History Made As New Day For Democrats Dawns In Southold Town

SOUTHOLD, NY — Democrats in Southold Town are celebrating victory this week.

Although the Suffolk County Board of Elections said they are still counting about 140 contested ballots and are expected to finish by the end of next week, the numbers indicate that the Democratic candidates in nail-biter races have won their respective seats.

According to Southold Democratic Committee Chair Kathryn Casey Quigley, the most recent count given by the BOE, based on Election Day votes plus absentee ballots, indicated that Brian Mealy, running for a town board seat, had 4,504 votes, with Republican and Conservative candidate Greg Williams coming in at 4,259. Dem Greg Doroski won his bid for a town board seat on Election Night.

In the race for highway superintendent, Democratic and Working Families candidate Daniel Goodwin received 4,713 votes, compared to Republican and Conservative candidate Donald Grim, who garnered 4,347.

Quigley also said in the trustee race, Dem and Working Families candidate Liz Gillooly would win her seat along with fellow Dems and Working Families parties candidate Eric Sepenoski. She said Dem candidate Elizabeth Peeples is currently ahead by 17 votes, as well. With more Dem than Republican ballots yet to be opened, Quigley predicted Peeples would win the seat.

Of the new board makeup, Republican Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said: "The campaign is over and now it is time to focus on working on behalf of the people of Southold Town. I have gotten to know the candidates in the past and I am very confident that we will work well together. They each have my full faith and support."

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

History was also made with Mealy's win: He is the first African-American man ever elected to Southold office.

Speaking to Patch before the election, he said: "With the help of the good people of Southold it would be such an honor to realize that historic moment."

Southold Town GOP and Conservative candidate Denis Noncarrow won the race for town clerk on Election Night. 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.

Reflecting on the outcome and the Dems' progress,Quigley told Patch: "I am so thrilled that the voters saw how caring, committed and passionate these candidates are about this town. All six of them will bring these qualities, as well as their phenomenal skills and work ethic, to serve the people of Southold."

In a past interview, Quiglley said 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.

Southold Town Republican Party Committee Chair Peter McGreevy spoke out about the results: "The GOP put forward a fresh slate of local business owners who spoke with thousands of our neighbors on the campaign trail, but were unfortunately unable to overcome the changing demographic tide of well over a thousand newly registered Democrats who now vote in Southold."