Two local business owners announce they’re running for town board seat

Two more people have announced their candidacy for Riverhead Town Board — this time on the Republican side.

Robert Hartmann Jr. of Riverhead and William Van Helmond of Jamesport are both newcomers to electoral politics. Both men have been exploring a run for the board and boning up on current local issues and the board’s practices by attending work sessions and meetings for the past year or more.

Hartmann is a Riverhead native who grew up on his family’s farm , where he worked until almost age 30. He is a state-licensed substance abuse counselor and the owner of Mainstream House, which owns and operates nine sober homes in the Town of Riverhead. He lives in downtown Riverhead.

Van Helmond grew up in Patchogue and has lived in Jamesport since 2007. He founded his  landscaping and property management business, WCVH Services, in 1981. His company is located on Main Road in Jamesport.

Hartmann is a member of the Riverhead Lions Club and a board member of the Riverhead Business Improvement District Management Association. He is also on the Riverhead Parking District advisory committee.

Van Helmond, 54,  is a past president of the Hampton Bays Rotary Club, a  past member of the board of the North Fork Chamber of Commerce and a member of the East End Emerald Society, which hosts the Jamesport St. Patrick’s Day Parade.  He is also a member of the Greater Jamesport Civic Association.

“I like to be involved in the community and work to make things better,” Van Helmond said in a phone interview yesterday.

He said he is concerned about accountability in town government and public safety issues. Van Helmond said he likes the idea of  “a Riverhead coliseum” at the Calverton Enterprise Park. “It would be a fantastic tax base and with no residential zoning around it, it would be an ideal location,” he said.

Hartmann, 58, said he’s decided to run “for a multitude of reasons. First and foremost,” he said, “this is my hometown and I care deeply about it. I want to help make it a better place.”

Hartmann said he’d work to eliminate “unsafe, overcrowded housing” and the town’s traffic problems.

“Route 58 is a drag strip. Downtown is a choke point. Maybe there’s need for another bypass,” Hartmann said. “We have to keep up with the times.”

Both men said they are scheduled to meet next week with the town Republican party screening committee.

Riverhead Town Republican chairman Remy Bell said the committee has only screened the incumbents so far: Supervisor Sean Walter, Councilwoman Jodi Giglio and assessor Laverne Tennenberg. There are a half-dozen candidates screening for town board, he said. To date, only incumbent Supervisor Sean Walter has asked to be screened for  town supervisor.

“People can still submit resumes if they want to be considered,” Bell said. “The door is never closed until the convention.” The convention is usually held in May, he said, but a firm date has not been set. This is Bell’s first local election season as party leader.

Riverhead Democrats, meanwhile, are also just starting the screening process, according to Democratic party chairwoman Marjorie Acevedo.

Last night, Democrats screened Laura Jens-Smith, who is looking to run for supervisor, council candidate Catherine Kent, incumbent Highway Superintendent Gio Woodson, and Greg Fischer, Acevedo said.

“I have three other people that have shown an interest for council and we — the screening committee — are talking with them,” Acevedo said.