Nov 6, 2013 2:37 PM

The Suffolk County Board of Elections now says the numbers posted on its website are the final tallies, which include all precincts, excepting only 879 absentee ballots yet to be counted.

Board of Elections Commissioner Wayne Rogers’s office confirmed on Wednesday morning that there are no outstanding districts, and the numbers currently posted on the BOE’s website—which, at one point on Tuesday evening, had mistakenly been listed as totals with 39 of 42 precincts reporting—are actually the final numbers.

That means, unofficially, Stan Glinka (R) and Brad Bender (I) have won the two seats on the Southampton Town Board—but with just 301 votes separating the bottom three candidates, the absentee ballots could mathematically alter the outcome and give Jeff Mansfield (R) and Frank Zappone (D) a glimmer of hope.

Should the results hold, Mr. Bender, who was part of the Democratic slate, would give Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst, who easily won reelection on Tuesday, her first Town Board majority, with Democratic Town Board member Bridget Fleming.

The same is true with the Town Trustees race, where incumbents Bill Pell (I), Eric Shultz (D) and Ed Warner Jr. (R) have won reelection, and challengers Scott Horowitz (R) and Ray Overton (R) secured the two remaining seats.

Absentee ballots could affect either race, but it’s unlikely: Typically, absentee ballots break roughly the same as votes cast by regular ballots and rarely have a major impact on the final results.

While several races have been decided, it could be tomorrow—or even as long as a week—before the Town Board race is settled.

Initially, the Suffolk County Board of Elections told some party officials that the numbers posted tonight on the BOE website, which showed all 42 precincts reported, were actually the final numbers—even though they had not changed from the report at 39 precincts in.

Now, according to State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr., who is chairman of the town’s Independence Party, said BOE officials have told him there are three precincts that experienced issues with their tabulating machines, and so the totals from those three precincts are not currently included in the vote totals. In fact, as many as 1,000 votes or more could be outstanding, and that doesn’t include the 879 absentee ballots received.

Mr. Thiele said he was told it could be up to a week until the BOE tallies all of the outstanding votes and declares final victors.

Currently, Republican Stan Glinka, with 5,857 votes, and Brad Bender, an Independence Party member on the Democratic ticket, with 5,746, are in the lead for the two Town Board seats. But Republican Jeff Mansfield is just 143 votes behind Mr. Bender, and Democrat Frank Zappone is just 158 votes behind him. As a result, both the three outstanding precincts and the absentee ballots could well play a role in settling the matter.

The race for Town Trustees likely could be in play as well. Incumbent Trustees Bill Pell (8,933 votes), Eric Shultz (8,746) and Ed Warner Jr. (7,161), all appear poised to be reelected safely. Challenger Scott Horowitz, with 6,399, also appears safe. But the fifth and final seat is in reach for Ray Overton (5,436), Howard Pickerell (5,163) and John Bouvier (4,953).

The races for town supervisor and highway superintendent appear to be settled, though the final vote totals could change.

Also on Tuesday, Sundy Schermeyer was unopposed for reelection as town clerk, as were Town Justices Deborah Kooperstein and Barbara Wilson.

Another incumbent Democrat, Southampton Town Highway Superintendent Alex Gregor, had a hefty lead in another hotly contested race, ahead of his opponent, Republican David Betts, with 61.87 compared to 38.1 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results with the same number of districts reporting.

Ms. Throne-Holst had 7,081 votes to Ms. Kabot’s 4,985, while Mr. Gregor had 7,259 to Mr. Betts’s 4,470.

With her oldest son, Nick, watching on Skype over iPad from his dorm room at Yale University, Anna Throne-Holst gave a victory speech shortly after 11 p.m., when the results made it clear she would be returned for a second term as town supervisor.

“I’m happy about my race,” she said. “I’ll be very, very disappointed if Frank [Zappone] doesn’t have the seat he deserves on the Town Board. I’ll be happy if Brad [Bender]makes it.”

She continued: “I would hope, first and foremost, that the difference was my record and what my record actually is. I also think people are tired of the personal, nasty, down in the mud campaign. I don’t think the Pinnocchio nose helped,” she said, referring to an advertisement run in The Press by Linda Kabot, her challenger. “I don’t think going after my personal life was a deciding factor on whether you can run a town or not.”

At GOP headquarters, Ms. Kabot conceded: “There is a certain honor in trying and losing, but there is no honor in not trying. I’m proud of our grassroots effort. We did it the old-fashioned way ... I was up against a well-funded incumbent, and I fought a good fight.”

With 39 of 42 precincts reporting, the Town Board vote totals are: Stan Glinka, 5,857 (25.85 percent); Brad Bender, 5,746 (25.36 percent); Jeff Mansfield, 5,603 (24.73 percent); and Frank Zappone, 5,445 (24.03 percent).

With all but three precincts in, fewer than 400 votes still separate the four candidates for Town Board. Most observers are starting to talk as though the Town Board race could be the last decided--if it’s decided at all tonight.

Brad Bender and Stan Glinka currently hold slim leads for the top two seats.

Democratic Chair Gordon Herr said he’s “feeling very good,” though he added, “I think Anna is fine--the council we’re going to have to wait out.”

Said Town Board member Bridget Fleming: “It’s looking like it’s going to be a long night.”

Reportedly, 879 of the 1,314 absentee ballots that were sent out were returned by voters. They will be not be included in the unofficial numbers released by the Suffolk County Board of Elections tonight.

Gordon Herr, chairman of the Southampton Town Democratic Party, noted that the absentee ballots are not likely to change any outcomes from election night, especially since most of the time absentee ballots tend to divide in much the same way as the regular votes in each race.

With 29 of 42 precincts reporting, Anna Throne-Holst (58 percent) holds a comfortable lead over challenger Linda Kabot (42 percent) for reelection as town supervisor.

Likewise, Highway Superintendent Alex Gregor looks to be building a strong lead over challenger David Betts, with the current margin being 60-40.

The race for Town Board will go to the wire, with fewer than 400 votes separating the four candidates for two seats. Brad Bender and Stan Glinka currently hold the lead, but only by the slimmest of margins.

The three incumbent Town Trustees, Bill Pell, Eric Shultz and Ed Warner Jr., appear to be cruising to reelection. The two other open seats are still up for grabs, with Scott Horowitz currently holding strong at fourth and Ray Overton currently at fifth.

The race for town board seats was tight with 27 districts’ results in and 13 still outstanding. Frank Zappone had approximately 34 percent of the vote, Bradley Bender 25.8 percent, Stanley Glinka, 25.6 percent, and Jeffrey Mansfield, 24.4 percent.

The Suffolk County Board of Elections was reporting incumbent Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst ahead of challenger Linda Kabot with 16 of 26 districts’ results: 61.02 percent of the vote versus 38.9 percent. Alex Gregor, the incumbent highway superintendent, had the lead over challenger David Betts with the same number of districts reporting, at 63 versus about 36.6 percent.

As the first results were announced at the Democratic Party gathering at 230 Elm in Southampton Village, a cheer went up when two Democratic nominees, Highway Superintendent Alex Gregor and Town Board candidate Brad Bender, had early leads.

Mr. Bender was less impressed: “I’m not counting any chickens till they’re all in the hen house.”

Republican Southampton Town Trustee candidate Scott Horowitz: “If the voters were paying attention, I’ll win. If not, we’re all screwed.”

Linda Kabot, Republican candidate for Southampton Town supervisor, arrived at the Villa Toscano restaurant in East Quogue, where the GOP is gathering, greeting everyone as she made her way through the packed restaurant.

Ms. Kabot said she was very nervous, though she seemed to be in good spirits.

Votes from Westhampton Beach were the first to come in, and they showed Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst holding a one-vote lead over Ms. Kabot.

Voters in Southampton Town are voting Tuesday for most of the municipality’s elected offices, with majority control of the Town Board at stake and tight races for highway superintendent and the Town Trustees expected.

Polls across the town opened at 6 a.m. and will close at 9 p.m.

Voters are casting ballots for 12 town offices: supervisor, two Town Board seats, five Town Trustees seats, superintendent of highways, town clerk and two town justices.

In the supervisor’s race, Republican Linda Kabot is seeking to regain her former post by unseating incumbent Independence Party Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst, who is cross-endorsed by the Democrats. Ms. Kabot served as supervisor from 2007 to 2009 before losing to Ms. Throne-Holst who is running for a third two-year term in the town’s top post.

Two Town Board seats are also up for grabs as Councilman Chris Nuzzi, a Republican, is prevented from seeking reelection by town term-limits and Councilman Jim Malone, a Conservative, chose not to seek reelection to a second term. With Democratic Councilwoman Bridget Fleming and Republican Councilwoman Christine Scalera mid-way through their terms, the Town Board majority, and even a potential four-vote super-majority, are on the table for either party.

Republican candidates Jeffrey Mansfield and Stan Glinka are seeking to keep the board majority in the GOP corner. They are both cross-endorsed by the Conservative Party. On the Democratic ticket, Independence Party candidate Brad Bender and Democrat Frank Zappone, the current deputy supervisor, are looking to wrest control away from the Republican-Conservative majority that has controlled the board for the last four years. Both are endorsed by the Independence and Working Families parties as well.

Town Council seats are four-year terms.

For highway superintendent, incumbent Superintendent Alex Gregor, an Independence Party member, is seeking a second four-year term as head of the Town Highway Department. He is endorsed by the Democratic, Independence and Working families parties. He is being challenged by Republican David Betts, the current chief investigator and head of the town’s Department of Code Enforcement. Mr. Betts is also endorsed by the Conservative Party.

In the Town Trustees race, all five seats are on the ballot, with three incumbents seeking reelection and four newcomers seeking to join the board. The top five vote-getters will earn seats.

The incumbents are Ed Warner Jr., a Republican also endorsed by the Independence and Conservative parties, Eric Shultz, a Democrat endorsed by the Independence, Conservative and Working Families parties, and Bill Pell, an Independence Party member cross-endorsed by the Democrats, Conservatives and Working Families parties.

Also vying for a seat are: John V. Bouvier, a registered Democrat endorsed by the Working Families Party; Scott Horowitz, a registered Republican endorsed by the Conservative and Independence parties; Howard Pickerell Jr., a registered Democrat supported by the Working Families and Independence parties; and Raymond B. Overton, a registered Republican whose candidacy is endorsed by the Conservative and Southampton Now parties. Bill Brauninger is also on the Democratic and Working Families lines but did not actively campaign for the seat after being nominated as a replacement for incumbent Trustee Fred Havemeyer, who decided not to pursue reelection early in the campaign.

Town Clerk Sundy Schermeyer is also seeking reelection to another four-year term. She is unchallenged and endorsed by both major parties, as are Town Justices Barbara Wilson and Deborah Kooperstein.

Newly elected officials will take office on January 1, 2014.