Richard W. Martel

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RICHARD W. MARTEL

Republican

BACKGROUND:

• Martel, 64, of Hampton Bays, is running for a second term on the town board.
• He owns the sporting goods store Skidmore’s Sports & Styles in Hampton Bays.
• He said he is involved in several nonprofits, including the San Gennaro Feast of the Hamptons and youth organizations such as Hampton Bays Little League.

ISSUES:

• Martel said affordable housing remains a key issue and he hopes to address it through the new Peconic Bay Community Housing Fund that voters approved last year. “Being able to afford to live here is a very difficult thing even for our seniors,” he said.
• He said he plans to continue to address water-quality issues and as the liaison to the highway department, he said he plans to address traffic issues.
• He said while there may be a time and place for battery energy storage system facilities, he is against seeing one built in a residential neighborhood of Hampton Bays. The town board has approved a moratorium on those facilities.