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Riverhead voters head to the polls on primary day

BARBARAELLEN KOCH PHOTO | (L-R) Ann Cotten-DeGrasse and Angela Devito.
BARBARAELLEN KOCH FILE PHOTO | (L-R) Ann Cotten-DeGrasse and Angela Devito at the Democratic Town Supervisor primary debate at the Suffolk Theater last month.

Voters in Riverhead Town who are registered with the Republican, Democratic or Independence parties will head to the polls today for primary day.

The Riverhead Republican Committee has nominated incumbent Town Council members John Dunleavy of Calverton and Jodi Giglio of Baiting Hollow for re-election. They are being challenged by Anthony Coates of Riverhead in an at-large primary vote for the two nods.

Meanwhile, there’s a Democratic primary for supervisor, as committee nominee Angela DeVito of South Jamesport is being challenged by Ann Cotten DeGrasse of Jamesport, whose name is on the ballot as Ellen A. Cotten DeGrasse.

There’s also a primary for the Independence Party’s nomination for two town council seats, with Mr. Dunleavy and Ms. Giglio in a primary with Bill Bianchi of Riverhead, a former state assemblyman who is a Democratic nominee for council this year.

In addition, there’s a three-way primary for two Riverhead Republican committee seats, involving incumbents Brian Mills and Marty Hartill and challenger Doris Zinna.

Countywide, the Republican, Democratic, Conservative and Independence parties all cross-endorsed the same candidates for district attorney, sheriff and tax receiver, but Republican primary challenges were launched for district attorney and sheriff.

Incumbent District Attorney Thomas Spota is being challenged in the Republican primary by attorney Raymond Perini of Huntington, while incumbent Sheriff Vincent Demarco is being challenged on the Republican line by Samuel Barreto Jr., a Suffolk County police officer from Bohemia. Both Mr. Spota and Mr. DeMarco were first elected on the Democratic line.

South of the Riverhead border, in Southampton Town, which covers parts of the Riverhead school district and Zip code, there is a primary of sorts for the Working Families party nomination for highway superintendent. Incumbent Alex Gregor, who also has the Democratic and Independence lines, will be on the ballot for the primary. His opponent, David Betts, who has the Republican and Conservative lines, is running a write-in campaign for the Working Families line.

Likewise, the primary for the Conservative line in the Southampton supervisor race will be entirely a write-in campaign.

The candidates for that position in the Nov. 5 general election are incumbent Anna Throne-Holst, who has the Democratic, Working Families and Independence lines, and former supervisor Linda Kabot, who has the Republican line.

Not your typical polling spots

The primary election runs from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Polling in the Riverhead area will be at the following locations:

• Election Districts 6 and 9: American  Legion Post 273, Hubbard Avenue.

• ED 4: Cornell Cooperative Extension, Griffing Avenue.

• EDs 8 and 16: George Young Community Center, South Jamesport Avenue, Jamesport.

• ED 11: Glenwood Village recreation center.

• EDs 12 and 22: John Wesley Village community building.

• EDs 14 and 19: Riley Avenue Elementary School.

• ED 3: Riverhead Free Library.

• EDs 2 and 5: Riverhead Fire Department headquarters, Roanoke Avenue.

• EDs 7, 13 and 21: Town Senior Center, Shade Tree Lane, Aquebogue.

• EDs 18 and 20: Wading River Baptist Church, Wading River Manor Road.

• EDs 1, 10, 15 and 17: Wading River Congregational Church community room, North Country Road.

• Polling places in the Flanders and Riverside areas of Southampton Town are the Flanders firehouse for Election Districts 12 and 38 and Phillips Avenue School in Riverside for Election Districts 19 and 41.

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