2 Photos
Westhampton Beach Clerk Treasurer Denise Mordente (left) leading the vote count on Friday, June 20. DAN STARK
Westhampton Beach Village Trustee Rob Rubio (left), who won re-election to a 6th term on Friday, June 20. DAN STARK
Voter turnout surged in Westhampton Beach Village on Friday, June 20, as incumbent Trustee Rob Rubio won reelection to a sixth two-year term, and Chris Rizzo won his first two-year term on the Village Board.
Rubio received 176 votes and Rizzo received 155, while challengers Kim Wolfersdorf and Nancy St. John received 128 and 91, respectively.
The turnout is a stark contrast to last year’s race, when a total of 133 votes were cast in an uncontested election. This year, with incumbent Trustee Brian Tymann choosing to not run for reelection, 550 votes were cast.
“It’s nice to see that people are interested,” said Village Mayor Ralph Urban, “Because of the uncontested elections in the past, turnout has been low. So, tonight, it’s good to see that people care.”
Rubio, 59, was first elected to the board in 2015, running with Tymann. This year, Rubio ran with Rizzo for the first time.
Rubio, who owns Rubio Premier Motors in Westhampton, ran on a platform of “continuing pushing forward” with the progress the village has made in revitalizing Main Street.
Rubio said his main priority will be to make sure that the second phase of the village’s sewer district project is completed, saying that “we gotta start analyzing and see what the next phase is going to be here.” He also expressed interest in “continuing finishing up all the loose ends of everything that’s going on.”
Rizzo, 48, is the service manager at Otis Ford in Quogue, and this marks his first foray into public service. His first priority is to “get up to speed on current pending projects and keep the village moving forward” and continue working with residents and businesses.
“I’m extremely grateful for all of the support I received,” he said in a text message. “I’m excited to join this board and give back to the community I love. It was great to see the large turnout for voting.”
When he takes office, Rizzo also expressed interest in the sewer project, as well as exploring potential solutions for increasing parking.
Wolfersdorf said she does not have any plans at the moment to stay involved in village politics.
St. John did not respond to a request seeking comment.
