Decisive win by Dems in Election 2019

The Shelter Island Democrats got out the brooms Tuesday night and swept the 2019 elections.

The Dems will roll into Town Hall in January 2020 with a new supervisor, a new councilman and the reelection of a sitting Town Board member.

Gerry Siller won an overwhelming victory, returning the former supervisor, who served from 1998 to 2001, to the top of the Town Board. Mr. Siller resoundingly defeated  incumbent Supervisor Gary Gerth by a count of 700 votes to 514, or 57. 6% of the vote to Mr. Gerth’s 42.3%.

Two seats on the Town Board were contested by five candidates, and both Democrats running won. Incumbent Councilman Jim Colligan, with 504 votes, or 21.3%, will be sworn in on Jan. 1, along with Mike Bebon, a newcomer to politics, who got 597 votes — the most of any candidate for Town board — or 25.2% of votes cast.

Republican Marcus Kaasik came closest to gaining a board seat by tallying 483 votes and 20.4 % in his losing bid.

Incumbent Councilman Paul Shepherd, running on the Conservative, Libertarian and Independence party lines, finished fourth with 395 votes or 16.7%.

Newcomer to politics, Republican Julia Romanchuk Weisenberg, garnered 385 votes or 16 .3%.

The Democratic tally will likely spike when some 290 absentee ballots are counted. Both political party leaders agreed Tuesday night that most absentee ballots cast on Shelter Island are by Democrats.

The Reporter website will have updates on Election 2019 and also in our print edition on Thursday.