Doroski shocks Stark to win County Legislature 1st District

Democrat Greg Doroski pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Tuesday’s election, unseating Republican incumbent Catherine Stark in the Suffolk County Legislature 1st District race.

The four-year Southold Town Board member notched 52% of the vote in what he called a “Republican-favored district” and will now represent Southold, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Brookhaven and Southampton.

Mr. Doroski received 11,219 votes, beating Ms. Stark by 908 votes according to the Board of Elections’ unofficial results.

The remaining 30 people at the Democratic watch party at Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. in Peconic erupted in cheers when Southold Democratic Committee chair Kathryn Casey Quigley announced his victory at 11:11 p.m.

Democrats had held off on calling the county legislator race at 10:39 p.m. despite Mr. Doroski appearing on the brink of pulling the upset. As of 10:41 p.m., the two candidates were split by 795 votes. By 11:11 p.m., Mr. Doroski’s lead had grown to 890 votes, prompting the Suffolk County Democratic chair to call the race in his favor.

It capped a strong night for Democrats in the area, as well as nationally, with wins in key races including the New Jersey and Virginia governorships and New York City’s mayor’s race.

Throughout his door knocking-campaign, Mr. Doroski said he found “there is more that unites us than divides us” among voters.

“We all want to preserve our open space; we all want to preserve our farmland, our water,” Mr. Doroski said late Tuesday night, citing common threads among 1st District voters.

Ms. Stark, who was at the Republican watch party in Riverhead, commented Wednesday.

“We have accomplished great things – historical changes that will have longstanding benefits for the East End. Thank you to my family and every supporter who stood by me — our work continues,” she said.

Mr. Doroski’s win coincides with Southold Democrats taking home at least seven other seats Tuesday night between Southold’s Town Board, Trustees, highway superintendent and town justice races.

The room of more than 100 people at Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. burst into applause at 9:25 p.m. when Mikie Sherrill was announced winner of the New Jersey governor’s race.

“That’s going to set the tone for the evening, right,” Ms. Casey Quigley said.

When he takes his seat on the County Legislature next year, Mr. Doroski plans to meet with department heads, commissioners, employees and other legislators to get the lay of the land on the county level before rolling up his sleeves.

Issues at the forefront of his mind are figuring out how to garner more funds from state partners for the working waterfront initiative and seeing how Southold’s deer management protocols could be translated to the district and East End at large, he told The Suffolk Times late Tuesday night.

Mr. Doroski’s term will end in 2028, as Proposition 2 in Suffolk County — to change County Legislator term lengths to four years to coincide with New York’s even-year election cycle — received a 57.4% voter approval rating.

Meanwhile, at the Southold Republican watch party at Sannino Vineyard in Cutchogue, Republican chairman Peter Ganley had expressed confidence earlier in the evening around 9:13 p.m.

“We’d rather be us than them,” Mr. Ganley said, touting the “biggest turnout in a decade” and crediting this year’s GOP slate as one of the strongest the party has ever had.

He warned attendees that early numbers would be heavily Democratic from early voting.

“The first numbers you see will be scary to everyone. You’ve all been warned,” he told the Republican gathering at 9:36 p.m.

By 11:17 p.m., TVs were turned off at the Republican watch party and Sannino Vineyard cleared out.