Southold Democrats met behind closed doors last night in Cutchogue last night to designate their slate of candidates for town offices in this year’s local election.
The Democratic committee chose Mary Eisenstein and Debbie O’Kane for town board, Elizabeth Smith and Derek Bossen for trustees, Damon Rallis for assessor and Gene Wesnofske for highway superintendent.
Eisenstein ran for town board in 2013, when she placed third in a four-way race for two council sets, coming within 600 votes of Republican Bob Ghosio, who is seeking re-election in November.
She is a founder and president of the Mattituck Laurel Civic Association and says her experience as MLCA president has given her skills she’d like to take to the town board.
“I have been working with the civic association, building it, developing it for the past almost three years,” she said. “I’ve learned the nuances of our community, the shared values, the diverse background,” Eisenstein said last night.
“I’ve demonstrated the leadership to bring people together, inform and educate and I’d like to take those skills to the town board level because we live in such a unique place,” she said. “We want to make sure that we bring the best and the brightest thinking about all the ways that we can maintain our rural character and build for strategic growth.”
O’Kane, a local activist, ran for town board in 2015. She said last night she is running out of a desire to be a leader in government.
“I feel like I’ve got lots of experience as an activist, being an educator and I want to put all of those skills to good use being a decision maker in town,” O’Kane said. “I’ve got lots of experience with different organizations, managing them, doing budgets, just being a community leader and heading up different organizations and I’m ready to take the leap and be a leader in government now.”
Bossen, a landscape designer, said that his years of working with the trustees as a member of the Conservation Advisory Council has given him valuable skills.
“The experience I’ve had working in this town in the landscaping industry has given me the exposure of working with the trustees for a number of years,” he said. “Being on the Conservation Advisory Council really showed me the inner workings of the trustees.”
Smith, an environmental economist, said, “I am running because I’ve been working for the last two decades in the field of conservation and this is my place and it matters to me. To be able to use my professional expertise and skill set for the place I love, that’s why I’m running.”
Rallis, the Democratic candidate for town supervisor two years ago, says his years of experience working in the building department make him an ideal candidate for assessor.
“I know the ins and outs of town hall and it just seems like the right fit for me. I feel like everything has brought me to this place,” Rallis said. “The things I learned running for supervisor are so invaluable and I think it’s really going to help me this time. I look forward to serving the people of Southold in whatever capacity I can.”
Running for highway superintendent will be Gene Wesnofske. A farmer on the North Fork for 50 years, he said he wants to repair the roads, keep taxes down and keep the highway department under budget. He said that his experience with heavy equipment and plowing and sanding roads works in his favor.
“I’m a guy who can wear two collars, a white collar and a blue collar,” he said.
The committee did not designate a town justice candidate at last night’s convention.
The committee met in a private room at Touch of Venice restaurant. The meeting was closed to the public and the press and reporters were not allowed access to witness the voting or hear any candidates’ speeches. The candidates were presented to reporters after the meeting concluded for a photo op and short interviews.
Correction: Due to an editing error, Gene Wesnofske was incorrectly identified as the candidate for highway superintendent in 2013. That candidate was Wesnofske’s son, Eugene L. Wesnofske III.
