Halpin, Rothwell debate taxes, hot-topic issues at first forum for Riverhead supervisor

Riverhead Supervisor Jerry Halpin and Councilman Ken Rothwell found common ground on farmland preservation and a townwide property reassessment at the first meet-the-candidates forum Thursday, but differed on taxes, EPCAL and waste management.

The Greater Calverton and Wading River civic associations held the first of three forums between the incumbent and challenger on Thursday evening, where they answered pre-submitted questions about town issues and their priorities for Riverhead’s future. 

Toqui Terchun, president of the Greater Calverton Civic Association, posed several questions from residents to the two supervisor candidates, covering issues such as needed renovations to town justice court, tax overrides, the Riverhead IDA, waste management, preserving the Sound Avenue rural corridor, the future of EPCAL, addressing last year’s Crown Recycling Facility fire aftermath, ICE activity in Riverhead and climate resilience. 

Mr. Halpin, a longtime pastor, stunned the electorate last November by unseating Republican incumbent Tim Hubbard by just 37 votes. He is running again this year because the state’s Even-Year Election Law made the 2025 supervisor term one year.

Mr. Rothwell, a Republican, easily won reelection to the Town Board last November. Should he fail to win the supervisor race, Mr. Rothwell will remain on the board.

On fiscal priorities

After introductions, candidates tackled the first question on whether the town is spending beyond its yearly income — and in order to stay under the tax cap, what recurring costs need to be cut and revenues added. 

Mr. Rothwell pointed to Mr. Halpin’s 2027 tentative budget, which does not pierce the tax cap and proposes a 2.79% tax-levy increase for next year. 

At the Thursday morning work session before the forum, the councilman introduced six amendments to the 2027 preliminary budget, including one that would lower the proposed increase from 2.79% to 1.79%. Mr. Rothwell said the proposal would use $4.8 million in investment returns for one-time transfers to fund items such as building department digitization and highway equipment.

In terms of growing revenue, Mr. Rothwell supports improving the town’s building permit processing, focusing on digitization and attracting high-tech, high-paying jobs to the EPCAL site to secure a strong tax base. His commitment is to not exceed the tax cap if elected as supervisor. 

A group of six bipartisan Suffolk town supervisors, including Mr. Halpin, recently signed a joint letter urging Governor Kathy Hochul to loosen the state’s 2% tax cap formula. Mr. Rothwell criticized the supervisor’s involvement, claiming Mr. Halpin is interested in raising this state property tax limit. 

Mr. Halpin defended signing the letter, saying the action was meant to “sound the alarm” about solid-waste issues — not raise taxes beyond the state cap. 

“We have a real issue coming down the pike on Long Island when Brookhaven dump closes, we have an issue of what we’re going to do with the ash that they burn to create power for us, that’s our solid waste,” Mr. Halpin said, referring to the anticipated 2028 landfill closure. “I do not want to pierce the tax cap, I believe boundaries are what you’re supposed to stay within, and I proved that.” 

On property reassessments 

Both candidates were on the same page when it comes to launching a townwide property reassessment, which Riverhead has not done since 1980. 

Mr. Halpin supports a townwide reassessment, despite its potential multi-million dollar cost, noting it would help balance tax burdens fairly. He also is for conducting hamlet studies down somewhere down the line. 

“It doesn’t necessarily change how much we bring in taxes, but it balances out who’s paying and where they’re paying, and that’s what we want,” Mr. Halpin said. “We want to make sure that there’s a balance throughout our town.”

Mr. Rothwell cited his experience with Southampton’s reassessment and how the process helped shift the tax burden from residents to commercial establishments.

“People always say, ‘a reassessment on a town is like political suicide,’ but I’m never afraid to take bold steps and actions,” the councilman said. “ What it achieves is ultimately fairness between residents and commercial establishments, and developments.”

On Riverhead IDA oversight 

With Riverhead’s Industrial Development Agency in the spotlight recently, the candidates answered a question on whether the IDA needs stronger oversight and limits on developer tax incentives. 

Both candidates acknowledged there is a vacancy on the five-member Riverhead IDA board that needs to be filled. However, the two elected officials took different positions on the agency’s function. 

Mr. Rothwell defended having a local IDA, arguing that otherwise projects could go to the Suffolk County  IDA, which is disconnected from Riverhead. While the work of the Riverhead IDA does bring industry to the town, the councilman believes boundaries should be set. 

“At least the Riverhead IDA members live here in the town, and they’re residents of town, so they see the same impacts that we do,” Mr. Rothwell said. “I think the length of them needs to be limited, and I think there does need to be a cap on actually how much we’re giving out.” 

Calling for a state-level reform of IDAs, Mr. Halpin said while local IDA members operate within the rules they are given, he argued that incentives should more clearly support industry and should not reduce benefits or funding for area fire departments.

“Personally, I struggle with the idea of IDA benefits for apartments,” Mr. Halpin said. “I also don’t think it should be written into a contract as a precursor for something coming down the road.” 

On waste disposal, landfills and Crown Recycling 

The major fire that broke out at the Crown Recycling facility in Calverton last year sparked concerns about the impact to the water and air quality in the area. With unanswered questions remaining, Ms. Tercun asked if there has been any follow up with the involved agencies and how the town plans to prevent a similar incident from happening again.  

Mr. Rothwell, who was on the scene as a volunteer firefighter and EMT, said he and the town attorney formed a task force to bring the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Suffolk County Health Department and other agencies to the table to discuss what was on site, what permits were in place, and any violations that needed to be addressed. 

“The renovations that have taken place, any infrastructure, they have followed the regulations, they paid their fines, Crown did reimburse our fire departments for equipment that was utilized during the fire,” he said. “That doesn’t address the environmental concerns for the long term and how that property develops.” 

Mr. Halpin said the site is under consistent monitoring and that, as of Thursday, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department and DEC representatives visited the site. He stressed accountability is necessary and noted the town’s efforts to strengthen its hazmat and fire-response capacity, including by adding a fire marshal.

“We don’t want them to get away with it, we don’t want them to rebuild poorly, and we want to make sure that they’re held accountable,” the incumbent said. “It’s going to be harder to ask for forgiveness in our town, than it is permission.” 

Waste came up frequently during the forum, with Mr. Halpin focused on how to reduce the amount of waste the town sends for disposal and prepare for the closure of Long Island’s last landfill. He wants to work with his fellow town board members to expand food-scrap collection and composting, including outreach to schools and hospitals, and textile recycling. 

On his rail service expansion to EPCAL, Mr. Halpin said he would not bring ash or trash onto the rail system. Mr. Rothwell is adamantly opposed to the rail spur idea, as he believes it could bring more traffic or turn EPCAL into a “receiving point of the East End garbage.” 

Mr, Rothwell said Riverhead needs to rethink its recycling system and advocated exploring the idea of using a waste-to-energy alternative, such as teaming up with Reworld. Separately, he floated the idea of repurposing the Youngs Avenue site into an ecology and horticulture area. 

On other town issues

Both candidates shared similar stances on farmland preservation, specifically protecting the agricultural views and open space on Sound Avenue.

On upticks of ICE activity in Riverhead, Mr. Halpin clarified reports about enforcement activity, saying some incidents attributed to Riverhead occurred elsewhere. He did not say if he supports a response plan like the one established in Southold. Mr. Rothwell said Riverhead Town does not direct federal ICE activity and the police department does not participate in ICE actions. He supports ICE removing individuals with felony warrants.

Aligning on climate resiliency, both acknowledged residents and business owners’ serious concerns about flooding and storm damage. Mr. Halpin pointed to existing climate-smart work and flood mitigation efforts in place, while Mr. Rothwell highlighted emergency readiness and the need for an emergency master plan. He mentioned the proposed brush fire-response staging area at Veterans Memorial Park where the plan is to install multiple fire hydrants.

In response to a question as to why a new town courthouse has not been prioritized, Mr. Halpin said he hopes to have a plan in motion in 2027. He is considering either renovating or expanding facilities, and exploring the idea of a shared courthouse with Suffolk County. Mr. Rothwell said the town approved a $6 million bond to restore the old town hall. In order to determine the most cost-effective solution, he feels the town should compare that option with expanding the current town hall and potentially using proceeds from selling the old building.

The two candidates are scheduled to meet at another forum on Saturday at the Jamesport Meeting House. A third and final face-off is slated for Riverhead next week.