Waddington for supervisor

The choice for supervisor this year is, in some ways, a tough one. Three men with qualities and qualifications that commend each of them want the job.

The best choice is Glenn Waddington, an experienced, thoughtful and even-handed councilman who has demonstrated over many years that he is dedicated to public service and the hard work that goes with it. He’s experienced in the political aspects of governance, capable of public leadership and he’s a straight shooter. He’s also a man who is respectful of others. The town needs a person like that to clear the air and start getting things done.

Bob DeStefano is a beloved figure on Shelter Island as a golf pro, coach and friend. A man of unimpeachable integrity, he served for many years on the School Board, six as its president. If he spent the next two years delving deeply into town issues as an observer or perhaps committee member, he’d be a formidable candidate for town office.

The incumbent, Jim Dougherty, has shown a real love for the Island and a dedication to its preservation. He has been a good performer when it comes to behind-the-scenes negotiations, contacts and connections. His career as a corporate lawyer brings the kind of expertise and broad view that is important if the town is to keep up with the challenges of a changing world. He deserves credit for hanging tough during PBA negotiations and keeping non-union employee raises in 2012 to 2 percent.

The problem is he’s not as good at the public part of the supervisor’s job. He rarely offers clear, concise public statements on the issues. He does not seem to make a real effort to reach consensus among board members on policies and proposals. The effect is a certain drift in town government on the big issues of the day: non-conforming business uses, the causeway, and planning a future for the Legion Hall, for example.

He touts his background in finance but submits a preliminary budget that is full of errors and arbitrary numbers and needs major repair work by the other members of the Town Board. It has been the board’s budgets, not Mr. Dougherty’s, under which the town has operated for the last three years.

He touts open-space deals as if they were one-man achievements. Open space and development rights purchases involve teamwork and consensus at several levels. They are not the work of any one person. Mr. Dougherty has been an important player for years and he deserves credit for his hard work and dedication on the preservation front — but no deal ever happened just because of him.

Then there are the outbursts that raise doubts about his judgment and temperament. He called Councilmen Waddington and Peter Reich “bobbleheads” and told Mr. Reich to “shut up” at a recent budget meeting. Some months ago, he gave an uncalled-for, scathing public assessment of a private citizen, Richard Kelly, whom he had publicly savaged in the past as well. It raised the same concerns about him as did the public dressing down he gave P.A.T. Hunt of the Taylor’s Island Committee a couple of years ago.

Unfortunately for everyone, Mr. Dougherty’s essentially combative style has become the critical issue in this election. It has muddied the waters, slowed progress on pending public concerns and undermined his effectiveness as a political leader.

Reich, Shepherd for Town Board

For Town Board, there isn’t a candidate among the five who would not serve the town well — after a learning period in most cases.

The best choices are incumbent Peter Reich and the now familiar Town Board observer, Paul Shepherd, a former candidate for supervisor. Both are knowledgeable, dedicated, hard workers and both will hit the job running.

It would be a mistake to fire Mr. Reich and lose his expertise on waterways issues and many of the nuts and bolts of town operations. Like Mr. Shepherd, he’s not afraid to say what he thinks and, for the most part, his positions on the issues are moderate and reasonable.

Mr. Shepherd would be the breath of fresh air the Town Board needs to stimulate a little more out-of-the-box thinking. He’s been more of a critic than a contributor over the years but he’s been working on that by expressing more nuanced positions on the issues. With a little seasoning, he promises to be an effective board member.

Card for highway super 

For highway superintendent, the decision is especially tough. Hap Bowditch is a good man who knows the job, the men, the machines and the town’s infrastructure, inside out. Jay Card does too — maybe not to the extent Mr. Bowditch does as a former heavy equipment operator, Highway Department employee and businessman.

What gives Mr. Card an edge among almost all of the 11 staffers and contributors who participated in the Reporter’s endorsement discussion last week was his professional management style and very straightforward manner of communicating. Those are important assets for this tough job.

Other choices

It’s no wonder the major parties cross-endorse Nancy Kotula for receiver of taxes and assessors Al Hammond and BJ Ianfola. They do an excellent job.

After voting for them, Island voters must be sure to turn over their paper ballots to find a proposition to reduce Town Board council terms to two years from the current four. As argued in this space last week, the Reporter thinks it’s a bad idea. Vote no.

Among off-Island races, the choice for county legislator is an easy one. Ed Romaine is the only real choice. His opponent, Tricia L. Chiaramonte, has been a no-show candidate. Aside from that, Mr. Romaine is the best kind of politician: a man who knows how to get things done, understands his constituency and tells the truth and nothing but the truth. And he always works hard for Shelter Island.

The Reporter can claim no expertise in the other choices on the ballot, 10 State Supreme Court judgeships and the county executive race, so offers no recommendations. Our North Fork sister publications, the Suffolk Times and the News Review, endorse Steve Bellone for county executive.