News

Dems Cheer Decisive Victory In Local Races

Nov
5
2015

Town’s voters ‘can’t be bought,’ Van Scoyoc says

Despite the infusion of more than $380,000 in donations from Republican supporters, including over $100,000 in the week leading up to Election Day, East Hampton Democrats won a decisive victory on Tuesday as Supervisor Larry Cantwell, Councilman Peter Van Scoyoc, and Councilwoman Sylvia Overby defeated their Republican challengers by comfortable margins.

At the same time, the town trustees, a nine-member body, appeared to shift from a Republican to Democratic majority as Francis Bock, a former trustee, Pat Mansir, a former town councilwoman, and Richard Drew and Tyler Armstrong, first-time candidates, all running on the Democratic line, were among the top vote-getters among the 18 candidates. While absentee ballots have yet to be...| read more ››

Fleming Victorious in Legislature Race

Nov
4
2015

Bridget Fleming is headed to Hauppauge.

Ms. Fleming, a Democrat who serves on the Southampton Town Board, won a seat on the Suffolk County Legislature Tuesday night, receiving 59.92 percent of the vote to represent the South Fork.

Ms. Fleming, a resident of Noyac, will replace longtime Legislator Jay Schneiderman, who had reached the term limit. Meanwhile, he ran successfully for Southampton Town supervisor in this election.

Ms. Fleming's opponent, Amos Goodman, a Republican from Springs who is a financial consultant with a background in defense and security, received about 40 percent of the vote.

He has said that there was a "political class" in charge, which had "dropped the ball" on issues like budgeting and business...| read more ››

For the Krupski family, election night brings two victories

Nov
4
2015

Al Krupski had little to worry about in his re-election bid Tuesday. The popular legislator had won his first two terms with more than two-thirds of the vote, and his opponent in this year’s race was not actively campaigning.

But there was a different, more personal source of anxiety this time: watching his son, Nick, run in his first-ever election as a candidate for the Southold Town Board of Trustees. And since Al was a Trustee himself for 20 years, this race was even more special.

Of course, Al had plenty of fatherly praise for Nick, 27, but he admitted it was a bit “nerve-wracking” to be both a hopeful candidate and the hopeful parent of a candidate.

“In...| read more ››

Steve Bellone wins re-election to second term as Suffolk County Executive

Nov
4
2015

Democratic Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone won re-election to a second term Tuesday by defeating Republican challenger James O'Connor.

Bellone, 46, outpolled O'Connor, 52, a Great River attorney and former North Hempstead town councilman, 57 percent to 43 percent.

O'Connor conceded the race about 10:40 p.m. "The county deserves better than the path it's currently on. . . . We talked about the things that need to be talked about for Suffolk County," he said. "This is democracy in action. . . . We live with the results, but we fight another day to make Suffolk County a better place."

"Tonight the people of Suffolk County delivered a mandate," Bellone said in declaring victory. He thanked O'Connor and then said,...| read more ››

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone wins re-election

Nov
4
2015

Acting Nassau District Attorney Madeline Singas defeated GOP Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray, winning her first full term as the county's top prosecutor, while Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone easily won a second term.

And in a stunner, Democrat John Mangelli had a razor thin lead over GOP Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto, with the results likely coming down to absentee ballots.

"The voters overwhelmingly said we're going to put our community first," Singas said, pledging to root out public corruption.The campaign had been bitter and hard-fought. But Singas still called Murray "a public servant [who is] . . . always looking out for the best interest of Nassau County."

By just before midnight Tuesday, Murray had yet to...| read more ››

Steve Bellone wins re-election to second term as Suffolk County Executive

Nov
4
2015

Democratic Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone won re-election to a second term Tuesday by defeating Republican challenger James O'Connor.

Bellone, 46, outpolled O'Connor, 52, a Great River attorney and former North Hempstead town councilman, 57 percent to 43 percent.

O'Connor conceded the race about 10:40 p.m. "The county deserves better than the path it's currently on. . . . We talked about the things that need to be talked about for Suffolk County," he said. "This is democracy in action. . . . We live with the results, but we fight another day to make Suffolk County a better place."

"Tonight the people of Suffolk County delivered a mandate," Bellone said in declaring victory. He thanked O'Connor and then said,...| read more ››

Suffolk Dems’ Supermajority in Legislature Hinges on 1 Undecided Race

Nov
4
2015

The Democrats continue to hold the majority of the Suffolk County Legislature following Tuesday’s elections, but Republicans may have picked up one seat to give the GOP minority a say over borrowing.

Legis. Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai) had a one-vote lead over GOP challenger Steven Tricarico of Wading River in the sixth district, according to the unofficial election results from the Suffolk County Board of Elections—making the race too close to call until absentee and other paper ballots are counted.

Democrats currently have a 12-6 supermajority that allows them to pass bonding without seeking support from the Republican minority, but if Tricarico unseats Anker, the majority needs at least one GOP lawmaker’s vote, putting a check on the power of...| read more ››

Suffolk County incumbents win big on Election Day

Nov
4
2015

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...| read more ››

Tom Downey, former LI congressman, to retire from lobbying

Oct
31
2015

Former Rep. Tom Downey, onetime wunderkind of Suffolk politics whose 18 years in Congress began in the Democratic tidal wave after Watergate, is about to retire from his second career as a powerhouse Washington lobbyist.

The formal announcement came in a release last week in which Downey, 66, disclosed he would "close operations" of the firm he founded in 1993 to now pursue opportunities as an unpaid advocate. His longtime partner, former House Republican colleague Ray McGrath of New York, will carry on alone.

What made Downey's electoral career extraordinary for local Democrats is that he is a line of demarcation from a time when Republicans dominated Long Island's electoral landscape to the current era, where Democrats across the Island...| read more ››

Times Huntington & Northports Endorses Doc Spencer

Oct
30
2015

Just what the Doc ordered for Suffolk County Legislature

William “Doc” Spencer just might have the right prescription for Suffolk County.

He’s going for his third term as legislator, and he is the right man for the job. Elected officials and candidates for office often speak in generalities, able to identify issues in their communities but unable to come up with solutions. But in an interview with this newspaper, Spencer (D-Centerport) shared specific ideas for solving neighborhood problems, such as putting pressure on pharmaceutical companies to support local anti-drug programs; bridging the social gap between the police and Huntington Station residents by bringing in more minority officers and increasing the number who are bilingual; and using community programs to engage...| read more ››