The TIMES
CORNER AN IMAL HOSPITAL Caring for Dogs & Cat s
All Aspects of M edicine Surgery • Dentis try
of Middle Country
Serving CentereaCh
Volume 11, No. 29
•
Selden
•
northern lake grove
November 05, 2015
24 Woods Cor
$1.00
ner Road • Seta uket NICOLL S RO
(ROU TE 25A &
(631) 941–3500) w AD
ww.corneranim al.com
Port Jefferson’s fairy godmother Also: Go Green event returns to Port Jeff, LIGT winners announced, SBU Sports
PAGe B1
Incumbents are all smiles Top photo by Giselle Barkley and Rohma Abbas
Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine, top, and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone bottom celebrates their re-election Tuesday night.
North Shore electeds keep seats, but town councilwoman is now all alone in minority By elana glowatz
Setauket Harbor
Town of Brookhaven looks to new study to resolve water quality issues
PAGe A5
The incumbents won big on Suffolk County’s North Shore this Election Day, with only a couple real upsets at the county and town levels. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) handily won a second term at the helm against his Republican challenger, lawyer Jim O’Connor, with 57 percent of the vote. Bellone thanked many people for his victory and also thanked his opponent for a “good race.” “Tonight the people of Suffolk County delivered a mandate — to advance the issues we talked about in this campaign,” he said, at the Democratic Election Night headquarters in Hauppauge. “To continue the reform government so that we can protect taxpayers, make government more efficient and effective. To reverse the decades of decline that we have seen in water quality so that we can protect this precious natural resource for ourselves and future generations.” He vowed that he would work
hard for the voters. “To the people of Suffolk County: I want to thank you for the confidence you placed in me and this incredible team of legislators. I can guarantee you we will repay that confidence by working hard every single day to make progress on the issues that matter to you and to your families. We may celebrate a little bit tonight but that work begins tomorrow.” Though Bellone was the clear winner early on, O’Connor said he was proud of his campaign. “I think we talked about the issues that need to be talked about here on Long Island,” he said. Despite the results, the challenger enjoyed himself: “I love this. … In America we run for office, we put our ideas forward and we let the people decide.” In the Suffolk County Legislature, incumbents from
Brookhaven, Smithtown and Huntington towns won re-election, one of them by a razor-thin margin: Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai), who represents the 6th District, was leading her challenger by just one vote after the polls closed. It was not immediately clear if absentee ballots would tilt the scales in the favor of Republican candidate Steve Tricarico, a Brookhaven Town deputy highway superintendent. But Anker said Tuesday night that she felt “cautiously optimistic.” Tricarico felt more positive. “I’m feeling very confident,” he said before results were in. “This shows … that people are looking for a change. That’s what I’ve been offering.” According to Tricarico, Republican absentee ballots outnumbered those of the Democrats, which he said boosts
his confidence. But Suffolk County Democratic Party Chairman Rich Schaffer was calling it in the other direction: “Sarah Anker — mark my words — in about two weeks will be a newly re-elected legislator.” Anker said her election demonstrates that each vote counts. Asked what could have led to such a close race, the legislator said she’s got the political cards stacked against her as a Democrat representing a largely Republican district. “Most political strategists have never understood how I won it the past three times, much less this fourth time,” she said. “But I feel it’s because the people appreciate what I do. They’re looking for leadership.” From there, it was smooth sailing. Kara Hahn (D-Setauket), the 5th District legislator, beat Republican challenger Donna Cumella, of Port Jefferson Station, with 63 percent of the vote. Despite her loss, Cumella stayed positive and said she wouldn’t let this year’s election deter her from Continued on page A9