Doroski leads stunning Election 2025 results
The 2025 election was full of surprises and extremely close races.
Southold Town Board member Greg Doroski pulled off one of the upsets of the night by unseating Republican incumbent Catherine Stark in the 1st District Legislature race.
His replacement on the board could be fellow Democrat Alexa Suess, who held a seemingly insurmountable 81-vote lead over Republican Chris Talbot at midnight in a race that was too close to call.
Incumbent Brian Mealy won another term and Kate Stevens won the Fishers Island seat, making it likely that Jill Doherty will be the lone GOP member on the board.
In the other races, Trustees Liz Gillooly and Eric Sepenoski cruised to repeat victories and were joined by fellow Dem Joe Finora as guardians of the waterways. Democrat Dan Goodwin retained his role as highway superintendent by defeating Greg Schlachter.
Republican Denis Noncarrow will return as Town Clerk, while in the assessors race, only Ken Poliwoda secured a spot, leaving the fate of incumbent Charles Sanders unknown. He trailed Democrat Leah Tillman Sullivan by 30 votes at midnight.
The Suffolk Times will update the remaining races when they are called and have complete coverage online on Wednesday and in Thursday’s print edition.
‘Huge’ win
11:20 p.m.: Suffolk County 1st District Legislator-elect Greg Doroski called his win “huge” in what he called a “Republican-favored district.”
Out of the more than 3,000 doors he knocked on, Mr. Doroski said “there is more that unites us than divides us” among voters.
Turn out the lights
11:17 p.m: TVs are turned off at Republican watch party and Sannino Vineyard clears out.
Doroski pulls upset
11:11 p.m.: Suffolk County Dem chair calls Legislator 1st District race in favor of Greg Doroski with 11,043 votes.
He led Ms. Stark by 890 votest.
The remaining 30 people at the Dems watch party erupted in cheers as his victory was announced.
Pulling away
10:55 p.m.: Alexa Suess is up by 75 votes over Republican Chris Talbot in the race for Town Board, which Kathryn Casey Quigley says is “going to be hard to beat.”
The 50 or so people left at the Dems watch party in Peconic cheer at the news.
Sad farewells
10:50 p.m.: The crowd at Sannino Vineyard is thinning out as Republican candidates who fell short start to head home. Town Board candidate Nicholas Planamento and highway superintendent hopeful Greg Schlachter — who were both trailing in the polls — were giving and receiving hugs, thanking people and wishing them the best.
Doroski on brink
10:39 p.m.: Dems in Southold held off on calling the county legislator race despite Greg Doroski looking to be on the brink of pulling the upset over incumbent Catherine Stark.
“We all want to preserve our open space, we all want to preserve our farmland, our water,” Mr. Doroski said, citing common threads among voters in the 1st District.
As of 10:41 p.m., Mr. Doroski and Ms. Stark were split by 795 votes.
Helping hand
10:36 p.m.: Mattituck resident Danielle Jacobs-Erwin and Peconic resident Andrew Anslemo were part of a group of volunteers who made about 1,400 calls today to encourage people to get out to vote.
Around 4 p.m., Ms. Jacobs-Erwin made a call to 101-year-old woman in Southold who needed help getting to the polls. Mr. Anselmo jumped into action and drove her to the polls at Southold High School.
“We make all these phone calls to get a vote, and when someone wants to vote, you help them,” Mr. Anselmo said.
Too close to call
10:33 p.m.: Kathryn Casey Quigley said Alexa Suess’ bid for Town Board was too close too call. She called her a “powerhouse” as results continue to roll in.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to stand here tonight to potentially be the youngest person elected to Southold Town,” Ms. Suess said.
Finora squeezes through
10:20 p.m.: Trustee candidate Joe Finora makes it a clean sweep for Democrats, winning 17.3%, or 4,342 votes, according to the Board of Elections.
“Our shorelines are in good hands,” said Kathryn Casey Quigley.
In Trustee they trust
10:17 p.m. Dems call Trustee race for incumbent Liz Gillooly with 17.78%, or 4,454 votes, according to the Board of Elections.
“My inbox is open, not just for the people who voted for me,” Ms. Gillooly said.
Noncarrow, Poliwoda boost GOP
10:15 p.m.: Southold GOP declares victories for Denis Noncarrow as town clerk and Ken Poliwoda as assessor.
Mr. Noncarrow unofficially had 5,001 votes — or 58%. Mr. Poliwoda notched 4,334 votes — or 26.2%.
“I have some great friends, we have a great group of people,” Mr. Noncarrow said. “In the end, it means a lot to me.”
“We started early, we gave it our all, and hopefully some of those numbers get a little bit better,” Mr. Poliwoda said of the other races.
Mealy victorious
10:08 p.m.: Dems call race for Democrat Town Board incumbent Brian Mealy, who has 26.7% of the vote, or 4,491, posted by the Suffolk County Board of Elections.
“That’s the heart of our slate: that we care for and love our community,” Mr. Mealy said.
Sep wins again
10:03 p.m.: Dems call race for Trustee incumbent Eric Sepenoski. He has 18.4%, or 4,616, of the votes.
One kid in his class told him this morning, “I hope you win the government today,” Mr. Sepenoski told the crowd to an adoring “awww.”
He said moments like that remind candidates why they work in public service.
Highway man
10:00 p.m.: Dems call race for Democratic incumbent Highway Superintendent Dan Goodwin. Polls favor him with 57.6% of the vote
“The taxpayers in this town really appreciate the changes that we’ve done,” Mr. Goodwin said as he thanked voters for their support.
Stevens in driver’s seat
9:55 p.m.: Kathryn Casey Quigley calls the race for Fishers Island Justice/Town Board in favor of Kate Stevens. The room at the Democratic watch party erupts in cheers. Ms. Stevens has 52.6% of the votes.
“I’m just so excited by the connection I feel here and with the island,” Ms. Stevens said.
Though Fishers Island is not yet reported by the Board of Elections, the site shows seven island votes for Kate Stevens and five for Republican opponent Stephanie Hall.
Early excitement
9:44 p.m.: An excited murmur has come over the crowd at Greenport Harbor Brewing Company as early results roll in.
“This is a promising start,” Kathryn Casey Quigley said of the early results.
9:36 p.m.: Mr. Ganley said early numbers will be heavily Democratic from early voting, and that those in attendance should be prepared for a lopsided beginning.
“The first numbers you see will be scary to everyone. You’ve all been warned. Go back and enjoy, and hopefully we’ll see something soon,” he told the Republican gathering.
Powers to the people
9:34 p.m.: Southold’s first win of the night was announced at the Democratic watch party. Town Justice Eileen Powers, who ran unopposed, was elected after having already served eight years on the bench.
“There were other things on the ballot tonight, like democracy and rule of law,” Ms. Powers said as she celebrated the win with her peers.
Hopeful sign for Dems
9:25 p.m.: The room of more than 100 people at Greenport Harbor Brewing Company burst into applause as Mikey Sherill was announced winner of the New Jersey governor’s race.
“That’s going to set the tone for the evening, right,” said Kathryn Casey Quigley, Southold Democratic Committee chair.
Quigley made the rounds thanking everyone who made the Democratic campaigns possible this year.
Confidence grows
9:13 p.m.: As people get ready for results to start coming in, Republican chairman Peter Ganley feels confident, saying, “We’d rather be us than them.”
He touted the “biggest turnout in a decade,” crediting this year’s GOP slate as one of the strongest the party has ever had.
‘The longest day’
9:08 p.m.: Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski has arrived at the Democrats’ watch party.
“If you’re running for election, today can feel like the longest day of the year,” he said.
Fishers Island energized
9:04 p.m.: Fishers Island Justice/Town Board candidate Kate Stevens, a Democrat, said roughly 130 island residents voted this year. She feels constituents there are energized because, for the first time in 30 years, a candidate other than Republican incumbent Louisa Evans will fill the seat on the Town Board.
Grape expectations
8:34 p.m.: Republican candidates for the various positions have joined some 70 people at Southold GOP’s watch party at Sannino Vineyard in Cutchogue. Vibes are upbeat and positive, but cautious.
Cheers!
8:37 p.m.: Nearly three dozen people have filed into the Southold Democrats’ watch party at Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. in Peconic. According to Southold Democratic Committee secretary Alison Delaney, roughly 125 have RSVP’d for the event.
Let the races begin
Polls close tonight at 9 p.m., but The Suffolk Times will have continued live coverage of the 2025 election before and after the results roll in.
More than 50,000 voters cast early or mail-in ballots for the candidates between Oct. 25 and Nov. 2 out of the 1,129,835 registered voters in Suffolk County, according to the New York State Board of Elections.
There are 18,849 registered voters in Southold Town.
Overall, Democratic voters led the number of ballots cast early with roughly 21,000 turning out. Republicans followed with nearly 17,500, and independents totaled about 10,600, according to officials.
On Southold ballots, voters will elect two Town Board members, a Fishers Island Town Justice who serves as a council member, a county legislator, three Trustees, a town highway superintendent, a town clerk, a town justice and two town assessors.
Six candidates are competing for three seats on the Town Board this year: two at-large Southold council members and one Fishers Island town justice. All positions carry a three-year term through 2028 to match up with the even-year election cycle.
Councilman Brian Mealy, a Democrat, is the only incumbent running for reelection. Councilman Greg Doroski, also a Democrat, is not seeking reelection, and is instead vying for the Suffolk County Legislature 1st District seat currently held by Legislator Catherine Stark of Riverhead.
Mr. Mealy, small business owner Alexa Suess, and Fishers Island Waste Management District commission chair Kate Stevens round out the Democratic ticket for Town Board. Former town councilman Chris Talbot, Zoning Board vice chairman Nicholas Planamento and Fishers Island fire commissioner Stephanie Hall fill out the Republican ticket.
For Trustees, six candidates have their hats in the ring. Democratic incumbents Liz Gillooly and Eric Sepenoski are seeking reelection, while fellow Dem Elizabeth Peeples is not running for another term, leaving her seat open.
On the Democratic line, Shelter Island town engineer Joe Finora joins Ms. Gillooly and Mr. Sepenoski in seeking the three available positions. The Republican ticket features Trustee hopefuls Terri Boyle Romanelli, Nathan Andruski and Pindar Damianos. The elected Trustees would serve a three-year term through 2028 to match up with the even-year election cycle.
Democrat incumbent Highway Superintendent Dan Goodwin and Republican candidate Greg Schlachter will vie for votes to manage Southold’s highway department though 2028.
For Southold Town clerk, Republican incumbent Denis Noncarrow is battling Democrat Abigail Field to serve the three-year term through 2028.
Southold Town tax assessor incumbent Charles Sanders and newcomer Ken Poliwoda are running on the GOP line. Dana Forlenza and Leah Tillman Sullivan are the Democratic candidates. The elected assessors will serve through 2028.
Town Justice Eileen Powers is running unopposed for reelection eight years serving on the bench.
The County Legislator 1st District race between Democrat Southold Town Councilman Greg Doroski and Republican incumbent Catherine Stark could be affected by the results of the Proposition 2 question on East End voters’ ballots. If the proposition passes, the elected legislator would serve a three-year term through 2028. Currently, county legislators serve two-year terms.
There are 18 Suffolk County Legislature seats up for election this year, with 12 Republicans and six Democrats sitting on the Legislature.
For continued coverage of the 2025 election stay tuned at suffolktimes.com.
