Brookhaven Town Council

Brookhaven Town Council
The Town Board of Brookhaven
Seat Building	Brookhaven Town Hall
Districts, Hamlets and Villages	6 districts, 59 hamlets and villages
Government
• Type	civil township
• Supervisor	Panico, Daniel J.
Population
• Total	488,497
• Rank	3rd in New York
Website	https://www.brookhavenny.gov

Brookhaven, New York is a suburban town in Suffolk County. It is served by a town board made up of a town supervisor, similar to a mayor, and six councilmen serving their districts. ^[1] Each councilmen serves a four-year term, and the responsibility of each member is to create and review new laws. ^[2]

Districts

Brookhaven is divided into 6 districts, each being represented by one councilmen. each district generally has the same population.

Districts

District	council member	population
District 1	Jonathan Kornreich	≈80,000
District 2	Jane Bonner	≈81,000
District 3	Neil A. Manzella	≈81,000
District 4	Michael Loguercio	≈80,000
District 5	Neil Foley	≈85,000
District 6	Karen Dunne Kesnig	≈81,000

History

Local governance in Brookhaven began with town meetings following its founding in 1655 by settlers from New England, and was formalized under the Dongan Patent of December 27, 1686, which granted the town the legal foundation for self-government. As Brookhaven grew through the 19th centurry, from its agrarian origins to a more diversified economy including shipbuilding and railroads—New York State laws gradually shifted authority from town meetings to elected officials such as the town supervisor and justices of the peace History. ^[3]

In the 20th century, the town adopted the Town Board model, with the supervisor and council members serving as its legislative body (though details about the specific year of adoption are not available in the sources consulted). A notable further evolution occurred via a 2002 referendum, after which council members have been elected by district rather than at large ^[4]

Departments and committees

• Agricultural Advisory Board
• Animal Shelter Committee
• Anti-Bias Task Force
• Arts & Humanities Council
• Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander committee
• Black History Commission
• Business Advisory Council
• Disability Task Force
• Drug Prevention Coalition
• Hispanic Advisory Board
• Historic District Advisory Committee
• INTERFACE Steering Committee
• Open Space Advisory
• Port Jeff Harbor Commission
• Senior Citizen's Commission
• Women's Advisory Board
• Youth Board ^[5]

• References

1. "Town Council | Brookhaven, NY". www.brookhavenny.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-24.
2. "Town of Brookhaven, NY: Office of the Town Council". Town of Brookhaven, NY Code. Retrieved 2024-05-24.
3. "History of Brookhaven, New York | Brandon J Broderick". www.brandonjbroderick.com. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
4. "Long Island Town Histories - Brookhaven [Suffolk Co.] | Celia M. Hastings Local History Room". history.pmlib.org. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
5. "Government | Brookhaven, NY". www.brookhavenny.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-24.