Deegan retains parks post, but just barely

Officially, he was running unopposed to regain the Mattituck Parks District commissioner’s seat he was stripped of in August. Nicholas Deegan did regain a position on the three-member board in Tuesday’s election, but a write-in candidate came close to preventing that.

Mr. Deegan won a one-year term with 164 votes, but that’s only 23  higher than the 141 votes Mike Ryan, who runs a summer beach volleyball program, received as a write-in candidate.

After running unsuccessfully earlier this month as the Democratic candidate for the First Assembly District, Mr. Deegan ends a brief hiatus from the parks board that began when he was declared unable to serve because he failed to take the oath of office after his last election victory in 2010.

This week he was elected to complete his original term and will be up for reelection a year from now.

In the race for the three-year commissioner’s seat that had been held by Charles Zaloom, who did not seek reelection, parks district volunteer Russell Williamson defeated Suffolk County Community College science professor George Lomaga, 166 to 143.

Running without opposition, Shelley Maddaloni was elected parks district treasurer.