Village election preview: Key races in Centre Island, Bayville and Manorhaven

Mayoral races in three North Shore communities highlight village elections as voters go the polls across Long Island next week.

In Centre Island, the hotly contested mayor's seat is up for grabs as the incumbent faces off against a challenger embroiled in litigation against the village. 

In nearby Bayville, no one is officially running for mayor for the first time in its history, though a cluster of candidates have informally thrown their hats into the ring.

In Manorhaven, the incumbent faces a challenger in a race where development is a focus.

Elsewhere, Brightwaters is guaranteed to have a new mayor — incumbent John Valdini is not running for another two-year term. Deputy Mayor Patrick Fawcett is the sole contender on the ballot to replace Valdini. And in Atlantic Beach, incumbent Mayor Barry M. Frohlinger is running unopposed.

Most of the local elections will be held Tuesday, though in Southampton, voters will go to the polls Friday.

Here's a look at key contested races.

Centre Island

The village, home to about 400 people, is experiencing its second contested race for mayor in as many years.

Mayor Walter Roll, who was appointed to the seat last year after Mayor Lawrence Schmidlapp died, is running to retain the title.

Roll, in an interview, said the position can be intensive and is "an everyday effort" centered on improving efficiency in the village.

The challenger, Ragnar Oelsner, who has a background in finance and real estate development, said he's running to instill "transparency in governance" and improve the village's permitting process. The term is one year.

The village sued Oelsner last year, accusing him of illegally installing shipping containers on his property that were advertised as short-term rentals on Airbnb. Oelsner has denied the allegations. He said the structures are legal and that he has filed for permits to make them permanent. But he said the process of gaining village approval has been slow. 

Trustee seats also are being challenged in Centre Island.

Bayville 

The village, which connects Centre Island to the rest of Nassau County and is home to about 7,000 people, has no one on the ballot for mayor. That means the position will go to the person who receives the most write-in votes.

Mayor Steve Minicozzi decided to not run, citing a desire to spend more time with his family. However, Minicozzi, who was first elected in 2022, said he would accept the job if elected.

Other challengers have emerged, including John Taylor, who ran against Minicozzi in 2022. Taylor, however, publicly endorsed Minicozzi in the election.

Three trustee seats are also open. Two current trustees — Anne Walsh Bleistein and Aimee DiBartolomeo — filed to be on the ballot. A third trustee seat will be decided by write-in votes.

Manorhaven

Mayor John Popeleski faces a challenge from Elan Wolf for a two-year term.

Popeleski was first elected in July 2022. He is running as part of the Manorhaven Forward line. He touted several accomplishments, including upgrades to the village's older infrastructure. He hopes to develop and implement a new comprehensive plan for the village. "The goal is really to keep looking for grant money and keep improving," he said. "And keep Manorhaven moving forward ..."

Wolf is running as part of the New Hope Party ticket. He said the village is suffering from overdevelopment with large-scale projects that could strain public resources. He noted the village's approval last year of a three-story, 49-unit, mixed-use building on Sagamore Hill Drive. He said large-scale proposals such as that one could add to the village's density issues and worsen traffic.

Wolf said his slate is not opposed to development, “but overdevelopment." He added, "we're losing our waterfront." He noted that Manorhaven has lost "that small town feel ... It's actually becoming almost like Queens but more dense.”

Incumbent trustee Monica Ildefonso is seeking reelection alongside Christine Zahn on the Manorhaven Forward line. Harry Farina and Delsy Omara are challenging them on the New Hope party line. The terms are for two years.

Other notable trustee races

Atlantic Beach: Three candidates are seeking two seats. Incumbent Douglas Garczynski and Andrew Bass are running on the For Good Government Party line. Joseph A. Montilli is running on the Atlantic Beach Pride Party line. The terms are for two years. 

Bellport: Three candidates are vying for two seats. Incumbents Nathan C. Rohrmeier and Dan Polner, as well as Jean-Damien Lury, are running. Each seat carries a four-year term. 

Brightwaters: Two positions up for grabs. Incumbents Mary Del Vecchio and William Pitta are seeking reelection, while challenger Thomas Zepf is running to unseat one of them. The top two vote-getters in that race will each serve two-year terms on the village’s five-member board. 

Centre Island: Mayoral candidate Oelsner is joined by a slate of three trustee candidates. Ralph Romano and Linda Marra, part of his slate, are each challenging Mark DeNatale and Carole Gutierrez for two one-year-term seats. Gutierrez's husband, Ted, is a sitting trustee.  

Alex Carciu, who is also on Oelsner's slate, is challenging for one of a pair of trustee seats that come with two-year terms. Andrew Farren and Grace Haggerty both hold those posts and they are both seeking reelection. 

Huntington Bay: Edward O'Brien Carroll is challenging incumbents Luan Doan and Elizabeth Richter for two open trustee seats. The village board includes the mayor and four trustees altogether. The open trustee seats are two-year terms. Starting next year, village officials will begin a process that will change terms of office for mayor and trustees from two to four years. 

Port Jefferson: Randi DeWitt, Bruce Miller and Kathianne Snaden are running for two open trustee seats. Incumbents Xena Ugrinksy and Kyle Hill declined to seek reelection, Village Clerk Sylvia Pirillo said. Trustees serve two-year terms. 

Russell Gardens: Two trustee seats are up for grabs, with candidates Lawrence Chaleff, Robin Sherman and Qingtao Zhou all vying for the four-year terms.

Southampton: Four candidates are running for two seats in an election to be held Friday. Edward Simioni and Leonard Zinnanti, both incumbents, face challenges from Gina Arresta, a former trustee, and Willa Bernstein. There is also a proposition on the ballot on whether to extend the terms of village trustees from two to four years, with the transition beginning in the 2028 cycle.

Ocean Beach mayor reelected

Ocean Beach Mayor James Mallott fended off a challenge from trustee Ian Levine when voters in the small Fire Island village went to the polls June 5. The term is for four years.

Levine will keep his trustee position for the remainder of his term. That seat will be up for election next year.

Incumbent trustees Marco Arment and Dawn Hargraves retained their seats for another four years by defeating challenger Andrew Hemingway.