Mini update on 11/6/2025:
November 4, 2025 General Election Day has passed.
There are only “unofficial” election results in. And, two races are very close. The Town of Riverhead Supervisor’s race is clearly “too close to call” and needs a recount. Though, the Democratic candidate for Supervisor is ahead.
Other notes, especially related to the Candidate Guide:
For Superintendent of Highway, there were at least “44” votes. Usually that number increases with the recanvass and recount.
For the Democratic candidates, thankfully, they got most of their votes on the “Democratic line” and not the made-up line which politicos could see was pandering to fiscal conservatives.
The candidate we endorsed, Kevin Shea, did not win. Though, it was Kevin Shea’s first run. He got respectable numbers. And, he feels like he learned a lot and is ready to either run next time, or support some of the members of his campaign team for a race.
Since we focused on the town race, we had not recommended or endorsed for Suffolk County Legislature, 1st District. Though, in great political news, the Democrat won — Greg Doroski. And, he does seem good.
Interestingly, I was given a Poll Watcher’s certificate by one of the candidates. I went to my polling place, in the morning and in the evening, to check on things and get numbers. The best part was when I heard the write-ins called out from one of the machines. There were two write-ins discovered on the evening tally…
“Rosie O’Donnell” and “Jeffrey Epstein”.
Somebody don’t like Trump.
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Riverhead Town Races
2025 General Election
Candidates Guide
Kimberly Wilder’s suggestion
How can we turn the world towards peace, justice, and progressive values in 2025?
It can feel frustrating to wait until the 2026 midterms in order to register your vote “against MAGA”, “against Republicans”, “against Trump”, and for progressive candidates.
Local elections are one place to wave your flag and demonstrate your values, your wants, and your needs to the political establishment. It is a place to try to vote-in progressive Democrats or progressive independent or third party candidates. You can also use this election to send a direct message to the vote counters with write-in votes.
In our Town of Riverhead, I have done a lot of musing on what is the best way to vote to move our town forward, eschew Republicans, and steer the local Democratic Party towards more progressive values and towards less tolerance for everything MAGA.
Below is my personal Candidate Guide to the 2025 Riverhead Elections:
For Town Supervisor:
Write in the name of a Riverhead resident you admire
(Reasoning: The Republican Party has a stronghold here on the Town Council. We need an alternative. Though, the local Democrats are running someone for Supervisor who is not registered with their party.)
For Town Council (There are two open positions):
** Please vote for Kevin Shea. Kevin Shea is a former firefighter. He is a proponent of social justice and progressive values. **
For the second Town Council spot: Please write-in the name of a Riverhead resident you admire. Please do not waste your vote on the Republican endorsed candidate who is on the ballot, nor the person the Democrats are running — who is not enrolled in the Democratic Party, and who has, in the past, worked for Lee Zeldin and Tom Suozzi.
[A big, giant note on this town-wide election: Someone in the Riverhead Democratic Party milieu had an idea. They collected signatures on another line, in order to give their Democratic party’s chosen candidates another spot on the ballot. Unfortunately, the line that they have run on is “Tax Payers First”. Many people understand “Tax Payer” to be a dog whistle term for people who value white people and landowners above other people in the community. And, the fact that the Democrats want to borrow a word from Trump — “First” — shows the lack of courage our local Democrats have to stand tall and independent, and their reluctance to say out loud the things that matter most about government that truly serves the community. No matter who you vote for in this election, please do not vote for anyone on the “Tax Payers First” line. Voting on that line supports the Democrats’ milquetoast plans to copy Republican schemes.]
For Superintendent of Highways, Town of Riverhead:
Please write-in Jessica Werner. (And, please spread the word, and maybe share her FB page!
J. Werner for Superintendent of Highway
(Sadly, the local Democrats did not put up a candidate in this position. There is only one candidate on the ballot for this position — a Republican.)
For Town Assessor, Town of Riverhead:
Please use this slot on the ballot to write in your hopes and dreams for the world and/or the Riverhead community.
There is only one person, a Republican candidate, on the ballot for this position. Though, writing in another name is even more-impossible-than-usual to allow that person to win the job, since, to do the job of the Town Assessor, a person has to meet certain standards, including passing a test to prove that they can do the calculations. Again, the Democrats did not run someone for this office at all for the Nov 2025 elections.
****Please use the write-in box by the Town Assessor spot to write-in your message to the world! ********
In Riverhead, and across New York State…
Please vote on Tuesday, November 4th, 2025
Please use your vote to send a message to our Riverhead Community; to local, statewide, and national Democrats; to our fellow Americans; and the world. Your vote is power — especially when you take the time to personalize some of it with a write-in vote!!!! A write-in vote is just a miniature protest sign!!!!
Filed under: Action Alert!, News, progressive politics, third party, US Politics, write-in vote | Tagged: a vote for Rosie O'Donnell, Candidates Guide for Riverhead, Candidates Guide for Town of Riverhead, Kevin Shea, Riverhead Superintendent of Highways, Riverhead Town Board, Riverhead Town Council, Riverhead Town Elections, Rosie O'Donnell, Rosie O'Donnell fan, Rosie O'Donnell write-in, Shea for Riverhead, Superintendent of Highways Riverhead | Leave a Comment »
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