Two open seats, one candidate for Greenport school board; Oysterponds features area’s only race

There will be two open seats on the board of education but only one person looking to fill them in Greenport next month.

With two seats to be decided, only one person, incumbent Dan Creedon, submitted petitions to run. Incumbent Lisa Murray is stepping down.

After the May 15 election, the school board can either appoint someone to a one-year term, or call a special election for the full three-year term, superintendent Michael Commanda said.

Three candidates will run for two open seats in the Oysterponds Board of Education next month.

Trustees Linda Goldsmith, who has served for 22 years, and Krista de Kerillis, who has been on the board since 2009, will be running for re-election. Oysterponds parent and Orient resident Alison Lyne is also running in this year’s school board election.

There will be no race in Mattituck and Southold, where school board candidates will be running unopposed next month.

Three seats are up in Mattituck, and two current board members and one newcomer are running. Incumbents Laura Jens-Smith and Douglas Cooper have filed petitions to run again. Current board member Jeff Smith has said since last fall that he does not intend to run, but newcomer Sarah Hassildine of Cutchogue has filed a petition to run for his seat.

Southold’s race this spring will also be uncontested. School Board President Paulette Ofrias and board member John Crean submitted the only two petitions for their seats.

The votes are all scheduled for May 15.

Read more about the school board elections in Thursday’s issue of The Suffolk Times.