Art Williams running for supervisor, Breiner for Town Board, Reich bows out
Art Williams said he’s running for supervisor on a platform of responsible and transparent financial planning.
The Shelter Island Republicans are ready to challenge Supervisor Jim Dougherty, re-elect Town Councilman Paul Shepherd and put a new face on the Town Board.
Art Williams, former supervisor, local businessman and president of the Chamber of Commerce, will campaign to unseat Mr. Dougherty who is running for his fifth term this November.
With the unexpected announcement that three-term Councilman Peter Reich is not seeking reelection, the GOP has tapped Emory Breiner, deputy chairman of the planning board, to run in his place.
The Republicans have cross-endorsed Highway Superintendent and Commissioner of Public Works Jay Card Jr. Mr. Card will now have both the Republican and Democratic lines as he runs for a third two-year term.
Mr. Williams told the Reporter he would run on a platform of providing open and responsible financial planning.
“While tax increases have been suppressed in order to meet state mandates, I don’t believe that the supervisor, as the town’s chief fiscal officer, has responsibly planned for the longer term and the process has lacked transparency,” Mr. Williams said. “Remaining fiscally responsible while maintaining our roads and infrastructure is an important balance that requires long-term planing and thoughtfulness.”
Councilman Reich’s decision not to run caught most Town Hall observers by surprise. He said Tuesday it wasn’t an easy decisions to step aside, one that “I’m sure I’ll be second guessing myself for awhile”.
In a letter to the Reporter Mr. Reich mentioned his health — he’s in remission from a rare form of lymphoma — a need to focus more on his business and the belief in term limits.
“I figured if I got re-elected, at the end of that term there will be people driving on the roads that weren’t born when I began campaigning,” he said. “It’s time for somebody else.
He is presently the Town Board liaison to the Water Advisory Committee and said he would entertain becoming a member if there was a committee opening.
Also an expert on technology, Mr. Reich is on the town’s IT committee and said he would still be involved.
“I’m just a phone call away,” he said.
Mr. Breiner has been a familiar presence at Town Hall for many years, serving on the Planning Board for the past decade and regularly attending meetings of the Town Board and other committees. Because he has time to attend the meetings, he believes he’s up-to-speed on the issues and the governing process, which gives him an advantage in the coming election.
“It doesn’t frighten me,” he said about assuming a councilman’s job.
Mr. Shepherd, who mounted an unsuccessful run for supervisor in 2009, was elected to the Town Board two years later as a Conservative. He will now campaign under the Republican banner for reelection.
Challenging Mr. Breiner or Mr. Shepherd for a seat on the board is Democrat Jim Colligan in his first bid for public office.
Rounding out the Republican ticket are B.J. Ianfolla and Quinn Karpeh for assessors, and Annmarie Seddio for receiver of taxes. All three candidates have been endorsed by the Democrats as well.
