Jerry Halpin declares victory in Riverhead supervisor's race after election results are finalized

Democrat Jerry Halpin declared victory in the Riverhead supervisor's race after a final tally put him 37 votes ahead of incumbent Tim Hubbard, though the results will be subject to a manual recount on Monday.

Halpin's lead over Hubbard was 21 after Election Day but widened after absentee and affidavit ballots were counted this week, according to final results from the Suffolk County Board of Elections.

The final results show Halpin hanging onto a 0.46% lead with 3,956, or 50.23%, of the vote compared with Hubbard’s 3,919 votes, or 49.77%. That falls within the state’s criteria for triggering a manual recount if the margin of victory is 20 votes or within 0.5%. John Alberts, the board's Democratic commissioner, said in an email Friday that the results were final.

The recount is set for Monday at 10 a.m. at the Board of Elections' headquarters in Yaphank, according to a notice published on the agency's website.

Riverhead Democrats declared victory in a news release Friday afternoon, saying Halpin would “restore fiscal discipline, strengthen community partnerships and ensure smart, sustainable” planning.

“Riverhead’s future depends on all of us working together as neighbors and taxpayers regardless of party to ensure our community continues to grow stronger and brighter than ever,” Halpin said in a statement. He added that he plans to begin reaching out to civic groups and local businesses to build a transition plan.

Hubbard has not formally conceded the race and declined to attend the recount Monday.

“It’s in the hands of the Board of Elections,” Hubbard said in an interview. “I trust them to do their job … I respect the system, and I’ll respect what the results are when they come out.”

In an interview, Riverhead GOP Chairwoman Tammy Robinkoff said they are patiently awaiting the results of the recount.

“With a race this close, every vote is going to count,” Robinkoff said. “We should not be jumping the gun.”

She too said she has faith in the recount process and will not attend Monday’s proceedings.

Laura Jens-Smith, the town’s Democratic Committee chairwoman, said in an interview that voters were “encouraged” by Halpin’s message. Jens-Smith was the town's most recent Democratic supervisor, serving from 2018-19.

“They’re tired of their taxes being raised year, after year, after year,” Jens-Smith said in an interview. “He’s very committed to the Town of Riverhead and he’ll be able to work with the other councilpeople … to support what the community wants.”

Though Riverhead supervisor terms are two years, the state’s new push for local elections held in even years means this term is truncated to one year and Halpin would be up for reelection in 2026.

Republican Party leaders and candidates banded together to challenge the switch in a federal lawsuit last month, arguing that local issues will be “drowned out” if they coincide with national races, Newsday previously reported.