With all 22 Riverhead election districts reporting, political newcomer Jerry Halpin leads incumbent Supervisor Tim Hubbard by a razor thin margin in the race for town supervisor.
Halpin leads Hubbard by just 21 votes out of 7,761 votes cast, 3,891 to 3,870, according to unofficial results published by the Suffolk County Board of Elections early this morning.
Halpin’s lead over Hubbard expanded with the tally from the two election districts that were very late in reporting returns last night.
MORE COVERAGE: A nail-biter in Riverhead: Results remain up in the air Tuesday night
In the four-way race for two council seats, incumbents Bob Kern and Ken Rothwell remain the two top vote-getters, even though challenger Mark Woolley came out on top in both of the late-reporting districts.
Kern won 3,907 votes and Rothwell 3,833 votes, according to the unofficial results.
Woolley is 74 votes behind Rothwell, with 3,759.
Challenger Kevin Shea is fourth with 3,452.
The vote tallies include early voting by mail ballots and absentee ballots received by Tuesday.
The results do not include mailed absentee ballots and military ballots postmarked received by the county board of elections after election day. Both types of mailed ballots must be postmarked no later than Nov. 4. Mailed absentee ballots must be received by the county board of elections no later than Nov. 12 and military ballots must be received by the county board of election by Nov. 17.
The official results of the election will not be known for weeks.
In the First Legislative District, Democrat Greg Doroski won an upset victory over Republican incumbent Catherine Stark, 52.09% to 47.88%, 11,219 votes to 10,311 votes, according to the unofficial results.
The other Riverhead Town races on the ballot, for highway superintendent and town assessor, were uncontested.
This was the first run for elective office for Halpin, of Riverhead, a local church pastor. If Halpin’s lead holds, he will become supervisor of a board that remains controlled by Republicans, even if Woolley overcomes Rothwell’s lead in the official tally.
Hubbard is seeking election to his second term as supervisor. He served two four-year terms as council member before his election to the supervisor post in 2023. He did not immediately return a request for comment this morning
“I’m extremely thankful for everyone who made it a priority to vote. I am excited about the current standings and I am patiently optimistic as we wait for a final decision, “ Halpin said this morning.
“I am confident that Jerry will maintain his lead as the results become official,” Riverhead Town Democratic Committee Chairperson Laura Jens-Smith said this morning. She said she is waiting to find out how many absentee and military ballots are outstanding. Registered voters must apply to receive absentee ballots and military ballots. The county board of elections has data on how many of those ballots were sent out but not yet returned.
Riverhead Republican Committee Chairperson Tammy Robinkoff could not immediately be reached for comment.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.
