Dems Make Strides In Bid To 'Flip' Southold Town Hall In Election

SOUTHOLD, NY — During an election that colored Long Island red as a sea of GOP candidates swept their races, one town made history when, for the first time in years, the Democratic party was able to shake up Southold — making inroads in close town races where a GOP stronghold has long held steady.

With absentee ballots still to be counted, nail-biter races for the town council and board of trustee seats had Dems winning by a narrow margin. According to the Suffolk County Board of Elections, counting of the absentee ballots is slated to begin Tuesday with results expected by Friday.

As of election night, in Southold Town, GOP and Conservative candidate Denis Noncarrow won the race for town clerk, with a total of 4,599 votes, or 54.69 percent, compared to 3,810, or 45.31 percent, garnered by Candace Hall, running on the Democratic line.

In the race for highway superintendent, Democratic and Working Families candidate Daniel Goodwin received 4,310 votes, or 51.19 percent; Republican and Conservative candidate Donald Grim got 4,067, or 48.31 percent.

The town board race saw close results: Democrat Greg Doroski, who also ran on the Working Families line, took the lead with 4,475 votes or 27.05 percent, while Democratic and Working Families candidate Brian Mealy received 4,110, or 24.84 percent. Next was Gregory Williams, who ran on the Republican and Conservative lines and garnered 3,990 votes, or 24.12 percent. He was followed by GOP and Conservative pick Anthony Sannino, who received 3,968 votes or 23.98 percent.

Republican and Conservative candidates Eileen Powers, who ran for town justice, and town assessor candidates Kevin Webster and Charles Sanders, ran unopposed and won their respective seats.

The race to fill three town trustee seats was also very close: As of Election Day, Dems and Working Families parties candidates took the top two spots, Eric Sepenoski with 4,331 votes and Liz Gillooly with 4,133 votes. Next came Republican and Conservative candidates Kristina Gabrielson and Peter Johnstone with 4,112 and 4,037 votes, respectively. They were followed by Democratic and Working Families candidate Elizabeth Peeples with 4,028 votes and GOP and Conservative candidate Jason Taggart with 3,964 votes.

Reflecting on the outcome and the Dems' progress, Southold Democratic Committee Chair Kathryn Casey Quigley told Patch that Southold has "become increasingly Democratic in the past few years — but we also engaged the electorate. We have a highly organized committee that has been laser-focused on registering and connecting with voters to flip Town Hall."

The effort resulted in the recruitment of "strong, dynamic candidates who worked really hard, and inspired and motivated voters," Quigley said. "They also coordinated extremely well to as a slate to run disciplined, streamlined and professional campaign."

Five of the seven candidates had never run for political office or been involved in campaigns before, Quigley said — adding that it was an advantage because there was "innovative and out-of-the-box" thinking.

For example, baseball cards were made up for each candidate and distributed throughout town, with key facts on the back. "It's not the way it's done. And why not do it differently?" Quigley asked.

The candidates, she said, weren't politicians. "They were and are people with a strong conviction to serve. And they worked really damned hard for it," she said.

If the Dems retain their leads, Quigley said: "It means we will have some very smart, motivated, inspirational, hardworking and caring leaders within Town Hall. It means we will have balance and transparency. It means action. And proactive work to help Southolders."

Quigley said she is confident the candidates will emerge victorious once the absentee ballots are counted, and she believes Peeples also has a chance to win, at just 84 votes shy.

Southold Town Republican Party Committee Chair Peter McGreevy did not immediately return a request for comment on the unofficial election results.