Republican Catherine Stark cruised to victory over Democrat Catherine Kent in the First Legislative District yesterday, garnering 53% of the votes cast to Kent’s 47%, according to unofficial results from the Suffolk County Board of Elections.
Stark, who ran with Conservative Party backing, won 11,769 votes to Kent’s 10,366 votes.
Stark will succeed Democratic County Legislator Al Krupski, who decided not to seek re-election and chose instead to seek election as the Southold Town supervisor. Krupski handily defeated his opponent in the supervisor contest yesterday, winning more than 72% of the votes cast.
Stark worked as Krupski’s chief of staff for his entire 10-year career in the legislature and campaigned on her experience working for constituents of the district and her understanding of the issues, processes and functions of county government. Krupski, known for bipartisan cooperation as an elected official, crossed the aisle to tap Stark as his top aide in 2013.
The legislator-elect said she is looking forward to picking up the mantle in the First LD. First, she said, she will take a post-campaign break to relax and enjoy a visit with her daughter and her family, who live out of state.
“My 4-year-old grandson calls me every day and asks ‘How many days left? How many days?’” Stark said in an interview before Election Day. “That’s really what I’m looking forward to.”
Kent, a former Riverhead Town council member, served one term on the Town Board and then waged an unsuccessful campaign to unseat incumbent Republican Supervisor Yvette Aguiar in 2021.
In the Second Legislative District, Democrat Ann Welker defeated Republican Manuel Vilar Jr. 61.4% to 38.6% in the race to succeed longtime South Fork Legislator Bridget Fleming.
Fleming, who ran for Congress in 2022 and lost to Republican Nick LaLota, decided not to seek re-election to the County Legislature this year.
Republicans retained control of the Suffolk County Legislature, winning 12 of the 18 seats yesterday, and holding on to the same 12-vote majority they won in 2021.
Former Democratic Assembly Member Steve Englebright was elected in the Fifth Legislative District, a vacant seat.
Democrat Rebecca Sanin upset Republican incumbent Manual Esteban Sr in the 16th Legislative District.
Otherwise, all incumbent legislators who sought reelection were returned to office.
Republican Ed Romaine defeated Democrat Dave Calone in the county executive race, 57% to 43%, according to the board of elections’ unofficial vote tally. Romaine, who ran with the endorsement of the Conservative Party, won 158,452 votes to Calone’s 119,052 votes.
Romaine, currently the Brookhaven Town supervisor and a former county legislator representing the First Legislative District, will succeed County Executive Steve Bellone, who was barred by the county’s term-limit law from seeking reelection this year.
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