The Riverhead Town Democratic Committee has announced its slate of candidates for local offices in this year’s elections.
The Democrats tapped Angela DeVito of South Jamesport for supervisor, Andrew Leven and Rene Suprina for council, Josephine Makowski of Wading River for clerk and incumbent Justice Lori Hulse of Riverhead.
“Good government makes our lives, our communities better. But in the absence of good leadership, our path forward and the legacy we leave our children gets off track,” DeVito said in the press release. “I see my candidacy as an opportunity to bring responsible and effective leadership back to Town Hall.”
De Vito holds a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and a master of science in public health from the University of Utah. She works with the Suffolk County Department of Labor helping to prepare and place job applicants, according to the release.
An outspoken community activist on a variety of issues, DeVito has served as president of the Jamesport-South Jamesport Civic Association, as a member of the Riverhead Anti-Bias Task Force, the town’s handicapped advisory committee and its animal shelter advisory committee. She is also a past board member of the Riverhead Industrial Development Agency.
De Vito was also elected to two three-year terms on the Riverhead Board of Education, which she also served as president.
DeVito was the Democratic nominee for supervisor in 2013, challenging incumbent Sean Walter and falling short by fewer than 800 votes.
She will run with two newcomers to local electoral politics for the three open seats on the Riverhead Town Board.
Leven is a former career federal prosecutor who specialized in economic and healthcare fraud prosecutions. He is currently defense counsel with a focus on regulatory and securities fraud, serving of counsel to the law firm of Dilworth Paxon.
“This town has the bones of being something really special, but without a government looking to work for its best, the assets will continue to dwindle until there is nothing left of real value,” Leven said in the press release.
Leven earned his Juris Doctor degree at the Syracuse University College of Law, where he was the valedictorian of his class.He served on the Syracuse Law Review as the editor of its Annual Survey of New York Law.
Rene Suprina is a music educator and district music coordinator in the Southold school district, where she has worked for 21 years.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in music from SUNY Potsdam and a master’s degree in fine arts from Stony Brook University. She also holds an advanced certificate in school building/school district leadership from Stony Brook University.
“Having held many leadership positions, I feel my strongest skill is bringing diverse groups together to make unified decisions that benefit all stakeholders,” Suprina said.
Josephine Makowski is a program analyst and software engineer and a longtime IT employee at Suffolk County Community College.
Makowski has a bachelor of science degree in information systems and computer programming from Dowling College.
Her education and career have allowed her to hone her skills in record management, leadership, organization, problem resolution, and efficiency, according to the press release.
“More than just a friendly face, her resume attests to her being uniquely qualified to serve as town clerk,” the release states.
“My family has a long history here and I want what’s best in Riverhead,” Makowski said.
“What I believe is best is a non-partisan leadership team, that will work together, listen to the public and keep them informed. My part will be to make sure that residents get timely information on all matters that involve them,” she said.
Town Justice Lori Hulse, born and raised in Riverhead, has served on the town court bench since 2016. She has implemented many firsts from online not guilty/guilty pleas and parking ticket payments, to starting a night court to create convenient options for the public/ At the onset of COVID, her court became first in the state to conduct virtual arraignments, dispositions and conferences.
“I am proud of having earned the reputation for being consistent and fair,” Hulse said. “I am grateful for the support of the Riverhead Town Democrats and look forward to continuing to serve in town court in the best interests of our community.”
Hulse, a registered Republican, received the Riverhead Republican Committee’s endorsement on Feb. 20.
She served as assistant town attorney in Southold Town for 12 years and before that was a senior trial attorney in the major crime bureau at the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and, for seven years was a prosecutor in the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, where she rose to the position of deputy bureau chief.
Hulse is a former member and past president of the Riverhead school board.
The Democratic Committee chose its slate after “dozens of conversations with those invested in Riverhead and interested in running in this November’s elections,” the committee said in a press release.
The committee decided “not to challenge incumbents who are serving our town well,” according to its press release. It did not select candidates to run against Receiver of Taxes Laurie Zaneski and assessors Dana Brown and Meredith Lipinsky. It also decided to cross-endorse Hulse, who asked to be screened by the Democrats, committee Chairperson Laura Jens-Smith said this morning.
Riverhead Democrats decided to instead focus “only on the positions in need of strong, dedicated candidates who will put Riverhead’s residents and future first,” according to the press release.
“That the current Town Board voted against a public hearing says everything about how critical it is we elect true representatives of our residents,” the committee said in the release.
Democrats, who have not held a majority on the five-member Riverhead Town Board since 1999, have a unique opportunity this year to take the reins of power in Town Hall because there are three open seats on the board for which an incumbent is not seeking re-election.
Supervisor Yvette Aguiar chose not to seek re-election. Council Member Tim Hubbard decided to run for supervisor rather than seek a third four-year term as council member. Council Member Frank Beyrodt, who has served one term on the board, also decided not run for re-election.
Hubbard has the Republican committee’s designation for supervisor. The Republicans tapped Joann Waski and Denise Merrifield for council and former Council Member James Wooten for town clerk.
Correction: This article has been changed post-publication to correct the date of the Riverhead Republican Committee meeting at which the committee designated its slate.
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