But beyond that similarity on their résumés, Mr. Mazzei, the Town Board's Republican majority leader, and Mr. Lesko, a Democrat, have strong differences in opinion on what's best for the future of Brookhaven.
Even where they agree, like their mutual belief that the economy should be a top priority of whoever gets elected, they differ on how to get there.
Mr. Lesko is talking BIG with his Brookhaven Initiative for Growth plan, his strategy for long-term economic growth. Mr. Mazzei is thinking small with his small business initiative, which he hopes would improve small-business owners' relations with the town.
Both men believe Brookhaven needs to do its part in making sure planning projects are fast-tracked in an effort to ensure decisions are made quickly on projects so work can be done sooner and businesses can get up and running. Both men believe this to be a key to reviving the local economy.
How the planning department runs, however, is something they don't see eye to eye on. Mr. Mazzei has called for a manager to run the department, where the commissioner post has been vacant for more than two months, and not necessarily a planner. "We need someone who knows how to manage and get the most out of people," Mr. Mazzei said in an interview with The North Shore Sun editorial board. "We have plenty of planners."
But Mr. Lesko says he'd like to see the town take a similar approach to the planning commissioner search as it did in 2006 when former Supervisor Brian Foley utilized a national search to bring in planner David Woods from outside Brookhaven to run the department. Mr. Woods was removed from his post last year by the majority and replaced with the now-retired Joseph Sauerwein, who had been the commissioner of building and fire prevention.
Mr. Lesko has raised concern over the removal of appointed Democratic commissioners and the decision to replace some of them with Republican officials from the previous Republican administration. Mr. Lesko, who touted his work as a prosecutor on several cases related to the Town of Brookhaven, said he believes the majority has opened the door back up to prior corruption, calling Mr. Mazzei a member of the "old guard" in Brookhaven. Labeling himself a reformer, he said his work as a prosecutor showed him where the "bodies are buried."
Mr. Mazzei, meanwhile, has disassociated himself from past corruption. In his Sun interview he said he had little connection with the Republican Party before being appointed to the Town Board in 2003. And he said he believes the current administration has done a good job and has steered clear of missteps committed by previous administrations.
Mr. Mazzei also defended his majority's elimination of citizen advocate positions from the supervisor's office, as well as the transfer of the public information and economic development departments from the supervisor's office to the purview of the entire Town Board. Mr. Mazzei said he would consider more changes of a similar nature if elected supervisor.
Mr. Mazzei also touted the elimination of community enhancement grants as a necessary cost-saving measure. Mr. Lesko said he would consider the reinstatement of those funds, but most likely not until after the economy improved.
Mr. Lesko criticized his opponent for leading the charge on many of the changes the current Town Board made to the structure of Brookhaven government. He said he would aim to reinstate the citizen advocate positions, if elected, while also looking to devote more attention to programs like 451-TOWN and ServiceStat, a management tool that tracks departmental performance in the town. Mr. Lesko accused Mr. Mazzei of neglecting those programs introduced by the Foley administration, an accusation Mr. Mazzei firmly denied.
Polls will open at 6 a.m. for Tuesday's special election; voters have until 9 p.m. to vote at their regular polling stations.
gparpan@northshoresun.com