Politics & Government

New Highway Deputy Named

Asharoken mayor joins town highway department.

Huntington highway superintendent William Naughton Wednesday announced the appointment of Patricia Irving as his new deputy superintendent of highways.  

Irving replaces retiring Deputy Superintendent Carl Cavanaugh.

She has served as mayor of Asharoken for the past two and a half years. Before that, she served five years as a village trustee. 

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Since being elected mayor in 2008, Mayor Irving has initiated several projects improving the infrastructure of the village, including a major deposit of sand on Asharoken beach and the recent renovation of the seawall where Asharoken meets Eaton's Neck.

Her first priority was to insist that the United States Army Corps of Engineers enforce the Northport power plant's operating permit that requires to replace sand lost to Asharoken beach as a result of the plant's operation. Consequently, the utility this month completed the placement of over 50,000 cubic yards of sand on the beach.

During the March Nor'easter, the dunes and seawall protecting Asharoken Avenue from Long Island Sound breached. The road became impassable to both Asharoken residents and all of Eaton's Neck.

Find out what's happening in Huntingtonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Irving declared a state of emergency and sought the help of the town, county, state and federal government. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expedited the process and obtained emergency funding of $2.7 million from Congress to immediately design, engineer and rebuild the seawall. The reconstruction of the seawall was completed this week.

Naughton said he had worked with Irving years ago when she spearheaded a project to get new sidewalks and guiderails for Norwood Avenue School in Northport.

Naughton said "I was familiar with Pat's tenaciousness to get a job done, but it was during the Asharoken State of Emergency that I experienced her ability to handle an emergency and dangerous situation with both calmness and professionalism, but a determination to get the job done, with as little inconvenience to the public as possible.  She has a management style that I admire and she will be an asset to the Highway department and the Town of Huntington."

Naughton added, "Pat has the ability to move multiple projects forward in a very short time. Other politicians take years to accomplish a fraction of what she has done."


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