Halpin, Rothwell make their case for Riverhead supervisor at final forum before Election Day
Jerry Halpin and Ken Rothwell pitched ways to tackle Riverhead’s housing crunch, downtown parking headaches and riverfront flooding last Wednesday in the final of three civic-sponsored forums ahead of the Nov. 3 election for town supervisor.
Mr. Halpin, an independent running on the Democratic line, and Mr. Rothwell, a Republican councilman, responded to questions submitted by residents, explaining their records and plans on issues that also included code enforcement, school district relations and their priorities for the next term.
The Heart of Riverhead Civic Association hosted the question-and-answer session at the Riverhead Free Library – three days before early voting began Saturday
If reelected, Mr. Halpin said he wants to continue the listening tours launched during his first term, advance transit-oriented development and plans for the Enterprise Park at Calverton, and better promote downtown and other Riverhead attractions.
He also plans to add a public relations staff member to Town Hall in 2027 to highlight the town’s work and local businesses.
“We have to continue to see the vision of downtown, which isn’t just that little three block radius, but goes from Polish Town all the way down Griffing Avenue, out to West Main Street,” Mr. Halpin said. “We have some of the most amazing places ever… bringing all of that to the forefront — that’s one of my initiatives in my office next year.”
Mr. Rothwell’s priorities include supporting construction of the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps’ new headquarters, scrutinizing future budgets, securing more grant funding and digitizing the building department to simplify permitting.
“We’re bringing Riverhead into the new age,” Mr. Rothwell said.
On affordable housing
Mr. Rothwell pointed to the town’s request for development proposals at Railroad Plaza as a first step toward creating more affordable housing downtown.
The councilman said Riverhead provides a significant amount of affordable housing stock in comparison to other East End towns, but more needs to be done for seniors who are looking to downsize, veterans and first responders.
He proposes co-ops, town houses and other housing options in the transit-oriented development district to help younger generations stay in Riverhead.
“I want to be able to make sure that my kids can afford a place here and my grandkids, and next generations to come,” Mr. Rothwell said.
For the Railroad Plaza development, Mr. Halpin favors homeownership over rental apartments. He also supports the Riverhead First Baptist Church’s affordable housing project on Northville Turnpike that has been 40 years in the making.
He also wants to revisit Riverhead’s 2% Peconic Bay Region Community Preservation Fund tax, which generally exempts the first $150,000 of the purchase price of a house.
Other East End towns, including Southold, approved an additional 0.5% real estate transfer tax in 2022 to support separate community housing funds. Collections began in April 2023. Riverhead did not opt in.
On downtown parking
With residents describing parking as “the worst it’s ever been” in downtown Riverhead, Mr. Halpin said a future parking structure would need to be supplemented by short-term solutions.
He pointed to additional temporary parking along Heidi Behr Way and discussions about a possible shuttle service to help customers reach businesses.
This summer the town instituted a new two-hour parking limit in two municipal parking lots behind East Main Street along the Peconic riverfront. Mr. Halpin said residents should receive advance notice of any future timed or metered parking enforcement.
“We are a tourist town, we want those businesses to turn over and have that productivity, whether it’s in the street or on the water, we’ve looked at all of those things,” Mr. Halpin said. “We want to make sure that people can access those businesses to the best of their ability.”
Mr. Rothwell opposes paid parking downtown until construction in the area is complete and new spaces are available, so people are not discouraged from visiting Main Street shops.
He acknowledged the disruption expected over the next two years from the Town Square and Peconic River Hotel projects, but said those developments would anchor the lower downtown area and help businesses thrive.
“We’re looking for immediate answers right now as we grow,” Mr. Rothwell said. “We see downtown under construction, we see a lot of projects, and I say be patient with us over the next two years.”
On flooding by the Peconic River
Mr. Rothwell said the town worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on flood mitigation before investing in downtown revitalization projects, including Town Square. He pointed to plans to raise the historic East End Arts buildings.
Although water from the Peconic River could continue flowing over the docking areas and Heidi Behr Way, he said the measures were intended to keep it from reaching the buildings and nearby businesses.
“Their design work is absolutely protecting every business downtown in the future,” the councilman said.
Mr. Halpin agreed that downtown development plans include flood mitigation, but said the town should work with residents and the Army Corps on solutions looking 30 or 40 years ahead. He suggested exploring dredging and other measures to address flooding.
He pointed to the flooding in the parking lot behind Tweeds restaurant during heavy rain as an ongoing concern.
On boosting code enforcement
Both candidates support the town’s expanded code enforcement efforts, including the hiring of two additional officers this year.
Mr. Halpin said the Town Board’s decision to boost its code enforcement department would help address blight and building-code violations proactively. He encouraged residents to report problems affecting their neighborhoods.
“It’s not that we’re telling on someone or getting someone in trouble, but we want to make our neighborhood safe,” Mr. Halpin said.
Mr. Rothwell credited Councilwoman Joann Waski for leading the charge to invest more in code enforcement.
He said the goal was to move from responding to complaints to having officers proactively monitor streets throughout town. He contended that prior administrations had viewed additional officers as too expensive.
Mr. Rothwell said he had checked with the town’s financial administrator and town attorney and maintained that the officers’ enforcement work was covering the cost of employing them.
“By their proactive work, there have been multiple summonses written,” Mr. Rothwell said.
Mr. Rothwell called a question’s premise that the Planning Board fails to enforce the town’s land-use rules “misguided.” He said problems may instead involve developers starting work without required permits or before completing the approval process.
In those cases, he stressed the town can use code enforcement, fire marshals and the town attorney to hold them accountable through fines, summonses or court action.
Mr. Halpin also defended town staff, saying they cannot see every violation and residents should report concerns. Once violations are identified, he said, the town must hold those responsible accountable.
On relations with the school district
Both candidates described longstanding ties to the Riverhead Central School District and expressed support for school resource officers, despite the recent dispute over funding the program.
The town and district have disagreed over how to split those costs after their previous cost-sharing agreement expired over the summer.
Mr. Halpin also discussed future meetings with school officials about internships that would allow students to learn about municipal government.
Mr. Rothwell argued that the school district should assume the program’s full cost this academic year. His objection concerned funding, he said, not the officers themselves.
He described a heated public work session between town and district officials as “poor,” but said he would gladly attend a school board meeting for an open discussion.
“ I am never going to let the SRO program fail,” Mr. Rothwell said.
Mr. Halpin unseated Republican incumbent Tim Hubbard by just 37 votes last November. The longtime pastor is seeking a full, two-year term after a state law moving most local elections to even-numbered years limited his current term to one year.
Mr. Rothwell easily won reelection to the Town Board last November. He will retain his council seat if he loses the supervisor race.
The library event followed earlier forums hosted by the Greater Calverton and Wading River civic associations Oct. 15 and the Greater Jamesport Civic Association Oct. 17.
For more information on the two candidates, see the Riverhead News-Review’s 2026 election coverage.
