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Top Stories 2015: Shakeup on the Greenport Village Board

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An incumbent was defeated, two new trustees were sworn in and a Greenport native following in his father’s footsteps was elected mayor in this year’s Greenport Village Board race.

During the March 18 election, incumbent David Murray and challengers Jack Martilotta, Doug Roberts and Bill Swiskey ran for two open seats. The second seat became available after then-trustee George Hubbard Jr. announced he’d run for mayor, a position once held by his father, George Hubbard Sr.

David Nyce stepped down after serving as mayor for eight years.

“As I said before being elected,” he explained at his last meeting as mayor, “there were three things I promised: I would tell the truth, I would work hard and I would work hard. And I’ve done all three.”

In this year’s race against B Liquor Store owner Zuleyha (Julie) Lillis, Mr. Hubbard won the mayoral seat by a 312-76 vote.

Mr. Martilotta, a National Guardsman who works as a science teacher and football coach at Greenport High School, was the top vote-getter with 243 and appointed to serve as deputy mayor.

His running mate, Mr. Roberts, received 221 votes.

“Rebuilding trust with the people who elect this government is probably the most important thing anybody can do on this board,” the technology consulting business owner said during his campaign.

Mr. Swiskey secured 145 votes. The retired utilities director briefly served as trustee in 2008 and ran unsuccessfully for another term in 2011 and 2013.

Mr. Murray, who had served as trustee since 2011, received the fewest votes in the four-way trustee race with 137.

“I hope they continue doing good things for the village that we started,” he said when asked for comment after the ballots were counted. “I think they will. I hope they can work with the whole group.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Paul Squire