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Dougherty re-elected to a fifth term by 20-plus point margin

BEVERLEA WALZ PHOTO | Two Democrats elected to the Town Board Tuesday night. Jim Colligan, left, won his bid for a Town Councill seat and Supervisor Jim Dougherty was re-elected for a fifth term
BEVERLEA WALZ PHOTO | Two Democrats elected to the Town Board Tuesday night. Jim Colligan, left, won his bid for a Town Councill seat and Supervisor Jim Dougherty was re-elected for a fifth term.

Democratic Supervisor Jim Dougherty won re-election Tuesday night for a fifth term, defeating former supervisor Republican Art Williams with 60.5 percent of the vote.

With 264 absentee ballots still to be counted, according to election officials, Mr. Dougherty tallied 610 votes to 394 for Mr. Williams, or 39 percent of votes cast.

In the election for Town Council, with three candidates vying for two seats, incumbent Republican Councilman Paul Shepherd retained his seat with 698 votes, or 40 percent of the vote, the largest tally for a local candidate running for a contested seat.

Joining Mr. Shepherd on the Town Board as of January 1 will be Democrat Jim Colligan, who took 38 percent of the vote with 661 cast in his favor.

Republican newcomer Emory Breiner trailed both of his opponents with 346 votes, or 20 percent of ballots cast for Town Council. There were 29 write-in-votes for Councilman Peter Recich, who is retiring from public office on December 31.

A happy crowd of Democrats packed the bar at the Ram’s Head Inn Tuesday night. Mr. Dougherty said he was grateful for the win and thanked Islanders for their support. Looking ahead, the number one priority for him and his colleagues, he said, was to begin the process of filling Councilman Ed Brown’s seat. Mr. Brown is resigning as of December 31, and the board will pick a replacement to serve out the remaining year on Mr. Brown’s term.

Mr. Dougherty said he plans, with consent from his colleagues, to actively seek candidates through notices on the town’s website, the public access TV channel 22 and advertisements in the Reporter.

At Sweet Tomato’s, Republicans gathered to wait for election results Tuesday night. The only good news for the GOP was Councilman Shepherd’s big win, but the celebration was muted because of Mr. Shepherd’s absence. Reached by phone later Tuesday night, Mr. Shepherd said he would be heading to Sweet Tomato’s and would have been there earlier, but didn’t think the results would be tallied quite so soon.

“I thank the people who supported me,” Mr. Shepherd said. “I hope to continue and they’ll still like me in four years.”

Republican Party Chairman Bob DeStefano Jr. said, “Paul says what’s on his mind and I think people like that. He’s always been a watchdog.”

Mr. Williams said he was surprised by the low turnout and was pleased with the campaign. “It was fun,” he said.

Mr. Breiner said he was “disappointed. I thank everyone who voted and gave me support.”

Mr. Colligan, who won’t be sworn in until the New Year, expects to be part of the process of picking a new colleague before he takes office.

A favorite to be elected to the Town Board this autumn, Mr. Colligan, a former educator and assistant Shelter Island High School basketball coach, said he never took anything for granted. “I coached too many games to think anything was a sure thing,” he said.

Running unopposed, Highway Superintendent Jay Card Jr. was re-elected with 870 votes. Also unopposed were Receiver of Taxes Annmarie Seddio, Assessor BJ Ianfolla and newly elected Assessor Quinn Karpeh..

In the race for Suffolk County Legislature’s 2nd District, representing Shelter Island, Democrat Bridget Fleming defeated Republican Amos Goodman, taking 59 percent of the vote to Mr. Goodman’s 40 percent. Ms. Fleming had 532 votes on Shelter Island to Mr. Goodman’s 331.

Mr.Breiner was asked if he would seek appointment in January when Councilman Brown’s seat opens. “It’s premature,” he said, repeating what he had said prior to the election.

Mr. DeStefano was more forthcoming, saying he thought Mr. Breiner would be a good choice because of his knowledge and abilities.

The party chairman thanked the candidates and told them he was proud of the races they ran.

“We’ll get ‘em next time,” he said.

With low music playing in the background and a subdued mood in the room after the votes were in, those who stay talked in hushed tones about what might have been for the two men who lost their bids on Election Day 2015.

Election officials said the Island’s turnout was strong, with more than 50 percent of registered voters casting ballots, a good showing with no federal or state races.

Mike Comando, a Suffolk County Board of Elections clerk, said just before the polls closed at the school auditorium that Shelter Island is known for large turnouts.

“We’ll get about 30 percent turnout county-wide, but the Island usually has more than 40 percent,” Mr. Comando said. “It’s a tight knit, very civic-minded community.”

But Mr. DeStefano cited statistics showing that while it’s true that Shelter Island usually has a large voter turnout, this years’ turnout was off by almost 300 votes or about 25 percent less than for contested races. He noted that more than 20 percent of votes cast this year were cast by absentee ballots.