History is made in Riverhead: Jens-Smith sworn in as first woman town supervisor

Laura Jens-Smith, the first woman to hold the office of town supervisor in the 226-year history of the Town of Riverhead, took the oath of office as its 62nd supervisor this afternoon at Pulaski Street School.

Councilwoman Jodi Giglio and Councilwoman Catherine Kent were also sworn in during ceremonies in the packed Howard Hovey auditorium at the school, along with Highway Superintendent George Woodson and Assessor Laverne Tennenberg.

In brief remarks, Jens-Smith called for unity, cooperation and perseverance. She recalled the words of retired Admiral William McRaven in a 2014 commencement address at the University of Texas at Austin. The 36-year Navy Seal who capped his long and distinguished military career by orchestrating the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, spoke to the graduates about perseverance, Jens-Smith said.

“He described his Navy Seal training, which required a brutal training process,” the supervisor said. “But getting out is easy. All they have to do is ring a bell in the center of the compound — ring that bell and they can go home. They can surrender. They can give up. They can walk away. But what the admiral said was, if you want to change the world, you could never give up,” Jens-Smith said.

“Two years ago I ran for office and while I didn’t succeed then, I didn’t give up either — and today I am proud and grateful to be standing here as the first woman supervisor in our town’s history.”

Adm. McRaven “pointed out that to truly effect change you cannot do it alone,” she said.

“I believe in Riverhead and all of us standing before you today, we all believe in Riverhead. If we truly want to make our town better we all need to help each other and we all need to work together,” the supervisor said. “We need to remember that we will not always be successful and when we are most challenged we must keep moving forward. We all must continue to work hard to be our very best, she said.

“We are all standing here to work together to move Riverhead forward and you can just be sure that we will never ring that bell,” Jens-Smith said.

Jens-Smith, a Democrat, takes office as a member of the minority party on a board that has been all-Republican since 2010. Giglio and Councilman Tim Hubbard both said they look forward to working together with the new supervisor and councilwoman and expressed optimism that board members will work well together regardless of party affiliation. Councilman James Wooten did not attend today’s ceremonies.

“New ideas are always good and change sometimes is good too,” Hubbard said after the ceremonies concluded.

“It’s exciting,” Giglio said. “The town has gotten so far in the eight years I’ve been in office and I’m looking forward to the next four,” she said. “I’m looking forward to working with new people on the board, who have a new set of eyes. Hopefully we’ll all come together and do what’s best for the town.”

Giglio said she feels they are all on the same page. “Good things are coming for the residents of the Town of Riverhead,” she said.

The Rev. Cynthia Liggon, assistant pastor at First Baptist Church of Riverhead, served as master of ceremonies. A color guard from the Riverhead High School NJROTC presented the colors. Members of Riverhead Cub Scout Pack No. 404 and Girl Scout Troop No. 3651 led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance. Riverhead High School student Lauren Anasky sang the National Anthem. The Rev. Mary Cooper of House of Praise Christian Revival Center gave the invocation and Sr. Margaret Smyth of the North Fork Spanish Apostolate gave the benediction. Musical selections were performed by a Riley Avenue Elementary School chorus and The First Baptist Church of Riverhead choir.

The newly constituted town board marks the first time in town history that the Riverhead Town Board will have a female majority. In fact, Giglio, Jens-Smith and Kent are only the seventh, eighth and ninth women ever serve on the Riverhead Town Board.

The first female town board member was Syrena Stackpole, who was elected Riverhead Justice of the Peace in 1931. Stackpole was a member of the town board in her capacity as justice. Until the mid-1970s, the town justice was a member of the town board in Riverhead. Stackpole, Suffolk’s first female lawyer, served one term and chose not to seek re-election.

The Riverhead Town Board remained an all-male bastion for the next 40-odd years, until the election of Jessica Tomlinson in 1975, when the form of town government in Riverhead was switched to “councilmanic” and the town’s justices of the peace were no longer members of the board. Tomlinson was elected to a two-year term in that first councilmanic election. She lost her bid for re-election in 1977.

The board was again men-only until the election of Denise Civiletti in 1987. She, too served one four-year term and chose not to seek re-election. Harriet Gilliam was elected in 1991 and she, too, served just one term.

Riverhead voters elected two women to the town board in 2001, Barbara Blass and Rose Sanders — the first Republican women ever elected to the town board. In 2005, Blass became the first Riverhead councilwoman ever to be re-elected to a second term. Giglio, also a Republican, first elected in 2009 was only the second councilwoman returned to office with her re-election in 2013. She is the first woman ever elected to a third term on the town board.

One last gender detail about 2018: For the first time in Riverhead Town history, there will be more female than male elected officials in town government — six women and five men.

Women have held other elective offices in town government through the years. Town clerks in Riverhead have been women since the election of Helene Block in 1963. Block served until 1977, and was succeeded by Irene Pendzick, who served from 1978 through 1991. Pendzick was followed by Barbara Grattan, who was elected in 1991 and served until 2007. Grattan was succeeded by the current clerk, Diane Wilhelm.

Pendzick was elected receiver of taxes in 1963 and served in that post through 1977, when she was elected town clerk. Dorothy Jermusyk was elected receiver of taxes in 1983. She had been appointed to that post in 1981 after serving 20 years as deputy receiver. Jermusyk was succeeded in 1992 by Diane Stuke, who held that office through 2001, when Maryann Wowak-Heilbrunn was elected. Wowak-Heilbrunn held the office until her resignation in June 2012. Her deputy Laurie Zaneski was appointed to the post and was elected to fill the remainder of Wowak-Heilbrunn’s term that November. She was re-elected to a four-year term in 2015.

Incumbent assessor Laverne Tennenberg was first elected to that post in 1989. As she serves her upcoming four-year term, she will become the longest-serving elected official in modern history. Tennenberg’s 27 years in office to date is matched only by Pendzick’s combined tenure as receiver of taxes and town clerk.

RiverheadLOCAL photos by Denise Civiletti