After a heated three-way primary to run for an open Southold Town justice seat in the November election, the voters have spoken.
According to unofficial results by the Suffolk County Board of Elections, Mattituck attorney Bill Goggins won on the Republican and Conservative lines, with Eileen Powers taking the Independence line by a single vote, before absentee ballots were tallied.
GOP committee chair Peter McGreevy said Powers called Goggins to concede the Republican and Conservative races.
“Bill and Eileen both ran very strong campaigns, after which the voters decided their preferred candidate.
We look forward to November, and know that Bill Goggins will be an asset to our town’s justice court,” McGreevy told SoutholdLOCAL last night.
There are 175 absentee votes still to be counted townwide.
Of those, 85 have been received by the Suffolk County Board of Elections as of today, 87 are outstanding and three were disqualified.
So far, Goggins garnered 526 votes to Eileen Powers’ 390 on the Republican line, with nine write-in votes.
On the Conservative line, Goggins has so far received 38 votes, Powers, 25, and Brian Hughes, the Democratic candidate for town justice, 9.
On the Independence line, Powers came out ahead with 25, while Goggins receiving 24 and Hughes, 13.
“I feel good,” Goggins said, after the primary. “We put a lot of effort into it and a lot of people came out to support us, so we’re really happy. We feel blessed. It’s humbling.”
Goggins said the wait continues until the absentee votes are counted.
“Hopefully, we won all three lines. That was our goal,” he said.
The outpouring of support meant a great deal, Goggins said. “I litigate, and it’s tough. You don’t always make friends when you go through a trial.”
Some speculated that the numbers at polls were lower than usual on primary day, due to the deluge of rain that left the North Fork with downed limbs and lines, power outages, and heavy flooding.
Goggins was nominated by the GOP as their candidate for the November election.
In June local attorney Eileen Powers announced that she would wage a primary for the town justice seat on the GOP, Conservative and Independence lines.
Hughes received the support of the Dems as their candidate in the November race.
Powers did not immediately return a call for comment after the primary election.
Hughes said he would wait until all the votes are in before commenting.
The candidates are running for the position currently held by Justice Rudy Bruer, who will retire this year.
