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Changes are upon the Village of Old Field once again.

Before the end of 2021, Bruce Feller, who was elected as mayor in 2018, handed in his resignation and Deputy Mayor Stephen Shybunko took on the role for the remaining months. As the Tuesday, March 15, village elections approach, neither will be running for the position.

Tom Pirro

Pirro runs for mayor

Current trustee Tom Pirro is the only candidate running for mayor. Pirro was first elected as trustee in 2018.

Pirro said in an email he decided to run for mayor because he has “developed a keen understanding of our village, its challenges and opportunities.”

His goal, Pirro said, is to use his experience as trustee and professional experience as a CPA “to continue moving the village forward in a positive direction — all while maintaining our strong fiscal position.”

He along with trustee Adrienne Owen and trustee candidate Thomas Cottone are running on the Unity Party line. He said he also supports the reelection of Tom Gulbransen, who is running under the Sound Government Party line.

Pirro said he doesn’t feel there are any significant issues in the village.

“I have dedicated my efforts in ensuring fiscal discipline and steady leadership which have put the village in a very strong financial position,” he said. “I am excited to be a part of the lighthouse restoration project. This is an undertaking that is near and dear to me, as the lighthouse is not only the village’s public meeting space but is a beacon and symbol of the village itself.”

Pirro said during this tenure as trustee he worked to establish a strong financial standing for the village, and Old Field’s bond rating has gone from A1 to Aa2. He has also worked to streamline the building permit process and oversee the maintenance of roads and roadside drainage systems, which included necessary improvements and upgrades.

Two-year trustee candidates

Tom Gulbransen

Old Field residents will vote for two village trustees for a two-year term and one trustee for a one-year term.

Tom Gulbransen 

Current trustee Gulbransen, who has lived in the village for more than 25 years, said in an email he is running again to continue the efforts of the board over the last few years.

He credits Shybunko, Feller and former mayor Michael Levine along with the board of trustees and residents for important improvements that have been made.

“Most improvements are ongoing, for example, the lighthouse restoration grant applications, the Old Field Point revetment repair grant and some fixes to village code about environmental protection,” he said, adding, “I’m also willing to serve again because it’s a privilege to collaborate with so many talented neighbors.”

The trustee said taking care of the village responsibilities “as cost-efficiently and effectively as possible within the time people have available to help” is one of the biggest things to tackle.

“Even within the village’s relatively small geographic scale, we face complex infrastructure challenges due to our historic buildings, miles of shoreline and fragile environs. Fortunately, the mayors, trustees and the village’s part-time staff have figured out how to juggle and or share tasks. And we make adjustments when residents point out our shortcomings.”

He said while, at times, there are misunderstandings or even contentiousness in the village, the residents “balance things out, remain neighborly and appreciative.”

Gulbransen is an environmental scientist, specializing in software and data sciences for the nonprofit Battelle Memorial Institute. He is also a volunteer firefighter and EMT, and chair of the Suffolk County Council on Environmental Quality.

Adrienne Owen

Adrienne Owen

Owen, who ran unsuccessfully in 2021, has been serving as trustee the last few months after Shybunko became mayor. She said in an email that when Shybunko asked her if she would be interested in filling his seat, she was honored even though it was only for three months.

“I have enjoyed being a part of Old Field’s board these past few months, and I look forward to the opportunity for a full term,” she said.

Serving on other boards such as for Harbor Country Day School in St. James, Owen said she feels she has been valuable in the trustee position.

“I believe I can bring some efficiencies when working with village subcommittees and personnel,” she said. “As I mentioned last year, I am all about process and procedure and there is always room for little improvements in any organization.”

Owen has also been an active member of Old Field’s Ways and Means and Welcoming committees through the years. She is currently the secretary for the Old Field Lighthouse Foundation.

Like Pirro, Owen said she doesn’t feel the village is facing any major issues.

“Fiscal discipline and steady leadership have put the village in a very strong position,” she said “Our board has been good stewards of the environment, and I pledge to continue that commitment. We recently completed some upgrades to the lighthouse beacon for the Coast Guard and are looking forward to a major restoration project for the Old Field Lighthouse and grounds.”

Owen isn’t the first Old Field trustee in her family as her husband, Jeff, served for six years. The couple along with their 16-year-old son have lived in the village since 2008.

William Schaefer

William Schaefer

William Schaefer, who has previously served as village trustee in 2007-08 and had an unsuccessful run for mayor in 2008, is running on the Bill of Rights Party ticket. He said in an email that his love for the village along with his desire to work with his fellow residents to make Old Field “an even better place to live” is what motivated him to run for trustee.

“While we have been well served by our previous mayors and many of our past and present trustees, I regret the increasing vitriol, intractability and conflicts of interest within our village,” he said. “Many years ago, we experienced the same discord for which, as a trustee, I bore some responsibility and which resulted in me losing the election for mayor. But I believe in redemption and honestly believe that I can bring an independent voice of reason and replace litigation and contention with compromise and mutual respect.”

Schaefer said he would like to see the refocusing of the village’s code enforcement toward “both rigorous and consistent and fair enforcement of our village code — to save our cherished environment — as well as strengthening of its service function.” He added he would honor the 2% tax rate cap.

Schaefer would also like to build on the work of former mayors Cary Staller and Levine, he said, as well as “the current efforts of trustees Gulbransen and [Rebecca] Van Der Bogart, expediting restoration of our precious lighthouse — much in the same way that we saved the Keeper’s Cottage.”

In addition to his prior experience as trustee, Schaefer has worked for the U.S. Department of Health, served as a clerk to a U.S. District Court judge, a Suffolk County assistant district attorney and an assistant attorney in the Organized Crime and Racketeering section of the U.S. Department of Justice. He has also taught criminal justice, law and political science at Long Island colleges.

One-year trustee candidates

Tom Cottone

Thomas Cottone

Dr. Cottone said in an email that this will be the first time he has run for trustee. He has been president of the Old Field Woods Homeowners Association since 2016 and has interacted with the board due to the position on numerous occasions.

“As a result, I have become more educated about village management, and the significant amount of effort involved in maintaining the stability and wonderful quality of our community,” he said. “I believe I can make valuable contributions to the board with my professional, civic and volunteer experiences.”

In addition to his position with OFWHA, he has been CFO for the Long Island Anesthesia Physicians and principal in strategic growth and practice development for LIAP as well as lead anesthesiologist for the organization where he developed the initiation and implementation of its COVID-19 response team. As well, he is CFO, partner and board member of the Wohali Resort in Park City, Utah, and managing partner of Setauket Partners, the investment arm of the resort. He is also a team member of Room4Love, the Setauket-based, nonprofit organization that helps children with cancer.

Cottone said he feels it would be an honor to serve with Pirro, Gulbransen and Owen as he believes they are “leading the village in a positive manner.”

The candidate said he believes the village has no substantive issues.

“I would like to see the village historic lighthouse efficiently undergo further needed renovation with available potential grant funds complemented by The Lighthouse Foundation donations,” Cottone said. “An improved lighthouse, along with the village park, will greatly enhance the sense of community in Old Field. Other items that I would focus on would be maintaining the successful environmental initiatives the current board has established, as well as identifying other opportunities, and reestablishing a welcoming committee for
new residents.”

He added that he would continue the current board’s trend with keeping taxes as low as possible.

Morgan Morrison

Morgan Morrison

Morgan Morrison is running on the Sound Government Party line. As a lifelong resident, he said in an email, he wanted to be more involved in the village.

“Having lived my entire life here, I’ve watched the village evolve over time, and I’d like to add my energy and commitment toward keeping it a place future generations can enjoy,” he said. “I believe people are drawn to live in Old Field because it is a unique environment. I’d like to preserve its character as we move into the future.”

He added he wouldn’t be influenced by professional conflicts of interests.

“I care strongly about the environment and security of our village,” he said. “I will advocate for what’s best for the village as a whole.”

The candidate said many in the village are concerned about the “costs of maintaining the safety and security of the village.”

“I believe in finding more cost-effective solutions for getting the largest value and quality of life returns from our village taxes so as not to increase them,” he said. “An easy and cost-effective method to increase our security would be to utilize modern technology — such as license plate readers — to build upon the human presence of our constabulary.”

Morrison has worked in IT and technology for nearly 15 years which has provided him with the opportunities to travel extensively. He is currently a technical and horticultural consultant. He said he feels his professional background can be helpful “to make the village meetings more accessible and to increase our safety.” 

He also is familiar with village government as his mother Geraldine Morrison was a trustee and deputy mayor for three terms in Old Field.

“I know what the job entails, and I’m very familiar with the village code,” he said. “I know the capabilities — and limitations — of what technology can do to make our lives better. I work well with others, and I believe I have a lot of value to add toward keeping Old Field the wonderful place that it is.”

Residents can vote on March 15 from noon to 9 p.m. at the Keeper’s Cottage, 207 Old Field Road. In addition to voting for mayor and three trustees, voters will have the opportunity to vote for village justice. Mitchell Birzon, who ran for the post in 2021 to fill the remainder of the term left open after the death of justice Ted Rosenberg in September 2020, is unchallenged.

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Sandra Swenk today at her home in Port Jefferson. Photo by Julianne Mosher

This month marks 50 years since Sandra Swenk was sworn in as the Village of Port Jefferson’s first woman mayor. 

In July of 1971, the 34-year-old mother of two took office as the village’s third mayor. Now, five decades later, she has paved the way for other lady leaders — not only here where she calls home, but throughout Long Island. 

A lifelong resident, she was born at Mather Hospital in 1937 and grew up inside The Mather House Museum during the ’40s, as her family were caretakers. 

Photo from the Kenneth C. Brady Digital Archive

“I had some good years there,” she said. “There were some things that are not there anymore, like a summer house, a beautiful old summer house that just kind of deteriorated years ago, but most of the property is fairly original today.”

After living there as a child, her family moved to various different homes surrounding Main Street — eventually settling with her husband John in a stunning historical home on Prospect Street in 1960.

“Port Jefferson is a great place to raise a child,” she said. “Because they can walk to school, and then we had downtown, and it wasn’t as busy as it is now.”

Swenk decided to become involved with Port Jeff’s politics early on, sitting on the board with her late husband to incorporate the village in 1963.

“We wanted to see the village incorporate and control its own destiny, so to speak,” she said. 

Always interested in keeping the quaint village beautiful, Swenk wanted to see street trees, plants planted and window boxes in the local storefronts. She and a group of volunteers helped make that possible. 

In 1971, Swenk decided to take the leap and run against the men of the village. In what she said was a low-key campaign, she said that she had a lot of support back then. Along with her son and daughter, she hand-delivered pamphlets around the village. 

“I was proud of her,” said her daughter Brenda. “She did a lot. There was a lot of family involvement. There were a lot of things that we all did together.”

Swenk ended up winning, serving three terms until she was beaten by Harold Sheprow in 1977.

“I was always interested in revitalization,” she said. 

According to Swenk, she wanted to keep the small-town atmosphere and have a recreational harbor. With the village known to be more industrial back then, she hoped to get rid of the gravel trucks and oil tanks that stayed near the water and the ferry. 

“I also wanted to have what’s called adaptive use, using the older buildings for present uses,” she said. “I was big on historic preservation, and still am a historical society member.”

Swenk said she used Cold Spring Harbor’s streets as a model. 

Above: Sandra Swenk on July 5, 1971 on the steps of Village Hall. Her daughter, Brenda, cheers her mother on in the lower right.
Photo from the Kenneth C. Brady Digital Archive

Another accomplishment she had during her tenure was working hand in hand with former state Sen. Leon Giuffreda (R) on a big safety issue that was happening around the village with its gravel trucks. 

She said trucks didn’t have covers and often times gravel would spill into the busy streets.  

“It was always a battle to get it cleaned up,” she said. “But today, if you see any kind of a truck, could be just a little truck or big truck or a gravel truck, they have to have covers — and now they do.”

Swenk said that from day one since she was elected, village board meetings were always busy. 

“There were more people who went to the public meetings, probably because I was a woman and they wanted to see how I was going to run them,” she said. “People just didn’t know whether a woman could handle a job like that.”

But she got the support she needed to win. 

“I think people realized I was genuinely concerned about the village. And its growth, and its business and its appearance,” she said. “That was very important to me and it still is.”

At first, she was the only woman in Village Hall, but during her second term, a woman trustee came in and gradually it grew from there. Since her run, Jeanne Garant served as mayor from 1999 to 2005, and her daughter Margot has just been elected to her seventh term.

Now, a half-century later, she still lives right off East Main Street and is still heavily involved with what’s going on around town. A member of the historical society, the First United Methodist Church and volunteer at The Mather House Museum, she keeps busy, but still reminisces about what life was like Down Port so many years ago.

“There’s no question that it’s changed,” she said. “When I was growing up here, we had all the necessary services in the village — we had a laundromat which we don’t have anymore, but for years had a hardware store, a dress shop, a drugstore. So, some of those needs have been lost along the way.”

Swenk wishes there was a grocery store for village residents to shop at. “I would love to have a grocery back here,” she said. “We’re really lacking that.”

She said she has been unhappy to see the development over the last decade, building upward with the continuous lack of parking — something that was an issue even during her tenure. 

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Photo from Melissa Paulson

A local mom, nonprofit founder and small business owner is looking to run for Village of Port Jefferson’s mayor seat.

Melissa Paulson, a Port Jefferson village resident since 2014, and owner of the online-only antique store, Melissa’s Cottage and Consignments, said she decided to go against incumbent Mayor Margot Garant because she believes the village needs a change.

A graduate of Hauppauge High School, she moved on to study special education and early education at Dowling College. While there, she worked for the America Reads program providing tutoring services to local children.

Paulson said after getting married and starting her family, she chose to move to the village because she had fond memories of it growing up.

“Coming here as a child and seeing how beautiful it is, but then now, I see the decline,” she said. “It’s very disheartening to see what has transpired. I specifically came here to raise my family, because the ambiance and historical history, and now we’re faced with vacancy, homelessness, acts of violence and safety concerns. So, it’s really time for leadership to really implement changes positively and effectively.”

Prior to her settling down in the village, Paulson’s daughter was diagnosed with cancer at just 18 months. It was then that the mayoral candidate decided to start up a nonprofit, Give Kids Hope Inc., in 2011 where she claims she has helped over 14,000 underprivileged families throughout the last year. 

Give Kids Hope is now located in Port Jefferson Station, after finding a permanent home at 4390 Nesconset Highway last year.

Paulson said her charity work led her to consider a run for mayor over the last couple of years, when she believed the current administration wasn’t fixing the problems she saw. 

“The proposed changes that were set to happen years ago unfortunately haven’t and after being here for so long, I realized it’s time for change,” she said. “I’m not a politician. I’m not a lawyer. I’m Melissa Paulson — I run a charity, but I want to be the voice for people and that’s what people need.”

She said she believes the village needs someone who’s “going to fight for them.”

“I will fight for what’s right,” she added. “I will listen to the voices of our residents, businesses and owners, even schools.  We all need to work together to really make positive changes.”

Some of those changes she is looking to work toward are making the village a safer place, and stopping its commercialization.

“It was a historical village, and now it’s being commercialized by big apartment buildings, and people want that to stop,” she said. 

Paulson said she wants to hold business owners in Upper Port more accountable for graffiti by issuing fines, and to bring businesses back to Down Port. She plans to address homelessness and raise police presence throughout the village. 

Although the village has created a task force to keep an eye on troublesome bicyclists, while also increasing its constable presence on the streets, Paulson said she would like to see more.

“We need police watching our residents. We need more jurisdiction of constables,” she said. “We need to begin finding ways to allow them to have more duties to protect our village more.”

Despite a random and unfortunate incident where a man was killed on Main Street in March, a recent report at the village board of trustees meeting stated that Port Jefferson’s crime rate has been on the decline.

Paulson acknowledged that, but she still sees concerns over the teenage bicyclists who have harassed visitors and residents in the past.

“I’ll feel safer if I see police officers walking around the village,” she said.

One concern that village residents noted when Paulson announced her candidacy was the fact that her two children are part of the Three Village school district.

“I don’t have a choice to attend Port Jefferson schools,” she said.

The village vote is scheduled for June 15.

“Every day I’m working hard to become your mayor,” she said. “This is more than an election, it’s my passion and mission to be the voice of the residents.”

Keep checking back with TBR News Media for more updates on the upcoming village election.

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Village Mayor Margot Garant, left, and John Jay LaValle, right. File photos

Both sets of candidates gearing up for the Port Jefferson village mayor and trustees race will be available soon for two separate “meet and greets.”

The Residents First Party, which includes John Jay LaValle, Tom Meehan and Tracy Stapleton, will be at Harbor Grill located at 111 West Broadway in Port Jefferson April 15 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Contributions are encouraged but not required. Checks can be made payable to Residents First Party.

Prospective attendees must RSVP by April 12 to John Jay LaValle at [email protected].

Meanwhile, the Unity Party, with current Mayor Margot Garant, current Trustee Stan Loucks and trustee candidate Kathianne Snaden will be available at the Waterview at the Port Jefferson Country Club April 16 from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

A suggested donation is $75 per individual and $125 per couple. People must RSVP at [email protected]

Check back soon for more village election coverage.

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Dee Parrish will begin her third term as Poquott mayor. Photo from Dee Parish

Voters in the Village of Poquott said yes to the future while keeping the status quo.

Chris Schleider. Photo from Chris Schleider

Incumbent mayor Dee Parrish and sitting trustees William Poupis and Chris Schleider, who ran on the Future ticket in the June 19 village election, retained their seats.

Parrish defeated challenger John Richardson 240 to 204, according to village Deputy Clerk Cindy Schleider. Richardson is a board trustee who is currently serving his first term.

Trustees Poupis and Schleider received 235 and 241 votes, respectively, beating challengers Felicia Chillak, who received 199 votes, and Dianna Padilla, who garnered 204, according to the deputy clerk.

An issue of contention in the village for the last few years has been the proposal of a community dock, which all Future candidates support despite tabling a vote on the dock earlier this year due to bids coming in at more than the $150,000 originally expected.

“We have to look at everything before we decide how this is going to impact residents in the future,” Parrish said in a previous interview with TBR News Media.

Poupis and Schleider, who were appointed to their positions by the mayor in 2017, said they felt it was important to get the stamp of approval from their fellow residents.

William Poupis. Photo from William Poupis

“One of the things about being appointed you don’t necessarily feel that you have the mandate of the people behind you,” Schleider said in a prior interview with TBR News Media. “I was honored by Dee asking, but I think it’s important to have the voice of the people to elect the official.”

The day after the election Poupis said he looked forward to getting back to work with his fellow village board members.

“There’s lots of work ahead,” Poupis said. “We got a village to bring together. We got a lot of great ideas about incorporating some things into our standard once-a-month village meetings, maybe having some town hall meetings every other month, so that people in an unofficial forum can come in, speak freely, voice concerns, with those concerns voice some solutions and as a group work together to find the common goals.”

On the Facebook page Poquott Life Matters, Richardson thanked those who supported him, Chillak and Padilla.

“The plans and ideas we spoke about on your doorstep, I truly hope will become a reality in the future of our village,” Richardson wrote. “As a trustee, I will continue to be your voice on the board. I welcome all concerns big or small.”

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Village of Shoreham Town Hall is located at 80 Woodville Road. Photo by Kyle Barr

The votes are in, and in a landslide election June 19 former deputy mayor Brian Vail has become the new mayor of the Village of Shoreham, garnering 109 of 112 votes cast. The other three were for write-in candidates Len Emma (2) and Brian Mahoney (1). Vail will serve a two-year term as mayor.

Mayor Ed Weiss did not run for re-election. 

Gathering a similar number of votes were newcomer Marianne Cogan (106) and trustee Sherry Neff (105), the two running for two, two-year terms as trustee. One write-in ballot was cast for John Bates.

One four-year term for village justice was also up for grabs, and with another lopsided result, David Desmond scooped up 82 of 90 total votes.

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Meters in Port Jefferson. File photo by Elana Glowatz

The holidays have come early for anyone who has experienced the frustration of circling Main Street, to Arden Place, to East Main Street, to East Broadway and back to Main Street countless times in search of Port Jefferson’s most sought-after natural resource — a free parking space.

In keeping with annual tradition, Mayor Margot Garant announced the suspension of metered parking in village lots effective Dec. 5 through March 15, 2017, in a video posted on Port Jeff’s website, which had more than 27,000 views at the time of publication. Parking in a village-metered lot ordinarily costs 25 cents per half hour and is enforced from 10 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week. Parking on village streets is free, though there are varying time restrictions in most areas. Port Jeff Village residents always park for free in metered lots with special stickers on their cars, and for the time being, non-residents are afforded the same luxury.

Garant said, at a board meeting earlier in December, the idea behind suspending metered parking is to encourage visitors in the winter months to shop at and patronize Port Jeff businesses in the traditionally warm-weather destination. She added that in previous years the suspension of metered parking has extended into April if the weather in the area is particularly damaging for businesses in a given winter season.

Port Jefferson Village Mayor Margot Garant announces the suspension of metered parking through March 15 in village lots. Photo from Port Jeff Village website

In the video, Garant watches kids ice skate at The Rinx located outside the Village Center. She then slides a blue cover over the meter in the parking lot adjacent to the ice rink.

“During the holiday season and during the winter months, come on down to the Village of Port Jefferson, come visit us, park for free, visit our restaurants and please support our local merchants,” Garant says in the video.

Revenue raised from metered parking is reinvested into various village projects, according to Garant. Deputy Mayor Larry LaPointe, who is also the board’s liaison to the parking committee, estimated the fund from parking meters has about $900,000 in it currently.

If it were unclear how big an issue parking is in Port Jefferson, on the village’s Port Jefferson Facebook page, the pinned post featuring the video had 480 shares and more than three times as many likes as any other post on the page in December. Comments on the post indicate most visitors to the village wish parking were free year-round, and others are more likely to visit because of the suspension.

“Love being down Port in the off season,” Yvette Ortiz-Baugh said.

One commenter suggested the difficult parking deters her from visiting the area.

“Parking has become a big nuisance and we go less often to shop there now,” Sue Korpus Ditkowsky said.

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The Incorporated Village of Poquott. File photo

There will only be one name on the ballot when residents head out to vote for a mayor in the small North Shore Village of Poquott on June 21, though the race has been anything but uncontested. The same can be said for the two available trustee seats, even though only two names will be on the ballot for those positions.

The plot has seemed at times like it came straight from the popular Netflix series “House of Cards,” which offers what is portrayed as a look behind the curtain of the inner workings of national government and politics. In Poquott the stakes are obviously lower, but after a lawsuit over petitions, closed-door meetings, burned bridges between former best friends and a race between the last two mayors of the village, the tension seems analogous to a presidential election.

Mayoral candidates
Dee Parrish defeated Barbara Donovan to become mayor of the village in 2014. Prior to that Donovan served six two-year terms from 2002 to 2014. Despite being the incumbent mayor and having no desire to step aside, Parrish will not appear on the ballot after a state Supreme Court judge ruled in favor of a lawsuit brought about by Donovan and her running mates. The group calls itself the Party of Unity and Respect, and the lawsuit stemmed from questions about the validity of Parrish’s and three trustee candidate’s petitions. Parrish is still very much a candidate for another term even though residents will have to write-in her name in order to win.

Parrish noted many accomplishments during an interview at Village Hall on Monday, but she said she was most proud of saving the village about $16,000 in her first year and lowering property taxes in her second year.

“That’s enough for me to say I did the best I could,” Parrish said. “I’ve done so many good things that to just stop right now would be a shame, but if that’s what the residents want, I’m okay with it.”

The Poquott resident of 16 years said her focus has always been doing what is best for the village, and win or lose she said she’d like to sit down with Donovan and hash things out.

If Parrish loses, she said she’d offer Donovan a benefit not given to her during her first term two years ago: a transitional meeting. Parrish said Donovan did nothing to make her transition into the position easier when she took over, but that won’t be the case if the roles are reversed.

Parrish studied accounting at Long Island University, where she earned a degree in 1990. She’s worked for her husband Richard’s environmental company in various capacities in recent years, mostly in human relations, she said. She decided to run for mayor in 2014 because she thought the previous administration got “stale” during Donovan’s 12-year run in the position.

In 12 years as mayor Donovan also accumulated a long list of accomplishments of which she’s proud.

In a phone interview on Tuesday she said she helped to bring the village into the 21st century with a website, computers in Village Hall and internal emails for villagers.

“I really feel very strongly about Poquott,” she said. Donovan said her desire to run this time around is similar to what inspired her 14 years ago. “The administration at that time, I didn’t agree with things they were doing. I believe in open communication and transparency. I believe you have to communicate with residents.”

Donovan worked for 30 years in marketing and public relations, and she said those skills made her a natural fit as mayor.

She has also served in the Setauket Fire Department for 28 years.

Donovan said she’s not sure how this campaign cycle became so heated, but she would be willing to a sit down with Parrish at some point to settle their differences and do what’s best for the village.

Trustee race
Sandra Nicoletti is the only incumbent trustee seeking re-election on June 21, though like Parrish, questions about her petition will leave her off the ballot. None of the candidates probed in the suit wished to comment about their petitions.

Nicoletti was best friends with the former mayor, she said.

The retired St. Charles nurse was a trustee during Donovan’s stint in charge, but the two haven’t spoken since Nicoletti decided to run again after Donovan was defeated.

She has lived in the village since 1964 and said the only thing that matters is what’s best for the community.

Nicoletti will need to win as a write-in candidate, which puts her in the same boat as Gary Garofano and John Mastauskas.

Mastauskas is a lifelong Three Village resident and a 1988 graduate from the high school.

The small business owner and father of two who called himself a family man in an emailed statement is running in the hopes of unifying the village.

Mike Schaefer and Joan Hubbard will appear on the ballot and are members of Donovan’s Party of Unity and Respect.

Hubbard has been a permanent resident in Poquott since 2012, though her family has visited for getaways since the 1950s.

She has worked as a village clerk in various North Shore communities, most recently under Donovan in Poquott.

Schaefer has lived in Poquott for 15 years. He worked for Suffolk County in various capacities for 30 years, which he said gives him an advantage as a public servant.

Polls will be open at Village Hall on June 21 from noon until 9 p.m.

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Port Jefferson Village Hall. File photo by Heidi Sutton

Port Jefferson government will have at least one new face this summer.

Three seats on the village board of trustees are up for election in mid-June, including those of the mayor and two trustees. Mayor Margot Garant is running for a fourth term and faces a challenge from resident Dave Forgione. Trustee Larry LaPointe is on the hunt for his third term on the board, running against resident Matthew Franco and Stan Loucks, chairman of the County Club Management Advisory Council.

Trustee Adrienne Kessel, whose third term is ending this year, is not running for re-election. In a phone interview, she called being on the board “a tremendous commitment.”

“I just felt that after 6 years, I’m hoping that some good candidates step up,” she said. It’s “time to kind of reclaim a little more time for myself.”

She said she would continue to serve on the village’s architectural review committee and as the head of the committee involved in upgrading Rocketship Park in downtown Port Jefferson. Kessel has been a driving force in fundraising and design for the park project.

Kessel advised whoever succeeds her to take the job seriously and make decisions based on what is best for the village as a whole.

“Many, many things come into view when you become a trustee,” she said. “You begin to see an entirely new picture of the village where you live.”

Voting is on Tuesday, June 16, at the Village Center, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Mayor
Garant said she is not ready “to turn over the keys.”

She said she is still working toward getting the aging local power plant upgraded — or repowered — so it continues operating and thus remains a source of property tax revenue for the village. The incumbent is also focused on completing Port Jefferson’s comprehensive plan, which outlines recommendations for development throughout the village, and on pushing for revitalization in the uptown area, which has issues with vacant buildings and crime.

“The first several years of my administration I felt that I was doing a lot of corrective work,” Garant said, between fixing infrastructure that had been long neglected and stabilizing the budget. “We’re finally moving, I feel, in a very, very positive direction.”

She is also advocating to get a Town of Brookhaven jetty in Mount Sinai repaired, as the jetty, which is between Port Jefferson’s East Beach and Mount Sinai Harbor, in its damaged state allows currents to carry sand away from the village beach, causing erosion.

“We have a really good rhythm and I’d really hate to see that interrupted or, worse, for us to take a step backward,” the mayor said. With another two years, “I will work as hard as I have for the last six.”

Her challenger, Forgione, who has lived in the village for 15 years and operates a billing and accounting business in upper Port, said he threw his hat in the ring because “our village deserves a choice.”

He wants to more tightly control village taxes and help financially prepare the village in the event that the community loses property tax revenue from the Port Jefferson power plant. Forgione would also like to call on the state and the Long Island Rail Road to upgrade the crossing in upper Port to relieve traffic congestion, and work with the Suffolk County Police Department and village code enforcement officers to reduce crime in that area.

Another issue for the challenger is transparency — he said he would like to upgrade the village website to collect more public opinions on government proposals.

Forgione, a veteran of the U.S. Army Reserves and the National Guard, said his current and past experience in business and finance, on the local board of assessment review, on the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee, on the school district’s budget advisory committee, and as a fiscal manager for a cancer screening program with the county health department would help him lead the village.

“I want to maintain that small-town feel with the residents and the business owners while encouraging growth in the 21st century.”

Trustees
LaPointe said he is running for re-election because there is “unfinished business” in the form of projects he wants to see through.

The incumbent, a retired attorney, has been working on renovations in the village’s downtown parking lots and on improving security by strengthening a network of cameras in commercial areas, among other projects.

“So we have a lot on our plates,” he said.

The trustee said he is proud of his work to increase police presence in lower Port — improving safety particularly on weekend nights during the village’s peak summer season — and of his role in renovating the country club golf course and maintenance building.

He also said the village now has a club “that’s second to none.”

“After a lot of hard work, the village is finally starting to get into a good place — a place where we’re economically secure, a place where we can look forward to a bright future,” LaPointe said when asked why residents should vote for him.

One of his challengers, Loucks, has lived in the village since 1981 and is a retired athletics teacher and administrator in Plainview-Old Bethpage. He is running for the village board because after volunteering on the CCMAC for a number of years, “I feel I have so much more to offer to the village than just working with the membership up at the country club.”

Loucks said he wants to work toward repowering the Port Jefferson power plant, revitalizing upper Port and broadening the village’s tax base.

“I also want to get involved … in making a better relationship between the schools and the administration downtown.”

He said the village and the school district should work more closely, partnering more on things like recreation programs.

Loucks said one of his strong points is budgeting, after working as a school administrator. At Plainview-Old Bethpage, “I was handling budgets larger than the village budget. … And I was always able to make ends meet.”

He said people should vote for him because he is good at listening and organizing.

“Along with the budgeting I think my strong point is my ability to get along with everyone.”

The third candidate for a trustee seat, Franco, has lived in the village for 10 years and is a pediatric occupational therapist for Nassau BOCES. He is running for a trustee position because he thinks taxes are too high and there is “very little transparency” in the village government.

“The biggest thing that we need to do … is inform the community of what’s going on,” he said in a phone interview. “There is no openness to this government. … They should be entitled to all the information that’s going on in the village.”

Franco also has concerns about the village’s efforts to revitalize upper Port — he said the level of development that the village’s proposed comprehensive plan would allow there would congest Main Street.

“They’re not really addressing the traffic issue and that is an ambulance route,” he said.

According to Franco, the village could use incentives like tax credits to get local business owners uptown to redo their facades, or other similar methods of enhancing upper Port.

“Our small businesses are an invaluable component to our village and I don’t think they’re being dealt with in an effective manner.”

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