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Daily Point

Kennedy weighs in on Ronko Hub

Suffolk County Comptroller John Kennedy is going to audit the county’s agreement with Jones Lang LaSalle and Ronkonkoma Vision Project to build a $1.1 billion development, including a 17,500 seat arena, a hotel, and research, retail and restaurant space at the Ronkonkoma Hub, he told the Newsday editorial board during an endorsement interview Thursday.

“The selection process that went on there in my opinion is problematic,” Kennedy said during the interview, which included his opponent, Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman. “That’s my role. My role is to go ahead and to investigate and do oversight where there’s concerns.”

Brookhaven Supervisor Edward Romaine and Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter had requested the audit, questioning both the process of choosing the development team, and the team’s credentials, after a Newsday story raised questions about Ronkonkoma Vision Project officials’ assertions regarding their current and previous work on other projects.

“All elements associated with what went on there will be reviewed and vetted,” Kennedy said, adding that both county and state law gave him the authority to conduct an audit like this.

But Jason Elan, a spokesman for Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, told The Point it’s not that simple.

“Once again, the Comptroller is attempting to exceed his legal authority for political purposes,” Elan said in a statement to The Point. And when questioned by the editorial board, Kennedy refused to rule out a run against Bellone in 2019.

Even before learning of Kennedy’s auditing plans, Elan didn’t hide his disdain for the comptroller. Right after Newsday Opinion tweeted Wednesday about the endorsement meeting, Elan followed up with two tweets criticizing Kennedy, calling his record “abysmal” and accusing him of trying “to shut down county government.”

It might not come as a surprise to anyone that Bellone is supporting Schneiderman in the county comptroller contest. Indeed, the county executive is scheduled to headline a fundraiser for Schneiderman Friday night at Gurney’s Montauk Resort.

Randi F. Marshall