Town board candidates will face off in a debate at the Jamesport Meeting House Thursday night.
The debate, which is hosted by the Jamesport-South Jamesport Civic Association, will be open to all candidates for the Riverhead Town Board. Another debate next Wednesday will be held for candidates for town supervisor and town justice.
Candidates are vying for two seats on the town board – one which will be vacated by Councilman George Gabrielsen, who is not seeking reelection, and the other which currently belongs to Councilman James Wooten, whose term ends this year.
Wooten and Tim Hubbard won the Republican town council primary September 10, beating out Bob Peeker, who, along with Hubbard, was the Riverhead Republican Committee’s pick over Wooten at their nominating convention in May.
The Democratic candidates for town board, who were not challenged with a primary, are Neil Krupnick, president of the Northville Beach Civic Association, and Laura Jens Smith, a Laurel resident who is also member of the Mattituck School Board.
The debate for town board candidates will be held at the Jamesport Meeting House at 7 p.m. Thursday, and will also give candidates for assessor, tax receiver and town clerk an opportunity to speak.
The civic association’s second debate next Wednesday will be held for candidates for town supervisor and town justice.
The race for town supervisor this year will be a three-way race, after Councilwoman Jodi Giglio beat out incumbent Sean Walter in the Republican primary for town supervisor in a narrow, 41-vote victory. Walter still plans to run on the Conservative Party line.
Democratic candidate Anthony Coates was not challenged with a primary for his party’s nomination.
Town Justice candidates will also face off next Wednesday. Republican candidate Lori Hulse – who beat out Robert Kozakiewicz, the party committee’s choice, in this month’s primary – will face off against Democratic candidate Jeanmarie Costello.
The debate next Wednesday for town supervisor and town justice will be held at 7 p.m., also at the Jamesport Meeting House.
Refreshments will be served and residents will have a chance to meet the candidates at both debates.
The Riverhead News-Review is also hosting candidate debates at Polish Hall on October 19 at 7 p.m. A candidates forum hosted by Calverton and Wading River civic associations will be held at Riley Avenue Elementary School on October 14 at 7 p.m.
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