Town supervisor races highlight Long Island elections

Elections across Long Island’s towns and cities this year are highlighted by supervisor races that range from a bare-knuckle brawl to the uncontested.

Voters will go to the polls in 10 of Long Island's 13 towns to choose who will fill the top job of town supervisor. Incumbents face challenges in Babylon, Hempstead, Huntington, North Hempstead, Oyster Bay, Riverhead and Shelter Island. Three races — in East Hampton, Smithtown and Southampton — are uncontested.

The marquee matchup is in Hempstead, where the race has been punctuated by a successful lawsuit brought against the town and many of its elected officials by the Democratic challenger, Joseph Scianablo. He faces Republican Supervisor John Ferretti.

Earlier this month, a state judge ruled that the town and officials violated state Open Meetings Law when then-Town Supervisor Donald X. Clavin Jr. suddenly resigned in August, and Ferretti was sworn in to replace him about 30 minutes later.

Scianablo, in an interview, said, “The very people running our town government violated the law through some backdoor secret dealing in an effort to maintain power.” 

Ferretti, a four-term Nassau County legislator before his appointment to supervisor, did not respond to a request for comment for this story.  After the ruling, town spokesman Brian Devine said, “The Town is pleased that the judge’s decision does not nullify the appointment of Supervisor Ferretti.”

A political newcomer, Scianablo is a former Queens County prosecutor, retired NYPD officer and a Marine combat veteran. He compared the town government to “a club where insiders get the perks and the taxpayers get the bill,” and said he wants to audit the town’s finances and operations.

Ferretti, who formerly served as the chief deputy county clerk in Nassau, has said residents should focus on a $5 million tax cut in the general fund in next year’s budget, the only town levy that affects all property owners. Ferretti's campaign has highlighted his years of government experience.

He said at a recent budget hearing that the tax cut “represents real relief for our residents and puts money directly back into the wallets of every single taxpayer in the Town of Hempstead.”

Under the budget, town spending will increase, as will use of reserves to close budget gaps. The overall town tax levy will remain flat in 2026, compared with a 12.1% increase in 2025.

Scianablo has repeatedly challenged Ferretti to a debate, but so far, one hasn't been held. 

Voters go to the polls Islandwide on Nov. 4, and early voting started statewide on Saturday. 

The key? Turnout

Political consultant Michael Dawidziak, of Bayport, said voter turnout will be key to deciding local races in an odd-year election, and it's unclear how much that voters' feelings about polarizing figures like President Donald Trump and New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani may get Long Islanders to the polls. 

"Most people don't even know there's elections going on," Dawidziak said in an interview.  "I just have no sense how people feel about Trump right now with inflation not going down and all the turmoil ... nor how they feel about Mamdani and ... is that a motivating force for people to come out?"

Dawidziak said turnout "is dependent upon who does a better job, and lately the Republicans have been doing a much better job" of get-out-the-vote efforts. 

Here's a look at other notable supervisor races Islandwide. For details on town council races and others, see Newsday's 2025 Voters Guide.  

Babylon

The supervisor race pits incumbent Rich Schaffer against challenger Douglas Sutherland. Schaffer, a registered Democrat, is seeking reelection to a four-year term on the Democratic and Conservative lines. Sutherland, a registered Republican running on the Republican line, is not actively campaigning.

East Hampton

Incumbent Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, a Democrat, is running uncontested for a two-year  term.

Huntington

Incumbent Supervisor Ed Smyth is seeking reelection to a four-year term for the first time. Smyth, a Republican, said he would continue to be fiscally responsible by managing the town’s finances with frugal spending and focus spending on essentials.

Democratic challenger Cooper Macco, a bankruptcy attorney, said he wants to bring transparency and accountability back to Town Hall while also looking for additional revenue sources for the budget.

Maria Delgado is listed as running for supervisor on the Working Families line.

North Hempstead

Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, a registered Democrat, is running for reelection on the Republican and Conservative party lines. She faces Democratic nominee Dave Kerpen, an entrepreneur who has run multiple companies. Both candidates have discussed reforming the town’s building department and keeping taxes low.

Oyster Bay

Incumbent Supervisor Joseph Saladino, a Republican, faces Sam Sochet, running on the Democratic Party line, for the two-year term. Saladino has opposed the state's approach for high-density housing and said he wants to restore shellfish populations in Oyster Bay. Sochet said he wants to move town board meetings to evenings to increase transparency and provide incentives to developers to build housing for young professionals.

Riverhead

Pastor Jerry Halpin is challenging incumbent Republican Supervisor Tim Hubbard for the town’s top job. Halpin is not enrolled in a party but is running on the Democratic line. He said rising taxes burden residents and has vowed to create a stable budget and rescind raises for elected officials. Hubbard, a retired detective, said piercing the tax cap is inevitable due to state-controlled employee costs, including health care premiums and pensions. The term is two years. 

Shelter Island

Councilman Gordon Gooding is challenging Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams for her seat. Gooding, a Democrat, won a special election last year to fill a vacancy on the town board. The two faced off in the 2023 supervisor race, when Brach-Williams, a registered Republican, won with 51% of the vote. The term is two years. 

Smithtown

Ed Wehrheim is running unopposed on the Republican line for his third four-year term as town supervisor. While the Democrats are not running a candidate, they are encouraging a write-in campaign in favor of Suffolk County Legis. Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga).

Southampton

Incumbent Town Supervisor Maria Moore, a Democrat, is running uncontested for another two-year term. 

Mayoral race in Glen Cove

In the city of Glen Cove, Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck, a Republican, is seeking a third term and is running against longtime Democratic Councilwoman Marsha Silverman. Glen Cove has seesawed between Republican and Democratic control for more than a decade.

Silverman has sparred with Panzenbeck on transparency, including over city employee raises which the councilwoman feels are handed out arbitrarily and without adequate oversight.

Panzenbeck said the city has improved financially under her watch, while Silverman, who has decades of experience in financial budgeting, has raised concerns over the revenues the city has relied on to balance its finances.