Patrick M. O'Connor

Patrick M. O’Connor

Republican

BACKGROUND: O’Connor, 53, of Shinnecock Hills, is running on the Republican and Conservative party lines. A graduate from Manhattan College in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and computer science, O’Connor has been a political adviser on other election campaigns in the past. O’Connor is a software engineer and mathematician and serves as a committee member on the Southampton Republican Committee, representing Riverside. O’Connor is single.

ISSUES: A first-time candidate for public office, O’Connor said he is focused on several issues, including the cost of living on the East End for young and senior residents. If elected, O’Connor wants to do a "top-to-bottom" analysis of the costs of living for the people on Long Island and what can be done to get legislation affecting the cost of living to be “more Long Island friendly.” O’Connor added he wanted to look into creating more programs that would foster job skills among local youths, as well as bringing large job fairs closer to the East End. Expressing a desire to represent "the little guys," O’Connor said his background in information technology would help him “be someone who would provide the structure and work on those things that would make government a little more transparent to the people it seeks to serve down here.”