Bob Kern R

BACKGROUND

• Kern, 72, of Aquebogue, is a registered Republican running for a second term on the town council. He is running on the Republican and Conservative ballot lines.
• He owns 2XS, a marketing and branding consulting firm and was previously the operations manager at the former Martha Clara Vineyards from 2000 to 2010. 
• Kern is a member of the Restoration Advisory Board for the former Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant in Calverton, which is overseeing the Navy’s cleanup of contamination at the site. 

ISSUES

• Kern said his top goal is to push for remediation of PFAS at the former Grumman property in Calverton, working closely with the Navy and state Department of Environmental Conservation. Water quality issues pose a threat to public health, the environment and tourism, Kern said.
• He wants to bring a YMCA to the former state armory building on Route 58 to enhance year-round recreation for the community. Kern is advocating for pending state legislation to allow the property to be used for recreation.
• Kern said he supports efforts to modernize town hall and digitize records across departments to improve efficiency, streamline the town’s building application and permitting process, and make records more accessible to the public.