Supervisors survive in other area towns
Shelter Island was the exception to the rule on the East End when it came to their supervisor races: incumbents appeared to have won everywhere but here.
In Southold, the GOP won every seat on the ballot Tuesday with Supervisor Scott Russell the big winner, handily defeating Democratic challenger Bob Meguin by a 3-1 margin, 4,156 to 1,294.
Councilman Bill Ruland won another four-year term, his second, with Board of Trustees President Jill Doherty capturing the council seat currently held by Vincent Orlando.
The GOP cleaned up in Riverhead, too, as Supervisor Sean Walter handily defeated Democratic challenger Phil Cardinale and Riverhead First Party candidate Greg Fischer. Mr. Walter had 4,664 votes, or 62.08 percent; Mr. Cardinale had 2,630 or 35.01 percent; and Mr. Fischer 211 or 2.8 percent.
Councilmen George Gabrielsen and James Wooten earned re-election.
In East Hampton, Republican Supervisor Bill Wilkinson appeared to have defeated his challenger, Zachary Cohen, holding a narrow margin after Tuesday’s votes were counted. Democrats did not concede defeat, saying absentee ballots would decide the race next week.
A tally by the East Hampton Town Democratic Committee showed Mr. Wilkinson leading by 121 votes after all districts reported their results. By that count, Mr. Wilkinson had 3,007 votes and Mr. Cohen, an unaffiliated voter endorsed by Democrats, had 2,886.
The East Hampton Democrats held onto their two-seat minority on the Town Board but with a change in the cast of players. Mr. Cohen’s running mates, Sylvia Overby and Peter Van Scoyoc, appeared to have won a six-person race for two Town Board seats being vacated at the end of the year by Councilman Pete Hammerle and Councilwoman Julia Prince, both Democrats.
In Southampton Town, Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst appeared to have crushed a write-in opponent, former Supervisor Linda Kabot, 6,249 votes. to 3,602, according to an unofficial tally.
It looked as if Democratic Councilwoman Bridget Fleming had easily won reelection with 5,828 votes. The Republicans appeared to have held onto a Town Board seat being vacated by the GOP’s Nancy Graboski as Republican Christine Scalera won 5,342 votes, the second-highest total in the four-way race.
Trailing closely was Independence Party member Brad Bender, who ran as part of the Throne-Hulse and Fleming team. Mr. Bender received 5,257 votes and Republican Bill Hughes came in fourth with 5,173 votes.
