Election 2015: Meet Your Southold Town Candidates
Tuesday is Election Day nationwide and voters in Southold Town will be asked to choose a supervisor, two council members, two trustees, a town justice and assessor.
Click on the page numbers or links below for a closer look at what’s on the ballot:
Town Supervisor candidates: Damon Rallis and Scott Russell
Town Board candidates: Albie de Kerillis, Jill Doherty, Debra O’Kane and William Ruland
Town Trustee candidates: David Bergen, Glenn Goldsmith, Matthew Kapell and A. Nicholas Krupski
Town Justice candidates: William Goggins and Brian Hughes
Town Assessor candidates: Richard Caggiano and Linda Sledjeski Goldsmith
Town Supervisor, four-year term
Candidates:
Damon Rallis
Hamlet: Mattituck
Occupation: Plans examiner in the Southold Town building department
Party Lines: Democrat, Working Families, Women’s Equality
About him: Mr. Rallis, 41, is a Greenport native who currently lives in Mattituck with his wife and two sons. He noted that he’s a descendant of a founding North Fork family. He is a graduate of Greenport High School and Franklin Pierce University, where he majored in mass communication. He previously worked as a reporter and editor for community newspapers in New Hampshire and on the North Fork. He volunteers as a Scout leader and is an active member of Mattituck Presbyterian Church.
His pitch: A 15-year employee of the Town of Southold, he touts his experience as a plans examiner and code enforcement officer as giving him a strong knowledge in planning, zoning and building issues, as well as both local and state codes. He said his public service career has also given him experience in creating policy and town code.
Mr. Rallis said a priority of his administration would be striking a balance among residents’ quality of life, the needs of the business community and the protection of natural resources. He would call upon fellow board members and department heads to work with him to enforce codes and to apply policies and procedures fairly and equally, he said.
In his words: “I will remain in close contact with town staff, including our police department and Justice Court employees, so that town government not only has a finger on the pulse of our community, but to provide the best possible service to the people of Southold.”
Scott Russell
Hamlet: Cutchogue
Occupation: Town supervisor
Party lines: Republican, Conservative, Independence, Reform
About him: Mr. Russell, 51, is a native North Fork resident and a graduate of Mattituck High School. He holds a degree from George Washington University, which he attended on scholarship. He served briefly as a legal assistant for a law firm in New York City, began his public service career as an aide to former congressman William Carney and later was an elected town assessor for 15 years. He is the father of a son and a daughter.
His pitch: In his 10 years as supervisor, Mr. Russell said Southold Town has managed to contend with an economic crisis by making difficult decisions that have put the town in a sound financial position today. He notes the recent upgrade of the town’s bond rating by Moody’s, which he says is the highest it’s ever been.
Mr. Russell points to action taken on Plum Island and with regard to ground and surface waters, as well as code amendments that have promoted alternative and renewable energy, as reasons he has earned the support of local environmental groups this campaign season. Short-term rentals and deer management are quality-of-life issues he said the Town Board has tackled in his latest term in office in a manner that wasn’t always popular but was in the best interest of the town. He noted that he has been honored twice in the past five years among The Suffolk Times’ People of the Year.
In his words: “The people of Southold have placed their trust and confidence in me in the past and Election Day will determine if I have earned it.”
Town Board, four-year term, two open seats
Candidates:
Albie de Kerillis
Hamlet: East Marion
Occupation: Lab support and fireman on Plum Island
Party lines: Democrat, Working Families
About him: Mr. de Kerillis, 48, graduated from culinary school and served in the U.S. Army before taking on various roles on the North Fork, where he has lived for more than 20 years. He has served on the Orient-East Marion Park District as commissioner, chairman and treasurer and is a volunteer firefighter in Greenport. He lost a 2009 Town Board bid by just 106 votes and also lost a county legislature race in 2013.
His pitch: Mr. De Kerillis cites his military and fire department experience, his history cutting taxes in the Orient-East Marion Park District and his work raising a family on the North Fork as his primary qualifications for a seat as councilman. He has vowed to bring fresh ideas to the table and turn them into solutions. A registered Republican running for public office on the Democratic line, he counts political independence as a hallmark of his campaign. He said he would not succumb to political pressure when making important decisions that could impact quality of life for Southold Town residents.
In his words: “I will work hard to ensure accountability and fiscal responsibility so that tax dollars aren’t wasted or mismanaged.”
Jill Doherty
Hamlet: New Suffolk
Occupation: Town councilwoman; bookkeeper and office manager at Creative Environmental Design in Peconic
Party lines: Republican, Conservative, Independence and Reform
About her: Ms. Doherty, 51, is a longtime Southold Town resident and the mother of a college-age son and daughter. She is seeking a second term on the board after being elected in 2011. Ms. Doherty previously worked as a clerk in Town Hall for 12 years and was elected to two terms on the Board of Trustees, where she had served as president. She is vice president of the Mattituck Fire Department Ladies’ Auxiliary and has served on the Southold Town shellfish advisory and tree committees.
Her pitch: Ms. Doherty said her experience working in Town Hall for nearly 20 years before being elected to her first term on the Town Board prepared her to hit the ground running. She said she uses a “common sense” approach when handling issues and always tries to look at how her decisions will impact the community as a whole, particularly in updating town code.
In her words: “I look at things globally and how it will affect everyone. I balance the property rights of the individual with the rights of the community, while taking the environment into consideration.”
Editor’s Note: Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this profile referred to Ms. Doherty as a lifelong Southold Town resident. She has lived here for more 30 years but grew up elsewhere. We regret the error.
Debra O’Kane
Hamlet: Orient
Occupation: Office administrator at Saundra Perry Physical Therapy
Party lines: Democrat, Working Families, Women’s Equality
About her: Ms. O’Kane, 59, has served as an environmental educator and advocate in Southold Town for nearly 20 years. Beginning in 1996, she served as program coordinator and then as executive director of the North Fork Environmental Council. She is currently president of the North Fork Audubon Society. She has also worked in a variety of full- and part-time jobs in the private sector.
Her pitch: During her time with North Fork Environmental Council she said she helped to spearhead the campaign to enact the Community Preservation Fund, a 2 percent tax on real estate transfers that has raised more than $1 billion for land preservation across the East End. Her experience as executive director of NFEC earned her the respect of local businesses, which awarded her a scholarship to attend the Columbia Business School’s Institute for Not-for-Profit Management’s Leadership Development Program, she said. She has vowed to use her knowledge of environmental issues and her understanding of the struggles business owners face to help guide decisions in Town Hall.
In her words: “We enjoy a very special quality of life here in Southold Town. We love our farmland and our wetlands, our beaches and our open spaces. Southold wouldn’t be Southold without the emphasis on preservation and the many contributions of the environmental community.”
William Ruland
Hamlet: Mattituck
Occupation: Town councilman; farmer
Party lines: Republican, Conservative, Independence, Reform
About him: Mr. Ruland, 67, was first elected to the Southold Town Board in 2007 and currently serves in a dual role as deputy supervisor. He is a lifelong Mattituck resident and graduate of the local high school. He previously served on the Mattituck-Cutchogue Board of Education for 24 years, including 13 as president. A third-generation farmer, he was the Long Island Farm Bureau’s Amherst Davis Memorial Farmer Citizen of the Year in 2002. He and his wife have two grown children and four grandchildren.
His pitch: Mr. Ruland said his lifelong desire to serve his community and his varied experience on the school and town boards have spurred him to seek a third term. He pointed to his experience developing budgets, negotiating labor contracts and overseeing construction of facilities as skills and experience he applies to the job. His work on his family farm and with the board of the Long Island Farm Bureau has also helped him gain an understanding of the agricultural industry and how it has changed on the North Fork, he said. Keeping government small, practicing sound fiscal management and prioritizing needs over wants would be among his goals for a third term.
In his words: “My knowledge, abilities and experience in public service continue to make me extremely qualified to benefit and enhance the lives of the people of Southold Town. My passion to maintain the rural character of the town I have called home for my entire life is unequaled.”
Town Trustee, four-year term, two open seats
Candidates:
David Bergen
Hamlet: Cutchogue
Occupation: Associate dean at Suffolk County Community College; Trustee
Party lines: Republican, Conservative, Independence and Reform
About him: Mr. Bergen, 60, is a longtime North Fork resident. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Miami and a master’s degree from Texas A&M. He has worked for the last 35 years as a college administrator and is currently an associate dean at Suffolk County Community College.
His pitch: Mr. Bergen, a 10-year incumbent, views water quality, the infusion of contaminants, shoaling creek entrances, the build-out of shorelines and the public’s right to access natural resources as the biggest issues facing the Board of Trustees. He touted his work introducing the pump-out boat program to the town and lobbying officials at other levels for dredging permits as among his best accomplishments in his decade of service.
In his words: “The knowledge base, the experience, and the exceptional passion which I possess drives my desire to continue to serve.”
Glenn Goldsmith
Hamlet: Mattituck
Occupation: Operations administrator at Sea Tow Services International
Party lines: Republican, Conservative, Independence and Reform
About him: Mr. Goldsmith, 38, is a lifelong Southold Town resident who has been actively involved in the local marine industry most of his life. He started his career by working 28 years at his family business, Goldsmith’s Boat Shop, and currently also works for Sea Tow. He graduated from Quinnipiac University with a degree in management. A fireman, he lives in Mattituck with his wife and two young sons.
His pitch: Mr. Goldsmith said he hopes to protect the marine environment and quality of life on the North Fork for his children and future generations. He believes he’d bring a unique voice to the board as a local businessman whose livelihood depends on the health and vitality of the marine environment.
In his words: “I make my living in the marine industry as my family has done for over 92 years. I am very familiar with the issues the Trustees face and have practical experience in dealing with those issues.”
Matthew Kapell
Hamlet: Greenport
Occupation: Associate broker, partner at Kapell Real Estate
Party lines: Democrat, Sustainable Southold
About him: Mr. Kapell, 35, is a native North Fork resident. Upon graduation with a psychology degree from Union College in 2002, he began working at his family’s real estate business. He is the son of former Greenport Mayor Dave Kapell.
His pitch: Mr. Kapell said the degradation of local waters, starting with brown tide that wiped out the bay scallops, the lobster die-off, and this year’s massive fish kills, piqued his interest in running for Trustee. He said he aims to restore opportunity for baymen and fishermen in local creeks and bays while balancing this with the rights of residents and property owners. He vowed to “open up bipartisan lines of communication with partners in local, state and federal government.”
In his words: “This approach has been very successful in supporting farming without straining local taxpayers and the time has come to do the same for our marine environment.”
A. Nicholas Krupski
Hamlet: Cutchogue
Occupation: Field operator for Suffolk County Water Authority
Party lines: Democrat, Sustainable Southold
About him: Mr. Krupski, 27, is a lifelong Cutchogue resident. He earned geology and environmental science degrees from SUNY/Cortland and master’s degrees in biology and education from L.I.U. Post. He went to work for Cornell Cooperative’s marine program, working in scallop and habitat restoration in 2008, and later as a dive technician with Coastal Monitoring Associates. He is the son of Legislator Al Krupski.
His pitch: Mr. Krupski stressed the value of the work he has done to improve water quality and marine restoration in his career and how closely it connects to the work of a Trustee. He said the scallop restoration program he worked on has increased the scallop population by 30 times. With CMA, he deployed equipment in the sea floor in highly polluted areas that produced data used in various lawsuits and remediation efforts.
In his words: “As an experienced scientist I feel that I would bring a whole new dynamic to the town.”
Town Justice, four-year term
Candidates:
William Goggins
Hamlet: Mattituck
Occupation: Attorney
Party lines: Republican, Conservative, Independence, Reform
About him: Mr. Goggins, 55, is a 1978 Mattituck High School graduate and an Air Force veteran with degrees from the University of Massachusetts and Bridgeport Law School. He opened a private law practice in Mattituck more than 25 years ago, focusing on criminal defense and also handling matrimonial, real estate and other matters.
Mr. Goggins lost a bid for Town Justice to longtim incumbent William Price in 2013.
His pitch: As an attorney practicing law in various courtrooms across Suffolk County, he says he’s noticed the court in Southold has not updated its administrative functions in more than 20 years. He pointed to the lack of a computer in the courtroom and the backlog of paper files as creating as something to improve on. He also supports moving the Justice Court to its own building. He said his experience handling cases of “abuse and neglect, contract disputes, accident claims, real estate transactions, product liability cases, evictions, criminal defense, insurance claims and real property disputes” make him uniquely qualified for the post. He stressed that as the managing partner of his own firm he has the managing and accounting background for administration of the court.
In his words: “Our town needs an attorney with civil and criminal litigation trial experience and most importantly, our town needs a judge that will be tough on crime.”
Brian Hughes
Hamlet: Southold
Occupation: Attorney
Party lines: Democrat, Sustainable Southold
About him: Mr. Hughes, 66, has a private practice in Southold and more than 30 years’ legal experience. He has degrees from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and St. John’s University School of Law. A former New York City firefighter, he said he began his law career working as both an investigator and prosecutor of government fraud and abuse in New York City. He has also worked as an administrator in government offices within the justice system and acted as assigned counsel for people who could not afford attorney services, he said. Most of Mr. Hughes’ more recent experience has been in the area of criminal defense. He is also the chairman of the Southold Town Board of Ethics.
His pitch: During his campaign Mr. Hughes, a registered blank, has stressed the importance of his political independence, which he has said would make him a fair and effective justice. He believes his experience investigating and prosecuting fraud makes him an ideal candidate following the conviction of a town court clerk on a grand larceny charge earlier this year. He also said his administrative background can be put to use improving the way the court is run. He said he would close his private practice to be a full-time judge. He also supports moving the Justice Court to its own building.
In his words: “My election will go a long way to restoring the needed credibility in our court. My independence and integrity are well known.”
Town Assessor, four-year term
Candidates:
Richard Caggiano
Hamlet: Southold
Occupation: Town assessor
Party lines: Republican, Conservative, Independence, Reform
About him: Mr. Caggiano, 66, began his professional career as a public school teacher before transitioning into the corporate world, eventually opening an insurance office in Southold. He was first elected assessor in a 2013 special election and is now seeking his first full four-year term. He has served in various capacities in local government holding appointed or committee posts with the Village of Greenport, the Suffolk County Parks Department and the comptroller’s office, primarily serving as a budget specialist and financial analyst. He also previously served on the Southold Board of Education. He is the father of three grown children and has lived with his wife in Southold for 30 years.
His pitch: Mr. Caggiano said his two years of experience and his ability to work well with the town’s other two more experienced assessors makes him a qualified candidate for the post. He said his other government experience has also trained him well to understand how government works. His ability to work well with the people in the community is also a strength, he said.
In his words: “Assessors are administrators, not legislators. We do not make the laws and regulations; that is the role of New York State. Our job is to implement them.”
Linda Sledjeski Goldsmith
Hamlet: East Marion
Occupation: Retired
Party lines: Democrat, Working Families
About her: Ms. Goldsmith, 65, is a native North Fork resident with more than 40 years of public service experience. Most notably, she has served on the Oysterponds Board of Education for 26 years. She is also a past Orient-East Marion Park District commissioner, a member and past vice president of Oysterponds Community Activities, and was elected to the East End Health Plan for seven years, where she served as chairwoman of the appeals committee and secretary, among many other volunteer roles. She owned, with her husband, a building business for 37 years. She has two adult children and two grandchildren living in Southold Town, she said.
Her pitch: Ms. Goldsmith said that since her days as a young child on the North Fork she knew she wanted to one day serve as an elected town official. She says that now is the time. Her experience managing multimillion-dollar budgets in her community service roles has prepared her for this role, she said. She’d also like to see less public reliance on tax reduction services and more interaction with the Board of Assessors.
In her words: “I intend to learn this job and be efficient, fair, and respectful to those whom I serve as I tackle this new challenge. I will not disappoint those who elect me.”