Riverhead Town Supervisor Will Not Seek 3rd Term

RIVERHEAD, NY — Riverhead Town Supervisor Yvette Aguiar has announced that she will not be seeking re-election to a third term in 2024.

Aguiar announced her decision regarding the November, 2024 election Friday during a live Zoom meeting with staff and supporters.

Looking back at her time at the helm, Aguiar said that two months after taking office in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic "essentially closed our country for two years."

However, she said: "The pandemic did not prevent me from securing our town and overcoming the challenges we faced. We worked simultaneously to create a new Town Square, the key component for revitalizing our downtown and our train station area. Subsequently, we demolished two blighted properties on Main Street and purchased a complex which will soon become our new Town Hall."

Other initiatives are well on their way, she said.

"As a result, Riverhead is unequivocally on the map. What a bittersweet week, Riverhead was designated as one of the 2023 destination locations across the world by the distinguished and highly acclaimed magazine Forbes."

Aguiar reflected: "During my tenure, I never devoted an hour or even a day of my time to personal partisan causes or to any duties, other than the awesome duties of my office as Riverhead Town supervisor. My intentions were to continue enhancing our town’s quality of life and remained intensely focused on continuing the important work vital to improving the lives of our residents. Look around us. In three short years, we have moved our town forward in a quantum leap. There are no longer rumors, plans, studies, and empty promises."

However, she said, her time as supervisor will come to an end next year.

"It has been an incredible journey for me, and I thank all my supporters who re-elected me with a record-breaking win in the November 2021 election, showing their overwhelming desire for me to continue serving as their Riverhead Town supervisor."

Aguiar, a Republican also running on the Conservative line, took the 2021 race handily, garnering 4,774 votes, or 59 percent, to Democrat Catherine Kent's 3,311 votes or 40.92 percent.

In 2019, Incumbent Dem Laura Jens-Smith was in a race to retain the town supervisor's seat with Aguiar. Aguiar took the lead with the unofficial tally indicating that she has 4,437 votes to Jen-Smith's 3,741.

Aguair said she has decided not to seek a third term. "Please be assured in the next 11 months, I am committed to continue building our future foundation. I will leave you then with a deep-rooted foundation for progress, which will afford all our residents to prosper, with an enhanced quality of life for many years to come."

She added: "Thank you to all in public service, who believed in Riverhead and to my colleagues across every level of government. To the residents, who discharged their trust in me, know there is deep acknowledgement and gratitude for your trust in me. . . Thank you for the opportunity."