Thomas F. Neely

BACKGROUND

• Neely, 69, of Sag Harbor, is a registered Democrat running on the Democratic Party line in the general election and seeks the nomination to run on the Working Families Party line. 
• A Pittsburgh native, he has a bachelor’s degree from Ohio University and moved to Southampton in 1987, where he worked at Hampton Jitney as a vice president until 2004.
• He retired from Southampton Town as transportation and traffic safety director in 2021 and currently serves on the town's planning board.

ISSUES

• Neely emphasized the need for traffic infrastructure improvements, affordable housing and environmental protection and said he would prioritize clean water and support housing initiatives.
• As town transportation director, Neely said he collaborated on projects to ease traffic, notably the launch of the Long Island Rail Road commuter connection, a network of trains and bus shuttles for commuters. He said he supports road improvements and would advocate for more infrastructure projects that boost public transportation. “We’re never going to get to the point where you don’t have to ever touch your brakes between Hampton Bays and Montauk,” Neely said. “But we can make it better.”
• In reviewing applications before the planning board, Neely said he’s concerned about overdevelopment and overclearing of land. If elected, he said, he would focus on town code changes to address those issues and strike a better balance between development and community character.