It’s status quo in Huntington. Voters reelected incumbents to fill seats in the county Legislature and town council.
Andrew Raia and his mother Jo-Ann Raia watch the election night returns. He took more than 57 percent of the vote for town clerk. Photo by. Donna Deedy
The popularity of Joan Cergol (D) shined through on election night, maintaining a clear voter count lead as district results were reported. Eugene Cook (R) eventually took back his seat for town council, but early on election night it looked as if challengers Kathleen Cleary (D) or Andrea Sorrentino (R) might unseat him.
“It’s been quite a journey,” Sorrentino said. “I’m just a guy off the street who decided to run and became a strong contender in this election.”
In the end, Republicans maintain control of the town council with the same people representing citizens. And with Steve Bellone (D) cinching the county executive for a third term, it’s government as usual until the next election cycle.
The big change in Huntington: Town Clerk Jo-Ann Raia, who served for 40 years, passes the baton to her son Andrew (R-East Northport), a state Assemblyman for 17 years. He stays in state office until Dec. 31 and assumes his role as town clerk Jan. 1. “I’ll be working two jobs for the rest of the year,” he said. “The first thing I’ll do is help my mother clear off her desk.”
He expects to leave state government with impact. On Nov. 1, he requested that the state Department of Health conduct a longitudinal study for the Northport Middle School, where students, teachers and staff have reported for decades poor air quality, enough to make people seriously ill. Some people blame the building for the school community’s high cancer rates and other rare illnesses.
Raia’s vacant state Assembly seat could trigger a special election. The process, Raia said, doesn’t require a primary. The governor, Andrew Cuomo (D), however, may opt to skip on a special election, since 2020 is an election year. The governor has 77 days from Jan. 1 to decide, according to Raia.
David Luces, Rita J. Egan, Leah Chiappino and Donna Deedy all contributed reporting.
Councilmembers Tom Lohmann and Lisa Inzerillo after the election was called Nov. 5. Photo by Leah Chiappino
By Leah Chiappino
Smithtown Republicans gathered at Napper Tandy’s on Main Street in Smithtown Tuesday to watch the town election results and subsequently celebrate their victories. Trump shirts and GOP symbols were frequently spotted in the crowd and there was talk of Donald Trump Jr.’s upcoming St James fundraiser in conversation.
Smithtown receiver of taxes Deanna Varricchio (R) won reelection against Democratic challenger Justin Smiloff 70 to 30 percent for a four-year-term. She says she is looking to update the technology of her office in her new term. “Every day you get [equipment] in and it’s obsolete, so we’re looking to budget new equipment in,” she said. She declined to say anything to the Smiloff, citing his lack of campaigning.
Incumbent Smithtown Town Council Members, Thomas Lohmann (R) and Lisa Inzerillo (R) claimed victory over challengers, Libertarian Patricia Shirley, Democrat Richard Guttman and Democrat Richard Macellaro, for a four-year term with 32 percent of the vote each.
Lohmann looks forward to continuing his work as councilman.
“I want to get done what I started,” he said. “That includes the completion of a truly town-wide comprehensive master plan that is inclusive of every hamlet, to ensure that every hamlet is represented in what they want to see in their communities and their little area of the township.”
He said plans to work with Highway Superintendent Robert Murphy (R) to improve Smithtown’s infrastructure.
Lohmann is pushing for the completion of projects such as Lake Avenue Corridor project, the revitalization of Smithtown parks and beaches and the expansion of sewer systems in business districts like what was recently done in Kings Park.
“These are huge projects and we want to move them along,” he said. “We want to bring back a sense of pride in our community.”
He commended his challengers for running a civil campaign and congratulated them for their efforts.
“I ran because I’m a lifelong resident here and I believe in my community and wanted to do for my community what I thought wasn’t being done,” he said. “Each one of the candidates came forward because they wanted to bring something to the town and I applaud them for the simple fact that they put themselves out there, which is a very hard thing to do.
Inzerillo said she wants to continue to strengthen the vape code “to protect areas where teenagers are living and going to school.”
She cited a long list of accomplishments she wants to continue.
“I’m still maintaining the best animal shelter on Long Island,” she said. “We’re working with some developers that want to do some smart development but also keep the feeling of country in Smithtown.”
When asked if she wanted to say anything to her challengers, she replied, “unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to meet them, but I wish them best in the future.”
Steve Bellone (D) and fellow Democrats celebrate keeping the county executive position. Photo by David Luces
In the most profiled race of the year for Suffolk County Executive, Democrat Steve Bellone won handily over his challenger, County Comptroller John Kennedy Jr. (R) with 55 percent to Kennedy’s 43 percent. Libertarian candidate Greg Fischer gained just 1 percent of the overall vote.
John Kennedy Jr. (R) the night of Nov. 5. Photo by Kyle Barr
Bellone was greeted by enthusiastic cheers at IBEW.
“It turns out that the voters have decided that there is more work for us to do here,” he said. “This will be my third and final term as County Executive, I don’t know what the future holds but it entirely possible that this could be my final race for public office… If that is the case I must give one final thank you to the person who has been with me for every race that I have won.”
He also thanked his opponents John Kennedy and Greg Fischer.
“I look forward to working together to build a better future for Suffolk County.”
Kennedy blamed the incumbent’s near $2 million war chest for the loss, along with negative campaign ads he said targeted not only him, but his wife and children.
He promised he would continue to be a financial watchdog for the county, saying he thinks the county will entire a financial death spiral it may not be able to pull out of.
“The good news is, I get to keep doing the job I love, being comptroller,” he said. “There’s no lack of fraud waste and abuse in Suffolk County, which we demonstrated the past five years.”
After a heated campaign season, and while the vote seemed to be close as they were tallied, Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai) defeated her Republican opponent Gary Pollakusky 54 to 41 percent. Libertarian candidate James Kevin, who was not available for comment, gained nearly 5 percent of the vote.
When brought up on stage, Schaffer called her “landslide Anker.”
The 5th time legislator said it was her strong base and work of her campaign that helped pull her through. She added there are numerous projects she hopes to work on in the coming years.
“We have so many projects in the works … We have the Rails to Trails, the park in Middle Island, continue working with the opioid advisory panel,” she said. “There is so much work to do.
I really want to focus on mental health/addiction treatment, tackle the financial issues with the county, be proactive with supporting local business and those mom and pop shops.”
Pollakusky remained gracious after his loss, saying, “I hope Sarah serves her constituents well for our legislative district.” He added he will continue to be active in the community by leading the Rocky Point Sound Beach Chamber of Commerce and serving on the board of the Rocky Point Civic Association.
Susan Berland takes a photo with staff and supporters Nov. 5. Photo by Rita. J. Egan
In the Port Jefferson-Setauket area Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) won overwhelmingly against her Republican opponent John McCormack 63 to 37 percent.
Kara Hahn said she is looking forward to continuing working on several projects including protection of the environment, public safety and the opioid epidemic.
“Those numbers have to come down to zero,” she said. “We cannot accept more opioid deaths. The numbers have fallen a little bit, but we have to continue to work on that. We cannot be losing our children. It’s senseless. It’s preventable. We have to be sure we do what we can on that.”
McCormack was not available to comment.
Thomas Muratore (R-Ronkonkoma) easily won over Democratic challenger David Bligh in the fight for the 4th district with nearly 60 percent of the vote. He thanked his wife and staff and said they would move on “stronger.”
While Bligh lost to Muratore for Suffolk County Legislator in the 4th district, he said he plans to stay in the political arena and to run again.
“Tom’s term limited after this year so there’s going to be an open seat in two years,” he said.
Bligh, an environmental engineer, said he has a long list of quality of life issues that he wants to address, including affordability and water quality issues.
Garcia announced Rob Trotta’s (R-Fort Salonga) 62 percent victory against Democrat Janet Singer, by mentioning Trotta’s propensity to stir the pot. Ever the firebrand, the Fort Salonga resident did not disappoint, getting to the mike and calling the Conservative party “corrupt,” adding “this is about honesty and integrity, and that party is clearly lacking.”
When asked to expand on that, Trotta said, “The entire Conservative party is corrupt, period.”
Singer said she was disappointed as she felt she would be a great legislator but enjoyed campaigning where she learned a lot.
She said before this election cycle she felt Rob Trotta didn’t pay attention to water quality issues. She feels it’s a non-issue for him and that suddenly it’s a “hot topic.” She was surprised water quality was included at the bottom of his campaign ad.
“I don’t really care what party you’re in, water needs protection, and it’s going to need money,” she said. “And he doesn’t want to vote for any expenditures, and we can’t do that.”
Rob Trotta the night of Nov. 5. Photo by Kyle Barr
Though her husband did not win over the majority of county voters, Leslie Kennedy (R-Nesconset) still beat her opponent, Democrat Margot Rosenthal, 65 to 35 percent. She said, “We could not have done it without every single one of you,” adding, “while we didn’t get everything we wanted this time, we’ll get it next time.”
For the 16th District, Susan Berland (D-Commack) won out against several-time Republican challenger Hector Gavilla. The race became extremely heated towards the end, with allegations that Gavilla intimidated Berland at a local meet the candidates. Gavilla, on his part, claims Berland’s husband nearly assaulted him.
Schaffer spoke on the incident.
“If you wanted to see probably one of the most despicable races in Suffolk County, was the race that took place in the 16 LD,” Schaffer said. “Let me tell you something, it’s a shame when you happen to have a candidate, a legislator who has been in office for almost 20 years, tell you she’s frightened by her opponent.”
Susan Berland thanked her supporters, staff and volunteers.
“I’m grateful to the residents of the 16th district who have confidence in me to represent them for the next two years.”
William “Doc” Spencer (D-Centerport) easily conquered the vote against Republican challenger Garrett Chelius with 11,998 votes to Chelius’ 6,599.
Chelius was brought up on stage for consolation, and Garcia lauded them for their work in campaigning.
Spencer spoke of his ideas and projects going forward.
“I’m looking towards the future — I want to still focus on our environment, our kids, the vaping/opioid epidemic,” he said. “I think there is a lot of work to be done there. Also, I want to finish some infrastructure projects like the sewers in Huntington Station.”
The lone upset of the night, Republican challenger Anthony Piccirillo won with barely a 1 percent margin against William Lindsay (D-Holbrook). The Democrats have asked for a recount, but if Piccirillo succeeds it would mean the Democrats 11-7 hold on the legislature would become a 10-8, just as partisan divide between officials seems at a near peak. Last year, Republicans and Democrats butted heads over lump bonding issues, with Republicans using their slim minority to block bonds they called were being pushed through by Democrats.
David Luces, Rita J. Egan, Leah Chiappino and Donna Deedy all contributed reporting.
The race for Brookhaven town supervisor was called before the final votes were tallied, with the night ending with Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) racking up 51,155 votes to Democratic challenger Will Ferraro’s 31,113 votes.
Romaine went on stage to thank the town for an “overwhelming mandate,” of the town board.
Jane Bonner (R-Rocky Point) the night of Nov. 5. Photo by Kyle Barr
“We are going to go back to work tomorrow,” he said. “The reason we ran is so we can govern, to move Brookhaven forward so we can fix its finances, help its AAA bond rating, get rid of the zombie homes and do all the things that are necessary to build a better town.”
In a phone interview after the night was called, Ferraro congratulated Romaine on his election, but urged the incumbent to listen to resident’s criticisms of the town’s recycling policies and road infrastructure. He added he will continue to be a community organizer in the local area and plans to get involved with his local school board. He added he did not plan on running for another office at least until after next year.
“I ran on 100 percent what I believe in, with every fiber of my being,” he said. “I have no regrets.”
Councilwoman Jane Bonner (R-Rocky Point) defeated her challenger, Coram Democrat Sarah Deonarine with around 62 percent of the vote to 38 percent.
Though last year’s referendum to give town councilmembers a four-year term, Bonner said it will mean elected officials can focus on long term projects, especially “environmental based projects.”
Deonarine said campaigning was strenuous and difficult.
“If I could pull it off anybody can,” she said. “So, I hope other people follow in the footsteps. I’ve met amazing people. We started something new and we’re really hoping for a better Brookhaven in the future.”
She doesn’t plan to run for office again but is interested in the behind the scenes work and helping future candidates, saying there’s no existing playbook.
“I learned so much that was not given to me when I started.”
Kevin LaValle the night of Nov. 5, 2019. Photo by Kyle Barr
In the battle of Port Jeff Station neighbors, with Councilwoman Valerie Cartright (D-Port Jefferson Station) against her challenger Tracy Kosciuk, a nurse running on the Republican ticket, the town board’s lone Democrat won with 57 percent of the vote.
Cartright said she plans to focus on completing land use plans in the Three Village area and Port Jefferson Station and working on the cottages at West Meadow Beach among other initiatives.
“I’m looking forward to completing the process on all of these initiatives that we’ve embarked upon in the community,” she said.
Kosciuk said that even with her loss, she “still won in many ways,” by “making my opponent more responsive to everyone in the council district, rather than specific pockets.” She added she hopes her opponent works toward revitalization efforts and on the zombie homes issue.
In the Middle Country area, incumbent Kevin LaValle (R-Selden) won with 65 percent of the vote against his Democratic challenger, social justice activist Talat Hamdani.
The incumbent thanked his constituents, and said he plans to continue bringing more business into the Middle Country area and finalize work on the Selden Park Complex.
Hamdani wasn’t available for comment.
In the race for town highway supervisor, Dan Losquadro (R) beat his Democratic challenger Anthony Portesy with 48,624 votes to the Democrat’s 34,514.
Losquadro thanked Garcia and said he was “overwhelmed by the mandate” of the voters.
“They see the progress we have made in Brookhaven,” he said. “They have seen the efforts and results that are possible when we work together. The results of this election will allow us to plan long term.”
Portesy said he ran a good race and thanked all his supporters who came out for him.
“Overall, we fought a good race … If anything, I’ve forced a level of accountable the highway department hasn’t seen in decades,” he said. “There was a level of energy in this cycle in 2019 that we didn’t see in 2017 and that’s really going to build going into 2020 as we go into the congressional and presidential races.”
Dom Pascual, a Democrat, took on Lou Marcoccia (R) for receiver of taxes, but voters went again for the incumbent with the Republican making near 60 percent of the vote.
“We cared, and we listened,” Marcoccia said.
Pascual said he thought they put on a strong campaign.
“I’m a [Democratic] district leader so I’m going to continue to recruit people,” he said. “We’re not going away no matter what. I ran in 2017, it was just me, and this time around we recruited over 50 people. Demographics are in our favor, there’s more Democrats moving into Brookhaven than Republicans, so I think eventually things will change.”
David Luces and Rita J. Egan contributed reporting.
TBR News Media will be out and about tonight for the 2019 Elections. Check out our Twitter @TBRNewsmedia and #TBRVotes for live updates of tonights’ election events.
Don’t forget to check our website TBRnewsmedia.com for the full results tomorrow morning, Nov. 6.
We support Leslie Kennedy (R-Nesconset) for county District 12. Kennedy had a few facts completely wrong with regard to Suffolk County’s new clean water initiatives. We urge her to be more careful with her criticisms about the cesspool and sewer replacement program. This program is essential, and it serves no good purpose to misinform a public. Margot Rosenthal, Kennedy’s opponent, may in fact be a good candidate. However, we were unable to connect with her. Elected officials need to be responsive to their constituents. That means returning phone calls from news outlets that aim to better inform the electorate.
Vote for Trotta for County Seat District 13
We strongly endorse Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga) for county District 13. Jan Singer is a competent candidate. But Trotta’s background with the county’s Police Department provides incredible insight into the system. He’s a true watchdog and government agencies better serve the public when people speak out about corruption and wrongdoing. Trotta is running for office for the right reasons and we wish him luck and support in addressing the budget concerns.
Vote Berland for County Seat District 16
We urge voters to Re-elect Berland to the county legislature. For Suffolk County’s 16th Legislative District, we believe that incumbent Susan Berland (D-Dix Hills) is still the best choice to sit on the county legislature for the next two years. Her experience and record speaks for itself and she has the community knowledge needed for the job.
She will be facing tough challenges with the future of the red-light program, it will be up to her and her other constituents to fix the problems of the program and alleviate concerns from the public who remain skeptical.
On other issues like affordable housing and public safety, Berland’s time on the Huntington town council will prove to be important as she has shown an understanding of resident’s concerns in the past while supporting smart fiscal practices, pushing for more affordable housing projects, economic development and increased resources given to schools.
To tackle the MS-13 situation, Berland will need to continue to work with community leaders, residents and the SCPD.
While we admire Hector Gavilla’s passion for his district and the issues it faces, he unfortunately falls short on experience. Though the Republican candidate brought up some interesting ideas, they just aren’t fleshed out enough. It’s clear that Gavilla has become a community leader in his district and we encourage him to continue being in tune with residents’ concerns. Also, we encourage Gavilla to work with Berland.It could lead to alot of positive things down the line.
Re-Elect Spencer for District 18
Please re-elect Doc Spencer to a fourth-term.
Suffolk County Legislator William “Doc” Spencer (D) has served the people of the 18th Legislative District well for the last seven years.
The legislator’s background as a licensed physician has given him knowledge and experience to help in some of the county’s pressing issues like underage tobacco use and opioids. His record shows that he is committed to tackling numerous environmental and health issues that residents face, especially with the vaping situation.
Spencer has demonstrated a good understanding of numerous topics and acts as a vital voice on the Suffolk County Legislature.
We believe that Spencer is still the right man for the job.
For Town Council Elect Cleary andRe-Elect Cergol
We urge you to re-elect Joan Cergol and elect Kathleen Cleary. Cergol has an impressive grasp of the issues in the Town of Huntington.Residents are fortunate to have a hard-working and dedicated person representing them on the Town Council.After serving only one year, before running for re-election, she cleary deserves to be re-elected. She gets things done, is articulate and responsive to constituents.
Kathleen Cleary brings similar enthusiasm to job.It’s a tough choice between Cleary and incumbent Cook, who has been behind bold initiatives.But Cleary’s unique background in business and horticulture offers the town fresh approaches to water quality problems.
Andrea Sorrentino is a special candidate, who should stay active in the community.His idea on creating more apprenticeships in the town needs to be embraced.He’s a true community and family oriented person, qualities that people value.
Vote for Shirley for Smithtown Town Council
Two seats are open for the Smithtown town council. We support Patricia Shirley (L) for a seat as council member. Shirley has noticed that the town’s board meetings could be more open and transparent. The current system allows citizens the right to address the board with little or no dialogue following the concerns raised. Decisions often appear to be discussed outside of public view. Other challengers to the incumbent candidate also call for more transparency and public engagement. We agree.
Reelect Lohmann for Town Council
We recommend reelecting Tom Lohmann (R) to Smithtown town council. Lohmann is committed to getting work done, full time. Though we wish he would take on a more receptive and less dismissive tone, we feel that he has sleeves rolled up and now has the background needed to complete tasks like the sewer projects. Since other challengers to the town council are requesting more transparency and better engagement with the community, the current town council likely is getting the message. When elected officials personally commit to accountability, the community benefits.
In the race for Suffolk County legislator in the 4th District, we enthusiastically endorse Tom Muratore (R-Ronkonkoma).
He has recently secured funds for a feasibility study for sewers in his district and has worked with multiple government agencies as well as community groups to purchase land in order to develop Selden Park Complex.
Sewers in the district will bring in more businesses and the park complex will provide much-needed open space to the area. The legislator has also always been a big supporter of the last working farm in Centereach, Bethel Hobbs.
We strongly hope to see his challenger David Bligh remain in the political arena. An environmental engineer, he seems to be knowledgeable and passionate about water quality in Suffolk County.
As a father of three with the hope that the kids will be able to remain living on Long Island when they grow up, he would also make affordable housing on the Island a priority.
Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro. Photo by Phil Corso
The responsibilities of the Brookhaven highway superintendent prove to be a daunting task, as it is the third biggest highway department in the state. The position oversees thousands of miles of roads and we feel that Dan Losquadro (R) is still the right man for the role. He has done an admirable job with the budget given to him in fixing roads throughout the town.
While some residents may not be fond of Losquadro, they do deserve a more transparent process and more communication on when work is being done. Putting a list of expected road work on the Town’s website as his challenger Anthony Portesy (D) proposed is a good idea to qualm residents’ questions and concerns. It would probably lessen the amount of calls and letters his office receives.
We commend his challenger, Portesy, for deciding to run again for this position, as he brought in fresh ideas and enthusiasm. We believe with enough experience down the line Portesy could make himself an attractive candidate for other offices in the town or other municipalities. We hope he continues to stay involved in the local community and politics.
Growing up in Centereach and a graduate of Centereach High School, Kevin LaValle (R-Selden) has deep roots in the community. He has seen the area grow, and at times suffer, and therefore fights for what’s best for his district.
It’s because of his commitment to Town of Brookhaven District 3 that we strongly endorse him in his fourth term as town councilman.
LaValle has developed strong relationships with business owners in his district and listens to their needs. He also understands the importance of open spaces as he remembers being a child with no proper ball fields to play on.
He has worked with the state, county and town to get the Selden Park Complex developed that will provide multipurpose fields, a walking trail, ice skating rink and playground and is a proponent of the last working farm in Centereach, Bethel Hobbs.
He also strongly supports Suffolk County Legislator Tom Muratore (R-Ronkonkoma) with his study for a sewer district.
We applaud his challenger Talat Hamdani for her work in battling Islamophobia and fighting for social justice. We encourage her to remain in the public eye, and we hope we will see her name on an Election Day ballot in the future.
