Republican voters in the 1st District chose Catherine Stark by a wide margin to be their candidate in the November election for the Suffolk legislature. The endorsed candidate of the Republican Party, she brushed back a challenge by Greg Williams, 1,350-810, and will go on to face Catherine Kent.
A long-time aide to Legislator Al Krupski, Stark hopes to ascend to his seat as he moves on to run for Southold Town supervisor. The Riverhead resident said she will stick to the platform she espoused in the primary including farmland and open space preservation, wastewater management, traffic control, and public safety. “It will be the summer of chicken barbecues,” Stark said, promising to spend a great deal of time with the voters. It was her 27 years in government that Stark said gave her an edge against Williams. “People know me, they know I’ve been involved with their issues, their concerns all these years.”
“I’m happy to have received the support of so many voters,” Williams said, thanking his wife Karen for being at his side during the campaign. He pointed to a petition challenge that sidetracked his campaign in the beginning and forced him to spend $30,000 in legal fees that he could have spent on advertising. “This may not have changed the outcome,” he said, “but it did have an effect.” He suggested that his supporters stay tuned. “I’ve always been extremely active in the community and will remain involved,” said Williams, the owner of Country Time Cycles in Mattituck.
“People live here because of our natural resources, our beautiful environment,” Stark said. “My goal is to protect and preserve them.”
The 1st district encompasses the North Fork, Shelter Island and parts of Brookhaven Town. “I’ll be the only legislator who covers five towns,” Stark said if she wins November 7.
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| Catherine Stark File Photo |