Diane E. Tucci

DEMOCRATIC

Tucci, 49, owns a marketing company and is a political newcomer who is running on the Democratic, Working Families and Independence lines.

ISSUES:

• She’s known as an arts advocate who organized the Alive on 25 music and arts festivals and the annual Halloween Coffin Race, and this summer resurrected a downtown concert series that had been canceled due to lack of funding.
• She backs a smaller bond than the $100 million one proposed by the Riverhead school district to relieve overcrowding — her top concern as the mother of three — but said stakeholders, including social services agencies, must meet regularly to tackle the problem of illegal and overcrowded housing.
• As former executive director of the Riverhead Business Improvement District management association, she has a mystery that legislative resources could solve: why downtown remains sluggish after years of talk, planning and work. She believes murals to liven up the exteriors of abandoned buildings, new lighting and other measures can create a sense of welcome and security.