Shelter Island candidates for office: In their own words

Amber Brach-Williams for Supervisor

Specific issues will evolve as the world around us continues to change. We have more demands, rules and mandates before us and are getting challenged with ever greater frequency. We need to get our house in order to take on these challenges. We need to critically look at what people and resources we already have in place and how to better utilize them and expand, very sparingly, as needed.

I am the best candidate to manage this transition. I trained in business at an international accounting firm and got my masters at Wharton. I moved here fulltime 30 years ago, raised my children here, grew a business here, volunteer here. I have connections with people across all the divides and labels bandied about. Labels don’t matter to me. Everyone has a voice, a perspective that I listen to and consider. 

I have the history, skill set and the experience. With seven years of being on the Town Board, I will hit the ground running on January 1. I respectfully ask for your vote for Supervisor.

Mike Gaynor for Supervisor

Shelter Island simply can’t afford to operate like a small town anymore. Our government can no longer be driven by the most powerful people in our community. Which is exactly what is happening here now. If we continue down this path, we’re going to wind up exactly like Sag Harbor, a shadow of ourselves — very, very soon.

We need seismic change in how we operate. The hours-long Town Board meetings that we put on YouTube that no one watches. Where every word of every motion is recited by the entire Board and produces no benefit whatsoever. That arcane style of government simply must stop, folks. No business in the history of business has ever survived that has operated in the bureaucratic and politically influenced way we do. Ever.

The world is at our gates. This town needs a leader with a vision for dramatic operational change. We all agree on what the issues are. Let’s stop talking about them and get it done.

I can make that happen. Visit MikeGaynor.com to learn more.

Arnott Gordon Gooding for Supervisor

I am running for Supervisor because Shelter Island needs a strong and effective new leader. A leader who will address our town’s challenges and create a better future, not a continuation of the past. 

Since retiring from running my successful business, for the last eight years I have led the Island’s Community Preservation Fund, preserving for public use 55 acres of open space and overseeing its multi-million-dollar budget.

I will make town government more transparent and responsive by giving people greater knowledge of what’s going on and greater opportunities to participate.

I will get things done —  building affordable housing and cleaning up wastewater from municipal buildings in the Center, without further delay.

I will get things done right — addressing any drinking water problems and closing loopholes in the code that allows oversized and environmentally reckless construction.

I will focus on the budget at all times, and stop last-minute band-aid approaches of using funds and fees intended for other purposes.

I will be a responsive and accountable Supervisor. I respectfully ask for your vote. 

Tom Cronin for Town Councilman

I would like to thank all the voters who have reached out and offered their support and advice. I am truly blessed and thankful. When elected, I will back the affordable housing committee and get 10 homes started. It’s not an easy task. To be honest, I am not in favor of the plan’s design but, we need to get affordable houses built and it must include our young families and our seniors! We can then redesign the plan to be sure that all future units are kept in full control of the town for our next generation. I will fight hard to keep our water exactly what it is, “our water.” I do not want any outside water company selling us our own water. I do not support hiring a town planner but I do support limiting spending and planning for the town’s fiscal future and protecting our wetlands. I will ask the important questions, though we may not like the answers. Our Island needs your help and support. I can’t do this alone!

Albert Dickson for Town Councilman

I am running for Town Board to preserve and protect our Island, our waters, our school (from which I graduated), and our people. My family first settled on Shelter Island over 150 years ago, and I feel responsible for ensuring its sustainability.

I served on the Town Board from 2018 through 2021. I was the leading and sometimes sole advocate for protecting our environment. I proposed many initiatives to improve our waters, and limit excessive building. I cast an unprecedented vote against a large home construction project.

If elected, I will bring my passion for the environment to continue the work I began — hopefully with more supportive colleagues, Gordon and Benjamin. I will also bring my knowledge of how the town operates and can be run better.

I will work to protect our environment, finally resolving the wastewater problems in the Center and evaluating, then addressing, our drinking water problems.

I will work to protect our people — to make affordable housing a reality, to improve the dialogue and combat divisiveness.

Benjamin Dyett for Town Councilman

I am running because the current Town Board has had trouble getting things done — too much discord, not enough consensus building. I believe we can do better.

I’ve been almost every type of Islander over my 30-plus years on The Rock: a summer renter, owner/summer resident, owner/part-time resident, and now a full-time resident. I have owned a business here and have been very involved locally, including three years on the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee.

From three-plus decades in law and business, I‘ve experienced hiring, budgeting, financial planning, negotiating, and reaching consensus. Because of my experience, I’ve been asked to serve on numerous boards of directors.

My priorities: (1) make affordable housing happen; (2) make town government run more like a business (reduce unnecessary expenses, invest in expertise for long-term savings); (3) finish a Comprehensive Plan with widespread public support; (4) protect our aquifer; and (5) promote economic development that benefits our whole community.

I will build bridges between the various parts of our community. I will work to keep Shelter Island … Shelter Island.

Paul Shepherd for Town Councilman

I prepared for the first of my terms in office by attending work sessions for two and a half years. I watched and learned, engaged and worked with the Board on several issues, including recycling and “over-sized” houses. My presence was not always welcome, but I was persistent and consistent. It’s just the way I am.

I then spent eight years in office, speaking out on the issues as they arose, doing my best to help guide the thinking of the group toward the best, fairest, most effective solutions. Persistently. Consistently.

Am I the best person for the job? Probably not. The best ones are doing something else, as usual. I do, however, believe myself to be the most qualified current candidate for the job, by nature and nurture. If you cast your ballots like dice, hoping for a “winner,” I’m not your guy. Otherwise there’s really no better choice. So write me in for Councilman. It’s that simple.

Art Williams for Town Councilman

As a past supervisor, one of the things that distinguished me from the Town Board was that I had no place to hide. I feel confident that almost every supervisor has experienced the same thing.

Political issues can heat up very quickly. Frequently at Town Board meetings, the supervisor would be left “standing out front” until the “smoke cleared” and it became apparent which side of an issue the public might find acceptable. This is likely why the Town Board so rarely voted out of step.

Having been the supervisor, I can say that I will not hide. The power of each Town Board member’s vote is equal, and I respect that.

Clearly, the candidates that I am running alongside are strongly opinionated. I see this as a strength. The opponent team’s advertisements have established almost no differences of opinion among them. I see this as a weakness. Change frequently comes from being uncomfortable. But in this case, it can take more, individual conviction, character and courage. I believe that I have these attributes.

Early voting underway
Early voting at the Shelter Island Community Center continues through Sunday, Nov. 5.

Hours on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 2 and 3, are from noon to 8 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 4 and 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Voting on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 7, is from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Shelter Island School gymnasium.