The town council candidates meet this evening for a lively discussion and debate at RiverheadLOCAL’s offices. The event, which begins at 7 p.m., will be webcast live on this website and on the RiverheadLOCAL Facebook page.
There are two council seats up for election on the Riverhead Town Board. There are five candidates: sod farmer and businessman Frank Beyrodt (R-Riverhead); retired Riverhead police detective Tim Hubbard (R-Aquebogue), who is seeking election to a second term of office; marketing and public relations manager Diane Tucci (D-Riverhead); educator and retired nonprofit director Pat Snyder (D-Riverhead); and business owner William Van Helmond (L-Jamesport).
The top two vote-getters in the at-large election win a four-year term of office. The part-time position comes with an annual salary of $48,955, plus benefits.
Town council members, along with the town supervisor, constitute the town board, the governing board of the town. The town board is the legislative authority of the town. It is responsible for the hiring of employees as necessary to conduct the business of the town. The town board adopts a budget, fixes the salaries of officers and employees and establishes rules of board procedure of the town. The board has numerous other functions provided by state law. See: “Information for Town Officials,” a guide published by the Office of the State Comptroller.
The town supervisor is a voting member of the town board, and chairperson and presiding officer of the board. The supervisor, after town board decisions are made, is responsible for carrying out those decisions. The supervisor is the treasurer of the town and generally represents the
town in the conduct of its financial affairs.
RiverheadLOCAL is hosting a live webcast tomorrow at 7 p.m. of a debate between the two supervisor candidates in this year’s election, Yvette Aguiar (R-Riverhead) and incumbent Laura Jens-Smith (D-Laurel).
The supervisor’s term of office is two years. The full-time position pays a salary of $115,148, plus benefits.
Both debates will be moderated by RiverheadLOCAL editor Denise Civiletti. Questions from the community are welcome. Please use this link to submit questions prior to the debate.
Recordings of both events will be available on this website and on the RiverheadLOCAL Facebook page.
Have questions for the candidates? Submit them here.
Get out and vote
Early voting is already underway in Riverhead. Polls are open this week at the Riverhead Town Senior and Human Resource Center on Shade Tree Lane in Aquebogue (GPS: 60 Shade Tree Lane, Riverhead, NY 11901). The polls are open today from 12 noon to 8 p.m.; tomorrow and Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Friday from 12 noon to 8 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Find your regular polling place using this online tool provided by the New York State Board of Elections.
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