Riverhead school district taxpayers pass budget, elect Meyer-Dorr-Zuhoski team

(Updated- May 17 6 a.m.) Riverhead taxpayers on Tuesday approved a $136,388,547 operating budget for the 2017-2018 academic year and elected Chris Dorr, Greg Meyer and Therese Zuhoski to the Riverhead school board.

The budget was approved by a vote of 1419 to 961. 

Voters also approved the establishment of a $7.5 million repair reserve fund by a vote of 1526 to 828.

Tallies in the five-way race for three trustee seats were as follows:

Therese Zuhoski- 1,695
Christopher Dorr- 1,559
Greg Meyer-1,487
Yolanda Thompson- 801
Greg Fischer- 727

There were 114 absentee ballots which are not reflected in the tallies announced Tuesday night.

Zuhoski, the mother of four sons who are all Riverhead public school students, and the current president of the Pulaski, middle school and high school PTOs, will fill the board seat vacated by Kimberly Ligon, who did not seek re-election.  

Meyer was re-elected to his fourth term and Dorr to his second full term. Dorr, initially elected in 2013, stood for re-election last year but placed third and thus was seated to fill the unexpired term of former board member Lori Hulse, who had stepped down after her election as town justice.

The three ran as a team and were supported by the Riverhead Central Faculty Association.

“We’re grateful the voters have put their trust in us and welcome Therese to the board,” Meyer said. 

Riverhead Schools Superintendent Nancy Carney thanked district residents for supporting the budget and repair reserve.  It was Carney’s seventh and final election night as superintendent of the Riverhead Central School District. She is retiring in August. During her tenure, proposed budgets — all within the property tax levy limit imposed by state law — have won voter approval each year.