Riverhead Town Council Member (2 Seats Open)

REPUBLICAN

Beyrodt, 52, is running on the Republican and Conservative party lines. It’s his second run for the council. He is executive vice president of DeLea Sod Farms.

• Finding a balance between preserving farmland and development has long been a key issue for Beyrodt, and he wants the town to fund a state Environmental Quality Review Act study on transfer of development rights.
• He pledged to focus on ensuring consistency in zoning so that investors don’t avoid blighted areas and vacant buildings for fear of losing profits due to new rules.
• He believes school overcrowding must be addressed by code enforcement cracking down on illegal rentals and determining who actually lives in Riverhead and can go to its schools.

REPUBLICAN

Hubbard, 59, is running on the Republican and Conservative lines and seeks his second term. He was the deputy supervisor until this year.

• He created a helicopter noise task force after residents and merchants complained about the rising number of trips taken by the rich and famous who don’t want to be stuck on roads leading to the Hamptons.
• He said he has been a leader in boosting the economy. He addressed complaints about lack of downtown parking by commissioning a study that would, when completed, propose 67 new spaces through redesign of a parking lot. He also supported the sale of Enterprise Park as a research and manufacturing hub that would give living wages to the young while preserving 1,000 acres as open space.
• Reducing school overcrowding is a priority for him, and he proposed a way to hire more code enforcement staff without piercing the tax cap.

DEMOCRATIC

Snyder, 63, seeks a four-year term and is running on the Democratic, Working Families and Independence party lines. A nonprofit consultant and chair of the Suffolk County Arts Advisory Committee, she had been the executive director for 18 years at the East End Arts nonprofit, where she co-created the annual Winterfest Jazz on the Vine festival.

• The environment, especially educating children on the issue, is a key focus for Snyder, who wants to help environmental nonprofits band together and better leverage government resources.
• She said downtown revitalization is a priority, and its success is tied to boosting foot traffic with arts events and housing complexes near the train station.

DEMOCRATIC

Tucci, 49, owns a marketing company and is a political newcomer who is running on the Democratic, Working Families and Independence lines.

• She’s known as an arts advocate who organized the Alive on 25 music and arts festivals and the annual Halloween Coffin Race, and this summer resurrected a downtown concert series that had been canceled due to lack of funding.
• She backs a smaller bond than the $100 million one proposed by the Riverhead school district to relieve overcrowding — her top concern as the mother of three — but said stakeholders, including social services agencies, must meet regularly to tackle the problem of illegal and overcrowded housing.
• As former executive director of the Riverhead Business Improvement District management association, she has a mystery that legislative resources could solve: why downtown remains sluggish after years of talk, planning and work. She believes murals to liven up the exteriors of abandoned buildings, new lighting and other measures can create a sense of welcome and security.

LIBERTARIAN

Van Helmond, 56, ran unsuccessfully for highway superintendent in 2017 after the Republican Party declined to tap the landscaping business owner for council races.

• He wants a more fair tax abatement system by giving longer breaks, say 10 years, for businesses and projects and clawing back savings from those who violate the deal, such as closing stores.
• He considers $40 million too low for more than 1,600 acres at the Enterprise Park at Calverton and would like the tentative sales deal with developers renegotiated.
• He called the town’s business approach “weak” and suggested a combination of tax breaks and transfer of development rights to steer businesses to Route 58.