Democrats Suess, Tillman Sullivan win Southold board, assessor seats

Democrats Alexa Suess and Leah Tillman Sullivan scored victories in their respective Nov. 4 races for Southold Town Board and Assessor, according to unofficial results released late Friday by the Suffolk County Board of Elections.

Ms. Suess, 31, became one of the youngest Town Board members ever elected by gaining 4,529 votes to edge Republican challenger Chris Talbot, who received 4,382, election officials said.

The Greenport native and political newcomer ran her campaign focused on the critical issue of affordable housing and what she called the “missing middle” — middle-income residents priced out of Southold’s soaring real estate market.

“I will dedicate my time to listening, to researching and to being a representative, not just for those who voted for me but for every working-class person on the North Fork,” Ms. Suess said in a Facebook post Friday night. “Everyone who has waited for a bus to go to work, who has juggled three jobs, who has had to move because the rent was just too high. I honor you and will fight for you.”

She will take over the seat vacated by fellow Democrat Greg Doroski, who successfully ran for the 1st District Legislature seat against Republican incumbent Catherine Stark.

“My role on the council is to listen, so first and foremost my job is to listen to community members… and to synthesize that information and to move forward the best way we know how,” Ms. Suess said in a phone interview Monday afternoon.

Ms. Suess’s victory makes the composition of the Town Board 5-1 in favor of Democrats after victories by incumbent Brian Mealy and Fishers Island representative Kate Stevens, over Stephanie Hall, on election night. Republican Nicholas Planamento, vice president of the Zoning Board of Appeals, finished with 4,296 votes, according to the unofficial results.

The winners will join Supervisor Al Krupski and Anne Smith, along with Republican Jill Doherty, when the new term begins in January.

“I do hope that [Brian and Alexa] work hard for this town, as it is small and decisions always have an affect on someone you know,” Mr. Talbot wrote in a statement to The Suffolk Times Monday night. “Thank you to everyone who participated in this election.”

In the assessor race, Ms. Tillman Sullivan knocked off Republican incumbent Charles Sanders with 4,488 votes to his 4,388. She will join Republican Ken Poliwoda, who won the second assessor seat with 4,619 votes and will fill retiring chairman Kevin Webster’s seat. Democrat Dana Forlanza received 4,319 votes.

Ms. Tillman Sullivan, who for eight years has been the marketing director for the Village Cheese Shop on Love Lane in Mattituck, was a senior Congressional aide with Congressman Tim Bishop for a dozen years.

The Mattituck High School graduate and mother of two is the daughter of the late Southold Democratic chair Art Tillman.

“I’m deeply honored to have won the trust of the residents in our community,” Ms. Tillman Sullivan told The Suffolk Times Tuesday afternoon. “Serving as tax assessor is a responsibility I take very seriously and I’m grateful for everyone who supported me in the campaign.”

Mr. Sanders, an Army reservist currently deployed in the Middle East, thanked residents of Southold Town for the opportunity to serve as a Town Trustee for one term and Town Assessor for two terms.

“We are blessed to live in a free and safe community,” he wrote In a letter to The Suffolk Times. “I wish Ken Poliwoda and Leah [Tillman] Sullivan the best success as our future Town Assessors.”

For continued coverage of Southold’s 2025 elections, visit suffolktimes.com.