

Connolly said his career experience in public service has made him gravitate toward public safety issues. Continued police enforcement and public education on the drug epidemic are important, he said. He praised the Glen Cove Police Department’s continued efforts and the current administration’s reinstatement of the two-officer crime prevention unit in 2014, saying he wants to “build on the work that’s already been done.” Connolly said public forums, town hall meetings and social media could be used as ways to educate Glen Cove residents about the heroin epidemic. “Being in a position on the council to actually hear concerns of residents, and being able to effectively respond to them and work with the entire community — I think I could excel at that,” he said.

Connolly, 36, is vying for a seat on the city council, running on the Republican, Conservative, Independence and Reform party lines. Connolly received a bachelor’s degree in English from the College of the Holy Cross, and his law degree from Hofstra University’s Maurice A. Deane School of Law. He’s working as a principal law clerk for a Nassau County court judge after five years as a Nassau County prosecutor and a one-year stint at Grizopoulos & Portz, a law firm that provides legal representation in criminal defense and personal injury cases. He became president of the Glen Cove Republican Club in August 2016, but stepped down in May to run for city council. He is married with two children.