Bob Kozakiewicz, longtime town attorney, announces retirement

Longtime Riverhead town attorney Bob Kozakiewicz will be stepping down from that position soon and plans on heading south. 

“I’m looking to leave next year, by the end of January,” he said. “That’ll give the town some time to find another person and help with the transition. After that I’m heading out.” 

Mr. Kozakiewicz has had two stints as town attorney. He first held the position from 1994 to 1998 under then-supervisor Joe Janoski and then Jim Stark. He also held the post from January 2011 to the present. Mr. Kozakiewicz also served two two-year terms as town supervisor from 2000 to 2003. 

He plans to keep his law license and move to South Carolina, he said in an interview. 

The reason for the move? 

“Kids,” he said. “I have three grandchildren and two children in South Carolina, and I also have two grandkids in California.” 

Mr. Kozakiewicz, 64, was born and raised in Riverhead. He said that every time he goes to visit his kids in South Carolina, “I end up finding somebody who has relocated from up north, some of them from close to Riverhead.” 

Riverhead Town has posted an advertisement on its website indicating that the town is looking for a new town attorney. 

“He’s going to be missed; he’s a wealth of information,” said Councilman Tim Hubbard. “You learn so much stuff over the years from him, and he’s always been attached to the town. That’s going to be a lot of lost information that’s going to take his successor a lot of time to accumulate.

“He’s a real gentleman, and he works hard for town because of his love for the town,” Mr. Hubbard continued. “It’s evident in the work he does and it’s evident when you have a conversation with him.”