'Razor Thin' Margin In Race; Nail Biter Wait For Absentee Ballots

SOUTHOLD, NY — In a nail biter 2019 race for the Southold Town supervisor and town council seats, the end results hang on a count of absentee ballots.

Incumbent Southold Scott Russell (R) was challenged by Greg Doroski (D), and, according to the unofficial results, Russell retained a narrow lead with 3,988 votes to Doroski's 3768, with all districts reported.

But according to Southold Democratic Committee Chair Kathryn Casey Quigley, there are 473 total absentee ballots; of those 248 are Democrats, 133 Republicans and Conservatives. "We believe we have a 100 vote advantage in absentees," she said.

On the ballot for town board seats were incumbent Republicans Jill Doherty and Bill Ruland, who were challenged by Dems Sarah Nappa and Bob Hanlon. So far, the GOP remained in the lead, with Doherty garnering 3896 votes, Ruland, 3778, Nappa, 3731 and Hanlon, 3618.

Incumbent Brian Hughes (R) was challenged by Dan Ross (D) for the town justice seat. Hughes received 3870 votes and Ross, 3775.

Rich Caggiano (R), ran unopposed for the town assessor's seat and garnered 5499 votes. Incumbents Nick Krupski (D) and Glenn Goldsmith (R) ran for two open trustee seats; Krupski earned 6171 and Goldsmith, 5330.

With the races too close to call, on Wednesday, the Suffolk County Board of Elections said it was not yet clear when the absentee ballots would be tallied.

But the results clearly indicated a movement for change in Southold Town, the supervisor candidates agreed.

"It's too early to determine what impact the absentee ballots will have," Russell said. "If I do win, about half the public thought there was time for a change. It's my job to find out why and try to do a better job representing their interests and concerns."

Added Doroski: "Although the final results of our Southold Town election won’t be known for almost two weeks, the razor-thin margins across the board — for each and every contested seat — send a clear message that the status quo isn’t working for far too many people in our community. No matter who wins each seat, this should be a wake-up call to those who are in government: we must do better! No matter what happens after the final votes are counted, I look forward to being part of the solution."

Doroski thanked all the volunteers and supporters "who helped share our message of change. I am confident that our campaign — no matter the electoral outcome — has helped steer our community on a truer course, toward a better future. I am proud of our efforts and grateful for all of the help and support."

Kathryn reflected on the race. "The close results reflect a clear dissatisfaction with the status quo by at least half the town. They also reflect the strength of our candidates and the power of organizing, especially considering Democrats are still in the minority in Southold," she said. "I am waiting to hear about when the ballots will be counted."

Peter McGreevy, Southold Town Republican Committee Chair, said, of the race: "It was obviously a very well-contested election by both sides, and while our preliminary results are promising, the results will certainly not be final until the absentee ballots are counted. I’d like to thank the members of our Republican committee, and all our candidates, for their unprecedented efforts in this campaign."