Government

Anderson, Bowditch on GOP's town slate

Will Anderson III has been named to the Republican slate as a Town Board candidate and Hap Bowditch has been named the Republican candidate for highway superintendent, it was announced Wednesday afternoon by Republican Committee Chair Amber Williams.

Mr. Anderson and Mr. Bowditch will join supervisor candidate Bob DeStefano and incumbent Councilman Peter Reich on the GOP slate, along with three incumbents, Al Hammond and BJ Ianfoilla for assessor and Nancy Kotula for receiver of taxes, who are all cross-endorsed by the Democratic Committee.

Mr. Anderson, who was born on Shelter Island in 1968, runs the local plumbing business founded by his father, Anderson Plumbing & Heating, and is director of maintenance at the Pearlman Music Program. He is an assistant chief of the Shelter Island Fire Department.

Mr. Anderson and Mr. Reich will face Democratic Town Board candidates Ian Weslek and Dan Fokine, while Mr. DeStefano will face Supervisor Jim Dougherty, the Democratic candidate, and another challenger, Town Board member Glenn Waddington, who is running for supervisor as an independent.

“Growing up on Shelter Island, I didn’t really appreciate how fortunate we are,” Mr. Anderson said, according to a press release from the Republican Committee. “For me, it took living and working in distant places to understand what a unique and wonderful place this is. Now that I’ve settled here on Shelter Island, I want to join the Town Board to do what I can to help preserve what we have.”

Mr. Bowditch, who was a write-in candidate for town supervisor in 2005 after he lost a Republican primary to Art Williams, formerly ran a successful auto and truck repair shop. He is also known for his steel sculptures and other artwork. Calls to Mr. Bowditch on Wednesday for his comments were not immediated returned.