Leading Southold Forward . . .
Suffolk County Candidate
Town Council
Town Highway Superintendent
Greg Doroski (LD1 County Legislator Candidate) was born and raised in Mattituck. He brings a deep understanding of the region’s needs and a proven commitment to its people, honed through years of service to the community and his work on the Southold Town Board since his election in 2021. A beer brewer by trade, he offers a unique perspective on the challenges and aspirations of working families in Suffolk County.
Southold Town Candidates
Brian O. Mealy (Town Council Incumbent) currently serves as a Southold Town
Councilman and is seeking re-election this year. Brian is known to engage with the public on important community issues, such as fostering attainable housing, the protection of our environment, and the current state of our local "quality of life.” Through his extensive civic engagement and passionate local advocacy, Brian continues to shape and serve the community he's always called home.
Alexa Suess (Town Council Candidate) was born and raised in Greenport and is a long-time business owner and community organizer within the Town of Southold. She has held membership in the Greenport BID, North Fork Chamber of Commerce, and Southold Women Entrepreneurs in business group. Her approach to the Town Board position is one with focus on technological improvements, affordable housing, coastal resilience and preservation advocacy, and fostering entrepreneurship and collaboration within the community.
Dan Goodwin (Highway Supt. Incumbent) has served as the Superintendent of Highways for Southold Town since January of 2022. During this time, he has worked tirelessly to enhance the safety and quality of the infrastructure of the town, has been active on many committees, improved communication with town residents, and developed and began executing a capital replacement plan of the antiquated equipment fleet. Dan is seeking reelection to continue building upon the successes of this tenure and to continue planning the work and working the plan for a safer, more efficient and modern highway department.
Town Trustee
Liz Gillooly (Town Trustee Incumbent) is a dedicated Southold Town Trustee seeking re-election to continue her proven track record of environmental protection and community enrichment. Beyond her Trustee duties, she
serves as Director of Operations at the North Fork Arts Center, helping expand our community's cultural landscape. A USCG licensed sailboat captain and small business owner, Liz brings firsthand experience and a deep connection to our waterways. With her first child expected in March, she is more determined than ever to preserve and enhance Southold Town for future generations.
Joe Finora (Town Trustee Candidate) is a North Fork native raising a young family in Southold. He is a professional engineer with 15 years of marine and waterfront project experience. Joe is currently the Town Engineer for the Town of Shelter Island and co-founder of an oyster company in Peconic Bay. He has the professional expertise and local knowledge to make pragmatic and environmentally focused decisions regarding our waterfront.
Town Tax Assessor
Dana Forlenza (Town Tax Assessor Candidate)
is a licensed insurance agent who has been working for a local agency for the past ten years. Dana's insurance background has provided her the skills to review available information and determine the value of local homes, a skill that will serve her well in the Tax Assessor's office. Dana is a lifelong resident of the North Fork. She and her husband reside in Mattituck with their son.
Town Justice
Eileen Powers (Town Justice Incumbent) has served as a Southold Town Justice for the past seven years. In addition to her responsibilities in the Justice Court, Eileen also sits as a Judge and team member for the East End Regional Intervention Court—a treatment Court serving the five East End Towns and their residents.
A graduate, cum laude, of St. John’s School of Law, Eileen has been an attorney specializing in litigation for 32 years. Eileen’s career demonstrates a commitment to justice and public service. She previously served in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office as the Deputy Bureau Chief for the Major Crimes Bureau, and a leading trial attorney. She has also served as a Village and Town Attorney for several different municipalities. In addition to her career in public service, Eileen has operated her own private law practice for more than 20 years. She has been repeatedly found Qualified to serve as Southold Town Justice by the Suffolk County Bar Association.
Eileen has lived in Southold for 29 years with her husband Larry Tuthill where they raised their three, now young adult, children.
Kate Stevens (Fishers Island Town Council/Justice Candidate) is a community-focused strategic thinker with strong problem-solving and collaboration skills. Her professional background is in architecture and teaching. Her work currently focuses on resource management and the environment (Commission Chair of Fishers Island Waste Management District, Special Projects at the HLF Museum + Land Trust, FI Zoning Committee, FI Energy Transition Initiative, FI Coastal Resiliency Planning, Dems4FI). She has a lifelong family connection to Fishers Island, where she has lived full-time with her husband, Paul, and their dog, Nola, since 2020. She is eager to serve as a connector and pollinator between Fishers Island and the rest of Southold Town, recognizing there are many shared concerns - housing, climate resilience, water infrastructure - as well as ultra-local concerns that nonetheless deserve community-wide consideration.
Town Clerk
Abigail Field (Town Clerk Candidate) is an attorney with many years of public policy experience as an advocate, lobbyist, and legislative counsel. She is exceptionally good at organizing information and communicating with the public, skills she would use as Town Clerk to serve constituents effectively and efficiently. Abigail was a lifelong summer person on Shelter Island before moving there full time in 2007. In 2011, Abigail and her husband David moved to Cutchogue with their then-four and one-year-old kids. Both children are now enrolled in Mattituck High School, although her daughter will graduate this June.
Eric Sepenoski (Town Trustee Incumbent) As a farmer, teacher, and trustee, Eric has worked to protect what matters here - our waters, marshes, and public lands. With fellow trustees, he has kept shorelines open to all, worked with neighbors to protect natural buffers along our waters, and ensured fees serve the public good, not private interests.
Eric and his wife are raising their boys on the family farm, teaching them what the land teaches - that good work requires patience and care. He seeks to continue as trustee because he believes leadership and good decisions matter to secure the kinds of lives we want: protecting our waters, keeping public lands public, and preserving the ways that have sustained this place.
Leah Tillman (Town Tax Assessor Candidate) was raised in Mattituck and is the marketing director of The Village Cheese Shop, where she has spent 8 years learning how to run a local business on the North Fork. One of her favorite aspects of the job has been working with the public and developing a rapport with clientele from all over the world who have settled on the North Fork. Leah also has a twelve year background of government experience working as a Senior Congressional Aide for Congressman Timothy Bishop (NY-01). Leah’s government experience and her lifelong connection to this community, its values and culture make her an excellent candidate and she is excited to work at the local level of government for Southold Town.
