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The just-retired Lee Koppelman, 78, may have stayed too long at the party, but he can be forgiven for that in view of the extraordinary contribution he has made for nearly 47 years to the social, economic and environmental landscape of Long Island.
In 1959, an unknown Republican-turned-Democrat was elected as Suffolk's first county executive. His name was H. Lee Dennison. Stepping into a world of political hostility, one of the things he did was appoint another unknown to become the director of planning for the county. That, of course, was the former civic gadfly and spokesman for the Hauppauge Civic Association, Lee Koppelman.
The political landscape then in Suffolk was rock-solid home-rule Republican, which viewed with great suspicion anyone who suggested a broader view of the powerful zoning process vested in the towns and villages. The two Lees embraced that broader view but were distinctly different personalities.
Dennison's idol was master builder Robert Moses, and Dennison emulated, with much less success, Moses' "roll over 'em" style of dealing with anyone opposed to his point of view. Koppelman's style was smoother, more patient and professorial. Together they got things done, but it was not always sweetness and light.
As...