Elections 2025: Twin Forks Suffolk Legislators Face Challengers 

A pair of challengers are hoping to unseat the two first-term Suffolk County lawmakers who are running for re-election to continue representing the Hamptons and the North Fork this Election Day.

Suffolk County Legislator Catherine Stark (R-Riverhead) faces Southold Town Council Member Greg Doroski, a Democrat seeking to represent the county’s first legislative district that spans the towns of Riverhead, Southold, and Shelter Island. And Suffolk County Legislator Ann Welker (D-Southampton) is seeking a second term against Raheem Soto, a Republican who is the publisher of The Messenger newspaper group, in the county’s second legislative district that stretches from the Moriches Inlet to Montauk Point.

At the top of the ballot, voters will find Republican Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney and Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon, a Democrat, are both running for re-election unopposed. And further down ballots will be an array of races for town-level elected officials across the five East End towns.

The races make up what is known as an off-off-year election, meaning only local elected offices are up for grabs, as opposed to next year’s more high-profile midterm congressional races that will serve as a referendum on President Donald Trump’s second term.

Here is a look at the East End county legislative candidates voters will decide between this fall.

SUFFOLK LEGISTLATOR CANDIDATES

CATHERINE STARK

The legislator for the first district — like nearly every other candidate in the race — says that the top issues facing the region are environmental preservation and the housing crisis.

She touted passage of the Working Waterfronts Program — an initiative similar to the county’s farmland preservation program but for the commercial fishing industry — as helping address these issues.

“When there is land for sale, either me or my staff reach out to landowners and if they’re not familiar with our open space and farmland preservation programs, we try to explain to them the step by step process and who to get in touch with to get the ball rolling,” she said. “I plan to do the same next year once we get the Working Waterfront Program committee started.”

She says it would be a continuation of efforts she’s taken for the nearly 30 years that she has worked for the county.

“During my first term, we have approximately 950 acres of farmland and open space that has been preserved or is in the process of being preserved in the First District alone,” she said. “The addition of the Working Waterfronts Program will help protect our marine industries, and our local way of life here in the First District and county wide.”

She added that she wants to “promote more workforce housing across the county, and look for innovative ways to improve them on the East End.”

Stark had recent successes to show her progress on that front.

“We have to help our volunteer firefighters and veterans, which is why I supported a recently passed bill which sets aside affordable housing for volunteer firefighters similar to the housing set aside for our veteran community,” she said. “I would also encourage town leaders to do what’s best for their communities in terms of zoning and construction, and work with local residents on what they want for their communities.”

The lawmaker says her long tenure in county government has helped her forge relationships and institutional knowledge needed to advocate for the district.

GREG DOROSKI

Doroski, who is brewer at the Riverhead Brew House when he’s not serving on the Southold Town Board, said another one of the top issues facing the North Fork district is white tail deer and water quality.

“There is remarkable overlap in the top issues in the town and the county,” he said. “Environmental issues are top of mind for everyone.”

For example, town and county leaders need to coordinate with regard to the ongoing controversy surrounding the Suffolk County Water Authority’s effort to run a water main through the Town of Riverhead — which has its own water service system — to the Town of Southold, he said.

As for the deer issue, Doroski, who is the town board’s liaison to the deer management committee, said he is working with New York State lawmakers to update legislation to implement recommendations of the state Department of Environmental Conservation on how best to control the deer population, and to secure funding required to do so.

He called the Working Waterfront Program and its $9.8 million in funding “a great start,” but said more needs to be done to address the issue.

“We really need to look at expanding the funding stream for that,” he said.

He added that his background would serve the district well.

“My experience in town government and small business makes me well suited,” he said. “You need to have a spring in your step to get things done.”

ANN WELKER

In district two on the South Fork, Welker, the incumbent legislator for the Hamptons, led with water quality as the most pressing top issue facing the region.

Her dedication to the issue has resulted in her serving on the Suffolk County Water Quality Board of Trustees that was created by a 2024 proposition in which voters approved passage of a new tax to fund wastewater treatment system upgrades to reduce pollution.

“Our water quality is of paramount importance,” said Welker, who previously served on the Southampton Town Board of Trustees, which manages the town’s public lands. “Our environment is inextricably tied to our economy, not just on the East End.”

She too expressed concern about how older residents, families, and young people are being priced out of their homes.

“We have to keep many projects in the pipeline to address this shortage of workforce housing,” she said of the newly enacted Community Housing Fund program that created an East End town real estate transfer tax to help pay for more housing. She would also like to see the issue of traffic be addressed with more mass transit options to take more vehicles off the road.

With respect to the Working Waterfront Program, she said she is helping explore the related issue of the need for a seafood processing facility in Suffolk County to support the region’s commercial fishing industry. She noted that fish caught in Montauk need to be trucked to the Bronx for processing before the seafood can be trucked back and sold to local retailers and restaurants.

That may be a tall task, but Welker says she’s up for the job.

“It takes time to get things done in government,” she said. “I believe that the experience, the vision, the ability to work across the aisle are all qualities that I possess.”

RAHEEM SOTO

Soto, the newspaper publisher running a campaign to unseat Welker and become the Hamptons’ next Suffolk legislator, said that in addition to water quality and affordability, he’d also like to see the East End get its fair share of tax revenue.

“The East End contributes a significant share of Suffolk County’s sales, tourism, and property tax revenue, yet receives only a fraction in return,” he said. “I’m calling for a Fair Share Audit to publish those numbers transparently, followed by a formula that ensures proportional reinvestment in the communities that generate the revenue.”

He also views water quality in financial terms.

“Our water quality is the foundation of both our economy and our way of life,” he said. “When nitrogen levels rise and bays decline, small businesses, fishermen, and homeowners all pay the price. Protecting our coastal ecosystems isn’t just about the environment — it’s about economic sustainability.”

His concerns about affordability were centered on businesses.

“The cost of living continues to rise while county fees, delays, and red tape make it harder for small businesses to survive,” he said. “Government should focus on removing obstacles, not creating them. Economic growth depends on discipline, predictability, and accountability in how taxpayer dollars are managed.”

To address these issues, he proposes a Clean Water, Strong Coast plan that “scales up natural solutions like kelp and shellfish restoration, prioritizes septic upgrades where they make the most impact, and ties future development to real infrastructure investment.”

If elected, he said he will fight to tangible results.

“Real progress requires clear priorities — clean water, reliable infrastructure, and an economy that works for the people who live and work here year-round,” he said. “That means collaboration where it helps, transparency at every level, and results that can be measured, not just announced.”

Election Day falls on Nov. 4 this year. The early voting period runs from Oct. 25-Nov. 2 during which votes can be cast from any polling station in the county. For registration, polling location and additional information, visit suffolkvotes.com