Southold GOP Unveils Slate Of Candidates For Election

SOUTHOLD, NY — The Southold Town Republican Committee unveiled its slate for the November election at a nominating convention Monday night.

The event, held at the Southold American Legion, culminated with nominations for a slate largely comprised of incumbent candidates: Scott Russell was nominated for the town supervisor's seat, Jill Doherty and Bill Ruland were tapped to run for town council positions, Glenn Goldsmith for town trustee, and Rich Caggiano for the tax assessor's post.

Running for town justice on the GOP line is incumbent Brian Hughes, who is running for his second term after being winning the seat on the Democratic ticket in the last election.

Southold Receiver of Taxes George Sullivan opted not to throw his hat back into the proverbial ring; newcomer to the political arena Kelly Fogarty, a Mattituck CPA, was tapped to run for the post.

A second trustee candidate has yet to be announced.

Peter McGreevy, Southold Town Republican Party Committee chair, said the slate will carry the town forward and "shape the future of our town."

Russell, who first took office in 2006, said he very honored by the nomination. "I look forward to serving the public for another four years," he said. Should he win, Russell said he plans to "continue my approach to government, which is balance. The actions we take today and balancing the currents needs we have versus future consequences, whether it be the budget, land use, zoning or preservation. We can do both; we have been doing both."

After the meeting, Russell responded to further questions regarding his goals via email: "Fiscal policy is now, and should remain, on a pay-as-you-go approach. The fact is that we have to set priorities on an annual basis — only purchase what we really need and understanding that a budget isn't something you adopt once a year. It establishes the priorities for the coming year but adhering to it requires daily review. If an expenditure comes up during the year that wasn't anticipated, then review the budget and re-establish new priorities. Don't rely on borrowing. Debt not a bad thing, but it needs to be manageable. If you rely too heavily on it, the budget adopted each year is driven by debt service, not discretionary spending," he said.

The lack of affordable housing in Southold is the town's biggest crisis, Russell said. "All of the businesses I talk to tell me it's their biggest challenge. They can't hire the workers they need because of the lack of housing. We have made several changes to the code to promote the creation of apartments and do have a 50-unit facility on the way but we have a long way to go to solving the problem."

The supervisor also said that the town has a "very ambitious preservation program and have been able to achieve a great deal of success without jeopardizing property rights."

Looking ahead, Russell said the town needs to accommodate the changing needs of the business climate, "but we need to keep in mind that changing the code can't be based on impulse or narrow demands. Changes require careful consideration both in meeting short-term goals but still understanding the long-term consequences. The code can't change with the tides. It has served us well and is what has ensured that Southold remain the town that it is. Some people say that the evolving new industries have put Southold 'on the map'. It's quite the opposite. Southold was already on the map. In fact, that's how they found us. A town so nice that people want to be a part of it."

Doherty, running for her third term, thanked the committee for their confidence in her, and for the nomination. "I'm going to continue to work on updating our codes, bringing common sense into them. I'm open to anybody calling me, helping them out, getting the through the process of things." Doherty, who worked to draft the rental code, said it's rolled out and running smoothly, and she plans to stay focused on "working out the kinks of that. I want to be there for everyone — and keep the town the way it is."

"I am humbled and honored," said Ruland, of his nomination. Ruland, who said he has served the community in various capacities for more than 35 years, said if elected, he'd like to keep going in the direction the town is currently headed. "Slow and steady wins the race," he said. 'We are facing challenges on all fronts from all kinds of things. We're going to rise to the occasion and keep Southold the way it should be — special."

Fogarty said she's been a CPA for 30 years, born and raised in the community, and raising her three grown kids in the area with her husband. She's active in giving back with organizations including the Mattituck Chamber of Commerce, the Mattituck Community Fund, Friends of the Mattituck Laurel Library, the North Fork Environmental Council, East End Livestock, past president of the board of trustees of the Mattituck Laurel Library and a catechist at Sacred Heart Parish for 15 years.

"George has done such a good job over these many years," she said. "I used to work with George many years ago when I first went into accounting, and I hope that I can live up to this example. I feel blessed to live in this community and I feel it's my obligation to serve this community. That's what I've done with the organizations I belong to and I feel this is the next step. When I do join something, I tend to give it my all, and I plan on doing that with this, also."

"I'm very happy to be here," Hughes said. In an earlier interview with Patch, Hughes he's happy to run again for the town justice seat. "I love it, I think it's a good job. I think it's a great fit, a great combination of people."

Hughes said he enjoyed working with former Justice Bill Price and with current Justice Eileen Powers. "We're moving things along and making certain chances to make the court more efficient as it relates to the people that live here," he said.

Caggiano said he's very pleased that the committee decided he was a good candidate. "I pledge to them that I will continue to serve the people of Southold with honesty and integrity and to bring both to the Republican party and office of the assessor, honor and good work."

Goldsmith said he was "very proud and blessed" the GOP had the faith in him to choose him once again as a candidate. "I hope that it was based on my record my values, my positions, and I look forward to continuing to serve the people of Southold Town and to protect our waterways and our wetlands."

The Southold Town Democratic Committee will host its nominating convention Wednesday night.

Photos by Lisa Finn.