Shelter Island Town Supervisor
Republican
Gary J. Gerth (Incumbent)
Background:
REPUBLICAN
Gerth, 77, of Shelter Island, is seeking his second two-year term as supervisor. He is running on the Republican line. He is an ordained pastor and former Navy commander.
Policies:
- He would continue efforts to control storm water runoff into Peconic Bay and look for more grants to fund installation of alternative on-site wastewater treatment systems.
- Look for ways to reduce the town’s deer and resulting tick population, and continue using insecticide to kill ticks on deer that eat at town-sponsored four-poster feeding stations. Gerth said he also supports controlled burning of brush on vacant lots to kill tick larvae.
- Continue with plans for a 2,000-foot-long wall of cobbles, a revetment, so work can start when funding is approved.
Democratic
Gerard F. Siller
Background:
DEMOCRATIC
Siller, 65, of Shelter Island Heights, is running on the Democratic line and is seeking his third term; he previously served two terms as supervisor from 1998-2001. He runs a garden center and is a landscape gardener.
Policies:
- Siller said he would tap the 2% of funds available to the town in the Community Preservation Fund for an engineering study on how best to solve nitrogen pollution.
- He said he would reduce the four-poster deer feeding program by a third and increase culling of the herd to reduce the number of deer and resulting ticks.
- He supports using town land as a land bank and building housing that is offered either as rental units or for purchase through a lottery.