Kevin LaValle Wins Brookhaven Town Clerk Seat: Unofficial Results

FARMINGVILLE, NY — Brookhaven Town Councilman Kevin LaValle took the top amount of votes in the race for the Brookhaven Town Clerk's seat on Tuesday, according to unofficial results from the Suffolk County Board of Elections.

LaValle, a Republican, garnered 6,396 votes or 56 percent, to Democratic opponent Lisa Di Santo's 4,940 votes or 44 percent. LaValle, who was cross-endorsed by the Conservative party, garnered 5,119 Republican votes and 1,277 Conservative votes.

All of the town's election districts have reported results to the Board of Elections, according to the tally. Absentee ballots were received by Jan. 17 have been counted, however, ballots that were mailed, postmarked by Jan. 17 and received at the Board of Elections by January 24, will be counted, if they qualify, a Board of Elections spokesman said.

Officials did note that only 11,336 voters of the 340,329 eligible voters cast a ballot in the election, resulting in a 3.3 percent voter turnout for the race.

Patch has reached out to both camps for comment.

LaValle told Newsday that he was “excited about a new challenge ahead to be able to lead the clerk’s office and the critical role it plays in town government.”

DiSanto told the outlet that she conceded the race to LaValle.

“I’m very proud of the hard work and the support of the Brookhaven Democratic Committee," Di Santo told the outlet.

She went on to say that she received the highest percentage of votes in a decade for any Democrat in a Brookhaven town race, adding, "I feel very strongly our message of open government resonated with the Brookhaven voters.”

The parties made their picks late last year after longtime Brookhaven town clerk Donna Lent retired.

LaValle comes from a political family, including his cousin, former state senator Ken LaValle, and his brother, John Jay LaValle, who served as Brookhaven town supervisor and later the county GOP's chair.

When LaValle accepted his nomination last year, he called the clerk's position a "critical town office," in a Facebook post, noting that he hoped "to have the opportunity to increase security, efficiency, and transparency within the town clerk's office."

He also pledged to work every day to "properly and effectively secure residents’ sensitive information," as well as "work to increase the efficiency in which residents can access their personal records" and be "accountable for the management of the clerk’s office."

He planned to promote accessibility to services for disabled and elderly residents.

"I am excited to get this campaign started and I look forward to getting out and talking to residents about my vision for the future of our Clerk’s office," he wrote.

Should the election be certified with LaValle as the winner, his seat on the Town Board will become vacant. In the event the election is certified and LaValle resigns, Supervisor Ed Romaine would set a date for a special election within 60 to 90 days of the vacancy, a Brookhaven Town spokesman said.

Deputy Town Clerk Lauren Thoden has held Lent's position since her retirement.