Unofficial but “certified results” from the Suffolk County Board of Elections put Halpin ahead by 37 votes, according to Town Democratic Committee Chairperson Laura Jens-Smith.
Those numbers show Democratic challenger Jerry Halpin with 3,956 votes to incumbent Supervisor Tim Hubbard’s 3,919 votes, according to a summary Jens-Smith provided to RiverheadLOCAL.
Suffolk County Republican Party Chairman Jesse Garcia confirmed this afternoon that the numbers provided by Jens-Smith are accurate.
However, because the margin of victory is less than 0.5%, state law requires a manual recount. The Suffolk County Board of Elections posted a notice on its website stating that the mandatory manual recount will take place on Monday at 10 a.m., The website did not have the updated election results posted as of publication of this article.
On election night, unofficial results showed Halpin ahead 3,891 to 3,870 (50.23% to 49.77%.) Those results did not count absentee ballots and military ballots that arrived after Election Day or any affidavit (provisional) ballots cast at the polls on Election Day. A total of 113 votes have been added to the Election Day tally, with 65 of them going to Halpin, expanding his lead from 21 to 37 votes.
“I am truly honored that the voters of Riverhead have entrusted me to serve our community. It is with deep humility and gratitude that I step into the role of Riverhead Town Supervisor-Elect,” Halpin said in a written statement.
Hubbard declined comment at this time. “Although the results may still be the same, I will wait until the mandatory recount is completed before making a statement,” Hubbard said in a text message.
In the four-way race for two town council seats, which saw both incumbents win re-election, the gap between the third place and second place candidates narrowed slightly.
The updated council candidate results are:
Bob Kern 3,958
Ken Rothwell 3,882
Mark Woolley 3,824
Kevin Shea 3,515
On election night, Woolley trailed Rothwell by 74 votes. In the count released today, the trails by 58,
“Riverhead’s future depends on all of us —working together as neighbors and taxpayers, regardless of party—to ensure our community continues to grow stronger and brighter than ever,” Halpin said in the statement.
“My administration will begin outreach immediately to community partners, civic groups, and local businesses to build a collaborative transition plan,” he said.
“This victory reflects the community’s desire for transparent, responsible, and forward-looking leadership,” the Riverhead Town Democratic Committee said in a press release declaring victory.
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