It’s not often that the Long Island Builders Institute gets involved in party primaries.

But this week, LIBI’s new super PAC — the Coalition for Long Island’s Future — has begun to run a digital ad campaign targeting not one, but two Republican primaries in Suffolk County.

The Coalition is launching digital ads supporting Huntington Town Supervisor Ed Smyth, who is being challenged by town Councilwoman Brooke Lupinacci, and Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim, who is facing Suffolk County Legis. Robert Trotta.

The Coalition is spending about $30,000 on the campaign, which rolled out this week. The Long Island Contractors’ Association and the Commercial Industrial Brokers Society of Long Island are supporting the effort, LIBI chief executive Mike Florio told The Point.

Florio said the campaigns to oust the incumbents sparked the Coalition’s involvement, as Lupinacci opposes housing development in the Melville business corridor, and Trotta has criticized development efforts in Kings Park, specifically opposing a proposal for a 46-unit, three-story apartment complex on 2.26 acres near the Long Island Rail Road station.

The ads for Wehrheim feature the slogan "A Stronger Smithtown," arguing that a vote for Wehrheim would support "smart budgets," "safer streets" and "keeping our local economy strong with targeted economic growth."

The Smyth ads are similar, saying Smyth is "Building a Better Huntington" and focusing on safety and a "vibrant local economy."

LICA executive director Marc Herbst told The Point that both Smyth and Wehrheim also have been accessible and willing to back roads and infrastructure upgrades that are among the association’s priorities.

"We’re making a public statement that we’re supporting their efforts and have been appreciative of what they’ve done in office," Herbst said.

Said Florio, "Hopefully, we can carry them over the finish line."

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As Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter was about to adjourn Tuesday’s town board meeting, her fellow board members made motions to "suspend the rules" and add two last-minute contentious resolutions to the mix.

The moves were just the latest for what’s become an increasingly heated town board, where Carpenter has found herself at odds with her fellow council members, who are seeking to swing the power pendulum in their direction. The disputes have gone beyond governance issues to broader effort to isolate both Carpenter and Islip Republican committee chairman William Garbarino.

The first resolution sought to add a public hearing to the next meeting to consider moving the town’s public information department from its current spot within the supervisor’s office to the town board’s control. Carpenter opposed the motion — but it passed and the hearing will now be on a future agenda.

The second resolution was more controversial. In a hard-to-hear exchange on the town’s YouTube link, Councilman Michael J. McElwee proposed replacing Brian Ferruggiari on the town planning board with Brett Robinson. Councilman John Lorenzo seconded the motion. Both Carpenter and board member Jorge Guadron abstained. But McElwee and Lorenzo were joined by James O’Connor — and the motion passed.

There was no discussion.

It happened quickly and to anyone who might not remember the history, it might have seemed unimportant. But Robinson’s name is well known in Islip. Robinson was an executive secretary to the Islip Town parks commissioner in 2013 and 2014, when almost 40,000 tons of toxic construction debris was dumped in Roberto Clemente Park in Brentwood. Robinson was fired in 2014 and later pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct for knowing about the dumping and not stopping it. He was sentenced to a conditional discharge.

Last year, Robinson was hired as an assistant deputy county executive to Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine.

Robinson also is a longtime member and officer in the Suffolk County Conservative Party. In March, the party honored Robinson with an award for his "immense contributions to the Conservative movement," according to a social media post.

McElwee and O’Connor are Republicans who previously ran on the Conservative line, while Lorenzo is a registered Conservative.

Guadron, a Democrat, represents Brentwood. Last September, Guadron called for Robinson’s termination from the Suffolk County job.

"No rewards of any kind should be given to someone who enters a guilty plea to such a crime," Guadron said in a video posted to social media at the time.

On Wednesday, Carpenter told The Point that she was concerned with how and when the motion was made.

"I philosophically have an issue with walking resolutions on at the last moment," she said. "I was preparing to gavel down to end the meeting when Councilman McElwee and Councilman Lorenzo made the motion. There was no public notice, no backup information.

"This is not the way to run government [and] certainly is anything but transparent," Carpenter said. "Our residents deserve better."

North Bay Shore resident Miguel Turell, who heads the grassroots organization Uplift Our Towns, told The Point that he often scours Islip Town agendas to check to see whether items that impact Brentwood and other area communities are listed so he knows whether he and other activists should attend or speak. He noted that the only relevant item on Tuesday’s agenda was an authorization to hold a concert series — at Clemente Park.

That item was the last on the agenda — until the two extras were added on.

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