Many of Suffolk County’s Town Supervisor races were wide open, with incumbents either term-limited or declining to run, and Democrats and Republicans each won a few. The Town of Shelter Island’s supervisor race remains too close to call.
Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski (D-Cutchogue) won the race to replace outgoing Republican Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell. Arnott Gooding, the Democratic Shelter Island Town supervisor candidate, declined to concede and Republican Shelter Island Councilwoman Amber Bach-Williams did not declare victory in a race in which she’s leading by less than 50 votes and will be decided by absentee ballots.
East Hampton Town Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez won the seat of her Democratic colleague East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc, who declined to seek a third term. Riverhead Town Councilman Timothy Hubbard will replace fellow Republican Yvette Aguiar, who also declined to run again.
And Westhampton Beach Mayor Maria Moore won the seat of a fellow Democrat, term-limited Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman.
“I’m so grateful for the support of everyone in this room,” Moore told cheering supporters at the Canoe Place Inn in Hampton Bays, where the Southampton Town Democratic Committee held its election night watch party Tuesday night. “It’s a bittersweet moment because we had such wonderful candidates running with us and some of them just didn’t make it over the finish line. I’m regretful about that but we all shared a vision and I know they’ll continue to represent their communities just like we will.”
As Dan’s Papers has exclusively reported, elections officials say this Election Day was the first time in decades — perhaps ever — that there were no incumbents on the ballot in any of the five town supervisor races in the Hamptons or on the North Fork. The historic turnover came as Suffolk County Executive-elect Ed Romaine became the first new county leader in 12 years since Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone was term-limited and Romaine was the first Republican to win the seat in 20 years.
In East Hampton, Burke-Gonzalez trounced political newcomer Gretta Leon 67% to 32%, the early returns show.
In Riverhead, Hubbard defeated Democrat Angela DeVito with 59% to 40% of the vote to become the next town supervisor, according to the BOE.
In Southold, Krupski won in a landslide over Republican Donald Grim by a margin of 72% to 27%, tallies show.
