News

Incumbents reelected

FOUR MORE YEARS IT IS. Councilman Ed Brown wears his re-election well at Gardiner’s Bay Country Club Tuesday night, celebrating with brother Robert (left), wife Cheryl and friends Cheryl and Charlie Pensa.

Town Supervisor Jim Dougherty overwhelmed opponents Paul Shepherd and Bill Smith to return for a second term but he will bring no Democratic colleagues along with him to Town Hall.


Incumbents Chris Lewis and Ed Brown defeated town council challengers Linda Springer, Don Kornrumpf and Patricia Shillingburg by healthy margins and Highway Superintendent Mark Ketcham won reelection as well; his race with challenger Jay Card was the closest with a 99-vote margin.


Republican and Independence candidate Patricia Castoldi won the assessor seat handily over Joe Messing. Unopposed Town Clerk Dorothy Ogar (Republican, Independence) was re-affirmed by the voters for a 10th consecutive term.


“I am absolutely dismayed,” Democratic Committee Chairman Heather Reylek told the party faithful gathered at Planet Bliss to monitor the returns. She congratulated the winner at the top of the ticket but said of the other races, “Unfortunately, it’s not what we were hoping for.”


Mr. Dougherty said he was humbled by his results and added, “I ask one of my opponents to come in out of the rain and build up Shelter Island instead of tearing it down,” a reference to independent candidate Bill Smith, who ran several negative ads including one calling for Mr. Dougherty’s immediate resignation.


At Sweet Tomato’s, there was much to celebrate. Republican Lewis, who won the most town council votes with 752, said of her constituents, “I’m grateful for their support, I really am, they’re wonderful people.”


“Thank you very much for voting for me,” Mr. Ketcham said to his supporters. “I won’t let you down.”


Ms. Castoldi, a relative newcomer to the Island, said of her win, “It feels great.” She thanked her supporters, the “people out there who worked very, very hard for me.” Happy to be done with campaigning, she said she is “ready to get rid of the silly season and start work.”


Conservative and Independence candidate Ed Brown celebrated with supporters at Gardiner’s Bay Country Club. 


“I’m extremely proud of Ed for his efforts,” campaign manager Evelyn Comer said. “He was thrown a curve ball and hit it out of the park” — Mr. Brown was surprised when the local Republican Committee chose not to endorse him.


According to the Suffolk County Board of Election’s unofficial results, 1,389 voters, 59.72 percent of those registered, cast ballots. That’s fewer than in 2007, when 1,447 or 62 percent voted.


County Legislator Ed Romaine was re-elected to office easily, here and county-wide. On Shelter Island, he won 843 votes compared to 314 for challenger Mike Comando.