Democratic council candidate Millie Thomas, a Baiting Hollow resident for 12 years and the owner of a real estate agency in Wading River, said her business sense and civic involvement have prepared her for a seat on the town board. As a business owner, she's had to make tough budget decisions and she understands that the needs of her clients come first. As a councilwoman, the clients are taxpayers, she said.

"I know how to set goals and establish a time frame for completion," Thomas said. "A good manager is accountable and we have to be accountable to the taxpayers."

Residents, she said, are "tired of hearing about EPCAL."