Featured Story

Riverhead GOP picks its slate for November’s town election

The Riverhead Republican Committee on Monday nominated political newcomer Yvette Aguiar to run for supervisor and incumbent Tim Hubbard and challenger Frank Beyrodt for council. 

Meanwhile, Councilman Jim Wooten, who can’t run for re-election due to term limits, and who last week said he had screened for supervisor and assessor, opted not to run for anything. He is throwing his support behind the Republican slate.

Ms. Aguiar, who lives in Riverhead, currently works at American Military University as a professor in Global studies and Security Managment, working remotely.

She is a retired New York City Police officer, working in counterterrorism for 20 years, and attaining the ranks of detective and supervisor at various elite units, according to a résumé she provided.

She has a doctorate in business administration, specializing in homeland security at Northcentral University, and a masters degree in public management, specializing in criminal justice. She is a licensed New York State Real Estate agent, and she has numerous Homeland Security training certificates, according to her résumé.

“I have the credentials in business, I have the credentials in management and I have the credentials in real estate,” she said Monday. “I have the leadership skills needed to move our town forward.”

Mr. Hubbard said “this may be one of the better tickets” the Republicans have run.

“It’s a strong ticket and I think it’s going to have to be a strong ticket because the Democrats are marching in the street,” he said.

Mr. Beyrodt, who lost to Councilwoman Catherine Kent in a close race two years ago, said “community is everything to me.”

He is a third-generation member of the DeLea family, a former president of the Long Island Farm Bureau, and a member of the board on Island Harvest and Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Incumbent assessor Paul Leszczynski decided not to seek re-election after 19 years in office. The committee nominated Meredith Lipinsky to run for Mr. Leszczynski’s assessor seat along with incumbent Mason Haas, who has held office for 12 years.

Ms. Lipinsky said Mr. Haas asked her to run. She has 18 years as a real estate title examiner and is “already partially trained” for the job as assessor.

Other Republican incumbents who are running for re-election this year are Justice Lori Hulse and Tax Receiver Laurie Zaneski.

Mr. Wooten said his daughter grew up “only knowing daddy as a councilman.”

He said he will always be a Republican and will always believe in the principals of less government and less intrusion.

The Riverhead Democratic Committee is expected to choose its candidates Tuesday. Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith and Town Clerk Diane Wilhelm are the only incumbent Democrats up for re-election.

Caption: from left, Councilwman Jodi Giglio, Supervisor candidate Yvette Aguiar, Council candidates Tim Hubbard and Frank Beyrodt, Assessor candidate Meredith Lipinski, Justice Lori Hulse and tax receiver Laurie Zaneski at Monday’s Convention.

[email protected]